All seemed lost as more knights came out of the vegetation to surround her. They circled around her cautiously, pointing their spears at her as you would with a wild beast. She tried to cast another spell, but the fireball only flickered before fizzling out.
"What are you doing! Capture her!" A gruff voice hiding safely inside the vegetation yelled. But none of the knights dared to take the first step forth.
"Arghhh! You guys are worthless!" He exclaimed.
A chubby bloke walked into the circle. He was unkempt and sloppily dressed. His armour and equipment was rusty, probably never bothered oiling them once in his life. From Dalton's point of view, he was unfit to be a knight, yet from the rank on his armor he was the commander of the platoon.
Nonchalantly, he stepped over the corpse of his men. Most of them were young and inexperienced. A small price to pay as they were the easiest to replace. The other, more experienced knights, only survived by hiding behind the rookies. From the start of their mission the plan was to tire her out by throwing bodies at her. If the rookies refused, the experienced seniors had the right to execute them for disobedience.
The commander picked the girl up by her short black hair. The difference in size and the way she flailed made him look like a fisherman showcasing his catch. Weakly, the girl tried to pry his hand open, to no avail. Without magic she was just as weak as anyone else.
"See! She has already used up all her strength. She is as harmless as a fly now." He cackled as he tossed her into the arms of a larger, burlier and more intimidating knight -- the second in command. Another knight then came forth to restrain her in shackles. They were magic inhibitors, designed to shut down any spells the restrained mage tries to cast.
"You won't get away from this. The Ymir Liberation Party shall prevail…" The girl snarled.
The commander chortled.
"We have already captured your base, and now we have captured you. Your little farce will not even make a mark on Ymir's history." He sneered in her face, grabbing her roughly by the cheeks.
Sensing an opportunity, she launched jaws first at the commander. Nimbly, he barely managed to pull back his hand before the girl could bite his fingers off. Not bad for a man his size. Despite being outnumbered, restrained and defeated her scarlet eyes were just as fiery as before. Something that angered the commander.
"You dare attack me! You witch!"
The commander striked her squarely on her temple, bruising her eye. A smile broke out as he saw his mark on her otherwise perfect skin. A sadistic joy filled his heart like he was releasing a lifetime of pent up hatred and humiliation.
"Do you think you people are better just because you have magic?"
He struck her with his other hand. This time near the chin. Then again, and again…
Such force was unwarranted, and certainly a violation of some sort of rule. But no knights dared to intervene, else they would be sent to the frontlines for the next witch hunt.
Still, she didn't beg, block or dodge. She simply took it, eyes still fiery red. Something that fueled the commander's hatred greatly.
The shrubs rattled, interrupting his fun.
"Who's there?" He barked.
Only echoes of his voice could be heard. Cautiously, he waved his hand signaling his men to check the area. With their spear raised, a few knights sneaked up towards the sound. They brush over the twigs and leaves. There was no fur, footprints or scratches. It was empty. Still they stabbed the shrub a few times, just in case. No one was there.
"Must be a squirrel sir!" One of them joked.
The commander snickered.
He turned back to the girl. She snarled back. Though bruised and bleeding, she was still as feisty and prideful as before. It's a real pity. She doesn't look half bad. Her ruby almond eyes, silky black hair, fair and smooth skin… the type many men would fancy. The commander licked his lips. A single thought ran through his mind. Soil her.
"Pin her down." The commander said with heavy breaths.
The second-in-command simply sighed knowing what is going to happen next. He looked away, not wanting to get involved in another one of his commander's sick fantasies. The other knights simply did as they were told. They knew if they didn't they would be put on the frontlines for the next mission, something they would rather avoid.
With their numbers and strength, they easily pushed her down onto the coarse grass. Not that she put up much of a resistance. She neither screamed nor reacted, knowing it would only turn on the commander more.
The commander hovered just above her feet, unbuckling his armour. He was basically drooling at this point.
A breeze blew behind the commander. It was a strong gust of wind, yet the tree leaves didn't so much as rustle. He looked around. Something must have run behind him. But what?
The commander stumbled back. The world began to spin as he started seeing double. His body felt hot and numb, but beyond the feverish sensation was a sharp pain at the back of his neck. He reached for his nape. Though his hands were numb, he could feel a cold metallic object strutting out of his skin. He plucked it out. It was a needle…
Dalton walked over his body as it fell flat onto the dirt floor. He had enough. The platoon of knights stood rooted to the ground in shock, none the wiser to the enemy standing in their midst.
"Man! Hold your ground! The enemy uses poison!" The second-in-command shouted. As rehearsed, the knights hurried into a defensive formation as they formed a circle. The second-in-command stayed inside to keep the girl restrained.
They looked around in paranoia. But there was no one there. The second-in-command focussed his attention in the direction of his commander. If there were enemies nearby, they would surely come from there. He thought.
He was right. But it didn't matter.
The man in front of him fell. The needle this time was lodged right in his forehead. Even though the knight was in his field of vision this entire time, he couldn't see who did it.
The next victim was directly behind him. This time the needle was located right below his chin.
"They got us surrounded!"
The knights cuddled closer together to fill the empty space. Not that it helped as they were picked off just as easily even in the formation. Those that tried to flee met their end after just a few steps away from the formation.
One by one, the knight around him fell like dominos. The second-in-command could barely keep up with all the bodies falling over.
Within no time, his last comrade collapsed directly to his right. He was all there was left, and he knew he was next.
"Are you the Liberation Party! Where are you!" He yelled.
No reply.
A wind blew from behind. In fear, he let go of the girl and swung his lance behind him. The only thing he scratched was the bark of a tree. But just as he did, he felt a sharp pain from the nape of his neck…
The girl wasted no time. She rushed to the commander's body, checking his pouches, pockets and even inside his armor for the key for her shackles.
"Looking for this?"
She jolted forward in shock. Dalton stood just behind her, no longer invisible, dangling a bunch of keys in her face.