9

The Storm

Castle Blackthorne

Rounding the familiar fork, the convoy reached their destination at the fortified hilltop community. Pulling back the curtains, Henry noticed that as expected, the population had surged to where the walls could no longer contain the new town. Along the hillside, several small homes were established.

At the base of the hill, construction had begun on a series of palisade walls surrounding the castle. Though only the gatehouse was fully built, the knight noticed that a wide moat had been dug around the perimeter of the hill as instructed. Furthermore, the drawbridge he'd ordered was also in the works.

Within the treeline, a group of twelve workers was busy at work felling trees for use on the wall's construction. Meanwhile, another group of ten were busy building the fortifications. Atop the outer gatehouse, a crossbow-wielding watchman carefully monitored the two groups, while his fellow watchman eyed the approaching column with extreme caution.

"Hold there!" One of the gate guards called out from his position outside the gatehouse.

Immediately, one of the watchmen stood up from the table he and another guard had been sitting at.

"Morning boys, got business in Blackthorne?" The watchman asked, casually leaning on his spear.

"We come bearing Sir Henry and his courtiers." Simcoe answered calmly.

"Right then, open the gates!" The watchman called out.

Soon after, the wooden gates were quickly opened by two other watchmen and the carriage was allowed through.

Entering the confines of the walls, the carriage came to a stop. Stepping out, Henry was greeted by the welcome sight of his castle.

Around him, the various townspeople went about their daily lives and tasks. Seeing him, many stopped to greet the knight warmly before returning to their duties. For the Breton, to say it was a welcome relief would be an understatement after nearly a week spent under the eyes and ears of Ken and her citizens.

Looking about, he noticed the merchant and craftsmen had established their own shops within tents along the walls. Among the craftsmen included a shoe cobbler, a miller, and a baker.

"You two, help Lady Olga and her handmaiden, then secure the carriage and come with me." Henry ordered the two soldiers driving him.

"Yes, my lord!" The two men immediately jumped down from their seats to help the two dark elves as they exited the carriage.

"What about us, dear lord?" Olga asked, stepping down from the carriage.

"Wait for me inside the keep, I'll deal with you two later." The knight answered.

"Squire! Secure your horse in the stables over there, then escort these two to the keep and then speak to Sergeant Bauer, he'd have use for you. You will report back to me at dusk." Henry then ordered, turning to his mounted squire and motioning towards the two elves.

"Aye, Lord!" Arthur then quickly rode off.

"Pardon me, madam." Henry calmly spoke to a passing townswoman.

"Yes, my lord?" The middle-aged woman asked, putting down the basket she carried.

"If you could accompany my courtiers to the keep and get them something to eat, that would be greatly appreciated." He answered asked politely.

/

With that taken care of, the knight quickly made his way to the smithy. Stepping inside, he spotted a young elven man utilizing the forge. Clad in a brown apron, the smith hammered away at a small heated ingot over the anvil.

"Please, Lady Claire, I require an additional-" The man said turning to face the visitor before stopping himself at the sight of the black knight. "My apologies, my lord. I didn't know it was you."

"No offense taken, what is your name good sir?" Henry asked.

"Gale, my lord." The elven smith answered. "Thank you, sir!"

"What for?" Henry asked, slightly confused.

"For your endorsement for me to become a licensed smith of course!" Gale responded with a bright smile. "With my license, I can learn and produce far more than I would've as an unlicensed smith!"

"Of course, good men are needed now more than ever…" The knight answered with a simple nod. "I'd put more time into this one though, there's a warp right here. Meanwhile, this one over here has some cracking, a major flaw, but treatable." He pointed out two of the finished spearheads closeby.

"Thank you, my lord, I didn't see that! I'm still somewhat of an apprentice. But, I assure you I will finish any and all orders you require!" Gale said, nervously running his fingers through his light blond hair.

"I would certainly hope so… Carry on." The Dragonborn simply slunk out of the tent.

/

Exiting the smithy, the knight was suddenly approached by the form of a familiar dark elf.

"I heard from the watch you'd returned, it's so good to see you again." Claire said welcoming him with a soft hug.

"Likewise, the past week has been… interesting to say the least." Henry replied with a firm nod.

"I'll say, it seems you've gained a following." The dark elf said jokingly referring to the two soldiers escorting him.

"Aye, one of the benefits of a sworn vassal. Come now, there is much to discuss." He answered and the four walked off towards the keep.

/

Inside the main hall, the two elves sat at one of the main tables. Shared amongst them were a small pot of lentil soup and a loaf of bread. As it had been nearly two days since their departure from Ken, the pair was famished and ate ravenously.

"I see you've been fed sufficiently…" The knight spoke from the doorway.

"Pfft… sufficiently. You're too generous my dear lord." Olga scoffed as she continued to eat.

"Chloe?" Claire spoke in surprise, stepping out from behind the Dragonborn.

"Claire?" Chloe said, rising from her seat.

The two elves soon rushed towards each other before catching each other in a warm embrace.

"Sister…" Claire said.

"I thought you were dead." Chloey said, tears welling at her eyes.

"It's a long story…" Claire replied.

/

"And then what happened?" Chloe asked her sister as the two sat at the table.

"I wandered for some time, never staying in one place for too long. Slavers everywhere." Claire explained, taking a sip of ale from her cup. "I got caught eventually, I was brought here. Then he found me."

Looking over, the two saw the Breton knight conversing with the dark sorceress by the door.

"How do you tolerate him?" The handmaiden asked, surprising her kin.

"What do you mean?" Claire asked in return, tilting her head in confusion.

"He's an animal, dear sister. He kills without remorse or pity. You can see it just in those bloodthirsty eyes of his." Chloe explained, bitterly.

"I know… and I don't care. He saved me from a life in chains. He fed me, gave me a home and accepted me when others wouldn't." Her sister countered.

"And how can we trust him? You said it yourself, you've only known him for a month." The handmaiden questioned.

"He cares about me… I saw it when he rescued me from the slavers. He gave them no mercy, he told me that no one would ever hurt me again… He never asked anything like what they took from me… What they forced me to do." Claire rebutted passionately.

"I don't care what anyone says about him, I'll follow him. With or without you." Rising from her seat, the elven steward left her sister to join the knight's conversation.

/

Castle Blackthorne, Courtyard

"Keep that blade leveled!" The black knight shouted at his square after he lowered his wooden blade slightly in exhaustion.

Despite fighting in plate mail, the knight was incredibly fast and nimble with a one-handed sword. His stance and guard position showed clearly his favor towards an aggressive strategy that emphasized on quickly capitalizing on an opponent's surprise and slower speed.

"Watch where you place your feet, or else you'll trip right over them!" He ordered due to the teenager's poor foot placement and coordination.

Taking advantage of this, the knight intentionally swung higher in a feint. Arthur, expecting a head strike, ducked. Bringing his head back up, he was met with a hard elbow to the face. Losing his focus, he let his guard drop as he stumbled back.

Taking the opportunity, the knight swept the young man's feet out from under him causing him to fall flat onto his back.

"Dead Again." His mentor spoke calmly, pointing the tip of his practice sword to his trainee's throat.

"It appears you have some work to do my lord." Sergeant Bauer commented from the sidelines.

Tossing the wooden sword to the sergeant, the knight pulled the squire to his feet.

"You're finished for the day, get back to the keep and get yourself something to eat. We'll talk later." Henry ordered his squire who handed his practice weapon to the sergeant.

"Aye, Lord!" Arthur nodded before taking off.

Sighing, the knight turned his attention back to his subordinate.

"What's the status on the retinue?" Henry asked calmly.

"About as can be expected I'm afraid, I've trained them to the best I know. We could all use some more training my lord." Bauer answered putting away the practice weapons on a nearby weapon rack.

"And you shall have it. I should be here for the next few weeks, so I'll have more time for training and overseeing the settlement." The knight spoke to the relief of his subordinate.

"That's good to hear. Is it true, my lord? Are we going on the offensive like those two regulars you brought said?" The sergeant asked.

"Aye, and our queen wants us on the frontlines."

/

"Come on boys! Get those logs movin!" A man ordered his group of laborers as they continued to roll wooden logs into place.

Meanwhile, another group of laborers was busy erecting earthworks directly behind the completed walls. Combined, the timber and dirt walls would provide a formidable defense should the castle be attacked.

Watching over the construction was the black knight who stood stoically at the top of the hill. Looking over the progress, the vampire was pleased to see the walls were near completion.

"Not bad progress for two weeks, my lord." Olga complimented as she stood next to the knight. "If I may though, I doubt these palisades will keep the hordes out for long though.

"Indeed, they're more or less a delay. I can only hope they will slow the enemy long enough for-"

"My lord?" A male's voice asked nervously.

Turning his head, the knight found it was the elven smith, Gale mustering the courage to speak with him.

"Yes, Gale?" He answered calmly.

"I've completed that spear order you requested and turned them over to Sergeant Bauer." Gale informed.

"Very good, I'll have your payment arranged shortly." The vampire nodded firmly. "You wouldn't happen to have any experience working with armor, would you?"

"Aside from gambeson and cloth armor, no my lord." The young elf shook his head.

"A pity." Henry grimaced. "I'll require another order from you then. Would it be possible for you to forge an order of about one hundred crossbow bolts?"

"One hundred! Certainly! It would require a period of roughly two weeks though…" Gale answered surprised by the order.

"So long as your metalwork is strong and without flaws, you have a deal."

"Open the gates!" One of Henry's men called out from amidst a small mounted patrol riding towards the castle.

With the gates opened for the party, they quickly rode up to address the dark baron.

"My lord! We spotted a large Warband advancing south just thirty miles west!" The lead scout informed the knight.

Casting a summoning spell, Henry was greeted by Shadowmere. Petting the large beast, he quickly mounted his steed.

"Come with us, my lady. We'll need your help." He offered his hand to the dark elf who graciously excepted his hand and help.

"Gladly, my lord." She spoke with a smirk as the knight pulled her up to his horse.

"Platoon, rally on me!" The Dragonborn called aloud to the surprise of all around him.

Within minutes, the remainder of his cavalry retinue were already in their armor and had grabbed their mounts before gathering before their lord.

"All retinuemen accounted for, my lord!" Sergeant Bauer announced, pulling his horse forward to address the cavalry commander.

"Follow me! We make for the west immediately!" Henry spoke aloud.

/

Dropping its club, the orc wielding it fell to its knees. A long spear had pierced its chest, killing it almost instantly.

All around it, the orc's Warband was dismantled and cut down. Lightly armored riders atop horses advanced from all sides, dropping greenskins and undead alike.

Looking up, the last thing the creature saw was the mounted black knight standing over it. From his ebony black helmet, a pair of red eyes beamed down on his newest kill.

Drawing his spear from the corpse, Henry looked to see his guards making quick work of the Warband. Having provided horses and further training provided an invaluable edge over their foes. Despite his contingent's small numbers and light equipment, the relentless training he instilled over the course of two weeks showed. His raiders glided across the enemy ranks like a hot knife through butter, kicking up dust and only furthering the confusion amongst the enemy ranks.

Within moments, his cavalry had enveloped and devastated the main body of allied invaders. Many attempted to flee, while those that held their ground were crushed under the hooves of the cavalrymen.

Those that managed to flee into the woods weren't safe for long, as they soon found themselves rushing blindly into yet another ambush. This time, by the devastating spells of Olga Discordia. In the blink of an eye, the shattered Warband was reduced to cinders and charred corpses.

Once the smoke and fog cleared, the small contingent regrouped.

"Not a bad start. Eh, lord?" Sergeant Bauer joked, pulling his horse to the knight's mount.

"A small skirmish within a war, Sergeant. Let's move on, one band down, many more to go." The commander spat back as he helped Olga onto the back of his horse.

Soon the cavalry section took off in the direction of a large column of smoke.

/

Fortress City of Feoh

Atop a battlement, an Eostian soldier yawned in boredom as he and another soldier played a game of chess.

"How many games is this?" He asked his friend as he moved his king.

"Six, and no, I'm not playing another." His friend answered, moving a knight to counter and capture the king. "Checkmate."

"Oh come on, that's four for six." The soldier exclaimed, standing from his seat he peered over the crenel. "Got any other games?"

"Nope." His fellow soldier shook his head. "Damn, and from what I heard I thought we'd be kneedeep in blood and guts."

/

"What's the status on our defenses, Captain." Alicia Arcturus requested sternly.

"We currently have one hundred and fifty barrels of oil in storage, another fifty should be done within the next week. Each tower has two full baskets of throwing stones, around sixty arrows, and a pot for boiling water and sand." Her scantily-clad subordinate answered, looking over an unfurled scroll.

"Get me another two hundred barrels, we'll need as many incendiaries as possible if we're up against walking corpses." Alicia ordered. "What about the state of the walls?"

"We've just finished with repairs this afternoon and begun installation of catapults atop the battlements." The Captain said proudly.

"Incoming!" One of the guards atop the wall shouted aloud.

Immediately after, the top of one of the battlements was struck by a large stone, chunks of stonework flew off into nearby houses. Screams of agony followed closely after as the guards atop were knocked to the ground.

Soon after, a dispersed salvo of artillery struck the defenses of Feoh, killing or wounding many of the defenders. Panic then befell the citizens of the city as those on the streets scrambled for cover wherever they could find it.

"Belay that Captain! Gather the garrison, raise the levy and man the defenses!" The Knight of Iris ordered.

"Aye, my lady!" The Captain saluted her superior.

/

Outside Feoh, Besieger's Camp

From within his tent, the commander, a human man covered in fine plate armor hovered over the map placed on his table. Looking over his position, he noted the gathered intelligence indicated the majority of the army was still mustering further east.

"Legatus!" A voice called.

Looking up from the map, the commander was greeted by another human soldier, this time equipped in chainmail and scale armor. The man quickly snapped to attention before rendering a chest-beating salute to his superior.

"Report, Lieutenant." The "Legate" requested calmly.

"We have the city under siege as ordered, commander. We have the roads locked down, no travel in or out of Feoh. Our artillery battery continues to rain fire upon the enemy force without impediment." The officer answered his superior.

"Good, continue the barrage." The commander ordered. "Have you prepared your cohort for the assault, Lieutenant?"

"Yes, Commander! The first cohort stands ready for deployment." The Lieutenant answered proudly.

"Very good, gather your men, you move at nightfall."

/

Later at Midnight

Atop the walls, a town militiaman walked his post nervously. Despite the artillery barrage ceasing hours earlier, he couldn't get the noise out of his head. The screaming from wounded men he pulled down from the walls, some with mangled or even missing limbs. But it was seeing a small child crushed under the debris of her home was what truly got to him the most.

Feeling a hand on his shoulder, the man spun around and pointed his spear directly at the abdomen of his company.

"Woah, Woah! Relax, City Watch." The Guardsman pointed to the city crest emblazoned on his leather breastplate.

"Sorry… just really jumpy… Those bastards hit us hard." The young militiaman apologized, lowering his spear.

"You're not wrong about that…" The Guardsman agreed, nodding his head as the two continued their patrol.

Circling around to their assigned gatehouse, the levy tossed his spear aside he went to a nearby room. Inside sat a lightly armored soldier who sat at a table facing away from the door.

"Sergeant? I completed my patrol, nothing to report." He reported to the Watch Sergeant.

The man sat unmovingly, with no reaction to the militiaman's presence.

"Sergeant?" He asked, placing a hand on the man's shoulder.

Instantly, the man slumped over and immediately crumpled to the floor, dead. Blood seeped out of his slit throat and onto the man's hands.

"What the hell?!" The levy recoiled in horror, bumping into a body behind him.

Turning around, he was confronted by the guardsman from earlier, sword drawn.

"Sorry…" He apologized before running his blade through the lightly armored torso of the militiaman.

Grasping onto the man, he faintly draped his arms around his killer's body. The young man opened his mouth in an attempt to speak, but no words were able to come out. All he could do was awkwardly hug his attacker.

Feeling his body go limp, the infiltrator retracted his sword and let go of his victim who quickly fell flat to the floor. Sheathing his blade, he made his way to the winch system.

Pulling the lever back with all of his strength, the portcullis was soon raised. One of the gates to the city lie open...

Looking out a nearby window, he watched as his unit quickly made their way into the city under the cover of darkness...

/

Inside her quarters, Alicia Arcturus stood at her balcony. She watched almost emotionlessly as her city burned. Screams and the clashing of steel rang out all around as the defenders scrambled to respond. Buildings caught fire, others were destroyed by renewed artillery fire. Seemingly thousands of undead and monsters swarmed into the city. She could hear the cries of women as the peasantry were taken and dragged off by the beasts, meanwhile the undead killed without remorse or any emotion.

What stood out the most, however, was the discipline displayed by one unit amongst the horde. They appeared as humanoids, clad in heavy armor, their faces obscured by chainmail. She watched in amazement as they formed into a tightly packed shield wall and steadily advanced through the streets, ignoring the hundreds of arrows, stones, and other projectiles flying at them. Unlike the monsters or undead, they killed only those who stood in their way, but when they did, they didn't hesitate to do so.

By comparison, Feoh's defenders were a crudely organized force, primarily consisting of the poorly trained and equipped levy, supplemented by the shattered remains of her household troops and city guards. This showed as they struggled to hold back the tide of death from reaching the castle.

Soon the door burst open, revealing the form of her steward and aid, Prime Minister Beasley.

"My Lady." He greeted with a bow.

"Prime Minister." She acknowledged while still watching the losing battle bellow. "Do we have the survivors accounted for?"

"So far, no, my lady. We continue to have refugees and soldiers alike flood into the halls, many, including Captain Jess and the nuns, remain unaccounted for." Beasley answered with a shake of his head.

"What about Prim, is she safe?" She asked, to which her steward nodded.

"Yes, my Lady. Lady Prim is safe and accounted for." Beasley answered quickly.

Stepping away from the balcony, she turned her attention to her desk. On it was an urgent note addressed to the Goddess reborn.

My Queen,

As I am writing this, Feoh has fallen to the enemy. We have enough provisions in the castle for approximately forty days, though I highly doubt we will last that long. The castle walls continue to crumble under constant artillery bombardment and our numbers continue to dwindle.

I beg for the sake of the people of Feoh for an immediate relief attempt.

Lady Alicia of House Arcturus

Folding up the note, the Knight of Iris calmly took the note before turning to a large birdcage. Opening the door, she reached in before extending her palm out to the pigeon inside. The bird soon stepped onto her outstretched hand before she slowly pulled the messenger out of the cage.

She carefully strapped the note to the bird's leg before soon letting the bird fly out of the window.

"Come now, Prime Minister, we have a castle to defend."