Untrustable

Chapter 19: The First Attack

2101 Drow Village 1:24p.m.

  Jensen broke into a full sprint, his footsteps thudding upon contact with the solid earth, his thigh screaming in pain. The cabins came alive after heaing the signal from Jensen, villagers storming from their doors, the stronger males with crossbows in hand and some other weilding blades and swords. Jensen ran up the church, sounding the bell which rang like a thunder. He could have a clear view of the number of Arbiters emerging from the bushes, there were more than hundreds, swarning Drow Village, cornering them from every direction.

  Sweats of panic dripped down Jensen's chin after the realization of the army of Arbiters, like ants they storm from the thick forests, rifles in hands. Jensen struck the bell two times in quick succesions, which sent the whole village into a complete silence, then he continued hitting it quickly, faster and faster until his arms ache, the quickness of the pause within each strike signifies that the enemies were too overpowered for them. 

  The villagers slung and heated all their weapons when the bell rang loudy, Jensen's ears ache upon the defeaning roar of the bell. Everyone in the village was seen evacuating into their houses, into the cellars that was secretly dug, and linked altogether. A bullet whizzed past Jensen's shoulders, it missed, and signified that the enemies were close enough. Jensen sprinted down the spiralled staircases of the church, the trapdoor was located beside a statue, but he didn't know which one.

  Eight statues were lined accordingly, four on the left and four on the right, featuring angels that posed differently. The trapdoor was well camouflaged, Jensen remebered the angel with broken stone wings and holding an hour glass. The shuffling footsteps of Arbiters approached as Jensen pulled the heavy trapdoor with all his strength and inched into the uneven staircase below. The stone trapdoor slammed shut above, sinking Jensen's vision into pitch black.

  Jensen tried to remember the steps that can light up the torches within, however he cannot recall all, he had to guess. He tried random steps on every piece of stone tile and one gave way, sinking into the earth and lighting up the torches, illuminating the path down towards the central underground room.

  The stairs were uneven, without the lights from the flickering flames, any missed step could lead someone tumbling down the way and crashing their heads onto the firm walls. Jensen treasured the illumination from the fires much. The corridors were all brightening up by torches, but not fired up from Jensen himself, other villagers had reached the room earlier than he did. The pathways were confusing, strange and bent in unique ways but never linked to another path other than the central room.

  "Jensen. You're last." Jim mocked when Jensen took his first step into the central room. The room was huge, a large circular table in the center, another corner of the room were packed with supplies, dry food, fresh waters. Jensen could see men, women and children all within the room, consisting the whole population of the village, up to maybe seven hundred people. Jensen clapped loudly, ordering everyone into silence.

  "I want able men and women to my left, the others to the right." Jensen ordered. It took the villagers a few minutes to shuffle to their own positions. More than half of the population stood firmly on the able side. Men and women were fit, some strongly built. "They have several hundreds of them, trying to demolish all of us, but we can't stay here to hide, they would burn this whole village down in no time, so we have to act fast." Jensen spoke. "So what's the plan?" Kyle shouted.

  "We are going to assault them through trapdoors, since they were linked to every single cabin and building here, distraction would be necessary. Women and children would act as bait, the Arbiters will not kill you, men attack from other sides." Jensen stated his plans. A few protested upon the baiting strategy. "This is our last resort, we have to do this before its too late." Jensen exclaimed. "I need about fifty men to take the cabin roads, Jim would lead you, twenty men to come with me, we will attack from the market squares. Others stay backed up at any desired location. Emergency code is based on sections, namely cabins, market squares, church and farmlands, keep that in mind, lets go!" Jensen continued, none protested and obediently moved to their spots.

  Jim quickly led his army of fifty up the cabin routes, while Jensen and his twenty teammates stormed the stone corridors towards the market square buildings. Jim slowly lifted the cover of the cabin trapdoor, an Arbiter was fumbling the closet to search for signs of villager, Jim took aim with his crossbow and burrowed the arrow down deep into the neck, the Arbiter screamed but blood muted his voice, however the sound was heard by an Arbiter outside the cabins.

  The Arbiter stormed inside, Jim emergd from his cover and sliced the throat of his enemy with his blade, blood shemmering on the steel. Three Arbiters followed, the door of the opposite cabin flung opened and two villagers stabbed their steels into the Arbiters, Jim settling the last one. "Too many! Retreat!" Jim yelled as more than ten Arbiters came for assistance. The villagers went back into cover before getting noticed. "That was close." Jim breathed.

  Jensen hid behind on the the market stalls, four more of his followers did the same, awaiting their prey. An Arbiter entered their sights, Jensen was the closest to him but remained unseen. Another one appeared following the first Arbiter. Jensen emerged from his hiding when the first Arbiter came close enough, choke slamming him onto the ground and driving a knife into his throat. The second Arbiter was taken care of by his teammate, shattering the helmet glass with a keen arrow and stabbing into the skull.

  Jim counted the Arbiters he killed, ten in total, but he lost about half the number of men in the fight. "Farm lands!" He yelled, his cover was blown and almost outnumbered by the Arbiters conering his team into one of the large barns. The trapdoors within the barns sprung open and five men and women stormed out from the trapdoors each, adding the number of the team by fifteen. The large doors of the barns blasted open, shards of splintered wood flew through the air and bullets came in just almost immedeately, arrows exhanged the blows.

  Jim stubled a few steps backward as the impact of a bullet hit him right in the center of his chest, the body armor intercepted the blow but the force was hard enough to knock the air out of his lungs. A villager received a few bullets, all striking him in different body parts as his lifeless body tumbled onto the wooden floor. Jim wasted no time, throwing his crossbow away and drew two broadswords buckled on his belt. He dashed forward, age hasn't claim the energy from his body yet. The steel sliced through a limb, severed a neck and hacked through a joint in the fog of war. 

  An Arbiter came in sight, his blade clashed with Jim's, sending a few sparks across the air. Jim took some time outwrestling his enemy and drove the steel over the neck, blood sprayed and the body collasped onto the ground, jerking like a fish out of water.

  Jim proceeded forward to welcome more Arbiters with his broadswords, and another swift projectile whizzed through the air, piercing his arm. Jim grunted in agony and another blow striked him hard above the spine, sending him sprawling onto the sun bathed ground beneath. He then felt a kick in his side, his vision blackened on the edges. 

  Another impact landed on his head, this blow was above the agony his body can take, and the blackened edges of his vision consumed his sight by whole, knocking him unconcious.