Chapter IX: The First Battle
17:00, Fredas, 2, Sun's Dawn, 4E 170; Blood Sign
Luckily, before the Trailblazer was attacked, Gaafingar had ordered the 134th to bring most of everything along. The commander himself left the seeing-stone in the ship because he felt no need to bring it along when a simple signal from the ship could tell him of an awaiting message. Now, however, that ship, along with the seeing-stone, was gone. Destroyed in a Thalmor attack using an unknown superweapon.
Wizard was able to, with magic, fit everything in his room on the ship into the small knapsack, and had unpacked it inside the Castle, finding a room where he could work (which used to be the torturer's room near the abandoned prisons). Also in the Castle, the rest of the 134th made their home within. Wizard shared his room with Kat, where they could share their friendship and also not waste uneccesary space as they both used his Alchemy Table. As a repair-maiden, using Wizard's help with the Arcane Enchanter made making and repairing pieces of armor much more easily accomodating.
Doctor was given the assignment to both create medicines for the aftermath of the upcoming battle, and discovering ways to counter the Superweapon that destroyed the Trailblazer. He chose one of the prison cells next to where Kat and Wizard were working.
Gaafingar made use of the Entrance Room for planning the defense. They brought the most dated map they could find of Blood Sign and laid it down on a cleared off table, placing random books at the edges to smooth it out. He brought his lieutenants together, Mara, Smiles, and Scar, to devise the various lines of defense: a Frontline, a Secondary Line, and a Fallback Line.
Everyone agreed the Frontline would be the area of the Blood Sign colony, using the various ruins as cover against any Dominion surges. The Secondary Line would be the Battlements of the Castle, the tops of the walls and the Courtyard, plus the immediate outlying area between the colony and the Castle. The Fallback Line was basically a last resort to retreat into the Castle, and fight close-quarters while limiting the Dominion to single/double-file lines and falling into already-integrated traps.
The Imperials, including Kid, made use of the Barracks to hone their weapons and shields, while the Khajits were at home in the Cellars, which the Dominion neglected to empty out of food and wine. The 134th used that to their advantage near noon to gather their strength. Wizard gave everyone a Stamina Potion to negate the effects of sleeploss. They all took it gladly. The Altmer stood close at hand in the Courtyard, awaiting their foe. The Bosmeri woman took a home in the Archery Tower, which loomed over most of the Castle and had a great view of the ruins and the beaches. The Dunmer prowled the halls of the Castle, not finding anywhere to be, though they eventually settled into the shadows of the Entrance Area, watching the Commander and his lieutenants plan the defense.
Everyone had no problem fighting the Dominion. After everything the religious militants have done: invading the weakened provinces of Tamriel, promising annihilation on all those who do not follow the Path, and destroying their ship, killing two of the 134th in the process; it stands to reason that the Dominion should not be allowed to continue their slaughter. As a sign, the head of Rennin, the Thalmor representative sent to the 134th, was stuck onto a pike (found in the Castle's armory), and the pike was set down at the middle of the ruined colony, as a sign to the Thalmor of Gaafingar's response. The response was, as Smiles put it, "Fuck us, we fuck you!"
The commander called everyone to the Entrance Room to plan the final stages of defense.
"Head-shot," he spoke to her, "You shoot at anything that's not us. Got it?"
She nodded, readying her bow.
He turned to Wizard, "You know the drill, summon everything, and shoot them with lightning."
Wizard responded with a grin and a nod.
Next were the Imperials, who were all armored up ready for battle, Gaafingar spoke, "Keep your shield high, but crouch enough so that your whole shield covers the parts of your armor that are weak. Only strike if they are on top of you, don't charge or you'll die an early death."
"Yes, sir!" the Imperials saluted him, the commander merely grunted.
He looked specifically at Kid this time, "This isn't the Academy anymore, Kid, make sure you know that when you kill those sons of bitches."
Kid was somewhat nervous, but agitated all the same, "I won't let you down, sir!" his voice was still less gruff than those of his peers, but he still gave energy to his response.
"Make sure you don't." Gaafingar pointed at him, then turned to the Khajits, "It isn't nightfall yet, so your talents won't be put to use just yet. You can choose to join the battle, or stay in the castle to improve the traps."
Night and Dusk looked to each other, and nodded in agreement, Night turned back to Gaafingar and spoke, "I will head to the Castle and improve the traps in case you fallback. Dusk here will follow you into battle." Dusk stepped forwards, and tilted her head down at the floor, then back up, a formal sign of permission to do as Night suggested.
Gaafingar thought about it, then asked, "Are you two okay with this? I thought you two were mated."
Dusk explained, "We are. And though we fight more efficiently together, we would be doing you a service to do both fight and ready the Castle at the same time." she clasped Night's hand, who had stepped forward to her, "Seperate, we fight as one." she held her chin high.
"And besides," Night shrugged, "Our children are growing up because they are away from the Dominion, so that is who we are fighting for: our children."
The commander gave it one last thought, then agreed, "Dusk, I assume you're ready?"
She nodded.
"Then join the Imperials once we set out."
Again, she nodded, and joined the Imperials. She stood next to Kid, and he could smell her sweat, as if she were as nervous as he. Then he heard Dusk purr when looking at Night, and he understood. The two must have mated through the early afternoon. Realizing this (and getting an image in his head of such fact) made Kid go red in the face for a few seconds, but got focused again as Gaafingar continued his plan with the Elves.
To the High Elves, he ordered, "I know that the Dominion is made up of Altmer, so I cannot force you to fight your own kind."
Storm, the Altmer who chopped off the head of the Thalmor who came to visit them, grimaced and responded forcefully, "They were no longer Altmer when they started killing innocent women and children." Feral agreed.
The commander nodded, grinning at their continued loyalty. It would've been easy, for the High Elves of the 134th to keep from fighting, or - gods forbid - turn on them in the midst of battle. But they had been banished from Summerset, their home. This would allow them to start fighting their way back.
To the Dark Elves, he nodded and said, "You also know the drill? Keeping pushing them back and give Health Potions to needy soldiers?" They nodded, and drew their swords.
"Anything to get back at those Thalmor bastards!" Hack growled, Slash agreed.
"Doctor?" he turned to the Orc, "You stay here and continue work on developing plans if that Superweapon comes back." The Doctor nodded, his low-jaw fangs protruding through his mouth.
The commander smiled. This may actually work! the voice in his head said.
Then, a horn was heard. The 134th turned their heads towards the door, and they felt an eerie breeze flow over them.
The horn was heard again, a low-pitched to high-pitched sound, ending up mid-pitch, creating a small tune of three notes: the Dominion Horn as it would be called during the War.
Gaafingar looked to the door, where he knew outside lay the sight of the enemy, and whispered, "So the first battle of this War begins..."
The 134th assumed their positions. The Imperials, Dark Elves, Smiles, Mara, Scar, and Dusk went ahead of the group, exiting the Castle and pouring into the Courtyard, while Head-Shot sprinted to the top of her Tower. Night stayed behind to deal with the traps, while Wizard, Kat, and the Altmer followed the Imperials as a buffer wave. A fog, most likely produced using magic, surrounded Blood Sign, not letting the 134th see the sea, or the immediate area beyond the ruined colony. The most they could see was the top of the hill they had come up from. And this was the frontmost line of the Frontline. The horn stopped soon afterwards, and a voice was heard over the artificial fog, echoing eeriely.
"Those who do not follow the Path are bound to eternal damnation. But worthy slaves will be needed in the New Order. Lay down your weapons and become indentured servants to the Aldmeri Dominion. If not, you face death. This is your final warning." It was undoubtably another Thalmor agent.
Gaafingar came out, having heard the Thalmor's words, and Wizard raised the commander's voice by pointing his Staff at Gaagingar's neck as the he yelled back at the fog, "GO TO HELL!" Gaafingar touched his throat and glanced at Wizard, who shrugged and grinned at the small side-effect of having a loud voice.
"Very well." the Thalmor agent sounded mockingly resigned, then the voice was gone.
Wizard withdrew his Staff, and the commander pointed at him, "You're buying me a drink when we reach civilization for this." the commander grinned.
Wizard saluted him, and turned back to the forefront, where the action was about to begin.
"READY!" Gaafingar called to his troops.
The Imperials crouched, readying their swords and shields. Dusk crouched behind them, and Kid could hear her relaxed breathing, as if she were ready to die for the 134th at a moment's notice. This gave Tullius more confidence in the mission. He started doing what Dusk did, and breathed slowly inward, the salt/fresh-water mix filling his nostrils with an awkward taste. The smoke and blood smells were absent, swept away by time and the wind over the course of the morning.
Everything was quiet. They could all see their own breath, pouring from their lungs out into the crisp air, in an Isle closest to the top of the world as can be. Dusk squinted and looked through the fog, seeing something that the men and women around her couldn't see. She cried out to Gaafingar, "They're coming! Warriors by the looks of them."
Gaafingar glanced at her, and understood. Dusk was a Khajit. Not only could she see during the night, but her eyes could pierce through some of fog. Thank you. he silently said to Dusk in his head. He translated what Dusk meant by Warrior: the first wave of the battle would be made up of Altmer trained in the art of the sword. They're trying to test us... measure our strength and resolve. He cried out to his men, "Don't give it your best. We need to see what they're going to throw at us next. Just don't kill yourselves while holding back."
The 134th acknowledged by nodding, their eyes still ahead, looking at the hill in front of them. It was the fastest and straightest way to the Castle. Kid didn't know what his best was, so he didn't exactly know how he was going to fight. He had yet to practice his strategies from the Academy into real situations, which garnered him some nervous thoughts of early deaths.
Then the first wave came. Not in an orderly line, but in a wild rush to meet the enemy and snuff the blasphemous unbelievers from existence. It gave the 134th an edge, but the Thalmor knew this. This was only a test. Around 45 Dominion soldiers started pouring through the fog, screaming battle cries that ranged from 'glory to his/her family' to 'for the Dominion', all in the native Summerset language of course.
The Frontliners held their ground, waiting for the enemy to come to them. Wizard looked to the commander for the signal. Gaafingar nodded, and Wizard went to work. He aimed his staff at the ground, and summoned 3 Frost Argonauts, sending them to the approaching small army. Head-Shot started picking off reckless soldiers not protecting the holes in their armor: the neck, the feet, the shoulders; all forcing them to slow down.
Once the Dominion reached the Imperials, the fight began to escalate.
Kid felt the rage of the Altmer soldier bash into his shield, and in response Kid thrust out his sword and hacked at the side of the attacker. The Altmer blunted it aside with his own short sword and began hitting Kid at various angles, trying to get around the shield. Tullius began to think on the spot, and decided to rush at the Altmer with his shield. Heaving it in front of him, Kid bashed the Altmer with the shield, knocking the attacker off balance. Using the new time wisely, Kid lowered his defense and made a sweeping motion with his sword, decapitating the unlucky Dominion soldier.
Kid watched as the head rolled off the body and into the fray of the battle. He saw that the rest of the 134th was busy as well, unable to give him congratualtions on his first kill. He breathed it in, and wove the scene into memory.
The Dark Elves had waited within the ruins until the Dominion had engaged the Imperials. Then they had launched themselves into the midst of the chaos and started hacking and slashing their way through the gauntlet. Dusk herself wasn't using a dagger, and was instead using her claws and teeth as a natural offensive tool, and she was quite good at it as well.
Wizard was busy smacking Altmer with his Staff, while the High Elves of the 134th used their advantage of being Altmer to confuse the enemy and then kill them. The Wizard's argonauts were still causing havoc with the DominionKat was using her Steel Mace to drive fear into the hearts of the Altmer, alerted to her cries of anguish for her comrades combined with the cries of Nord battle phrases.
Mara and Smiles fought together, sword and greatsword. Once in a while Smiles would hang back as Mara took the front of the battle, while Smiles took out his Encrested Crossbow and shooting Mara's ambushers when he could reload. Scar was being a true Nord, using only his fists to take down multiple soldiers at a time.
Gaafingar was a Companion if what the lieutenents said were true. His sword being from the Skyforge at Whiterun, the commander was someone to be feared in a fight. He had strode confidently to the frontline during Kid's battle with the Altmer, and started fighting his own battle, leaving death in his wake, carving up High Elve after High Elve.
Kid saw all this happen within 12 to 15 seconds when another Dominion soldier chose him as his next target. Kid used his earlier strategy, busting the Aldmeri soldier with the shield, then killing him as quickly as possible. Once this new attacker was on the ground not getting up, Kid looked again at the battle.
Things were going rather well. Everyone had a different style of fighting. The Imperials were fighting much like Kid was, with small differences like stance and timing of attacks. The ones fighting multiple soldiers at once used the benefits of the Dark Elves' health potions to survive the many damages they were getting. He glanced up at Head-Shot, and she was continuing to shoot arrows out of her quiver as if it were an automatic bow-and-arrow. How many arrows are in that quiver? he wondered. Then he shook the thought out of his head and back into the battle. So far 17 Dominion soldiers have died within the first 25 seconds. Only 28 soldiers remained. Then, another 25 warriors came through the fog, as reckless as the first 45.
Realizing he's gotten his feet wet figuratively and was now somewhat experienced in battle, Kid decided to look for someone to support, and spotted Rune: the only female Imperial in the 134th, who had run out of health potions and wasn't looking so good. Her shield had been cracked and she had to abandon it. She was being overwhelmed by Dominion, and Kid could tell everyone else was busy to help her. He decided he would be the one to come to her aid, and realized with a startle that he was more confident now in battle than he ever was before joining the 134th. I live for battle, he realized, not exactly happy or sad about it.
He defended himself with his shield, crouched down low, and headed over to Rune. He started hacking at the Altmer attacking Rune with a different tactic than before, and instead started stabbing their feet, slashing the weak armor joints at the knee and elbow, then killing the Alter in a series of 4 strokes.
"Thank you." Rune spoke to him, still blocking Altmer blows with her sword.
"No problem." Kid responded, still fighting. He combined his earlier strategies into one. He stabbed a Dominion soldier in the foot, bashed his sword against them, then decapitated them.
After doing this to about 6 Aldmeri soldiers, Rune noticed, "I'm impressed!"
"I'm a fast learner." Kid smiled inwardly as he killed yet another Dominion soldier.
They were back to back now, fighting as one. "I should buy you a drink when we return to Solitude!" she suggested.
"If we live, maybe I'll even consider spending the night with you." Kid was really smiling now.
Rune laughed, it was a happy laugh, a welcome laugh amongst all this fighting, and she responded, "Romance on the battlefield. Are you that desperate?"
Kid also laughed, killed a Dominion soldier, then asked in kind, "Are you?"
Rune cut down 2 Altmer in the space of 3 seconds, then told him, "The Winking Skeever - tell the bartender my name and he'll show you to my room. I'll have the drinks waiting."
Kid smiled, knowing he's just gone up in the world. "Will do."
"Don't go just yet," Rune blocked another blow, "I need some help here."
"I'm not going anywhere." he promised, staying at her back, and she at his, protecting each other, each other as one.
The number of Dominion soldiers in the area soon dropped to 12, and they were easily dispatched by the might of the 134th. Then, all was silent. "All right, guys," Gaafingar called out to his bloodied team (Head-Shot wasn't bloody because she was up in the tower the whole time). He began his debreifing, "We've secured this place for about an hour. They'll be sending another wave against us by then, probably more advanced than the riff-raff we managed here, so be ready. Clean up, let the Doctor heal the worst of your wounds, get 30-some winks, and once we come back out you should stay within the Secondary Line, in case we have to deal with magic." he turned to Wizard, "Put defensive runes on the walls of this place so we have protection."
Wizard nodded and started doing just that.
"Good job, everyone!" the Commander addressed teh 134th again, "We didn't lose anybody, and to his credit even Kid survived!" everyone cheered at Kid, for he was something of a symbol for the 134th, a guarantee that the young can become strong and fight against the Dominion. Rune grinned at him, and he grinned back at her, knowing what awaited them if they survived to Solitude.
"As a reward for participating in this battle, and surviving, I am hereby giving him his more permanent callsign: Heart, for protecting a fellow 134th from death and protecting each other from then on throughout this first wave." another round of cheering and clapping Heart on the back.
"Now, everyone freshen up, and be ready for the next battle." he glanced at the fog surrounding Blood Sign. It was still there, as thick as it was before. But the sky above him had turned purple, and he could see faint stars peeking through the cloud layer. It's getting dark... the commander ignored the prickling in the back of his neck. Of course it's going to make things worse. he told the prickling, and it went away, slightly. He followed his men back inside, but before he entered the Castle, he took a whiff of the air, and smelled dead Altmer. He smiled, and closed the door behind him.
Next Chapter: Strength of the Dominion...
A/N: I liked this chapter a lot because 1) it's a battle chapter, 2) Kid grows up into Heart, and 3) I have funny battle-romance going on.
R&R please!
