The Call to War

Chapter 30

"Not bad, pup."

Arthur's eyes were wide in horror upon hearing that voice. Quickly he turned and searched in the direction he heard the voice, to see the horned source sitting on a ledge with a menacing smile.

"General? Is that..." the Captain asked, a hint of fear in his voice.

"A retainer? Yes. Now get your unit out of here now," Arthur replied quietly, then began walking forward, Sylvie coming beside him.

"Hello Uto," Arthur greeted in a dark tone as his eyes narrowed on the sadistic Alcryan power house.

"Nice to see you remembered me too. I do like to leave lasting impressions on those that live to tell the tale of meeting me," Uto replied, as he noticed the Trailblazers trying to quietly retreat. "Oh no, we can't have anyone leaving early."

Suddenly a wall of black metal spikes shot out of the ground that nearly reached the ceiling, blocking any means of escape.

"It's so much more fun when there's an audience," Uto said with a sadistic grin, then dropped down from the ledge and started walking casually towards Arthur.

Arthur withdrew Dawn's Ballad from his dimensional ring as he and Sylvie started moving towards him, in effort to keep the fighting away from the Trailblazers. He wanted to break down the metal so they could escape, but his instincts told him that Uto would no doubt charge in and begin slaughtering them, and with people he cared about present he wasn't about to do anything too hasty just yet.

As he walked everyone parted out of his way, with looks of fear on nearly everyone's face. Arthur worked hard to keep the pressure of his core under control, so despite him being a Lance, they had no idea the power he held. That being said, Arthur could tell Uto was stronger, not by an overwhelming amount, but enough that he knew he would have to figure out Uto's magic quickly and would need to rely on every bit of his skills to secure victory.

"Art."

Arthur looks to the side to see Tess walking up to him. He can see a distinct difference in her, from the cold sweat running down, to the look in her eyes, fear. Fear that this opponent is too powerful for him, fear that he won't make it out of this battle alive.

"Don't worry, I'll be ok," Arthur says with a fake reassuring smile.

Tess reaches out and takes his hand. "Do you promise?" She asks, not believing his smile.

Arthur squeezes her hand back lightly. "Yeah, I promise."

Uto slaps his hands together. "Oh no, I've screwed up horribly!" He said frowning.

"Well I'm happy you realize that. Let everyone else out of here and I'll forgive you," Arthur replied with confidence.

However Uto paid no attention to Arthur's words. "From how you acted before I thought killing that Lady elf was enough to set you after me looking for revenge. But I was so foolish. There's no way you two had that kind of relationship." His eyes then locked on Tess, as a big toothy grin formed on his face. "I should have killed that princess instead."

Many eyes widened in horror, and Arthur stepped in front of her in a defensive manner.

"You see, I've seen people really give it everything they've got and fight at their best when they're out for revenge. Now if I don't do something I'm worried this battle will be disappointing." Uto's eyes widened and an evil smirk formed on his face. "You know what? I'm feeling generous. Bring me the elf Princess' broken body, and I'll let you all out of here alive."

Arthur and Tess looked around them, as all eyes were on her, many of which looked like they were considering the offer. Tess tightened her grip on her bladed staff, ready to fight off any of her former allies. The rest of her team, as well as Claire and hers took up a defensive stance around her, ready to protect their friend if needed.