A Thousand Lives I've Seen

48 - To the Bitter End

All things considered, this turn of events was not surprising. 

Just as Quahaug had assumed, the leader of the Hyzantian forces rushing toward the Rosellan village was Rufus. Silvio was a better leader, but Rufus would be a fine enough substitute for the time being. Quahaug had learned once that Milo was the one who had hired Silvio, and she could only assume she had made her way to Rufus too. She knew how to manipulate people better than any other, and no one could hope to stand up to her raw skills and charms in the field of the human heart. Quahaug could practically see her smile in the back of his mind now, but he didn't let it distract him. 

Instead, he turned his attention up to the battlefield. Rufus was standing just outside the entrance of the village, and the streets had been emptied out as all the people were ushered into hiding. There were a few able fighters among the Rosellan people, but they had chosen to hide so they could strike out at the Hyzantian forces should they find a way to invade the buildings. It was a much safer option than taking to the streets. There were more than enough fighters from House Wolffort on the field as it was. They could handle everything, and the Roselle would be allowed to stay safe for a short while longer. 

Rufus seemed to register the strangeness of his isolation when he arrived at the village's opening arch. He didn't openly look around for any signs of the leader that should have been there at his side, but Quahaug could still see the question and confusion in his eyes. It was damn near impossible to miss, as a matter of fact. "I'll give you once chance," Rufus declared. The words were clumsy as they left his lips. He was trying to borrow Silvio's attempts at natural charisma, but it wasn't ending well for him in the slightest. "You can surrender now or face my might!"

"I think we both know what the answer will be," Serenoa responded simply. "If I recall correctly, the last time you fought us, it did not end well for you. Will that outcome change this time?" He was trying to rile Rufus up, and Quahaug could already tell it was working. Rufus wasn't used to having his skills on the battlefield challenged, and the mere implication that he could be defeated by such weaklings caught him by surprise in ways he would never be able to voice. 

Rufus stumbled over his words for a few seconds before he snarled and slammed his club against the ground. "Fine then! If that's the choice you've made, then you'll have to die by it!" He rushed forward without missing a beat, his eyes locked on Jerrom and his weapon hoisted over his shoulder. Rufus was a powerful combatant in any timeline, but Quahaug could feel that his power had only risen thanks to the time loop. He didn't need to be up close to notice it. Everyone had grown stronger because of the repetition of time, and Rufus would be able to destroy anyone in a single hit if he was given the chance. 

Jerrom only realized his inevitable loss after it was too late to run. Luckily, the forces of House Wolffort were ready to back him up. Archibald and Rudolph released twin arrows that struck Rufus in the shoulders. He staggered backward, barely seeming to notice the arrows themselves. Instead, it was the momentum they carried that had sent him stumbling. As soon as Rufus was able to regain his balance, he rushed toward Jerrom again. The Rosellan warrior retreated quickly, taking his place on the stairs leading up to the roof of one of the nearby buildings. 

All of the Wolffort forces had been clustered together on the roofs, as a matter of fact. It gave them the extra advantage of height, and in a battle like this, that was the best advantage they could possibly ask for. None of them would be able to defeat Rufus in one to one combat, but if they overwhelmed him and took advantage of the high ground, then he would fall soon enough. Just to prove it, Quahaug raised his staff high, and a spell collided with Rufus just before he could try to run after Jerrom again. Rufus tried to force his muscles to move, but they would not cooperate. He roared in rage, but he was unable to do much else. Instead, he just stayed where he was, his head desperately trying to pry the rest of his body free of its sudden prison.