The commander, visibly shaken and enraged, stumbled back, his once-commanding presence faltering. Blood seeped from his arm, his face twisting in both agony and pain as he struggled to maintain his stance. This was not how he'd expected the fight to go, certainly not against one person, much less a group of mere children.
"You... You little brat..." he snarled, clutching his wounded arm. "You'll pay for this!"
Asher, unphased, merely spun the bloodstained dagger in his hand, his eyes never leaving the commander. "I think you've already paid enough," he replied with a smirk.
The commander's glare intensified, his hatred radiating off him. "You're all dead! Every last one of you!" he shouted, his voice shaking as much as his fists. He took a heavy step forward, despite the growing instability in his legs.
Rey stepped forward to stand beside Asher, his own weapon at the ready. "Please stop making this hard for everyone. You're in no position to threaten us anymore," Rey said, his voice calm but laced with warning.
Behind him, the others closed in, forming a loose circle around the commander, who was now bleeding, weakened, and surrounded. The commander looked around, realizing he was being slowly outmaneuvered, his gaze flickering between each of them.
"This... This isn't over!" he spat, trying to project authority, but the words fell flat as he staggered.
Evelina, still nursing her own injuries but defiant, managed a smirk of her own. "Oh, it is for you, old man."
The commander's face twisted further in disgust. "You and your petty... your pathetic friendships," he sneered, his voice dripping with disdain. "You waste your energy on each other, coddling and protecting like fools. Real strength doesn't need anyone!"
Asher's expression darkened. "Funny how you're the one outnumbered, outplayed, and out of options," he said coldly. He pointed his dagger at the commander. "We fight together, that's why you're losing."
The commander's face turned a furious shade of red. "You insolent...!"
Asher, half-conscious, managed a faint smile as he sipped the potion, his grip still resting on Rey's shoulder. "May...be..." he murmured, his words barely audible. Yet there was a glimmer of satisfaction in his eyes as he allowed himself to be supported, a soft smile on his face that he didn't even realize he was wearing.
The silence that followed was uncanny. The battleground, moments before teeming with cries, clangs of weapons, and flares of magic, now lay utterly still. The quiet was so absolute that it felt surreal, as though no battle had taken place at all.
"It's only day one," Finn said with a sigh, rubbing his shoulder. "I've already done more exercise than we do in the academy."
Marcella looked around, still catching her breath. "I wonder how the other side's doing."
"Judging by what we've just seen," Elora replied, nodding toward the neatly bound soldiers, "we might have an edge here. These guys inside the walls were the main force, so the ones we saw outside were just a diversion. When they notice no one's coming back, they'll have to retreat for now."
"If we're lucky, then this bozo here might actually be in charge of the entire group," Morrigan added, pointing to the defeated commander still lying where they'd left him. "That would make things a whole lot simpler."
"But," Matthew cut in, his tone cautious, "it's never that easy. There's definitely someone stronger giving them orders. No one commands a force like this without someone higher up watching their moves."
Everyone nodded, sensing the same unease. This battle might be won, but the war was far from over.
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Nice one...(◠‿◕)