Chapter 4: Parallel Battles --------------------------- "Colonel Dreyfus?!" the guard yelled into the cave as the dust cleared. "Dreyfus?" Cordain yelled, joining in, "Are you all right?" Cordain stared into the cave, straining his eyes. 'He'd better not've kicked the bucket before I collect my pay.' After a long pause, they heard a cough from inside the cave interior. Then a voice: "Of course I'm all right... Jimmy's not gonna be so lucky, though." "Say hey, Drey... it wasn't my fault - it was Murphy!" Lieutenant Herringway said, pointing to the guard. "Shut up, Jimmy... Anyway, I think we should get going. A hole has been blown in - I think it's Sector D6. The enemy camp is about 16 miles from the hole. Let's go." Dreyfus turned around and was quickly followed by Murphy, Jimmy, and a few ready soldiers. All the other soldiers began to rise as well. "Dreyfus?" Cordain yelled ahead to the colonel. He couldn't hear. "Oh well, Jidoor can wait..." * * * * Cordain saw ahead the hole leading to the blustery, hot, dry, and generally unpleasant desert of Figaro. "Murphy, you go first," he heard Dreyfus order. "I want you as a scout." "Yes sir," the guard obeyed, walking out onto the sandy plain. He looked around, turned, and walked out of sight. They then heard a loud scream, and the guard was dead. At that same moment, hundreds of Figaran rebels leapt down from the cliff top above, with swords drawn. "It's a trap!" Dreyfus exclaimed. But before they could get out of the cave, the heard a rumbling. "Cave-in!" Jimmy exclaimed. The cave ceiling collapsed and came tumbling down toward Cordain. He ducked out of the way just in time, but many of the Figaran guards weren't so lucky. But what was worse was that almost the entire force was cut off from the exit. Jimmy, Dreyfus, Cordain and about a dozen soldiers were all that was left to fight against the rebel force of about 400 soldiers. They immediately broke into action. Cordian drew his rapier, and lunged forward, impaling a rebel. Jimmy Herringway leapt into the air, screaming, "Yee-Haw!" and launched bolt after bolt from his autocrossbow, slaying about a dozen soldiers in a fraction of a minute. 'He's good,' Cordain thought, slaying another foe, 'but he couldn't be good enough to kill all these guys... we'll need some more firepower...' Meanwhile, Dreyfus was pulling his best weapon from his pack. He pulled the string to engage it, and tore through the enemy ranks. "What the... what is that?" Cordain asked in shock, "Its awfully bloody.." "It's a chainsaw - who said I couldn't borrow anything from Edgar before I left?" Cordain smiled and then saw that a bunch of guards were running toward him. He drew the Tempest, and blew a gust of wind at the approaching rebels. They were momentarily caught off guard, but they regained their footing, and continued steadily toward him. 'Oh great,' he thought. 'Wait... I wonder if...' Cordain turned the sword of wind downward, into the desert. The gale transformed, as it picked the sand, into a mighty sandstorm, quickly weathering the enemies' defenses down to nothing and blowing them away. Jimmy Herringway and Dreyfus continued to hack away at the enemies' front forces with the aid of only seven remaining soldiers. "Ten against 350 won't last very long.." Cordain mused. "That's nine against 349, Cordain," a voice announced from behind him. Cordain whirled around to see Cam Bruggelman, standing calmly, sword in hand. "What the hell are you doing?" "They paid me more, that's what." "You betrayed us?!" "You would've done the same thing, though, now wouldn't you? Just like any respectable mercenary..." "What?! No, I... well, yes." "See? That wasn't so hard, now was it?" "No.. not as hard as it will be for you to survive me!" Cordain lunged his rapier at the traitor, who barely dodged. "Ooh, getting nasty, huh?" Cordain calmed himself down - enough to show his emotions weren't getting through too much, but still rather angry. "So what are we going to do - if you don't want to fight?" "Oh, but I do want to fight - Cordy." Cordain's eyes darkened. It was becoming more of a battle of wits than one of strength. He wanted to cut the boy down right now, but if the mercenary kid knew so much about Shadow, himself, and all the other mercenaries, then he was bound to have contacts the world over - and if every employer from Jidoor to Thamasa knew he had killed another mercenary in a fit of rage - what would that do to his career.. and his reputation? 'No... I can't let my emotions destroy me...' Cordain lowered his blade. "I won't kill you... it's not part of my pay.." "Ahh," Cam noted, "I see you really are a mercenary who has lived up to his reputation of calmness... Now let's see if your sword-fighting reputation is just as well deserved!" Cam pulled the pin out a strange grenade looking device and disappeared in a puff of smoke. When the smoke cleared, Cam was on top of a large sand dune, and Cordain was confronted with an enormous doberman, snarling and frothing at the mouth. "Do you like him?" Cam cooed, "He's such a sweet puppy... I named him Interceptor-X after your dear friend Shadow's dog." The dog charged Cordain, attempting to take a bite out of his side. Cordain dodged, and used the Tempest to blow the dog into a group of nearby soldiers, where he was promptly overpowered by sheer number. "Good..." Cam said. A smile then came across his face, "Now we shall see how you would do against the other mercenaries!" The kid leapt forward, launching a bolt edge at an unprepared Cordain. Cordain was momentarily set aback in the electrical storm that ensued, but reacted just in time to deflect a flurry of tack stars with the strong end of his blade. Any ordinary rapier would've shattered- but the silver blade stood strong. Cam scowled, but quickly recomponsated by drawing forth on not his own, but the energies of the soldiers - rebel or otherwise - to copy one of Siegfried's Hyperdrives. Cordain was knocked back, into the shifting sands... * * * "Hey Drey! I think we should get going!" "Yeah, I think you're right... two against 320 isn't exactly reassuring odds.." the man began to retreat across the desert sands. Jimmy quickly followed, but then stopped. "Wait!" "Come on, Jimmy!" "No, wait - see, look, it's Cordy - I think we should go down and get him!" "We have no time! Wait..." A black piece of paper had blown against the colonel's leg. Upon reading it, the Colonel climbed atop a slope and yelled, "Stop!" "Yeah? And why should we?" a commanding voice demanded. Then a tall, cloaked man came out of the force. Dreyfus stopped in his tracks, "Impossible - Chancellor?"