Part 2 - In the Midst of Despair

The blade plunged deep into the ground as its shockwave sent a dozen armored swordsmen flying in all directions. A circular crater and still corpses were left in its mighty wake.

"Shit, these soldiers just keep on coming from the mountaintops."

Sheathing his sword, the man that was dressed in a purple robe turned towards the companions beside him. His shook his blonde hair that trailed to the floor, making him look like a Rapunzel that had gone rogue.

An unusual sight in these times, as one would say.

"Arthur," one of the comrades spoke while on the lookout for any enemy that might descend from above. "We're running out of daylight and soldiers. It's another mile of climbing upwards before we reach the top."

"Ugh!" A shout of frustration echoed throughout the forested mountain incline. The sky that was once blue now had an orange tint. And captain of the 3rd Garrison Arthur Peterson, the legendary knight of the Excalibur blade, knew the plan had gone awry.

He thought this fight was to bring hope to the continent. A turning point of the war.

Now all that was left was a fleeting wish for survival.

He quickly scoured the place around him. What was once a squad of a hundred soldiers under his command now remained only a handful. The unexpected ambush on this mountain had totally crushed their plans of securing the Fort for control over the rumored House of Ravens.

An inside man? That was on his mind the entire time. Someone in the legion must have tipped the enemy off, executing a successful ambush on what was thought to be the perfect first step towards peace.

But who? He could only remember the names of the captains: Cyrus - 1st Garrison, Neal - 2nd Garrison, Nathan - 4th Garrison, Isaac - 5th Garrison, Joanne - 6th Garrison, and Marcus - 7th Garrison. All of them were his close friends. He could never suspect them of treachery.

What about the rest of the troops? That was highly unlikely. Captain Marcus, wielder of the Eagle's Eye, could monitor the movements of every single soldier. Yet, not even he could detect this ambush that set the Silver Hawk to a crumbling fall.

"SHIT!"

Despair came over him; soldiers who had families were dying, enemies who seemed infinite kept on coming. Silver Hawk had lost more than half of its soldiers. Lives he could have saved.

Suddenly, his instincts shocked him out of his thoughts as Arthur heard the sound of an arrow piercing through the air. With his eye catching hold of it, he ducked down just before the arrow landed onto the mossy wall of rocks where his head once was.

The tip of the arrow fluctuated in a red luminescence.

"A sonic arrow?" asked one of the men beside him.

Arthur picked it up and placed it next to his ear.

A voice came from within. "Peterson, this is Quiver. The 4th Garrison soldiers were nearly wiped out from the arcane missiles. But we are heading towards the mountaintop right now. Marcus and Isaac are also coming. We need to do it while the others are helping to stall the enemy."

A grin came over his face as a tiny sense of hope began to tinker his heart once more.

"Buckle up boys," he stared at his troops. "Fight's not over yet."