Siege on the City of Heroes - East, Part 2(EVENT)

[Plot Device]

The battle continues 8 days after Part 1. Make sure to read Siege on the City of Heroes Phase 3

[Oya]

"Ahhhhh", shouted Oya as he punched hole in one of the pirates shields. He knew he was going to hear words about that later. Oya was ticked off, and that was putting it lightly. Here he was demoted to guarding the seige weapons. He who was the only one man enough to take charge in the first battle. They were not so quick to demote him when he withstood the storm of arrows to mark the position for the catapults. They did not want to demote him when he rushed forward and crushed the sacean swordsman who were cutting a bloody path through their light infantry. Now that the battle was over and loss could be seen on both sides his mother suddenly decides it a good idea to demote him. It was probably Farkus and Troy ideas. If not those two then one of those old fools that call themselves sailors.

"It was by my back, my labor that we got as far as we did", spoke Oya to himself. As angry as he was about the whole thing he did not leave his position. If his mother wanted him guarding the catapults then he would guard the catapults. Oya understood how important they were to victory, but he also wanted to clear his honor by battling the Saceans on the front lines.

At the very lest he will have a good view of the battlefield once his mother took the center stage. With the recent loss and stagnate battle Nya herself was going to show her skill on the battlefield. It was a clear sign that she was serious about this fight. Still Oya worried about her. Even thought she had given him a position he did not like she was still his mother. The battlefield out there was brutal and Oya knew it far to well.

For a moment Oya simply stared at the wall. He looked at its scars and took note of its weak spots. He so wanted to tear those walls down himself. Alas he was stuck with the catapults, a important, but boring post.

[Dietrich Landrik]

It had already been a week and because of the heavy losses and the Sacaen war parties managing to break through some holes in the line on the other side of the City, the defenders managed to win out on the numbers game. Landrik, Berg, and Fuchs had seen almost non-stop front line action near the siege engines as enemy raids and long distance magic attacks harassed them constantly.

Even with all of these trials, the arrival of an Ilian mercenary company actually allowed some of the troops who fought the best to rotate to the rear for a short time, Landrik and his comrades weren't some of those men. However, their actions did not go unnoticed. Because of the increasingly static and attritious fighting that has turned this fight into a proper siege, Landrik was added to a staff of other engineers and together they developed stronger defenses for the siege weaponry as well as a defensive network of simple trenches that the men occupy during the fighting.

With these they managed to only recently pull off some successful raids against the wall. This sort of information supported the idea that they could amass men through the trenches under cover of darkness and attack in the early hours of the morning as well as sabotage defenses during the night.

With the higher numbers from the defenders it seems they're planning on something large and there is a common fear in the rank and file that they're planning to break the siege. Both the front line troops and those held in reserve are near breaking point in effective strength. Combine this with the absolute absence of Hargus and Nya from the front and the morale is still in a slump from the major battle a week ago.

The saving grace has been the siege weaponry. The magnificent machines of war still impress with how they hammer away at the city's walls with fire-pot and solid shot. Repeated attempts were made to silence the catapults, but all have failed so far with the defenses proving to be superior, although rudimentary in areas.

--

It had been nearly a day since the blonde swordsman had seen Oya. His duties took him away from the siege weapons often, but now he was back for quality control. The boy certainly had a presence to him, especially with the axe that practically wielded him. Landrik looked practically the same as he had a week ago, but with more caked on mud, dirt, and a notepad with a simple pen. The inkwell for it was corked shut and stowed in the pouch on his belt.

Dietrich looked very tired as did most everyone there. He hadn't taken off his boots once since he arrived here and he didn't know when he would ever get a break in the action. The Sacaens were very good shots and there were a handful on the walls that could certainly reach out and touch someone if they were unlucky here in the trenches. For the most part, things were quiet. "Commander, I'm here to see the state of the defenses and draw up a report for the staff regarding requests and complaints..." he paused, now realizing Oya would probably go on a rant about not moving forward. He wanted this to all be over and him be well on his way back to a port as soon as he could. "...for the defenses."

With a deep yawn that the marine covered with his hand, he rubbed his eyes and set the pen to the paper; writing the headline with the day's date.

[Valcrist]

Valcrist wasn't a commander. He wasn't a leader of men, truth was he was relieved when Richter showed up. He didn't know what he had been doing, and the reason he even tried is because no one else would. It had been all up to him, for better or for worse, and he had proved that it was likely for worse. No, he prefered being in back. He thought to himself as he was checking his bow with tired eyes, he had been getting little sleep as of late. While most of the defenders could afford to sleep at night, he was ever active working on repairs, his skills as a warrior and as a blacksmith were both in high demand, leaving the smith a bit drained. It's why he'd been delegated to the archers, again, only because of Richter's leadership he hadn't been forced back onto the front lines yet. Of course it was still very much a dangerous position, they had never truly disabled the siege weapons, but it lacked the point for point ferocity of the fray. Meanwhile, he was getting better and better at his craft with each passing arrow.

He wasn't the 'most' skilled archer, but he was clearly better than most of them. Which was odd, since he had only started learning archery none too long ago. Usually it took... years for someone to get skilled in a craft like this. Maybe it was just natural talent, or maybe his skills in fighting had lent themselves readily to the art. Like he had all the prerequisites done, but just needed to put in the time and effort. He lazily looked around the eastern side of the city, it had been the most chaotic on the first day by far. The last few days, not as much, but he still stuck over there. They say Hargus himself was holed away to the south, but he hadn't had the... 'pleasure' of meeting him. He didn't want it either.

His eyes tried to pick out important people, Richter, Kenshin, Aaron, Wyatt, Mana, Claire, Edrick, Roin seemed to have vanished after his first appearance. He didn't see any of them at the moment, but in honesty he didn't look very hard. If they were to show up, he'd notice them. Probably. He wasn't so sure how crazy it would get over here today, so it was likely Richter was off in some other quadrant barking orders, the others he simply didn't know.

He let out a stifled yawn, stretching very slightly and locking in place for a moment, before letting it go with a small grunt. Of course even if he was tired, he was more than certain he'd be forced to wake up when things got hairy. Right now was simply the lull before the storm, as if everyone was awaiting some world shattering catastrophe to occur. The tension was thick, and almost carried a physical presence alone, some were scared some where excited. They had received many new troops since their first day, reinforcements, it was now clear they were in the advantage, but the bandits still fought. Fiercely and without faltering, as if their life meant nothing to them. It was despicable. He felt no twinge of guilt in his heart for each pirate he shot down, they had their chance to flee. No they were so determined to destroy this city they would sacrifice countless lives to do so. That was sickening.

What was so damn important about this city anyways? Was it a "symbol"? A symbol of what? A conflict that has no more meaning in this world? He didn't know, but his reasons for fighting were ever the same. He wanted to help protect those who believed in this symbol, even if he himself did not. He wished that he did, but he simply couldn't. It meant nothing to him, and he felt like he was missing something fundamental in all of this. Perhaps it was him at fault here, it wouldn't be the first time he tried to get involved in a cause he himself did not believe in. The difference was this time he couldn't exactly run. In the end he wouldn't lose sleep over helping these men, and killing a bunch of bandits, well that was just icing on the cake.

[Oya]

"Huh", spoke Oya as he realized that Dietrick was standing next to him. A blush crossed the pirates face in the form of a bright big red line. Oya's pale skin easily let the color through making the young pirate look almost like a blushing maiden. With a cough to clear his throat Oya regained his face back under his control. The pirate had to retrain his manliness, or what little of it he still had, if he wanted to be respectable at the least. "Sorry Dietrick I did not see you there", spoke Oya as he tried to act as normal as possible.

"The defenses", spoke Oya as he remembered the end of Dietrick words. "Yes the defenses are well", spoke Oya as he looked out and began to inspect the trenches dug around the catapults. Under Oya's orders they had packed the dirt dug for the holes under the position of the catapults. The packed dirt not only made the defenses look even more impressive, but also rose the altitude of the catapults. The hire up they were the longer they could fire. It would be a slight advantage from the day before when they started to bombard the enemy. Oya would imagine the surprise look on their faces when the catapult line was farther back then they remembered. Still Oya was not happy with his station and pretty much everyone on the Eastern front who was somebody knew about it, but at the moment there was nothing Oya could do.

"So Dietrick how have you been", spoke Oya changing the subject to something that did not remind him of his demotion. "With the way you have been yawning it seems like they have been running you rampant. In fact", spoke Oya as he began to think back to the first day. "Have you seen any action since we got here. I know a couple of the guys have been confined to simply guard duty and logistics. It would be a true pity if you never get a chance to swing your blade in the fray", spoke the pirate as he attempted to make small conversation.

[Dietrich Landrik]

There was something off about Oya that Dietrich could sense. However, he wasn't sure what. It was only now when he wasn't suited up for battle that Landrik noticed his more effeminate looks and mannerisms. He may have been raised around too many women, he thought.

Disregarding the personality observation, the swordsman looked around him. Oya spoke little of the defenses, which probably came from ignorance on defensive siege-works rather than any lack in leadership. Regardless, he knew if he needed an honest answer, he'd have to ask one of the lower officers.

In an attempt to muse the man while he was there, he answered his questions. No matter how one cut it, Oya was a big player in this battle. He may get to know him some. "Above ground for now, per se." he attempted the dark humor. He had heard of Oya's demotion as many had, but he decided to leave it out of their conversation. He was sure the boy had heard it all by now.

"Huh... well, I've gotten close to the action quite a few times, but I haven't drawn blood just yet. Just kept my head down well enough. The helmet helps with that." he grunted, knocking his knuckle against the scratched and worn painted helmet. It was of a sallet shape and painted a muddy tan color. This was further accented with actual dried mud clinging to the helmet.

"If anything, I'd rather we take the city without any more bloodshed. The morale is starting to plummet with the siege. If it weren't for the Ilian reinforcements..." he started, but realized he didn't want to say the wrong thing. He trailed off his speaking and inspected his sword as he brushed off some of the caked on mud from the hilt. He yawned yet again.

[Oya]

"True enough", spoke Oya picking up were Dietrick left off. "With our loss in the previous battles and the plummet in moral we are probably going to have deserters soon. The Ilian reinforcements boosted it, but I doubt the crew will last too long here. We are throwing all of our resources at this bloody city. If we waste any more we might not have enough forces to keep our holds in the Isles. If word gets around that Nya's raiders are weaken our enemies might grow bold and move on our base in Saint Eyes." As Oya spoke he turned and looked in the direction of the south.

"What the #%&&", spoke Oya as the blood began to drain from his face. The young pirate looked as he saw a black cloud of ..., something cover the area. That was sure not something he heard about in their stratagem briefing nor did he believe the Heroes had anything that could do that. Well he prayed they did not have anything that could do that. His fears however were soon dispelled and turned even more grievous as he saw something take flight. The smoke had cleared and and there seemed to be something in its wake. Oya was not sure what. It was too far away for him to see.

"Tomas", shouted Oya. As the pirates words rang out the rest of the men saw what Oya was looking at.

"What in the world", they spoke. "What going on", they asked. People with spyglasses simply shook in place and soiled their undergarments. Amongst them was Tomas. He held out his spyglass and simply stared.

"Tomas", spoke Oya, but the man seemed to be in his own little world. With his patience already thin Oya simply took what he wanted from the man. With a quick jerk Oya snatched the spyglass out of his hand. The action sent Tomas into a panic as he fell to the dirt. He looked around almost as if he was staring at the dead. "Get a hold of yourself", spoke Oya as he walked back to his previous position. He had no idea what Tomas was looking at, but he knew it must have been bad to shake the man up. Taking a look into the spyglass Oya eyes opened wide.

There he saw it. The horrid undead and the demon wing creatures that flocked above them. Their ranks started to move toward the city. A couple of them began to march to the East. Xigshaw began to pulsate almost as if it was excited. Their was no mistaking it. The Nya pirates were soon going to be under assault by monsters.

"Turn the catapult around and aim toward the south", shouted Oya. His words caught many of the pirates off guard. Not only was Oya demoted from command, but he was also giving a very strange order. All of those who saw what Oya saw began to move quickly to follow his orders. The others looked on with confusion as the ones in the know handed them their spyglass and began to word.

"Hey you, what do you think you are doing", spoke the bandit commander sent from Hargus.

"I would like to ask you the same question", shouted Oya as he tossed the looking glass to Dietrick. The pirate began to walk forward to deal with Hargus commander.

[Dietrich Landrik]

Dietrich listened to Oya's assessment. He was completely right in how morale was almost shot. There was still cameraderie that bound the men, but for most it was weak... the amount of men who were here just for the money, like Dietrich, was rather large. Just then, Fuchs came from one of the pathways with his bardiche low at the ready as to not attract any attention above the trenches. He gave a nod towards Dietrich as he sat down and wiped his eyes. He silently took the stress and still performed, but one could see how he had been much more reliable than others who also had to take up post. Alwin was trained... the others were often not.

"I understand. You're their commander. You must do everything in your power to inspire them." he said, Fuchs making a chuckle audible. He leaned back against the parapet as Oya took notice to the South. Hearing his shocked reaction, he knew it couldn't be good. He sat and listened as the two went on in terror - in which he actually took action to step up to where Oya was and see what he was going on about. Just then, Oya ordered the catapults to shift aim to the South... was he mad!?

Taking the looking glass, he quickly looked out towards the South - yet he didn't really need it to see what was going on... a dark ominous cloud and something that looked like it came from a horror story was making its way directly towards them. Shoving the observation tool back towards the unnerved man, Dietrich pulled his sword. In turn, Fuchs brought his upwards in a ready position. "ALAAAAAAARRRRMMMM!!!" Dietrich yelled, alerting any others. Men poured from their bunkers slapping their helmets and armor on. Bells were clanging as they took their ready positions in the trenches. However, this time when they got into position they could see the ominous cloud coming from their flank.

"Oya! Take charge of your men! What are your orders!?" he asked, even himself uncertain if to break towards the ships or defend their ground. Either way, he gripped his sword tightly and ready to move.

[Oya]

"What the heck do you think you are doing", spoke Hargus commander as he saw Oya turn their men to the south. He looked on and saw the monsters as Oya walked toward him. His eyes showed the same surprise that Oya felt when he first saw it. "What in the nine worlds", spoke the man.

"Trying to save us from that", spoke Oya as he pointed to the mess going on in the south. Oya's sudden turn of the catapults and the commotion had turned the eyes of many of the pirates toward the south. A great groan of horror and fear ran throughout the army as everyone witness flying monsters assaulting the wall in their attempt to lay waste to the city of heroes.

"They're... They're on our side", spoke the bandit commander as he looked at them. "The monsters are on our side you fool", he shouted with confidence! "You idiot you are about to strike our own men."

"Our own", shouted oya as he turned and looked at the man! Oya could not care less what happen to the people in the city of the heroes and half of his own army for that matter. However he cared greatly about his pride. Being placed in the same group as those monsters. As evil as Oya was he was still a man. In rage Oya drew Xigshaw and knocked the man to the side. The massive hammer crushed his bones and killed him instantly. "Don't you dare compare me to one of those things", shouted Oya down at the man's corpse! Oya sudden outburst of rage and anger sent a chill down the spines of the pirates who looked on. Oya turned around to see Dietrick walking up to him.

"Oya! Take charge of your men! What are your orders!?", he spoke. The pirate looked on for a moment and looked at the men standing before him. It was clear whatever decision he made here could cost him his life for disobedience or it could make him a hero for saving his troops.

Oya took a deep breath as he came up with a solution. "Everyone abandon the catapults and move back toward the ships", he shouted making sure everyone near him could hear what he said. His words caught many of them off guard as they were sure he was going to try to use the war machines to strike out at the enemy. "You, you, and you", spoke Oya as he pointed toward a few of his men. He had chosen the fastest runners and prepared to give them a message. "Run to the three commanders, my two brothers Farkus and Troy and that new guy Talon. Tell them Hargus has betrayed and aims to kill us all. We need to fall back to the ships and get our boys out alive. If they need prof tell them I said look to the south, they will have all the proof they need."

"Understood", spoke the three runners as they began to move to their destination.

"Wait a minute Oya", spoke Tomas as he rushed up and stopped the runners. All eyes shifted to him as he began to question Oya's reasoning. "What do you mean Hargus has betrayed. The monsters are not attacking us they are moving against the city. As a matter of facts they are making it easier for us to take the city."

"Oya looked at Tomas with contempt. "Tomas", he spoke as he pointed to the south. Tell me where did those monsters come from. They were not here before, nor did we carry them on our ship."

"Maybe Hargus summoned them up", spoke another pirate one leaning more on Hargus side than the boy pirate.

"True", spoke Oya. "Hargus could have summoned them up with black magic, but let me ask you this. Where are the bandits? Where are the bandits that were suppose to be lunching a assault on the South. We could see them hanging about around their tents before, but now they are gone. Gone after that pillar of smoke." Everyone grew quite as Oya's words began to sink in. "If you ask me", spoke Oya breaking the silence. "Hargus probably did summon up those monsters. He probably did so using those men as sacrifice. Now those men were Hargus personally picked soldiers. What do you think he will do to us pirates and mercenaries that joined for coin. There is not going to be any gold from this venture just simply slaughter and sacrifice."

Oya turned toward the three messengers he talked to earlier. "You all can go and deliver that message now", spoke Oya. The three men then began to run off at full speed. The pirate simply walked pass Tomas and walked up to Dietrick.

"You know I really thought all those rumors about Hargus coming back to life was fake. I figured the old fart survived his encounter with the Crimson Blade and only returned now once he regained his strength. I had no idea he had truly resurrected from the dead and it seems he holds the power of death in his hand. Dietrick", spoke Oya with a stern look. "You should probably go with the other men and board a ship. I am going to talk to our Captain Nya and convince her to set sail. More than likely thought a few of us are going to stay back. Somebody is going to need to teach Hargus what happens when you cross the Nya pirates."

After finishing their conversation Oya walked off and began to retreat with his troops. The pirate moved straight for his mothers tent were he knew he would meet Hargus' Jackals. None of them liked him, nor did he like them. They were the ones who blamed him for the failure on the first day and they were the ones who spread ill rumors about him being a coward. They are also going to be the ones to hear Oya's words as he warned his mother of Hargus' betrayal. Even though they were under Hargus' command they were still the Nya pirates and Oya was sure he could convince her to withdraw from this conflict.

[Valcrist]

An arrow speared through the air, catching a gargoyle clean in the neck, the pointed shaft cleanly piercing through and sending the monstrous man falling. Following the arrow was a swarm of followers, they whistled as they pierced through the air and tried to shoot the horrid monsters from the air. Valcrist drew another arrow from his quiver and pulled back on his longbow, the weapon had a stronger draw then the bow he had been practicing with before, but it packed a good deal more power as well as range to its strikes.

Monsters had descended upon them, what kind? Well he wasn't a scientist or anything, they looked like big demon-y rockish human winged monster men. An eloquent description to be sure, but it was hard to put it into words. Flying beasts, however Valcrist didn't need a detailed description of them to realize that they had quickly eclipsed the bandits/pirates (what were they fighting again) in terms of threat, and the archers had shifted their attentions to them. The giant smokey blast in the sky was disturbing enough, it was some magic trickery, sometimes he really regretted not getting into magic, it would make situations like this less... confusing and somewhat terrifying. Following that a swarm of flying monsters descended upon them like a plague of locusts.

They turned their attentions from trying to shoot down the men on the ground and put them on trying to shoot down the men in the skies. Their bows were effective, they clipped the wings of the monsters, but obviously there were far more monsters then there were archers. Even if each archer took down one, there was another waiting to take its place and plunge its weapon into their chest.

Valcrist wasn't shaken, though he really should be. Maybe it was just his nature, maybe he saw little difference in shooting down these monsters then he did to shooting down the bandits. In the end they were an enemy in front of him, and one that needed to be destroyed. What it was, who it was, didn't really matter. Maybe there was a problem with that, if there was however now was clearly not the time to get into it. For now it kept him calm as he fired arrow after arrow at the flying creatures.

It seems they weren't alone in being surprised, the pirates seemed to be having some sort of.... reaction to this situation. As if they hadn't expected it. There was confusion all around, not just between the men in the city but the marauders below. Even if they hadn't stopped their assault entirely, the confusion stayed their hand for the time being. There may have been some internal conflict, but frankly Valcrist was a little focused trying to shoot down monsters to pay too much attention. Their numbers were great, seemingly endless, it was all they could do to try and thin the crowd before they arrived en masse and flooded the town with their twisted form and cruel weapons.

[Dietrich Landrik]

The situation almost caused a fit in the man as he swung his fist through the air accompanied by "Damn!". He cursed the hell-spawn and most particularly their situation. Only by speed of action and a little bit of daring would they be able to pull through. Dietrich had no option but to trust Oya's commands as anything else would've brought more death and destruction upon them in this time of distress.

"Gather men to board the ships and call for volunteers to stay and fight along your side. Understood." The man sheathed his sword as he scanned the horizon for the banner-man of the artillery. Spotting the bright flag fluttering in the wind only made him well up inside as he got ready to perform his task. He turned back towards Oya who was about to set off for his mother, he figured. "St. Elimine bless you and be with you, Oya. Many men will be able to live and fight for another day. I'll see to it." The farewell was short as it needed to be.

Oya's staff intact, he took immediate charge as they had all heard Oya's orders. "Spread the word to rally at the catapults. Volunteers will stay and fight with Oya. The very few left of us will make our way back to the ships." Landrik slyly remarked, instilling confidence in the men that they should stand and fight. It was the most he could do in the face of a terrifying enemy. He clamored out of the trench quickly with Fuchs immediately in tow. Approaching the catapults they were already hastily firing fire pots and solid shot towards the South. The fear of the Divines in their guts did well to spur them onwards. The effects seemed to not do much towards the flying foe, but the shambling corpses were being torn to shreds.

In between them and the South it was readily apparent that men were fighting for their lives. As the archers were spread through the trenches, their affect on the flying spear beasts was scattered. Given this, it still bought everyone time.

The men who gathered around Landrik had their eyes on the South, but would also look towards the West to the wall. No doubt they feared a counter-attack. Upon a closer look, the men behind the walls were also fending off the beasts. Perfect. "Fuchs, we need Berg over here. Go fetch 'im. Y'all make it back alive, ya hear?" he asked, showing worry for his only true friends out here.

Turning towards one of the staff that returned with a platoon of men, he set to give the man another order. As he approached the man, a cluster of gargoyles swooped in towards the battery. The men were not ready for it and a few were felled. The men scurried for cover and only with the well aimed attacks from mages and bowmen were they able to disperse the attacking beasts.

"Calm yourselves and watch the skies! Fight them as you would cavalry! Work together, you swine!" he shouted, pulling a man up by his collar and tossing him towards his comrades. He'd have a better chance of surviving if he stuck with them. Just then, a gargoyle landed between the group of men and Landrik. The unhesitating creature stabbed at the men who were quick to block with their shields. They were used to the constant missile attacks and it reflected as such. This opening afforded the mercenary to get a well placed swing straight into the spine of its' exposed back. Black blood spewed from the open wound as it cringed and dropped. The men were quick to gang up on the defeated creature as they slashed it open and crushed its bones.

"Kill! Kill! Kill! Watch your flanks! Archers, concentrate your fire! I need a Sergeant to start pulling these men into a defensive square! Quickly, quickly! Faster! Go, go, go!" Landrik barked. He did not want to see more men die that did not need to.

[Oya]

As Oya retreated off the field of battle he spotted a few of their messengers riding horse delivering message. With a quick yell and a stern expression Oya was able to commandeer one of the steeds to speed up his journey back to the flag ship. As the pirate arrived he was greeted with a wave of confusion. Many of the pirates were panicking about the smoke in the south and others were reacting to Oya's troops sudden withdraw.

"What in the world is going on", shouted One of the Commanders as he tried to take control of the panic in the area. As he spoke Oya rode up to him. The sight of the young boy made him raise an eyebrow as she soon realized that Oya might have something to do with the men leaving from the southern front. "What are you doing here", he asked. A stupid question in Oya's mind. What other reason would Oya have to come to the flag ship, to talk to his mother of course.

"Where is the Captain", asked Oya ignoring the man's question as he dismounted the horse. His actions caused a frown to cross the man's face as the arrogant young pirate began to walk toward the flag ship. "Is she inside", he asked.

"Hold on a second", spoke the pirate, but Oya simply ignored him. The young pirate pushed his way past the guards posted outside and barged his way into the tent structure that was erected on the main deck.

"Captain", spoke Oya as he rudely walked in on their military meeting. The pirate was able to hear the end of the conversation as he walked in. His other was asking about the cloud and the messenger from Hargus was telling her it was probably part of Hargus plan. As Oya walked in he could see the expression of anger on her face. Nya did not like maybes or probably. She dealt in cold hard facts.

"I don't want maybes", she shouted and a second latter Oya had taken the seen. The young pirate stood there like a stature. The eyes of the pirate elite scanned him as they began to mumble about his failures.

"Oya", spoke Nya with some surprise! "Why are you not guarding the catapults", she asked as she looked him up and down. She could tell by looking at him and his expression that something was wrong.

"Mother we have been betrayed", spoke Oya dropping all titles at the door. "Hargus had done something to the southern forces and is sending waves of monsters at the city of heroes."

[Dietrich Landrik]

It was a horrifying sight as those who were just slain by the flying creatures had started to convulse and scream as if the hells possessed their bodies. Their screams turned to unearthly groans as they rose with dead eyes and a crazed behavior. Landrik had seen nothing like it, but he had heard the stories from those who ventured close to Ostia. After all they had been through - for it to all end like this...

This put a new resolve into the men who fought. It was no longer about themselves anymore. If these creatures weren't stopped, then all of Elibe could fall to this curse. Whatever happened to Hargus now was entirely irrelevant. There was a moment of silence as all that could be heard was the twang of bows and the shrieks of the "Gargoyles" as one man had proclaimed. It was true, they looked very similar to the stone creatures that crouched above the windows of cathedrals. There was no escaping from this until every Gargoyle was slain.

"St. Elimine tests us with this evil! Will you falter!? Will you cower and die!? If you are to die, isn't it best in the company of comrades and with a sword in your hand!? If you fight, you have the chance of making it back home! If you run, you will only die tired!" Landrik shouted atop the parapet. Once more a demon swept in towards him with adept speed and a keen swing of his bardiche. The beast was deflected with the counter-swing of another bardiche... Fuchs. The trust-worthy man protecting the fool who tried to inspire the men that fought for their lives.

The simple attack only urged the gargoyle on as he turned and flew right back into the fray. A well-aimed arrow flew through the sky and went clean through the beast's black heart. The strike felled it, and it crashed towards the ground with a mighty force. A tubby fellow with a large brown beard jogged up to the creature and retrieved his arrow, driving a knife through its skull just to be safe. "Praise the Saint I found y'all. It's getting deadly down towards the South. It's only a matter of time before they get here." he remarked, renotching the arrow and taking aim into the skies once more.

"That's not an option and only we would know that. I'll lead a counter-attack towards the South. There won't be too many of us left here at the catapults, but these hellspawn must be dealt with!" the blonde swordsman said firmly, then looking down towards Fuchs.

"Hmm... I'll do what I can. Wish we had some mines, though." the meek, handsome man said with a monotone. "...or fire mages, I guess. If the walking dead can only harm us up close, then something explode-y should keep them back. I don't think they care much for combat spacing." he added, leaning on his bloodied bardiche.

"That's a damn good idea, Fuchs. We so happen to have some fire pots left from the artillery. With how close the lines will be, we could use them much more effectively." Landrik said boisterously, twirling his sword in his hand. Indeed it just may work...

[Oya]

"Oya what is the meaning of this", shouted a voice from behind the young pirate. Oya's brothers Farkus and Troy had returned from the field. Farkus was in a uproar and Troy was simply looking disturbed. It was clear to everybody that Farkus was not happy with Oya's retreat, but Troy seemed to be more disturbed with what was going on the filed of battle more than what Oya was doing.

"Farkus get a hold of yourself", spoke Nya silencing her eldest son. She then turned her gaze to Oya. "Oya I am the Captain, not your mother at this moment. Call me mother again and I will have you flogged", she spoke. Nya always kept a tight control on her crew and she would not let anybody undermine her authority, not even her sons.

"Sorry Captain", spoke Oya. The young pirate turned his gaze toward his borther who seemed to be scaling at him. Already he knew this argument was going to be a long one. Farkus was not going to back down easy and the other advisers were not going to side with him so easily, especially the dogs of Hargus.

"Well Captain", spoke Oya as he started to go into a full report. "Something has happened on the Southern battlefield. Some kind of evil magic has taken hold of the area and summoned up monsters and beast. The beast and monsters are attacking the walls of the city of heroes, but the bandits who were in the south before this grey cloud appeared have all vanished. In their place came the monsters. From what I could tell from my initial view of the situation it seems as if Hargus has sacrificed the soldiers in the south in order to summon up this unholy."

"You have no proof of that", shouted the messenger of Hargus. "I am pretty sure the forces in the south are just fine, but are simply being blocked from view by the monsters in your report, and besides even if he did sacrifice them to summon up the monsters it is a boom unto us."

"Not if we are next", spoke Troy to the surprise of everyone in the room. "Those men were Hargus elite. A lot of them were people who fought with him during the time he first pillage the world. If he easily tossed away their lives in order to create himself a undead army then what would he do to us who have no connection to him but the coin itself."

"Troy is right", spoke one of the more seasoned pirates. The man had a great beard and a large scar running down his face. He was clad from head to toe in thick armor despite being a sea traveler and had a wooden pipe in his mouth. This man was Agon, and he was one of Nya's top advisers. "What is keeping Hargus from simply turning us into undead monsters. We came here under the promise of gold and coin, but who is to say Hargus is willing to give us our dew cut of the loot. For all we known when we come to collect our coin he could hit us with the same thing he did in the south and we all could end up walking corpses doing the will of Hargus."

"Hold on a minute Agon", spoke a skinny man. He had a eye patch and a peg leg. Hsi left hand was missing and was replaced with a hook. His right eye had a scar crossing it and from the look of it he could not see out of it. Next to his side was a cutlass and a bottle of Rum. This was Barbados another one of Nya's elite. "We have put a lot of coin and resources into this battle", spoke the veteran as he gave his council. "If we pull out now we are going to gain nothing. The men who died in the field would have died for nothing and out struggle would have been for not. It may be true that Hargus killed the men in the south, but he has not touched any of the Nay pirates. Backing out now would only be a loss for us. Hargus had not touched any of our people nor has he showed any signs of hostility against us. I think we should stay and continue the fight."

"And risk being turned into one of those beast", spoke another man.

"Listen", spoke Oya taking the center stage before a argument could break out. "I understand that we have lost a lot of men and have gained nothing in return, but remember that there are monsters attacking the city of Heroes. I like everyone in here can care less about what happened to the people behind those walls, but remember there are monsters attacking the wall. Monsters, I know we are not the best people, but I think we can all agree that monsters are not something we want to promote entering this world. Those things are evil beyond imagination and are a clear threat to all of mankind. If we allow this horde of beast to grow and spread we could end up with a world with no where to go. No where to sail, and no cities to plunder. The land could become filled with creatures and beast. If we aid in the destruction of this city then we could be aiding in the destruction of ourselves. I for one like the rule of men more than I do monsters."

For a moment everyone got quite. Even the messenger of Hargus was silenced at Oya's words. He began to think about it, and the consequences of their actions. Even the hot headed Farkus was silenced with the prospect of a world ruled over by such creatures.

"Very well", spoke Nya as she rose from her chair. The piratess had made her decision. "Argon and Barbados you both have valid points. We have lost a lot in this invasion, but the loot we get from the city of Heroes might not even cover our losses. If we pull out now we will be in a far worse situation than if we stayed. However, if we continue to fight we will loss even more and the promise loot might not even be there in the end. Not to mention Oya's words about monsters and humans. I think in this case it would be better to simply retreat. We are going to return to Saint Ies and lick our wounds. Out part in the city of heroes is over", spoke Nya as she turned to her two messengers. "Tell the men to fall back to the ships and prepare to leave. We can leave the siege weapons behind they can be rebuilt", she spoke.

"Understood", spoke the messenger as he ran off to deliver her orders.

"Captain", spoke Oya as the other commanders moved to gather their supplies and men. "I would like to request to stay behind and help fight the monsters", spoke Oya.

"You want to fight", she asked in a puzzled tone? Oya's words surprised her. Oya was not one to pick a fight unnecessarily, nor was he one to care about the fates of others, but here he was asking to stay back and fight the monsters. It was probably Willow's influence, she thought to herself.

"As I mention before", spoke Oya as he called for her to remember what he said. "There is a chance that the fall of the city of heroes could lead to a massive horde of monsters moving throughout sacae. If that happens there is a good chance that all of Sacae itself could be consumed. If sacae falls then it could lead to the world being under assault. I want to stay back with those who want to fight against the monsters and put a end to Hargus. I think it is about time somebody taught him a lesson about betrayal."

Nya looked Oya up and down. He was really starting to grow up in the years he had left her ship. It was hard for her to think of him as such. He was a boy when he left and now it seems he was a man. He had his own goals and his convictions. "Very well Oya", she spoke. "However you better not die", she added. "I don't want to loss a son to this war."

"Understood mom", spoke Oya as a smile crossed his face and the young pirate walked out of the tent. Oya knew what they needed to do.

[Oya]

With the decision made in the helm to fall back most of Nya's pirates began to evacuate the coast and move toward the ships. Their goal was to cut their loss and retreat back to the isles. As a result a few of the men were sent out to raid any of the dead bodies for any valuables while the others gathered their things in preparation to retreat. In the mist of this Chaos Oya had sent out a order. He called for all of the men and women of the Nya pirates still eager for blood to join him on the southern border. Oya wanted to give Hargus a taste of vengeance, but he knew he could not take the bulk of their force. His mother was now weary of this battle and the fleet was heading home. Many of the guys would not want to fight any more than they had and some of them were down right terrified with the monsters in the south. They wanted nothing to do with them as allies or as enemies. Only the brave and the stupid stayed behind with Oya and the rest. These were the men and women who truly loved to fight and felt the pain of betrayal with the loss of the southern units. During the week they spent here surrounding the city many of the pirates had mingled with some of the bandits to the south. Friendships were formed and relationships built, and now those relationships were gone. They vanished in the smoke cloud created by Hargus black magic. The only thing that was left was feelings of anger, regret, and vengeance.

Taking one of the nearby horses Oya rode out to Dettick and the others. As Oya arrived he heard their decree about using the fire pots. "A assault to the south sounds like a good plan", spoke Oya taking the attention. The pirate rode atop crimson steed and had his massive hammer stretched out over his shoulder. Heroically he sat there atop his horse. In his eyes were the fire of wear and in his hand the hammer of glory. Oya jumped off the steed and landed on the ground, with his landing came back his mortal image as some of the pirates were once again reminded that Oya was shorter than they were. "We have a couple of troops moving in with us from the main unit, but everyone else is retreating back home", spoke Oya giving a report to the men. "If you have second thoughts then head back that way", spoke the pirate as he pointed toward the ships. "The rest of us will move into the south and assault the monster forces from their flank. Hopefully our attack will prove to be the pivot in the tide of this battle. Detrick I think I can leave you in charge of the people here while I take on the new recruits trickling in from the main force. With us both working as two units we can effectively assault Hargu's undead forces more effectively.