"HAAAAAH!" Thousands of soldiers and warriors shouted a war cry in unison and jumped over the stone wall surrounding the capital, stepping over the burnt corpses of monsters and turning the living ones into history. They rushed over the defensive line like a wave, screaming and shouting, punching, kicking, and stabbing monsters.
A group of mages formed a line behind them, on each side of the wall, with their spells powering up and flying above the soldiers' heads like fireworks.
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"Woah… That's a lot of mages," Kerius said absentmindedly and quietly whistled.
"Yeah," Gerald agreed as his Magic Eyes took it all in, every fluctuation and swirl of Mana that formed a spell. "I never realized how weak they were…"
"Excuse me?!"
"What are you talking about, just look at all that power! How can you call it weak?"
"Hmm…" Gerald didn't answer. Instead, he squinted his eyes and looked into the distance. "It seems like I'll have to help after all… They actually fell for such an obvious trick. Man, what a pain…" Without another word he rose from the ground and flew above all the carnage across the battlefield towards the other side.
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You could say what you want about the monsters; They were cruel, ugly, stupid… But one thing they all excelled at was battle. They knew how to fight, although it might not seem like it at times.
The two armies clashed with the monsters, from the front, and the back, squashing them in the middle like bugs. And after a harsh struggle that went on for quite some time, and after victory was in their grasp, the actions of those wild beasts changed. The transformation was so swift that almost nobody had time to react.
Instead of fighting weak Goblins and Hobgoblins, powerful Orcs took to the front lines and held them there, not budging an inch.
The two armies cut through the sea of monsters in an attempt to cross it, but now they were cut off from both sides. The monsters encircled them and pushed them back forming a wall of flesh around them.
And with Orc Warriors at the front, most human soldiers could do nothing but retreat or be slaughtered. They were pushed back and squeezed like sardines in a can and could barely breathe, let alone move. That's when the skies turned red and a fire started to rain upon them.
Orc Shamans lifted their staves to the sky and started lobbing Fireballs, one after the other, upon helpless men. The latter could only watch as the blaze took hold around them and the once cheerful and confident armies quickly started screaming in horror.
Even the usually cheerful expression of general Ulrich turned grim. He was surrounded by his best soldiers on horseback, but despite their great skill in battle, their hands were tied.
"Damn it! These beasts, we fell into a trap!" the general cursed. The trusted lance in his hand was completely useless in this situation and he couldn't help but feel frustrated.
"General, father, if this goes on any longer we will be wiped out!" a man riding beside him said. "Apart from a miracle happening, our best option is to break through the back and retreat. We will have to sacrifice many good men, but we can't just perish here!"
General Ulrich Aust ground his teeth in anger, not willing to abandon his loyal men. But he also didn't see any better options, so…
"Damn it! I knew it was going too smoothly! Truly, apart from a miracle…"
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"Yes, yes, stop screaming already, I'm coming!" Gerald grumbled.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Fireballs kept falling on the soldiers below, seemingly without end. At least a few hundred Orc Shamans were gathered all around the encirclement, bombarding the human soldiers into oblivion when suddenly, the sky started to shine.
Gerald stood in the air with an expressionless face. His Mana reserves were currently less than half full so he couldn't afford to be wasteful. Countless scrolls appeared all around him and unfurled themselves at his command.
The parchment turned into Fireballs in no time at all and descended to the ground in a cone formation. They each struck their target accurately and all at nearly the same time.
His action was so sudden and unexpected that the horde of Orc Warriors and Shamans didn't have time to react. They were engulfed in hellish flames in an instant which disrupted their coordinated attack and made them spread out in panic.
Humans, desperate for survival, took that opportunity and jumped at the chance to fight back. Warriors and soldiers gripped their weapons and started fighting with the beasts as if their lives depended on it.
Then again, they kinda did.
"Are you good?" Gerald shouted a question at nobody in particular.
Clearly, the answer was a resounding, "No!"
The Orcs immediately turned around and continued beating down on human fighters as per usual. The battle once again turned in their favor.
Gerald released a long sigh and expended quite a bit of his precious Mana and created hundred-meter-long thorny barricades out of solid rock. It did wonders to slow down the fight and give some space for his people to lend a hand.
The few guys and girls capable of magic cast some spells from afar and killed one or two of the monsters with combined efforts. It didn't really make a difference, but it was something at least. It increased the morale of the fighters if nothing else. And high morale was especially important in such tough situations.
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
The rest of the mages quickly exhausted their energy and their usefulness decreased significantly.
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"Who is that?!" Ulrich shouted and pointed at the figure in the sky with his lance. "Is that another one of Robart's elites? Where is he hiding the rest?!"
Soldiers on the battlefield, while being crushed from all sides by monsters, looked at the sky in awe.
"Damn, look at that, he's flying!"
"Holy mother of Innos, am I dreaming?"
"Are you?"
"Ow! Why did you punch me?"
"Did it hurt?"
"Yes, of course, it hurt! Why'd you do that?"
"Oh, that's good, it means you are not dreaming."
"… Son of a bi-!"
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With the disruption that Gerald created, the battle became messy. There was no organized strategy that could be quickly implemented due to all the fire and thorns dividing the land. But that was kind of the point.
Both armies simply clashed wherever they could, drawing blood and invoking screams of pain, but for the human side, it was still an improvement. At least they had a fighting chance now.
General Ulrich Aust took his elite riders on horseback and quickly created a group around him for a counterattack. They rode on massive warhorses with thick legs and bony armor across their chests and neck. They were a special breed of animal designed for war.
The cavalry rushed at the Orcs with lances in hand and a determination to kill like no other. They were the elite part of Ulrich's army and not to be messed around with.
As the two forces clashed you could hear the distinct sound of bones snapping as the beasts were run over by the heavy cavalry. The powerful legs and sharp hooves were like maces and clubs against heavy armor, producing horrifying impacts that would shake them to the core.
Even Orc Warriors were desperately moving out of the way, especially after finding out they couldn't simply behead the lancers' mounts. The bony armor plates growing out of their bodies were similar to those of a Minecrawler and extremely hard to break.
That is not to say they were invulnerable, far from it. They could still be brought down by a well-aimed blow to the head or legs, it was just that the speeds the horses were moving at presented quite a challenge.
BOOOOO!
Right at the peak of the battle, when the corpses started lining the ground, another sound of a horn came from the city. A full-plated army in silver armor came marching over the wall. They carried shields with a mark of fire on them and marched in unison at the sound of a war drum.
Immediately all eyes were on them.
More than a thousand Paladins of Innos formed a line outside the city walls and lifted their right hands at once.
"Well, would you look at that…"
Gerald watched as the Paladins blasted a wave of flames out of their hands. Those small Runes they were holding, despite weak individual damage, the flames they created when they were all used at once were no joke.
It was like watching a squad of flamethrower carriers from WW2. Skin charred and flesh melted from the bone as the Paladins advanced. They burned everything in their path.
The cavalry and infantry attacked from one side while the defenders on the walls were shooting down arrows and spells, creating a path in the sea of monsters. But, despite horrific losses on the beast's part, they didn't diminish their aggression. In fact, more and more Orcs were rushing to the fight, and even a few Ogres joined them, shaking the ground as they ran.
Ulrich's army quickly retreated toward the city walls after their short-lasting advantage started to crumble. Around a hundred thousand soldiers managed to safely cross to the other side before the barrier was reactivated.
The entire battle lasted less than an hour and yet the losses already numbered in the thousands. The Guild's infirmary was quickly overrun by the wounded and dying, and the need for potions quickly skyrocketed. Alchemists all over the city were already having their hands full for days and the sudden increase in demand did not exactly help.
Even apprentices that barely just started the craft joined in the effort to make more potions even if their skills weren't quite ready yet for a proper concoction. Many Healing Potions were as such of much lower quality, but desperate soldiers didn't care.
Gerald was glad he didn't need to buy any ingredients or a finished product now since their price skyrocketed while the quality plummeted at the same time.
Qiona was buys making everything they needed, and even if she ran out of herbs, Gerald could just go out and gather more. The privileges of flight. A wonderful magic indeed.
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The gap in defense was closed and the defenders got back to their posts along the wall. General Ulrich's army consisted of equal amounts of mounted lancers and spearmen on foot, with the remaining 10% being archers.
The latter joined the rest on the defensive line while the remaining army went to request an audience with the King.
But before that, general Ulrich Aust gathered some intel on the mysterious person that delayed the Orcs until the Paladins arrived, giving them a fighting chance.
"Mister Gerald?"
"What…?" Gerald turned around to see a middle-aged man dismount from his warhorse and take off his helmet.
He had a short beard, maybe a week or two old, and a rough-looking face. However, his eyes were kind and amicable, something rarely seen in a seasoned warrior.
"Are you Gerald of Black Onyx?" general Ulrich asked.
"I am, indeed. And you are…?" Gerald asked in turn, although he could already guess who the man was.
"Ah, of course, let me introduce myself," the man said and made a soldier's salute with the helmet under his arm. "I'm general Ulrich Aust, Guardian of the North. I came personally to thank you for your assistance. Without the distraction giving us some precious time and space, this expedition was certain to fail."
"You are welcome…" Gerald answered.
"I must say… That was some impressive magic display. Especially that flight, just wow."
"Thanks, I have created it myself."
General Ulrich was shocked when he heard that. "You- You have created it yourself? Then, you are not working for Robart?"
"Who?" Gerald tilted his head sideways, but then he remembered where he heard the name, "Oh, you mean The King?"
Ulrich nodded.
"No, I'm not working for him. As far as my ties go, I'm part of the Warriors' Guild, but that's about it."
"Then you helped us because…?" Ulrich asked, trying to find out the true motive.
"Because it benefits me, of course!" Gerald smiled as he gave his answer. "I like this place, but I can't keep it by myself. It's better to lend a hand and get a few more people to do the dirty work, right?"
Ulrich was shocked even more when he heard that. "That's brutally honest," he chuckled. "Aren't you afraid someone might overhear you? What will people say?"
Gerald shrugged, "I don't care… People can think whatever they want, it's not going to affect me."
"Hehe, such big words can only be said by those with great power. But I guess I should still thank you for helping us, even if it was out of brutal self-interest," general Ulrich laughed and extended a hand. "For the city, may it never fall!"
Gerald smirked and extended his own hand, shaking it. "Sure, whatever you say, old man."
The two stood there, amicably shaking hands and smiling.
"You are quite strong… For a youngster," Ulrich said. On the surface, they were acting like old friends, but a contest of strength was underway.
'This guy's strength is incredible! I can't overpower him at all!' Ulrich Aust thought, barely keeping his expression from showing his surprise.
"You aren't too bad either, old man!" Gerald answered in return.
'Holy shit, this old fart's hand is like a metal vise! If I didn't have magic to empower myself he could easily crush my hand!' Gerald thought in shock. 'What's with all the strong people suddenly coming out of the woodwork?!'