COTN House of Judas Part 9

9. Redemption

"Councilor, we have to leave." Zeca pleaded with the councilor but she refused to budge from her high seat. She motioned to them to move the survivors to the designated places. "Councilor, the enemies are at our cavern entrances now. We got to move."

The councilor looked at the warrior.

"Saved yourself. I am no used to any of you now. Let me buy you time. Keep the survivals together. Build the new House. Go now!" She shouted out and the warrior saw the need to leave was now. Zeca left her sitting there by the seat. Its all the Judas warrior's fault. He brought the Man to here. He showed them our sanctuary. Zeca took to flight to followed the survivals.

When he came back from releasing Jedi, he was confronted by the panic scene among the elves. He rushed to the cavern which housed the warriors including the Canaan archers. He saw it was empty of any warriors but there was things strewn all over the place. He saw one Karen warrior grabbing his sword to joined the battle. He remembered the warrior as he was suffering from a poisoning of some herbs he taken.

"Denom, where are you going?" He looked at Zeca and shrug his shoulder.

"They need all the help they can get. The warriors are holding the Man in the forest. The Councilor has asked the rest to leave by the hidden tunnels. I have to help too. It more better for me to die in battle than to be killed in my bedding." The Karen warrior then ran towards the forest to join whoever are still there. Zeca ran to the cavern where the councilor sits.

Now he is running towards the hidden tunnels. He met four warriors there who guards the passage.

"How many has cleared?" He asked of them.They told him many but they did not count. They were to leave soon to be the flanking guards. Zeca told them to so and he would followed them.

In the forest, a warrior with a long handle sword hides himself behind a boulder to look at the Man's detachment of warriors. They numbered eight of them and he seen two of them before with General Noah. The leader is not here but he should be near. Jedi seen three of these detachments but this one holds his attention more. There is a prisoner with the detachment.

"Why are we to escort this old lady to the clearing? Why can't we just kill her now?" The one who spoke was holding the leash on the old lady. She is still dressed in her fine silk dress minus her accessories and cloak.

"You do as commanded, John. The General wants her to be taken by the wagons to the city for public display. She dare to defy Lord Netsu and he is not pleased." Their leader whom Zeca recognised as Micheal pulled the elf up. "Get up, Councilor. Your day to die is not today."

Jedi has seen enough of this. He stepped out and faced the eight Man' warrior. He twirl his sword in his hands to taunt the warriors. The Man warriors are clad in leather armor with sidearms of broadswords or long handle war hammer which they learned to used from the dwarfs. Two of them came at him; both armed with the broadswords. They charged at him like a clumsy bull with no finesse in tactics. Jedi crouched down and did a arc swing at the two warriors midriff. The two warriors dropped their arms to hold back their innards from spilling out.

Jedi stood up and then swing his sword backwards once to the left and then to the right. Both swing add injury to the dying men. Jedi then glared at the remaining Man' warrior. Three more came and one of them had raised his war hammer above the head. Jedi ran towards them and then turned his body to the side to lay a flying kick at the hammer raised warrior while he trust his sword at the one on the right. His kick pushed the hammer warrior back and Jedi dropped to the ground. His attack did not cease as he swing his sickle at the third warrior in the right knee severing the joint. Then Jedi rolled forward back to his original position to wait for the others. He is now facing four warriors including the one he knew as John.

"Frag the lady." John pulled the leash to tighten the noose to the neck of the Councilor. The old lady reached for her neck to try to loosen the noose but John is a strong man. He pulled hard and broke her neck.

"You fool, John." It was that moment Jedi lost his composure as he charged at them now with the sword in one hand and the sickle in the next.

John released the leash and reached for his sword but he did not see the sickle flying at his face. It sink into his left eye and wound reached the inner skull. John fell on his knees still holding the hilt of his sword. By then Jedi had reached the warriors and his sword was blocked by the Man known to him. Jedi kicked out with his leg at the nearest warrior but it was a bad wound as he felt the war hammer barely missed his thigh. Jedi rolled back again to recover but this time the warriors came forth to thrust their swords at him. He had to jumped further back to avoid the swords. He stopped to see the warrior he knew about to thrust the sword into his neck.

"Aarrgh!" The Man warrior reached for his left ribs below the forearm. An arrow is protruding from there and the warrior went down. Jedi stood up and see the other three are all struck by arrows too.

"You are a sight to behold." I smiled at the Canaan Guardian. Then he remembered the Councilor that was lying nearby. Jedi ran to the Councilor and held her in his arms. She was already dead from her tormentors.

"We have to leave. There are many of them around. The sanctuary is lost." Jedi nodded to the Guardian and they took off for the forest.

Jedi was back in Trivium and he is standing outside the 'Raging Unicorn'. Cedi left him here on his request. He needed answers to the questions in his head. He hold tight to the long handle sword as the anger rages through his body. If he charge in there, he would be dead before the hour is out. He need a strategy to fight this enemy; he needed more strength to his side to even the odds. He need to plan this next move. He saw the opportunity; the squad of Red Guards he saw patrolling the street. They are about twelve of them in the squad. The only difference is they are watching the Raging Unicorn like him. He is hidden from their view by the dark alley.

The second opportunity came up unexpectedly; General Noah just arrived with a squad of four men. They stopped at the entrance of the tavern with the General Noah looking around the area. The General may had sensed something is wrong.

Or that is right.

A hooded man arrived alone walking towards the tavern. He stopped in front of the General. Jedi can hear them speak as they were loud in their words.

"The Councilor was supposed to be a hostage. Not dead as per our deal." Zeca shout at the General. "I tailed them to the new sanctuary, and they are all dead. That was my part of the deal. You renegade yours."

"Damned it, Zeca. I did not kill her. She died as a result of some fight. She was a collateral damage. I would pay you double for the double action on the others." The General motioned to his men to bring for the small chest of gold. "Alternatively, you would like to deal with the Red Guards. They like to deal with you."

The Red Guards came forth to approach the elf.

"General, you are a dead man." Zeca pulled out this sword and swing at the General but the Man has stepped away. The guards are standing between the General and the elf. Zeca saw the approaching Red Guards. "Maybe not today but I would be back."

Zeca ran for safety but he is headed to towards the same alley that Jedi was standing. Jedi shucked himself into a darker corner and saw the elf running by him followed by the Red Guards. Jedi followed at the flank and dodging if any guards look behind. They ran into several alleys and streets before the Zeca went missing from his pursuers.

Jedi walked out of the dark corner to confront Zeca when he jumped down from the roof. Zeca turned to see the Judas Warrior standing with the long handle sword. They looked at each other with no words sounded out then they went at each other with swords. Their swords clashed and with each move, they counteract each other's move with equal moves.

"We are even, Jedi. Let us call it off." Zeca give his snide smile as he pant with exhaustion form our long drawn out battle. Jedi standing a short distance away held onto his sword to hold his body up. He is also exhausted from the fight but the rage that feed his strength is still raging.

"You killed the people you swore to protect. I cannot allowed that to go without you dead."

Zeca wanted to reply but he could not find words to speak as he reached for the arrow that protrude in his chest at the heart. The elf fell dead without any more sounds. Jedi looked behind him to see the Canaan Guardian standing there. The Guardian lowered his bow and fade into the dark.

Jedi fall to his knees and cried. He felt so tired from all the events the last few days. He find his own objectives being questioned and he seems to be falling into more self questioning of where he is now. He keep on thinking of the gold; they were to compensate them but now they are losing a lot of their loved ones. They won't be anyone helping them to spend the gold.

It may not be worth it all sometimes. Jedi feels he may need to re-consider his options.