Chapter 93: Berdek Moves

  The Berdek army approached on a warm spring day, the soldiers were wet from the rainfall. When they entered the desert, the rain on them seemed to simply evaporate without a trace.

The men and women of this army were hardened, their journey from their country was not easy.

  The area between Wesil's territory and Onias's kingdom was called The Void Forest. It was an unpleasant place with little magic and powerful corrupted monsters. These creatures were more terrifying versions of known monsters and they were far more brutal and bloodthirsty too. however, it was not uncommon to see corrupted mortals there either or even corrupted fey. Although they were powerful, and to ordinary men, they were nigh unkillable, Berdek's force wasn't weak. With their handy teamwork and massive strength, they were able to push through with minimal casualties. Ten or twelve at most and these deaths were due to incompetence and carelessness rather than the monstrous creatures living in that forest.

Berdek’s force was composed of two armies, each one roughly 3000 soldiers.

  On the frontlines were hardened men with armor that covered only their chests and legs. Their stomach and arms were almost completely exposed. On their heads were helmets which only covered the sides and backs of their head while their face was almost completely exposed. Theses were the berserkers. Massive men whose purpose on the battlefield ranged from intimation to final stands. The berserkers were resilient and relentless; no matter how bloody or how wounded they became, their combat effectiveness would not drop. Only death could stop these men from pushing forward.

  Behind The berserkers were the Mind-mages. These magic casters specialized in mental manipulation: boosting the courage of their own ranks, or demoralizing the enemies, these were their forte. The mind-mages were segregated into five groups, 2 on the outer edges of the army and 3 at its center. In between these mages were the combat-mages.

  Long ago, Sia was Onias's strongest combat-mage and she would have led those men into battle. The combat mages were ferocious: they possessed all the power of a siege-siege mage but they could also enter combat like ordinary warriors. Their defenses weren't as high as the stronger fighter-oriented soldiers but, as long as they made the first attack, it wouldn't matter.

  The final group was also the smallest. They were known as riders. Riders were a special category all their own in the world of Orana, ranging from beast riders to Golem riders. The riders in Bardek's army were Golem riders. They sat atop massive elephant-like stone creatures, each of their steps would shake the earth and create a loud noise that would echo for miles. They were slow but immensely durable and their attacks were battlefield shaking.

  The riders were the reason that Berdek's army was moving so slowly but they had finally reached their destination, it would only be a few more days before her forces reached La Guardia and wiped it off the face of the earth. Berdek was more than confident she could destroy that tiny nation, she was certain.

  "Their numbers reach 6,000," a red-coated man said with a lowered head, he didn't dare look at berdek in the eyes. Berdek smiled as if she were expecting roughly that number. "where are the other 5000?" she asked. "a few days southwest of here." The distance was a bit too close for her comfort but Siion's army leaders were all a thoughtless bunch, with the exception of Tonak, who guarded Gora's eastern borders. Their tactics were often cruel and merciless, but Onia's wasn't a sweet muffin who would fall for those kinds of tactics. "that's probably why Tonak guards the eastern borders. Onias is right, Siion is a careful tactician." Although it wasn't often said, Siion's ability to remain so close to Onias, a man known to exploit weakness, said a lot of his ability to control a nation. War between their two kingdoms wasn't uncommon; she was usually the first to lead the armies, but in one way or another, in ways she couldn't even begin to comprehend, they would always turn around and retreat. Taking Siion's lands was easy, his armies weren't the strongest or fiercest, but Siion's planning for unexpected events always duped them and forced them to regroup.

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  Berdek remembered a time when Siion did the most absurd thing she could ever imagine. Onias’s armies were deep into Siion’s land and for a time it felt too easy, before Berdek knew it, the lands behind her had returned into Siion’s hand. Berdek herself was then surrounded and executed. Even Onias’s didn’t understand how it happened so quickly.

  "who's leading Miar's forces." The response her servant gave her caused a small shiver to go up her spine. "this certainly won't be easy." Minvaral had a history all his own, she had never met him in battle, but her peers had spoken of him. "don't underestimate him. He's more conniving and careful than he seems at first glance." She calmed herself, "it's okay, our plan is full proof, Onias himself thought this one up."

"If he's facing Mek-dih? Who is leading the army ahead of us?"

“Three generals from Gin’s kingdom. We only managed to catch one of their names, a general Onu.”

  Gin wasn't a new god but he wasn't old either. He made his claim some time ago and had slowly conquered his way to the edge of the oasis. Gin was known as a man with a quick wit and quicker decision. His armies primarily consisted of defensive forces as his old kingdom was often raided by larger nearby kingdoms. He had made an alliance with Miar early on, and some suspect she aided him in his war efforts, but no definitive proof was ever found of that ever being the case. "if it were true, I doubt gin would have the balls to send his forces here; unless his quick wit is also a lie."

  Berdek was a woman with incredible perception and intuition, it was what had allowed her to destroy her targets every time. While most generals were preoccupied with standing their ground or mounting counter-attacks, Berdek was planning how to get enough soldiers out of the battlefield and towards the intended target. Whether it be slowly withdrawing troops from the battle and having them teleport ahead, or it was doing it herself. It didn't matter how the enemy defended themselves, Berdek would always find cracks and burst ahead before the enemy could even recuperate.

Her enemies would be different, but she wasn't concerned about rumors.

  Two days later the two forces met. The three generals from Gin’s kingdom were atop their steeds, steeds who were magically enhanced to sprint at incredible speeds. Unlike Minvaral and Mek-dih who eyed each other and formed camp. These two forces had already made their intentions known.

  "BREAK THEIR LINES!!!" Berdeck shouted as she stood atop her black steed and pointed her silver blade forward to the skies. The berserkers were the first to move. Their massive bodies caused ten-foot-high clouds of dust to rise and obscure the enemies' view. "AGHH!!!!!" they shouted as they crossed their arms together, getting ready to ram the enemy's front lines.

  "First LINE!!!!" The three generals shouted nearly simultaneously. A group of heavily armored soldiers, in specially made cooling suits, marched forward, their steps were almost mechanical. Stomp, stomp, their every step was rhythmic and after moving several hundred feet forward, the men kneeled and raised their massive tower shields, forming a wall of men, as a shield of force glimmered in the sunlight, covering any empty space between these men. The men stood roughly ten feet apart from one another but despite the distance, they could easily protect each other.

AGGHH!!!!

The two forces met.