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Chapter 18: Carnage
Ben looked out over what would soon become the battlefield. The contrast between this day and the battle of Auradon City could almost not be any bigger. That day, which seemed like ages ago but in reality had happened barely a week ago, he had felt hopeful and somewhat confident. The sun had been shining that day, the Auradonian forces had been clad in shining armor and they had been supported by heavy artillery and cavalry. The green fields surrounding the city had been ideal battle grounds, and he and his advisors had spent hours planning out their strategy. Those seemed like long forgotten times, when there was still hope…
Today was a grey and somber day. A slight drizzle had been falling from the dark skies ever since the sun came up. The ground was muddy and uneven. The green fields were now substituted by a dark and foreboding forest. Ben's armor, and that of all the soldiers around him, was dirty and battered.
The Auradonians did not seem like much of an army anyway. The newly established frontline was situated right outside of their camp. There was no point in setting up another point of retreat, since a defeat here would spell absolute and undeniable doom for the Auradon forces. Every possible reserve had been called up from the cities of Corona, which increased their numbers slightly. Still, their army was only about half the size of the one that had been soundly beaten at Auradon City, they were less well-equipped, had no cavalry and only the bare minimum of artillery to fall back on. Opposed to that, the villain army had only grown since that first battle, and Solomon himself had stated that he would be personally leading his forces this time.
They had one ever-so-slight advantage, which was that the villains would be coming for them. That allowed the Auradonians to dig in as much as possible, which would still probably do nothing but maybe delay their defeat by an hour or two at most. There was no ditch and no rows of soldiers defending it. Instead, Ben and his advisors had conceived a different strategy.
The forest where they would make their stand was not just a forest. There were also hills and rock formations found in between the trees. These would service as the premier points for falling back, and Ben hoped that the slippery surfaces of the grass and rocks would make it harder for the villains to penetrate the lines of defense and overwhelm them with their numbers. The little artillery they had left, which mainly consisted of rusted old catapults hauled in from Corona, was positioned to their rear and would help to disperse the groups of enemies that would try to overrun their positions. There was also a small river in front of their defensive line, which would probably deter the undead a little as well, but would also service to give Uma an unlimited supply of water.
Ben stood at the front and center of his army, on the largest hill. Below him, a small barricade of wooden pikes would form the first layer of defense. There were twelve hills and rock formations in total, each with a company of Auradonian spearmen defending them. What remained of the Auradonian infantry was positioned between these formations. Their job was to hold the enemy back and drive them into a funnel, where it would be slightly easier to pick them off.
This would maybe work in theory, but it was somewhat pointless in reality. Ben wouldn't tell his men that, of course, since they needed that last shimmer of hope to cling to.
"They're getting closer." Adam stated from right beside Ben.
Ben quickly peered to his right, where his father was looking into the distance with his hand placed on the hilt of his sword. It was strangely reassuring to have his father right beside him during the battle, though it also filled Ben with dread.
Looking ahead, Ben could see vague shadows moving in between the trees. The undead army, with Solomon at its head, was closing in fast. Ben wondered if Solomon would implement any tactics, or if he would simply overrun them. The Auradonian force was small enough that he could encircle them if he wanted to.
Ben had tried to convey to his soldiers that running or surrendering would be foolish, since Solomon took no prisoners and would undoubtedly catch up with any stragglers quite easily.
"Sound the horn." Ben said in a monotone voice. A few seconds later, a booming sound eminated from behind him, indicating to the Auradon forces that they should take their positions.
The soldiers let out a somewhat shrill and timid war cry as they all raised their shields, unsheathed their swords and stuck out their spears. Behind him, Ben heard the clanking of catapults being readied. He looked back, and saw Carlos running around, personally taking charge of where the catapults would aim.
Each of the VK's and Ben's personal friends had taken it upon themselves to aid in the fighting as much as possible. Jay and Lonnie were to take charge of the hill to Ben's right, and he could hear Lonnie shouting encouragements to the troops all the way from where he was standing. Mal and Evie were on the hill to his left. Mal had suggested this herself, stating that it would be wisest for the two of them not to be together so they could survey more of the battlefield. Her main goal was to find and incapacitate Uma. Two hills to his right, Lancelot and Royce had set up their company. Lancelot had already told Ben that he would personally seek out Solomon to both delay and possibly weaken him.
"If I go down," he had said, "then hopefully someone else will be able to land the finishing blow."
Right below Ben, Chad and the remaining members of the 'righteous sons' were to take charge of the Auradonian infantry. They were aided in this by both CJ and Freddie. Ben was easily able to distinguish CJ's blonde hair in the sea of metal helmets. Freddie had taken Mal and Ben aside before they took their formations and told them that she had managed to calm CJ down a little, but that she would be making it her life's mission to free Archer by whatever means necessary.
Even now, when all hope seemed lost, Ben felt gratitude that he had been allowed to spend his life with all these incredible people. Wherever he looked; left, right, back or down, he saw friends and allies, all of whom he would gladly lay down his life for. That realization sparked something inside him, and he let out a loud, almost growling breath, as he unsheathed his sword and took a step forward.
The undead army was now rapidly approaching. Ben could hear their macabre screams and the sound of their bony feet trampling the forest soil. A few stragglers ran out ahead of the main force, and they were almost at the frontline already.
Ben looked to his left, where he saw Mal also staring in his direction. He green eyes shone brightly, plasters of wet, purple hair clinging to her face. She nodded. "For Auradon!" Ben yelled with as much volume as he could muster, raising his sword above his head.
This cry was repeated by the entire frontline. "For Auradon!" They all yelled as one.
Then the tumult started…
It all played out as some sort of vision for Ben; like he was a ghost controlling his own body while looking on from above. The first ranks of the undead army crashed against the line of Auradonian infantry, who held their ground on the slippery, mossy forest floor. The catapults began firing large boulders over the heads of the fighting parties, which crashed into rows of undead or half-charred trees, making splinters and wooden debris fly around the battlefield. Archers fired arrows, mostly targeting the few members of the opposing army that were still alive. The undead forces were indeed now aided by pirates and other villains who had come from the Isle of the Lost, and Ben heard their cries and insults above all else in the fray.
When the undead finally began clambering up the side of his hill, Ben and his father marched forward and began picking them off with their swords. It started raining more intensely, and soon Ben could barely distinguish the hills to his left and right.
"Keep fighting!" Adam shouted, his deep voice carrying weight and authority, and the soldiers obeyed. The lines held, for now, but this wasn't Ben's main concern.
To his left, he could just about make out two shapes, one purple and one blue, who were still fighting. He wasn't as worried for Mal's safety as he had once been. She had proven herself countless times, and he knew she could take care of herself.
The noise was deafening. The constant ringing of metal clashing with metal sounded loudly, almost ear-piercingly, through the air. The catapults constantly cranked and creaked as they fired huge projectiles through the air. The loudest noise of all was the constant screeching and yelling, not just from the undead, but from all fighting parties.
Auradon soldiers were fighting like lions, which only spurred Ben on more and made him keep going. Within the narrow spaces of their chosen battlefield, the numbers of the undead were less impactful, and they were as of yet unable to break through.
There was one thing that worried Ben though; that the villains had as of yet not played any of their trump cards. Sure, the Auradon force was admirably holding out against a numerically vastly superior force, but their defense had not yet been tested against Archer, Uma or Solomon himself.
It was as if the forces above were listening in on Ben's thoughts, because a loud, sudden cry was heard from further along the battlefield. Looking to his left, Ben peered through the sheets of rain that nearly blinded him.
Along with the screeching of undead and the hollering of alive villains, Ben was just about able to distinguish the sound of rushing water. The river below, which had been a gentle stream before the battle had commenced, came to life. Brown, muddy water blasted through the ranks of the undead, who were hopelessly carried along like pieces of driftwood. Water flooded nearly half the battlefield, which at the moment only seemed to help the Auradonians.
Ben knew what was coming though… And, yes, something rose from the no longer shallow waters of the river. Uma had changed into her giant octopus form, just like she had done at cotillion. Her medallion shone brightly around her neck, and she cackled like a mad witch as she rose up to her full, not unsubstantial height and directed her attention to the hill to Ben's left, where Mal was.
"Mal!" Ben yelled out in desperation as he immediately ran off, jumping off the side of his own fortified hill, right into the fray of battle, trying to make his way to his beloved.
Many Auradon soldiers stared at Uma with open mouths, obviously shocked and scared by what they were seeing. Still, the line held, as the undead horde that had been pounding down on them momentarily halted a little due to Uma's stunt.
"Mal…" Uma spoke in a deep, booming voice, clearly audible to everyone in the vicinity as she directed herself to her purple-haired nemesis. "Let's finish this!"
"Mal!" Ben shouted as loud as he could as he fought his way past friends and foes alike. He had to protect Mal! He had to be beside her!
He never got the chance. Uma raised an enormous hand and sent a thunderous wave right at Mal's position. Ben saw Evie and numerous other soldiers jump in front of Mal to protect her, but they were all hopelessly swept away. The entire hill was cleared out in seconds, but somehow Mal stood uninjured after the barrage. She had managed to somehow shield herself with her magic and now straightened back up. She glared at Uma, her eyes glowing brightly and making her easily distinguishable within the dreary battlefield.
"Uma!" Mal screamed, her shrill voice sharp like a whip. "Just you and me!" She then looked to her side, where her eyes found Ben's. She gave him one tearful nod before whisps of purple smoke started emerging from all around her.
"Mal…" Ben stammered, his voice lost as he simply gazed at the spectacle unfolding before him. Within a few seconds, Mal had been replaced by an enormous, purple dragon, which shrieked with a tremendous fury as it spread its wings and bared its fang-like teeth at Uma. The sea witch's smirk had transformed into a furious grimace. The two magical adversaries simply stared at one another for a second in a stand-off of the ages, but it was Uma who made the first move.
With a cry that carried with it years of pain, anger and animosity, she raised two of her enormous tentacles before slamming them down on Mal's position. Mal, or rather the dragon that she had become, flew up before she could be hit. The trees hindered her movement slightly, but she still advanced on Uma from the air, breathing seething hot fire as she came closer. Uma shielded herself by conjuring up a wall of water, before lashing out with her tentacles again.
"We have to help her!" A voice said from behind Ben.
Looking back, he saw a drenched and totally distraught Evie. "I-I don't know… I don't know what we can do…" Ben answered, panting from exertion and panic.
Before he could make up his mind about anything, something else grabbed his attention. From further back, a gust of black smoke suddenly hit Mal, who started shrieking and flapping her wings in a blind panic.
"It's Solomon!" Evie yelled, drawing her sword as she tried to push herself through the swarm of both Auradonian and undead soldiers in an attempt to help her best friend. "We have to help her!"
"Evie! No!" Ben shouted, following after the blue-haired girl to try and protect her. Together, they cut through numerous undead, aided by other soldiers, and slowly made their way downhill, where Uma had transformed the small river into a roaring whirlpool.
Solomon, who Ben still could not see anywhere, was still firing his smoke spell at Mal from further back. The dragon was clearly effected, and roared and twisted in mid-air to try and free herself from this torment. Uma took advantage, firing blasts of water up into the air and lashing out with her tentacles to hurt and disorientate Mal even more. Ben didn't know what to do!
"Solomon!" A voice boomed out from his right. Looking up, Ben saw Lancelot standing near the edge of his hill, his staff firmly planted on the ground. "You will pay!" He shouted with a level of intensity Ben did not know he possessed. The young sorcerer then raised his staff above his head and began twirling it like a baton, fast enough that it was almost resembling the blades of a helicopter until it actually lifted him off of the ground. Lancelot rose up into the air before swiftly ascending further across the battlefield, where Ben lost sight of him.
A few seconds later, the blast of dark smoke that had been hitting Mal suddenly ceased, indicating that Lancelot had actually succeeded in stopping or at least distracting Solomon enough to halt his dangerous spell.
Freed from Solomon's torments, Mal was able to direct her attention at Uma again. From his position on the ground, Ben was able to see her eyes shine menacingly as she dove down, dodging Uma's raised tentacles, before crashing down onto her nemesis. Uma let out an ear-piercing shriek of pain as the dragon toppled her. She tried to blast Mal with water or use her tentacles to push her off, but the dragon had already managed to tightly grab onto the sea witch with her sharp talons.
With a lot of trouble, Mal slowly rose up again, flapping her leathery wings with a sense of urgency as she still kept a tight hold of Uma's midsection with her claws. Uma protested, now using her enlarged arms as well as her tentacles to try and pry herself loose. Ben could only look on in horror and amazement as Mal shook off Uma's attempts and continued to climb higher and higher. Soon, she and Uma found themselves dozens of feet up in the air, to the point where even the tips of Uma's tentacles no longer made contact with the ground or the surface of the river.
"Face me!" Uma roared, still twisting and turning in Mal's grip.
Mal roared in return, finally rising above the tree line with her wings still putting in every bit of effort to stay airborne. Ben looked up, only loosely holding onto his sword, as Mal then flew off, still tightly clutching onto Uma. He could still hear the flapping of her wings and the sound of Uma's desperate and furious struggling for a few more seconds, but then they were both gone.
"Where did she go?" Evie asked in a panicky tone, her bottom lip trembling.
"Off to fight their personal battle." Ben replied, huffing and puffing. He felt a sense of resolution and bravery. This was what Mal wanted; to bring Uma down. Now it was his job to take down Solomon, and he wasn't gonna let Mal down. "Come on, we've got work to do!"
Aided by Mal's heroics, the Auradonian soldiers had regained some of their spirit and now threw themselves at the enemy to try and push them back. The brittle undead were trampled under the boots of the advancing Auradon soldiers, who lashed out with swords, spears and axes in a bloodthirsty display that would have been terrifying to behold if the stakes hadn't been so dire.
Ben was at the very front, with Evie to his side. He constantly tried to survey the battlefield whenever he wasn't locked in combat. Some undead still tried to clamber up the fortified hills, but the Auradon forces stationed there held their ground. The infantry was slowly advancing from their positions in between the hills. Uma had created a larger stream in the middle of the forest, which was much harder for the enemy to cross than the gentle river had been. The enemy had trouble regrouping. Some undead either sunk in the now deeper water, their rusted armor dragging them down, or were swept away by the now much stronger current. The living villains were much less enthusiastic about blindly laying down their lives, and most of them had grouped together on the other side of the river.
From even further back, Ben was able to distinguish bright, flickering light, which could only possibly be emanating from a magical battle raging between Solomon and Lancelot.
With the enemy unable to regroup until the water that Uma had conjured up would subside, the Auradonians had a chance to really win some ground. Ben saw Jay and Lonnie on his right, both having spurred on their troops to advance and push the enemy back. Adam was shouting orders too from further back, his deep voice echoing through the rainy forest. The undead on their side of the water still hurtled themselves at the Auradon frontline without reprieve, but were doing increasingly little damage. The few living villains that were trapped alongside them soon surrendered, laying down their weapons in the hopes of being spared.
Ben had given his troops precise orders not to show any mercy to their enemy while in combat, but to preferably imprison living enemies who wished to surrender. Even at this final stage of war, where most would have surrendered to desperation, Ben refused to let him and his allies descend to cruelty and injustice.
Within a few minutes, the Auradonian forces managed to successfully clear their side of the river of enemies. Ben slew the final undead himself with a strong swing from his sword. His fellow soldiers cheered, all proudly raising their weapons in the air as they yelled at the enemies that had gathered on the other side.
Ben was panting, sweating and covered in mud. Right across from him, he saw Harry and Harriet Hook, both wearing identical red leather coats and both staring at him with unbridled hatred. The undead army had momentarily stopped trying to cross the river, and most were simply standing there, unmoving.
The Auradonians started yelling obscenities at the villains, spearheaded by Jay. The villains soon responded, with the likes of the Hook siblings responding with equally detestable insults.
Ben soon found himself joined at the edge of the river by his father, Evie, Jay, Lonnie, Freddie and CJ.
"What do we do, son?" Adam asked, his eyes scanning over the other side of the river.
"The water is quickly receding." Lonnie followed up, gesturing at the stream that was indeed rapidly decreasing in size. "We'll have to start fighting again soon…"
"Solomon is still busy…" Jay pointed at the flashes of color that still occasionally emanated from further back, indicating that Lancelot was giving it his all to keep their strongest adversary at bay.
"Where is Mal?" Evie asked in a fearful tone, though she too appeared resolute.
Ben breathed in and out for a few seconds, trying to calm his bewildered mind. "Lance assured me that he would keep Solomon occupied and do whatever he could to weaken him. This is our best ever shot to take him out. We form up on our side of the river, and we attack when the water is shallow enough…"
"We attack!?" Freddie yelped, her eyes wide.
"What do we have to lose?" Ben shrugged. "Father and Jay, you will join me at the head of our forces. Lonnie, CJ and Evie, you take charge of the center… Freddie, you stay behind with Chad and the righteous sons, okay? Tell them to prevent us from being surrounded and to aid in our struggle whenever you can, got it?"
"Got it!" Everyone nodded before they went about their tasks.
Adam and Jay gathered what remained of the Auradonian spearmen and arranged them in a formation meant to break through the lines of villains on the other side. Lonnie and Evie rallied all the available infantry to their position, while CJ stayed quiet. Freddie hurried back to join up with Chad, Aden and Alex, who then started shouting commands at whatever nearby soldier was still able to walk and fight.
Ben felt strangely calm as he looked back at the other side of the river, where the villains were inching forward as the water receded more and more. They did not bother to form ranks or any particular formation, instead seemingly just planning to rush them. The undead army was still not moving.
CJ joined him on his side, looking angry and determined. "I'm going with you. I wanna be at the front."
"Ehm, okay…" Ben nodded. He did not feel the need to refuse this request. If anything, CJ would only increase their chances of making it through.
"I see him…" CJ went on, her gaze locked on the other side.
Ben followed her eyeline, and he saw something that made his breathing halt for a second. There, in between rows of undead, stood Archer. He hadn't changed much from when Ben had last seen him, still with that sickly grey skin and pitch black eyes.
"CJ, focus…" Ben told her. "Don't get reckless…"
"I need to free him." She replied, turning to Ben with a resolute expression. "You are not gonna stand in my way…"
Ben slowly nodded. "I will help you…"
CJ didn't respond, instead taking her position in between the ranks of Auradon soldiers.
"Excuse me… Pardon me… Let me through…" A voice from behind Ben muttered.
Looking back, Ben saw Carlos make his way past rows of soldiers before proudly taking his place beside Evie.
"Carlos, what are you doing here?" Ben asked. "You are supposed to back at the artillery…"
"When you're all diving head-first into battle? Not a chance… And, by the way, you need my help…" He spoke in a proud and confident voice.
"Stay with me…" Evie told him, grabbing a tight hold of his hand.
Carlos smiled, and reassuringly squeezed Evie's hand before turning to Ben. "So, what's the plan?"
"We attack and hopefully manage to overwhelm the enemy forces long enough to take out Solomon…" Ben explained. "This is our only shot… With some, well… With a lot of luck, Mal will win her fight with Uma and join us again… In any case, we'll give it our best shot…"
Carlos and Evie both nodded confidently. Ben saw Lonnie hurry to the frontline for a second to give Jay one passionate kiss before resuming her place back among her line. Adam brandished his sword, shouting commands and reassurances at the soldiers around them.
The water had almost completely receded, but still neither party made an attempt at crossing. When the undead appeared to grow restless, with some baring their hollow mouths and screeching at the Auradon side, Ben knew it was time.
"Charge!" He shouted, his sword raised high in the air.
"Charge!" The cry was repeated by the entire frontline, who ran forward as one through the shallow river. Water splashed everywhere as entire columns of Auradon soldiers barged on through, uttering cries of anger and bloodlust.
The villains on the other side let out a cry of their own, though Ben was unable to distinguish any words. The undead joined in with their screeching before blindly rushing forward in an unorganized wave of death and destruction.
They met in the middle of the river, with numerous fighters on both sides losing their balance in the water due to the slippery ground and the current that was still present. There was a loud, crashing sound as undead bones clattered against the spears and shields of the Auradon frontline. Numerous villains were taken out instantly as they were pushed forward by their compatriots from further back before getting impaled on Auradonian weapons.
Ben's first opponent was an unarmed undead, whom Ben easily dispatched with a simple slash from his sword. To his left, Adam let the charge with the Auradonian vanguard, who made some major strides and managed to win them some ground. Jay was even further left, protecting their flank. Evie, Carlos and Lonnie soon joined in as well, fanning out with their respective companies and offering support wherever they could. Ben stayed close to CJ, hoping to be able to reach Archer and Solomon.
"Take that!" CJ yelled out, disarming an undead soldier before slashing its head off. "Archer! I'm coming for you!"
But Archer was nowhere to be seen at the moment. They needed to find him… To help him…
"Advance!" Adam commanded, personally taking charge and leading his men against the first waves of enemies. "Be brave, soldiers! Don't cower in the face of the enemy!"
Said enemy also showed no cowardice. Under the command of Solomon, the undead army was throwing itself against the Auradon lines like cannon fodder.
Speaking of Solomon, that was another person they would have to find, but certainly not to help him… Solomon was the key to ending this war, one way or another…