Imperials Vs. Sentinels 2- a new threat rises

Part 11- Another push to victory

Shade sat on the dungeon floor, angrily thinking about how he got into the situation he was in right now. He hated being captive, especially for Kraven. His hatred for Kraven burned inside of him since they first met. Given the chance, even shade himself didn't want to think about what he'd do to him if he was alone with him. The idea would be enough to give anyone nightmares.

At that moment, Kraven walked into the room with a Viking in either side of him.
"Having fun?"
Kraven asked.
"I swear, when I get my claws on you, you'll regret being alive."
Shade retorted.
"Honestly, you've been given all this time down here to think, and that's the best you have? Maybe you're not as smart as we thought."
Kraven replied.
"Anyway, we're here to see how you're doing."
He continued.
"You really expect me to believe that?"
Shade spat back.
"Okay, maybe to get some information from you. Things like where your army is going next, what they're going to do once they're there, that kind of thing."
Shade was about to lose it. Kraven hadn't seen this side of him yet, but he was about to.
"I'll die before I tell you anything!"
Shade charged at him again, and much to Kraven's surprise, he was able to reach him. Shade grabbed Kraven by the neck and began to throttle him, pure fury in his eyes. Kraven was caught completely off guard, trying to pry himself from Shade's unrelenting and deadly grip. It wasn't until one Viking plunged a dagger into one of Shade's arms that he let go with a grunt of pain. Kraven regained his composure, stunned a little from the swiftness of the attack. Once he did, his expression turned into one of anger.
"So be it, you overgrown furball!"
He hit Shade hard in the face, causing Shade's nose and left eye to bleed. Shade fell to his knees, blood trickling down his face and into the ground, still grunting in pain. Kraven then hit him with the blunt side of his axe, knocking shade onto his stomach. He lay there on the ground, too badly hurt to get up.
"We'll try this again later. And trust me, we won't be as kind as we were this time."
Kraven spat on Shade before leaving him alone on the ground. Shade was a very tough knight, possibly the toughest alive. But such cruelty even hurt him. He lay on the ground, almost unconscious. A small pool of blood had formed around his face as he closed his eyes and tried to ignore the pain in his face. He hoped Xavier or anyone would come to rescue him soon as he had no idea how much more he could take. 

At that moment, a group of knights had been tasked with infiltrating the base they believed Shade was being held in. The knights were beginning to push the vikings out of the country. Only two major points in the country remained under Viking control. They were the shipyard and the beach. If the knights could claim them, the vikings would be forced to retreat and return to their own land. Without a place to supply and defend themselves, the vikings would be powerless in Verana.

The group of knights were being lead by Xavier and Ryan. Luca was to remain in the city they recently captured to defend it in case of a counter-attack.
After being briefed and prepared, Xavier and Ryan headed out with the flaming arrow and 70 members of the knight army. They would arrive at the small village within minutes. After that, they just had to find Shade and pray that he was still alive.

As they had predicted, the village was in sight a just 20 minutes. There were several small buildings and a well in the village. They used the night to cover their attack in darkness, making it harder to see. The flaming arrow took down the few guards in a small, quickly built lookout tower, which they then used for themselves. Two archers took positions and scanned the village.
"What can you see?"
Xavier asked.
"A small group of vikings are coming from the other side of that building."
Ryan replied, pointing to a building to Xavier's left.
"It looks like there are four or five of them."
Xavier drew his sword and hid around the corner. Ryan and the other archer ducked to avoid being seen, and the other soldiers remained out of sight. As soon as the group were close enough, ten of the knights cut them down.
"Anyone else?"
Xavier asked, seeing Ryan shaking his head.
"You're clear now. I can't see any other vikings."

Xavier began to search the nearby houses, looking through windows and searching for clues. After no success, he decided that they would have to try a different strategy.
"Get into groups of ten and break down the doors. Kill anyone who opposes you and find Shade. We're not leaving here without him."
Xavier ordered.

Immediately, the knights began to breach the houses, killing vikings before they were able to pick up their wepons. The noise woke up the other vikings however, and soon, Kraven and the other leading vikings were alerted to the attack.
"They must be here for Shade. If they're here, they can't be allowed to escape. I'll deal with the knights outside."
He picked up his axe.
"You kill Shade. He's of no use to us, and we don't need him escaping."
Kraven opened the door only to be thrown back by several knights.
"Go! Get the Shade before they do!"
Some knights tried to pass Kraven, but he stopped them before they got close. The last thing the vikings saw before going under the house was Kraven being thrown aside by Xavier.

Two vikings rushed to Shade's cell, trying to get there before the knights. All shade saw was the two frantically trying to unlock his cell door before hearing footsteps behind them. The door unlocked and it was flung open, the two vikings then focusing on Shade.
One raised his axe above him, getting ready to swing at an unarmed Shade. Naturally, Shade held his arms up to guard his face before hearing a cry of pain. The viking about to swing at Shade suddenly turned around only to be bashed to death by Xavier's shield.
"Xavier! Man, am I happy to see you."
Xavier cut Shade free, and Shade let his chains fall to the floor.
"It's good to see you alive."
Xavier replied.
"Yeah, but I'm not feeling to good, in case you couldn't tell by the blood in my fur."
Xavier suddenly realised what he meant, seeing the blood on his face and chest.
"What happened to you?"
Xavier asked.
"Long story short, Kraven hit me twice for strangling him half to death. That's where the wound in my arm came from."
Xavier then saw the stab wound, also turning Shade's fur red.
"Okay, well we have to get you out of here. If you don't get treated, you may get an infection. Let's go."
Xavier gave Shade his halberd after carrying it there on his back and the two burst out of the house, witnessing a losing battle. Without their presence, many knights had fallen, and the flaming arrow were just holding strong. Ryan and his group shot Viking after Viking before getting overwhelmed. Shade hacked through some of them and Xavier finished the rest of them.
After cutting down another knight, Kraven saw Shade free.
"Damnit... that is NOT good."
He said to himself, ordering the vikings to fall back. Shade was free again, but it looked to be some time before he'd be in prime form again. His time in captivity had taken its toll on him.

After getting back the next day, Xavier learned that Luca had organised an offensive on Verana's shipyard. He had also learned that the shipyard wasn't guarded as heavily as anticipated and the knights had taken it back fairly easily.
"Great work Luca!"
Xavier said.
"Now all we have to do is fight them back from the beach and we'll win the country back. It won't be long now."

With just one more push for victory left, the vikings would soon lose Verana, and with it, their grip on the war. The knights looked set to win as four heroic figures stood among their army, opposing just one from the other. Things in Verana were about to change, and they would change for the better.