After finding John and explaining what I was going to do, he went to lead our divisions, while I went to Bavarthos.
"Bavarthos!"
'He's not here in his workroom. Shit!'
"BAVARTHOS!" I'm yelling at the top of my lungs down the hallways, but staying in his workroom.
"WHAT!?"
I spin around and there he is, finishing buckling on his battle gear.
"What's the problem? I was getting ready. I was already informed of the Erlking's Magical Users attacking. My own are with Viekar, and Vartonix has been given the okay to go to the front, once I direct him to the area. Why are you here screaming my name?" He grunts out, as his hands finish tightening his gear.
Trying to be as clear, concise and quick to the point, I spill what just happened with Thietian.
"B, the Erlking sent a contract, saying if we hand you over he'd stop the slaughtering of everyone and give Thietian his body back. If we handed over your whole family, he'd leave this world alone forever. I told Thietian that we can not and will not hand anyone over, but he seems to be keeping it as a last resort."
Bavarthos visibly pales before turning red with fury. "HIS BODY BACK! THAT FUCKING ASSHOLE!"
His rage bellows out as he stomps, his shoulders and arms rigid, knuckles white from clenching his fists.
Bavarthos stops, sending his heavy boot out and kicks a stool, sending it flying across the room.
I hold my hands up, hoping I can gain his attention.
"B! Calm down, I won't let him turn you over." I try to calm him when he turns to me, his hooded eyes crackling with blue flames and his mouth open, panting from rage.
"THIS IS MY BODY NOT HIS! HE SEEMS TO FORGET HE'S BUT A MERE PIECE OF ME!"
I blink at his words.
'A mere piece? What in the hell is he talking about?'
"B? What are you saying?" I'm confused as I keep my distance from him not knowing how he might lash out.
He begins to pace in small tight loops before animating his sentences pointing at himself, aggressively.
"Thietian IS ME! The Erlking was furious I helped my mother make those strongholds for the human race and he split my soul in two! Half to live in exile and half to mold to his liking, but he then decided that didn't work so 'Thietian' was to be put to death in a human body!"
I'm stunned to silence as I watch Bavarthos take some heavy breaths, but Bavarthos isn't done spilling the truth to me. His eyes glow fiercely as he seethed, taking his breath through clenched teeth.
"Thietian, he so dubbed him self, was such a COWARD that he offered up HALF the strongholds to the Erlking and ALL the caretakers were killed!" He takes a heavy step toward me.
"Thietian was allowed control of the human body and HELPED the Erlking do unspeakable things to any humans that were caught!"
He takes another step letting that sink in.
"HE IS THE THE MORE WICKED SIDE OF ME SIN! The Erlking has GROOMED him to serve and OBEY him! When my mother begged him to stop and he said so to the Erlking.... BECAUSE he refused to tell where he had met and how he spoke to mother.... "
He walks closer with heavy steps and hunched shoulders that raise with his clenched fists as he slams them on the closest table.
*BAM*
"THAT'S WHY HE'S IN CASS'S BODY! TO FULL-FILL HIS PUNISHMENT, BY DEATH, IN A HUMANS BODY! ALL BECAUSE HE MADE THE FATAL MISTAKE OF NOT OBEYING THE ERLKING. HOWEVER, I'M THE BAD GUY!?"
This is a lot to process, but little tidbits of information start to click into place but not a full picture.
"Wait.. What? You and Thietian are half of one soul?" My mouth opens and closes like a goldfish in a bowl.
"Thietian's actually the bad guy? No that can't be.... He can't be all bad if he's done all this to fight against the Erlking. Right?!" I ask pacing, as I try to digest this revelation.
"I would like to believe it, but his past actions say otherwise. If it comes down to having to save himself, he will." Bavarthos sighs heavily, "I know he's selfish like that, I mean he is the other half of me." He takes a seat and yells out to the ceiling, "MOTHER! Some help would be nice!" He looks around and mutters, "Why won't you hear me?!"
Another thought comes bombarding back into my mind. "Bavarthos, I think I know of a way to get in touch with your mother."
Suddenly, Bavarthos has given me his full attention.
.....John's POV.....
This is what hell looks like.
I'm sure of it.
Broken and battered, bodies and limbs, they litter the battlefield as air support and our heavy firepower keep throwing everything we got here into the Erlking's relentless forces.
Bavarthos beasts jump and run through like jumping bulldozers, tearing the Erl's men apart before rushing back to beat the next drop of bombs from the skies.
Even with all the bombs dropping, the massive hoard of troops keep pressing forward, aided by their own MU's to get across. We've been paying attention and trying to pick out who they are and concentrate on taking them out.
It was working for the past hour, but they've grown wise to it.
Our air support has to leave and resupply, so we're about to be back to just the ground fire to keep them from overcoming us.
"John, where's Sin?! Shouldn't she be here?!"
I look towards the females voice and recognize her friend Lily Anzo. Who we have on the watch list.
"She'll be here, HQ wanted to talk to her about some different strategies. Until she gets here, I'm in charge."
"Then what are our orders sir?" She asks.
Looking at the situation, I quickly send her squad to aid in keeping the soldiers pinned behind the line that prevents them from getting too close for air support to drop bombs.
Then I'm moving back into the equipment I was operating.
I'm out on a gunner shredding the field of any moving enemy soldier, screaming as my arms go painfully numb from the constant vibration of rapid gun fire.
It's chaos suddenly as I watch any and all, little loose bits of metal and stone, rising up from the field.
'Shit, magical attack!'
"EVERYONE TAKE COVER!" I shout quickly dropping to ground as they come barreling at us, whizzing before they come into contact.
It became silent for a moment except for the thud and splash of blood that hit everything around the spray. Screams and groans suddenly fill the air from the unlucky individuals who've been hit and are still alive.
'Damn it Bavarthos! Where are you guys?'
Jumping up, I start giving out the orders, "MEDICS GET OVER HERE! ALL MEN STILL ABLE TO FIGHT, KEEP SHOOTING! DO NOT LET THEM MOVE PAST THE LINE!"
I know I shouldn't use my powers like we did the other day, but I've got to get these men here some reinforcement.
I pull deep and it's not nearly as much as what was sent our way but I send enough shrapnel to take down a group that we're starting to gain ground.
As soon as I saw those enemies drop to the ground, my knees buckled.
My arms weakly grab the gun's armor plates, before I can hit the ground.
"Shit." I grab a bottle, one handed, from my vest and quickly pop the cap and let it slide down my throat. It's like a shot of whiskey as I feel the warmth spread, returning a minute amount of strength to my limbs.
'I can't do that again.'
I'm quick to start shouting orders for the marksmen to pull out their RPG's and begin rotating five shots.
I hand the gunning station over to another soldier, heading over to where our reports were starting to come in. I needed a moment as my strength began to return.
"Lacroix, Sir. We're holding the line, just barely! Air support is still another hour out from us! Tanks are staggering their fire, along with the DS's. We've lost a hundred-fifty men, with just that last attack, possibly more with how some are wounded. Reports coming in from the Brazil front are looking grim."
"HIT THE DECK!"
The second those words ring out across us, I grab the soldier reporting to me and pull him down with me. Blood is sprayed all over the place from the soldier that was still standing a few feet away.
He dropped to the ground, twitching and gasping, wide eyed at us. Blood leaked from his lips before he went still. Standing back up, I start yelling for the medics and get on the radio.
"Where are all of my MU's?! We need some wards going up around here! I want you putting up wards around here before we get hit by another wave of projectiles! NOW MOVE IT!"
The sound of screams fills us around the shouting, amid the shots fired, and among the explosions. Chaos rains down all around us, I see fear starting to make it's way into the men's eyes who still move forward to continue keeping the enemy at bay.
I grab some of the blue bottles in queue, chugging each one, till my stomach can not hold any more. Gagging to keep the stuff down, I look at my options.
I pull from deep in me again, dragging the unused missiles around me, lifting them up and shooting them forward into the enemy's ranks.
A giant explosion goes off, followed by another and then one more, taking out a chunk of their front line.
Suddenly a few others and I are sent flying back a foot, the shock wave knocking us back onto our butts.
Groaning I sit up and my head spins, aching and unable to focus.
I grab another blue bottle, but feel sick to my stomach before I can open it.
"Come on. Come on!" I yell frustrated, trying to refrain from emptying the contents of my stomach, knowing I needed what was in there. I sip the bottle in desperation, as my vision begins to fade to black.
My vision stays, but I can't move much more than what I am right now, on the floor.
"HOLD THE LINE AND GET THOSE WARDS UP MEN!" I shout out, trying to keep it together as my mind starts to feel fuzzier, and my hearing keeps echoing and buzzing.
"Lacroix! Sir!" One of the soldiers drops to my side and offers another blue bottle to my lips.
I sip it slowly.
"Thank you, soldier." I mumble as things start to clarify in my head and hearing again. I see a smile on his face before warm blood splatters across my face as he falls to the ground.
"NO!" I yell as I realize he was just struck down instead of taking cover, for me.
I struggle to stand, my legs still weak and shaking beneath me. Picking myself up, I lift my heavy lead-filled legs towards the gunning station. Climbing into the turret, I aim and pull the trigger, screaming my frustration over this war, the loss of so many, letting the vibrations try to numb the anguish and rage in me.
Even with the MU's wards up, projectiles are still making it through, picking us off slowly.
I don't even see much of what's going on around me as I yell hoarsely, continuing to shower the enemy with bullets.
So just now as I'm overcome by a euphoric and warm sensation, my eyes blink back tears at the relief. At the new found strength that enters my limbs.
My thoughts clear up and I look around me, only to witness hope flood through everyone around us. I look in the direction they seem entranced by.
"Mary..." Her name leaves me breathlessly as my heart clenches in awe of my beautiful wife, standing like a Valkyrie before the enemy, yelling as she swings her blade, taking them down without mercy.