(A/N: Hey guys! Well, I'm sorry for not writing up a chapter sooner, so please forgive me. Well, the title gives away what happens in this chapter. Anyway, enjoy!)

Disclaimer: I do not own Maplestory, I own this computer though.

Chapter 8: The Knights of Cygnus

I got back to my feet, coughing from the pollutants in the air. Dead soldiers littered the ground and the blood…

"Sam…" I whispered hoarsely. "Sam…" There came no reply, only the screaming and crying of our soldiers. I walked around, but pain jolted through my body. I fell back down on top of a man clad in armor. His eyes were open but they showed no sign of life. I pulled myself back up, trying to see through the thick dust to find Sam. I tripped over a body, who groaned in pain, and there I had found my friend. Two arrows had pierced her armor and blood had been splattered on the ground. Debris from the explosion was tangled in her messy hair.

"Jack!" a familiar voice called. I recognized it as Matthew's. "Jack, where are you?"

"Right over here!" I called out. The warrior came stumbling and tripping over dead bodies. His thick armor was covered in blood and so was his face. He seemed to have several cuts around his body but it seemed as though Matthew did not care.

"How are you?" he asked. I nodded, "I'll be fine. Sam is the one who needs help, and fast. She's losing blood." Matthew bent down and inspected her injuries. He stood back up and tore off a dead archer's leather armor into a long strip, like a bandage.

"Pull out the arrows and I will try to stop the bleeding," Matthew ordered. I nodded, grasping one of the bloodied projectiles. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I pulled out the arrow, making Sam whimper in agony. Matthew quickly wrapped one of the strips onto the injury. I pulled out the other one and the warrior did the same process.

"That will keep her from losing blood for some time. Can you still fight?" Matthew asked. I stood up and nodded, with partially regained strength. I took a glance at my bow, which happened to be in my hand, and saw that it was snapped in half. I threw my bow down at the ground, with a slight hint of anger.

"I'll buy you a new and better one, okay? Here, just use this one," Matthew said, handing me a bow from a dead archer.

"Thanks," I replied, taking the bow. Matthew quickly placed Sam in a place where she could not be found. I turned around to see a small group of enemies that had entered through the crater in the wall. A volley of arrows flew towards us at an amazing speed. I quickly dodged several and ducked behind a pillar of stone. Matthew took out his shield and the projectiles bounced off, protecting the warrior. There were arrows, so many of them, which I saw at my feet. I quickly grabbed a handful and placed one on the bowstring. I took a deep breath and muttered, "This is it." The tip of the arrow started to give off a brilliant, blinding blue light. I came out into the open just as the enemy started to reload their crossbows. I released the shot, but the arrow had missed and dug into the dirt. I stared, appalled and with rage, for I had missed. But then something unexpecting happened; the arrow started to glow violently. I had to cover my eyes from the blinding light, and I heard a loud BOOM! The impact of the explosion had pushed me backwards, making me trip over a cart and fall onto the ground. Matthew, who only stumbled slightly, stared at me.

"Was that your arrow?" he asked. I nodded and asked, "Was that arrow blow?" He nodded, and then smiled, "That was amazing, Jack. Do that again sometime, all right?" I smiled back and nodded. But our happiness quickly faded; a catapult had launched a huge boulder which landed a few feet from us. The blow pushed me against the wall with such force, my head went numb. Dirt and other materials rained down on us. I looked at Matthew, who looked fine.

"We better get to the battlefield," Matthew recommended, "before more boulders come." I nodded in agreement and we ran to the battlefield. The stars were splashed across the night sky. Midnight was soon to come, I guessed, and by that time we will have lost. Dead bodies were piled on top of one another and the amount of those were immeasurable. The soldiers of Fort Victory were a few, and our morale was decreasing. Some of them were even dropping their weapons and running away, giving up their commitment. Merlin, my old wizard friend, ran up to Matthew and me.

"How is Samantha?" Merlin asked, with an obvious tone of nervousness.

"She fares well, Merlin, but is injured. We bandaged her major wounds, but I am afraid we can not do anything to her for now," Matthew answered. A loud crash was heard and we saw part of the fort tumbling down like a land slide. There was a heap of weathered rocks at the foot of the fort.

"We will tend to her later, for now we must hold off," the wizard replied.

"Aren't the job instructors supposed to come? We've been fighting in this hell for almost a day!" I exclaimed in frustration. "Have they abandoned us?" But my question was quickly answered. A horn blared in the distance. Merlin's face lit up with happiness, "Ah, the Knights of Cygnus have come."

(A/N: I finished this chapter! And it's over 1,000 words, which makes me happy. Well, please forgive me for not updating in ages. Give me suggestions and yeah… All that stuff. So I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Well, you know what to do… REVIEW!)

-SONofAPOLLOx