Oleg awoke to the sound of clashing blades and battle cries. He opened his eyes and steadily got up off the ground and into all fours. His vision slowly came into focus but it was still slightly blurred and the sounds around him were muffled. He could make out his hands before looking to his left to see his kite shield or rather the remains of his kite shield lying on the ground. His gaze turned to his right and landed on his sword only to see that half of the blade was gone. The Vaegir reached out with his hand and grabbed the handle of the weapon to pick it up. Even if it was broken it can still kill and that's all that matters.
Grunting, Oleg rose to his feet and finally came back to reality as he saw the battlements in chaos around him before he remembered what happened and how this came to be.
They had underestimated the bloodlust of the Orcs and the vengeance of the Dark Elves. The entire night, the Discordians had built bridges over the moat. By the break of dawn, the Discordians began their attack by striking, not the wall, but the portcullis with boulders and rocks. Once they broke the portcullis, they targeted the gate until it was broken before switching their attention towards the battlements.
With the main gate broken, the Orcs and Beastmen flooded into the town. Fortunately for the defenders, the Silver Hearts formed an impenetrable pike wall while the Spear Companions and Shield Companion Recruits formed a spear wall on the left and right flank. Boxing in the greenskins and Beastmen and preventing them from setting another foot or hoof in the town. Meanwhile, Bow Companions and Lavender Company Crossbowmen took the rooftops near the gate and started shooting arrows and bolts at the enemy.
While the defenders were focused on the breached gate, the Dark Elves proceeded with the next phase of their plan which was setting up ramps on the foot of the town's walls while the defenders had their attention elsewhere. Those in the arrow towers, however, saw this and started pelting them with arrows and bolts but the Dark Rangers and Bow Masters retaliated with their own arrows while the Sword Reavers took a page out of the Dwarven Legions' book and formed a testudo as they made their way towards the wall with the ramps.
The Dark Elves were successful in their plan and had secured the ramps before scaling the wall. The Calvet and Lavaud Infantrymen, as well as Oleg, Isolla, the Sword Companions and dismounted Knightly and Men-at-Arms Companion Cavalry, defending the walls quickly acted and started throwing rocks and debris down the ramps in an effort to slow the enemy's advance but their heavy heater shields protected them from all but the heaviest of stones.
Despite their best efforts and actually taking out three of the ramps, the Dark Elves reached the top of the wall and jumped down the battlements before engaging the defenders in melee. Oleg and his Sword Companions held the majority of the Dark Elves back. Cutting them down before they could even reach the battlements but this ended when a Dreadsword managed to break his sword in two before a boulder hurled from one of the Discordian's catapults struck the area Oleg was on and sent him flying. He smashed his head against something hard and knocked him out.
Now that he was awake, armed and on his feet, Oleg threw himself back into the fight. Running towards the Sword Reaver who was about to deliver the killing blow to a dazed Sword Companion. The Vaegir swung his broken blade down on the Sword Reaver's exposed neck and nearly sliced her head off. He kicked the body to the ground and grabbed the dazed Sword Companion up his feet only for a barbed arrow to strike the man right in the eye.
Oleg growled in annoyance and threw the now dead Sword Companion to the ground before taking up the large heater shield the Sword Reaver had been using as well as her sword which was actually a saber similar to the ones used by the Khergits and Vaegirs but with a noticeably different design with than the ones in Calradia. It also possessed a blade made from dark, nearly black, metal instead of steel. Meanwhile, the shield was almost the same size as a Rhodok Board Shield while the general shape was that of a Swadian Heater Shield. The face of the shield was painted purple while the rim was made of iron and painted gold.
Armed with his new weapons, Oleg ran towards a Sword Reaver and bashed the shield into her side before pushing her over the crenel. The Dark Elf screamed as she fell from the wall before meeting her end as she landed hard on the wooden bridge over the moat.
Oleg was forced to move when an enraged Sword Reaver dropped her shield and started attacking him relentlessly with her saber. Fighting as if she were possessed by a vengeful demon and screaming at the top of her lungs. She unknowingly mirrored a Berserker when they're in their violent trance. Still. The Vaegir managed to block all of her attacks with the large shield while waiting for the opportunity to present itself at him.
Moments later, the Dark Elf threw a tired swing and Oleg capitalized on this by parrying the blow before quickly impaling the Sword Reaver through the abdomen. Just like the Dawn Templars, the Sword Reavers were barely wearing any armor. As a result, they were easier to kill once you destroy or disarm them of their shield.
Using the last of her strength, the Sword Reaver raised her weapon and moved to swing it at the Vaegir but Oleg smashed his helmet against the Dark Elf's forehead before she could do anything. The force of his sudden attack was strong enough to knock her out and Oleg pulled his saber free from her body before bashing the Sword Reaver aside with his shield and left her to bleed to death on the floor as he ran towards the Dark Elf creeping up behind Isolla.
Before she could strike the Swadian down, Oleg impaled the Sword Reaver through the small of her back. The Dark Elf looked down and saw the blade sticking out of her abdomen before looking up only for the last thing she see was Isolla swinging her sword. The Sword Reaver's head flew off her shoulders and Oleg removed his blade from the headless corpse before nodding to the Swadian and left to engage his next opponent.
Breathing heavily, Isolla could feel herself tire. The only thing that gave her the energy to fight on was the fact that if she stopped and rested, she would be dead. That kept her awake but didn't stop her from feeling tired and weary. She had been on patrol when the Discordians attacked and had been ready to relieve herself from her duty as the next patrol arrived but the attack put a stop to that. Her body needed sleep but if Baldur were here, he would tell her 'You can sleep when you're dead.'. He was charismatic... in his own way.
Isolla shook her head as she got back into the fight. In addition to her usual armor, the Swadian now sported a blue and white torse and mantling attached to her helmet. Further showing her affiliation to the Shield Companions.
The Swadian impaled the closest Sword Reaver who was winning a fight against a Calvet Infantryman before pushing the Dark Elf off her blade and raised her shield to block the arrow shot by a Dark Ranger who then took out a pair of daggers -similar in shape and design to the sabers used by the Sword Reavers but smaller- before running towards the Swadian and leaped into the air.
The moment Isolla lowered her shield, she received a hard kick to the chest and forced her to stumble back. She nearly lost her footing and dropped her sword but managed to catch herself at the last second and raise her shield to block the Dark Ranger's daggers. Using her shield, she blocked the next set of attacks before parrying the following blow and smashed the Dark Ranger across the face with enough force to nearly throw her adversary to the ground.
Isolla pulled back the Dark Elf's hood and grabbed her a handful of her opponent's hair before pulling hard. She then grabbed one of the Dark Ranger's daggers and proceeded to slit the Dark Elf's throat before releasing her hold and watched as the Dark Ranger tried but failed to stop the bleeding. Choking on her own blood as she fell to her knees before dying.
The Swadian let out a sigh of relief only to stumble back as an enchanted arrow struck her chest. Piercing through armor and padding. This was followed by another and a third one before Isolla fell to her knees. She saw a shadow loom over her and looked up to see a Dark Ranger aiming a bow at her. Drawing back a barbed arrow that glowed purple.
"Perish, filthy scu- "
The Dark Ranger didn't get to finish her sentence as Isolla -having grabbed a piece of debris from the ground- surged forward and smashed the side of the Dark Elf's head. She knelt over the Dark Ranger and started bashing her adversary's head with the rock.
To the side, Oleg removed his blade from his latest kill and turned to see the once heir to the Swadian throne savagely beat a Dark Ranger to death with a rock. Screaming like a madwoman as she did so. It was a far cry from what she used to be before she joined the company.
During the Swadian Civil War, Isolla mostly commanded from the rear and only joined the fight when it was clear that the battle was in their favor. When she joined the company, she fought with them in the front lines. Right in the thick of it. Perhaps their brutality had rubbed off on her.
The Vaegir made his way over to Isolla and grabbed her shoulder before pulling her back from the now dead Dark Ranger. Half of the Dark Elf's head was nothing more than a bloody mess of blood, bone and brain matter.
"That's enough, girl. She's dead already."
Taking deep breaths to calm herself down, Isolla threw the bloodied up rock to the ground before picking up her sword. Walking past her kill without so much as acknowledging the brutality of her actions. Just like Baldur and himself, the Vaegir thought.
Oleg shook his head before looking around him to see the Dark Elves were still pouring into the battlements and slowly but surely taking over the wall. Even their cavalry force dismounted and joined the fight. Seeing how these Dreadknights cut down a number of Infantrymen with ease and with barely even a scratch on them despite their lack of proper armor showed that these Dreadknights were far superior in skill compared to the Sword Reavers. Since their armor barely covered anything up, the Dreadknights made up for it with their agility. Performing acrobatic-like movements in conjunction with their swordsmanship. Still, it didn't help them for long as they faced off the battle-hardened Vaegir even if they did wielded greatswords.
Oleg put away the Sword Reaver Saber in exchange for his War Axe before running towards the closest Dreadknight. He brought his weapon down on the Dark Elf who raised her greatsword to block his attack. The haft of his weapon collided with the Dark Elf's blade and Oleg pulled his weapon down. Sliding the haft down and using the beard of his weapon's axe head to hook his opponent's blade and wretched the weapon from her grasp before smashing the knob of his axe into the Dark Elf's face with enough strength to throw her to the ground on her back.
Oleg didn't waste time and brought his War Axe down. Burying the axe deep into the Dark Elf's exposed abdomen and killing her.
The Vaegir turned away from the dead Dreadknight and looked towards the one of the ramps the Dark Elves were using to scale the wall. He quickly made his way over to said ramp before standing stalwart at the end and started cutting down the Dark Elves that ran up the ramp. Swinging his War Axe left, right and down. Killing off the Dark Elves and preventing some of them from reaching the battlements.
Much to the astonishment of the Eostians and the horrror of the Dark Elves, the Vaegir held the enemy back in his lonesome. At least the ones scaling this ramp. The rest of their forces continued to use the other remaining ramp to reach the battlements.
Upon seeing this, the Discordians' commander ordered that half of the Orcs use the ramps. Yelling at them to take the wall and kill every human they come upon. Show no mercy.
"Dark Rangers. Bow Masters. Kill that filthy swine!"
Oleg kicked a Dreadknight back and watched as she staggered back into the other Dark Elves. Causing some to the floor or fall off the side. He looked to the Discordians and saw the green tide rushing towards the other ramp before seeing a hail of barbed arrows raining down towards him.
The Vaegir quickly took out the Sword Reaver Shield and raised it above his head before jumping down into the battlements. His remaining Sword Companions quickly joined him and all of them raised their shields over their heads to protect themselves from the rain of arrows. Isolla and her company did the same with their heavy plate armor adding extra protection from the arrows. The same cannot be said to the Calvet and Lavaud Infantrymen who were too busy fighting Dark Elves for them to notice the volley until it was too late.
Many fell to the arrows while those who didn't screamed in pain as arrows riddled their bodies. They tried to crawl away but the Sword Reavers and Dreadknights who managed to take cover from the arrows finished them off. The remaining Infantrymen were starting to break as their morale was slowly reduced to nothing.
Oleg saw this and knew it wouldn't be long before they were routed and the wall lost to the enemy. Even if he managed to rally them, they would be outnumbered as the Orcs were closing in on the battlements. Their roars sending fear into the hearts of the Infantrymen.
"Damnit all." He cursed.
The Vaegir looked around him and was torn between making a last stand, retreating to the others or ordering everyone on the wall to retreat while he and his company held back the Discordians. His eyes landed on the top of the arrow tower and watched as a boulder smashed into the top of the tower. Pieces of debris fell and a number of incendiary pots fell to the ground.
Seeing this, Oleg quickly ran towards the pots. Killing two Sword Reavers and throwing a Dreadknight to her doom before reaching the pots. Some of which had shattered and spilled oil on the ground. He grabbed one of the unbroken pots and entered the arrow tower before grabbing the torch on the wall to his left before running back to his company. He made his way over the top of the ramp and poured down the oil on said ramp. The Vaegir then lowered the torch into the oil and set the ramp on fire.
"Grab more pots!" He ordered "Burn the ramps. Move!"
His Sword Companions scattered and quickly did as they were told. Two poured oil down on the burning ramp to further feed the flames while another poured oil on the second ramp and was about to set it on fire only to be grabbed by the neck and lifted off the ground.
The Orc bared it's teeth at the struggling Sword Companion who glared at the greenskin. The Orc roared in the man's face before crushing his neck but in doing so caused the Sword Companion's grip to loosen and the torch he was holding fell to the oil. Setting the second ramp on fire.
Meanwhile, the soldiers manning the catapult on top of the arrow tower saw what the Shield Companions were doing and they quickly grabbed the remaining incendiaries on their artillery platform before throwing it at the second ramp and throwing a couple of torches at the ramp as well.
With the ramps set aflame, this effectively stopped the Discordians from scaling the wall. Allowing the defenders in the battlements some room to breathe but this didn't last long as the angered Discordians sent pelted them with a constant rain of arrows. This caused Oleg to order his company and the other defenders on the wall to either take shelter under the arrow or join the soldiers defending the breached gate.
As arrows rained down on the battlements, Oleg looked around the inside of the arrow tower. Filled with Shield Companions and the Missile Infantry already inhabiting the tower. The Vaegir sighed and leaned back on the wall before sliding down until he was seated on the floor. He proceeded to take off his helmet and set it aside before running a hand through his graying hair.
"Are you alright?"
Oleg looked up as Isolla looked down at him. She had removed her helmet as well and pulled back her mail coif. Revealing her long brown hair that was tied into a braid.
"We need more troops." Oleg replied "We're stretched thin between defending the wall and the breach."
"Reinforcements should be arriving soon. Duke Arnoult said so himself. They're just delayed."
"I know. They should be arriving tomorrow but it's barely in the afternoon and already the Discordians breached the gate. We almost lost the wall too."
"We won't last the night would we?"
Oleg shook his head "Our survival depends on how hard we much we want to hold this town and the morale of our troops. If the troops aren't close to breaking then we'll make these Discordians fight for every inch of Besanvin. Surrender isn't an option. The Discordians execute prisoners or leave them to a fate worse than death or so I hear. No. We fight to the last."
The Vaegir turned his head to the other Shield Companions inside the tower.
"Remember your oaths. Shield Companions do not flee. Do not cower. If any of you so much as break even a single on of your oaths, I won't hesitate to kill you myself."
Without another word, Oleg stood up and donned his helmet once more before standing by the doorway and crossed his arms. Waiting for the Discordians to make another attempt to scale the battlements. They want to take this wall from them? They can try but he wasn't going to make it easy for them.
(Line Break)
"Maréchal de Montaufort. The scouts have returned. They say that Besanvin's gates have been breached but the defenders are holding. They're not sure how long they would last but chances are they wouldn't last the day."
Geoffrey cursed and turned to the Duke and Duchess accompanying him. All three were on horseback and surrounded by their retinue of knights.
"We must make haste to Besanvin. Double everyone's pace. Gather the cavalry. We ride hard and fast. YAH!"
Without waiting for a response, the Marshal of Ken rallied his Montaufort Knights and other mounted units before forming a large column and riding ahead of the army. The cavalry force of the Duke of Beaugendre and the Duchess of Granet followed shortly after before merging their cavalry force with the Marshal's. Combined, their entire cavalry force numbered at about 750. Comprised of about 300 Knights, 350 Squires and 400 Men-at-Arms. Meanwhile, their entire infantry was about 1,200 strong with a majority being made up of sellswords and a quarter being levies while the rest were the Principality's professional soldiers.
The Marshal and his cavalry detachment rode hard as if the Abyss itself was behind them. Geoffrey knew the consequences should Besanvin -and in extension, the County of Vallonton- fall. The Discordians would use this victory to bolster their overall morale and conduct further, more bolder attacks on the already undermanned principality.
The Principality of Ken could ask, even beg, the other principalities for aid but knew that they could not send any as doing so would leave their own land vulnerable to an attack from the Discordians. Even if they managed to defeat the Discordians here, their problems doesn't end there. The Discordians managed to step foot on the borders of Ken with the rest of the principality only knowing about when they already reached Vallonton.
When this is over and they are successful in driving the Discordians out of Ken, they need to reevaluate the defenses of their borders and prevent something like this from happening again.
(Line Break)
Much to the relief of the defenders, the Discordians did not conduct another attempt to take the wall and pulled their forces back. At least the Dark Elves did. The Orcs and Beastmen continued in their attempts to try and break through the pike and spear wall keeping them from stepping foot in the town. Their relentless push appeared to be succeeding as the soldiers and mercenaries were getting tired and their casualties slowly increasing as the day dragged on.
Much to the relief of the troops, Oleg rallied the remaining forces on the wall and have them engage the greenskins from the left flank. The Duke of Calvet and the Duchess of Lavaud did the same. Leading their dismounted Knights as well as the Dawn Templars and Kavri and her crew to attack the Orcs and Beastmen from the right. What followed was the slaughter of many greenskins and Beastmen until they managed to push them out of the gate and onto the bridge were the Orcs were once more pelted with arrows and bolts from the arrow towers after the arrival of fresh ammunition. The town's smiths and craftsmen working with whatever they can to make more arrows and bolts. Using anything they can get their hands on to create arrowheads, shafts and fletchings.
The missile infantry stationed on the rooftops also received a fresh batch of ammunition and renewed their assault on the enemy by leaving the rooftops and positioning themselves either below on the rear ranks or up on the battlements before pelting the greenskins with missiles.
Using an incendiary pot, Oleg poured oil on the foot of the bridge and had one of his Sword Companions set the oil on fire. The Duke of Calvet, meanwhile, ordered anyone with crafting experience to help the local craftsmen and to fix and fortify the gate as much as they can before building a barricade and a wall of stakes behind the gate.
The gate was closed while the troops waited for the craftsmen and their supplies to arrive. Oleg, on the other hand, started dragging an Orc corpse towards the gate and placed said corpse behind it. He continued to do this a few more times before stopping explain to the Duke that the heavy corpses can be used to temporarily brace the gate until the craftsmen arrive. Gruesome, yes, but Duke Arnoult approved of the reasoning and ordered some of the soldiers to help.
By the time the gate was fortifed and the defenders were sure that the Discordians would not make another assault, the sun had set and the moon was slowly rising from the horizon. The troops remained near the gate or on the battlements. Resting on where they stand while only a handful left to rest away from the gate and the wall. This respite didn't last long as the Discordians started hurling boulders at the town once more. Not at the walls but at the town itself.
Rather than assault the town with their infantry, the Discordians settled with preventing the town's defenders from getting any rest. Many were forced to take cover while the catapults on top of the arrow towers replied to the assault with their own. Sending rocks and debris at the Discordian artillery. This assault would last until midnight but the Discordians continued with the next phase of their plan which was attacking the gate itself with their catapults.
The gate, fortifed it may be, eventually gave out and was once more breached. This time, however, the defenders were ready and a pike and spear wall were already waiting for the next wave of greenskins. Rather than Orcs, however, they were met with an unceasing volley of arrows. Courtesy of the Dark Rangers and Bow Masters.
The Spear Companions and Shield Companion Recruits were able to protect themselves with their shields but the Silver Hearts Pikemen had no such defense. Their numbers dwindled after wave after wave of arrows and their Mercenary-Captain was forced to order a retreat. Leaving A'isha -who was in command of the Spear Companions- to order her company to fill up the gap left behind by the Aurelian mercenaries.
Seeing this, the Discordian Missile Infantry shifted from using regular arrows to fire arrows. Some Dark Rangers even used enchanted arrows to pierce through the shields and kill the ones behind them.
To the side, four Minotaurs each drank from their respective flasks which contained a glowing purple liquid. Not long after they finished drinking, the Beastmen started roaring in pain and fell on all fours. Before the very eyes of the Discordians, the Minotaurs' eyes and veins started to glow purple as their bodies slowly and painfully morphed into that of a full bull but significantly larger than the average bull. Should they stand on their hind legs they would've towered the Orcs. Each of the four transformed and empowered Minotaurs bellowed a terrifying roar that before charging towards the breach with an unnatural speed. Even their bodies show higher resilience than before as they ignored the arrows and crossbow bolts that were shot at them from the arrow towers and battlements. To them, all they could feel was their rage and the power granted by the mysterious potion given to them by the Discordian commander.
The Minotaurs charged past the gate and smashed into the ranks of the Spear Companions. Breaking through the mercenaries' formation before rampaging within the town. Causing havoc and disorder. This didn't last long as the effects of the potion wore off and the Minotaur returned to their old bodies. They also lost their strength and were weakened as the power boost gained from the potions withdrew from their system. This allowed the defenders to easily kill them but the Minotaurs have served their purpose.
Their rampage and the resulting chaos and disorganisation allowed the Discordians' Dreadknights to enter the town with their mounts and cut down any soldier or mercenary that got in their way. They were soon followed by the Orcs and Bestmen then the Sword Reavers who marched in formation.
The Spear Companions and Shield Companion Recruits fought with vigor as the Discordians slowly flooded into the town. The Infantrymen assigned to the battlements were even ordered by their Sergents to head down and help the troops below in fighting the enemy. Even the Peasant Militia -who acted as reserves- were deployed by the Duke of Calvet. Deep down, many of the defenders knew what's at stake. That alone drove them to protect the town with all they got. Even if it cost them their lives.
(Line Break)
A'isha jumped off the wall and used it as a boost before swinging her saber and slicing the Orc's throat open. She spun around and cut the knee of the Orc behind her before picking up a discarded sword on the ground and leaning back to avoid getting crushed by a hammer. She then impaled the second Orc in the back and leaving the sword buried in it's spine before impaling it through the heart with her saber.
The Sarranid quickly spun on her heel and swung her saber. Deflecting the sword of a Satyr before taking out one of her javelins and stabbed the Beastman through the heart with it. She pulled the javelin free and let the Satyr fall to it's knees before throwing the javelin at a Dreadknight charging towards her. The throwing spear flew towards the Dreadknight before impaling the Dark Elf in the chest and throwing her off her mount which kept galloping towards the Sarranid.
A'isha saw this and prepared herself before using the corpse of a dead Orc as a boost and jumping at the armored mount just as it passed. She proceeded to adjust herself on the saddle before grabbing the mount's reins and rode towards the enemy... or she would have had the armored horse didn't suddenly stop in it's tracks and nearly threw her off.
"What the- Come on, horse. Move!"
She tried to spur it to move but the horse remained still. No matter what she tried, however, the mount refused to budge even an incg. It was then she realized that the horse probably knew she wasn't it's rider.
A'isha cursed before jumping off the horse and ran towards a Sword Reaver. She deflected her enemy's blade and quickly followed it through with a counterattack. Swinging her saber down as fast as she could and cut into the Dark Elf's neck. She then picked up the Sword Reaver's Saber and decided to keep it before wielding the blade alongside her own weapon.
The Sarranian Shield Companion turned around and crossed her blades to block the strike of a poleaxe wielding Satyr. Unlike the ones she had fought before, this Beastman wore pieces of armor that looked like it belonged to a Knight. A very rich Knight. It looked very much out of place for this ugly bastard. Not only that but this Satyr was also wearing a cloak made of expensive material. She can tell just by the look of it. Even the weapon it was wielding was of better quality compared to the ones she had seen the Beastmen used.
A'isha looked down and sneered in disgust when she saw that the Satyr may have worn armor but it didn't wear much protection around the crotch aside from a loincloth and a belt with what appeared to be the skull of a small child. The tip of it's penis was even sticking out from underneath the cloth. The sight disgusted her but it also showed her a weakness she can exploit.
Glaring into the eyes of the armored up Satyr, A'isha bared her teeth in a mischievous grin before kicking the Beastman right between the legs with as much force as she can muster. The result was immediate and the Satyr dropped it's weapon before falling to the ground and clutching it's groin in pain. Still. The Beastman reached a hand towards the handle of it's greatsword but A'isha brought her boot down and crushed it's hand before bringing her saber down and cut off it's hand from the rest of it's body. Causing the Satyr to scream in pain.
A'isha let out a small laugh before deciding to end it's pitiful existence. She stood up and took out her last javelin before holding it with the tip facing down. The Sarranian hovered the javelin over the Satyr's head before unceremoniously slamming it down and burying the weapon into it's eye. She brought her boot down on the Satyr's chedt before removing her javelin from the corpse then proceeded to engage another Discordian.
Unbeknownst to the Sarranid, she had just ended the life of Chief Murzaog of the Beastmen. Even so, the death of their chief didn't break the Beastmen for two reasons. One, they had seen how their supposed chief had become lax from fucking the late Count of Vallonton's wife to oblivion and treating itself to the castle's food stores. Two, they didn't even notice that their chief was dead. They were too busy fighting the soldiers to give it much thought.
Meanwhile, Oleg and his remaining Sword Companions were holding their own against the Orcs and Beastmen but even the Vaegir could see that his men were growing tired. The greenskins, however, were barely winded. Their lust for battle alone was fueling them but upon catching sight of the scantily clad Dawn Templars, their lust added more fuel to the fire.
Oleg roared as he swung his War Axe and buried the axe head in an Orc's thick neck before stabbing the greenskin through the heart. Rather than use his shield, the Vaegir had forgone said shield for his War Axe and Sword Reaver Saber. Oleg removed his weapons from the Orc and raised his saber to the left to block an attack from a Boarman before swinging his axe up into it's jaw and splitting it in two. He then swung his saber in a wide arc and cut the Beastman's head clean off.
The Vaegir heard a roar behind him and turned around to face a Lesser Minotaur only for a javelin to spear the Beastman through the heart. Oleg looked over his shoulder and saw A'isha approach.
"You're getting sloppy, old man."
Oleg grunted before suddenly throwing his saber at the Sarranid but the blade flew past her head and struck the Satyr that was sneaking up behind her. She quickly turned around only to see the Beastman breathe it's last breath before turning back to Oleg who was smirking smugly behind his helmet.
"I'm not that old yet, girl."
The two were interrupted when an Orc with wielding a large cleaver stepped in between them and roared. They prepared to face off against the greenskin but they didn't have to as a lance impaled it through the side of the head before the owner of said lance stopped their mount in front of them. The moment they saw the rider's armor they immediately recognized who it was.
Isolla looked down at the two from the top of her mount and threw her broken lance to the ground.
"Are you two just going to stand there? We have a battle to- "
"BHALTAIR!! AHAHAHAHA!"
The Swadian was cut off as Bhaltair ran past them and cleaved a Pigman in two. He then smashed the pommel of his greatsword on the face of a Satyr before swinging his blade high in a wide arc and beheaded the Beastman.
"BHALTAIR!!"
The Rhodok screamed at the top of his lungs before switching to a reverse grip and impaled the Orc running up behind him. He wrenched his weapon free and switched back to a normal grip before turning around and slicing open the greenskin's chest. Spraying black blood all over the Rhodok's armor.
"BHALTAIR!!" Bhaltair roared as he spread out his arms and stuck out his tongue.
Meanwhile, Captain Kavri Bloodwave sliced off the head of a kneeling Orc with her dual cutlasses then turned to the right to slice the back of another Orc's foot which caused them to drop to one knee before the Half-Orc Privateer smashed her knee into the kneeling Orc's face. Sending it to the ground before she ended it's life with a stab to the heart and throat.
The Half-Orc Privateer was covered from head-to-toe with Orc, Beastmen and Dark Elf blood. When the Discordians breached the gate once more, Kavri wasted no time in throwing herself into the fray just to get a chance to face off and kill the Orc Chief Gorim Skullcrusher. Her blades were coated with the blood of her enemies and her lust for battle cries for more bloodshed but she knew that no matter how many Orcs she has slain, she will only feel satisfaction if she kills Gorim Skullcrusher herself. Considering he was a big Orc, she had thought he would be easier to find but there were so many greenskins that she can barely see over their heads. But she didn't let that stop her from her mission.
What did stop her, however, were the two poisoned arrows in her abdomen. She had been shot by a Dark Ranger minutes prior but first thought those were regular arrows. Now that the effects of the poison were kicking in and had weakened her severely, she realized she was wrong and it might just cost her her vengeance.
Kavri fell on one knee and she noticed that her vision was slowly narrowing. The only reason she hadn't dropped dead yet was her bloodlust. It kept her going but she knew she needed to see a healer soon or else she'd lose her chance to kill Gorim. With no other choice, the Half-Orc retreated from the battle with the help of her crew. Though once the poison was out of her system, she was running back to the fight.
Far from the Privateers, Duke Arnoult fell to his back and tried to sit up only to cease immediately as he felt a sharp pain from his wounds. He glared at the Dreadknight he had been battling and reached for his sword but stopped when an arrow almost hit his hand. The Duke of Calvet turned his gaze to the Dark Ranger accompanying the Dreadknight and saw the unconscious form of Knight-Commander Marjorie.
"The Duke of Calvet." The Dreadknight spoke up "Heh. If it were up to my Dark Rangers, your body would be nothing more than a pin cushion for their arrows. If it were up to my Dreadknights, your limbs would be tied to their horses and ripped from your torso. Lucky for you, you're worth more alive to the Dark Queen than dead."
"And why's that, wench?" Arnoult snarked.
"She would make an example out of you. You and the Duchess of Lavaud. If the Orcs and Beastmen hadn't broken her yet that is. The greenskins had been itching for something to kill and fuck for days. I'm sure they would be very happy to fuck the brains out of those Templars and the Duchess if they're lucky."
"Are you that confident in your victory?"
The Dreadknight smiled maliciously at the Duke and kicked him down before resting her foot on his chestplate and holding her blade at his throat.
"I am."
Arnoult bared his teeth and spat at her boot in a show of defiance.
"I look forward to seeing you walk to the guillotine in chains, knife ear. Lucky for you, I am a merciful man will grant you and your Dark Elves a swift and painless death."
"Tough words from someone who can't even fight."
Without waiting for him to retort, the Dreadknight kicked the side of the Duke's head and knocked him out. Satisfied, Agenilda turned to the Dark Ranger Captain with a grin on her face.
"Victory is ours." She pointed her sword at the unconscious Templar Knight-Commander "Cut off her head and show it to the Templars. That will break their spirit."
"As you wish, comma- "
The Dark Ranger cut herself off as she and her commander's ears twitched upon hearing a loud horn in the distance. Their eyes widened as they knew what horn created that sound. It wasn't a Discordian horn. No. It was an Eostian horn. That only meant one thing.
(Line Break)
The sound of thundering hooves drowned out the battle cries of the Knights as they crashed into the Discordian encampment. The encampment's token force assigned to protect it tried to mount a defensive but they were outnumbered. The Knights cut down any that stood in their path. Killing many Dark Elves and Beastmen. The Marshal of Ken and his cavalry, however, didn't stop to kill everyone in the encampment and instead rallied his riders before charging towards the rear flank of the Discordian army. The horn sounding the charge as well as their arrival in the battlefield.
The defenders on the battlements saw the arrival of reinforcements and their morale flew sky high. They started fighting with renewed vigor which would soon be shared by the defenders at the breach. The Marshal's cavalry eventually slammed into the rear ranks of the Discordians and continued to charge until they lost their momentum. Lances break, shields splintered and bodies fell to the ground dead.
With a single order from the Marshal, the cavlary pulled back a couple hundred meters before charging into the enemy's ranks again. They repeated this action to avoid engaging in a prolonged battle with the greenskins as well as divide the enemy's attention between them and those defending the town.
While the cavalry focused on taking back the city, the Marshal's infantry finally arrived and quickly entered the Discordian encampment. The professional soldiers and some of the levies ans mercenaries marched to support the Marshal and his cavalry and join them in the fight but the majority of them took to looting the encampment. The more vile of the sellswords and levies took to raping the recovering wounded Dark Elves away. Their screams and pleas were ignored by their violators.
Such actions would disgust the Marshal of Ken had he known and he would not hesitate to put these men to the sword for what they've done but as of this moment, Geoffrey de Montaufort was busy fighting the Discordians and none of his soldiers and Knights were aware of the fell deeds that were transpiring in the encampment.
A Knight was grabbed from his mount and was thrown to the ground by an Orc. He backpedalled as the greenskin raised it's hammer to deliver the killing blow only to suddenly spit out blood. It looked down at it's chest and saw a blade sticking out before falling to it's knees. The Knight looked up to see the Marshal remove his longsword from the Orc before riding off to kill more Orcs, Beastmen and Dark Elves.
"Cut them down, men!" Geoffrey yelled. Raising his bloody longsword above his head "For the Goddess and Eostia!"
With the arrival of Eostian reinforcements, the defenders of the town were reinvigorated and started fighting their attackers with a new fervor. The Beastmen saw the battle was lost and many decided to flee from the siege. Leaving behind the Discordians and fled back to Castle Vallonton. Unaware that someone was waiting for them there and they weren't Beastmen.
As for the Dark Elves, Agenilda saw clearly that the tide has turned to the Eostians' favor. As much as she didn't want to admit defeat, she knew there was no hope of salvaging this situation so she ordered her Dark Elves to retreat before they were surrounded. She also ordered one of her Dreadknights to take the unconscious Duke but before they could get close to Arnoult, Batu and his Bow Companions arrived and started pelting them with arrows. The Khergit himself was on horseback and quickly grabbed the Duke of Calvet before fleeing to regroup with the rest of the Shield Companions.
The Dreadknight Commander was furious at the loss of their prize but she told her Dreadknights not to give chase and simply sound the retreat. She and her Dreadknights spearheaded a charge out of Besanvin and carved a path for the Dark Elves to retreat. Leaving behind the Orcs who refused to retreat or surrender.
The concept of retreat or surrender was viewed as a weakness in their society. Despite being outnumbered, the greenskins didn't cower. Instead, it increased their bloodlust tenfold and continued to fight the Eostians. Killing many of the town's defenders as well as the new arrivals. Even so, the Orcs were eventually overrun and was given no quarter. Only one Orc remained and it was none other than Chief Gorim Skullcrusher.
Facing off against the Orc Chief was Kavri. Still feeling the effects of the poison but to a lesser degree than before. She was advised by the healer to rest but upon hearing that the Maréchal de Ken had arrived and the Dark Elves and Beastmen had fled, she knew that only the Orcs would remain. That meant she can finally face Gorim and end the greenskin's pitiful existence once and for all.
"You'ze one a my own, aren't ya?" Gorim growled.
Kavri didn't speak. Instead she settled for glaring at the Orc Chief.
"Heh. Fine den. Show yer popz wot yer made of."
That got a reaction from the Half-Orc who bared her teeth and ran towards the Orc Chief with her blades drawn. Said Orc let out a guttural laugh before swinging his massive cleaver at Kavri who dropped to her knees and slid underneath the blade before cutting at his outstretched arm. The Half-Orc, still on her knees, then switched to a reverse grip before stabbing Gorim in the back of the leg. She got back to her feet and sent two quick strikes at the Orc Chief's back only to get thrown back as Gorim kicked his other leg back. He turned around and roared at her before charging towards Kavri who managed to recover from the kick and quickly rolled out of the way. Causing Gorim to smash into the side of a building.
Seeing the Orc Chief was dazed, Kavri quickly closed in on the opening presented to her and ran towards the Orc Chief before using Gorim's knee as a boost and smashed her knee into Gorim's jaw. The greenskin staggered back but quickly retaliated with a strong punch that sent the Half-Orc flying. Kavri landed on the ground and rolled a couple of feet before growling in anger as she glared at the slowly recovering Orc Chief who spat blood on the ground and returned her glare with his own.
To the side, Oleg watched the fight with interest. Seeing the Half-Orc Privateer fight like this even though she was still recovering from the poison made him consider extending an offer for her to join the Shield Companions but he put away such thoughts as he knew the Half-Orc already had a crew. Still. This does give him an idea and he would ask anyone in the company if they knew any Half-Orcs that were looking for mercenary work. If they are like Kavri then they would make a fine asset to the company. Plus, it would help replenish the mercenaries they lost in this job. But he won't do that just yet. He has to run it by Baldur first. He is still the Mercenary Lord of the Shield Companions after all.
Back to the fight, Kavri was back on her feet but was sweating profusely. All this fighting wasn't exactly making it easier for her body to recover the poison and she was starting to feel it's strain on her. Even so, she wasn't about to give up now. Not when she was this close. She had to end this now.
Baring her teeth, the Half-Orc made the first move and ran towards the Orc Chief who roared and ran to meet her charge with his own. He brought down his weapon in an attempt to bisect Kavri but the Half-Orc rolled out of the way before slicing at his wrist. Her serrated cutlass cutting deep into Gorim's skin and leaving behind a gaping cut that bled profusely. She then ducked underneath the fist he sent her way and swiped her blades at his abdomen. Cutting it open before cutting the back of his leg to and forcing him to kneel by kicking the wound.
Once he was down, Kavri buried her blades into his shoulders. Eliciting a loud roar from the Orc Chief. The Half-Orc reached into her back and pulled out a small knife. The same one her mother used to escape Gorim and his clan. She positioned herself in front of him and forced him to look at her in the eye.
No words passed between them before Kavri slit open Gorim's throat with the knife then buried it in his eye socket. The Half-Orc watched as life slowly left the Orc Chief. Once his body stilled and remained unmoving for a minute, Kavri turned to walk away only to fall face first into the ground after four steps.
With Gorim dead, the Eostians claim this battle a victory. While everybody else celebrated, Oleg and the Shield Companions began looking for their dead to send back to Félagborg where they would be buried. As they rounded up the bodies of their fallen, Oleg looked out the broken gate and into the horizon. Seeing the sun rise in the distance. Looking at the sunrise, the Vaegir wondered if he should send a raven informing Baldur of what happened and that he should expect the remaining Beastmen to arrive in Castle Vallonton soon.
Oleg shook his head. Knowing that one way or the other, Baldur and his company would slaughter the remaining Beastmen but just in case.
"Isolla." He called out to the Swadian "Take the company's cavalry and chase after the Beastmen. No doubt they are running back to Castle Vallonton and would meet Baldur instead of their fellow beasts. Follow them and inform Baldur of what happened here once they're through with them."
(Line Break)
By the time the remainder of the Beastmen arrived in Castle Vallonton, it was late in the afternoon and they were dead tired. Seeing as they were being chased by a number of armored horsemen who would no doubt cut them down if they were caught, the Beastmen refused to stop nor rest. They hoped that by reaching Castle Vallonton in time, they would be safe behind it's walls. Unfortunately for them, they were about to be proven wrong as the portcullis was raised and instead of meeting their fellow beasts, they were met by Baldur and Isabelle. Their company of mercenaries and knights standing behind them.
Baldur stared impassively at the Beastmen. Noticing their bloodied and tired state before letting out a grunt. Seeing no challenge in them, the Nord looked over his shoulder at Erik and gave the Steelbreakers Captain a nod.
The Feohmand mercenary suddenly spread out his arms and bellowed a deep war cry before he and his fellow Steelbreakers sprinted past Baldur and Isabelle and made a beeline towards the Beastmen. Putting away their shields and taking out their axes. Howling war cries as they closed the distance.
Isabelle, meanwhile, looked to her Knights and raised a delicate brow.
"Well? What are you standing around for? Are you just gonna let them have all the fun?"
Each of the Knights shared a look with their companions before taking out their weapons and began a mad dash towards the fighting. Some saw killing Beastmen as justice for the horrors they inflicted upon the inhabitants of the County of Vallonton. Others simply wanted to kill Beastmen for the sole reason that they were Beastmen. The rest, however, simply didn't want to miss out on the fighting.
Baldur and Isabelle remained by the entrance and watched as their company began slaughtering the Beastmen. Neither felt even a hint of pity at the dying screams of the beasts as they were mercilessly cut down by the Knights and Steelbreakers. When the last of the Beastmen were finally slain, the County of Vallonton was finally free from the Beastmen and so ends the Duke of Calvet's campaign in the county.
To the Shields Companions, it wasn't over just yet. After all, their contract with the Duke of Calvet states that the job isn't over until they get back to the Duchy of Calvet and the Duke pays them their due. Be it with gold, castles, land or titles, they care not as long as they get paid. That's all that matters.
AN: Well that about wraps up the Vallonton arc. Next chapter would probably have little fighting and more of spending their reward money on improving the company.