"Arrrgghh!!"
Blood gushed from his nose and upper lips. The soldier in front shrieked in agony, but despite his predicament, the rigorous training that defined the Victoria Kingdom's military had ingrained unwavering discipline in him.
Without missing a beat, the soldier assessed the situation and tried to regain his footing. He quickly released his spear and fought to dislodge the bone axe hooked onto his large shield.
Time, however, waits for no one. As I tried to wrest the shield out of his control, I let dropped the spear and used both of my hands to grip the large shield with my innate strength and began to slowly overpower him.
Just then, multiple spear strikes struck from behind the soldier. One of the spears has managed to pierced my left shoulder, immediately draining my strength to my left arm, while the other aimed for my torso. Thanks to my left arm blocking the spear's trajectory, and unable to settle through with injuring an arm, the soldier quickly shifted the spear's trajectory and aimed for my face.
Seeing the spear blade approaching my eyes, I instinctively tilted my head to the right, narrowly avoiding the worst of the blow. Still, the spear’s edge cut a deep gash across my left cheek. My left hand was weakening, but my grip on the shield remained firm. Despite the pain, I continued to wrestle with the soldier's shield while he struggled to keep control of the shield while keep in mind having to endure the injuries to his face.
Knowing I had only a moment before the multiple spears could strike again, I quickly further leaned my body and tightened my grip on the shield. Using my body weight as leverage, I pulled with all my might.
Knowing that I only had a second left for the spears to retract and attack again, I immediately let go of my bone axe and hurriedly gripped the large shield, using my body as a counterweight and pulling as hard as I could.
Knowing he could no longer hold on, the soldier took one last look behind him, and seeing their resolute faces devoid of fear but only courage and determination, he nodded and shouted!
Realizing he could no longer hold on, the soldier glanced behind him, seeing faces of his fellow soldiers full of courage and determination, devoid of fear and regret. With one last resolute nod, he shouted, “Long live Victoria!”
The soldier stopped struggling and lunged forward, causing both of us to lose our balance. Thankfully, a number of orcs behind me provided a makeshift support. I leaned on them to regain my footing, while the soldier tumbled to the ground.
As the fallen soldier lay before me, an orc behind me quickly shoved me aside and began bonking the soldier’s prone body with his club, striking repeatedly in a swift, brutal motion. When the soldier’s body was sufficiently mangled, the orc shifted his focus to the shield wall in front of him.
The shield wall swiftly filled the gap left by the fallen soldier. A new round began, a relentless cycle where one had to die before they could be replaced, a cycle where in order for it be your turn, the person before you had to die, and once you at the face of the battle, retreat was no longer an option.
This brutal exchange was a common scene. The ceaseless replacement of large shields and the endless wave of orcs turned the battlefield into a bloodbath.
As I was pushed back, I searched for the spear I had dropped earlier. The soldier’s spears were far superior to my bone axes. With a large shield in my right hand and a spear in my left, my chances of survival would indefinitely improve with out a doubt.
While searching for the spear, I noticed my stomach wound had stopped bleeding, I was amazed by the impressive testament to my my innate rapid regeneration. With this discovery, it had completely change in how I approached my current predicament.
Glancing around, I saw that the orcs who had taken some arrow wounds on their torso and other parts of their body were also slowly healing, and some leaving only scars. It struck me that if these orcs fell back when injured, rather than fighting to the death, they could recover slightly, unless their injuries were so severe like decapitation, injuries through from their eyes or a fatal wound to any of their vital organs, then they could return to battle with renewed strength.
With this advantage, the orcs could fight endlessly until exhaustion or severe injury claimed them. But who was I kidding? These orcs lacked the discipline to implement such a strategy. Every injury seemed to ignite their bloodlust, sharpening their focus on the fight and ignoring everything else.
Understanding the orcs’ regenerative gift it changes everything in how I approach my current predicament, instead I didn’t immediately advance to the front. Instead, I hastily picked up the spear on the ground and hide behind the orc in front of me, using the large shield as a defense against any unexpected spears. The chaos of battle had made it clear before that even the orcs behind me were not spared to any unexpected injury.
While I considered my new strategy, the orc and soldier in front of me continued their violent clash. The orc could only struck soldier's large shield in frustration, while the soldier continuedly landed spear wounds on the orc’s chest. With each exchange of strikes, the orc’s chances of survival diminished. Multiple spears from behind the soldier followed suit as the soldier thrust his spear and had further exacerbated the orc’s injuries.
Eventually, the orc succumbed to his wounds, his frustration evident as he failed to breach the shield. Despite the soldier’s victory and the shield wall's effectiveness in preserving and dealing with these orcs, he was far from unscathed. His left arm was numb from the impact, his right arm sore from the repeated thrusts, and he was visibly tired..
According to tradition, the fallen soldier’s death signaled a new participant's turn, but I planned to break that mold. Instead of moving forward, I stepped sideways to let the orc behind me take his place. Without hesitation, the orc charged and faced the imposing shield wall.
My own injuries had stopped bleeding and were no longer painful, though my left shoulder still hindered my thrusting. If my observations were correct, it would be just minutes before the wound healed enough for me to fight effectively, then there is no need to rush and wait until I am at my best condition.
The orc, like his predecessor, struggled against the shield wall. He tried to use both hands to forcefully dislodge it, but met only a shield smacking his face, followed by multiple spears piercing his body. Without a weapon and both hands occupied, his threat level dropped, making the soldier more audacious and daring.
Eventually, the orc fell to his injuries, his fate mirroring that of the previous orc. Despite the soldier’s ability to fend off two consecutive attackers, he was visibly exhausted.
His left arm was not only numb but also throbbing with pain, he could finally feel the weight of the large shield before him, while his right arm trembled in fatigue from the continues thrust, he finally felt the spear tipping back and forth due to their in balance weight on both ends of the side.
Even though my injuries had stopped bleeding and moving was no longer painful, I chose to remain on the sidelines, observing.
The orc happily moved through me who then repeatedly attacked the shield with relentless force, hoping to overpower with brute strength the shield wall in front of him. But the shield wall, despite its wear and tear, held strong under the orc’s assault, its reputation for resilience well earned.
Despite all this, several noticeable changes were evident in the soldier's performance. His once swift and lethal thrusts had become increasingly unsteady, lacking the power needed to penetrate the orc's leather and bone armor. Had the orc been unprotected, those strikes might have been sufficient to inflict a wound. Moreover, the soldier’s shield no longer had the force to push the orc back effectively. It could only manage to slightly open a gap, just enough for the multiple spears to thrust through.
A moment later,
The orc is slowly racking up injuries and is about to suffer the same fate as his two fallen predecessor. His strikes are gradually losing power, but despite that, those strikes couldn't be underestimated. If one of those weakened blows lands on a soldier's face, it could knock them out. Even a hit to any part of the body would likely leave a bruise, and small possibility to break a few bones, that would definitely be a slow death especially in a battle like now.
The soldier is well aware of this, so despite the orc’s weakened state, he’s still giving his utmost ability and not even a second of recklessness compared to his counterpart, further wearing himself out.
Seeing the orc was on the verge of collapse from blood loss, I slam the butt of my spear into the ground, reached for the orc’s back leather armor, and pulled him back just as an incoming spear aimed to finish him off either missed or barely grazed him. I manage to pull the orc behind me, and as he stumbles and loses his balance from his injuries, several orcs behind me instinctively caught him.
With the orc out finally of the way, I advance. When the soldier weakly and slowly opens a gap just enough for his and any subsequent spears that would thrust through their spear, he’s startled to face a towering shield similar to his own. This few moment of distraction, combined with his fatigue, gives my spear enough time to strike his right shoulder. He cries out in pain and accidentally drops his weapon due to the agony and exhaustion.
Despite this, the soldier finds a last burst of strength, likely driven by the sudden injury. He manages to lift the once heavy large shield and close the gap in the shield wall as if he were still at his peak.
His unexpected action catches me off guard. As I’m about to thrust my spear again, the shield is already in position and blocking my view. Striking it would be pointless and would only tire me out further. I decide to conserve my strength and wait for another chance, but none comes. The soldiers keep lunging with their shields and thrusting their spears around me, while the soldier in front of me goes limp and remained in cover.
Stolen story; please report.
The injured soldier’s logical but surprising action catches me off guard again, so I decide to stay alert and observe my surroundings waiting for any possible opportunities.
Suddenly, a new opportunity did arises.
The shield wall is about to lunge forward and then thrust, a maneuver designed to protect each other from left to right flank and their back rear.
Weakness becomes apparent as the soldiers around me lunges and pushes their shields forward. Meanwhile soldier A in front of me remains in cover with his shield, leaving Soldier B’s right flank, which is to Soldier A’s left, exposed. As soon as the expected shield wall maneuver happens, I pull back my large shield, twist my body, and thrust my spear with full force, aiming directly at Soldier B’s right ribs.
Being zoned on the orc in front of him, Soldier B is shocked by the sudden pain in his right side, it took him a few seconds to register what just happen and when he did.
Blood immediately flooded his lungs and with in a second it pours from his mouth as I drive my spear in deeper.
He drops his spear, and the orc with out any resistance from the soldier immediately seizes the chance to drag the shield and the soldier forward.
The soldier behind Soldier B tries to fill the gap, but the orc is quicker and tackles forward unintentionally preventing the soldier from closing of the gap. With Soldier B dead and the soldier behind him unable to fill the space, Soldiers A and C’s flanks, left and right are exposed. Both Soldiers A and C try to retreat and merge with the shield wall behind them, but the soldiers tightly formation behind them can’t create enough space for them to merge and join their ranks, the subsequent actions of Soldier A and C only further create confusion and delaying any attempts to salvage the situation.
As both of the soldiers struggle to fix their shield wall formation, the orcs don’t wait for no one and rush forward. Soldier A tries to block the incoming orc with his shield, but my spear is already thrusting towards him.
In his dilemma, he fails to block my attack and receiving my thrust to his torso while the orc’s assault from his left flank finally seal the deal, dying instantly, once the soldier was dead, the orc then proceeds to engage on the soldier in front of him preventing the the soldier to close the gaps, now there are two columns that had been breached and more orcs are seeing the exposed flanks of the remaining soldiers.
In a matter of seconds, multiple shield pushes and spear thrusts were happening on the other side of the battlefield while on my side, they’re forced into a defensive position completely disregarding their assault maneuvers as they try to recover the slowly crumbling shield wall and cover their flanks.
But their efforts are in vain. With the death of multiple soldiers and failing to fill in the gap in a timely manner has left the first-row of the shield wall slowly collapsing, spreading chaos flank by flank. Some soldiers fail to notice the destruction and continue lunging forward, only to find themselves exposed when their comrades on the sides are brutally killed.
Attempts to recover the front row only lead to more chaos and deaths, increasing the casualties even further.
As the first-row slowly falls apart, the once-intimidating shield wall gradually ceases to exist.
The once second-row will now become the new front line of death.
Even though the shield wall at the second-row remains steady and strong, the loss of the first-row shield wall will cause the deaths of their fellow soldiers in unexpected timely manner further deviating from their strategy, it means the casualties are rapidly closing in the expected eight hour threshold.
The battle, from the first volley of arrows to the collapse of the first row of shields, took just fifty-four minutes. There are still more than seven hours.
Following the slowly total collapse of the first-row shield wall, the sound of horns and drums reverberated from behind.
The second-row had finally given up on recovering the first row, leaving those soldiers to fend for themselves. Some managed to join the second row, but many did not.
As the soldiers in the first-row busied themselves with not dying, the second-row quickly rearranged their formation and prepared to face the incoming orcs.
The inevitable fall of the first-row shield wall has made the second-row now completely assumed the front line's vacant role. Like peeling a sunburned skin and revealing a pristine skin behind it.
The new shield wall formation, now refreshed and reorganized, was even more resilient. It was clear that the recent events hadn’t significantly affected their morale.
In front of me lay multiple bodies in pools of blood and mangled flesh. The remining scattered soldiers of the first-row, undeterred, held their ground, knowing how formidable the orcs were. This battle was shaping up to be a tough and painful one.
“If that’s the case, I’ll just have to peel their skins off one by one, like an onion.”
Time was relentless, and arrows continued to rain down.
The battle was unceasing; the orcs pressed their assault on the newly formed shield wall after the complete annihilations of the front-row soldiers. Meanwhile, some orcs near me dropped their crude weapons and picked up the spears and shields.
I seized the opportunity to grab some gear from the ground. I donned a soldier’s armor and used the orc's leather armor as additional protection and cover.
I didn’t want to risk getting accidentally stabbed in the back by being mistaken for a soldier, but I also wanted the armor's protection. Fortunately, the orc's leather armor was large, fitting most orcs who were around 6.3 to 7 feet tall.
I layered the plate armor underneath with the leather armor on top. However, the plate pants were incredibly tight, and removing them took too much time. As the battle raged around me, I had to leave them behind to avoid being knocked down and trampled by the orc horde.
I didn't sweat my brain to come up with a brilliant strategy just so I could be stomped to death later on, so I reluctantly abandoned the plate pants and prepared for another round of smacking and bonking.
The soldiers, taking advantage of the chaos left by the first-row, reorganized their formation, moving five steps back.
I couldn’t understand why they did this.
Perhaps they feared that the growing pile of corpses between us might be used as a platform for orcs to jump over their shields, causing their newly formed shield wall to collapse again.
But that seemed far-fetched. If the orcs were capable of such a strategy, our situation would be much better than it was now.
The plate armor was uncomfortable, and the leather was unbearably itchy, but I kept my focus sharp lest I get an arrow through my knee. Sticking with my tried-and-true strategy, 'never fix what isn't broken they say', I didn’t rush into the fray. Instead, I moved to the side, letting the orc behind me advance.
To my surprise, it was the same orc I had just dragged back from the brink of death, now wielding a shield in his left hand and a spear in his right.
As the orc confidently faced the newly formed shield wall, he and the soldier exchanged blows. The orc, lacking precision due to the lack of training on the weapon, thrust his spear wildly, often hitting only the shield and sometimes dealing critical damage to the air.
Meanwhile, the soldier struggled to aim for the orc’s body due to the shield’s coverage but managed to target the orc's right shoulder. The soldier wasn’t alone in this; multiple spears followed his attacks, targeting the orc's exposed right side as he thrust his spear.
This exchange went on for some time until the orc’s shoulder injuries and side gashes began to take their toll. His strength waned, and his thrusts became weak. The orc then switched his spear to his left hand and used the shield in his right. Despite the difficulty of maneuvering the heavy shield with his injured shoulder, he found a new approach.
Whenever the soldier created a gap to thrust forward, the orc would also receive the incoming spear assault, not with the shield, but with his own spear. The soldier’s spear would slice or pierce the orc’s left shoulder during these moments. Each time the soldier thrust his spear, there were brief intervals where he couldn’t lift his large shield to block incoming attacks, and the orc, showing bravery or perhaps luck, exploited this weakness and finally managed to land a strike.
As both the orc and the soldier continuously trade blows and wounds each time, although the orc took more injuries from the soldier’s spear, the soldier, with the absence of the orc's resilience and impeccable regeneration, was slowly succumbing to his wounds. It was only a matter of time before he made a fatal mistake.
Observing his companion’s plight, a soldier behind him with out a second thought lunged forward, pushing him out of the shield wall and into the orc’s path. The soldier, stumbling out from the formation was swiftly killed by the orc’s hand, but the soldier’s action left no gaps in the shield wall preventing the same accident from happening again.
This ruthlessness and decisiveness were evident throughout the battlefield. Learning from the fall of the first row, the soldiers were more determined to avoid another collapse.
With the soldier pushed out of position and stumbled down, the orc in front of me took the opportunity to smash his large shield into the soldier’s head. Satisfied, the orc prepared to face the next opponent. Before he could act, I dragged the orc back and moved forward.
Now equipped with new gear and recent experience, I felt a bit more confident. As the soldier continued his repetitive maneuver, I decided to confront the shield wall head-on.
The soldier lunged, pushing his shield forward, and I met him with my own shield. Our shields collided, causing the soldier to suffer a slight concussion, while I only felt a mild numbness in my right shoulder. Despite the disorienting clash, the soldier remained disciplined. Unfazed by the impact, he continued with the follow-up action. He expected another orc to face him directly, but instead, he was met by an incoming large shield.
After lunging and pushing my shield forward, I decided to repeat the action. My sudden move paid off: the soldier was caught off guard, and with his thrusting motion, the collision with my shield had a clear outcome. The soldier was knocked back and lost his balance, but unfortunately, other soldiers behind him kept him from falling completely.
As the soldier scrambled to regain his footing, I held off on thrusting my spear at him. Experience had taught me that they always synchronized their actions. With one variable absent, a weakness would emerge. Instead of targeting the fallen soldier, I shifted my spear and thrust it toward the exposed right side of the soldier who was about to finish off the orc to my right.
The outcome was predictable. My spear pierced through the soldier’s right chest, and he was soon his lungs drowned in blood, coughing up blood. Unfortunately, the orc beside me, on the brink of death, lacked the strength to capitalize on the opening I had created.
"Damn, unlucky," I muttered. But I reminded myself not to underestimate this orc. Then I witnessed a scene unfolds as the orcs behind the dying one didn’t wait for him to fall; they pushed aside and trampled the dying orc. Despite this, with an a small time frame, a soldier behind of the recently deceased soldier on the right managed to step forward and block the gap, while the soldier in front of me had regained his balance and rejoined his ranks.
Our eyes met, and it was clear: the soldier would no longer blindly lunge forward with his shield and was even more warry and caution.
"Damn, and here I thought I finally found another way to break through."