44 A Long Journey Back Home (Gambert’s Profile Story) [8/8]

Part 1: Soul of the fallen

Muvana, 134AR

Gambert Hask had earned the title of Warlord General at the tender age of 28. He fought and commanded in many battles. He was the leading man for the kingdom of Muvana. He was at the pinnacle of his career.

That all changed however, when he found out that both of his parents were found dead in their home. One of Gambert's close friends told him and asked what he would do about his little sister who was only 16 at the time. Without even processing of what his friend had meant, he knew what he would do. Gambert and his little sister are close, very close.

Even before Gambert joined the army, they were inseparable. The mere mentions of options was an offence to him and the bond that they share. No matter what happens, he would adopt his little sister and leave the army. Warlord general or not, he would rather look after his sister than his country because even if he's not there, there will always be someone to look after the country but not his sister.

He announced his retirement right after he adopted his sister. The king told him that he was saddened about his decision to leave the army but it was for a good cause. He told him that even though he would be leaving, reminded Gambert that he must complete a final mission before he leaves. The last duty to his country. Gambert had no choice but to agree to this as he was bound by duty.

That night, he told his sister that they would be together soon but he had to leave which broke her heart. He's sister was smart and could tell easily what the king has intended but knew her brother was overwhelmed by life changing decisions, which made him blinded sided to danger. He's sister cried as she watched him leave her at a church until he comes back.

For the last expedition before his retirement from the commander's post, the king had sent him and his platoon of 140 men and women to a neighboring kingdom for a negotiation deal.

In Muvana, the country was different from the rest of the world, as the country was constantly snowing.

On their journey home from a successful negotiation deal, the platoon was halted by a surrounding army. Warlord General Hask asked the General of the army of the situation and why they surrounded them. From the flags that they carry, this army was from their homeland. It was one of the branches from the main force. The general was a wartime veteran, a celebrated hero. Lasoran Mophet.

"Gambert Hask, you and your platoon had betrayed our homeland. You have conspired with the enemy and are now warranted for treason." Lasoran sneered as he said the last few words.

"What do you mean treason? The king had asked us to make this negotiation deal!"

"I think you've been mistaken. The king had made no such command. We are at war and we don't 'negotiate' with the enemy!"

Gambert stared at the general for a minute before he said, "Oh?"

"Surrender, Gambert, don't make this harder than it already is?"

"Harder?" Gambert scoffed as he looked around him. "Your brought about 10,000 men to detain my platoon of 140 men and women... aren't you overcompensating for something?"

"You!" Lasoran shouted.

"General, what you're doing right now is wrong and you know that. We served together in many wars and we know each other's thoughts, each other's tactics. I am not intimated by this."

"Oh?" Lasoran looked to his left and an aide of his, ran to his side from within the massive army behind him. "I want you to call back to headquarters and ask for Law enforcer, Iosda Las and tell him to detain his sister. If his sister misbehave, punish her. Tell him, I will confirm the results soon. He knows what to do if it's unfavorable."

The aide nodded to the general and receded back into the army.

Gambert heart shattered when they mentioned his sister. They deliberately mentioned his sister for leverage. Blood burned within him as his heart pounded, if the sky had turned red as he looked up then the forecast for next weather report would be a downpour of blood.

"Surrender, Gambert. You have everything to lose if you don't."

"Lasoran! I hope that enforcer of yours treats my little sister like she's the queen because if I find out that a single hair on her is missing, well I don't have to tell you that Lasoran, you should know what I'm capable of..."

Lasoran was taken aback by his words as he never knew that Gambert spoke so threateningly. In the years Lasoran had know him, he was always logical and self aware but to everyone's surprise, even the great Gambert Hask has a breaking point.

The aide exploded out from the army to the general's side and not even whispering, shouted, "The girl is not at the church. She's nowhere to be found. The enforcers had looked all over the kingdom and the outer lands!"

"What?!" Shouted Lasoran.

"What?!" Shouted Gambert but since he was overwhelmed with emotion, his voice pierced the ears and hearts of everyone around him.

The aide gulped but continued, "the enforcers talked to the priests and nuns at the church and found out that the girl had disappeared the night Gambert left her there."

Gambert's heart sank as he wondered what had happened. Did the priests and nuns did something to her that made her leave. Duty or not, he's sister should've been his first priority.

"A sixteen year old, is at an age of rebelliousness. Maybe she didn't like the fact that you left her and escaped the church." Lasoran looked at Gambert with a sly smile, "Don't worry, we will find her and keep her safe until we bring you back to her. She can even have a front row seats to watch your head roll before her very eyes. Maybe she would tell you, once you're gone, what a bad brother you've been."

Gambert kept his mouth shut for a while. Gambert stood there like a statue and the whole situation had grown tensive.

An aide for Gambert moved to his side and asked him what's their next move.

Gambert looked at his aide for a split second before saying two words that controlled his entire platoon, "defensive formation".

In the middle of a large circling army, Gambert's platoon formed a full circle and was prepared to turtle this whole battle.

Sadly that was not the case as the general anticipated, Gambert's line of thought. Lasoran called 2,000 of his 10,000 to rush forward. Lasoran knew that Gambert's 'tactic; defensive formation' which is just a 'turtle' strategy can prove a waste of resources for them if he were to send all of his troops in a rush. Lasoran will admit that if it were any army, that 'tactic' would've worked as planned but knowing the inner workings of it, he knew it's flaws as well.

Gambert called the maneuver a defensive formation from it's literal purpose, a full defense like a turtle that hides within it's shell; no breaks, a hardened defence.

If Lasoran wanted to break an unbreakable defense, all he must do is find its flaw. Lasoran used this tactic before with his own and he knew if a certain amount of weight is pushed, the weakest of the defending solider is the flaw. A rush with a certain amount of his soldiers would test the weakest of Gambert's unit.

With the knowledge he would then bombard that weak point until it breaks. Rather than just bombarding with all his force that would just distribute the force applied and strengthen the defense.

It worked and Lasoran immediately sent the rest of his force in and collapse on them. The battle began and ended immediately once Gambert's defense was broken. Gambert platoon of 140 was wiped out with no survivors. Lasoran looked around the massacre and chuckled and spat at the fallen.

"Old friend. What a fool you were. Loyalty is for your kingdom and not for some girl. We're broken. We have no home. No life. No future. All we see is death. And with this, I've given yet another comrade their enteral rest...

***

[Please press continue to proceed to part 2]

{Continue}

I hate my brain sometimes...

My brain wanted the last part of part 1 to be like the scene from 300. It was like times like these that I tried to not be a film buff, teacher... geek... sometimes it ruins my vision of things...

I sighed as I pressed continue.

***

Part 2: Death is not just a reality but also a feeling.

Lasoran and his troops searched for any survivors and when he found none, his troops marched away from the pile of corpses, back to Muvana.

Aaa... Aaaa... brawh...

Gambert chocked on his own salvia as he couldn't breath from the stench of blood. He was pinned under a piled of dead corpses of his fallen soldiers. He tried to remove himself from the position he was in but to no avail.

He couldn't believe he was alive, he cried that he was alive. He thought of his little sister and the fact that she was alone and in danger. He needed to go home and find her but first, he needed to escape this predicament.

Gambert pushed back under the weight and hauled himself backwards. With all his strength, he managed to brute force his way out. Once Gambert freed himself from the pile, he tried to push himself up but noticed a weight on him. He looked down and saw a body on top of him.

He tried to wiggle the body off but the body wouldn't budge. It also didn't help that his body was numb all over. A cowl covered the top of the person's head so he couldn't identify who the person was. Gambert tilted his head down and tried to bite the top of the cowl.

He managed to snag the cowl between his lips on his fourth try. With a flick of his head, he nudged the cowl right of the person's head. As soon as he saw the person's head, he noticed that the person's a female. Her head was laid on top of his chest as her arms wrapped around his chest. Blood pooled on the cape from the slits of sword cuts. She was stabbed six times on her back. Cuts and wounds covered her arms and legs.

Even though Gambert was numb all over, with all his strength within his body, he tipped him and the girl's body to the side and then rolled until the girl was on the bottom. He couldn't move his arms or legs, so he slid his body down, whilst leaning back and pulled his and her body together up with his back muscles.

With a quick momentum shift, both of them were sitting up right but the girls head snapped back and revealed her face.

At first, he couldn't see her face clearly as his eyes tried to refocus but it finally refocused on her face, Gambert's heart stopped.

Tears dripped down on to the girl's face as Gambert screamed at the top of his lungs. Gambert willed his arms to move and wrapped them around the girl's body, as he embraced her. Gambert couldn't believe that the lifeless girl on him was his sister.

Gambert tried to rack his brain on how his sister snuck into his platoon and couldn't figure it out. He counted all the members within his unit, he personally knew everyone, knew their story, dreams and secrets. Gambert's body felt stiff as he tried to move anything, he wanted to hug his sister, to embrace her fully and let out his emotions but nothing.

All he could do is let the waterworks flow as he screamed into the night sky.

"Aria!"

***

Mulan? This is like the movie Mulan but if Shang was her brother and she joined his platoon in order to stay by his side...

***

Snow fell as winter slowly crept closer. Snow in Muvana was something no one wanted to be stuck in without shelter. Days and nights grew longer and food virtually becomes scarce. Gambert's voice rang out into the night as he wishfully willed him to move, it wasn't emotion he wanted to feel anymore, it was physical. He wanted to move, to do what he needed to do before snowfall.

It wasn't long until his arms and legs started to response to his roll call. Feeling started to flow back in as for the first time in holding his sister, he could fully hold her. Gambert wobbled and struggled to stand up and with a couple of tries he found his balance. Once he managed to stand up, he looked at his fallen soldiers, lying in a pile in front of him. Gambert couldn't leave his unit there to freeze over winter, he needed to give them a honor burial.

Through out the night, Gambert started to dig and buried, over 200 bodies. He buried all his 140 soldiers, including his sister at the forefront. He also buried those that killed his unit and deep down he knew they weren't at fault, they were taking orders.

200 death beds laid out in front of him and dry saliva welled up in his mouth as every emotions slammed into him all at once. He had been with this unit for over two years, he knew them, knew their families and now he had to march back to tell them what a failure he was. They told him to bring their love ones back alive and he couldn't even do that as their leader.

Gambert fell down on his knees as he kissed the ground where he buried his sister. He promised her that once he had finished what he needed to do, he would return home, he would return back to her.

Gambert left the burial, with the clothes on his back, a few weapons and small trinkets and memorable items his soldier's had, in hopes that when he returned, he could give them back to their love ones. He had also retrieved his sister's necklace and hung it around his neck. Gambert, left his present; a necklace on her when he buried her. When he returned home from his last mission, he wanted to give it to her as her birthday present but now, she wouldn't even get to see it.

Gambert strolled through the forest at a quicken pace as he hoped he wouldn't encounter predators as he didn't have the energy to run. Snow fell and blanketed the ground which made it harder to walk. The walk sapped all his energy and the freezing cold weather hindered his breathing. Every step made him wanted to fall to the ground and rest, he had to take his sword out and use it to pull himself along. Gambert trudged for hours until morning came and the end of the forest came into view.

Gambert walked and walked, he walked all the way with out stopping. He knew if he stopped, he wouldn't make it back. The adrenaline he had now was all the energy he knew, he will need to make it back, if he stopped, it would be the end.

Gambert made it back home three days later, walking non stop with minimal food and water on hand. Once he got close to his home, he had to hide, he couldn't tip that he was still alive or the ones that murdered his unit will go after their love ones next to snuff him out.

Gambert needed to hide within the shadows and bide his time. Revenge is best served, when your enemy is unaware.

***

[Please press continue to proceed to part 3]

{Continue}

"Gambert, do you think I would be a good leader?"

{"Yes."}

"What makes you think, I could lead any of you?"

{"It's not whether you could lead us, it's not even about the power you possessed. You could've been an effective leader, someone that could get anything done but that's efficiency over personality. I've watched you as you read all our story profiles, I've seen the emotions within you. You care. Yes, you have faults, flaws but that's what make us wanted to follow you. If we die, you would've cared. A true leader not only takes but gives as well. It's a balanced relationship. You have that balance."}

"I... see... Thank you."

I picked up my finger for the last time in the night and pressed continue.

***

Part 3: You don't just start a fire to keep people warm...

Gambert laid low for a couple of years and studied his enemies. He gave up everything, his rank and his appearance. He needed to plan out his revenge to the very last detail or else everything wouldn't be much of a satisfying endeavor.

Gambert joined the army again a few years later and trained as an new recruit. Gambert changed so much that no one knew he was the fugitive everyone was looking for a few years back. He knew everything and did everything with ease in class to everyone's surprise. Gambert's accomplishment shock waved through the whole academy and even reached the higher ups. Lasoran who had gained recognition by the king for what he did to Gambert and his unit was now the head to the academy for training new recruits.

Gambert immediately took action and baited Lasoran when he defeated Lasoran chosen champion within the academy. This humiliated Lasoran since he had a reputation built up from having this notion that he could spot talent a mile away. Over time, Gambert aimed for Lasoran's reputation and credibility. He challenged everything Lasoran did and out proved him or the authoritarian power he held in the school.

One day Gambert executed his plan to expose Lasoran and all his deeds for the whole school to see. Gambert had laid out an memorial stone with all his fallen name's and their little trinkets scattered around the stone. Some of the students that had seen the stones, recognized some of the trinkets that had laid out, saying that the item belonged to one of their family member. The news spread like wildfire and the families of the names on the stones demanded answers.

It was at this point, the king had denied knowing anything and disowned Lasoran. He was thrown out of the army and school. His life was ruined.

Gambert however, rose up within the academy and when he graduated, he was immediately placed into a unit that had a reputation of the kingdom's most talented. Gambert executed his next phase of his plan by getting close to the king like he once did. Gambert regained everything he once had, his title, reputation and accolades.

Once he became the king's go to guy within the army, the king allowed Gambert to address his citizen in a speech. The king thought Gambert would do some peace and encouragement speech to calm the citizen but instead he revealed a laundry list of the king's misdeeds. He also named everyone in his unit as well as revealing himself. The kingdom went into an uproar as the guard arrested Gambert and threw him into jail. He was sentenced to be executed the very next morning.

Gambert sat in the empty cold cell and laughed. He laughed and cried. His revenge wasn't a blood bath or to anything that could potentially hurt others other than his primary targets. Gambert thought of his sister and his unit, he wished them well and that he would see them soon. He will die and rejoin them.

{"Gambert Hask, you have proven yourself to be my champion."}

Gambert shook himself from his unconscious thoughts and stared up at the ceiling.

"Who said that?"

{"I can give back what you want."}

"Give what back?"

{"Everything."}

Suddenly the whole cell was filled with black electrified smoke. The whole cell turned dark, as if Gambert was in another plane of existence. Black figures started to form in front of him.

{"Brother!"}

A soft voice rang inside of him, calling out for him. A female figure appeared in front of him and he immediately started to shake. Tears fell down as he stared at his sister. Not only his sister but everyone in his platoon. Everyone who had died was in front of him smiling. But it wasn't just them, Gambert saw in the mixture of his unit, there were beings he had never seen before. People with pointed ears, horns, beings with blades for hands, beings that stood taller than a kingdom and beings that looked like a mixture of a human and beast.

[Welcome to your new family, Warlord General and Champion, Gambert Hask. Leader of the Shadow Legion.]

"Who are you? and why are you doing this to me?"

{"You have been chosen to be my champion. You have proven yourself."}

"Who are you?!"

{"I'm a god. I'm Lofis Sha."}