Heskins eyed ahead of the border, as he noted a serious build-up of troops and tarrs on the side of Youden. A real invasion was happening, and they were not prepared at all.
"Did you notify the capital of the increased troops in the area?" Heskins asked one of the soldiers next to him.
"I couldn't get any communication through to them for the last thirty minutes. It could mean-" the soldier began to reply back.
In the moment, they heard shuffling behind them, and they both turned around to see another soldier panting in front of them.
"The capital has been attacked from the sky!" they managed to hear from him, before he collapsed onto the ground.
Heskins just stared back ahead in fear, as he could see the Defense Core beginning to build-up minor reinforcement and defensive measures on their side. They were screwed either way, and Heskins wasn't surprised. They just didn't have the technology.
"So it is true." he heard another voice behind him, and turned to see Jamal.
"Jamal? Oh wow, I didn't think I would see you here to help us...." Heskins began to greet him, before looking at him.
The man was scrapped up badly, and he could see bloodstains on his shirt. What the heck, Heskins questioned, taking a step back.
"Oh, this? This is just nothing?" Jamal looked back at himself, "Anyway, it was nice seeing you a final time."
"Huh, what do you mean? You got the news about what's happening right?"
"I could quickly connect the dots and that's not my problem." Jamal simply grunted as he looked across the field. "Now, I got to get on the move, as I got something to do."
"Look, I know you've been gone for a while, but you're still obligated to fight for the Defense Core, this is what you signed up for." Heskins reminded him.
"I signed up for Ula. Heh, not anymore." Jamal simply replied, as he tied his jacket he was wearing across his waist, "It's too hot to be wearing this."
"Wait?" Heskins began to note, "Don't tell me, you, you didn't hurt her did you?"
"Nah, I burnt an apartment complex down instead." Jamal grinned at him ferociously, before moving past the tree line.
"Jamal, wait a second." Heskins grabbed him, "Where do you think you're going?"
"To kill Youden, then myself." Jamal stopped smiling, before igniting his body to have Heskins stop and move back, before dying it down.
"I can't let you do that." Heskins moved in front of him. "I don't know what happened with you or Ula, but you clearly need some actual help. It's important-" Heskins began to say.
But Jamal wasn't having it, as he simply swatted him to the side, crashing him into the small boulders to the left of them, causing Heskins to gasp in pain. Alright, he's on something, definitely, as Heskins forced himself up.
"Just stay down." Jamal didn't even look back at him, as he could see the forces beginning to clash. "And looks like the real war is beginning."
"Jamal, we really need your help right now." Heskins managed to approach him. "Or I'll have to stop you."
"What makes you think I won't kill you?" Jamal turned back to look at him.
"Because you're bluffing." Heskins said confidently, before rushing him.
Jamal just stared at Heskins, before grabbing his fist. Heskins strained to move it back before he instantly felt a large amount of pressure on his wrist, and then a sounding crack. Heskins could barely breathe before he soon began screaming in pain with his broken wrist.
"Am I bluffing now?" Jamal grinned back at him, with Heskins enraged.
"You'll pay for this!" Heskins managed to dodge another punch, before using his right hand to grab a well-hidden item behind the treeline. "This is for Ula!"
Jamal continued to watch, as Heskins pulled out a rifle and barely had it aimed at him due to his broken bones. He was extremely desperate right now, he knew, as an explosion happened behind him, creating a disturbing wind.
Before he realized what happened, a shot rang out, causing Jamal to move back a bit. But he wasn't even hit, causing Jamal to laugh before Heskins was laughing too.
"You missed, you clown." Jamal smirked at him.
"Or did I?" Heskins nudged his head to what was behind Jamal, adrenaline covering the pain.
Turning around, Jamal could see a tarr slowly turning it's turret towards them. A last-ditch attempt to kill him.
"You do realize that it'll kill the both of us?" Jamal turned back around to see Heskins gone.
"Fuc-" Jamal managed to say, before the tarr fired.
.....
Up on the hill, Heskins watched as the tarr fired onto where Jamal was. There's no way he survived that, Heskins had to assume before he looked back at his wrist. It was starting to swell, and soon the pain would come back even worse than before. But he would have to ask Ula what happened until he heard breathing behind him.
"You tried, I must say." he could hear Jamal's voice behind him.
Turning around, he could see Jamal's body completely on fire, and in his condition, even he knew he was about to die.
"You literally have two options. Stay down or die." Jamal simply gave him, to which Heskins simply had his back onto the ground, taking deeper breaths as the man began to stop moving towards him. "Good choice."
Heskins couldn't even move, as Jamal simply walked away. He just waited a few more moments once he couldn't see him and got back up. Well, wherever Jamal went it wouldn't matter, as they were going to lose to Youden's army without him. Shaking his head in frustration, he began to sulk his way up the mountain and towards Termia.