"Get behind the walls! Put up the shields! Recover whatever arrows are still usable from their volleys!"
Rurik's commands were forceful, the urgency in his voice clearly apparent. Foot soldiers ran to the wall as the civilians took shelter behind anything that would keep an arrow out of their backs. At the wall, a line of shields aimed at the sky was formed, archers firing arrows from its protective umbrella. Tasari, Hikari, Videl and the others were protecting the Rune Circle inscribed into the ground.
These better work. "Arm the ballistae! Aim at the longest lines you can, we only have so many shots!" It was awkward to many of them, as they had never armed such a weapon before, having usually depended on trebuchets and standard catapults. It was no wonder either, the ballista was much less effective in bringing down walls or smashing soldiers, but given what they had to work with, there wasn't much choice. Another volley of arrows bounced harmless off the shields, or veering away from the circle of mages as Tasari and the others cast their protective wards.
"Fire!" The ballistae rolled up to the wall and fired their first volley at the advancing Charr. Those in the front line looked up, puzzled, hearing a sharp whistling sound. A sharp roar erupted from the Charr, followed by many more. Kotetsu peeked over the wall, seeing several lines of freshly dead Charr, the last of each line with one of the ballista's giant arrows sticking out of it. Ten lines, around five to seven dead in each. The waves of Charr pressed on relentlessly, numbers undaunted.
But it was enough. Prince Rurik shouted the command. "Cast the ritual!"
Felicia walked to the middle of the rune circle they had worked so hard to create and preserve, taking her dagger and leaving small cuts in her arms. Arrows veered around the area, the watchful sisters ever vigilant in their part of the plan.
"Shields Up!" Rurik's command came forcefully, as the soldiers raised their shields against the incoming volley. Hikari threw her hands up. "Magnetic Aura!" The volley smashed into the ground again uselessly, leaving what seemed to be a perfect circle of arrows. Rurik took an arrow to the shoulder. He growled. "Hurry up!"
Felicia's blood fell as she covered the rune circle in it, and than it began to take on a life of its own. Raising from the ground, it began to contort and move, the effort showing its strain on her young face. Korah dashed forward, watching the sky for any sign of arrows. When she was next to the circle she started chanting. A simple enchantment, to allow Felicia to channel energy through the Ether Field more easily, easing the strain on the young Necromancer.
"Re-arm the ballista! Fire again!" Ondaron rushed forward. "Prince Rurik, a good portion of their archers is standing over an oil trap we placed. It won't do too much damage over all, but it will disrupt them for a short while." He nodded to the weary hunter. "Make it so."
"Kotetsu! Light an arrow and fire it where that group of archers is."
Kotetsu gazed somberly. He nocked the arrow and lit it, judging the wind. He frowned. No reassuring wind to guide or hinder his shot, nothing to judge it against, nothing to judge it to, nothing to adjust for, rather than adjust to. He pulled the arrow back, taking one last second to aim, and let it fly. To the Charr it must have been an odd sight, before any realization set in. One, single, flaming arrow launched into a sea of warriors; surely the humans had gone mad.
Though just because one may be mad, didn't mean they were stupid, as the Charr soon realized. A fire spread rapidly through their middle ranks over a gathering of their archers. Sharp howls and cries could be heard as they took it in and responded.
Korah felt a snap. She turned to Tasari and Hikari and realized they had felt it too. "Kotetsu!" Even as they cried out, it was too late. The soldiers gazed up as they heard a roar from the sky, only to see a shower of rocks coming down at them. It was beautiful, in a way, a sort of rain of stars from the heavens. The vibration of Ether flowed from them, dominating the field as Korah watched, horrified, but the snap she felt coming from the shower was little to what came so suddenly.
A wave of power shook out from behind her, lashing out at rocks and slapping nearly all of them away, the others landing harmlessly in front of the gate. Korah could hear Minshana's voice, that young innocence overflowing with a sense of awe. "Felicia? What did you do?"
Felicia didn't respond. She seemed different, nearly everyone noticed it. Her eyes had gone from their hazel color to a deep white, her scar was glowing red, and her skin had gone from a healthy tint to near-death paleness. Naomi was shocked beyond words, staring at her, wondering what had become of her Felicia.
"Arrows!" "Swirling Aura!" Tasari's voice rang sharply, bringing them out of their trance as they continued the battle. The archers leaned over the wall to fire a volley, only to be greeted by the Charr's own mages. Kotetsu's eyes widen as he saw them finish chanting. The wall was bombarded with fire, knocking many of them backwards and to the ground, the clerics running forward to treat them.
The ballistae fired again and again, and volley after volley of arrows and fire was exchanged before the day ended, both sides retreating into relative safety in their camps.
In the infirmary tent, the clerics worked tirelessly, healing the wounded and attempting to rebind the dead. Prince Rurik walked down the lines of injured and dead, holding his helmet at his side in reverence. "How many did we lose?"
A weary cleric turned, eyes blood shot. "Nearly one hundred, my prince. The rest are just injured, but will pull through." She turned back to a blood-soaked soldier, chanting and knitting together his wounds.
"You ok?" Eleanor kneeled down next to Regalia, who was cursing something awful. She nodded. "I'll live. I can't say it's pleasant having several arrows sticking out of me, but I was lucky, huh? Hey, Boss? What's up with Felicia?"
Eleanor sighed. "It's a ritual, from the school of Necromancy. It's been known as the first step to driving the practitioners of the dark arts mad, as they quest to become a Lich." Naomi sat down abruptly next to her. "A Lich?" Eleanor nodded. "There are several rituals that must be accomplished. Felicia just did the first. It's known as the ritual Expergiscor Cruor, or Awaken the Blood, in common terms. It's taxing, sometimes even fatal, but the powers it grants are incredible. It consists of sacrificing a large amount of the casters blood to increase the potency of necromancy spells."
Naomi's eyes sank. She got up and sulked off, concern apparent in her face. Eleanor shook her head, sighing in frustration. "Everyone get some rest. It's going to be a long day tomorrow."
The sun rose that day, as did a volley of arrows from the waiting Charr army. The two sides exchanged blows, shedding newly dead and wounded on both sides. Felicia stood in her circle, emotions devoid in her eyes or expression as she sent out dark magic to either counter or kill the Charr forces. The other mages were gathered around, supporting and defending her.
"Prince Rurik! The mages can't take much more of this! They are exhausted of all reserves, we have to get them under cover!" He nodded. "Make it so." The prince seemed resigned, as many of the soldiers did. They had used all of the ballista projectiles the day before, more and more of the soldiers were being injured or killed, and the Charr army, while certainly losing soldiers of their own, was still too strong, too numerous to possibly overcome. Wallace stood next to the young hunter. "Master Oda, what's on your mind?" Kotetsu turned the lumbering knight. "Never thought I'd die to a bunch of dogs who learned to walk, that's for sure." The giant let out a laugh. His' eyes gleamed. "I don't plan on dieing out here, hunter. I got a wife and a child on the way. I've got nothing to gain here, but I certainly have everything to lose. You're the best I've ever seen in a one-on-one fight, but that style does little in a situation like this."
This time it was the hunter who let out a chuckle. "True, most certainly true. I've got a lot to lose too. My wife, my childhood friend, the hunters I've come to know as family…but like you said my style is no good in this kind of battle. So Wallace, what would you have me do?" A ghastly echo responded. "You meet them head on." The two turned to see Felicia, a wicked grin across her face. "Tell Rurik to ready a charge. The time is right."
"A charge? Is she mad? They outnumber us, possibly anywhere from a six to one advantage! We may not live, but I'll be damned if I throw away the lives of my soldiers in a useless charge!" Kotetsu replied in a calm, though obviously worried, tone. "I'm merely delivering a message, Prince Rurik. Wallace is ready, and many of the Vanguard have given their consent as well. They will not sit in here, idling away as we slowly dwindle to nothing."
The Prince paced back and forth. His shoulder was bandaged from the day before, refusing to accept any aid from the clerics until all the soldiers had been tended to. Kotetsu made a mental note on how bad the situation really was: His shoulder would have been well by now if the battle had even been brought to a stalemate. Rurik was not only acting out of a certain love for his soldiers, but also out of tactical experience. He sighed. Kotetsu noted quietly: "We don't have much choice, Prince Rurik." "I know that, hunter. I'll lead the charge."
He walked down the ranks, staring at the soldiers positioned before the gate, the hunters carrying out rituals to change the wind, providing a considerable defense against the Charr archers.
"I remember when Ascalon had flowing plains." The sudden reminiscences startled the soldiers. The prince noted the reaction and continued, his voice firm but quiet. "I remember when streams of water flowed through our land like roads of crystal. I remember when our forests were green, luscious, when in the harvest season they were so overwhelmed with color that no sunset could compare." The soldiers stirred, murmuring agreement, tears coming to some eyes. The morale of the prince seemed to improve. He pressed on, speaking more firmly, forcefully, regaining that which had been taken the day before. "I remember when Ascalon was the most glorious kingdom, when all feared our might, when all would recognize our arts, when all would settle in our lands for hope of a better life!" Kotetsu watched the reaction of the soldiers. That's it! That's what they needed!
A soldier stood. "I remember when my daughter and I would go down to the river and fish for hours!" Another took the floor. "I remember when my husband and I would dance at the waterfalls near Ashford!" Wallace's voice boomed. "I remember the face that little girl had when I gave her a Red Iris of Ascalon!" One by one shouts of remembrance came from the soldiers, drowning out the roar of the Charr and the sound of arrows slamming into the wall.
Rurik's voice came louder, stronger, and forcefully as he spoke again. "And last of all I remember who took this all away from us!" The soldiers roared. "I remember their stench everyday; I remember the foul face they are cursed to carry for their lives!" Cheers came, steel was heard clashing. "So tell me, my fellow Ascalonians, what we are going to do about that!" At this Rurik drew his sword, and charged the gate. Morale skyrocketing, the Vanguard drew their weapons and followed, the gate swinging open as they burst forth. Kotetsu took his blade and followed, Wallace giving him an assuring gesture that he would watch out for the hunter.
Felicia finished her incantation, an evil grin across her face. The Charr bodies that littered the field were neglected as the Charr pushed to claim the city, which now provided the perfect weapon for her to use. It had always been there, ever since the first volley, but she had needed more; and now there was enough to satisfy her plan. "Arise, minions! Walk once more, bring death to my enemies, swiftly and quickly, carry forth and do my bidding!" A green wave emitted from here, washing over the dead bodies of the Charr. She smiled, collapsing onto the ground. Naomi quickly snatched her into her arms, noticing that her skin was slowly turning a healthy pink again.
The Vanguard pressed forward, though many noticed that the rotting carcasses now stood and fought alongside them, Charr Undead against the Charr living. With these unlikely allies bolstering their forces, the Vanguard charged the shaken and battered ranks of the Charr. With a fervor that the beasts had never seen before, the Vanguard rushed through them and crushed them, hammer and sword meeting Charr flesh. It's no wonder. The thought entered Kotetsu's mind as he drove his blade into another Charr. They aren't fighting for pride or survival anymore. They're fighting for home. Eleanor's blade ran through many of the beasts, her despair from earlier days gone as she slaughtered them in fury rather than in defense.
Kotetsu turned to the Vanguard as they walked back into the city, the Charr forces in retreat. No more despair, no more fear. Just strength…and hope.