Chapter 4: The Battle for the Keep.
Tillean looked out at the huge crowd. "Damn, lotsa' people out here…" He whispered to himself. Tilliean lifted his arms in the air, the crowd in an uproar. He shouted to the crowd, "Hey…SHUT THE HELL UP!" The crowd looked at him, and they fell completely silent. He continued, "Thank you…listen up ladies. Rihan just took a few of ya' and ran off to the castle. She planed to come out of the gates and take the orcs by surprise, but she needs a distraction for it. That's where us maggots come in. We are supposed to come out of those gates, and rush the orcs. When we rush them, Rihan and the others will come out of the castle, along with some of the Royal Knights. Now to tell you the truth, I don't give an Orc's ass what Rihan does, I just say we give our best and give those orcish sum'a'bitches a rash of shit! Wadda yah say!"
The army of men all started to shout, "YEAH, GIVE IT TO 'EM!"
Tillean shouted back, "We go when I get the word…is that clear!"
The men all shout back, "SIR!"
Meanwhile, in the sewers, "Okay, we've walked from the port to just about…under the castle. We must be about 5 meters from the castle entrance. Only bad news Miss. Rihan, I haven't heard any noise coming from the north since we've been here. If the guards were defending the keep we would be able to hear orders and battle sounds, shouts and the like. I fear they took the keep maam." Said one of the nearby guards.
"Hmm…I see yourrr point. If we come to the entrrrance to the keep, the surre firrre way to find out if orcs took the palace is, well…orcs surrrrrounding the area. If they arrren't therrre, then we arrre fine." Rihan answered.
The soldier nodded to her. He looked back into the crowd of the rest of the soldiers. He barked, "All right people! I need 3 rouges to get up to the castle area and scout it out. If your not back in five minutes, we assume the worst."
Three thieves stepped forward and ran off down the tunnel. Approximately 5 minutes passed when only one returned, and his eyes were wide. He looked at Rihan and said, "It's a massacre up there. Guards were all lying around dead, and orcs got the front two guys. I think they might ha…" He stopped abruptly, and collapsed onto the ground. An axe stuck out of the back of his head, and behind him, orcs were running towards the crowd.
"YOU BASTARRRDS!" Rihan screamed, and lept into the air and towards the orcs, landing her scimitar into one of the orcs chests, and the kukri across another orcs throat. As she stood there fighting, all of the other warriors ran forward, and the rangers began shooting. A bullet whizzed by Rihans head, and hit an orc behind her.
"Alright, surround 'em and then we take back our damn castle!" Shouted a paladin.
"Rrright! Hit it to 'em!" Rihan interjected.
The other soldiers began to shout and charged. Rihan looked over to one of the ninjas.
"What's you'rrre name?" she asked.
He looked up and answered, "Call me Dannus."
"Alrrright, get yourrr ass down to Tillean and tell him to starrrt the attack. Then follow him. Underrrstood?" Rihan told him.
"Yes maam!" He answered back, and ran off.
"INTO THE KEEP NOW! LETS KILL US SOME ORRRCS!" Rihan turned around and shouted.
The men finished off the orcs by the entrance and they ran into the keep, to see the body of guards strewn around and blood splattered on the wall. The orcs were nowhere in sight. Rihan motioned to them to advance forward, but throughout the whole castle it was the same thing. General Currila was lying in a corner, dead, along with Prince Pieuje. The soldiers looked at the two and Rihan said, "Damnit…We can't stop now, keep going!"
The soldiers nodded and ran along. Rahal and Prince Trion both were dead on the ground. Then they got to the royal chambers, and 3 orcs were standing in there. One orc was a lot larger than the others, and he held a nasty looking axe. The other two were small and held bows. Behind the orcs laid King Destin, dead, his royal garments removed, and his corpse desecrated. Rihan looked at the large orc and said, "I have lost too many frrriends to you…its time forrr you to die!" She looked at the paladin, "Get the rrrest out of herrre…Starrrt the attack plan. Ill take carrre of this bastarrrd!" The paladin nods and the men all run off.
Tillean looks across the field at his troops as the ninja finishes his explanation and walks into the formation of soldiers in front of the Auction House. Tillean looks around then begins pacing and shouts, "ALRIGHT! Warriors up front, mages in the back. Its time to show these orc bastards what we're made of! Wadda yah say men!"
The soldiers reply with a, "HOOO!" and they get into formation, spears up front, and march through the door into Northern San d'Oria. The orcs look at the huge crowd of men walking out of the Port, and yell something in Orcish to each other. The orcs begin to form a line and bring troops from deeper within the city. Tilliean looks at the front line of his formation and motions to get a left and right flank set up. He looks back at his mages, and archers and shouts, "READY! TAKE AIM! FIRE!"
A volley of arrows flies through the air, as black mages begin chanting. The arrows hit the front line of orcs as the mages finish their casting. The earth under a large portion of the orcs begins to shake and rattle, and then collapse into the water, obliterating half of the orcs. More orcs rush to the front to back up their comrades. The archers fire out almost 6 more volleys as the warriors advance. Tilliean shouts, "Archers draw your swords! Everyone CHARGE!"
Everyone except for the mages clash with the orcs, and a melee insues. Bodies begin to pile up on both sides. White mages behind Tillean begin to cast strong healing spells, aiding in the fight. At this time, the battle is a stalemate.
Rihan stood before the orc when it began to speak. "Hahaha, foolish girl. I am Warchief Vatgit, leader of the orcs, and there is no chance in hell you could defeat me. Fah, I doubt you could defeat my guards!"
Vatgit looks next to him, and sees his guards not moving. They suddenly fall down, holes in them where Rihan had shot them with her bow. Rihan had hit them so hard, that the arrows penetrated their bodies, and the arrows lay lodged into the stone wall behind them. Vatgit looks at Rihan, watching her closely as she puts her bow away and draws her sword and dagger. "What on Vana'diel was that?" Vatgit responded in suprize.
Rihan looked at him, rage in her eyes, and said, "Drrraw yourrr axe. Its time to eliminate you frrrom this land!"
Vatgit pulled his axe as Rihan leapt into the air, and came down on Vatgit with all her might. He deflected the shot, and came back at her, and she dodged it. They exchanged hits, until Vatgit caught Rihan in the shoulder. "AAAHH…" she screamed. Rihan's eyes shot open in pain, the deep cut in her shoulder bled profusely. She fell to the ground, looking up at Vatgit. He stood over her with his axe raised.
"Insolent fool! I will strike you down where you sta…" Vatgit stopped talking, as blood dribbled from his mouth. Rihan had stuck her sword and dagger into his stomach, and punctured his lung. Vatgit looked down, opened his mouth to say something, and then collapsed. Rihan stood up, and limped out of the room, and into the courtyard, entering Northern San d'Oria.
The paladin looked back at the other troops with him. Everyone looked back at the castle, and hoped that Rihan would make it. The paladin opened his mouth and whispered. "Listen people, Lets go get those orcs, it looks like they all ran that way." He pointed to the port. "Tilliean must've attacked 'em from the front, lets go now and hit them from behind. Gunners and marksmen, set yourself up on the bridge with the mages, and start firing on them. The rest of you follow me and we will attack them from behind. They wont see what hit 'em. LETS MOVE!" The men nodded and then ran into position.
The gunners began to fire, hitting their marks, as the black mages set flame to a large contraption wheeling into the main area of the battlefield. Orcs flew all over the place, running in circles in confusion. The paladin and his men ran into the orcs left flank, as Tilliean and his troops took them up from the front. The orcs troops were decimated in ten minutes.
Tillean shouted, "Casualty report!"
Another soldier walked up to him, "We lost no archers or mages, 20 warriors were taken down though, sir."
"Alright, get the injured to the infirmary ASAP."
"Sir!" The soldier saluted.
Tilliean sat and thought to himself, "Rihan's no where to be found…if she got killed…"
He continued to think to himself. "Damn it all, I'm falling for her…"
Rihan walked out into the street, orc bodies littered the area. She smiled to herself, realizing that the mission was a success. Soldiers roamed around, heading to guard the Ronfaure, and Southern San d'Oria gates. She hobbled towards where the proposed battlefield was, seeing the carnage; the orcs were decimated. Blood ran down her arm, dripping onto the ground, when she collapsed.
"H-help me…Please…" She said, fainting. All Rihan could remember after that was Tilliean coming to her side.