CHAPTER 23: Invasion of Outcast island
The sky was nightly. But the Mentranian armada, propped up by the Berserkers, in their dozens and dozens of ships, was sailing straight towards the island of the Outcasts. Each boat had over 10 Mentranians and Berserkers in them.
Guddorn the Second, on the front ship as he, as the leader of the armada, led their direction, stared right towards what looked like to be the island of the Outcasts. It looked like a spiky-looking mountain, and often the Mentranians had wondered how the hell a tribe could live on it, but still, it was too valuable to not invade.
In light of the war, it was time to start engulfing as much of the archipelago as possible, so regardless of the odd geographical structure, Guddorn was intent on leading the armada to victory.
There were only a few clouds in the dark skies as the moon lit up like a giant lamp. The moon light allowed the fifty+ boat strong armada to be seen in the dark swaying seas.
With Alvin the Treacherous no longer here, though, the advantage was firmly in the Mentranians. There was no real leadership for the remaining Outcasts to prevent the incoming attack.
"There it is. Ours to take." Guddorn proudly uttered.
This was an island made entirely of rock, and it lacked any sort of vegetation. It did have the occasional volcanic activity, but still, it was an island that Mentra was keen on bringing under its control. There were no longer any wild dragons nested upon it as well, thankfully. They were gone ages ago.
"Sir, have we got any information on the numbers we're dealing with?" a crossbow defender asked.
"Their leader was apart of the foreigner group who forced us to evacuate from the prisoner bay. He won't be on this island as a result. Their lack of a leader means they won't be anticipating our presence, nor will they be able to stop us."
The two were exchanging a brief conversation of tactics over the sound of the waters briefly making medium sized waves, some of which caused splashes into the boats.
"Once we hit their land, we shall march into their vicinity and take out their men. Our venom will quite easily neutralise them." Guddorn nodded, as he briefly took out a wooden telescope to glare at the upcoming island that resembled nothing but rock.
"Should they resist, our combined forces will overwhelm them, and thus, we shall push inwards and force them to surrender."
Guddorn glared to his left beyond the edges of his boat, gesturing for one half of the armada to make a turn to the left, and he subsequently leaned over the edge of the right side of the boat, gesturing for that half of the armada to sail to the right. On that plan, they'll have circled Outcast Island to the point they could invade it from all fronts.
A couple of Outcasts, wielding their spears, were smelting, using the volcanic heat of the island, a couple of other steel weaponry. Their beards dangled over the weapons as they checked on them. They were able to do the smelting from a position where they had a clear view of the open seas.
The Outcasts were wide vikings, much like the Berserkers.
One of them looked out to the seas, and was able to glare at a formation of boats from the open seas he could see from here; they all appeared to be closing in on the shores.
"Aha, looks like Alvin's back." one of the Outcasts said.
"Aye, it's about time."
"It looks like he's brought back a ton of boats or..something?"
Something, however, didn't feel right about these boats. They looked...threatening, entirely from how they were approaching the island. This side was entirely circled by the boats. The Outcast who was keeping a watch out was starting to doubt whether it was actually Alvin.
At this point, it had been about 20 minutes since Guddorn commanded the armada to split in half to circle Outcast Island, and now, they had at long last touched down on the rocky surface of Outcast Island. Upon hopping off the boats, the Berserkers led the charge. The Mentranians and Berserkers circling the other side were most likely doing the same thing, since it was briefed to them by Guddorn just before they sailed from Mentra to here.
The thunderous, collective noises of Berserker boots hitting the ground from them running had prompted an earthquake-equivalent noise. Now, with Guddorn the Glorious in full control and at the lead of this imminent invasion, it was time for the Mentranians to follow.
"For our father!" Guddorn chanted, militaristic style, charging forwards behind the Berserkers, whereby his fellow Mentranians followed on.
Outcast Island was now being charged upon by hundreds and hundreds, on all sides and fronts, by Berserkers and Mentranians, equipped with venomous crossbows.
The Berserkers and Mentranians quickly covered the shores of Outcast Island in the dark, with their vast numbers and their storming presence.
"This isn't Alvin..." an Outcast viking said, feeling the ground rumble, and threatening yells, "we need to defend..."
"Defend from what?!"
"That..."
The outcast pointed to the open space, where hundreds of hostile looking vikings were charging in on the rocky island from every direction. The remaining outcasts at this point had no alternatives but to fire at them, and to run into the hostiles with their spears.
"This isn't their ordinary attack...this is a full on take over, we must-"
"ATTAACCKKKKKK!" his fellow Outcast viking suddenly yelled, interrupting him, as the Berserkers and Mentranians approached like a pack of predators.
"OPEN YOUR ARROWS, MEN, FIREE!" Guddorn yelled.
The outcasts all leapt from their positions, and they, with their sharpened out, giant spears, charged back at the Berserkers in front, with the spears aimed at them.
The Berserkers and Mentranians were vastly superior in numbers and strength for these remaining Outcasts. As soon as the Outcasts became within a close distance of the Berserkers, venomous arrows were shot directly at them, causing them to instantly collapse as the thunderous roars of the charging Mentranians and Berserkers thickened with every closing distance.
"SON, STAY BACK, THEY'RE COMING IN FROM EVERY CORNER..." Another remaining Outcast said, holding his spear out as he could hear and feel the enemies coming in.
"DAD, I DON'T WANNA DIE...I DON'T WANNA DIE..." the young Outcast sobbed, as the ground continued to shake in earthquake-esque manners.
"RUN AWAY, QUICK, RUN AWAY SON, I'LL HOLD THEM OFF, THERE'S-" A Berserker charged right into the Outcast as he yelled to his son; the Berserker simply knocked him down to the ground as more and more piled upon the vicinity.
They quickly inflicted the fallen Outcast father with another toxic arrow, knocking him out. Within this lot of Berserkers was Guddorn. Dozens and dozens of Mentranians were now here, as the two were closing in on victory on this invasion.
"Get the boy..." Guddorn commanded.
Two Berserkers and one Mentranian, like bulls, began charging for the young Outcast like they had a magnet forcing them towards him. The young lad was leaping up to the highest point of Outcast Island with its rocky terrain, or so he thought he could. He was being caught up with.
He continued to climb up the rocky structures he could reach. The Mentranian refrained from firing at him due to Guddorn commanding they capture him alive. The young boy was breathing like he had sprinted for 10 hours, the fear was that surged.
"GO AWAY! LEAVE ME ALONE!" the frightened young viking yelled, jumping down from a high rocky point of the island, slipping off of his balance as he landed on a lower down point.
The boy managed to lose those Berserkers and Mentranians, but when he turned to face the area in front of him, even more rocky terrain, his heart ached like it had exploded; hundreds and hundreds of the same types of vikings, marching towards the middle of the island, and the majority of them had sighted down the young Outcast boy.
"GET EMMMMMMMMMMMM!" they all roared, the crowd of Mentranians and Berserkers charging towards the Outcast boy, who looked to return to the point he jumped off of.
Out of nowhere, though, the two Berserkers had leapt off from the high point, finally catching up to the boy, slipping down and grabbing him by his chest, subsequently aggressively pulling him into a carry.
"NO, LET ME GO! LET ME GO! I DON'T WANNA DIE!" the Outcast pleaded, as the thick muscles of the Berserkers holding him meant he couldn't even move his chest to breath properly.
There was no response from the Berserker at his plea. The boy, fully exhausted and as shook as somebody who's been through an emotional trauma, began sobbing once again, due to the very real possibility that he may very well be killed at this point.
"RAARGHHHH!" one Outcast viking roared, as he slammed his spear into a couple of Mentranians as he charged, his charging speed being too fast for them to fire their arrows at him.
The Mentranians and Berserkers have practically engulfed three quarters of the island at this point, and the remaining Outcasts were hopeless, including the one engaging in a one versus multiple brawl.
"RAARGHH!" one Berserker roared, as he swung his battleaxe in the air at the Outcast, as the two ducked and ran around each other in their brawling battle of weapons and physicality.
The Outcast aimed his spear up, but before he could stab the Berserker, an arrow was flung into his back, causing him to collapse down like it was nothing, in thanks to the venom.
"MEN, WE'VE DONE IT..." Guddorn proudly declared.
"YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" the Mentranians and Berserkers collectively roared and chanted, as they all stood in the middle of Outcast Island.
"WE HAVE TAKEN THEIR ISLAND! OUR EXPANSION CANNOT BE STOPPPEDDD!"
As Guddorn chanted in the roaring cheers, the young Outcast boy, who the Berserkers and Mentranians were surprisingly keeping alive for now, was sobbing as he felt his heart ache with genuine pain from the fear of being killed. He was being carried tightly within the grasp of the same Berserker.
The Outcasts that weren't killed by the Berserkers physically, but instead, knocked out by the venomous arrows of the Mentranians, were going to be sent off to the isolation camps for when they wake up. Similarly, the young Outcast boy will be sent to the isolation camps of Mentra as well.
If it wasn't for Alvin and the majority of the Outcast Tribe leaving this island, this invasion wouldn't have been successful. But now, Mentra has successfully engulfed it. Guddorn the Glorious, being the planner and the leader of the invasion, had a morale surge to win the war against the Hooligans, in light of his success in leading this invasion.