From a Different Angle

Joy, Pride and Death

We kept walking towards the general direction that Gabriel pointed out some time ago. I could not help but feel as if we were being constantly watched from afar, but none of us seemed to detect anything getting close. May have just been the feeling of settling dread that until we figure things out we will be at the mercy of a power hungry woman and her abusive daughter. Nothing made sense at the moment, too much has happened over the last couple of hours to even attempt to question it. Instead of going insane about all the questions I held, i decided to focus on our mission. The Queen mentioned a man named Hector he should be someone who we must speak to first and hopefully soon.

"DUCK"

Gabriel shouted as he grabbed Grim and threw himself to the ground as I did the same. A barrage of arrows hailing towards where we just were with pin point accuracy. I quickly got up and looked around to see if I found anyone, whoever these people were they hid themselves from us in ways I never had experienced they are a true threat.

"Grim, Gabriel get to cover and don't stand still."

I shouted at them as they followed my orders, a series of arrows following behind each of us from different places making it harder to see where they were attacking from. There was no sound made from these people, each barrage came quietly. No rustling from the trees or bushes, only the whistle of an arrow gracing my head as I moved last minute.

"Grim, pass me your Katana I have a plan."

For a small boy who seemed to be at death's door he moved faster than me or Gabriel, fast enough to hand me his weapon before I even realized it. I held the hilt tight and took a deep breath. The next wave of arrows came with no mercy, and I ran towards them while deflecting as best as I could followed by a quick pounce at whatever I saw moving behind the bushes. I put the blade aside and put the person into a lock to render them unable to move. It struggled agaisnt me and tried to get away but it failed.

"f**k you, you are never gonna get intel out of me. You use these tactics and claim to still fight with honor, you are nothing but a traitor to your brothers and Goddes"

It was a guy, he seemed battle torn and like he had been out in the field for a good while now. His voice filled with more sadness than anger as he kept trying to fight then slowly he calmed down

"Just kill me if you are going to. I rather die by the hands of my brother's than by a Goddess"

"Hey asshole we aren't part of the new testament or whatever the hell they are called. We are here to help the original people, the Old guard. I am guessing thats you guys, so drop the suicide pact and help us get to your camp"

I said mildly annoyed, unsure if this guy was about to commit suicide if I had not grabbed him.

"That's bullshit. The Queen hates men, she would never send you to help with the war. You are nothing but liars"

Gabriel must have seen me want to snap his neck because he quickly intervened.

"She does hate us, she f*****g threw us out of her castle and told us to find someone named Hector. We are your backup. We are here to help you win this war"

He looked at Gabriel for a moment then let out a short chuckle as his body began to relax and I let him go. He slowly stood back up and looked at the three of us.

"So you are telling me that you are it? That you are all we get? A man missing an arm, a malnourished child with said mans missing arm and some guy that looks out of fashion?"

His snide remarks did not go unnoticed, Gabriel might as well have started pouting like a teenage girl being told her dress is ugly and Grim looked down and hid behind me.

"Trust me I know we don't look like much but we can help you win this war. We can be the best set of weapons for you to use, but you gotta trust us and take us to Hector"

I said with as much of a friendly tone as i could use. He let out a sigh and shook his head as he began to think about his options then he spoke once more.

"Fine, but I personally do not believe you are near enough what we need to win this war. Let's go, I'll take you to the camp"

He said as he gave his back to us and began walking, I started to follow and soon after so did Grim and Gabriel. The area reminded me a lot of the forests on earth, green as far as the eye could see and little critters roaming around. For a small moment I zoned out and was reminded of the small walks I use to take with my darling. The way her brunette hair looked so gorgeous as the sun hit against it, her pretty black eyes and sweet smile tore right through me. My daydreaming was abruptly interrupted by the smell of fire and death looming about.

"We are getting close to the camp, the guys will see you with me so they won't attack. That being said don't separate from me until Hector gives you the green light. Its been far too hectic so people will be jumpy to see you three suddenly show up."

He said as we approached what seemed to be their base of operations. I could see some symbols that showed the way to an armory, medic tent, and the barracks they currently were using. People were moving up and about, some were injured but still holding a rifle and others were training for their next fight. It was then that I realized something that slipped my mind earlier that day which was the size difference of the females and males. Amazonians were tall and well built, however their male counterparts seemed to be a lot shorter than them but they looked to be physically stronger than them by a long shot. It may be due to the different lifestyles they lead or years of genetics at work regardless these men were their frontline defenses for a reason and now I could see why.

"Hector!! I got some new recruits for you to meet"

The guy shouted as people turned to look at us as the strongest and tallest one of them stood started to walk towards us. Inside I felt my fight or flight instinct kick in as he got closer to us, feeling as if i was cornered.

"Hello there, I am Hector. The Queen's advisor mentioned something about sending backup but to be quite honest I expected a larger party. No offense brothers, the Queen must have a good reason to have send you three here. Come, we have much to discuss before I let you roam free on the camp."

He sounded friendly and well mannered even, but my instincts remained the same. It was one thing I despised about being part human, I could not escape my own primal urges no matter where I went. My biggest flaw that I could think of. We followed behind him as everyone returned to their duties, each person helping one another in a way or the other. It was as if being present in front of the most true version of brotherhood. When someone was about to fall there was already someone else helping them get back up without hesitation.

"This is our Headquarters also our current and last camp. I am gonna be honest before we discuss the details but we are losing this war brothers. Every battle so far we have lost since the beginning, and anytime we seem to be close to victory they send in a Guardian to aid. We do not have that luxury, a trained Amazonian is worth a hundred of my men at the least. Our numbers are dwindling and our hope just the same."

He spoke of his losing campaign without losing his pride, this was a man that was willing to die for what he believed in no matter the outcome. As he spoke he guided us into a small tent that was barely standing where a table was set at the middle with plans and maps laying about. He let us get in then took a deep sigh before speaking once more.

"You three are walking into a losing battle, a suicide mission. My man are willing to die for our cause, however you three are foreigners who have nothing to do with the conflict at hand. I'll only ask this once because there is no turning back, are you sure you want to fight this war? You can still return and go back home, go back with your conscious untouched"

He asked us wanting nothing but honesty from the deepest part of our hearts, before I could speak Gabriel spoke for me.

"To be honest we don't have a home to go back to. At least not me and Lucifer, and in order to find a place to call home we have to win this war no matter what. Your victory assures a future for us. I won't bore you with the details but once we win this, we can have a drink and talk about it. Until then, trust that we can and will be as loyal as your own men. We will not falter or hesitate to fight, consider us your brother in arms."

Hector stared at Gabriel for a brief moment, once more the sudden feeling of fear came over me as if Gabriel accidently offended him which would lead to an altercation. Instead we were met with a small soft chuckle as he seemed to become more welcoming to our presence.

"You are something else. Not knowing how bad things are out there, no information on the enemies you are facing yet you spoke those words without hesitation in your heart. You must be the most brave man I have met or the strongest. Whichever one it may be, welcome to the team. Now tell me your names so I can know what to call you by"

He said satisfied with the answer that what seemed to be our fearless leader gave.

"I am Gabriel, the one without an arm is Lucifer and the quiet shy one that won't leave his side or the arm is Grim."

I did a friendly wave to him to show some good fate, Grim remained hidden behind me but I felt his little hand try to wave at him too.

"Well the small one I do have questions on how strong he is but that can be seen later on. Very well, here is all that's been happening. The Revolution began about a year ago abruptly, somebody murdered the Amazonian Queen's advisor, as investigation came about the revolutionists came foward and said that they wanted to make a world where Men and Women lived equally but that it could not be done with the current state of the world and its social structure. They were laughed at upstairs but down here? The fighting began almost right away, it was mostly the young who wanted change that casted the first stone. Our communties were separated, neighbors became enemies and brothers were spilling each others blood. The Amazonians told those who were in charge of these parts to suppress the revolt and take care of it themselves. At first the battles were fought in even ground where we were winning but then they began to deploy Amazonian guardians at us. They have blessings from the old Gods that grant them special abilities and make them stronger than any of us Men dream to ever be."

I thought about the way he said that for a second, if my thought process was right then this is a topic we should thread on lightly. Before Gabriel was able to ask his question i interrupted

"Then you call them Goddesses at times because of those blessings right?"

He slowly nodded yes at me, wondering where I was going with this question.

"That explains a lot. Then I'll reveal this information to you, we also have Blessings on our hands. At least Gabriel and I do, I cannot say for Grim since I haven't known him long enough"

His eyes widened in suprise and curiosity regarding my statement as he looked at us

"This is not a matter of jokes. The blessings of the Goddess is not for a man to have."

He said unsure if what we were saying was even true.

"It is not the same as your type of blessing. We come from completely different words, universes even so much is different even in the mythical scale. I rather not say out loud exactly what we do in case any of us are captured but here is an example."

I said as I snapped my fingers and switched places with Grim. Little guy was as confused as Hector was impressed with what firepower he may have in his hands.

"Well I'll be damned. We may actually have a chance against them afterall."

He said as Grim walked back to where he was standing with these confused eyes while hugging my roboti arm gently

"Hector, you said we are losing this battle. How many outposts do we have left before they are on us? How many battles before they are knocking on the gates?"

Gabriel asked as he looked at the map on the table filled with red flags all over. He pointed to the only green flag left at the very back with shame.

"We are it my friends. There is no more left. The constant assaults and fighting have decreased our numbers, and the moral has gone even lower. We are what's standing between the gates and the enemie."

I looked at the map and began to think many scenarios to counter the next assault or possibly suspend it all together to gain some time for us to gather a bigger group but a question popped into my head as I kept thinking.

"You guys fight in set grounds and times right?"

Hector nodded slowly, to him it was normal to fight that way. The Amazonian women and the Men both had one thing in common they fought with honor for honor. They fought like we use to fight battles in the older ages which could give us a huge advantage regarding preparation.

"Where and when will the next battle take place and when?"

I spoke once more as he pointed to another point, it seemed like flat land with no advantages to either side. A fair fight between both sides.

"Its to happen in two days from now. We are gathering the ones that are able to fight and helping those who are wounded heal up for back up."

I smiled a bit then sighed in relief

"This arena makes a lot of things easier then. I cannot promise that we will have a flawless victory but we can definitely win this battle with us by your side. Its the perfect playing field for us"

I said with confidence, I knew that with Gabriel's power alone we could wipe the floor with their troops but adding Grim to it meant a higher chance of success. This battle was ours to take.

"I will trust in your words, Lucifer. My people's future lays in the hands of the three of you. Take the time you need to plan and visit the area around here. Meet the people and plan accordingly. We will have a feast tommorow night before the battle, I hope you'll join us. You three are dismissed"

Gabriel and I bowed to him and started to walk back out, Grim followed our actions then awkwardly walked along with us unsure of what to do. The fight was ours to take, now we just needed to make the perfect plan to assure victory.