At that moment, I spotted yet another wave of troops scrambling across the other side of the canyon in our direction. If they were to reach us we would not hold out much longer, certainly not through the next few hours. But I had been tasked with this. This was my job, and I couldn’t be a failure here. There was no room for failures in the Nijasu.
I struck my way through the hoard and found Kyle, “Friend, we have a couple visitors that need tending to,” I yelled over the roar of the men and the clashes of the swords. I pointed towards the bridges linking the two canyon walls together.
“Aye we do,” Came the response, “should we cut the rope on the bridges?”
“No, that would only provoke the shot of bows, for which we don’t have much of anything on hand to defend ourselves with.”
“Good call. Then what?”
I blocked an oncoming assailant and nudged him backwards off the cliff and then yelled back, “We have to slow them down; restrain the flow of their men. I say we cut all but one or two of the bridges and channel them to us individually.”
“Insane, maybe even suicidal, but brilliant if it works; I’m game!”
“Aye! On my break make a run for the farthest two bridges. I’ll be on your heels to cut the bridges and meet you there!” There was a slight pause as another two men flung themselves at us both knocking Kyle down and putting me into the side of the wall. I kicked the man in the side spinning him and caught his head with my arms and turned it rapidly to the side then pushed his limp body away off the cliff. When I looked over at Kyle he was back on his feet and the man was gone but he was clutching his shoulder.
“Are you still up to this?” I asked him.
He looked back at me with eyes I hadn’t ever seen in him before and I knew that there was no way he would back down now. He turned to parry one more before running his blade through the man.
“Break!” I yelled.
He spun on his heels and darted for the bridges and I only took the time to cut down a few more men before I did the same. Everything slowed down at that point. As I dodged the last of the crowd and broke into a full sprint across the Cliffside I reached out and brought my sword down on the first bridge taking out the first rope and then the second. The bridge groaned and fell down across the canyon to the other side. After another couple dozen yards I reach out once more and severed both ropes to the next bridge. Then the next and the next until there were two left and the mass of enemy soldiers had started to cross.
I saw Kyle looking back at me with a slight twisted smile right before I reached the nearest bridge and took up my position at the end. I turned my head to face the enemy and then glanced at Kyle one more time before we both finally charged to meet the soldiers at the middle. The boards were stiff and durable with a few exceptions here and there as they creaked beneath my feet. A stray arrow buzzed through the air as I reached the first soldier and managed to get the first strike off on his head, careful not to cut at the rope. He fell limp and I pulled my sword up out of him as his body rolled to the side swaying the bridge. I stumbled but caught my footing and struck out at the next man who had made his way over his fallen comrade towards me. My blade landed in his chest and I pushed him back into the next victim so as to impale him as well. I put my foot against his chest and heaved my sword out of them both as they fell gasping, one tumbling over the rope into the canyon.
I turned to see Kyle was doing just as well having killed four or five of them already. “Take it easy friend!” I yelled, “It’s not a competition!”
I could hear him let out a quick laugh in the distance then yell back, “Says the loser!”
“Oh that tears it!” I turned and slashed at the clumsy soldier approaching. We were in luck. These soldiers had little to no armor and were obviously poorly trained, save for a few who stuck out with a bit of skill.
One by one they fell at my feet and about ten yards to my left they fell at Kyle’s. Not a single one could match us. Every now and then a stray arrow would come our way and we would lose some ground in order to dodge it or use an enemy as a shield but the fight was in our favor. We had the upper hand; the batter training and circumstances.
Then something went wrong. The sound was familiar; snapping twain. It chilled us and I glanced over to see where Kyle was and my heart sunk in my chest when I saw that his bridge was sagging and had bowed to one side. He was struggling to keep his balance. I through the man I was currently occupied with back against the line and yelled, “Kyle! Fall back! It’s not worth it!”
“The dumbass cut the rope when I killed him!” Came the response.
“Get back and cut the bridge!” I yelled franticly.
“Aye! I’m trying!” He shuffled slowly down the bridge until he reached the side all the while still holding the men off who dared follow him. He reached the edge and finally cut the rope. This bridge fell fast, weighed down by dozens of terrified men.
At that moment an arrow flew through the air and struck me hard in the shoulder. I reeled in pain but forced myself to get back up and fight. The men saw their opportunity and charged at me with newly invigorated vengeful hearts and bloodlust most likely over the ones I’d already killed in front of them.
I desperately slashed and stabbed at them until I couldn’t bear to lift my arm above my head. I kicked the closest man back against the rest stalling for time as I drew my knife from my vest and hacked at one of the support lines. It gave in and screams erupted as the bridge drooped and rolled to one side sending men over the line to their deaths bellow. I wrapped my bad arm tightly in the remaining rope and used my good arm to saw at the line. As the men finally closed in the line gave way and the bridge snapped in two.
I could hear Kyle on the cliff above, “Dante!”
I felt the rope pull tight and strain under my weight as it swung towards the cliff and I braced for impact with the rock. Above the screams of the falling soldiers I could hear a loud snap as my body struck the Cliffside. I was instantly bombarded with an earsplitting headache and I could no longer feel my arm, I took my good arm and grabbed onto one of the boards trying to pull myself up. I couldn’t make any progress.
“Kyle! Pull me up!” I shouted.
“Aye! Hold on!” He retorted.
“No I thought I’d just let go!” I yelled back.
The boards began to grind against the rocks as the bridge slid up the face of the cliff. I looked back over my shoulder and watched the remaining men on the other side of the cliff try to pull up survivors of their own still clinging to the bridge but to no avail. One man’s heels slid through the dirt off the edge and the bridge straightened back out taught with the tension and then snapped under the pressure hurling everything any everyone down the cliff side.
“We’ve got you Dante,” came a voice above me. “Heave!” She yelled.
As I came up over the edge I saw the faces of my men there to welcome me along with Kyle and the ever so stunning Amanda… My savior…
