Chapter 47 - Clyde

There we were planning, mapping out the kinks and kicks of the inevitable battle. Maybe it was just a selfish d.e.s.i.r.e of the community I was in, but it was arrogant and prideful.

Fighting someone with weapons without any sent a loud and clear message. It was like any martial master would say, "No weapons are needed for a light spar".

But when in fact the man he is fighting is trying to survive such a spar, even though the martial master claims it as, just a light spar. Both of us, me and Basque understood the crucial problem of our tasks.

I was giving out hope for the Ishvalan, even if I was extinguished, I would still remain a legend, a martyr, a hero. That is way problematic for the Amestrian army.

For what is more scarier than suicidal maniacs in an army. Those who reach my shadow and follow my steps would be many, countless indeed, if the Ishvalan war truly stretched on till its original timeline.

That is the power you wield when you are able to show your back to your allies and say "We can do this".

The confidence, the charisma, and all the energy in those words leave you hoping to be that man.

Weapons are not enough to kill such a man for his shadow looms over his people, ever guiding, ever strengthening the belief and ways he leads, forever being enshrined as an idol.

Basque doesn't want to end me so easily, it would not paint a nice picture. But he also doesn't want to suffer any losses. That would be a worser picture.

He is in fact a cunning beast, he wants to destroy us. His thoughts are on the matter that he wants to destroy my belief, no our belief, crush us and extinguish all hope.

Till now Ishvalans had always been fighting a losing battle. Even if no one says it, everyone knows that the war is hopeless. But not everyone wants to go down without a fight and that is what is happening across Ishval right now.

The rebels are more of a nuisance than true danger for the Amestrian army at this point. Then I came in the equation, leading the only one group of rebels that were truly progressing with every fight.

It was like the fights that had always been a nuisance till now suddenly became a lot more harder than it was supposed to be. This was bad for Amestris, for I was buying ample time for the Rebels to gather and prepare for a fight back.

The loss counter would increase at a pace that was even more horrendous than it was now. For every one Amestrian soldier, ten Ishvalan have to sacrifice their lives. This was acceptable warfare condition for them.

But if given enough time, for every Four Amestrian soldier, about only Seven rebels would die. They were still winning but more desperately than before.

I had unknowingly become a bright light in the ever engulfing darkness and snuffing me out would do nothing, but increase the futile resistance to even greater heights.

For hope lost under everyones sight leads to more desperation than losing what was never possible at all.

So if possible Basque would wish to win this fight in an extremely one sided manner but also capture us for an execution.

Basques had camped right where he had instinctively sensed me. He was confident, that's just how the man was. He was like a tank, just there on the battlefield, idly standing by and nobody would be able to access him without sufficient firepower.

But even with all this, he was in the end still human, so he wasn't truly an impossible kill. That was what we were planning, his kill, but he would be very much harder to kill with his soldiers.

But those soldiers would also hold him back never allowing him to actualise the raw power he can display. Those soldiers under him were bothersome, both for him and us.

But if we could separate him and make this fight more to our advantage than theirs then it would be much more better. After our plans had been discussed, the sun set down, the darkness set in.

The next day before the sun had even risen everyone was ready, even before my command everybody was ready. Nerves taut, ready to pull the trigger at first sight, thats what my troops looked like.

I took a box from Damun, then opened it and my smile grew. It seems everything was prepared.

So I stood before them and said "Begin".

At once two differnet sniper teams headed out for the high peaked dunes. The vanguard team comprising the Imperials were marching out.

The Valkyries took towards Basque's troops ahead of us. They were to be stationed at the exact points for something I had been planning.

After a few minutes of our steady and fast march, the enemy camp came in sight. Our march was loud, but it would still take a while for the army to respond, give or take thirty to fourty seconds at most.

We reached near 50 meters of their camp and everyone of us started firing. Gunshots had suddenly began to rain at them and before our eyes, we saw a wall of metal rise from nowhere.

And I realised we had been baited to a trap. An Alchemist should never be given time is what i was supposed to say but then again, I kinda forgot their actual perks with how they fight throughout the series.

If we weren't so far and had started firing blind from optimum range, we would be seriously trapped.

"Plan B", my shout rang and as if mice scattering with their loot, all of my troops started running away. By now I had clearly accentuated that I was the commander in charge.

Above the walls stood Basque and he shouted out "Not so fast".

More walls irregularly sprang up but my troops were faster and we all started escaping in different directions.

Before the walls could enclose any of us, we had already run far away from the rising metals.

My group was a bit larger than most and Basque saw this, his eyes brimming with confidence he gave out a few orders and the next moment all the walls came down and a huge amount of firing suddenly came at them.

He became even more angrier when this exchange left a series of losses on his side, while we just came and left like a wave with no real purpose at all.

So Basque gave out another order and the wounded left to nurse themselves, but he would leave no gap unattended and stationed a few soldiers for the wounded.

Then he split his troops to four sections, himself leading one, and came rushing towards us. The second section was steadily keeping distance between the third and first. The third section though kept a minimum distance from camp and yet equally distanced with the second section.

The fourth was sent to snuff out the sniper team, but my hidden sniper team would take care of them when it was time.

Basque was truly like a lion, that was hunting a rabbit at full force. He wasn't foolish enough to underestimate a group that had been hindering the progress of an entire war.

This guy was starting to get annoying, but all was for naught. The Shadow Sniper team had muzzled their Rifles and started a shadow hunt already.

Every scuffle with us would lead to a little casualty on both sides. Basque might notice this but the hidden team would by then begin their work.

Since we could not beat Vehicles and their speed we were just waiting a few miles away. When they were near us, about a hundred yards away the vehicles stopped.

This guy had effectively stopped my plan before it could even be applied. His extreme caution was now starting to make me angry.

Then foregoing all tactics he rushed at us, only to be met with firing from us. Well all he did was turn one of his vehicles near him for a Iron Manish Knight encased in a cocoon with enough joints to look movable but leave you unsure about flexibility. He became a f.u.c.k.i.n.g Juggernaut.

He was near unstoppable, our bullets were not working on him and he was rushing at us like a mad bull. That was until the distance between him and his units became about 50 meters.

I shouted out "Plan D" and began rushing towards the mad bull itself. Everyone with me only numbered to about 10 or 12 and they had instantly started running away.

The Amestrian troops looking at this were about to rush when they heard explosions behind them. The second section was ambushed from two different sides, first the loud sniper team one shotted the leader, leaving everyone panicked and as if that wasn't enough grenades came at them making them scatter instantly after which they were nearly all killed of by the snipers.

The camp was ambushed by the Shadow Sniper team, leaving the third section to rush back and the second section to be caught in a pickle. So the first team was caught in a dilemma. They could stay here and let the Second section be wiped out or go and risk.

But since they keow what Basque was like they thought about it for a while and then rushed to help the second section. After all just about nothing could really kill their commander.

Basque saw this, but he was unpertrubed and slamming both his fist together he punched the ground. I who was about 25 meters away from him felt the ground shift a little, leaving me at my b.u.t.t. It was like a tremor that travelled a few miles.

Wait a minute a few miles, this guy is using his Alchemy to cause everyone to lose their balance. Making not only his troops survive the onslaught but give them a bit of time to gather for a counter attack.

Anyway no one was going to wait for more bullshit. So I ran towards him again, and he may have understood the chain of command, as if that wasn't obvious. So he also rushed towards me.

Instead of normal gun that would usually be found it looked like a bulky machine with a long barrel streamlined to shoot bullets at speeds higher than possible.

Then came the ammo which was basically designed to hit something huge and maybe kill it, for example an elephant persay.

When I say blow up something, it usually means, I am thinking of a scale much higher than necessary. But this time the scale was smaller, since she is loaded with armor penetration rounds.

Its a Magnum for Gods sake, the Super Redhawk to be precise and not some Bazooka okay. Well it was supposed to be a Magnum, this world is not that far into technology to create something that dangerous yet.

Basque was about a dozen meters away from me, not favourable distance for me. Since with his weight and speed, he was like a Tank tumbling through. But I had just entered the rounds and pointed it at him and "Bang".

The force was enough to shoot through his dense armor, not enough to reach him, but enough to cause him internal injuries. I wasn't fine as well since the recoil nearly sent my arm flying, hey I am still 9 okay, not an a.d.u.l.t yet.

Basque had coughed loudly spitting out a trickle of blood but he still strided towards me ignoring the huge amount of pain and, boy oh boy, this was a game I was best at. Who could take or ignore more pain.

Aiming at him once again I had fired at him and again he grunted. The force of the bullets enough to shake him but not enough to slow him down. So I kept on firing, I fored at least five more rounds and finally he couldn't take it anymore.

The degree of pain he underwent is no joke, it must have felt like a small car kept on striking him at where I shot. But then again my right arms bones were also completely broken.

So I threw Clyde in the box again, I could not use it without two hands and since she is a prototype, her recoil is still not made to be endured by humans. I am lucky enough they could get her strong enough to fire and not explode in my hands.

No need to push my luck anymore, I am about to win anyway. Basque was now 6 meters away from me when he said "I experienced so many surprises in this little nondescript trip of mine".

Hey no joking here, I took a lot of damage as well.

He peered at me and said "I can see that as well, that gun wasn't made for humans was it".

Damn right, but not like I am gonna tell you. So I took my gun that I usually keep at my belt. I pointed it at him and was about to fire when I heard him say.

"To think I would nearly lose to a child, such disgrace". Red alarms went inside my head and I instantly shot at him. But he lifted his gauntlets and blocked my shot and started reaching for his inner pockets.

I shot at him continously but it was too late. Red streams of energy shot out and he laughed "Well no one will learn of it anyway".

There in his hands he held a sparkling gem, a stone that held limitless power in it. He had finally unveiled the Philosopher's Stone.