*10 years ago. Close to the end of the Humanity War. At a human army campsite.*
Two swords suddenly clashed together, and the sound of metal hitting each other echoed over the cheers of the small human army crowd. One giant sword and one standard human army sword were clashing with one another with such ferocity that it gave the soldiers watching a lot of entertainment. The crowd of soldiers were circled around the two combatants as if forming a small fighting ring. One of the soldiers suddenly shouted, "Come on! I've got my money and a free drink riding on you!" Another soldier shouted, "Ha! With that puny sword, you don't stand a chance against him!" However, the sparring match had only just begun.
Two rather young soldiers were in the middle of this circle, and both of them suddenly unlocked swords and jumped back. The man with the big sword asked, "Do I add another win today, Tokuda? Our score is 19-20, and I'm in the lead, correct?" The man with the small sword, a much younger-looking Tokuda Tetsuo, stared at the man with the big sword and said, "Not a chance, Alexander. I'm defeating you and evening out the score." The man with the giant sword, a much younger-looking General Alexander (not currently a general at this point in time), laughed whole-heartedly, saying, "Your confidence is your downfall!" Tokuda grinned and said, "I wouldn't be so sure." Tokuda suddenly rushed Alexander, and their swords clashed. Tokuda, using his arms, let out a fury of lightning-fast attacks that only a small sword like his could achieve. However, Alexander was naturally quick, as he maneuvered his giant sword so easily one would think it was hollow on the inside. The sparks from the furiously fast attacks went everywhere, and the crowd of soldiers near them backed up a bit to avoid getting hit by the sparks.
Alexander saw an opening and kicked Tokuda away from him, sending Tokuda stumbling a little bit. Alexander then leaped forward, using the momentum to make his attack more powerful, but Tokuda was also quick on his feet, not just his arms, and he quickly side-stepped the attack. Alexander's swing was so powerful that his giant sword hit the ground and was lodged into the dirt, making Alexander vulnerable for a short time. Tokuda took this opportunity and rushed Alexander. Alexander was able to pull his sword from out of the ground and take a swing, but Alexander missed Tokuda, as Tokuda dodged the dirt chunks and the giant sword itself. The momentum of Alexander's swing kept him going, and he couldn't stop himself. Seeing as Tokuda had the smaller blade, he had the advantage when it came to short-range fighting. Tokuda, after dodging the giant sword, quickly rushed up to Alexander and tackled him to the ground, and Tokuda immediately put the tip of his small sword on Alexander's throat, to which Alexander slightly chuckled and said, "Well, it seems our score is tied now, 20-20. Victory is yours, my friend."
Tokuda responded to that by putting away his sword and getting up off of Alexander. Tokuda extended out a hand to Alexander, who was still on the ground. Alexander smiled and took Tokuda's hand, knowing that he would have to get better to take a winning lead again. Meanwhile, the crowd slowly dispersed, with some of the human soldiers laughing and celebrating with their winnings, and some of the soldiers feeling disappointed and whining about losing the bets they made on this sparring match. Alexander then said, "Next time for sure, Tokuda. I'll make the score 20-21!" Tokuda grinned, saying, "You wish. I'm gonna keep my winning streak going!"
Suddenly, a burly man came out of a tent and spotted Tokuda and Alexander, asking in an annoyed tone, "What were you two doing?" Alexander said, "Renny, we were just having a little bit of fun! Don't worry about us!" The man, supposedly nicknamed "Renny" when he wasn't looking, was visibly pissed about this and said, "It's General Ren to you, boy. Don't you start calling me cute ass nicknames unless you want your ass kicked by me. I don't care if both of you are in the Spearhead squad or not, you better start showing your higher-ups some respect." Alexander scratched his head and said, "Okay, okay, General Ren. But seriously, don't worry about us!" General Ren sighed and said, "We have a big battle tomorrow, gentlemen. Don't be wasting your energy doing stupid shit like you did today. Go get briefed and then get some rest." With that, General Ren headed back inside of his tent.
Tokuda and Alexander knew they were having a battle tomorrow, but the general made it seem like quite a big deal. Not really knowing what to expect, they both headed into the HQ tent, where the military strategist was looking over a map of the general area. The military strategist looked up and saw Tokuda and Alexander, and smiled at them cheerfully. The strategist extended his hand and said, "You both must be Tokuda and Alexander. A pleasure to meet you both." Tokuda and Alexander shook the strategist's hand, and then the strategist said, "I'm Well." Alexander then said, "That's good to hear that you're well. We need our strategist in tip-top shape." Well then said, "No, no, I'm Well." Tokuda had his pinky in his ear as if he was cleaning it out, saying, "We heard you the first time." Well seemed a little irritated, then said, "No, my name is Well." Alexander then asked, "Can names have emotions?" Well then shouted, "GODDAMMIT MY NAME IS WELL! WHEN I CAME OUT OF MY MOTHER'S WOMB, SHE DECIDED TO NAME ME WELL!" Tokuda then said, "Oh, well why didn't you say that first?" Well was about to say something but decided against it. Well took a few deep breaths and calmed down, saying, "With that out of the way, let me explain the situation to you, gentlemen."
Well pointed at the map he was looking at, and Tokuda and Alexander took a look as well. Well explained, "This map shows us the entire region we'll be fighting in." Well pointed to the east side of the map and said, "This will be the direction in which the demi-human army will be coming from. We're posted up around here." Well then pointed to the west side of the map. Well then said, "Based on what our scouts told us, it seems that there are about a few thousand demi-human troops coming our way. If I had to guess, maybe 5,000." Alexander then said, "Only 5,000? They're sure cocky bastards if they think they can take us on with only 5,000 troops! One of our men is worth 20 demi-humans, maybe more!" Well then said, "Not so fast, Alexander. There's a potential problem with this. I haven't told you who's leading them." Tokuda looked at Well in curiosity, wondering who could be leading this attack. Well sighed and said, "We've got quite the case on our hands here, gentlemen. The one leading this attack is reported to be the Red Bear."
Alexander and Tokuda were rather shocked by this. Tokuda asked, "Why would the general of the demi-human army be leading this attack?! Shouldn't there be someone else in command besides him?" Well shrugged, saying, "Perhaps he had his reasons. He's been sort of idle recently, not taking much part in any of these recent battles. Maybe he wanted to come out and fight?" Alexander then said, "I wouldn't put it past those savages to miss bloodshed. We fight for peace! Ain't that right, Tokuda?" Tokuda nodded, agreeing with Alexander. Well then said, "If the general has come out of hiding, we can end the war with tomorrow's battle. We just need to kill the Red Bear, and it'll all be over." Well then sighed, saying, "That's what I would like to say, but it won't be so easy to do. The Red Bear will probably be in the action, but he'll have his better fighters close by to help him out of a pinch." Alexander then asked, "Why not just assassinate him tonight and be done with it?" Well said, "One of our spies tried that and barely escaped with his life. Now the demi-human army will be on guard at all times." Alexander looked a little disappointed, but said, "Oh well. More fighting for me."
Well then turned his attention back to the map, saying, "As part of the Spearhead squad, you're pretty much candidates to become the next generals. I assume you all have commanded your own small platoon before?" Tokuda and Alexander nodded, and Well said, "Good. Our army is gonna be spread out a bit, so I'll need the five of you to do your best with this." Tokuda looked around and said, "Where are the others, by the way? Barron, Aron, and Charley?" Well said, "While you both were busy with your little sparring match, I already briefed them on the plan." Tokuda said, "Oh." Well then continued, seemingly unfazed by Tokuda's surprised expression. Well said, "To keep it short, I want Tokuda to lead his platoon to the high ground in the hills over here." Well pointed to the northern part of the map. Well then said, "I want you to try to flank the enemy and get behind them if possible. Use the hills as cover as needed to do this." Tokuda nodded. Well then pointed to the middle of the map and said, "Alexander, your platoon will go face the enemy head-on. I understand you've got capable fighters in your platoon?" Alexander nodded, saying, "Yep. They're all capable fighters, and they've all lived through many battles." Well nodded, saying, "Excellent. When tomorrow arrives, we'll put this plan into action. General Ren will be the main general this battle, so listen to him for orders." Alexander then said, "Anything for Renny!" Well stifled a chuckle, saying, "So, it's true that they call him Renny when he isn't around, huh? You boys should really show him some more respect!" Tokuda sighed, saying, "It would seem so. He deserves the respect, but we need to keep morale up somehow." Well then said, "Just try not to piss him off, and we all might survive this battle tomorrow. Dismissed!"
Tokuda and Alexander left the tent and were greeted by three guys. The first man was an extremely muscular bald man, easily towering over Tokuda and Alexander and always giving off an air of intimidation. The muscular man wore heavy battle armor, covering him from head to toe. The second man had a similar face to the muscular man but was much shorter and a bit skinnier than the muscular man was. The second man had on wizard robes and held a small magic book in his hand. The third man always had an air of mystery around him, never really speaking much. The third man was rather tall, somewhat skinny, had on light armor, and a black scarf covering his mouth. Alexander grinned and said, "Yo! The Spearhead squad is back again! Barron, Aron, Charley! Ready to go grab some drinks?" The second man, Aron, said, "It's not exactly wise to drink right before a battle, Alexander." Aron was a mastermind of the battlefield, and some would even call him a prodigy due to how young and good he was with battle tactics. However, his fighting skills lacked severely, but he continued to persevere, using his brain more than his body. Alexander then threw his arm around Aron and said, "Aw, come on! A drink never hurt anyone! Besides, you're the brainiac of us all, so I know you're not gonna drink anyways!" Aron sighed, saying, "That's correct. I won't drink tonight because that would be an irresponsible decision. I'm honestly getting quite tired of taking care of you while drunk, especially last time." Tokuda sighed, remembering the awful scene that Alexander caused the last time he got blackout drunk. Alexander then turned towards the muscular man, Barron, and asked, "Oi, Barron! I know you're nothing like your brother here! How many rounds you think you can last in a chugging competition?" Barron chuckled, saying, "More than you, that's for sure!" Barron was your stereotypical muscle head. All he ever thought about was fighting, drinking, and the pleasures of life that came to him. While not exactly the brightest, Barron was one of the strongest fighters that the human army had to offer. Aron sighed, saying, "Listen, brother. We might be twins, but I still don't understand how we became so different over time." Barron shrugged, saying, "I like it. I'm only good at smashing things, but you're good at being smart." Aron shrugged, saying, "I guess so." Despite appearances and being so different, Aron and Barron really were twins. The third man, Charley, said, "If you all are done bickering, we should go get those drinks." Charley was quite a mysterious fellow. His presence was hard to detect, even when clearly visible to others. Although he didn't talk much, he let his skills as an assassin do the talking for him. Charley quietly walked off, and Alexander shrugged before following Charley. Barron then followed behind them, and a reluctant Aron looked back at Tokuda and beckoned for Tokuda to follow him. Tokuda did just that, and they all made their way back to their tent.
A night of drinking, eating a lot and having fun occurred in the tent that night. The five members of Spearhead seemed to forget that they were at war when they celebrated together like this, and if anyone looked in on the outside, they might forget that they were at war as well. At some point, Aron made a fire outside of the tent, and the others of the Spearhead squad huddled around it and began joking around and laughing. At some point, Alexander even made a joke, calling this little huddled group of men the "Campfire Boys." Tokuda looked around at everyone having a good time around the campfire. Barron and Alexander were deep in a drinking competition, grinning stupidly big. Aron, despite being the uptight responsible person, seemed more relaxed as he let out a small chuckle when Barron and Alexander began bickering over who drank more, and both were clearly drunk. Charley, who still didn't say too much, had a warm smile on his face, as his black scarf was pulled down to his neck and he quietly watched the argument heat up while sipping his drink. Tokuda noticed all of this and felt strangely at home with this crew, and had a warm feeling inside of him. Hard to believe that we're doing this in wartime, thought Tokuda.
Tokuda always thought war was gloomy, that it only caused constant suffering due to people being killed. Both sides always suffered losses, so Tokuda believed that there were no true winners in war. However, this thinking made Tokuda appreciate the little moments like this a bit more, as he never really knew when tragedy would strike. Tokuda engraved the smiling faces of his comrades into his mind, the sound of their laughter into his heart, and the strangely strong bond shared between the mixed batch of guys before him all into his soul as they all were huddled around the campfire. He knew that one day, something could happen that might tear them, the Spearhead squad, apart, and Tokuda wasn't prepared to face that inevitable day. Tokuda brought his drink to his lips and began drinking, not intending to let those kinds of thoughts drag him down tonight. We're all getting through this war alive, one way or another, thought Tokuda. Soon, one by one, the five of them slowly passed out, getting sleep for tomorrow's battle.
*The next day*
Everyone found themselves on the battlefield, waiting in anticipation for the attack to begin. The strategy by Well was enacted, and everyone was in position, ready to begin. Tokuda had a squadron of about 15 men, and all of them were shifting about every now and then, waiting for the signal. Tokuda sighed, and he was rather bored, as he had been waiting for about 30 minutes now. Tokuda was about to take a short nap when he heard the loud marching of footsteps in the distance. Tokuda then looked in the direction of the loud marching, and then saw them: the demi-human army, numbering 5,000 troops in total. From the tall hills, he could see the vast number of them, spreading on for what seemed like a mile. At the very back of the demi-human army, he could see a rather large figure with red armor on. Tokuda smiled, seeing that it was the Red Bear that was leading this army. Tokuda looked back at his troops and said, "I see them, soldiers! Wait until I give the order, then we flank them from behind! Understand?!" The soldiers responded, "Sir, yes, sir!" Tokuda nodded and began to watch for the signal.
The demi-human army got ever closer, and Tokuda was still waiting for the signal. Another few minutes passed, and the demi-human army was passing the hills that Tokuda's platoon were at. Tokuda ordered his men to stay low, and the demi-human army began to pass by. One demi-human archer began to climb the hill but failed to notice Tokuda's squad. The archer took a position on top of the hill and simply waited. Then, the signal was given, and the human army attacked the demi-human army head-on. Tokuda took this opportunity to take out the archer by stabbing him from behind and letting the body roll down the hill. Tokuda then shouted, "ATTACK!" With that command, Tokuda's squad then began flanking the demi-human army, catching the demi-human soldiers by surprise.
Tokuda's squad then engaged in combat with the demi-human soldiers. Since they were fighting near the back of the demi-human forces, the Red Bear was close by. Knowing this, Tokuda grinned and began fighting his way to the Red Bear, making quick work of any demi-human soldier that attempted to strike him down. Tokuda kept slashing and fighting his way through it all, with the image of his comrades in the Spearhead squad pushing him forward. After what felt like a while, he finally made it to the very back. However, he couldn't find the Red Bear immediately, as he was suddenly jumped by two demi-human snakes wielding two swords each. Tokuda was taken by surprise and jumped back, steering clear of the danger and taking in the situation.
Demi-human snake 1 said with a clear lisp, "Interessssting. Brother, he sssseemed to dodge our combo attack." Demi-human snake 2 said with a clear lisp, "It isssss interessssting, brother. He might be valuable to take to the bosssss alive." They must be talking about the Red Bear, thought Tokuda. Tokuda grinned, saying, "I'm here to kill your boss. I don't have the time to play with you both." Demi-human snake 1 said, "Issss that sssso? Well, we are the Red Bear'sssss perssssonal guardsssss. We cannot allow that to happen, you ssssssee." Demi-human snake 2 nodded in agreement. Tokuda sighed, then said, "Well, I just happen to know a good snake stew I can make after this battle is over and I've killed the Red Bear." That comment pissed off the snake brothers, and they immediately attacked Tokuda.
Tokuda parried their strike, but the snake brothers were quick. The snake brothers got to both sides of Tokuda and began attacking him. Tokuda was in a tight spot when they did that, as he couldn't defend both sides at once very easily. Tokuda jumped back to get some space between him and the snake brothers. However, the snake brothers were quick to realize what was happening, and with amazing speed, they were able to close the space Tokuda had tried to create and nicked Tokuda once he landed. One cut was in Tokuda's left arm, and the other was in his right leg. Tokuda immediately lost feeling in both of these limbs, and he fell over on the ground. The snake brothers laughed at Tokuda, and snake brother 1 said, "Our poisssson is quite ssssspecial. It'ssss not venomoussss, but it will numb the body of thosssse who touch it immediately. Even a sssslight bit will numb a limb insssstantly." Tokuda then grabbed his sword with his right arm and struggled to get up. Once he was up, he noticed that the snake brother's swords were covered with the poison they had mentioned. I was too careless. I gotta watch out for that now, thought Tokuda. However, as he finished that thought. The snake brothers instantly attacked Tokuda again, nicking his right arm and left leg. Tokuda fell to the ground, unable to move any part of his body. The snake brothers laughed at the sight of Tokuda still struggling to fight. Snake brother 2 said, "We'll take you to the bossssss now." With that, snake brother 1 knocked out Tokuda by bashing him over the head. The last thought in Tokuda's head at the time was the smiling face of his comrades and the disappointment with himself for letting them down.118Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxekqYFsD26
