• Tales of Xalthia

    Chapter 17: Broken Mask


    As Tsuki and his group were discussing matters regarding to their true purpose for being summoned to Basilwell with Alba, the Menorion soldiers that have been in hiding began a spontaneous assault on the town without warning or provocation. Due to the swift, unexpected attack, they've already dealt a significant blow to the town. Basilwell troops scrambled to get their things together and started their fierce struggle to push back the enemy. Hearing about the sudden attack, Tsuki and his group agreed to lend Basilwell a hand and made their way back up to the surface to fight back against the invaders.

    The attack force was larger than their previous encounters. It would appear that the soldiers had been waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike. There wasn't just a squad of soldiers. It was more like an entire battalion of soldiers. Even with the help of Tsuki and his group, fighting back against Menorion soldiers, who are well-known for their strength in numbers and power, won't be an easy task. Since Cayhill is in a neutral state, they don't get involved in continental conflicts or ally themselves with a nation without definitive cause to do so. Due to that, they had little to no knowledge about other nation's current standings in power. However, regardless of the odds that were against them, that didn't stop Tsuki and his companions to assist in fighting them back.

    The fighting continued to rage on. Flames from burning buildings and thick, black smoke extended high up into the sky. Basilwell troops were spread out too thin and weren't able to cover every inch of the town. To remedy that, Tsuki and his group decided to split off individually to try and offer their assistance in areas that were lacking in soldiers. Ramza went off to the plaza to fight off the main force, Lynette went around the town to offer her healing abilities for the injured and Tsuki went towards the docks.

    In the plaza, Basilwell troops that were fighting off the Menorion troops were being slaughtered. They were quickly losing in numbers and were being pushed back into a corner. They were about to retreat when Ramza came with the assistance of Alba. With the presence of Alba, morale among their fighters was boosted and started to fight back with confidence.

    Alba was wielding a heavy, uniquely designed battle ax with a jet black sword strapped to his waist. "Push them back! Show them the might of Basilwell!" he shouted in a menacing tone. He then ran up to a group of five soldiers with his ax in hand and swung it, shattering their blades and slicing down the soldiers with a single swing.

    Ramza was using his broadsword to cut down soldiers charging up at him and used his gun to shoot the soldiers from a distance. As a group of soldiers approached him, he started to use some of his Mana to charge up his gun. As he was gathering his mana, a ball of energy formed at the gun's barrel. Moments later, he shot a medium-sized energy blast from his gun. "Force Wave!" he shouted. The blast impacted the Menorion soldiers and forced them back up against a thick, stone wall.

    Alba continued to cut down the soldiers with ease as if they were nothing when he noticed Ramzas' unique fighting style. "So, you use a sword and a gun, huh? That's quite a combo!" he said. He then started to charge up some of his Mana as well into his ax. Moments later, the blade of his ax was enveloped in a brown aura. Once he gathered enough Mana, he leaped into the air and slammed the blade of his ax onto the ground with tremendous force. "Ground Dasher!" he shouted. The ground under the soldiers feet suddenly erupted and shot shards of rock up from the ground, blowing the soldiers off their feet and killing some before they hit the ground.

    Ramza looked at Alba when he made a comment about his fighting style. "Trust me, you aren't the first to tell me that. I wanted to have a fighting style that isn't very common. What better way to have one than to use two completely different weapons!" he said. Just like before, he charged some Mana into his sword this time. When he gathered enough Mana, he rushed at one of the soldiers, swinging his sword twice and slashing the soldier across his torso followed by slamming the blade of his sword on the ground, releasing a blast of energy upon impact. "Demonic Chaos!" he shouted. The wave of energy shot past the fallen soldier he cut down and collided into a group of soldiers behind him and shot them out into the wilderness outside of town. "I could say the same about you! Then again, you were once one of the Royal Eight, so I'm sure you have plenty of battle experience unlike most governors!" he said.

    Moments later, Alba and Ramza were soon pushed back-to-back with each other as fifteen Menorion soldiers surrounded them. It would seem that they were going to gang up at them at once instead of fighting them individually this time. They were the real threat on the battlefield so it wasn't surprising that they would be marked as prime targets to take down.

    Alba examined the group of soldiers as they surrounded them. He wasn't intimidated by the enemy's tactic. In fact, he was enjoying this. He hasn't been in a real fight for quite a long time so this was exciting to him. "So, what do you think about these odds?" he asked.

    Ramza smirked before answering. "Odds? There can be hundreds of soldiers surroundings us. Numbers mean nothing if they can't put up a fight. Besides, you seem to be enjoying fighting against such uneven odds" he said.

    Alba chuckled a bit at his response. "I couldn't agree more. Let's show these soldiers the difference between power and numbers" he said. He then took a battle stance and readied himself for another round of fighting.

    Ramza also took a battle stance and examined the group of soldiers that surrounded them. "Don't fall behind, old man!" he said. He then charged up more Mana into both of his weapons and readied himself.

    Moments later, Alba and Ramza leaped forward and continued to fight off the enemy in the main plaza. As the fighting was intensifying, Lynette had been doing her best to heal the wounded. She's avoided fighting since she isn't a fighter. The offensive Artes that she has learned throughout their journey weren't very effective so there was little she could do to help defend herself. Lynette was in the market area, healing the wounded when a wave of soldiers came storming their way through the alleyways.

    As she was healing one of the wounded soldiers who couldn't move, she was spotted by one of the Menorion soldiers. "Cut down that healer!" the soldier shouted. Upon his orders, three soldiers rushed at her with their swords in hand.

    Lynette saw the soldiers approach her and tried her best to gather her Mana to use whatever offensive Artes she knows but to no avail. Due to all of her constant healing, she was completely drained of Mana. She had nothing to defend herself with which frightened her. Before the soldiers got close enough to attack, Ruko rushed past her and used his iron gauntlets to kill the soldiers that were rushing at her.

    Once the approaching soldiers were taken care of, Ruko turned around and approached her. "Are you okay? It's suicide for a healer such as yourself to be wandering around the battlefield alone" he said. He could tell that she was drained of Mana by how weak she looked. If he was a few more seconds late, she would of been killed.

    Lynette was dizzy and winded due to her excessive use of healing Artes and her low Mana. She was grateful that Ruko came just in time. "I-I'm fine. T-thank you, Ruko" she said, completely out of it.

    Ruko took out a purple gel-like substance from his bag and handed it to her. "Here, eat this. It'll recover your depleted Mana" he said. It's crucial to have a healer on the battlefield. Having a healer who has no Mana to use in order to cast their healing Artes is a death wish.

    Lynette took the gel from Ruko and gave him a look. "I know what a gel is. You don't have to remind me" she said. She then ate the gel and seconds later, she felt her Mana slowly build up inside her again. Moments later, she was back in action. "Ah, that feels so much better. Thanks for your help!" she said. She then turned and started to head in the opposite direction, towards the residential district.

    Ruko couldn't let Lynette go alone, unprotected especially if she runs low on Mana again. From her encounter, she doesn't know any effective offensive Artes either. "Wait, I'll go with you. It's not safe by yourself" he said.

    Lynette stopped and turned around. She could use the help since she's relied on Tsuki and Ramza to do the fighting. "Alright. Let's go show these guys who's boss and kick them off our land!" she shouted.

    Ruko nodded at her. "You handle the healing while I protect you. We'll get through this!" he said, approaching her.

    They wasted no time and ran off towards the residential district where a lot of civilians still remain. They needed to get them to safety and fight off any Menorion soldiers that they find. As the fighting continued with almost no end, the enemy's leader, King Caius was busy fighting off attackers in the port. Due to his skills as a fighter, Basilwells' troops stood absolutely no chance against him. By the time Tsuki got there, Basilwell troops were retreating from the area, running away in fear. Caius wielded his jet-black battle ax and was standing in the center of numerous corpses of Basilwell troops. Without hesitation, Tsuki approached him.

    Caius has his eyes closed and appeared to be in a trance. He had been waiting for Tsuki to arrive. When he sensed him approach him, he remained motionless. "What's wrong, boy? My back is turned and my guard's down. I'm wide open to be attacked" he said.

    Tsuki stopped and kept his distance from him. He knew that he was a trap if he were to charge right in and attack. "I'm not that reckless especially when it involves someone of your skill level" he said.

    Caius chuckled a bit. "No, I guess you're not. Otherwise, you wouldn't of survived for this long. You are one of the infamous Royal Eight, after all" he said. He then turned around and faced him. "Flattery won't get you anywhere with me, however. You are far below my level of skill and yet, here you are. Do you seek death?" he asked.

    Tsuki glared at Caius and examined him closely. Caius was unlike anything he's ever fought up to this point. Even though he didn't want to admit it, he did have a point. He was clearly beyond him in power and strength. He was too strong for him to handle by himself. If he were to engage this man, he would surely lose in an instant. "Your power is indeed beyond mine, I'll admit. However, I will not let you do as you please" he said.

    Caius smirked a bit, shaking his head. "I don't know if I could call you stupid or reckless. I'll commend you for being loyal to a fault. However..." he said. He then charged at him and swung his ax at him with tremendous power and force.

    Tsuki quickly blocked his attack but due to the force and power of the attack, he was forced back towards the edge of the docks. He was unharmed but the attack left him staggered and defenseless. He was amazed that he was able to block such an attack. His power was almost demonic. "Agh! What kind of power is this!? It's can't be human!" he said.

    Caius slowly approached him with his ax in hand. "You are dealing with matters that are way out of your league" he said. He then leaped into the sky and swung his ax downwards above Tsuki.

    Tsuki dodge the attack by rolling behind him as the ax impaled into the concrete. He quickly scrambled to his feet and readied himself. "As a knight of Eresseas, and Cayhill, I will not let you shatter our peace. We have nothing to do with you or any other nation so why attack us!?" he shouted. He then retaliated by swinging his sword at Caius.

    Caius blocked the attack with ease. "Too slow, boy" he said. He then broke the clash and swung his ax upward, knocking Tsuki off his feet. As he was knocked off-balance, he took his fist and slammed it against Tsuki's stomach and sent him crashing into one of the wooden merchant stalls.

    Tsuki was sent crashing into one of the wooden merchant stalls due to the force of his attack. He was left with the air knocked out of him. He tried to get back up onto his feet but it was a struggle to keep balance before stumbling over and falling down to one knee. "Agh...damn. He isn't human. That strength of his is unreal" he said.

    Caius chuckled as he approached Tsuki once more. "That's the effects of a Booster, an enhancement drug that greatly improves one's strength" he said. He stopped within arm's reach of him, looking quite disappointed in his performance. He thought there was more to Tsuki but it appears he was wrong. "So, this is so-called threat that knight used against me? What a joke. Oh well, allow me to put you out of your misery" he said. He then lifted his ax and held it over Tsuki. "Say hello to the fallen for me. You'll have the honor of being slain by my mighty ax!" he said. He then brought his ax down above Tsuki, who was still paralyzed and unable to move.

    Before his ax came into contact with Tsuki, there was the sound of blades clashing. When Tsuki looked up, there was someone standing between him and Caius with the person blocking Caius' attack. When the attack was blocked, a powerful shockwave was released, kicking up a dense cloud of dirt and dust. When the dust cloud cleared up, the person who had blocked Caius' attack was none other than the Shadow Knight.

    The Shadow Knight blocked the attack like it was nothing. The knight looked at Caius and smirked a bit. "Pathetic" the knight said. Before anyone could react, the knight swiped the ax aside and forced him back before rushing at Caius with incredible speed. The knight swung his sword across his chest then quickly slammed his shoulder against him, releasing an energized face of a lion, knocking Caius back up against a wall. "You talk too much. Boasting your power is a sign of weakness" the knight said. While Caius was down, the knight turned around and walked up to Tsuki and held a hand out to help him up to his feet.

    Tsuki couldn't believe that the Shadow Knight had saved him. He watched as he quickly turned the tables on Caius. He couldn't even touch him let alone knock him off his feet. When the knight approached him, he took his hand and stood up. "You...why did you...?" he asked.

    The knight looked at him. "Why did I save you? That's because you are a descendant of an Ancient. As a Guardian of the Ancients, it's my duty to protect the Ancients, both in the home world and this world, if there are any" the knight explained. The knight knew that there was a lot to explain but now wasn't the time nor the place.

    Tsuki had another confused look on his face. Once again, the Ancients were brought up into a conversation. He still has no idea who they were exactly and now he's just been told that he's a descendant. He didn't know what to make of it. "What are you talking about? Me? A descendant?" he asked.

    The knight shook his head. "I'll explain later. Right now, we---" the knight said. Just then, he heard a whistling sound behind him. When he turned around, an energy blast the size of a baseball slammed into his helmet, severely cracking it and made a decent-sized hole.

    Caius was back on his feet and was the one who shot the energy blast at the Shadow Knight. "Your powers are impressive, Shadow Knight. I didn't think you could overcome someone who's under the influence of a Booster. However, you haven't won yet. Not by a long shot" he said.

    The knight appeared to be unscathed but his helmet was beyond repair. It was utterly destroyed because it was slowly falling apart. "So, it seems you're as tough as they say. However, your strength right now is only temporary. Once the effects of your Booster wear off, we'll witness your real strength. Until then, I suppose I need to get serious" he said. The knight then reached up and removed the destroyed helmet. Upon removal, dark brown hair that went town to the shoulders flowed out from the helmet. When the knight's face was finally revealed, it turns out that the Shadow Knight was a girl. She had dark blue eyes and appeared to be around Tsuki's age. She then tossed her helmet aside and glared at Caius. She had looked like a normal girl when everyone was expecting someone with a tough look on their face. "Why don't we put an end to this little conflict, shall we?" she asked in a lighter tone. Due to the helmet she was wearing her voice was in a deeper tone. This was her true voice.

    Caius almost bursted into laughter when the Shadow Knight turned out to be a normal-looking girl. "This just gets more and more interesting! Come, I'll show you what happens when you cross with the Immortal King!" he shouted.

    The two glared at each other before they lunged forward and began having a one-on-one fight. Too weak and powerless to do anything, the only thing Tsuki could do was watch in silence as the two fought evenly matched. Since he was easily overpowered by Caius, he would just get in the way in their fight.

    To be continued...