There something under Nesto's feet, he lifts his foot up to see what it is and realize it rusted chest armor with Targia symbol engraved on it. This battlefield has seen horror before, proved by the remnant of rusted weapons, banners, and armors buried under the dirt and rock. Nesto inhales the surrounding air around him while he lifts his head up to see the tall, gray wall that separates Targia and Weyshers.
He can smell the metal in the air coming from the armors, and weapons that Targia army is using, including the pieces of the rusted armors buried underneath this battlefield. He looks to his right side and sees the row of soldiers and knight lining up. Then, he looks at his left side and seeing the same thing.
While he gazes set upon the line of knights beside him, he glances behind him and sees the nervous faces of his squad. Nesto also could see that Neya is safely behind the army where she is far away from danger with Vel protecting her. Vizrez squeezes through the soldiers and stands beside Nesto with a toothy smile.
She bumps her elbow with Nesto's shoulder and let out a grin. Nesto replies with a smile then tighten his grip around his wooden staff. When he looked up at the sky behind him, he could see the Windcutter is heading toward the sea.
Then, the sky darkens, and snow starts falling down from the cloud. Nesto hovers a hand underneath the falling snow and lets it land on his hand. The snow melted upon touching his warm hand then he worried eyes turn to Ariamnes that is on his horse.
A chilling cold befalls both Ariamnes and Nesto whole body. At first, it was the cold then their hearts felt like it had stopped beating for a quick second. Both of them quickly roll up their sleeves and saw the glowing flower tattoo; one of the petals has darkened.
A tear runs down Nesto's cheeks while Ariamnes grip his sword handle and clench his teeth.
"What's wrong, Nesto?" Vizrez asks as she notices a tear is running down his cheek.
The silver-haired man wipes away the single tears and lets out a smile, "It's nothing, just something I remember."
"If you say so," Vizrez said.
Nesto and Ariamnes exchange a glance and a nod. They both understood that they need to wins this frontline by any means necessary. The time for grieve will have to be later, it is time for actions.
Ariamnes raised his hand.
*
Somewhere near the forest.
167 saw the raised hand from far away, he took out a crystal orb from underneath his coat, and wait for the signal. Then he sees the prince bring down his hand, and the sound of roar from the army can be heard across the battlefield.
167 let out a smile, and activate the orb.
An explosion came out from underneath the wall itself, cracking the wall and demolishing a small part of the wall. Then causing a breach to appear in the wall for the army of Targia. The Weyshers's army on the other side was shocked when the explosion happens, there was panic among them, but it was for a short moment after that they were able to compose themselves, and focus on blocking the hole in the wall.
167 watch the destruction of the wall with a satisfied grin on his face, he looks up at the sky.
"Thank you, Viria," he said while raising his hand to give the signal of retreat for his agents that are hiding in the shadow behind him.
*
Thousands of Targia's knights and soldiers charges towards the freshly made large hole in the wall while yelling out, "For Targia!!" from the bottom of their hearts.
Nesto, Vizrez, and his squad follow suit after the knights and soldiers while holding their own weapons in their hands. The first frontline of the army clash with the enemy in the gap that appears after the explosion. From far away, or near the hole, for those who witness it, they can see the mess of it is. Elves slay their own kind with weapons forge by their own kind. Body parts flew around as one of the knights loses his arm, and another lose his head.
Beautiful blue ball of Mana fly in the sky and land on the back of the front line, the moment it touches the ground, it explodes into a bright blue light of death. Nesto was lucky when one of the magic balls landed far behind his squad, and explode. He can feel the wave from that come from the explosion behind him, but not just him, the surrounding people around him can feel it too.
He looks to his left as a couple knight was hit by the explosion. One of those elves lay dead in the crater with the bottom half of his body missing, while another just stood up after he was sent flying by the explosion. Dirt and scorch marks decorate his armor, but after a short moment, the elf charge toward the hole again while letting out his battle cry.
As Nesto and his squad get closer to the wall. He can see the allied casters in front of him using their magic to lift up the dirt into a hill for the knights and soldiers to use as cover. So they can avoid getting hit by the blue ball of death.
After arriving at one of the dirt hills, the silver-haired man leans his back on the hill while his comrade follows his actions. The man feels his breath hasten as his heart thud strongly inside his chest, he peeks out from the hill and sees the bodies piling up at the breach.
A wise king once said that war is like a chess game, and the battlefield is like a chess board, but Nesto snickers at that statement. A true war is not like chess or any kind of game. It is a massive bloody mess that no matter how much you plan, it will never go like the way you think.
It is bloody, it is messy, and it is loud.
He pulls back his head when an arrow passes by in front of his face, he looks up at the battlements and sees the casters along with archers defending at the top of the wall. He looks at the hill beside him, Ariamnes with his own squad taking cover.
"Ariamnes, I'm sending someone to break through the enemy line!!" Nesto screams out, and the prince nods his head in response.
Nesto looks at the cyclops woman beside him and Vizrez grin with joy as she held her large bone-made weapon in her hands. Nesto and Vizrez switch their place so she can get a clear route toward the mess in the breach.
"Wait for my signal," Nesto say to Vizrez, and she nods her heads.
He looks at his squads and sees the fears in their eyes after they saw the horror of the battlefield for the first time. He knows no matter how much training they had, they will never be prepared for something like this. But he doesn't pick these people because of their strength or smart. It's their will that he is after, only that can make a person move after seeing this kind of horror.
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Nesto looks at the shaking young man hand, and then he places his hand on the lad's shoulders. The young man glances back at him in surprise, "Melud, look at me." Nesto said.
"You all, look at me," Nesto said while looking at his squad.
They all look at the silver-haired man with focus and fears in their eyes. Suddenly an explosion flew a knight's body over their head and landed away from them, everyone in the squad flinches in fear except for Nesto.
The squad looks at the knight's body, his armor scorch from the explosion while a few of his limbs are missing, and blood squirt out from the stump of his body.
"Look at me!!!" Nesto commands, and they all look back at the silver-haired man.
"We need to climb that wall and take out the enemy caster along with archers," Nesto orders.
Melud said while his voice is shaken, "We can't do this, Nesto. I didn't realize it was this bad."
"You can't go back, this is war. Look, I'm not asking you to win the war, I am asking you to climb that wall and take out the enemy... Everybody here is relying on you all," Nesto said.
"Are you going to let them down?" Nesto ask.
"No, sir!" The squad said.
"Good lad," Nesto said.
The silver-haired man looks over his squad and saw Kinnith along with the young elf wolics are taking cover behind the dirt hill next to them. The young man notices Nesto's gaze.
"Smoke at the bottom of the wall!" Nesto shout.
Kinnith nods his head, and then he starts chanting a spell. Nesto looks at the bottom of the wall and sees a thick white smoke is arising at the bottom of the wall. When the smoke is thick enough, he signals his squad, and they all charge into the smoke in pairs except for Melud.
Nesto tap Vizrez shoulder, the cyclops woman let out a terrifying roar, and her body begins to glow. She charges toward the hole while Ariamnes squad cover for her, and follow her from behind. Nesto sheathes his wooden staff alongside his saber while he takes a few breaths in.
The silver-haired man rushes into the smoke with Melud. Upon reaching the wall, he presses his back against the wall while squatting down and joints his hand together ready to lift someone up.
Melud runs toward Nesto while sheathing his own wooden staff on his back. The young man steps on both of Nesto's palms, then he boosts Melud up to the air. The young man took out his grapple in mid-air and toss it over the wall, where it hooks onto the battlements. Melud grabs the rope in mid-air, and start climbing up the rope. After he reaches the battlements, he starts engaging with the enemy caster and archers.
Nesto climbs after Melud and takes out his wooden staff then he helps the young man with his fight. While Melud is fighting the enemy, Nesto can see the rest of his squad made it to the top and engaging with the enemy.
With the enemy casters and archers are occupied, the knights and soldier below can have a better chance of getting through the clusters.
*
From afar, Neya watch as her family and friends risk their lives for her cause. She clenches her teeth tightly and closes her eyes. This is not what she wanted to do, she doesn't want to be in the sideline in the comfort of safety. She looks around her, distraught as she saw the bodies of elves lay on the ground while the field nurse tries to patch them up.
A thought came to her mind, one of those elves could be her own people.
One of the field nurses yells "We still have men in there that need to be brought here to heal."
"We don't have any more people to spare for them to go back in there and retrieve them!" One of the nurses yells out.
At that moment she sees an opportunity, she grabs a satchel full of healing potions, and look upon the battlefields. She spots one of the injured knights trying to crawl his way here. Vel suddenly stops her by standing in front of her, just before she could run toward the injured knight.
"Dangerous," Vel warns.
"Vel, either you help me or step away," Neya eyebrow furrow as she gives him two choices.
Vel took out his bow and gesture his head toward the injured knight. Neya let out a smile and laid a kiss on the young man cheek. Then she rushed toward the injured elf while Vel follows her and watches out for danger.
*
An arrow launches itself from an enemy crossbow and passes by Nesto in a blink of an eye. He warns Melud of the incoming arrow and the young man quickly dodge to the left; avoiding the incoming arrow. However, the arrow that was supposed to hit Melud, land itself into an ally behind him.
Nesto saw the arrow pierce the young woman shoulders that were standing behind Melud, she screams in pain while letting her wooden staff drop to the floors. Melud looks at the arrow, he screams in anger "Liriam!!"
And turns his deathly glare at the enemy archer, he charges pass by Nesto while aiming his staff at the archer's head.
"Melud, No!!" Nesto yells out as he knocks out the enemy that he is fighting.
The young man stabs his wooden staff through the archer's eye and drilling a hole in the enemy brain. Melud breath was heavy as he clenches his teeth together in pure anger, but when he looks at what he had done.
The young man realizes that he had just killed a man, he sees the blood running down the wooden staff and wetting his own hand. He quickly let go of the staff, his eye wide in shock while his mouth is slightly open.
"Melud..." Nesto said in a disappointed voice.
The young man turns his gaze at his teacher, his eyes were on the verge of tears as his bloodlust begins to clear. Nesto looks at him and back at the dead archer behind the lad then he looks back at the injured girl.
"Bring her to the healer camp..." Nesto said as the girl clenched her teeth as blood started to drip from the wound.
Melud looks at him, shaking his head confuse while terrify by what he did. Nesto yells at the young man again, "Now!"
Only then, Melud let go of his bloody wooden staff and run to the injured girl to help her. Before he reaches the girl, Nesto grabs the lad's wrist and pull him closer so their forehead can touch.
"It's okay," Nesto said as he tries to comfort Melud.
He let go of Melud's wrist, and the young man rushes to the injured girl again to helps her climb down the rope.