Gem grabbed her blade, nodding and looking at the men she had gathered. There was Egral, one of the men in her squad. His size and strength made him a valuable friend, and he was useful as a training partner, as well as interpreting her hand signs for others. He would be invaluable if she needed to give orders from a distance, and he had a surprisingly good head for strategy.
Av'rasca, the one-legged Deena man, would help navigate through the town and translate where needed."Though-" He admitted,"-You might find me a bit lacking....just have a few old maps that my dad left me, and the only person I ever practiced the language with was him and...."
His face took on an odd expression, and he said no more. Gem did not know the details, but knew he had had a strained relationship with his mother, and so did not press him. They were not important to the mission, in any case.
Another notable man was a Mage by the name of Jak, who had volunteered at the suggestion of Giles. He was arrogant, but not entirely without cause. To be a Mage in Black Griffin, much skill was needed, and Jak had it in droves. Granted, this did not lessen the occasional urge to punch him, but she would hold herself in check....for tonight, at least.
A few other soldiers from her group were there, people who could hold their own with a blade. She had trained with many of them, and felt confident in their ability to watch her back. A few of them had even landed blows on her and given her a few of her scars, though she had been sure to give the same to them in return. It always puzzled her why they didn't seem more pleased afterwards.
She smiled and waved back at the hill, knowing that the rest of her squad and a few of the other commanders would be watching. She signaled to Egral, who spoke quietly, as few could see in the dim light."Move quick, move quietly. Watch your step. If you knock over a barrel, a pan, anything, it could all be over. If you see any guards, cut them down quick and keep moving. If they have a torch, all the better. Toss them and see if you can cause a distraction. If you get wounded, move to whatever's closer, either our camp or the walls."
Av'rasca nodded."Ah...seems easy enough." He said, chuckling nervously."But, uh...someone go ahead of me in case they've set traps. Once was enough for me, thank you very much."
That brought laughter from the rest, until Gem hissed for them to be quiet. Then, they began advancing on the camp, everyone gripping the hilts of their blades tightly, the full weight of their task finally setting in.
They first saw a small group, who seemed to be patrolling. She sent a clear signal to the rest, first holding up a finger, then slicing in the air with her hand. Everybody kill one. Fortunately, this group had the same number as hers, which made things simple. They quickly arrived behind the group and cut out as one.
Egral stabbed forward, piercing his foes spine and shoving him to the ground, barely a sound made. Av'rasca's cut was less precise, and the Deena he faced fell back, gurgling, with the vein in his neck hacked open. This alerted the rest, who turned angrily. The rest of them moved quickly to finish them before they could call for help, and soon, only one was left facing Gem.
Gem raised her blade, but just before she struck, the man turned, and she froze. She had expected another Deena, a native to this land, or perhaps even a human, some sort of hybrid. But, the face that she saw was familiar. The eyes were red as a ruby. The skin was an unearthly pale color, almost a light grey. The hair almost invisible as it blended into the night, a black as pure as crows feathers. She was facing another Nrevacian, one of her own kind.
She racked her brains, trying to think of the last time she had seen one of her own race. Not a single occurrence came to mind. The other one seemed just as surprised, mouth agape."Sih....Sih insknamwa!" He exclaimed.
She realized with a pang in her heart that she did not understand him, and assumed it must be the language of her people. She had never had reason nor ability to speak it, and as she had been young, it had quickly faded from her mind. That aside, the mission at hand was important, and the safe thing to do would be to kill this man. However...
She hesitated, then flipped her blade in her hands, whacking him across the face with the flat of it. He fell over, a look of pain and surprise on his face. And, oddly enough....betrayal. That look was somehow more horrifying to her than rage from Guiltare. She shuddered, then sheathed her blade, signaling for the others to follow. She tried her best to put the man from her mind as she ran, but the look on his face hung in her mind.
They had to cut down a few more on the way, but for the most part, their run through the camp was uninterrupted. If any men in the tents heard them, they were either too tired to be concerned by it, or just assumed they were a patrol. When they reached the gate, Gem frowned. She had planned for how to get here, but....in her haste, she realized, she had neglected to come up with a way to open the gate.
Egral, seeing the look on her face, chuckled."Commander Giles was kind enough to take care of that part for you." He said, as though reading her mind.
She frowned."How?" She asked.
Egral chuckled, carefully pushing Jak forward.
Jak was a thin man, neither tall not strong, but his brown eyes more than made up for this, imposing a strength of their own. He coughed, nodding."Assuming you can completely comprehend all that I say, I have a simple and efficient plan to eradicate the barrier before us." He said, in a voice that was crisp, quick, and slightly bored. "Recently, Commander Giles faced a Mage who, though lacking in extraneous power, was able to do considerable damage with only slight effort excerpted. Simply damage the outer coating of said obstacle and obliteration shall be imminent."
Gem frowned."....What?"
He sighed, as though thoroughly bored with the existence of such inferior beings."Make cracks in the gate for me. Pretty please."
She grinned."Oh!" She had been prepared to punch him, but now the Mage was speaking her language!
Her men drew their blades, cutting at the surface of the gate. It was tough, but thankfully made from old timbers, which simplified their task. After a few minutes, large gouges appeared. They seemed to be little more than scratches against the massive gate.
Jak nodded in approval."Avoid spreading them out if you can, it shall make this immeasurably more possible." He waited a few more minutes, then nodded."Good. Now, stand back, if you would."
They retreated to a safe distance, and Jak raised a hand to the door. He focused, and ice appeared in the cracks, with the wood groaning slightly. He furrowed his brow, and the ice vanished. He focused again, and it reappeared, spreading out a bit more and earning a few more groans from the boards of the gate. This was his new talent, adapted from Giles' observations during his battle with Vikram.
He repeated this several times, and on the sixth time, the groan continued, as well as continued cracking sounds as black lines spread across the gate. It burst open, and Jak nodded, dusting splinters from his robes."Simple enough." He said, though the strain of what he had accomplished began to show on his face.
They heard yelling, and torches appeared in the streets, little more than specks from a distance. They were followed by the sound of footsteps pounding hard on the cobblestones. Gem signed to her men."Run, find a place to hide. We'll hold out until the coast is clear."
She waited for them to file past, then ran after, covering the rear. They ran along a narrow alleyway, and she was caught from behind by someone. She attempted to grunt, but felt a hard whack on her head. She saw the men vanish around a corner before she was dragged indoors, and black filled her vision.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Vas stood atop the hill, along with Guiltare and the rest of Black Griffin's commanders. He watched the gate crumble, watched Pol's army form ranks as they realized the advantage, watched them rush in amidst the yells from their commanders and calls of warning from the men inside. He sighed."....In da histree o'Deena, Ah'm da first ta allow da enemy ta breach da gates o' Tirren." He said wistfully, then added with a slight chuckle,"Nawt how ah was hopin' ta ern'ma place in histree."
He looked to his side, where one of his attendants offered him a drink. He took the bottle, taking a deep drink from the it. He wiped his lips, then sighed."..May da gods fergive meh, an' please...let mah not be da last o' da kings too."
Guiltare nodded."You've hired us, and we shall do our best to keep that from happening." He simply stared at the unfolding carnage, not seeming convinced. "....If'n ya say so, Demon....If'n ya say so...."