* * * * * * * * *
After Camindra’s second arrow missed its target, being slashed out of the air by the blade of Floridia, Marigny roared as he raised his own sword at the last possible moment to block the downward strike of General Floridia’s attack, their respective armies colliding in battle all around them. Marigny yelled out above the roar of battle, “Fall back and hold this frening line strong!” And with those words his forces began to move farther away from the dip while still holding their positions and not allowing any of the Saint Bernard forces to penetrate their ranks.
The fighting was close, almost chest to chest, but not even the strongest witches and wizards of the Saint Bernard forces could break through their defenses. Magical attacks, in fights such as this, were out of the question. The risk of deflection was far too dangerous, and would only result in injuring your own. As a result, save for the inevitable acts of desperation, this was a battle of skill, strategy and steel. Marigny may have been young when compared to Floridia, but he was born for battle. Being a Warwalker, the instincts of war coursed throughout his veins. The battlefield was his playground, and he used it to walk the Saint Bernard forces further up the dip, putting them further off-balance. The young witch Angela, however, fought like the incline was in the other direction. She stepped back away from the young warlock Kole of the Saint Claude forces, dodging his sharpened wood as she faked a high strike with her sword and had Kole raising his staff to block it. But, in turn, Angela swung down hard from the side to slice off his left leg!
Blood exploded into the air as he collapsed backwards into the dirt. Angela then moved into the crowd and passed the barrier the Saint Claude forces had created. She moved quickly and with great precision, avoiding a sword strike from one witch as it sliced through another of the Saint Claude forces that had been pulled into its path, while at the same time driving her sword through the chest of another with a quick stab forward. Luckily for them, though, the elder witch Camindra was right there to let a blood curdling blast of invisible sound waves out into the air, pushing everyone from the Saint Bernard forces in front of her down to their knees. Angela quickly retreated back to her side as they split, holding her ears tight.
The Saint Claude forces all backed away instead of attacking, gaining a few paces on the temporarily confused forces of Saint Bernard.
“Hold!” Marigny yelled out after he thought they had moved back far enough.
The young warlock Kole lay sprawled out in pain between them as the Saint Bernard forces began to get back to their feet.
General Floridia stepped forward, pointing his sword at Marigny. “Why do you fight like cowards, backing away from the battle?!” He asked in annoyance.
Marigny shot back a sickening smile, “Because we fight with our heads, not our hearts!” He growled at the elder, “And we now extend a truce to you… become our slaves and your lives shall be spared!”
Floridia laughed at the thought of such surrender as he stepped forward. “I would rather die than ever serve you!” He growled before driving his sword into the chest of Kole, putting the warlock out of his misery.
Marigny’s lips turned upwards in satisfaction, paying no mind to the still twitching corpse. “I really hope you meant that.” He said underneath his breath just before he yelled out at the top of his lungs, “Because we would be more than happy to provide you with that death!”