[Fighter]
He followed after Captain Yuan as they kept to the shadows. Excitement buzzed under his skin. Early, the Captain asked him to join him on a mission to a Legionnaire camp where they would collect useful information that may prove to be vitally important in planning a counter attack against the Legion. It wasn't his first time going on a mission for or with his mentor, but something about tonight felt different. There was an almost visible charge in the air, like something was going to happen tonight. Kiran wasn't sure what might happen. This was only a simple spy job. They would go in, blending into the shadows as they listened to the important meeting taking place at the camp.
"I think it might be best for you to step down on this one." Iseul's voice echoed in his mind, and Kiran almost tripped on a loose root sticking up from the ground as the comment distracted him. He corrected his balance and hurried to keep up with his mentor. Captain Yuan only gave him a quick glance to be certain that Kiran didn't fall too far behind him. Why would Iseul make such a warning? Iseul acted strangely of late, fussing over Kiran like a protective mother and looking sour at the close relationship between Captain Yuan and Kiran. Could the man be jealous for some reason? The thought seemed silly to Kiran. Iseul usually came off cold and distant, except recently when he actually showed some care and concern for Kiran's well being.
Kiran shook those thoughts from his mind. He had a mission to focus on, and he would only make mistakes if he let stray thoughts distracted him. Ahead of him, Captain Yuan motioned for him to stop. Kiran dropped down beside his mentor, crouching down to blend into the shadows. Legionnaires patrolled the perimeter of the camp, watching for any intruder. Kiran watched their movements while waiting for instructions from his mentor. They waited there silently for several long moments that seemed to stretch on for an eternity. His breathing slowed to the point where it almost seemed like he stopped as he tried to calm the excitement making his heart race. The guards continued on their patrol, and Captain Yuan gave the signal to make their move.
Captain Yuan moved first, disappearing like a shadow as he continued with the mission. Any hesitation that might have kept him rooted to the spot vanished. Kiran launched to his feet, darting toward the camp. His dark clothing helped him blend into the shadows as he crept deeper into the camp. Guards were on patrol all throughout the camp, forcing Kiran to pause and hide to avoid being caught. He didn't spy Captain Yuan after the signal was given, but his mentor was far more experienced in this kind of mission than he was. Kiran couldn't remember a tale when the Captain didn't successfully escape from Legion territory with valuable information. In fact, the tales that Captain Yuan told him hardly ever spoke of him needing to fight his way out to escape.
That nagging thought made Kiran pause. No matter how good someone was at being stealthy, they couldn't be perfect all the time. How could Captain Yuan sneak so easily into Legion camps? Kiran remembered tales of Captain Yuan fighting, of course, but they were usually missions where he ambushed the Legion troops or met the Legion on the open battlefield. The times that he joined his mentor for a mission, they tended to fight their way out after something alerted the Legion to their presences. But when Captain Yuan went on spy missions alone? He was in and out without any flaw to mess it up. That wasn't normal.
The excitement of the mission washed away in an instant, leaving only trepidation behind in its place. Something was wrong. Very wrong. Suddenly, he wished that he listened to Iseul's warning. Kiran shifted back a step, and his throat suddenly felt rather dry.
The alarm sounded. Panic seized him. Footsteps pounded the ground, rushing toward where he hid. Kiran grabbed his tonfas as he prepared to fight his way out of here. The first Legionnaire appeared around one of the tents, and Kiran shot out of his hiding place. He caught the man by surprise, smashing his tonfa into the man's face. The Legionnaire dropped with a thud. But any relief in taking out one guard disappeared like a wisp of smoke in the air when he spied several more guard rushing toward him. Kiran turned to run, but more guards came to cut off the other routes that he might have used to escape.
Swallowing his fear, Kiran held out his tonfas, his stance defensive as his gaze swept over the Legionnaires surrounding him. The first lunged at him with a spear thrusting toward his chest. Kiran twisted out of its path, feeling a small twinge when the blade cut a slit across his back. His tonfa swung out and caught the man in the elbow. He ducked as another Legionnaire appeared to throw a punch at him. Driving upward, he slammed his tonfas into the man's chest, knocking him off his feet. Something rammed into his back, and Kiran stumbled. He spun around, kicking out at the attacker when something pierced his shoulder. A quick glance showed the shaft of an arrow sticking out of his shoulder, but he couldn't worry about that injury right now.
He smashed in some man's face as he tried to drive his way through the mob of Legionnaires. Someone punched him in the gut, winding him. He didn't see who landed that blow, but he was certain they wore some sort of metal gauntlet or brass knuckles. Fighting back was difficult with so many opponents surrounding him. He slammed the end of one tonfa into someone to his left as he swung the other tonfa at someone to his right. Both attacks connected, but he felt several of the Legionnaires landing blows of their own on him. Something pierced through his thigh, forcing out a strangled scream. Several punches hit his chest and back, but those felt like nothing compared to the heavy pole-arm whose long wooden shaft slammed down on the shoulder that the arrow pierced, and the blinding pain nearly dropped him.
Someone grabbed hold of him before he could fall. His arms were yanked roughly behind him; his tonfas forcibly ripped from his hands. Rope cut tightly into his wrists, practically cutting off his circulation, and someone gagged his mouth with a cloth that tasted dirty and foul. Even though he was bound and at their mercy, a few of the Legionnaires decided to get in a few cheap shots before the leader of the squadron stopped them. A kick to the back of the legs dropped him to his knees, and someone clubbed him with a large fist on the side of the head. Blood spilled from several wounds, most notably his thigh and shoulder. His ribs ached, but not nearly as bad as he remembered from other fights.
"Take him to the General's tent," the leader barked his order.
Kiran paled as they forced him to his feet and dragged him toward the largest of the tents in the camp. Captain Yuan never told him anything about one of the Legion Generals being present in the camp! Wasn't this supposed to be a simple spy mission? He felt dread rising in him with every dragging step as they drew closer to the tent.
