The first rays of light appeared over the horizon, beaming down upon the Forester army. Before them was the city of Maerila, its walls guarding the Trelvenese within. Split into several divisions, the army was all lined up in their positions, their weapons cleaned and prepared for the carnage that was to come.

All of the combatants were gathered together. The rest, made up of the Foresters that flocked to the camp from the villages nearby, stayed behind to pray for the army’s successes per Elethien’s instructions. They probably did not know the meaning behind their actions, but to Elethien, it was nearly as crucial as the upcoming fighting itself.

Of course, Amovishel was firmly tied up to a pillar in her tent. Being fed before she left, he could afford to not eat for a day. Besides, he couldn’t escape. Throughout their uninterrupted raids, Elethien had realised the entire Trelvenese army had retreated inside the city. Whether it was out of fear or safety, it didn’t matter. There was simply no threat to the Forester camp for the time being.

It was practically perfect for her.

She rode on her horse as she went around patrolling the army, her sword firmly fastened to her belt. At the front was naturally the vanguard, led by Teion. Most of the Foresters’ armour were distributed to them, each individual protected with thick leather vests, some even armed with iron helmets and shoulder plates.

‘Today, we fight to conquer the city of Maerila. Only its walls stand between us and the treasures within. The defenders within are the ones who formerly sent you all to the most dangerous of battles while they sat back and reaped the rewards. Many of them sit inside those walls right now, probably still asleep in their comfortable beds. Today, we show them our wrath! Show them the wrath of our kingdom! Even if they outnumber us, they cannot compare against the power of Fate, the God who has led us thus far! Let this battle be a testament to our unstoppable strength and power!’

As Teion raised his battle axe, the vanguard followed his lead and roared in approval, raising their weapons too towards the sky. These were troops who had been rounded up in Maerila just weeks ago, their anger waiting to be unleashed upon their aggressors. Being well-fed from the food gathered from raids, they were fresh and ready for an offensive. Teion seemed to have built up quite the relationship with them as the Foresters’ eyes all looked towards him.

‘The blessing of Fate be with us all!’ Elethien shouted.

‘The blessing of Fate be with us all!’

‘And charge!’ Tugging on the reins, she urged her mount forward into a gallop, shakily riding on its back as she led the troops down the plains towards the city. She still hadn’t properly learned the skill of horse riding, and for now, it was merely a way for her to rapidly enter battle before she’d dismount for the proper fighting.

The Foresters charged like a horde, dust clouds being formed in the wake of their footsteps. If they had fought like wild beasts before they joined Elethien, they were practically monsters with the amount of physical energy they had from days’ worth of proper food. Despite the relatively far distance between the camp and Maerila, they were all practically sprinting, their spears and swords barely slowing them down as they rushed forward. It didn’t matter if there was no siege equipment or ample tools to climb over the walls. Elethien believed in the strength of her people, in the strength of her God.

Finally, they were in range of the defending archers. The six wings sprouted from Elethien’s back, shielding her and the Foresters from the incoming rain of arrows. Feeling the horse’s nervousness, she dismounted, allowing the steed to gallop back to camp. The battle had properly begun.

‘Fire!’ As the Foresters echoed her command, the troops behind the vanguard stopped and began firing energy blasts at a section of the wall. The stone held strong, but bits and pieces were already fracturing off its surface. The vanguard, meanwhile, ran for their target: the eastern gate of the city.

Under the protection of Elethien’s wings, Teion soon arrived at the gate. It didn’t matter that the arrows kept firing at them. Elethien’s wings absorbed them all as an invincible shield, protecting them all as she led them forward. With a swing of Teion’s axe, a crack could already be heard from the gate’s lock. Hacking repeatedly at the wood, the gate soon gave way, allowing Teion to easily push a side open to enter.

‘Go, go, go!’ Teion shouted, waving for his comrades.

Elethien smiled. For a major city, their defences were surprisingly weak. Then again, this was the vanguard, made of the finest troops in her kingdom. She could practically imagine the Trelvenese grovelling at her feet, begging for their lives to be spared.

It was just too easy… or so she thought until she caught up to Teion.

Inside was a second gate, this one a metal portcullis, behind which were hundreds of Trelvenese spearmen and archers, their weapons pointed at the Forester vanguard.

Teion swung his axe again, but this time, the metal was only dented, and the wings could not protect him in time as an arrow struck his arm. To Elethien’s dismay, her right eye was still emerald green.

It was a clear message from Fate.

All that ‘trust in Fate’, and you eventually go with your own decision before your god has even given an answer. Amovishel’s words rang inside Elethien’s head. She had overestimated herself.

‘Retreat—’ Teion shouted, but it was too late. The outer gate they had entered from was shut. The wooden gate itself was still open, but a portcullis was lowered, separating the vanguard into two, the others stuck outside helpless as they watched their comrades become trapped inside the gatehouse.

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As all gatehouses were, the enemy naturally concentrated around the most vulnerable section of their defences. Rocks were thrown from the ceiling, archers fired from arrow slits and boiling water was poured down from various openings. Elethien’s massive wings were confined into a tight area, unable to manoeuvre properly to protect her comrades. Teion tried to swing at the inner portcullis again, but dozens of spears were stuck through the holes of the portcullis, stopping him from going any further.

The group was now essentially trapped.

‘This discipline…’ Teion said in frustration. ‘We completely fell for it.’

‘This is only a test from Fate,’ Elethien declared. ‘Lift up the outer portcullis!’

It was easy to say. The Foresters dropped their weapons and began lifting the portcullis, but amid the arrows, rocks and boiling water, even Elethien’s wings could do little to stop all of it. A few fell to the ground as arrows struck their backs. Some screamed as their heads were drenched in hot water, their faces red with burns.

And in all this chaos, of all things she could’ve done, Elethien fell to the ground and prayed.

Is this your idea of punishing me, Fate? To bury me before the kingdom can even be established?

Fate was silent

‘Elethien!’ Teion shouted.

She gave no response.

‘Elethien!’ he repeated.

She gritted her teeth. If Fate chose not to talk to her, then she would use her own measures to break out of this predicament.

She pointed her sword at the portcullis. ‘Move out!’

The sword began to glow as she channelled her energy towards her weapon. Her wings began to fade away and projectiles began slipping past, striking her and the other Foresters. Still, she bit her lips to control the pain as she continued to direct the energy from her core towards her sword. She felt her life being sapped away, the first time she had to use a significant portion of her life force since Fate appeared to her.

The blast was ready.

Boom! She fired from nearly point-blank range, the energy shredding through the metal as it travelled outwards. For a moment, the bright light blinded everyone, the recoil knocking Elethien backwards several steps. Her arm was under incredible strain, her fist grabbing the hilt tightly just to prevent the sword from flying backwards into her face. The Foresters who were unlucky enough to not move back in time had their skin burn from just the slightest contact with the energy blast, a wind of heat brushing against their clothes.

A hole had appeared in the portcullis.

‘Retreat!’ she commanded, shoving her troops forward as her wings began appearing once more… but not before an arrow struck her exposed back, knocking her to the ground.

‘Elethien!’ Teion cried, quickly picking her up as the two dashed out of the kill zone. The Trelvenese inside the city could only look in bewilderment, the inner portcullis still lowered, preventing them from chasing the Foresters.

Now that Elethien thought about it, she should’ve fired against those soldiers inside.

The vanguard rushed out, finding the others embroiled in chaos as well. Heavy rocks and boulders crashed upon the Trelvenese positions, crushing several Foresters under their weight. There was now a relatively deep crater in the wall, but it still refused to collapse. As the enemy continued to fire their projectiles, the Foresters were clearly losing too many people to warrant a continuation of the assault. They had lost all the initial momentum from the charge, the enemy barely losing anyone as they cowered behind their walls.

At this rate, any rational leader would decide upon retreat at the sight of such a defeat. They had a numerical and technical disadvantage to begin with. There was no point in continuing the battle any further.

‘Tell everyone to retreat beyond the enemy’s firing range!’ Teion ordered the able-bodied members of the vanguard. ‘The battle is over!’

But Elethien couldn’t simply let the sacrifices go to waste.

‘Argh!’ she screamed in anger, pointing her sword at the crater. She was already sweating profusely, blood dripping from her wound. It was merely a minor wound, but in combination with her use of energy, she was already near exhaustion.

‘Elethien, stop!’ Teion warned.

She could care less.

She channelled her energy towards her sword again. As her legs began to grow weak, she leaned onto Teion for support. Even with her Fate-blessed core, she felt literal years being taken off of her lifespan as the energy began to collect at the sword’s tip. Her wings had disappeared, leaving only an exposed back with a bleeding wound. Her skin was rapidly paleing, being only a little more pink than her hair.

And so what?

If Fate wasn’t answering, she would take matters into her own hands. Fate promised her a prosperous kingdom. So long as she was marching towards that goal, even if Fate didn’t directly tell her to go on that path, she believed her God would still approve of her act.

Her sword felt heavier than before, the weight of a portion of her life being balanced delicately at its tip. Red sparks flew from the sphere of energy as if the sword itself was filled with anger.

The Kingdom of Foresters couldn’t have a defeat in their first major battle.

She fired. The recoil knocked both of them backwards, tumbling across the dirt. The blast landed perfectly at the crater.

The crater blew apart. Rubble and flesh flew across the sky, showering the Foresters and Trelvenese with pebbles and blood. The entire section shattered and crumbled like glass, dragging a few unfortunate defenders with it, burying them under the tons of stone.

The hail of arrows suddenly stopped as the defenders looked at the collapsed section of the wall in alarm. The soldiers on the walls began backing away in panic, terrified at the sight before them. Some nearly fell off the wall as their comrades pushed them to the edge. The only sounds were the bell tolls in the distance and the continuous rolling of rubble.

As she looked around, the Foresters couldn’t even react to the whole situation. They stood there stunned, some clutching their wounds, some in the middle of charging their next energy blast, some still beginning to retreat away from the walls.

A moment ago, the Foresters only had a crater to show for their efforts. Suddenly, they now had an entire gap that led into the city.

Elethien felt the world was spinning. No, her body was spinning, or at least there was the sensation of such. She couldn’t get up, after all. Her body felt weak, emptied of any strength.

Well, it was all worth it. At least it compensated for the absolute humiliation earlier in the battle.

Did I make the right decision, my God?

She felt Teion carry her on his back. And then, darkness.