He looked back to the alien leader. The sun reflected off the gold decoration of his blackened armour. He could see a large scar down the alien’s face. It had not been there when he had been their prisoner. Demiran lifted his glaive and gave out a loud roar as he rushed forward.
Taylor didn't have to say a word. Twenty of the Inter-Allied soldiers with him rushed forwards. Monty was at the front and clearly after some payback. As he approached the first bodyguard, he went into a roll and smashed the alien’s legs with his shield, forcing it to tumble into a dive towards the rest of them. Jafar smashed the creature down into the dirt, bringing it to an abrupt halt and stabbed it three times in the back.
Monty was back on his feet and immediately took a blow to his shield. He thrust up against the bodyguard, but his arm was hit down, and the glaive spiralled around in the creature’s grip until it connected with his neck and took his head clean off. Taylor was on the creature next and used his boosters to leap up and strike the bodyguard in the face with the edge of the shield; then his bodyweight to drive it down to the ground. He thrust his Assegai into its eye socket while it lay stunned. The blade drove right through its skull and onto the ground.
The next creature kicked him off, but Silva and Jones smashed it back with their shields. Demiran reached them, and with all his power swung the glaive over his head and down onto Silva. He lifted his shield, but the massive blade cut it in two and removed his hand at the wrist while knocking him down onto his back. Jones tried to strike forward, but he pendulumed the blade over his head and struck with all his force horizontally. Jones' shield buckled, and he was thrown away like a ragdoll.
Demiran rushed forward to move onto Taylor who was getting back to his feet, but Jafar came from his side. He thrust quickly, but Demiran noticed in time and stepped away from him. Jafar followed with a series of quick and brutal thrusts that Demiran knocked aside. The massive glaive moved at rapid speed with the leverage and power he wielded it with. One of the bodyguards jumped in to help his Lord, but Taylor seized the opportunity and smashed his shield into the creature’s kneecap. Not even its armour was enough to save it from the fierce strike that sent it crashing down onto the body of one of the others.
Taylor thrust his weapon forward, but it was beaten aside as the alien turned, stopping his attack with its glaive held across its body. He landed on top of the creature to stop it moving the weapon any further. They were locked and unable to move. The bodyguard released one of its hands and swung a punch to his head, but he moved quickly, and it brushed his helmet. He looked back to see an Assegai imbedded in its head. Yorath was wielding the blade.
Before he could thank the young officer, a glaive pierced through his chest and spurt red blood over Taylor. Yorath released his grip on the Assegai imbedded in the creature’s head and fell. Taylor drew out the blade and jumped up at the creature with a long thrust. It evaded and knocked him away with the shaft of its weapon. But it landed against two of John's platoon. They thrust their blades into its back, killing it where it stood.
Taylor could see Jafar and Demiran locked in battle. Blood poured from Jafar's face, and a deep cut ran from his shoulder and almost to his hip. Demiran didn't have any visible injuries, but he was being pressed hard. Mitch rushed to help. Jafar ducked under one strike and jumped forward to drive his shield up against the glaive and hold it away. He thrust his Assegai quickly into Demiran's stomach, and the alien screeched out loud in pain. Demiran reached down and pulled the weapon from his belly, throwing it aside in disgust.
He kicked Jafar back, swung the glaive about his head, and brought it down hard. Jafar managed to pass the strike off with his shield, but Demiran brought the bottom ball weight around and onto his head. The strike landed so hard it smashed Jafar off his feet and down into the dirt. He lay lifeless among the dead.
Taylor stopped at the sight of it, doubting for a moment if he could beat the towering enemy Lord. He saw the Mechs all around had stopped to watch the fight, and the allies were doing likewise. Demiran yelled something in his own language to his soldiers. There was no response. They remained mesmerised by the fight.
Jones staggered to his feet and stumbled over to Taylor. He could barely walk from the multiple broken ribs and arm.
"What are they doing?" asked Taylor.
"Starting to see it. That they are going to lose. You have to do this."
Fear overcame Taylor when he saw what was being expected of him. The enemy wanted to see Demiran defeated in single combat. It was the one thing that could save countless lives on both sides. He looked down to Demiran's wound. Blood still gushed from it, and he limped a few paces as a result.
I pray Jafar did enough damage to give me a fighting chance.
"Taylor, slaver of Karadag. You could not have killed such a great Lord alone. You are weak, small, and insignificant," spat Demiran.
Taylor knew he could not show his fear.
"And yet here we are. Your death imminent, just as your kinsman died. Your people do not want to fight for you. With your death, it will be over, your entire legacy."
That angered Demiran, and he spat out on the ground. But his spit was blood from the wound.
"No, you will die at my hands, just as Colonel Chandra did."
Taylor looked into his eyes and could see he was telling the truth. It only enraged him further.
"Then it was surely she who left you that scar?"
Demiran hissed, and it was clearly true. Taylor smiled.
"You hear that? Chandra gave him that wound! He thinks me small, but he was bled by a woman who stood half his height!"
It pleased him to know so, and he knew it would do the same for the whole Battalion.
She wouldn't have died without a vicious last fight.
A Mech pushed and shoved to get through the ranks and slid back its faceplate at their flank. It was enough to turn Taylor's attention.
Tsengal, he thought. He would not say it aloud through risk of giving away his identity.
Taylor lifted his Assegai and pointed it at Demiran.
"This is between us now, and you cannot win. You cannot win because the human race won't be defeated!"
Demiran lifted his glaive and rushed at Taylor with a loud roar. Taylor spun aside from the first strike, and narrowly missing the second as Demiran used his trademark double strike, utilising the weight of the massive glaive to pendulum the long blade around. Its thrust then smashed into his shield, and the energy threw him off his feet and into a line of Mechs. Demiran rushed at him with a heavy strike, but Tsengal grabbed Taylor and threw him out of the way.
Gallo, who had been watching the fight, thought Tsengal to be attacking the Colonel and lifted his rifle, firing two shots into his chest to save Taylor.
"No!" yelled Taylor from the ground.
Demiran smiled.
“Another one of your friends? Shame."
Taylor got to his feet and kept his distance. He opened up the gap between his Assegai and shield just enough to invite a thrust, which Demiran fell for. He lunged quickly and powerfully forward. Instead of parrying, Taylor stepped aside a few centimetres and released his shield. The glaive passed between his left arm and body, and in one quick action Taylor wrapped his arm around the shaft, locking it against his body.
Demiran tried to tug the blade, but it was too late. Taylor threw his Assegai. It embedded in the creature’s chest and forced him to release his grip. Taylor quickly grasped the shaft with his other hand also and spun it around and up over his head.