Rana Bassilo Beckett, the Duchess of Agrus was one of the key players in the last war who brought victory against the neighboring kingdom. When her fort was under siege by the invasion force, she took it herself to fight the enemy in the middle of the night to launch a counterattack against unexpected enemy forces. The result was a complete victory for Duchess Beckett as she pushed the enemy to the border and wiped out any chance for them to push back again. From this, she earned herself the title of 'Lioness of Argus' and strengthened the royal family's influence as she is the second niece of the king.
The Duchess of Agrus got off from her horse and approached William. She is 5.9 feet tall, in the mid-'20s with blonde short hair and sharp blue eyes. If she wasn't intimidating looking, William would have thought she would be a perfect model back on Earth. Well, she does give off a serious vibe that people love to see in sports magazines.
When she got close to William, she examined his detailed work of Mark VII Aquila Power Armour and his equipment within him which is a power sword and bolter pistol. While she is examining William, her followers and troops catch up to the city's wall.
"Impressive war gear, I can now believe the story of how you kill the vampire lord but I still have my suspicion that you single-handedly defeat the three armies. You better explain to me when we have time." The Duchess said the last part in a small voice to William as she turned around to talk to Sir Dolven and Prince Benton who just made it to the western gate.
"Welcome to Deron, Duchess. Was your travel uneventful and full of peace?" Sir Dolven gave his greeting to the fearsome lioness but all he got was sharp eyes from her as she inspected Sir Dolven and his followers.
"It was a boring and pointless trip. You should be able to handle the Fort Stormfist with your Order, but because you have a traitor, you delay the mission and bring me to fix your mess." The Duchess said to the old commander and moved on, there was tension among Sir Dolven's men but they didn't say anything as they are smart enough to not get involved. Prince Benton welcomed the Duchess with an open arm, but instead of warm greetings, he got a gut punch from her who is still wearing a metal gauntlet.
"You, what did I tell you about leading the troops against enemies?" She asks the prince who is on the ground with his hands on his stomach.
"Think before taking action." Prince Benton said to the Duchess and tried to stand up but got another punch from her in the gut as she punched him again.
"If you remember my lesson, you would still have your knights!" The Duchess was about to punch the prince for the third time but was stopped by William as he grabbed her fist.
"I believe he got your message, I also punched him for recklessness. So, let's move on to our mission." William said to the Duchess while her followers drew their weapons at the giant armored man.
"Fine, let us go to the city castle." The Duchess pulled her arm away from William and signaled her followers to lower their weapons. Sir Dolven walks next to William and helps the prince get back up, William on the other hand is baffled by the authority she gives off.
'She is a natural leader, she doesn't ask for respect, but demands it by showing who she is.' William thought to himself and walked next to Sir Dolven.
In the meeting room, William, Sir Dolven, Prince Benton, Duchess Beckett and other officers attend the war meeting to discuss the second part of the mission and relief army's duty. Just as the meeting is about to come to end, Duchess Beckett objects to her part of the mission.
"I want to switch duty with the prince. I didn't come all this way to babysit a city when there is a battle to fight within half a day's distance." She explains her objection as Sir Dolven signs while the prince protests.
"This is my campaign and I will finish this to the end, cousin. There is no way I'll give up to you." Prince spoke with a strong and serious tone. Ever since William started the training, the prince gained self-confidence and self-esteem as he built a strong bond with his troops. Still, this wasn't enough as the Duchess matched the prince with her serious presence.
"Enough! I'll stay behind. We had enough delay and I wanted to end this campaign last week." Sir Dolven slammed the table and gave his final say to everyone in the room. William was also tired of politics and was eager to fight the vampire faction so he could complete this special quest.
"Sir Dolven, if you stay behind who will lead the special unit to kill the vampire lord?" Prince asked the old commander but he knew who would take the command of the mission.
"I will take the mission, alone. I already have the detail on the hidden tunnel and other secrets of the fort from Sir Dolven. I'll kill the vampire lord and open the main gate for you two to come in." William said to the young prince and battled the crazy Duchess. No one from the prince or Sir Dolven's side said anything as they knew what William is capable of but Duchess's followers whisper to each other as they don't trust William and his ability.
"You expect us to trust you, an adventure and someone we never heard of until now? Not to mention all by yourself to the fort filled with countless undead and a vampire lord?" One of the female officers said to William as she and others distrust the giant black knight.
"Yes, what do you have to lose?" That is the only thing William said to the officer. The room went quiet, then the Duchess laughed out loud which disturbs most of the people as they didn't expect this reaction from the lioness.
"That's what I said to my advisors when they asked me if I was crazy to counter-attack the invaders. It's your call, old man. If you trust this giant then I don't mind his crazy plan." The Duchess said as she looked at William, which was a bit uncomfortable for William since she gave a very different vibe compared to other commanders he met before.
"It is settled then. Prince Benton and Duchess Beckett will take two armies to the Fort Stromfist while William infiltrates the fort and takes down the vampire lord and opens the main gate. We will begin our attack in two days, prepare your troops and get full rest for the upcoming battle." Sir Dolven declares the final decision and ends the meeting so everyone can prepare for the second part of the mission. Before William could leave the room, the Duchess stopped him to talk to him.
"Is your sword sharp?" She genuinely asks William while pointing her finger at his power sword.
"My sword never goes dull and no, you will not borrow it or my other weapons." William grabs his sword's hilt to show he won't let go no matter what.
"I'm not interested. I want you to participate in tomorrow's event before we start preparing for the mission." The Duchess said but there is a bit of disappointment in her eyes.
"What are we doing tomorrow?" The Black Templar asks the lioness with curiosity.
"Execution. I have it with me a decree from King Benton himself to execute the traitors and his followers. I want you to be the one who executes them tomorrow morning."
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Next Day, Main Square of the Deron,
"In the name of King Benton the 3rd, king and protector of the Alderim have decreed that former Viscount Bullen and his minor nobles will be sentenced to death. May the gods pity your souls and give you peace." One of the female officers read the roll of documents to everyone in the square. In the center, a roll of traitors kneels with their heads on the chopping blocks.
"Do any of you men have last words?" Sir Dolven stood up from his seat and said out loud so everyone could hear. This is more of a tradition to give the criminal a chance to repent (But criminals still get execution). The entire square remained silent as no one spoke or had a side whisper to speak their mind. Seeing there is no last word, Sir Dolven moved to the main event of the execution, execution of traitors.
"Executioner, proceed and give mercy." Sir Dolven takes his seat next to Prince Benton and Duchess.
The moment Sir Dolven's word ended, a giant black knight with a large sword approached the platform and went to the first man. Without giving a moment of hesitation, William cut the man's head and moved to the next. After the 8th man, it was the 9th man's turn. A man who betrayed his country and sided with the undead to expand his territory, a former viscount Bullen.
William looked at the man's back head for a moment but that was just a second as he decapitated the traitor's head in one clean swing. Everyone who witnessed remained silent and waited for the next step of the execution, which was confronting the Bullen's soldiers.
"The traitors are now dead and no more. Soldiers, will you remain loyal to the traitor or the crown?" Prince Benton said out loud and waited for the soldier's response.
"We will serve the crown!" Soldiers of former viscount gave their answer and swore loyalty to the King and his son.
While this is going on, William puts away his power sword and checks his inventory to see what he got from the fallen noble. As usual, he got more ammunition for his bolter and flamer but the last item caught his attention as it was something very different.
[Unit Summon (Penitent Engines) x1] "Only in death, their's or the enemy's, can forgiveness finally be earned." A giant combat walker, Penitent Engine attacks both friend or foes for they only seek to repent their sins. This unit is equipped with a chainfist for close combat and a flamer for crowd control.
Hey guys, sorry this chapter is a little bit short as I'm reworking the storyboard for this fanfiction. I will continue to work hard and write a better story.
Thank you and stay safe.
Next Day,
On the first light, the two armies march out of the City of Deron and head towards Fort Stormfist with their two leaders leading them. Meanwhile, giant Black Templar left the city last night to begin his part of the mission.
In the main road, William found the secret path which directed him into a valley with a dead end. Scanning the area, William found the large boulder blocking something so using his superhuman strength and power armor he removed the rock to find a wall with a family crest he saw when he was at Deron.
After pushing the wall with the crest, it revealed the secret passage to the Fort Stormfist. But because his armor prevents him from going in, William unequips his power armor and proceeds to go in with regular clothes and weapons in his hands. Power sword in the right hand and torch in his left, William slowly walks towards darkness as he burns old spider webs and silent his feet to maintain his stealth (As possible Space Marine can).
After 40 minutes of walking in the secret passage, William found himself in the moderately sized room with three different passages. Above each passage, there seems to be a stone carving indicating where it leads to.
'Left leads to the secret door to the treasure room, middle leads to a door to the command center and right leads to back which is next to stables and the supply warehouse.' William recalls the information he learned from Sir Dolven and proceeds to take the middle path to the command center of the Fort Stormfist. By taking the command center, William can freely move around the fort to find the Vampire Lords. When William reaches the end of the path, put his power armor back on and use his helmet sensor to see if there is movement on the other side.
Sensing no movement, William pushes the secret door and finds himself behind a giant curtain of sorts. After moving himself out from the curtain, he found himself in a large room with a large table, multiple chairs and a giant map hanging on the wall (Secret passage was behind the map).
'Ok, it seems like vampires maintain the fort's furniture and other stuff in good shape, I guess they do love life of luxury just like humans do.' William then moves to the door to exit the room but the door suddenly opens from the other side to reveal two surprised humans with metal collars in their necks. William was the first to react in time, he grabbed the two human slaves, pulled them into the room and closed the door. It was quick and sudden because two humans didn't have the chance to make a noise or alert the vampire. William points his power sword towards slaves and asks them a question.
"Do not make any noise or it will be the last thing you will ever do. Now, how many vampires are in the fort and where are they?" William said with a gruff voice which gave an intimidating presence to the slaves who had never seen a giant metal knight before.
"You shouldn't be here, the master was expecting an army for days and brought his entire army to this fort." The oldest looking slave said to William with pleading and warning, which the second slave added with his warning.
"You came here for nothing but death. Your entire army will be master's unless you retreat right now. There is no hope to win, we should know as we were once soldiers to the throne." The second slave warned William but the giant knight didn't budge or gave concerns to the warning.
"Let me guess, he buried half of his forces outside of the wall and hid riders in the forest didn't he?" William said to them which once again surprised the two humans.
"How did you know?" Both men gave a surprised face when William guessed the master's strategy.
"Easy, his vampire lords used the same strategy on the battle of Deron. I guess that your master believes in superior numbers and overwhelming the enemy which is easy to predict the strategy based on that. Now, how many lords did your master bring to the fort?" William asks again which two men answer his question.
"He brought four lords with him, which comprised his entire military forces." The second man said to William but William can see there is missing information from the man.
"There is more isn't it?" The black templar said as he moved his sword from the slaves.
"Yes, since he brought his troops from all over the region, he also brought most fearsome creatures as well. One of them is a master's mount and it is powerful enough to devastate your army by itself." The first man said with fear in his eyes as the second man finished for him.
"He brought a zombie dragon with him. The same dragon he used to conquer this fort and Deron 150 years ago."
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Prince Benton and Duchess marched their troops over the hill as they saw the Fort Stromfist. The fort covered the entire mountain passage from left to right, blocking from passing to the other side. From the left side of the hill, a large forest blocks half of the open field before reaching the range of the fort towers which prevents the invading army from using siege machines.
"Well, cousin. It seems like the vampires were ready for us just like William said." The Duchess said to the prince with a smile on her face. When she heard William's plan it was crazy and stupid as he recommended not to use siege machines. Now, examining the battlefield, she can see the open field covered with fresh dirt and no overgrown grass, which supports William's advice on the buried undead army.
"Just like the battle of Deron, vampires plant their undead underground for an ambush. This also means they hid shock cavalry somewhere, possibly in the forest right over there." Prince Benton points at the dense forest. Suddenly, officers from Prince Benton's order the troops to make formation with a tower shield, creating a big wall of tower shields with swordsmen and riflemen right behind them. The Duchess and her troops saw all this with amazement as they didn't expect the prince's troops to be well organized and disciplined. It was as if they were looking at experienced veterans on the battlefield instead of spoiled minor nobles' sons and lazy army with expensive war gear.
"All troops! Forward march!" Prince gave his order which entire wall of shields and troops behind them marched simultaneously. When the army reaches a certain point in the field, the undead starts to rise from the ground, preparing to kill the living. Unfortunately for the undead army, a wall of tower shields open gaps between and a volley of rifle fire shreds them before they could reach the living.
As undead troops get wiped out from the field before they could do anything, the vampire's shock cavalry reveal themself out of the forest with a sound of heavy hooves. The cavalry is composed of 400 Crypt Knights with heavy armor and 80 undead war dogs with light armor. In normal circumstances, it will take an entire wall of spearmen or company of crossbows to repel them, but Prince and William brought something new to this fight.
"Riders are approaching! Bring out the big guns!" one of the prince's officers calls out as soldiers in the rear bring out four wagons with something attached to it. The metal mounts on the wagons are made out of rifle-like barrels but much bigger and hold 8 rounds each. There are 16 individual barrels divided into four decks, making it rotatable after each deck fires the round. It is a fantasy world version of a Gatling gun and similar to Helblaster Volley Cannon from Warhammer fantasy Check (Total War Warhammer 2 for reference).
"Fire the Volley Cannons!" The second prince gave his command, the four wagons with Volley Cannon fired, destroying the first and second lines of undead knights and war dogs in one set of a volley. The rounds from each cannon pierced Crypt Knight's armor like it was made out of paper. The cannons continue their fire as they rotate to cool their barrels, by the end of the fifth volley, most of the knights fell and war dogs are no more.
"That was much more effective than I thought. Good thing that we spend two weeks wisely by building these artillery weapons." Prince Benton said while the Duchess and everyone around her saw all this with their mouth opened.
"Who exactly are you, Sir William?" The Duchess said to herself as she and the rest of the troops slowly followed the prince's army.
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