A/N:
Hey guys!
Grazyfish here!
Wow! I'm surprised at the amount of people that have read and followed this story! :D
TBH I had posted the first 3 chapters of this to test the water and see if people would want to read my writing... well I guess I have my answer! XD
I will probably continue to upload this one chapter per week unless something comes up so we shall have to see how it goes. Also, I don't have a proofreader so please do notify me if you catch any typos or mistakes.
Anyway, do enjoy this chapter of The Conqueror's Tactician!
o - o - o - o - o - o - o
"So where's this gap you speak of?" Walhart questioned, his white eyes scanning the horizon as his steed trotted along the dirt path.
"It should be right over there sir," Robin replied, pointing in a south-west direction at the mountain range, "It may be a little hard to spot as the mountains overlap one another, giving the image of an unbroken ridgeline."
"So that's how it is," Nelson mused, steadying his horse, "Sure would explain why we didn't about any gap in the mountains.
"Follow me warriors of Valm!" Walhart rallied, kicking his horse into high gear, "The faster we get there, the faster we deliver judgement to these criminals!"
The small battalion galloped along the pathway, leaving clouds of dust in their wake. Walhart lead the charge at the front of the force with Robin following close behind. Pheros and Nelson took the left and right flank respectively, the cavalry and airborne fliers moving in a triangle formation.
"Where's Excellus?" Robin asked, looking around, "Isn't he supposed to come with us?"
"Bah. The odious wretch never goes for missions," Pheros spat, a look of disgust on her face, "He prefers to 'work behind the scenes' as he puts it. Honour and respect are earned on the battlefield I say, not behind other's back or in the dark."
Walhart halted his troops as they approached the foot of the mountain, moving ahead to scout. He motioned for Robin to follow him, bringing her round the bottom. They followed the base of the range, eventually coming to the entrance of a wide valley. Sheer cliffs towering over either side, blocking out the sun. The earth was flattened and well-trodden from frequent use.
"Seems your deduction was correct," Walhart said turning to Robin, a slight tone of amazement in his voice, "Get the others to come forward."
"Yes, sir!" Robin said, pulling her horse away and returning back the way she came. She came back a few moments later with the battalion in tow.
"Warriors!" Walhart shouted, raising his mighty axe over his head, "Today we put an end to the raids that have terrorized our villages! Join me in ending these ruthless criminals in the name of peace!"
The soldier roared in unison, charging after Walhart into the valley. They soon reached the exit and burst out onto a large seaside cliff just above the sea level. All around the area were large crates and barrels, some of them were open with foodstuffs spilling out. Facing the sea was a makeshift dock made out of crates that were bound together and tethered to a pillar. The crates floated on the water, bobbing up and down as the waves washed against the cliff. Piles of cloth lay strewn around the stone floor, presumably beds of some sort. A few square wooden scaffolds stood towering over the area, acting as watchtowers. The place itself was crawling with bandits, most of them caught by surprise by the sudden attack.
The calvary trampled the unlucky few that were close to the entrance of the valley, their riders slashing at the survivors. The rest of the bandits grabbed their weapons, shouting and charging into the fray as the cliffside descended into a chaotic melee.
Robin had dismounted after the charge, being unused to fighting on horseback. She assessed the battlefield, her eyes observing the melee before her.
Walhart swung his axe in a figure eight, cleaving a couple of bandits clean in half as he cut through their ranks like a hot knife through butter. Nelson had dismounted after the charge, favouring a grounded stance. He disinterestedly fired bolts of black magic into the enemy ranks, each bolt dissolving into its target and causing them to writhe in pain. Pheros flung fireball after fireball from atop her horse, only stopping to heal soldiers that had been mortally wounded. Elaine too was no slouch. She dived down on her pegasus, lethally striking at the bandits below her before soaring back up into the skies, dancing out of their reach. Each time she dove down, she hurled her spear at the thugs, impaling them like a fish on a stick. After each attack, She yanked on the thick cord attached to her weapon, retrieving it from the body.
Robin flung an elfire spell at a bandit who was struggling with a mounted swordsman. The twin fireballs flew forward, crashing into the man and setting him ablaze. He shrieked in pain as he was quickly cut down by his opponent. Robin lunged forward as she swung her sword, drawing blood as she cut open another brigand's back. The poor man yelped in pain as the silver-haired woman struck him a second time, gouts of blood spraying everywhere.
Robin barely had enough time to breathe as an axe entered her peripheral vision, forcing her to dodge backwards as it fell in front of her. She surged forward, kicking the owner in the abdomen with a booted leg. The man crumpled, keeling over in pain as she gutted him with her blade.
Suddenly, an arrow whizzed past her face, cutting her cheek. She winced in pain, whipping her head around to find the culprit. At least a dozen archers were poised on each scaffold, firing arrow after arrow into the battle below. Some were trained on the skies, keeping Elaine and the other pegasus knights at bay as well as preventing them from swooping down and joining the fray. An idea quickly formed in Robin's mind as she backed out of range of the archers.
"Elaine!" Robin cried, waving her hands. The cyan rider turned at the call.
"Charge that tower on my signal!" She yelled, pointing at the closest structure.
"What about the archers?" Elaine yelled back.
"Don't worry about them! I'll handle it!" Robin shouted, charging into the fray. She made a break towards the tower, running as fast as her legs could carry her. A brigand popped into her path, roaring as he swung his cutlass at her. She ducked under the attack, sliding on the rock beneath. As she got up, she swung her sword upwards, slashing the man's neck and spraying blood everywhere. She pressed forward, dodging the arrows that flew towards her as she bashed aside a thug with the hilt of her sword. She soon reached the foot of the tower, eyeing the sturdy supporting timbers. Each one had the girth of a fully grown tree and were tied to each other with thick rope.
"Cover me!" She called out, flipping through her tome. She found the page she was looking for and began to chant, visualising the mana flow as the book had described. She felt the prickling sensation in her forearm as the mana gathered in her off hand and focused it into her palm.
All of a sudden, a brigand came charging at her screaming a war cry as he did. Robin wanted to turn and slash him but she forcefully disrupting her casting could very well backfire, causing some nasty side effects. Out of nowhere, a black bolt struck the man, causing him to tumble over. He keeled over in pain as the curse worked its way into his body, saliva dribbling out his mouth uncontrollably. Robin made a mental note to thank Nelson later as she finished up her casting sequence.
"NOW! ELAINE!" She shouted, aiming her hand at one side of the supports, "Arcfire!"
Fire spewed forth from her palm, spraying outwards in a funnel of flames. Robin struggled to hold her concentration as the fire engulfed the wood and rope, the intense heat reducing them to cinders in seconds. Suddenly, the scaffold began to creak dangerously, beginning to lean heavily on the weakened side. As the archer on the tower struggled to find their footing. Elaine and the other pegasus knights, under Robin's command, converged on the tower, annihilating the defenceless archers.
"Clear the area!" Robin yelled, running away from the structure. The compromised tower groaned as under its own weight. Eventually, the supporting timbers snapped, causing the whole tower to collapse on its side. The tower crashed down with a deafening din, crushing the bandits underneath. The Valmese warrior roared with renewed vigour, the current turn of events boosting their morale.
"Hah! An impressive feat!" Walhart remarked, a feral smile on his face, "I shall follow suit!"
The armoured man charged towards one of the remaining towers, laying waste to all who stood before him. As he reached the base, he heaved his axe forward with a loud grunt, cleaving through rope and wood alike. He rode around the base of the tower, continuing to cut through each support with a single swing. The scaffold buckled immediately, creaking as it began twisting inwards on itself. The bandits atop thrown into disarray as the Elaine led the pegasus knights in to finish the job. The tower gave in, collapsing much like the first and flattening all that were unfortunate enough to be beneath it.
"That's... ridiculous..." Robin murmured, her mouth slightly agape at in awe of Walhart's absurd strength.
She was snapped out of her reverie by a cutlass that almost took her head off. Robin ducked to her left, avoiding the attack. Pain erupted from her side as she hit the ground. She grimaced and grabbed the injured area, feeling the blood seep out of the wound.
She lunged at her assailant, striking at him with her sword. The brigand met her attack with his own, their metal blades locked against each other. Robin broke the balance first, throwing a kick at the man. The brigand wasted no time, pressing forward and pushing Robin onto the floor the moment she lifted her leg. He continued with his attack, thrusting at the downed woman, bloodthirst in his eyes. Robin tried to roll out of the way but was held in place by the man's foot.
She cried in pain as the curved blade buried itself in her right shoulder, a deep red blossoming in the fabric around the wound. She quickly blasted the man away with an elwind, regaining her footing as fast as she could. She wasted no time, aiming another spell at the brigand. He screamed in agony as he burst into flames, writhing in the fire. Closing the distance, Robin slashed him apart, spraying gouts of blood everywhere.
"Agh!" She gasped, sucking in air through her clenched teeth, "That smarts,"
Her shoulder felt like it was on fire. She clutched at it in a bid to numb the pain but only made it worse.
She heard a roar behind her. She turned to see a pair of brigands storming towards her, brandishing their weapons fearsomely. The colour drained from her face at the thought of her impending doom. She backed up shakily, stretching her arm out in front of her and preparing a spell. Suddenly, a spear sprouted in the chest the bandits, pinning him to the ground. The impact of the spear blasting the other off balance, knocking him onto his side.
"I've gotcha covered!" Elaine called out, descending from the sky, yanking her spear out of the dying bandit, dark arterial blood bubbling out of his mouth as the weapon left his bod.
"Thanks," Robin responded, shooting an elfire at the other bandit. The cyan-haired pegasus knight darted over, spinning her spear in her hand before impaling the bandit, putting him out of his misery
The last scaffold collapsed with a thunderous crash as Walhart destroyed its base, scattering the already demoralised bandits. They scurried around in a panic, most of the stragglers being overrun by the calvary or skewered by the fliers.
"Go after them," Robin said to Elaine, motioning to the fleeing thugs, "We can't let any of them escape."
"What about you?" Elaine asked back, worry evident in her tone and concern painted on her face.
"I'll be fine," Robin assured her, unconvincing wincing as her shoulder burned in pain, "Please go ahead."
Elaine gave her a nod before taking off, pulling a squad of fliers with her into the valley.
The remaining bandits were routed shortly after as the soldiers slaughtered the survivors. Loud cheers went up from the men as Walhart shouted out a victory cry. Even Nelson cracked a tired lopsided smile in celebration. Walhart began shouting orders to his men, calling for the sitrep and recovery of the stolen resources.
Robin gritted her teeth, leaning on a nearby rock. Her right sleeve was now soaked in blood, her vision beginning to spin from the loss of it. Her side now burst into pain anew, almost as if to remind her that she had been struck there before.
"Mila above! What in Earth Mother's name have you been doing?!" Pheros exclaimed, dismounting next to her and whipping out her staff.
"Just... fighting some brutes..." Robin replied weakly, slumping onto the rock she had been leaning on.
"Next time you get wounded fall back!" Pheros chided, hovering her staff over the injured girl's shoulder, "You're only risking your life if you continue in this state. Have you seen your side?"
The silver-haired woman looked down, shocked by what she saw. What she had been thinking was a small nick in her torso was a nasty gash, large enough to reveal the muscle underneath, leaking blood down her waist and thigh.
"I didn't... realise..." She mumbled, leaning her head back on the stone as she tried to hold on her consciousness.
"Well you should," Nelson growled, sauntering over, a bandage wrapped around his left arm, "You're gonna get yourself killed if don't know when to withdraw or retreat."
"Just... be more careful next time," Pheros pleaded, her tone softening. She held Robin's face still with her hand, healing the cut on her cheek. Pheros finished closing the wounds and began to wrap them up, rolling a large roll of white bandages around her shoulder and side. The silver-haired woman grunted in discomfort as the cloth pressed on her cloak and into her tender flesh.
"Thanks, Pheros," She whispered, rising from her sitting position. She stumbled as she stood up, almost falling over until Pheros caught her.
"Whoa, careful there, Hon," She warned, bending over and leaning Robin on her shoulder, "Don't push yourself. If you're feeling unwell you can ride with me on the way back."
"I think I'll do that," Robin responded, accepting her offer. She could tell she was not in any shape to stand, let alone ride a horse on her own.
Elaine came flying back out of the valley, all her riders in tow.
"I dealt with them like you asked," She reported, landing next to the trio.
"Good work," Robin acknowledged, giving her a thumbs up.
"Looks like they did a real number on you though," Elaine commented, looking at the injuries that covered the other woman's body.
"I guess so," Robin agreed absently, fatigue beginning to set in, "Let's just go back. I need to rest"
Pheros and the other healers tended to the wounded as Walhart regrouped his men, gathering their spoils as they prepared to leave. Robin sat behind Pheros after she was done, her mare being used to transport some of the crates that were still intact. The army then set off, returning to the capital.