Skill Forge: Broken Extra Character

The commander, visibly shaken and enraged, stumbled back, his once-commanding presence faltering. Blood seeped from his arm, his face twisting in both agony and pain as he struggled to maintain his stance. This was not how he'd expected the fight to go, certainly not against one person, much less a group of mere children.

"You… You little brat…" he snarled, clutching his wounded arm. "You'll pay for this!"

Asher, unphased, merely spun the bloodstained dagger in his hand, his eyes never leaving the commander. "I think you've already paid enough," he replied with a smirk.

The commander's glare intensified, his hatred radiating off him. "You're all dead! Every last one of you!" he shouted, his voice shaking as much as his fists. He took a heavy step forward, despite the growing instability in his legs.

Rey stepped forward to stand beside Asher, his own weapon at the ready. "Please stop making this hard for everyone. You're in no position to threaten us anymore," Rey said, his voice calm but laced with warning.

Behind him, the others closed in, forming a loose circle around the commander, who was now bleeding, weakened, and surrounded. The commander looked around, realizing he was being slowly outmaneuvered, his gaze flickering between each of them.

"This… This isn't over!" he spat, trying to project authority, but the words fell flat as he staggered.

Evelina, still nursing her own injuries but defiant, managed a smirk of her own. "Oh, it is for you, old man."

The commander's face twisted further in disgust. "You and your petty… your pathetic friendships," he sneered, his voice dripping with disdain. "You waste your energy on each other, coddling and protecting like fools. Real strength doesn't need anyone!"

Asher's expression darkened. "Funny how you're the one outnumbered, outplayed, and out of options," he said coldly. He pointed his dagger at the commander. "We fight together, that's why you're losing."

The commander's face turned a furious shade of red. "You insolent…!"

Before he could finish, Asher lunged forward, cutting off his words with a swift strike to his weakened leg, bringing the commander crashing down to one knee. The once-powerful man now knelt before them, utterly humiliated.

"Get up if you dare," Asher taunted, his voice carrying the weight of the final blow.

The commander tried to rise, his pride unwilling to let him stay down, but his strength was gone, his body refusing to cooperate.

Rosa stepped forward, raising her staff in preparation. "Stay down," she warned. "You've lost. Just surrender, and we won't need to make this worse."

"Honestly I really don't give a damn." Marcella walked up to him squatted as she brought out a long needle made entirely of blood out of her palm and pointed it at his neck, "I don't know about them buy you're wasting my time. So please don't surrender."

The commander gritted his teeth, but the fight had left his eyes, defeated. He slumped back, breathing heavily, his gaze locked in hatred on the young warriors who'd bested him.

Asher took one last step closer, meeting the commander's glare without a hint of fear. "You made your choice," he said softly. Then he turned to Rey and the others. "Let's finish this."

Together, they bound the commander, ensuring he'd cause no more harm. Asher and Evelina exchanged a small smile, their victory earned with blood, sweat, and the unwavering strength of their bonds. The battle was over, and they'd won, together.

*****

Rosa moved swiftly through the aftermath of the battle, raising her staff and murmuring a quiet spell. Vines sprouted from the earth, weaving together to bind the fallen soldiers tightly, their strength subdued by the enchanted flora.

She then casted {Sleeping Nectar}, releasing a soft, floral mist that drifted over the bound men. One by one, the soldiers fell into a deep, tranquil slumber, their struggles subsiding as the soothing magic took hold. Within moments, every captive was resting peacefully, their threat neutralized.

Nearby, Asher, drained from the intense fight, finally lost his balance, his knees buckling. Rey quickly moved to support him, catching him just in time. "Alright, I got you, you really didn't need to push it that far" Rey muttered, steadying his friend with one arm around his shoulder and guiding him over to where Evelina and the others waited. Marcella was already prepared, pulling out a vial of glowing potion, which she handed to Rey.

Asher, half-conscious, managed a faint smile as he sipped the potion, his grip still resting on Rey's shoulder. "May…be…" he murmured, his words barely audible. Yet there was a glimmer of satisfaction in his eyes as he allowed himself to be supported, a soft smile on his face that he didn't even realize he was wearing.

The silence that followed was uncanny. The battleground, moments before teeming with cries, clangs of weapons, and flares of magic, now lay utterly still. The quiet was so absolute that it felt surreal, as though no battle had taken place at all.

"It's only day one," Finn said with a sigh, rubbing his shoulder. "I've already done more exercise than we do in the academy."

Marcella looked around, still catching her breath. "I wonder how the other side's doing."

"Judging by what we've just seen," Elora replied, nodding toward the neatly bound soldiers, "we might have an edge here. These guys inside the walls were the main force, so the ones we saw outside were just a diversion. When they notice no one's coming back, they'll have to retreat for now."

"If we're lucky, then this bozo here might actually be in charge of the entire group," Morrigan added, pointing to the defeated commander still lying where they'd left him. "That would make things a whole lot simpler."

"But," Matthew cut in, his tone cautious, "it's never that easy. There's definitely someone stronger giving them orders. No one commands a force like this without someone higher up watching their moves."

Everyone nodded, sensing the same unease. This battle might be won, but the war was far from over.

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Nice one...(◠‿◕)