It was 10 minutes before the Phoenix Brigade would mobilize. Everyone made final preparations by checking their weapons, armor, and gear. They told each other about how fighting this war would give them all the wealth and fame they could ever dream of. Some laughed while others remained silent. The ones who didn't smile were veterans and knew the true concept of war. They knew the crusade they were about to embark on would be long and difficult.
Suddenly, everyone hushed and stood at attention as Commander Dillon stepped forward, "My fellow soldiers, you have all done an excellent job with your training. Now, it's time to put that to the test. In less than 5 minutes, we are about to launch the greatest military campaign in history. I have full confidence that you'll meet our highest expectations and achieve ultimate victory!"
The infantry columns cheered in response raising their fists and weapons in the air.
Dillon continued, "Now is the time, gentlemen! Fortune and glory await you beyond these forests. Go forth and claim it!"
The company cheered even louder. Moments later, they assembled into formation and proceeded to march away from the Dark Forests.
Back at the Breakfast Kingdom, one of the local guards was observing the landscape with a set of binoculars from the city walls. He noticed the morning sky seemed a bit brighter across the distant horizon. After taking a closer look, he realized there was an army of fire elementals approaching. "Weird," he thought. "I don't remember anything about the Fire Kingdom visiting today." He pulled out his communicator, "Control, do we any recent reports about the Fire Kingdom sending troops here?"
"Standby... Uh, negative. We have no notifications regarding any military presence sent by the Fire Kingdom. Any reason?"
"I spotted a large group of fire elementals approaching the west gate. There are probably hundreds of thousands of them, maybe more."
"Roger that, we're contacting Breakfast Princess about the situation. Standby for further orders."
"10-4, over and... wait a minute. I see something bright approaching..." Seconds after he said that, the bright object collided at his location, resulting in an explosion that killed him instantly.
After the explosion, alarms blared throughout the entire Breakfast Kingdom. There was an intercom alerting the citizens, "Attention, the Breakfast Kingdom is under attack. Please seek shelter or proceed to your nearest military outpost. This is not a drill. I repeat this is not a drill!"
Everyone trampled over each other to get their designated areas. During the panic, windows shattered, wagons tipped over, and litter scattered the streets. Breakfast Kingdom troops on the other hand, assembled defensive positions at the west gate. Archers and catapults gathered at the wall and waited until the enemy was within range.
Flame King and his army stood a safe distance from the killzone. He looked at his men with concern as some of them showed mixed feelings of anxiety, fear, and determination. Finally, he said, "Do not be afraid. Your brothers in arms will stand by you all the way. Work together as one unit and we'll have this kingdom before lunch."
The crowd cheered from the morale.
FK waited for a few moments until he yelled, "Charge!"
The Phoenix Brigade gave out one massive battle cry as they advanced towards the wall. Some died from the archers, while others were killed from the catapults. The defenders actually thought for a moment their job would be easy. Sadly, their hopes were shattered as several explosives detonated a significant portion of the city wall. Dozens of defenders were lost instantly.
Moments later, the attackers breached through the 50 feet wide opening and began clashing swords against the resistance. However, the defending catapults were still operational and continued to barrage the enemy. Flame King noticed this as he looked through his telescope, "We may have breached the outer wall, but those catapults will cut off our reinforcements before we can even get a chance at a swift victory." He looked over to his right hand man, "Ramirez, take your team and destroy those catapult units. I'll send the rest of the men as soon as you get that done. Go!"
He gave a quick nod and gathered a squad of 14 elite soldiers known as the Crimson Gauntlet. Unlike the others, these men were special forces trained in multiple skills ranging from swords, archery, and alchemy. They grabbed their gear and rushed past the main force. As they advanced, helmets and limbs flew in the air from their fallen comrades.
"Major Benedict, our catapult units have cut off the invader's reinforcements. We have managed to halt their advance," a breakfast knight reported.
"Good work, keep up the pressure. We need to maintain cover for our fire support long enough to reinforce the west gate." About 20 minutes later, the catapults began firing at a slower rate. Noticing this, Benedict shouted at his communicator, "Guys, we NEED to keep up the pressure! It'll be open season for us if we stop! Hello?! Does anyone read?"
As Benedict fiddled with his communicator, Ramirez snuck up behind and impaled him through the chest with his sword. Then, Ramirez pulled out a detonator and blew up the rest of the catapult emplacements. The rest of his unit regrouped with him seconds later.
Flame King called him through his communicator, "Good work, Ramirez. The enemy is pulling back. Now, proceed to phase 2. You know what to do."
The leader of the Crimson Gauntlet nodded his head in acknowledgement then motioned his team to follow. Seconds later, they vanished into the chaos following their next objective.
Breakfast forces were in disarray. Without their support, they had no choice but to retreat further into the city. Homes and settlements were blown apart and set ablaze as Flame King's catapult units advanced closer to the palace. No mercy was shown from the Phoenix Brigade as they slew soldiers and civilians alike.
Over at one of the main streets, breakfast archers used a fire and retreat tactic to regroup near the palace. Once they made it, they assembled a makeshift barricade using sandbags, wagons, and furniture. Then they took defensive positions and checked their weapons and gear.
"Sarge, do we have any backup," asked one of the breakfast knights.
He tried using his communicator but to no avail, "It's no use, I can't get ahold of Command. All units are currently engaging the enemy. We're on our own." The leader observed his unit for a long time. Many of the men had solemn expressions while others had looks of desperation. Finally, the sergeant replied, "We're going to finish this fight until we run out of arrows, swords, spears... knights. Are you with me?" He shouted at the last part.
"Sir, yes sir!" His men shouted collectively.
Now that they were boosted with morale, the defenders waited in anticipation as the Phoenix Brigade approached their location. Once they were visible, the defenders held their fire until they were in range. Then, a volley of arrows were shot behind the barricade while the attackers retaliated with a volley of fire blasts. Shots were exchanged for 10 minutes until the barricade gave out.
"Brace yourselves, men. Our cover's exposed!" The breakfast sergeant motioned his fire teams to line up behind the swordsmen. But just when he and the others prepared themselves, a harrowing sight met all their eyes. The Phoenix Brigade sent in a wave of catapults. The sergeant calmly straightened his helmet, "Gentlemen, it's been an honor serving with you." Moments later, he and the others were consumed in a series of fiery explosions.
Flame King watched as his forces pummeled the remaining defenders, "Great job, everyone. The palace is a home-stretch from here. Fire support teams will tear down their defenses first, then we will strike altogether as a whole and crush the last remnants of resistance. Keep fighting, victory is at hand!"