Chapter 49: 49
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Urifir's forces advanced across the open square as well ordered as they could. Their lines were often split by larger debris from destroyed market stalls and ruined buildings. For this unorthodox battle, the soldiers with better armor or well-made shields were the vanguards. Followed by nimble lighter forces armed with light spears, bows, swords and other various weapons suited to each individual. When the battle was joined, the heavier infantry would hold or pin the enemy's attention while the more nimble forces attacked their weak spots.
Urifir and his lieutenants did their best to distribute the soldiers into balanced squads, which would lead the way and act as anchors in the fight. The unbalanced squads would fill in the gaps and were tasked with going from fight to fight to help where they were needed. If everything went according to plan, the balanced squads would draw only as many monsters as they could handle and keep them busy while the unbalanced support squads would provide localized superiority as they worked their way across the battlefield.
The Elders' private forces didn't have the same standardized equipment that the Home Guard was fitted out with, but they still had experts with specialized roles. Among the support squads were the few heavy lancers, fighters that specialized in taking down large, dangerous opponents using large polearms. These were the same kind of units that took on the larger beasts as they became bogged down in the swamps before Viram's forces arrived. The Elders didn't employ as many lancers as the Home Guard did, but snatched up as many as they could. Elders sometimes fought over the best, even paying huge incentives to bring them out of retirement if it meant improving the quality of their private armies.
Urifir was with Falar near the middle of their combined forces, concentrating on the network of power that ran through all their troops. The rain obscured the battlefield and made it impossible to see more than a few meters in any direction, so the two elders had to rely on sensing the state of affairs by the strength of their soldiers' power. If Urifir felt a sudden loss of power from too many of his men in one area, he would send reinforcements to deal with the threat or go himself.
Falar would act in support and mainly focus on the outskirts of the battle while Urifir focused on the front. Falar's job was to keep the army from being flanked or surrounded and to keep the logistic supply line open. They had heard nothing from the other Elders, but if they came, Falar would be able to efficiently funnel their troops to where they were needed. It was also imperative to keep the supply routes open to act as a path of organized retreat if the battle turned for the worse.
...
Thunder rumbled high overhead as the setting sun brought changes to the chemistry of the cloud tops. Powerful wind sheers still tore through the air not far above the ground and occasionally cut away sections of a house's roof or sent debris from a demolished tower hurtling down into the city.
As the leading troops got closer, they could see a warm glow color the mists in front of them. Lan was a farmer that worked on Urifir's estate. When the call came to assemble for battle, he and his comrades dropped their spades and plows and took up their weapons as quickly as they could. He didn't serve as a regular guard and would normally only be tasked with keeping the weaker women and children, incapable of defending themselves, safe. It was the regular family guards that did the real fighting.
This was the first time Lan had ever been deployed in a large battle after he left the Home Guard. He realized how dire the situation was if the Elders' private forces were the only ones left to fight off the enemy. His legs were unsteady but obeyed his will as he put one foot in front of the other, leading the way for his friends behind him. This was his home. He wouldn't let some vile fiends corrupt the land and ruin his crops. If his strength of arm and the sword he held were the last things keeping his family safe, then he would wager his life to end the threat.
The enemies' bright glow intensified and took on various monstrous shapes. Then he saw them. The fiends charged forward, dissolving the gloom with their flames and grotesque bodies. The rain in the air and on the ground hissed when it made contact with their flames. Glowing steam swirled and danced around their bodies making the charging wall of demonic fiends seem a force of nature.
Everything was moving in slow motion and Lan's legs were glued to the ground, he couldn't walk forward anymore. He knew he needed to take a stronger stance but it was all he could do to keep standing. A few of his comrades were able to move their legs, they moved back into the lines, but nobody cared. Not when they were distracted by the fiends in front of them.
Lan grit his teeth and finally forced his legs to give him a more solid stance so he wouldn't be bowled over and trampled to death before he even had a chance to swing his sword. When the fiends started to yell, their war cry woke the world up and time began moving at an incredible speed.
Lan stopped breathing. They were upon him and he couldn't think or blink anymore. The fire fiend in front of him roared as it rammed and grabbed his shield. Lan could barely see out of his watery eyes, and the heavy rain was already half dry by the time it landed on his skin. He just started hacking and stabbing with his sword as he felt the heat of the fiend's breath cooking the skin on his face.
Lan bellowed and kept lashing out at anything that glowed in his vision. His body moved on its own, following his old training. He was only dimly aware of his comrades around him doing the same. This was no longer the city square he danced in during festivals and special events, it was a world of chaos come to life.
...
Urifir scowled with his eyes closed. There far more enemies than he'd thought there'd be. "Have the Umorn and Holly regiments fall back to draw them in. Then have Ash, Pepper and Chebore regiments move forward on either side to reinforce the front and pinch in from the sides. I want to cut off chunks of their army for our mages to focus on."
A Lieutenant saluted and went to pass on the orders as another came forward to take his place.
Falar listened to a messenger further away from Urifir, then he walked over to him trying to keep his face straight as a smile crept across it. "The archers and others are in position. " Falar's smile looked garish compared to Urifir's brooding frown. "Preparations are complete. We can start at any time."
Urifir kept his eyes closed and only nodded. The rain was making the enemy weaker but was also causing his soldiers' feet to slip on the pavement. The horrible visibility was also keeping him from utilizing his archers and war mages as he normally would. But Urifir was adaptable, he would mitigate disadvantages and take advantage of any opportunities that arose or that he caused to happen.
As he watched his people fight for their lives he grumbled, "This battle is going last all night."
Falar, who hadn't gone back to his business yet, thought Urifir was talking to him. "One night is a good price for our place in history."
...
The air around Viram sputtered and cracked as swirls of heat danced around him. Like Urifir, he too was paying attention to his underlings' power and he saw many of them being cut down like weaklings. "How unsightly."
[Forced to fight on the ground like clumsy beasts.]
He would have banished the storm if he had the power to spare. If he even knew how much power it would take. He reminded himself of the value of conserving his strength. He forced himself to hold back instead of wasting his time on weak enemies. He was biding his time. He would take action when his forces found strong opponents. Besides if he went wild from the start, there'd be fewer enemies alive to capture as livestock.
As his men fought, he took the time to inspect the living loot, feeding on the terror in their eyes as his glare swept over them. He paused near some of the most severely burned livestock, inhaling the satisfying smell of their charred flesh. The ones that died before they were sold would become savory food for his best underlings.
Viram froze. Entire sections of his army were being drawn in and cut off from the rest of his forces. He made his way out of the building being used as a warehouse, but before he could give orders to aid his surrounded men, their collective power weakened significantly as enemy mages bombarded them with their deadly spells. Viram sped up and made his way to the battlefield, "Those d*mned fools are being slaughtered."
He was losing too many of his underlings. It was time to act.
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Urifir's forces advanced across the open square as well ordered as they could. Their lines were often split by larger debris from destroyed market stalls and ruined buildings. For this unorthodox battle, the soldiers with better armor or well-made shields were the vanguards. Followed by nimble lighter forces armed with light spears, bows, swords and other various weapons suited to each individual. When the battle was joined, the heavier infantry would hold or pin the enemy's attention while the more nimble forces attacked their weak spots.
Urifir and his lieutenants did their best to distribute the soldiers into balanced squads, which would lead the way and act as anchors in the fight. The unbalanced squads would fill in the gaps and were tasked with going from fight to fight to help where they were needed. If everything went according to plan, the balanced squads would draw only as many monsters as they could handle and keep them busy while the unbalanced support squads would provide localized superiority as they worked their way across the battlefield.
The Elders' private forces didn't have the same standardized equipment that the Home Guard was fitted out with, but they still had experts with specialized roles. Among the support squads were the few heavy lancers, fighters that specialized in taking down large, dangerous opponents using large polearms. These were the same kind of units that took on the larger beasts as they became bogged down in the swamps before Viram's forces arrived. The Elders didn't employ as many lancers as the Home Guard did, but snatched up as many as they could. Elders sometimes fought over the best, even paying huge incentives to bring them out of retirement if it meant improving the quality of their private armies.
Urifir was with Falar near the middle of their combined forces, concentrating on the network of power that ran through all their troops. The rain obscured the battlefield and made it impossible to see more than a few meters in any direction, so the two elders had to rely on sensing the state of affairs by the strength of their soldiers' power. If Urifir felt a sudden loss of power from too many of his men in one area, he would send reinforcements to deal with the threat or go himself.
Falar would act in support and mainly focus on the outskirts of the battle while Urifir focused on the front. Falar's job was to keep the army from being flanked or surrounded and to keep the logistic supply line open. They had heard nothing from the other Elders, but if they came, Falar would be able to efficiently funnel their troops to where they were needed. It was also imperative to keep the supply routes open to act as a path of organized retreat if the battle turned for the worse.
...
Thunder rumbled high overhead as the setting sun brought changes to the chemistry of the cloud tops. Powerful wind sheers still tore through the air not far above the ground and occasionally cut away sections of a house's roof or sent debris from a demolished tower hurtling down into the city.
As the leading troops got closer, they could see a warm glow color the mists in front of them. Lan was a farmer that worked on Urifir's estate. When the call came to assemble for battle, he and his comrades dropped their spades and plows and took up their weapons as quickly as they could. He didn't serve as a regular guard and would normally only be tasked with keeping the weaker women and children, incapable of defending themselves, safe. It was the regular family guards that did the real fighting.
This was the first time Lan had ever been deployed in a large battle after he left the Home Guard. He realized how dire the situation was if the Elders' private forces were the only ones left to fight off the enemy. His legs were unsteady but obeyed his will as he put one foot in front of the other, leading the way for his friends behind him. This was his home. He wouldn't let some vile fiends corrupt the land and ruin his crops. If his strength of arm and the sword he held were the last things keeping his family safe, then he would wager his life to end the threat.
The enemies' bright glow intensified and took on various monstrous shapes. Then he saw them. The fiends charged forward, dissolving the gloom with their flames and grotesque bodies. The rain in the air and on the ground hissed when it made contact with their flames. Glowing steam swirled and danced around their bodies making the charging wall of demonic fiends seem a force of nature.
Everything was moving in slow motion and Lan's legs were glued to the ground, he couldn't walk forward anymore. He knew he needed to take a stronger stance but it was all he could do to keep standing. A few of his comrades were able to move their legs, they moved back into the lines, but nobody cared. Not when they were distracted by the fiends in front of them.
Lan grit his teeth and finally forced his legs to give him a more solid stance so he wouldn't be bowled over and trampled to death before he even had a chance to swing his sword. When the fiends started to yell, their war cry woke the world up and time began moving at an incredible speed.
Lan stopped breathing. They were upon him and he couldn't think or blink anymore. The fire fiend in front of him roared as it rammed and grabbed his shield. Lan could barely see out of his watery eyes, and the heavy rain was already half dry by the time it landed on his skin. He just started hacking and stabbing with his sword as he felt the heat of the fiend's breath cooking the skin on his face.
Lan bellowed and kept lashing out at anything that glowed in his vision. His body moved on its own, following his old training. He was only dimly aware of his comrades around him doing the same. This was no longer the city square he danced in during festivals and special events, it was a world of chaos come to life.
...
Urifir scowled with his eyes closed. There far more enemies than he'd thought there'd be. "Have the Umorn and Holly regiments fall back to draw them in. Then have Ash, Pepper and Chebore regiments move forward on either side to reinforce the front and pinch in from the sides. I want to cut off chunks of their army for our mages to focus on."
A Lieutenant saluted and went to pass on the orders as another came forward to take his place.
Falar listened to a messenger further away from Urifir, then he walked over to him trying to keep his face straight as a smile crept across it. "The archers and others are in position. " Falar's smile looked garish compared to Urifir's brooding frown. "Preparations are complete. We can start at any time."
Urifir kept his eyes closed and only nodded. The rain was making the enemy weaker but was also causing his soldiers' feet to slip on the pavement. The horrible visibility was also keeping him from utilizing his archers and war mages as he normally would. But Urifir was adaptable, he would mitigate disadvantages and take advantage of any opportunities that arose or that he caused to happen.
As he watched his people fight for their lives he grumbled, "This battle is going last all night."
Falar, who hadn't gone back to his business yet, thought Urifir was talking to him. "One night is a good price for our place in history."
...
The air around Viram sputtered and cracked as swirls of heat danced around him. Like Urifir, he too was paying attention to his underlings' power and he saw many of them being cut down like weaklings. "How unsightly."
[Forced to fight on the ground like clumsy beasts.]
He would have banished the storm if he had the power to spare. If he even knew how much power it would take. He reminded himself of the value of conserving his strength. He forced himself to hold back instead of wasting his time on weak enemies. He was biding his time. He would take action when his forces found strong opponents. Besides if he went wild from the start, there'd be fewer enemies alive to capture as livestock.
As his men fought, he took the time to inspect the living loot, feeding on the terror in their eyes as his glare swept over them. He paused near some of the most severely burned livestock, inhaling the satisfying smell of their charred flesh. The ones that died before they were sold would become savory food for his best underlings.
Viram froze. Entire sections of his army were being drawn in and cut off from the rest of his forces. He made his way out of the building being used as a warehouse, but before he could give orders to aid his surrounded men, their collective power weakened significantly as enemy mages bombarded them with their deadly spells. Viram sped up and made his way to the battlefield, "Those d*mned fools are being slaughtered."
He was losing too many of his underlings. It was time to act.
Urifir's forces advanced across the open square as well ordered as they could. Their lines were often split by larger debris from destroyed market stalls and ruined buildings. For this unorthodox battle, the soldiers with better armor or well-made shields were the vanguards. Followed by nimble lighter forces armed with light spears, bows, swords and other various weapons suited to each individual. When the battle was joined, the heavier infantry would hold or pin the enemy's attention while the more nimble forces attacked their weak spots.Urifir and his lieutenants did their best to distribute the soldiers into balanced squads, which would lead the way and act as anchors in the fight. The unbalanced squads would fill in the gaps and were tasked with going from fight to fight to help where they were needed. If everything went according to plan, the balanced squads would draw only as many monsters as they could handle and keep them busy while the unbalanced support squads would provide localized superiority as they worked their way across the battlefield.The Elders' private forces didn't have the same standardized equipment that the Home Guard was fitted out with, but they still had experts with specialized roles. Among the support squads were the few heavy lancers, fighters that specialized in taking down large, dangerous opponents using large polearms. These were the same kind of units that took on the larger beasts as they became bogged down in the swamps before Viram's forces arrived. The Elders didn't employ as many lancers as the Home Guard did, but snatched up as many as they could. Elders sometimes fought over the best, even paying huge incentives to bring them out of retirement if it meant improving the quality of their private armies.Urifir was with Falar near the middle of their combined forces, concentrating on the network of power that ran through all their troops. The rain obscured the battlefield and made it impossible to see more than a few meters in any direction, so the two elders had to rely on sensing the state of affairs by the strength of their soldiers' power. If Urifir felt a sudden loss of power from too many of his men in one area, he would send reinforcements to deal with the threat or go himself.Falar would act in support and mainly focus on the outskirts of the battle while Urifir focused on the front. Falar's job was to keep the army from being flanked or surrounded and to keep the logistic supply line open. They had heard nothing from the other Elders, but if they came, Falar would be able to efficiently funnel their troops to where they were needed. It was also imperative to keep the supply routes open to act as a path of organized retreat if the battle turned for the worse....Thunder rumbled high overhead as the setting sun brought changes to the chemistry of the cloud tops. Powerful wind sheers still tore through the air not far above the ground and occasionally cut away sections of a house's roof or sent debris from a demolished tower hurtling down into the city.As the leading troops got closer, they could see a warm glow color the mists in front of them. Lan was a farmer that worked on Urifir's estate. When the call came to assemble for battle, he and his comrades dropped their spades and plows and took up their weapons as quickly as they could. He didn't serve as a regular guard and would normally only be tasked with keeping the weaker women and children, incapable of defending themselves, safe. It was the regular family guards that did the real fighting.This was the first time Lan had ever been deployed in a large battle after he left the Home Guard. He realized how dire the situation was if the Elders' private forces were the only ones left to fight off the enemy. His legs were unsteady but obeyed his will as he put one foot in front of the other, leading the way for his friends behind him. This was his home. He wouldn't let some vile fiends corrupt the land and ruin his crops. If his strength of arm and the sword he held were the last things keeping his family safe, then he would wager his life to end the threat.The enemies' bright glow intensified and took on various monstrous shapes. Then he saw them. The fiends charged forward, dissolving the gloom with their flames and grotesque bodies. The rain in the air and on the ground hissed when it made contact with their flames. Glowing steam swirled and danced around their bodies making the charging wall of demonic fiends seem a force of nature.Everything was moving in slow motion and Lan's legs were glued to the ground, he couldn't walk forward anymore. He knew he needed to take a stronger stance but it was all he could do to keep standing. A few of his comrades were able to move their legs, they moved back into the lines, but nobody cared. Not when they were distracted by the fiends in front of them.Lan grit his teeth and finally forced his legs to give him a more solid stance so he wouldn't be bowled over and trampled to death before he even had a chance to swing his sword. When the fiends started to yell, their war cry woke the world up and time began moving at an incredible speed.Lan stopped breathing. They were upon him and he couldn't think or blink anymore. The fire fiend in front of him roared as it rammed and grabbed his shield. Lan could barely see out of his watery eyes, and the heavy rain was already half dry by the time it landed on his skin. He just started hacking and stabbing with his sword as he felt the heat of the fiend's breath cooking the skin on his face.Lan bellowed and kept lashing out at anything that glowed in his vision. His body moved on its own, following his old training. He was only dimly aware of his comrades around him doing the same. This was no longer the city square he danced in during festivals and special events, it was a world of chaos come to life....Urifir scowled with his eyes closed. There far more enemies than he'd thought there'd be. "Have the Umorn and Holly regiments fall back to draw them in. Then have Ash, Pepper and Chebore regiments move forward on either side to reinforce the front and pinch in from the sides. I want to cut off chunks of their army for our mages to focus on."A Lieutenant saluted and went to pass on the orders as another came forward to take his place.Falar listened to a messenger further away from Urifir, then he walked over to him trying to keep his face straight as a smile crept across it. "The archers and others are in position. " Falar's smile looked garish compared to Urifir's brooding frown. "Preparations are complete. We can start at any time."Urifir kept his eyes closed and only nodded. The rain was making the enemy weaker but was also causing his soldiers' feet to slip on the pavement. The horrible visibility was also keeping him from utilizing his archers and war mages as he normally would. But Urifir was adaptable, he would mitigate disadvantages and take advantage of any opportunities that arose or that he caused to happen.As he watched his people fight for their lives he grumbled, "This battle is going last all night."Falar, who hadn't gone back to his business yet, thought Urifir was talking to him. "One night is a good price for our place in history."...The air around Viram sputtered and cracked as swirls of heat danced around him. Like Urifir, he too was paying attention to his underlings' power and he saw many of them being cut down like weaklings. "How unsightly."Forced to fight on the ground like clumsy beasts.He would have banished the storm if he had the power to spare. If he even knew how much power it would take. He reminded himself of the value of conserving his strength. He forced himself to hold back instead of wasting his time on weak enemies. He was biding his time. He would take action when his forces found strong opponents. Besides if he went wild from the start, there'd be fewer enemies alive to capture as livestock.As his men fought, he took the time to inspect the living loot, feeding on the terror in their eyes as his glare swept over them. He paused near some of the most severely burned livestock, inhaling the satisfying smell of their charred flesh. The ones that died before they were sold would become savory food for his best underlings.Viram froze. Entire sections of his army were being drawn in and cut off from the rest of his forces. He made his way out of the building being used as a warehouse, but before he could give orders to aid his surrounded men, their collective power weakened significantly as enemy mages bombarded them with their deadly spells. Viram sped up and made his way to the battlefield, "Those d*mned fools are being slaughtered."He was losing too many of his underlings. It was time to act.
