Like I said, the next chapter is out the day after I posted the previous one. This one contains the first of many action scenes in this story. After this chapter, there's going to be 7 more chapters and an epilogue. This one is called "The First Battle". Enjoy.
The First Battle[]
The Draconis brothers awoke the next day, and immediately went to report to Ragnar. When they got there, Ragnar, Vlad, Deacon, Gideon, Marcus, and Sever were in the middle of a conversation, which promptly ended when they noticed Logan and Brandon come in. Ragnar then stood up.
“Everyone’s here now”, Ragnar said. “Sever here has revealed to me some vital information. Sever, would you mind fighting with us?”
“I love a good fight”, Sever said. “I will fight with you. But I will not be wearing one of your uniforms.”
“Fair enough”, Ragnar said. “I think I’m ready to send y’all on your first mission. But before I can, you need to know how to identify one of the Silent Fang. The Silent Fang have many different ranks, but only two distinct uniforms: the enlisted, and the officers. The enlisted wear tan uniforms, with black boots, gloves, vest, and headwear, and usually a mask of some kind. The officers dress similarly, but they wear a dark green trench coat instead of a tan shirt. They also have several types of patches on their sleeves, which determines what branch they are from. Currently, we are in South Bretonnia, so that’s the branch that we are fighting. Any questions?”
“Can we go kill some bad guys?” Logan asked.
“That’s what I wanted to hear”, Ragnar said as he turned to Marcus. “You’ll be leading this one, Marcus. Take these five, as well as some foot soldiers, and go to the location marked on this map.” He slid a map over to Marcus.
“I got it, boss”, Marcus said as he picked up the map, and put it into his pocket. “Let’s go, gentlemen. We leave in 10 minutes. You’re free to get whatever you want from the armory.”
Gideon brought his crossbow, Logan brought his bolt action rifle that his father had given him, which he had fitted with a 17 inch bayonet, Sever brought a machine gun, and Marcus, Deacon, and Brandon brought bolt action rifles, which they fitted with bayonets, along with Brandon’s bow. They were all given 2 frag grenades, which they were told to use sparingly, since they were running low.
The group set off on horseback, joined by 10 of Ragnar’s best soldiers, all armed with rifles. Marcus led them to the North, where they traveled for about two hours. They saw a small base full of Silent Fang. They tied up their horses about 50 feet away, climbed up a small hill between the horses and the base, and went prone. Marcus took out his binoculars, and looked at the base. He counted 13 Silent Fang foot soldiers, all led by one officer. All of the fourteen men had their own tent, and everyone was gathered around a large campfire, eating something, with their weapons by their side. The camp was surrounded by bushes, which Marcus knew would make for good cover. He turned towards his men.
“I have a plan”, Marcus said. “We’re going to use those bushes to sneak up on them. Gideon, Sever. I want you two to cover the left corner closest to use. Logan, Brandon. I want you two to take the right corner closest to us. Everyone else, with me. I’ll shoot first. Once I fire, I want you all to attack. Let’s go!”
The Blood Brothers moved into their attack formations. They waited for a few minutes. When the officer stood up to head back to his tent, Marcus shot him in the head, and the Blood Brothers attacked. The Silent Fang soldiers stood up, grabbed their weapons, and fired back. In the ensuing carnage, 3 Blood Brothers were shot, but none of them were killed. One Silent Fang survived the volley of bullets. Sever went to finish him off with his ankle knife.
“YOU?!” The man said, clearly recognizing Sever. “WHAT ARE YOU-” He didn’t even finish his sentence before Sever stabbed him in the chest, killing him. Marcus approached Sever.
“He recognized you”, Marcus said. “Is there something you’re not telling us?”
“I’ve killed a few Silent Fang in my time”, Sever said. “Maybe a few of them escaped me.”
“Listen here, motherfucker”, Marcus said. “I don’t trust you.” Marcus kneeled down next to the body of the Silent Fang officer. Suddenly, another Silent Fang came out of a tent, and began charging Marcus with a bayonet attached to his rifle. Logan noticed him first, but hesitated to fire.
“Marcus, watch out!” Deacon yelled. Marcus didn’t have time to react before he was bayoneted in the back. Logan killed the soldier, but was too late. Marcus fell forward, dead. Logan dropped his rifle, fell to his knees and hands, and vomited. Gideon kneeled down next to him, and hand put his hand on Logan’s left shoulder.
“It's okay, Logan”, Gideon said. “The first time is always the hardest.” Logan stood back up, and picked up his rifle.
“How do you know?” Logan asked.
“I killed that scout the day we met”, Gideon said. “It felt strange.” Gideon looked towards everyone else. “Let’s get back to base!” He yelled to everyone. He picked up Marcus’ body and weapon, and carried them to his horse. The group set off, with Gideon holding the reins of Marcus’ horse.
When they got back to base, the three wounded Blood Brothers went to seek medical attention, and Marcus was given a proper burial. Whenever one of the Blood Brothers died, their bodies were placed face down, with their weapon placed by their side. They were buried facing the direction of their home. Marcus was from Ancrya, so his body was buried facing the Northeast.
After Marcus was buried, Ragnar invited Gideon to his private quarters to tell him something important. He thought Gideon was the most qualified.
“I appreciate what you did for Marcus today, Gideon”, Ragnar said. “Marcus was a great man. It’s a shame what happened to him.”
“I didn’t know Marcus for very long, but I was starting to like him”, Gideon said.
“Gideon”, Ragnar said. “There’s something I want you to do for me.”
“What is it, sir?” Gideon asked.
“I want you to take Marcus’ place”, Ragnar said. “We need someone to fill in the gap in the chain of command. I think you’re the most qualified for this role.”
“I’d be honored, sir”, Gideon said.
“Thank you, Gideon”, Ragnar said. “Let’s go get your new patch.”
End[]
Thank you for reading this chapter. This story will only be getting better from here. Tell me what you think in the comments. Have a good day.