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Post by Richter Abend on Oct 26, 2009 16:52:43 GMT -6
Richter couldn't say it. To retreat into that church meant defeat. Richter would not be defeated. Blindsiding a charging Sacaen, Richter grabbed the nomad warrior's throat. The two struggled, the Sacaen slashing Richter's left arm multiple times and cutting him on the left side of his chest, but Richter overpowered the man and pushed him upon an upright spear. The Sacaen squirmed as the last bits of life drained from his body, his lifeblood gushing from his chest.
His left arm hanging uselessly at his side, Richter spotted another group of Etrurians fighting to the last man. The twins stood among them, fighting their hardest. They fought with the determination of ten men, but Ricther could see their fatigue. It drained him. As one of the soldiers fell, one of the twins, Randolf, looked back at Richter. "Commander!" he yelled desperately. Richter stared back. They couldn't lose. They'd fight to the last man. "Commander!" yelled Rudolf.
As Rudolf yelled, a Sacaen warrior stabbed him in the side. Rudolf fell to his knees while his brother tried to help him up. They'd be killed. Had he already forgotten? "Everyone, fall back! Fall back to the church!" Richter cried as loud as he could. He rushed to the side of the twins, fending off the attacking Sacaen. Randolf just stared at Richter. "Get to the church, now!" Richter commanded him. Still shocked, Randolf just nodded and helped his brother towards the church as another retreating soldier came to help.
Richter's arm began to shake under the weight of the assaulting Sacaen. This man was no average fighter. He was one of the elite. He was fresh and eager to kill the enemy commander. Richter was bloodied and tired; his body felt heavy with exhaustion. Unable to push the Sacaen off, Richter ducked to the right, causing the Sacaen to slip forward. Continuing the fight would be suicide. Richter needed to get to the church. Keeping his right side towards the Sacaen, Richter started moving back with the retreating soldiers. The Sacaen, however, wasn't slowed a bit. He rushed Richter and thrust his sword through Richter's right thigh, causing the Etrurian commander to fall to the ground. Richter managed to block the Sacaen's first attempt at a finishing blow as he pulled himself towards the church, but he would never make it in time. The Sacaen raised his blade once more as Richter tried feebly to escape.
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Post by Clair Feldsky on Oct 28, 2009 17:03:04 GMT -6
Clair was only going now because Corona was in danger. Her weariness had long since exhausted her own will to fight. She wasn't fighting for Etruria's Prophet anymore; she hadn't yet had time to grow truly loyal to anything here. Her commander had the most loyalty from her. She had watched as he turned this garrison into a arming fortress in a matter of minutes. All of the inspiration he had caused earlier though was gone now though. Only the bond that formed between her pegasus and herself kept her going.
She could feel Corona's fatigue was increasing. They had been fighting all day, and his energy was astounding, but things were coming to a close now. Clair spotted an opening, and was about to exploit it, when she felt an impact on her head. The world went fuzzy, and things seemed to get small. She vaguely heard the sound of horns and calls for retreat.
As she came to, she felt Corona jerk hard to the side and down, evading arrows coming at them. Balance training kicked in, but it was not enough to compensate. Clair had a sense of weightless as she slipped off her saddle and fell. She have enough energy to cry out, but she was panicking. More training kicked in as she fell; her body relaxed from the tension. They had tried to teach her how to fall in Illia. Looks like they succeeded.
Bamm!
She hit the ground. Well, actually she heard a loud cracking sound and felt something break her fall. She looked up and saw her Commander injured and bloodied. She looked down and saw a Sacaen with a snapped neck. Seeing the Commander still fighting for his men inspired her, though she actually had very little energy left to expend.
She got up as quick as she could and realized she had no idea where her lance was. She also realized that her shoulder wasn't working properly. The pain was terrible, but natural painkillers had long since been released into her bloodstream, so it was bearable. Besides, necessity required her to keep functioning.
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Post by Kraft on Oct 31, 2009 4:56:18 GMT -6
(OoC: I'm going to control you both for a sec, hope you don't mind. I thought Clair would save Richter, but she, eh, didn't. ) For both Richter and Clair, the rest of the battle would seem like a daze. They struggled on, orders were yelled, battlecries were heard, men fought and died. Later, before the Sacean had struck Richter, he would remember a soft, whistling sound. The sound of a hundreds of arrows released. The sword had cut Richter on his shoulder, rendering it useless for a few days, possibly weeks. The surviving monks had did their best to heal it as good as they could. Clair's pegasus had been badly wounded as well, but the good care of fresh stable boys seemed to be working. Clair herself had gotten a standard medical procedure. She was 'only' a soldier. After the arrival of the Etrurian reinforcements, everything had happened so fast. After releasing arrows, a swift attack of cavalry, followed by infantry and mages had killed most of the Sacaens. The mysterious Sacaen elites had fled, however. They had left their banner on top of the ruined gate, as a visit card. Richter also got bad news; one of the twins had not survived. In fact, most of his men had died. But Richter had succeeded in defending most of the monks, and that was something the survivors valued very much. At least their holy books and icons had survived the attack. Unlike the rest of the fort that had been destroyed, burned to the ground. The walls were badly damaged and only the Church was still standing. The rest was gone. Bricks and ashes. The reinforcements had put up wooden pallisades as temporary defences and slept in tents. Two big tents were brought as well; one for the District-Head and one for the Region Officer; Richter Abend. It was there that a de-briefing was held. The head of the reinforcements troops, Yurau, was of higher rank then the DH and Richter. He hadn't expected to see this however; the dead, the destruction. His blood was boiling when Richter, the DH and Clair entered. There were some others inside as well: the surviving twin, a guy called Morgoth and some random soldiers. They were on bodyguard-duty. Their task was defending Yurau. "Region officer, explain to me how... this... this MADNESS, could have happened? And do it quick! This is a disaster, I needed these men. I don't think you've heard, but things are CHANGING!" Spit flew out of his mouth and his high-red colour indicated anger. He was actually venting his anger over the Sacaens. This was all their fault, those barbarian dogs. The District-Head patted Richter's good shoulder. After the battle, the DH had treated Richter well, and read him the psalms of Saint-Elimine, to help him recover. (OoC: Sorry that there isn't any fighting... yet, Morgoth, but if you guys don't like this post, I'll make it a battle post. Sorry that isn't really good, but I'm kinda hazy in the head right now. OH, IMPORTANT: this takes place 4 days after the battle.)
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Post by Richter Abend on Oct 31, 2009 9:24:06 GMT -6
(OoC: I like it)
Richter remained stone-faced at Yurau's verbal onslaught. He was probably more affected by the soldier's deaths than Yurau could ever be. He had known the soldiers. He had fought along side them. Not for money, not for glory, but for life. His blood was mixed with theirs in the ground beneath their feet. Richter had failed. His goal to be stronger, to protect those in need, to prevent devastation like this from ever happening; it had all come to naught. He wasn't sure how these high-up military types functioned, but he was pretty sure that if a commander lost 80% of his men, he was a failure of a commander. It didn't help that this high-collar Etrurian was spitting in his face, albeit unintentionally.
"With all due respect sir, the results would have been the same if our positions had been reversed. There were simply too many Sacaen warriors for this under-manned fort to contend with. No change in personnel would have brought Etruria to victory in this fight," replied Richter. Not only was he trying to soothe Yurau's anger, but he didn't really feel like going down as the worst Region Commander Etruria had ever seen. His mind shot back to the twins, Rudolf and Randolf. Now, it was only Randolf. They had shown so much promise. He could imagine how Randolf felt. It was horrible losing family like that.
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Post by Clair Feldsky on Oct 31, 2009 17:22:09 GMT -6
Clair wasn't entirely sure why she was here. She was merely another soldier, albeit with the ability to range the skies. Hey, she wasn't one to complain though. If she was here at this meeting, perhaps it was a vote of confidence in her abilities.
She could feel a dull ache in her left arm. It had been pulverized until it wasn't usable anymore, but, after the battle, the tending of the healers had set it right fairly quickly. It was still wrapped in bandages, but was beginning to be usable again.
Clair stood a little behind and to the right of her Region Officer, Richter. She cringed slightly under the vehement barrage of words directed at her commander. She thought about the forces directed against them only four days ago, and thought that the reaction from Yurau was undeserved. Regardless, she kept quiet. This was a meeting of the upper ranks. She was here in case her services were needed.
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Post by Kraft on Nov 3, 2009 11:53:18 GMT -6
Yurau let himself sink into his chair. Rubbing his forehead. He seemed to be thinking and tried to calm himself. Noone inside said anything. They had all heard of the terrible tantrums their leader had thrown. Once, in rage, he had hit an officer so hard that he was unconscious. Afterwards he had been disciplined for 'being too much of a pussy'. Yurau was a hard man. But he also was a veteran and a true believer. He was one of the first that supported Kraft, but had never asked for a simpler, easier life. He took the jobs noone else wanted. Before Yurau started speaking again, the Districh Head cut in.
"Sir, I hope you don't mind speaking me up like this..." he said softly, "But Richter has done an excellent job. As you can see he wasn't afraid to take up the sword, and he has done everything in his power to defend the church. Think about it... the most important building has not been harmed. The icons are there, the books... Most monks are alive. Faith has saved it! This truely most be a message of some kind." And then, cunning as he was, he added; "Also, I don't think I have to add that Richter is the protegée of the Herald, mmh?"
However, this didn't seem to be a very good move of the DH. Even though Yurau had calmed down, he was not pleased by the DH's talking.
"Silence old man! I wasn't talking to you! I have been a friend of our prophet for years now, so your hollow words do not interest me. I don't care if he's a lapdog of some sorts, I am boss here and he better respects it! Now, go, old man. Go tend to the monks. Have them prepare an evening mass for the dead. May Elimine and the Prophet be with you."
Yurau then turned his attention to Richter. He stared at Richter for a long time before grabbing a letter out of a leather sack and slapping it on a temporary table.
"The Herald huh? Oh boy, you seemed to have been licking quite some heels. Oh and don't give me that look, boy. I am the commanding officer here. You see this letter? You see it? It's for you. I get a lousy marching order and you get a letter..."
He then let his own words sink in for a while and one could see what he was thinking; was this guy an important man or just a peon? Yurau, however, was a smart man and decided to play it safe as well.
"Now. Boy. This letter, in short, explains the same stuff that was explained to me. It's almost common knowledge around the whole of Elibe now anyway. Ostia will fall. We have to march there and support the main army. Every man has been called in. We have to move through a pass and make sure that no Ostian infidels can get away through there. After that, we'll be part of the assault but I doubt it will last that long. You see why I'm mad, boy? I came here to pick up you and an too deposit some rookies here, but no, you had to go on and waste all the veterans, eh? Now I'm stuck with this lilliput army, full of jokes of soldiers. Only half of our forces have seen real battle. I even have to hire folks like him." Yurau pointed at Morgoth, who seemed very uncomfortable in his black and white uniform.
Yurau sighed and seated himself.
"Listen, Region Officer. This is a major setback. All I want is to spread the good word. All I want is this final battle that would make my job obsolete. A world without fighting. Oh, boy, I can tell you, I loved the sight of blood when I was young, and it made me such a good commander. But now I think that it's this... this real GOAL that makes me a good commander. I know you strive for the same goal. We all do." And he nodded at the soldiers around him.
"But..." He stopped there. He then stood up and patted Richter on the shoulder.
"I got upset. You have done well. You have all done well. You've defended peaceful missionaries, protected the church and like the DH said, you've protected faith itself. Never let that faith die. If we lose our faith, we lose our goal. And without that goal, the world will never know peace."
He then ordered his men to leave and to guard the tent outside.
"Now go. You have one day rest. I will leave your sick and wounded men here, together with my rookie soldiers. You, the pegasus rider and the good ones will come with me. I hope that your pegasus rider is a good scout, because we've got a lot of plains to cover. Now, out! Elimine be with you!"
With the men gone, Yurau seated himself and read the Herald's letter to Richter once more. This lowly Region Commander sure had high-up friends. He'll give the letter to Richter tomorrow.
Or maybe not.
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Post by Kynlis on Nov 3, 2009 12:17:29 GMT -6
OoC: Sorry to intrude, but this kinda looks like a good point to jump in. Do with me what you will IC: Kynlis, on her way to the capitol to join the army, had been picked up by the reinforcements heading to Salvation point. Seeing as she was a fresh recruit, she was held toward the back when the reinforcements made their appeareance and saved the remaining men backed up to the church. She was also roped into doing alot of the labor among the tents. "Just because I'm new and a girl doesn't mean I should have to do the laundry..." she mumbled to herself hauling blood stained and sweat soaked clothes to the cleaning area. She just needed a chance to prove herself, then she wouldn't be relegated to these menial tasks. "I'm a good scout. I grew up on the border, hunted in this kind of terrain all the time..." The hunter dumped the armload of clothes she was carrying at her destination before going back to grab some more. As she rounded a tent she ran into what seemed to be a wall and fell down. "Ow! Who put a wall there?" She said as she winced and rubbed her back. She looked up and saw a pink haired man standing in front of her. "Hey, watch where you're going!"
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Morgoth Animus
Shaman
DEAD
"Save the world? You know not what you say."
Posts: 155
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Post by Morgoth Animus on Nov 3, 2009 13:44:34 GMT -6
Morogth restrained himself from killing his "comander" right there due to his remark. As he left he saw the pegasas rider walk out. She doesn't look very convencing as a warrior.But looks can be deciving.I'm fglad mine aren't though, because I want my victoms to know they saw pure evil before they died. he thought as he exited the tent. He decided to follow the man Richter.
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Post by Richter Abend on Nov 3, 2009 17:48:20 GMT -6
Richter nodded politely than brusquely left the tent in a staid but infuriated manner. He motioned for Clair to follow. Yurau's "calming" words did nothing but confirm Richter's assumptions of his incompetence. This man had no idea how to run an army. If you find yourself with soldiers that don't meet your standards, you make them meet your standards. Give an idiot the sharpest sword in the world and he'd only use it to cut himself.
Richter fumed. He would not be whipped by this brutish ogre. You don't demand respect; you earn it. Richter saw nothing in that tent that earned his respect, although he was obliged to show it anyways. Thus was the difference between a mercenary and soldier, and Richter would have to get used to it.
Soon, though, soon he'd be the one sitting in that tent.
Not watching where he was going, Richter accidentally collided with a young, blond girl. Not really feeling the effects of the impact nearly as much as she did, Richter kneeled down and held out his hand. "I apologize, I didn't see you there. Are you alright?"
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Post by Kynlis on Nov 3, 2009 18:51:30 GMT -6
Seeing the man offer her his help to get back up, Kynlis decided to withold several biting comments. She took his hand and was easily lifted to her feet.
"I'm okay, I guess." She shrugged. "Sorry for snapping at you. Having to do all these menial tasks..." she trailed off into a mumur, before starting and blushing lightly, not meaning to say that last part out loud. "Umm, anyways - my name's Kynlis! Who're you?" she said quickly, to try and get past her embarrassing slip. Finally taking a good look at the man in front of her, she noticed that not only was he big - well, most people were, compared to her - he seemed to have an air of authority about him. Oh, and he had a soldier following him around.
"And who're you?" she directed at the female following the man while tilting her head in a bird-like fashion.
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Post by Richter Abend on Nov 3, 2009 19:29:06 GMT -6
(OoC: I'm going to assume Clair followed me. If not, I'll fix it)
Richter looked down at the girl. "My name is Richter Abend. I'm the Region Officer..." he trailed off. He was going to say he was Region Officer of the fort, but there was no fort left to be Region Officer of. He gave the girl another look. She probably wouldn't know what a Region Officer was anyways. "Let's just say I'm one of the commanders here."
Richter gestured to Clair behind him with a nod of his head. "This is Clair Feldsky. She's an Ilian pegasus rider and my assistant," he said in a very official tone. "Could I be so bold to ask what a young girl like yourself is doing out in the middle of Sacae in a burnt down fort? Did you come here with Yurau?"
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Post by Kynlis on Nov 3, 2009 19:46:15 GMT -6
"Yurau?" Kynlis said the name questioningly. "Is he the guy in charge here?" She shrugged. "Didn't think that lumbering oaf was in charge..." The last part came out in a low murmur, but the moment it left her lips, she regretted it. She looked around wildly, trying to see if anyone had heard. She looked at Richter and pleaded, "You didn't hear that, did you? Please tell me you didn't hear that!"
Kynlis was worried. If that somehow got back to the man, she would be in severe trouble. She just knew it. so she tried to talk fast and hopefully, if this man did hear her, he'd forget by the time she was done.
"They picked me up on the way here, back by the border, saying they needed all the help they could get. But they just relegated me to hard labor. I haven't used my bow once, since I joined them. I was travelling to the capitol to join the army, because bandits raided my town and killed my parents and friends and - and - and-" As she got to talking about her home, tears began to gather in her eyes and both her body and voice began to tremble. Suddenly, like a dam bursting, she started crying right in front of the man. She was disgusted with herself and embarrassed, but she couldn't stop. This was probably due to the fact that she hadn't mourned at all since the actual incident, too focused on her goal to let the sadness out.
OoC: sorry about this, it just kinda typed itself.
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Post by Clair Feldsky on Nov 3, 2009 20:15:31 GMT -6
Clair followed her commander out of the tent. It was obvious he was upset about something, but Clair wasn't sure what exactly. Surely, if the Prophet had set him as leader of the army, Yurau must be the right man for the job. Of course, personally, Clair would rather serve under someone like Commander Richter, someone who would stand with and for his soldiers.
The gears were turning in her head as she followed. If Yurau was relying on our soldiers as his veterans, will we stand a chance when we- ...ehhh. She came back to herself and saw that Richter had bumped into someone else.
The girl snapped up at Richter as Clair watched, dumbstruck by her audacity, but as Richter moved to help her up Clair followed his example and calmed herself.
She heard Richter introduce her as his assistant and pride and gratefulness filled her as she realized what he was trusting her with.
She listened to the girl's -Kynlis- story and felt sadness at hearing it. This was just one more thing that the army would destroy. Clair wanted to comfort her somehow, but didn't know how. Maybe they could at least alter her workload some.
Turning partially towards Richter she spoke quietly to him. "Sir, we need to build up your unit again. We've got need for everything from camp support to new recruits. Perhaps she could be transferred..."
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Valorian
Sage
[M:-1030]
Where there is life, there is hope.
Posts: 484
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Post by Valorian on Nov 3, 2009 22:15:20 GMT -6
It had been four days since the battle, and after a long time of travel, Valorian and Jya finally reached the ravaged fortress. The sight was something to behold, as the sky was still clouded with the smoke from the battle days past. Bodies had been removed, for the most part, but the ground was more red then green, the scent of blood strong in the air. The stench of it was nearly unbearable. Valorian was slightly worried about approaching the remains of the fortress, but while he was still a way out he was spotted by a sentry. The sentry recognized his markings and was quite enthusiastic to see him, assuming him an emissary from Erturia. Somewhat true, yes, but not what the man though.
Though he did arch an eyebrow at his companion, a quick glance from the 'bishop' silenced any objections, as they entered into the 'fortress' remains.
The sheer scale of the wounded was staggering, it was just as he predicted, a blood bath. He held his face for a moment, trying to not let the scale of it overwhelm him. It was then that a monk came to him. "Ah...your eminence, excuse me. We are clearing out a room for yourself and your...companion to stay. It will be a while longer."
Valorian waved his hand at the man. "Give it to the wounded. I didn't come into the plains of Sacae to be pampered..." He looked about, how would he find anything here? But then another question.
"If I may your grace, why have you made such a pilgrimage? Do you bring word from the capital?" The man looked excited, maybe with the idea of a holy death for himself on a great crusade. Valorian responded. "That is not something I can openly discuss, but while I am here I will do my best to tend to the injured, both the physical and the mental."
He sighed and looked to Jya, who he'd paid little attention to during the entire ordeal. Here they were, but now the entire plan seemed forgotten. He'd need to play it by ear for now. He looked to Jya to see how she was responding to the new situation.
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Post by Richter Abend on Nov 3, 2009 22:30:56 GMT -6
Richter patted the sobbing girl on the head. He knew what it was like to lose your entire family in the blink of an eye. He wanted to send her home. He knew this was no place for a girl her age, and yet... He remembered his mother. Her comforting embrace, her gentle touch, her warm smile, her kind words, her blood-stained dress, her dying breath... Remembering all of that, how easily his life was torn from him and all of the pent up hatred he felt, he couldn't turn her away. She had nowhere to go.
Richter spoke to Clair while he patted Kynlis. "My unit is decimated. Only a few of the better soldiers are left, and they've all been drafted into Yurau's unit," he said calmly. "The only ways I'm getting another force under my command are direct reinforcements from the Herald..." Richter turned his head to look Clair in the eye, "or a coup. Let's be straight: right now, you're the only soldier I have." Richter turned back towards Kynlis. "There's no way she's an official soldier. Even Yurau isn't that much of an imbecile. From the sound of it, she was picked up as a errand girl. If that's the case, she can just stick with us." Richter looked back to Kynlis. "Is that alright with you?"
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