Brant stood with a planted stance twenty minutes later with Wendy and Baird on either side of him. Five of the insurgent soldiers also waited with them, guns loaded and faces stony. Keira perched atop a makeshift tower of rubble several yards behind the line with her one open eye peering through the scope of her sniper rifle. 

"So, what's the plan again?" one of the soldiers asked. 

Brant sighed. "We've gotta make a stand here and hold them back. No matter what happens," he said, pointing at Keira's tower, "we can't let them get past that. If they get to that point, they're way too close." 

The man nodded. "Gotcha. And the branch?" 

Wendy coughed. "Aaron's got it. And we've got bloody company." 

All eyes snapped ahead as a man in heavy plates of white armor stepped out of the thick underbrush. A dozen soldiers followed close behind him, and more emerged with every passing moment. When the last man revealed himself, the thirty-six man force shuffled into battle formation behind their leader. 

Zoko and Brant locked eyes for several long seconds. The one stare carried all the weight of a lengthy conversation, with double the intensity. Brant swallowed with an effort, but he kept his gaze fixed and tightened his lips. 

Finally, Zoko broke the silence with a breathy chuckle. "I have been blessed indeed, Brant, verily I have. For I have sought to obtain the Evergreen Olive Branch for years as you are well aware. I have also strove to discover thy location and bring thee back home. But all praise be to the spirit of Dove, who hath brought both my objectives together quite gloriously, and made my tasks all the easier." 

"The gods don't have our best interests at heart, Zoko. Not at all." 

"Thou wouldst do well to habituate thyself with addressing me as 'Dove', considering the nearness of my exaltation." 

Brant narrowed his eyes. "Did you just completely ignore—" 

"Of course I did, as I hath already endured Eagle's retelling of thy vain reasonings. Thou hast succumbed to hedonism, and from there, thy corruption hath only deepened. It hath spread as a cancer, corrupting thy entire being with—" 

"You can shut your bloody mouth now. We get it." Wendy snapped. 

Zoko narrowed his eyes at the woman in the maroon suit of armor. Then he glanced at Baird. "I recognize thou, wretch." 

"Same here." Baird replied, "You were wearing black last time." 

Brant sighed. "Listen, Zoko, you're wrong about me. I've seen some things—" 

"I can very easily believe thou hast. But for all thy acuity, thou still seest not the unspeakable error of thy ways. Now please, cease wasting my time. I have greater matters to attend to." 

"Like what?" 

Zoko frowned. "Is it not obvious? My artifact calleth unto me. It lieth just outside my grasp. So please, make this easier for us both and step aside." 

"You can grab that olive branch over my dead body." Brant declared. 

"If thou wish it so. Perhaps I shall bestow further kindness upon Buzzard and feed thy flesh unto him." 

"Well c'mon, then." Brant said, "You've gotta kill me first." 

"That would be my pleasure." 

Zoko stepped forward. He thrusted his hand at Brant's neck. Brant snatched his attacker's armored wrist, gritting his teeth as the outstretched fingers still crept closer, their progress having only been slowed. He darted the other hand forward and twisted Zoko's arm behind his back. With a spin, the armored man escaped and punched Brant in the jaw. 

Wendy leapt back as a trio of Alcontean soldiers lunged at her. Before her feet hit the ground, she rocketed upwards. She watched as the flames consumed her attackers below. From her vantage point, she rained arrows down. The Danlashian concentrated her efforts on eliminating soldiers who tried to take cheap shots at a distracted Brant. 

Meanwhile, Baird wove through the ranks of Alcontean troops, dispersing punches, kicks, and shoulder-slams as he went. Not even bothering to unsheathe his sword, he dispatched each man in a few swift moves. In the rare case a soldier found time to raise his gun and aim, Baird slipped back into the crowd and flanked him. 

Keira peppered the men below with bullets. She focused her lethal shots on the soldiers sprinkled throughout who held heavier guns than their comrades. In addition, the five Insurgence soldiers cut her work in half with their excellent marksmanship and teamwork. 

Brant stumbled back when Zoko's fist met his chest. He materialized a shield in his hand to block the next punch. His opponent's eyes widened, then squinted. They darted over the surface of the object that had so suddenly appeared. 

Brant created a sword behind his back and snatched the opportunity. While Zoko still stared at the shield, he slashed at his arm. The weapon rung against armor and bounced away. 

Zoko's boot impacted Brant's shin, creating a bruise and causing the man's leg to buckle. He grunted and struggled to straighten his posture, but helplessly tumbled to the ground when Zoko tackled him. 

Both the sword and shield disappeared from Brant's hands as he moved them to avoid a heavy head-butt. He grasped either side of Zoko's helmet in his hands and yanked up. With the man's face exposed, he tossed the object aside and jabbed his opponent in the eyes. 

Zoko rolled away and hollered. He covered his eyes in his hands. Not relenting in the slightest, Brant scrambled over, snatched the man's hands away, and dropped several more punches on his face. 

"So," Zoko muttered as his face was thrown from side to side, "do I assume correctly that thy mistress has taught thou this sorcery?" 

Brant's brow furrowed as he hit him again. "It's no sorcery." 

"Ah, technology, I see. All the lazier, thou art." 

Brant ignored Zoko and kept punching. To his surprise, despite the bruises and swelling being created, his opponent made no move to stop him. 

"It occurs to me, Brant, that the things thou didst report to me, the words thy father spoke unto you long ago, they are verily truer than I was originally aware." Zoko finally crossed his wrists over his face to end Brant's barrage. "Dost thou not see it? Thou art defective! Unworthy of—" 

Before Zoko could finish his statement, Brant lifted him up and hurled him at a jagged stone block nearby. The man's armor protected him from any harm as he hit the stone and gently rolled off. Once his feet crunched on the gravel, he sprinted for a holey wall. Brant's eyes widened. He snatched up the same stone block and this time hurled it at Zoko. 

He missed. 

Brant grunted and dashed forward, only for two pairs of arms to grasp his own. He was yanked down onto his back. He landed with a thud and frowned up, seeing two Alcontean soldiers now pointing pistols down at him. Just as the bullets leapt out of their barrels, he rolled to one side and knocked the first man down like a bowling pin. 

He turned to bring the other man down, but he'd already dashed out of reach. Brant watched as the soldier picked up Zoko's helmet and hurled it across the field, into its owner's hands. With a growl, Brant dashed over to the man and suffocated him. When the Alcontean's comrade finally rose to fight again, Brant threw the body at him. 

Seeing that Keira had pivoted above to finish the job, Brant threw all his strength into catching up with Zoko. He glanced up as he heard Wendy swoop above. She overtook Zoko and landed a kick in the middle of his chest. Neither of them were harmed, but she had successfully nullified his momentum and sent him stumbling back. A sharp metallic ring ensued after impact. 

Wendy fired an arrow at Zoko. He easily caught it and snapped it in half. A cloud of black vapor ascended from the ruptured shaft and filled the surrounding area. Wendy flew close to Brant, tossed a small gas mask into his hand, and darted to block gunfire from another pair of approaching soldiers. 

Brant slipped the mask on and charged into the smoke cloud. He groped around for Zoko, and upon finding him, he created a hammer. He swung a heavy blow down on his armored opponent. As before, a grating ring pierced the air. Brant squinted, unsure if the blow had made any lasting impact. Wait a minute, he puzzled, where'd he go? 

Gravel crunched behind Brant. Before he could react, his body was thrown forward. The hammer disappeared from his hands as he extended them to catch his fall. Once he landed, he rolled sideways and scrambled to his feet. Once more, he peered into the fumes, only to be interrupted when a blinking red ball rolled at his feet. 

Zoko tackled Brant once more, and just as they made impact, the grenade detonated. Both men hurtled out of the smoke cloud, joined in their flight by shrapnel and stones. 

Brant hit the top of the holey wall and grunted. He fell, limp like a stuffed animal, while shards of shrapnel penetrated his skin. Despite all the physical torment, Brant was still far more concerned that Zoko had flown right over the wall. 

Managing to ignore the sheer agony, he pulled himself to his feet and hurried around to the other side. There, Sila grappled with Zoko, planting its feet in the ground and detaining the armored man, allowing Aaron to rush off with the artifact. 

Brant hurried up from behind Zoko and removed his helmet again. With his head and neck exposed, he subjected his opponent to a brutal chokehold, while also holding him still for Sila to rain strictly-controlled blows on his face. 

Zoko lunged his body forward, throwing Brant off and into the robot. While the two lay in a pile on the ground, he dashed around and sped in Aaron's direction. An Insurgence soldier stepped into his path, but he snatched him up and smashed his head against another wall. Blood splattered all over the white plates covering Zoko's body. 

Brant hoisted himself to his feet and limped forward, desperately hoping to catch up. His feet continually hit stones, and the muscles in his legs seized up. Twice, he fell, and clearly Zoko had gained too much distance on him. 

Just when Brant had about given up, Hannah crossed Zoko's path, her shotgun in her hands. Pellets scattered across his breastplate when she pulled the trigger, but no damage was done. He knocked the weapon aside and wrapped his fingers around her neck. 

Brant's eyes widened as Zoko lifted Hannah into the air. While her feet dangled in the air, his raced across the field at breakneck speed. Once he was near, he dove at Zoko's leg, sweeping them out from under him and causing him to release the girl. 

With his opponent on the ground, Brant materialized a dagger and thrusted it at his face. Zoko gritted his teeth and caught the weapon in his gauntlet. Then he kicked the blue-eyed man in the face and continued his pursuit of Aaron. Brant leapt up and followed close behind. 

A blinding light shot from the olive branch, along with a deafening explosion. Aaron tumbled to the ground with widened eyes. He reached out his hand to take it again, but the same thing happened. 

"Guys! Get over here!" he shouted, "I can't hold it anymore!" 

Chariya skidded to a halt near Aaron's fallen form and reached her fingers out. The moment a fingertip touched the artifact, she was hurtled into a tree. Sila stooped down and received the same treatment. Even Ace hobbled over from where he had been sheltering himself, and immediately became a victim of the blast. 

Brant yanked Zoko back and threw a boulder onto his breastplate to weigh him down. Then he hurled himself at the artifact. As with all the others, a shockwave violently deterred him. 

Brant landed atop Aaron and gasped. The two of them helplessly watched as Zoko stepped up to the olive branch with a grin, stooped down, and pointed it victoriously at the heavens. A whirlwind descended from the clouds, encompassed Zoko, and disappeared just as quickly. He was gone. 

Aaron exhaled and met Brant's gaze. "That didn't go too well." 

"You're telling me." he replied, brow furrowed and eyes watering. 

Sila stepped up to the two. "Failure." 

"Yeah, you don't have to rub it in!" Brant snapped. 

Chariya sighed from where she sat several feet away. "What remains for us to do now?" 

Brant sniffled. He settled his gaze on the horizon. "I don't know." 

********************* 

A/N: Boy! That was...some fresh-baked craziness right there, don't you agree? Some tense fighting, an artifact's betrayal, and a hefty dose of frustration. I'm feeling scatterbrained writing this note, but is anybody feeling for Brant here? 

Anyway, if you enjoyed the chapter, please remember to let me know by voting and leaving some comments. That always helps. 😁 

So, any thoughts on the artifact's sudden redefinition of unworthiness? Did you see that coming, or did that throw you a curveball too? 😆 

And for our random question, let's have some positivity, shall we? Who's someone you admire, and why? 

(For me, I just picked the first person I thought of, which happened to be my oldest brother. He's having a rough time of it lately, as he's undergoing a career change, which is making money tight for him and his family, including two little ones both under two years old. I mean, the pressure of keeping a budding family above water financially while switching boats, so to speak, it's pretty bad, but I'm proud of him for keeping strong and not breaking under the tension. Kinda random, but that's how we roll!) 

And that'll be it for me today! As I said, since I have a new job, updates will now be on Saturday and Sunday mornings, so I'll see you tomorrow, hopefully. At any rate, have an awesome day, and I'll see you when I see you!