Chapter Text
EVE
I wake, the flame crackling as I regain my awareness.
It reminds me of the battles, the terror. The Darkners screaming as the fire burns them till they break, not even allowed to die.
Well of course it does, I can't even hear myself anymore without the pain coming back.
None of us can ever hear fire the same way again, not even someone who's made of flame and steel.
I grip tightly the greatsword I had driven into the ground with my metallic hands.
Then I stop kneeling and get up, the black metal plates of my body moving loudly. I could never be stealthy, not when I'm a beacon of light and noise both.
I lift the blade up, and stare at the reflection of blue flame coming off of it. The open flame that acts as my head crackling.
Why me? Why was I left to survive for so long?
I put the blade down, and look into the endless night of the pure fountain outside. The rest...
First it was Pokey, My sergeant back when I was a private. He was a bit paranoid and definitely prickly, but he was a strong and wise leader who knew how to keep everyone in line.
Turns out he already went through a lot by the time I ended up in his squad, and eventually broke after the second major battle I was with him in, when after too many painful bullet patterns hit him, he just finally snapped.
He viscously stabbed the Balthizard over and over again out of pain and hate, but it wouldn't die, even two thousand damage was not enough. Nobody is ever allowed to die. Not when the Duke of War has declared it as such.
In the end he was exhausted, and just dropped limp. Nobody from the squad could reach him so deep in the enemy lines. But he must of known it would happen, since he marked me to be field promoted if he was 'incapable of command'. Even over his second in command Monki.
The second to break was... Virtuosa. We... were best friends. I met her during basic training, she ended up in the same squad as me.
We stayed best friends through it all, even after Pokey was broken and she started crying herself to sleep every night in that musical tone. She had a crush on Pokey, so I did my best to help her overcome her grief, and I mostly succeeded. But I couldn't ever truly heal such a wound.
Which meant that when he showed up again as one of the enemies on our part of the line in my fifth major battle, she lost her mind and charged at him.
She disobeyed direct orders to retreat with everyone else when the lines were overrun to charge at him. The smile he gave to her still makes my flame shiver. War is no place for love sadly, especially when comrades become fanatic allies of the enemy.
Although, I guess I can say they are likely together now, serving that ANGEL slaying, power hungry, traitorous 'hero' in that fanatic loyalty, contentment and fulfillment they all seem to have.
They all act like they are spreading some sort of wonderful gift, complementing our skill and will to fight as they rip us apart over and over and over again.
But it's no gift, not when you have to serve the destroyer of the world. The one who ripped the sky asunder for their own selfish desires. The one who struck down the Angel with manipulation, then burned the real heroes to ashes.
Then it was Monki who broke. He was a great help, but clearly stopped trying to empathize like I still did back then.
He tried to distance himself from everyone, quietly meditating during most breaks and just being reliable and average in his duty. Especially after Pokey broke, he distanced himself even more, it seems despite trying to not get attached, he still did.
Eventually he was just hollow, his will slowly breaking over a long time, his tail drooping, eyes looking at nothing.
He was broken a long time before his final battle, I could tell deep down that he already lost. It was no surprise when he fought staff in hand, that he just didn't get back up when he was beaten down.
Bombario the poor rookie with all that hope and righteousness they had. After our squad was missing a member due to Pokey being gone, we ended up getting a replacement to fill the spot, which was Bombario who came straight out of basic training. They were the last one I really tried to connect with.
They were skilled, very skilled in combat. They could handle so many enemies at once due to their explosive bullet patterns. And they really had the will to fight till the bitter end. For a while I thought they might just go longer than me. I was promoted to lieutenant after the previous one fell in combat and broke and they were made to lead what was my old squad, still under my command.
The enemy chose our line as the breakthrough point in the trenches, and that's when the fire started. Nobody stood a chance, and all I saw was a silhouette of him before he vanished.
I was made of fire and steel, I could take it, barely. Everyone else either broke on the spot from the pain of burning alive, or they were captured by the forces jumping in. I called for a retreat, but only 13 people got out, me included.
And there were plenty of others, that I just never bothered to get to know. They'd end up the same way after all, and I would be left standing. Always left standing.
I'm one of the few veterans who remember when the enemy numbered merely hundreds, not more than twenty thousand. Back then we outnumbered them 5 to 1, but we still lost every battle.
Why did I never break like the rest? Why?
Is it something I am that dulls the mental pain? Is it because I'm made for this, made of flame and steel?
I don't think I shall ever know.
All I know is this is soon to be our last stand. The largest battle yet, taking place over two whole fountains of trenches and defenses. And I know, that we're doomed to lose, even if we outnumber them 2 to 1. Even with all our might, the enemy just won't die and won't break, but we will.
It hasn't started yet, the enemy has yet to make their way here. But I know they are coming, coming to take and absorb the last fountain, until there is only one left ruled by the traitor, with every Darkner living under it, forever serving the very devil who ended the world.
I grab the sash marking me as a lieutenant with it's coalition colors and the horn to command. But it's mostly to command a retreat, not a charge.
I walk out of the simple wood bunker, it's time I stop reminiscing and help lead my troops. They need me, what's left of the world needs me, I can't just wallow in misery.
The trench line isn't anymore hopeful than I. A bunch of hopeless soldiers leaning and resting on it's walls. They have no illusions that this upcoming battle is anything more than a last stand of justice before tyranny kills it for good. But for what they think is right, they'll put in their all in the actual battle. All forty-thousand of them.
I walk up to them, and they salute their lieutenant, however they were just slouching and doing nothing earlier.
"Might I ask what you all are doing? To me it seems as if you don't even care about the upcoming battle!" My ethereal voice booms out.
"Sir we were just-" He stammers to try to defend himself.
"Did you just call me sir? " My flame crackles threateningly as I lean in to his face.
I could see the soldier stiffen, and start sweating, and not due to the heat.
"You will address me as Ma'am, and you will now be on sandbag duty."
He looks downtrodden at his blunder, nobody wants to carry heavy sandbags for hours after all.
"As for the rest of you, why are you not reinforcing the defenses! Those defenses won't reinforce themselves and you don't want to get hit in the head do you?" I yelled out so everyone could hear me.
They all shook their heads, except the few that didn't have heads.
"That's what I thought, now back to work!"
I keep a look out for the enemy from a watch post, while also watching the troops to keep them in line and make sure they are all doing something useful.
And so I stand by, waiting for the inevitable as I direct the construction efforts for about an hour, mostly laying barbed wire to slow them down and sandbags for extra cover.
Until without warning, a horn is sounded in the distance. A scout must have reported them arriving shortly to a different lieutenant.
And so I blow my own horn, to pass the message along. Then I hear other horns in the distance.
All of the soldiers stop whatever they were doing and get into position in the trenches, ready to start firing away every pattern they have. For one of the restrictions from that duke of war is that attacks can never start a battle, so casting speed is everything and you aren't given time to think.
Then I see the enemy across the flattened field, but they are still out of range of our attacks. I clench my greatsword tightly, the fire crackling with tension. However I'm no Lightner, I can't make proper use of it.
It's twenty thousand. Twenty thousand enemies according to our estimates. Most of them used to be our allies, our friends. Now they're nothing more than servants for evil.
My duty, my purpose is to protect, and there's not much left to protect. But I will not falter. I will protect the last pure fountain, the last hope for justice till I can no longer stand.
The Coalition will make it's final stand today.
Many attacks starts to get into range at two-thirds of a kilometer away, and everyone starts firing. It's enough bullets to almost blot out the fountain. The air fills with noise as the effects of the magic impact the landscape making craters and blasting away wire and sandbags.
"AGHHH!!"
Eventually I hear the first scream from the enemies own volley impacting our men. The trenches will never be perfect in protecting us, no matter how many sandbags we place.
My own magic is too short range to be helpful yet, so I keep track of the battlefield, impatiently waiting. I start to tune out the large amount of damage numbers from our men getting hit, they are only distracting me.
I remember when I joined the Coalition army, a desire to protect what's left of the world and justice filling me. I remember the horror of seeing hundreds of undying enemies, and realizing we were similarly immortal. I remember learning what that really meant when I saw the first soldier break. I remember trying to comfort and boost the morale of my men, only for it to never matter in the end.
They're in range now.
I step down from my overlook into the trenches, and ready my magic. Five longswords of dark steel formed from blue flame that they stay wreathed in. I have complete control over them and the ability to direct them in flight in any way I want.
I send them out to the enemy that's around half of a kilometer away. The maximum range I can control them. I focus on targeting the regular soldiers casting stronger than average magic. But not their own lieutenants, for I couldn't harm them in a way that matters since they'll have priority for healing and plenty of healing items.
Not that I can harm any of them in a way that really matters. Physically or mentally, they will not break or die... just like me.
I can't see the damage this far away, but I can feel the sensation of my magic connecting, and I see my targets fall. I keep going, keep trying to slaughter them, even as they are healed and just get right back up like nothing happened.
Something is odd though, the enemy numbers feel a little... low.
The distance kept closing to only a third of a kilometer. But they are running out of healing already, despite the fact they shouldn't be anywhere near running out yet.
Suddenly a panicked soldier taps me on the shoulder, which breaks regulation and is distracting me in the middle of a battle. It must be really really important or else.
I turn around and see a face filled with terror. It's the messenger who usually comes from high command to send orders. If she's this panicked, then... something has gone horribly wrong.
"What is it?" I try to keep my cool.
"Th-the-the high command! They-they..." She stammers out uselessly.
"What about high command!?" I shout out and grab her shoulder. What happened?
"They've-They've all been attacked and captured! None accept the Marquis is left, and he's fighting the Duke all on his own!!"
"H-how! This is a closed line! There's no way for them to get behind!" This doesn't make any sense!
"It-It's that devil himself! He-he opened a portal right into the high command camp! Asked everyone to surrender or else! I fled, but the members of high command all tried to fight him, only to get burned until they couldn't stand any longer and were dragged through! T-The enemy army took the portal and are now coming from behind! Thousands of them!"
So that's why the enemy numbers felt off. He just opened a portal just like that, and completely surrounded us. And the worst part? We have no defenses to this, they can just follow the trench lines right into our backs, and there's nothing we can do.
We're trapped, our multistage defensive plan made useless. The barbed wire stopping us from trying to breakthrough out of our trenches and through the enemies to escape the trap. A perfectly thought out plan to ruin us.
I blow two long blasts, a signal that was never used until now. It means no retreat, fight until you break.
Usually sergeants have the authority to retreat if their squad really needs to, independent of the lieutenant's own full retreat orders, but that would just play right into their plan, best to still have the wire protect us from one side and have all of us in one big group instead of individually splitting off. So, we will make out final stand in the front trench lines.
Many of the lower ranks were confused by the horns meaning, but all the sergeants were drilled well by me on every contingency and knew what it meant. Both to not retreat, and that it meant catastrophe. Some of the other lieutenants on other parts of the line blew the same signal when they heard mine, but most didn't.
"...Since high command is down, I take authority. Tell every lieutenant who didn't signal for no retreat to signal for no retreat and to keep all the troops as closely packed as possible. Take as many men as you need to pass the message in time to all the hold outs. Now go!" The messenger listened immediately, and told around 12 soldiers the news and told them to pass the message to the other lieutenants.
I look back at the front line, a quarter of a kilometer or less. I tell a squad to watch the backside of the trench while I continue my assault on them, to increased effect with the higher accuracy and control as well as them running out of healing due to splitting their manpower.
The issue is the morale of the troops, they know that a 'no retreat' order means this battle is truly doomed. So many have resigned to their fate and are recklessly attacking the enemy and not trying to take proper cover or have proper self preservation, reducing our stockpile of healing to go around.
We're down to about 82 combat capable men with the messenger taking 12 men and a few downed due to recklessness. At least that recklessness is slowing down the enemy and draining their available healing quicker. However the enemy barrages have grown more accurate too as they get closer and are blowing holes in our barbed wire and sandbags.
Eventually after a dozen minutes they are at the barbed wire and start trying to cut through it, however we aren't letting them. They don't have enough manpower to get through quickly. However a soldier screams out something.
"THE BASTARDS ARE BEHIND US!"
Looks like the flank has already started, I blow the horn with the signal that they have breached the lines and are in the trench.
"How in the light are they upon us already!" The soldiers are reacting as I would expect.
"The lieutenant already knew, that's why she signaled for no retreat, we would have backed right into them otherwise." explained one of the sergeants near me. I walk up to their squad who was distracted from their attack on the enemies at the wire.
"You and your men, with me, the enemies have found a way behind our lines and have cut us off from high command. We will go to defend our trench from their flank." He salutes in response. "Yes Ma'am!"
I see another squad confused and looking around for the enemies that breached. "You, get your squad and a few other squads to defend the trench connectors. They're behind us."
They salute. "Y-Yes Ma'am!" Then they run off to go organize a defense on the chokepoint connectors between the front and back sections of trench. The bombardment from the enemies are still occurring and now hitting our trenches directly, causing me to get hit by a stray bullet from some unknown pattern.
36!
They do this much damage when my defense is already so high, their power is so much stronger then ours. So much better equipped with standardized healing potions, well designed armor and high quality weapons. Combined with their unbreakable morale and extreme training that makes use of it. They weren't always this powerful, but they are now.
I guard the biggest connector that points in the general direction of where high command was, so the enemies should come mainly from here.
I ignite my greatsword with my blue flames. I was always better in closer ranges anyways.
And I look down the corridor, waiting for the enemies with a squad of troops behind me, until suddenly they arrive with no warning, and barrage us with patterns. But we were expecting that and dodge mostly successfully.
102!
79!
Some of us still got hit, but I didn't. Once the initial volley settled, I counted the targets. twelve enemies, two enemy squads worth of them as their vanguard. The flanking troops are likely to be their veterans, well equipped, and completely fresh on supplies and health since they weren't battered trying to get to the trenches.
"Charge!" Both me and the enemy leader say in sync.
I control my blades while I charge in, the squad behind me charging with me. They start barraging us with projectiles, but we do the same. There are no turns, only brutality.
112! 58! 96! 49! 821! 78! 91! 69! 101! 79! 88! 501! 91! 101! 31! 58! 96! 45! 78! 38!
So many damage numbers fly out, as we viciously rip each other apart, and the melee hasn't even started yet. Our bodies are too big to dodge in this tight corridor, and we aren't Lightners who can only be tangibly hit in their Soul.
Eventually I tune it all out, there's no point. I stay strong, my steel body protecting me well even from their skilled well made and placed attacks.
The melee starts, and so does the pain. It... It really really hurts being slammed by a dozen different bullets. And it makes it hard, when you're trying to control five blades at once with your mind, and control your own body to swing and use your greatsword. I'm just glad pain is so dull to me due to my nature.
I try to focus on just my opponent in front of me. Some kind of playing card Darkner. Must be a veteran from the start, of the war. We clash blades, but I tower over him at over eight feet tall with a greatsword, and his blade is nothing more than a short sword. I break his guard and cut him down. There was a damage value but there's so many that I couldn't make it out through the sea of them.
My other ranged blades rip into as many opponents as possible. It's... impossible to really make out what is happening through the overwhelming chaos and pain. But my opponent is downed now, so I stabbed right into the side of another who's attacking the squad leader.
And the battle continues dragging on as the enemy has so much health to cut through, and they keep healing each other. The one I downed got back up after a potion was poured on him. So I just keep cleaving and cutting with all of my blades while I try to... power through the pain.
So we keep trading brutal blows. over and over again... Until finally, we... No, I down the last opponent. Everyone except the squad leader I saved and myself is downed. I grab a few random healing items I had and get ready to try to get them back up. But the squad leader stops me.
I look down at his exhausted, scarred face.
"D-Don't bother with us. We-we aren't nearly as skilled or mentally st-stable as, agh, you. Keep it for yourself, you'll... get better use out of it." He shakily points to the massive dents in the dark steel plates of armor that make up my body, and the sash hanging on by a thread.
He has a point. I know that the pain in combat usually only ever gets really bad when downed or out of combat. That's how combat works in the dark, and I felt the example in training. But without the ability to start battles, we feel the full pain all the time. So his squad mates might already be broken if they were near the edge from that brutal melee.
And I am the most effective and skilled fighter on our entire trench line, maybe out of any Coalition lieutenant. I was likely made for war after all, being a suit of armor controlled by a flame of will. Even if I wish to protect, and not destroy.
But it seems that yet again, I'll continue to persist while others break.
I shove a Cubedog, and a potion I looted into the flame that makes up my head, fueling the fire.
+MAX!
Those potions the enemies make are incredible, healing me back to full when I was down thousands of health almost all on their own. It's one of the most valuable things you can get by beating them in close quarters, since you can loot their items, even if not their equipment.
The squad leader tries to stay standing, but almost falls over and has to lean on me to not fall. I don't complain, he wants to go down fighting after all. We both return to holding the chokepoint.
Eventually another enemy squad shows up and they don't try to get the first move. I ready my blades as they still burn with blue fire, but stop in shock. The squad leader tries to ready his magic, but he's sluggish from the pain, so he doesn't start a fight yet.
There's four of them, less than a full squad by the enemy's standards. But I recognize every single one of them. The squad leader starts to notice how I'm shaking and not fighting and pauses his attack.
They... they're my old squad mates. All four of them, I... I can't not recognize those faces.
Bombario, Monki, Virtuosa, And Pokey.
The squad leader is terrified, wondering what about them could be 'scaring' me of all people as my flame goes nearly still in shock.
Hahahaha... They've... They've finally come back to haunt me huh. I knew it could happen, I saw it happen once with Virtuosa and Pokey after all.
Smiles on all their faces, like old friends happening to run into each other again. Smiles I've never seen on most of them, only Virtuosa sometimes smiled like that back when we were in basic...
They're so happy to finally see me again. So very happy to see me.