Arcane: Red Sands

The golden sands of the Bel'zhun outskirts stretched endlessly under the pale light of a rising moon. The convoy of Noxian supply wagons trundled along a narrow road, their wooden wheels groaning against the weight of The Rations. Around them, a small escort of Desert Raiders marched in formation, their faces alert but weary from long hours on patrol.

Above them, in the shadows of a crumbling ruin, Kahlira and her rebels waited.

"Remember the plan," Kahlira whispered, her voice barely audible over the soft desert breeze. "Hit fast, overwhelm them, take the supplies, and retreat. No heroics."

Beside her, Tarek nodded, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. Behind them, a dozen rebels crouched in silence, their weapons drawn and their nerves taut.

Kahlira raised her hand, her amber eyes locked on the convoy below. The moment stretched like a drawn bowstring. Then, with a sharp motion, she dropped her hand.

"Go."

The rebels descended like a sandstorm, their war cries piercing the stillness.

The first clash was chaos. Arrows and bullets came raining from the ruins, striking the convoy guards before they could raise their shields. Rebels surged forward, leaping onto the wagons and cutting down the drivers.

The Desert Raiders fought back fiercely, their training and discipline evident in the way they formed defensive lines. But they were outnumbered, and the rebels' ferocity was relentless.

"Hold the line!" shouted Sergeant Drann, his voice cutting through the din. His sword flashed in the moonlight as he parried an incoming strike, only to be pierced by a rebel spear moments later. He fell with a gasp, blood pooling beneath him.

Tarek drove his blade into a Raider's chest, his face a mask of grim determination. Around him, his comrades pushed forward, forcing the Noxians to retreat toward the center of the convoy.

"Secure the supplies!" Kahlira shouted, her curved sword cutting through the air.

Back in the garrison's war room, Su'Rhaal stood with his officers, discussing the latest rebel movements. The tension in the room was palpable—General Dorrik's interference had sown doubt among the ranks.

The door burst open, and Lieutenant Gadriel stumbled inside, his face pale and his breathing ragged.

"Captain!" he gasped. "The convoy... it's under attack!"

"Where?!" Su exclaimed

"Eastern outskirts," Gadriel replied. "The Raiders are outnumbered—General Dorrik's orders left them exposed."

Su didn't wait for further explanation. He grabbed his twin blades from the table and turned to Zanaiya.

"Let's go," he said.

Su and Zanaiya moved like shadows through the city streets, their enhanced bodies carrying them with inhuman speed. The air around them seemed to hum with energy.

The screams of battle reached their ears as they approached the convoy. Smoke rose into the sky, mingling with the metallic tang of blood in the air.

When they arrived, the scene was carnage. Noxian bodies littered the sand, their crimson tabards torn and blood-soaked. The rebels were already loading the stolen supplies onto hastily prepared wagons, their retreat imminent.

Su's fists clenched as he surveyed the devastation. "Raiders, form up!" he bellowed, his voice cutting through the chaos.

But there were too few left to answer his call.

--------------------

The sight of his fallen comrades ignited something primal within Su. Without waiting for reinforcements, he charged toward the fleeing rebels, his twin curved blades flashing in the moonlight.

The first rebel barely saw him coming. Su's blade severed his arm, and with a swift motion, the second blade plunged into his chest. Blood sprayed across the sand as the man crumpled to the ground.

"Run!" Kahlira shouted, her voice breaking with urgency. "Leave the wagons if you must!"

The rebels scrambled to obey, but Su was relentless. A second rebel fell, his throat slashed as he tried to climb onto a wagon.

Zanaiya was close behind him, her spear spinning with deadly precision. She cut through the rebel lines with ease, her movements efficient and merciless.

Kahlira saw the carnage unfolding and knew she couldn't let it continue. Her heart pounded as she stepped forward, raising her blade.

"Enough!" she shouted, her voice carrying over the battlefield.

Su turned, his crimson eyes locking onto hers. For a moment, the chaos seemed to pause.

"You must be the Leader," Su said, his voice cold.

"And you're the Demon," Kahlira replied, her grip tightening on her sword.

Without another word, she lunged at him. Their blades clashed with a sound like thunder, sparks flying as metal met metal.

Tarek, seeing his leader in danger, rallied a handful of rebels and charged toward Zanaiya, hoping to divide the Noxians' attention.

The fight was brutal and unrelenting. Kahlira's strikes were swift and precise, but Su's enhanced speed and strength gave him the edge. He countered her every move with ease, his Twin blades cutting through her defenses like a storm.

Nearby, Zanaiya fought off Tarek and his comrades, her spear spinning in a blur of motion. Blood sprayed across the sand as she struck down one rebel after another, her expression cold and focused.

Kahlira gritted her teeth as Su's blade grazed her arm, drawing blood. She stepped back, her breath coming in short gasps.

"You can't win." Su said, his voice devoid of emotion. "give up and I will grant you a quick death."

Kahlira smirked, despite the pain. "Maybe I can't win. But I can buy them time."

As the last of the supplies were loaded onto the wagons, Kahlira shouted to her rebels. "Go! Get out of here!"

Tarek hesitated, his sword dripping with blood. "I'm not leaving you!"

"That's an order, Tarek!" she snapped, her voice firm.

Reluctantly, Tarek and the remaining rebels retreated, disappearing into the shadows with the stolen supplies.

Kahlira turned back to Su, her grip tightening on her blade. She knew she couldn't win, but she would fight until her last breath.

Su's blade came down in a brutal arc, and Kahlira raised her own to block it. The force of the strike, empowered by the runes on the blades, sent a shockwave through her arm, and she cried out as his second blade severed her left hand.

Blood poured from the wound, staining the sand beneath her feet. But before Su could deliver the killing blow, she stumbled back, her amber eyes blazing with defiance.

"You may take my hand," she said through gritted teeth. "But you'll never have this city."

With one final burst of strength, she threw a smoke bomb at the ground, the thick cloud obscuring her escape.

When the smoke cleared, Kahlira was gone. Su stood in the middle of the battlefield, his blades dripping with blood, his breath heavy. Around him, the surviving Raiders tended to their wounded and collected their dead.

Zanaiya approached him, her spear still in hand. "They got away."

Su's crimson eyes burned as he stared at the fallen rebels. "Not all of them."