resolute
firmly resolved or determined; set in purpose or opinion: Her parents wanted her to marry, but she was focused on her education and remained resolute.
characterized by firmness and determination, as the temper, spirit, actions, etc.: The mayor was asked to take resolute action against the looters.
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The lesser officer approached Gen. Hawth. The general eyed the man out of the corner of his eyes. The man was fairly large, and had the markings of a sergeant on his arm. Other than that, there the man was just like any other solider.
“What is it, sergeant.” Hawth said.
“Sir, we are preparing to march through the pass. Some of the scouts went to check for ambush, but none were detected. The clairvoyants say the same. No ambush awaits in the pass.”
“Good. I take it there’s more though?”
“Yes, sir. I wouldn’t call it a problem, really. But there is one man standing in the middle of the pass. Heavy armor, and no weapons. Just two shields. He’s wearing enemy livery. We were just going to push passed him, but some of the others thought this should be reported.”
“Hm. Interesting. They left a defender behind. How curious.”
His mind reeled with possibilities. The pass was wide enough for fifty men to march abreast. One man could not hold such an area, even a defender. They could simply give the man a wide berth and he would be nearly useless. Or they could simply crush him with numbers. It wouldn’t even take that many. Just a squad or two and he would be a corpse. There was something off about it.
Hawth rose. “Take me to see this defender.”
The sergeant saluted and turned. The general followed. It did not take long to see the pass, and the entry. The defender was quite large, but not overly so. His armor showed signs of care and heavy maintenance. Evidence that the man had worn it in many battles and lived through all of it. His twin kite shields bore similar signs of use, and the edges were sharpened enough to rival most swords. Hawth could almost respect such a man. It did not change what had to happen.
There was one problem though.
“Sergeant.”
“Yes, sir?”
“You failed to mention the chains.”
The entry to the pass was covered with them. Thick, glistening chains with razors and spikes attached to the links. They were numerous enough to form a nearly impassable barrier, and were sunk deep into the rock of the ground and walls of the pass. There was only one entry, and it was directly behind the defender.
“They…were not there before, sir.” The sergeant said.
Hawth eyed the man critically. There was no sign of deception. In fact, there was quite a bit of confusion in the man’s face. Magic then. Magic chains. A single way through with a defender standing in front of it. Hawth sighed.
“Damn it. A Resolute Defender. That changes our plans. Hold the men back until we can deal with him.”
“Sir? He might have some magic, but he can’t be a mage. Can’t our specialists dispel the chains and let us move through as before?”
“Ah, yes. I suppose you wouldn’t know about this. The practice is out of favor in most places. A Resolute Defender, a real one, is not something we can easily deal with. Oh it’s true he won’t be able to take us all on at once, but to face him would incur an unfortunate number of casualties. Resolute Defenders, you see, are not mages. They are closer to warlocks, safe for the source of their power comes from the divine, rather than the infernal. They give something up and get the power to infallibly protect something. One thing. One thing that they stand guard over until they die. And they are annoyingly good at it. Since the source of his power is divine, the mages won’t be able to dispel them easily, and I am certain he has more tricks up his sleeves. They’ll all be geared towards defense, but they’ll be good at it. Very good.”
“So, what should we do, sir?”
“Hm, well, we can’t move him. And we certainly can’t bribe him. Men like that won’t give into such temptation easily. Nor can we outlast him, as he’s fueled by his purpose now. No food, water or sleep. Hm. We’ll just have to test him. See what he’s made of. Have all archers and ranged spellcasters target him and fire at will with whatever they can spare.”
The sergeant saluted again. “Yes, sir!”
The man ran off to deliver Hawth’s orders. The general stayed where he was, watching. A true Resolute Defender was a rare thing. Seeing one in action was a rare treat. And witnessing the fall of such a man was not something to be done lightly. He would stay. He would watch. And, even though the man was an enemy, he would give the lone defender all due honors. It was the least he could do for a man willing to give up everything to protect him home.
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Ever hear of the law of inverse ninja? It basically says that one ninja is an unstoppable killing machine, while a bunch of ninjas are a faceless incompetent mob. Of course, it applies to many things other than ninjas as well. Think it applies here, or will this be a noble sacrifice type deal?
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