We Won't fall

The monster was gone. It was gone. But it was not its disappearance that shook the bones of the soldiers. Neither was the chilly east wind, blowing with all its might. It was because of that mysterious light shining brightly just a moment after their commander leapt into the ditch in where the Giant Grey Reptal was. The look of confusion was clear and remarkably visible on their faces. What just happened? How, who, and is it even possible? How is it even possible? Just one person? Is she a healer or a devil? There is confusion here, confusion there, and confusion everywhere. Not a single word could be heard. There was only the sound of debris settling down after that loud explosion. 

Inside the ditch, the debris was settling down. The dust was everywhere. It was hard to assess the situation. "Ma'am, you messed up. I never thought that you would be this reckless. Now what are we going to do?" squealed Jae Jun, a shinobi from the 5th Z-Class. "Is it my fault? Damn it, why did you run into that thing? Now I have to think about an explanation. If you hadn't been my 'loyal' retainer, I would have killed you. Now I'm stuck. How am I going to explain it to my father?" Al-Mar replied coldly. "Not my problem," mocked Jae Jun. "Wait a minute. You are a Shinobi, right? Oh, me, you are a shinobi. Can't you tell that you used some of the forbidden ninjutsu or something to kill the monster, and that light was an explosion? You can. I am such a genius." "Wait a minute, ma'am. I am your retainer; that doesn't mean that you can order me to do these types of things. I cannot use any forbidden spells of that calibre, nor do I have the skill required. I am not Sochi; she is too powerful, and I am not. Please understand." Al-Mar laughed and said, "Do you think I will listen to your whines? We have done this many times; please, it's a request. I don't want to spend hours writing that damn report. Tell them that you awakened some sort of spell that can only activate when your life is in danger." Jae Jun was still in a dilemma. She was dragging him into this mess. But she has saved his life not once but twice or three times and has never asked for anything in return. He clearly remembered how she saved him and his men during a war with the Kingdom of Reedia, in which they were badly stuck in the crossfire. He clearly remembered how she risked her life and cleared the path, and how she dressed and healed the wounds of his soldiers. Since then, he and his band of forty soldiers, who were present with him right now, have become her retainer and her private army, respectively. They were the only ones who knew about her superpowers and her status, which even Rai Bahadur, her boss, and her best friend didn't know. Well, Rai knows who she is and her status, but he isn't aware of her powers or about her very own private army. Jae Jun and his soldiers received orders from Al-Mar from time to time to carry out a special mission. They had sworn on their lives to protect their boss and her secret. With a sigh, Jae Jun replied, "Yes, ma'am, I will do it. I will tell my men to act accordingly as per your instructions. Let this dirt settle down, then we will play our part." 

"Thank you, Jun; I knew I could count on you. I think your group deserves a name; let's call you Hi Jun Unit. Oh, I got too serious. Let's start cooking. Hi Jun Unit, now show me what you got."

"Hi Jun Unit? Ma'am, you are getting carried away. Anyway, guys understood what our captain said! Let's start cooking!" Jun was glad, but like always, his face was covered by an expressionless mask that never showed any emotion. Madam Al-Mar has named his group personally. To become the commander of her guard was a big honour. Very few people knew about her status, and only very few of those knew her powers. Not even her squad, not even Rai, who was her childhood friend. 

As the dirt was settling down, the soldiers above the cliff could see some 20 figures carrying some 20 more figures. Slowly, soldiers from the Hi Jun Unit emerged one by one, led by Lieutenant Jae Jun. Al-Mar was seen in the last row carrying a soldier on a makeshift stretcher with the help of another soldier. The fatigue was visible. Everyone was tired. Sochi, who just arrived, sighed in relief, 'No casualties, thank God'. Soldiers cried to applause to the worn-out soldiers. Everyone ran to help them. As the commotion settled down, Sochi approached Jae Jun and smacked him. "You are a Shinobi, and that too is from our tribe, yet you failed to detect the monster. You know you risked the lives of all those around you. Train hard; otherwise, retire,", Sochi scolded Jae Jun, who was taken aback. "Don't be so hard on him, Bro; he was the one who saved us all. It was because of his powers that we were saved. You know, I was so frightened when I jumped into that ditch that I thought this was it. But I didn't know that a Shinobi could do these sorts of things," Al-Mar interrupted. "What things?" shouted Sochi, drawing the attention of all the soldiers who were nearby. "I don't know what happened. I was facing the Reptal when suddenly something happened. My movement speed increased, and some sort of light discharged. My memory is hazy afterwards. When I became aware of my surroundings, my men were looking shocked. Then it changed to cheers. Then again, I fell. It was the commander who woke me up. The monster was gone. It was so confusing," Jae Jun replied. Sochi was awestruck. With a heavy tone, she replied, "You mean you awaken?" Al-Mar interrupted curtly, "Don't bother him too much; his body suffered a huge blow due to the impact. I tried healing, but it will take time, so please do not disturb him." Sochi gave Al-Mar a sharp look and then turned towards Jae Jun. "Well, take your group to the back and rest for a while; we will continue moving forward, am I right, 'Commander'?" referring to Al-Mar. "Yes, we will do just that. So let's move on; we are already lagging and the day is about to end; we have to reach the next designated point by evening." Al-Mar turned towards the soldiers and shouted, "Onward!!!". And they started marching forward. Al-Mar silently escaped the watchful eyes of Sochi. She then went towards Jae Jun and whispered, "Sorry about that; I know that you will awaken someday. Sochi was a bit harsh because she hadn't awakened yet, but not to brag; you know, I have an eye for talent. Rai, you, Sochi, and all my squadmates are the ones who shine brightly in my eyes. So cheer up!" and she went back towards the front, whimpering at the furious Sochi. 

Rai was very worried when he heard about the situation at Al-Mar's command. As a leader, he had to lead the whole front, and he could not leave his position and go towards Al-Mar. When a messenger from Al-Mar's command arrived and briefed Rai on the situation, life returned to him. He just gave a small smile, but in his mind, he was in seventh heaven. He ordered the messenger to convey his message to Al-Mar regarding the present situation and ordered them to return to the formation as early as possible to avoid further delays. Then he continued his march forward. It was both a good day and a bad day. They had almost covered more than half of the distance on the second day, and now only 50 more kilometres were left to cover. To his relief, there were no casualties today. The Left Wing lagged behind the other divisions but delivered maximum results with minimum casualties. Lunana, the strategist for the 2nd squad and currently under Rai's command, approached Rai and, with a cunning smile, said, "Raisena will be crying in his bed. He was trying to destroy us, but it turned out to be an overwhelming success. Oh my, I just want to see his face." Then, with a serious tone, she said, "Rai, you must show your presence. You are a powerful and great commander. You also respect your soldiers, and you care for your life. You even maintained composure when the time was critical, and you acted accordingly. If Raisena doesn't want to share credits, we will not let him take any. Remember, if you succeed, you will be promoted to a major or a 3rd-class general. Keep that in mind." Rai replied, "Yes, I understand. For the sake of our squad, for the sake of Hades, and all our soldiers, I will maintain myself. Thank you for staying up all night and planning this excellent strategy." Lunana laughed. "We are all getting too formal without Hades. He was like a binding force. Anyway, don't act too formal, or otherwise Al-Mar will kill you." "Enough chit-chat; let's finish up today's mission and form a camp. Damn, I am too tired. Today was a very long day." "Aye, aye, captain," and then Lunana went back to her position.

"No casualties? No grievous injuries? They all survived? Damn it, now that Rai will steal all of today's credit. Our plan failed," shouted angry Major Raisena, who was leading the Main Army towards his lieutenant Den Ana. "What are we going to do next?" Den Ana replied, "Today was indeed a bad day; we lost some of our men, and Rai also outsmarted us. But I have a plan," and he whispered something into Major Raisena's ear. Raisena gave a wicked sign of approval to his deputy, and both of them laughed in their tents.