章 471: The Siege of Stros M'kai (3, 4) : Senseless Battle
Double Chapter with a bit of Extra… took some time.
Also, thanks for the astonishing new Patrons:
@Hugo Gurne
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next chapter is available on "you know where" (Pat-reon)
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(Part 1)
The Soldiers of Port Hunding and their Governor never expected any outside help during this national crisis. Every city-state in Hammerfell was under attack from the Worm Cult that came out from literally everywhere.
But after the unusual appearance of Jax, even the xenophobic Crowns faction would welcome any help with open arms.
Jax was as akin to a demon from Oblivion. A Minotaur with dangerous-looking pair of horns and an Aura of Flame emitting from his large body, his Bound Flame Wings were spread ready to ascend the sky and get to the towering Flesh Atronach down the wall.
*GROWL*
*SNARL*
The Flesh Atronach growled making the whole air around it reek with death, Jax snarled making the Flame Aura around him go up a notch.
*HOWL*
The Flesh Atronach howled as it moved its large metallic arm towards Jax on the wall. Jax smirked and jumped in the air, spreading his wings. As soon as the slow arm was raised towards him, Jax cast a [Lava Whip] and swung it at the large metal arm grappling at it then pulled himself towards it faster than he could fly. As soon as he reached the large metal arm that was about to descend and crush the wall behind him, Jax threw his Master's favorite punch.
[Thunder Cookie].
With a fist like Jax's, it completely pushed back the metal arm.
"Impossible!" Both the Necromancer's manipulating the Flesh Atronach and the young Governor with his soldiers on the city wall were all stupefied.
The flail from a second ago was something but this metal arm was even thicker than the city wall. It was a scene straight out of a hero tale.
On the other hand, Jax was not over. In one hand he had the [Lava Whip] and in another, he had the [Thunder Cookie]. He threw the whip once again at the Flesh Atronach while being midair and lashed it a few times.
He grappled once again and descended on the Atronach's face with his hooves. The spot where Jax landed on exploded and the Atronach retreated back.
And the battle went on.
From the wall, Governor Kareem who recovered from the shock turned to his men with a bright face.
"Redguards! I don't know who or what that is but the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Support our savior! Archers, Fire on the flanks. Mages, Protect the front. Catapults, Throw to the depth of the enemy's ranks. Ballistas, target those Necromancers in the back. Each Necromancer you kill is a hundred gold pieces. The Higher the rank, the bigger the bonus! KILL!"
The Governor howled to his men and the morale on the city wall improved significantly. The part where many soldiers were killed by the Flesh Atronach's attack just now was reinforced and put to use in a second.
"My Lord! My Lord! The gate is being attacked!" A soldier came running.
"What? How?"
"The Necromancers are using their undead and making them explode on the wall."
"Those dirty fucker!"
Kareem was infuriated and ran from his post to check on the gate. It was indeed as the soldier said. The undead were swarming to the gate and the mages were defending it by lessening the number that gets closer.
"We need to lessen the burden." Kareem thought.
He scanned the battlefield with his eyes comparing the few numbers of soldiers to the large number of the undead. It was then when a devilish idea came to his mind.
"Commander Malek." He called for his second in command, the city captain.
"My Lord."
"Lead the defense, keep it like that and support this ally… whatever it is." He said.
"What about you, my Lord? Are you retreating?" The captain asked.
"Oblivion take me before I do! I am taking the Warband!" Kareem said with maddened eyes making his captain shiver but he couldn't stop his Lord.
"Stay safe, my Lord."
In every city-state, there is a Guard force and a Warband. The defense and the offense.
The Warband of Stros M'kai was known across Hammerfell that despite being a band of islanders, they were one of the most dangerous forces on land even with their low number.
"Chargers! To me!" Kareem shouted summoning the Warband from the defense wall.
Redguard men and women with strong presences started to retreat towards him and gathered in a tight circle down the wall. He spoke and a bloodthirsty atmosphere formed around them. They headed out after that to the northern gate.
***
Faten took a sword and a horse not knowing the identity of the sword that she paid no care about. As a daughter of a merchant, she lived a good life all her years but she was a bit of a trouble maker. She loved horsemanship, swordsmanship, and marksmanship. The three arts Redguards excelled in.
Despite the will of her father, she was trained by her mother who was the daughter to the former captain of the Hunding Chargers. Thus that girl grew to be a good fighter.
"Hya!"
She sped towards the western wall where the defense was and arrived at it in a few minutes after taking detours around the defenses prepared in the city in case the wall didn't hold. Once she arrived, she jumped off her horse, climbed the wall and looked for Kareem.
"Lord Governor! Lord Governor!" She called but he wasn't anywhere near his post, she then saw the one leading the defense to be the city Guard Captain.
"Captain Malek." She called the man crossing her way among the coming and going soldiers.
"Lady Faten? What in Oblivion are you doing here?"
"Where is his Lordship?"
"He took the Chargers to the North!"
Once he said so, she turned to the North with a pale face.
"No!"
Going out to the battlefield like that is suicide no matter how much she thinks about it. She ran from her place and reached down the wall to her horse but it was no longer there. She had to run.
She turned north and planned to run with the wall but as soon as she crossed some distance, she arrived at the western gate where it was being fortified by the soldiers. More to that, there was a battalion of Guards and Local Volunteers stationed there.
"What is going on here? Why aren't those soldiers on the wall?" She spoke to the highest rank soldiers she saw.
"What are you doing here, girl? Get to safety." The soldier spoke to her rudely.
"Sorry!" She didn't bother and even apologized knowing the distressful situation. "Where is his Lordship?"
"At the North! You… you have a sword! Join the defenders now! We are making a stand behind the Chargers. Take a helm and a shield from there!"
The soldier took her by the arm thinking that she is a local volunteer.
Faten found herself in front of a carriage distributing weapons, helms, and shields. Seeing her with a sword, no one bothered giving her another weapon as most of the weapons here were all axes, clubs and short spears.
She was dragged with the tide of the crowd and was stationed in a tight formation of soldiers in front of the gate.
On the other side of the wall, Kareem was leading a band of cavalry on Gray Yokudan Charger horses which gave the band its name as the Hunding Chargers. A while ago, Kareem gathered his men and suggested that as long as that ally was battling the Gigantic Flesh Atronach and the undead horde's charge was fully absorbed by the wall, this was the time to go through them with a nice clean charge.
The horses of the band were trained to this kind of situation thus there fame came from their lethal charge. Supported by the Aura of their riders as each rider was an Aura Master, this meant that a spectacular scene was going to happen.
They got to the Northern Gate riding on their horses and exited the city from there where no undead would stop their ride. Utilizing the north as a higher ground, the chargers would descend on the undead in one swoop killing or getting killed. The right move would be directly facing the Necromancers in the rear of the undead but these fuckers were well defended by their dead minions thus lessening the load on the wall was the top priority. ("The Hunding Chargers in the Siege of Stros M'kai" Pic in Discord's Gallery)
Kareem's action will be recorded as daring in a time of great desperation but that's years from now and it wouldn't have succeeded if not for the unexpected elements that will show up in the latter half of the battle.
In the meantime, all the thoughts in the head of the young governor were to blast through those undead. Despite not being a charger, he was at least capable of handling a charge. As the horses ran in the open land and turned south towards the enemy, the wind resistance made Kareem feel his body being strengthened and his heart being forged.
"CHARGE AT THEM! WHAT CAME FROM OBLIVION SHOULD BE SENT THERE!" He called atop his voice.
"HAA!"
The Chargers around him shouted to harden their hearts and release their Auras. They lit the charge around them as they all trained the easiest, the most simple and the most destructive type of Aura. the Flame.
In front of them, the scene of the undead trying to swarm the gate and the wall came closer and closer. They could see the undead being halted as the ones behind them never expected the Chargers to appear in this time.
And the development was to behold.
Hundreds of horses running in a formation of maddened warriors cut through the uneven formation of undead as the sickle of the gardener weeding grass. Each and every skeleton and zombie standing in the way were consumed by fiery lashes coming from the chargers turning their remains into ashes with burning sparks like a magic trick. No resistance was offered
As soon as the Chargers came, most of the undead vanguard was swept clean and the Chargers passed the western gate to the other side of the undead. Jax and the Flame Atronach were still fighting, the Gigantic Atronach was walking on two uneven legs felt like it was falling so it used its metal arm to support itself to the ground dealing light casualties to the Chargers.
The city gate was opened and the defenders charged through killing each undead they came through. They were advancing slowly and steadily dealing with whatever the Chargers didn't deal with. As soon as they passed the gatehouse fully, they formed a tight arched formation together.
Faten was there among the Redguard men and women, she may have found herself in that situation but no one paid heed to how young or ladylike she is. Other ladies were in the same formation as her too and they were growling like beasts ready to face whatever horror comes at them.
Of course, the battle of Jax and the towering Flesh Atronach was an exception.
On the Chargers' front, they took a large distance away from the battle then turned around again this time to the rear towards the Necromancers.
"Get those whoresons! REDGUARDS!"
"REDGUARDS!"
The Hunding Charger, proud and domineering, gave their all to the charge and called for their Ancestral Power, the [Adrenaline Rush]. A mystical power few of the Redguards were blessed with gave them the edge in every open confrontation and here it made them look like beasts. Their muscles bulged and their eyes brightened.
Every bit of their instincts as warriors was hyphenated for the final charge to cut the head of the snake.
The horses crossed the sandy field heralding the end of the bitter fight. The Necromancers recognized the threat of the Chargers and panicked.
"Why are the others not attacking from the South already?" A Necromancer shouted.
"Something is wrong, they don't seem to have even crossed the bay."
"Those trashes! Do something!"
"Dammit! Help me, comrades. Control that Atronach with me."
To face the charge, the Necromancers had to turn to the only card capable of dealing with the Chargers. Half of the Necromancers leading the undead horde gave up their control and focused on the Flesh Atronach instead, pulling it from the fight with Jax towards the Chargers.
"Hya! Kill them."
The Hunding Chargers used their speed and superior strength to penetrate through the first defensive layer of the Worm Cult. The low ranking Worm Cultists were slaughtered like rats but the true head of the snake was the ones in the core of the formation not too far away. Should the Chargers reach them, this battle will be over.
There was some hope seconds ago but right now, the situation turned dire. That Gigantic Flesh Atronach turned around and chased after the Hunding Chargers. It wasn't fast but its pace was wide and soon it blocked the chargers' way then it started to rampage towards them. Even Jax, who was chasing the Flesh Atronach midair, couldn't do anything at that point.
"Disperse! Spread around!" Kareem shouted for his men to avoid the coming disaster.
The Chargers' formation was broken and Kareem's protectors led him to the east back towards the wall where the defenders at.
"Your Lordship, it is dangerous now."
"Order a retreat! Get them to safety!"
"They won't retreat unless you do, your Lordship!"
The situation, that was in favor of the Chargers, turned dire in a split of a second once the gigantic Flesh Atronach started rampaging. Kareem and his men couldn't handle the situation while the Core members of the Necromancers gained momentum and started firing spell to hunt down the Chargers.
Three of the Chargers were blinded by their Adrenaline Rush and launched themselves with their horses at the enemies taking down a bunch each before getting surrounded and killed from all fronts.
"Dammit!" Kareem saw the demise of the three and it got to him but he wasn't dumb enough to fall here.
He finally managed to reach the line of defenders at the western gate but once he was almost there, the battle between Jax and the Flesh Atronach heated once again and Jax managed to damage the whole left shoulder part of the arm carrying the flail. Still, now that Jax was closer to the Necromancers, they didn't spare him from their attacks.
Jax was forced to retreat but he was actually being baited. Once he reached a certain spot, he found himself in the trajectory of the Atronach's metal arm.
"... Shit!"
Being a still target midair, the metal arm slapped Jax away towards the retreating Chargers. He was falling like a meteor and in his path was none other than the young Governor Kareem.
"Kareem be careful!" A shout from a familiar voice alarmed Kareem to his situation.
He jumped off his horse to the side and by the next second, Jax landed in an eruption.
Kareem crashed to the ground and rolled around between the legs of the other horses but he protected himself. He looked up and knew he was saved as soon as he saw what became of his horse, the defenders and the Chargers ran and circled him pulling him to retreat.
"Kareem!" But that voice called for him again.
He turned around frantically trying to spot the owner of the voice.
"Faten! Faten!"
"I'm here!"
A volunteer ran through the tight ranks raising her sword and shield. Her helm fell off her head and that's when Kareem spotted her.
"Come!"
In the tightness of the crowded defenders, the two young lovers squirmed their way to each other. Kareem reached out to her from the shoulders.
"What are you doing here?" He asked with a shocked face.
"I'm here for you!" She said with a bright one and touched his face. He was bleeding from his forehead and the side of his face.
"Go back! Take her to the wall!" He said to any of his guards but he found himself strayed from them.
"I'm not leaving you. We're in this together!" She said with an offended face.
"No, you must…" He was about to say something when they all heard a call.
"They are coming!"
**********
(Part 2)
Everyone looked at the west at the same time. Now that the fight reached this point, the Necromancers rallied the rest of their force.
"Hold the lines!"
"Shields! Spears and Shields!"
"Tight formation!"
Everyone started shouting and screaming. The situation they all wanted to avoid happened as the undead charge has finally happened.
One of the strategic basics in Tamriel is to never face a horde of undead head-on, not with cavalry or even War Mammoths. The undead swarm is akin to a tsunami that can't be stopped.
Kareem and Faten had no time to talk as they joined the formation together shoulder to shoulder.
From the midst of the smoke nearby, a certain tall figure walked out staggering. It was Jax who was just blasted away by the Atronach. He was hurt by the fall and was holding his left arm near his body with his back aching.
He saw the defenders and the Chargers forming a defense formation behind him and the dead swarming from distance in a deadly charge. Spells, arrows, and rocks flew from the city wall over his head to the undead horde but there was no stopping it.
The defenders saw Jax emerging and from a closer look, they realized it was no legendary creature or a beast from Oblivion. The talks about his identity at the beginning of the battle were undetermined but now he seemed like a normal Minotaur… not that anyone cared at the moment.
But in the next, this Minotaur was the center of attention.
He snorted like a bull reinforcing himself with the Flame Aura and started to act.
Stomp! Stomp! Stomp!
Three stomps of his hooves crested three Fire Pools around him. He started to run not towards any front but rather horizontally each step covering four meters and causing a Fire Pool. With his hand, he was casting [Flame Wall] to the side making a line of fire in the way.
"Hahaha! You want to pass? Let's see if you can."
Jax was in a good mood despite his injury. The fight against the Flesh Atronach just now was blood boiling and he felt his rage being all vented on an opponent that won't fall no matter how many blasts he could dish out. Being Jon's intern, he has piled up a lot of stress as of late.
He walked behind his wall of flame that reached five meters in height feeling the steps of the horde coming from behind it.
Once it came closer, the horde breached the Flame Wall with force but anything that passed was scorched in the flame. Whatever survived the wall had to cross the pools and no undead was strong against the fire.
The first wave was all taken by Jax making the defenders shiver from the power of that minotaur, the second wave started preaching the Flame Wall and the Necromancers were dispelling it. The undead piled on the Fire Pools and the whole defensive array Jax created was over.
But two things were gained, the undead charge was mostly absorbed and reinforcements from the city joined the defenders on the gate. Kareem and Faten reached the forefront of the formation and joined the elite force to face the coming undead. On the other hand, the Necromancers lost most of their precious army and were in a tight spot.
"We must retreat for now."
"We can't. The damages were lost are insignificant. We still have the Flesh Monarch and our personal summons."
"But the southern team…"
"They will be there! Have faith, comrade."
The Necromancers decided to bring out their trump cards, the summons from the Ghost World. Void distorted as many undead started coming through. They were felt baleful, dangerous and intimidating.
*Snort*
Jax knew what is going on but he was more worried about the Flesh Atronach that was still marching slowly back to the battle, yet now he had to deal with those mummies.
He cast the [Lava Whip] summoning a large flaming whip with three endings that he kept swinging around creating a large ring of fire, he also cast [Bound Flame Wings] and spread them widely without flying.
And the undead charged.
"Hold your positions!" Kareem shouted and coveted Faten behind him.
The clash was dire. Each undead around Jax was turned into sparks by the [Lava Whip] but they still kept swarming. The mummies were strong but got blasted away by his whip, the only thing that stood to him were the Bone Colossuses.
The rest of the undead clashed with the defenders and the Necromancers stated casting [Corpse Explosion] at the cannon fodder undead causing serious casualties to the defenders.
"Hold the line! Don't stray from each other!" Kareem shouted but to no use.
The panicked soldiers could barely keep themselves in formation after such a vile tactic used by the Necromancers. Some of the brave ones started charging at the undead trying to take those running bombs down before they explode in the crowd even at the cost of their lives.
The ones around Kareem and Faten charged to protect him yet he was pushed forward by them.
"Kareem, wait!"
Faten couldn't help but run after him too. In less than a minute, the two found themselves in the middle of the fray.
"Kareem!" She called as she lost visual of him
"Dammit! Faten, stay with me." Kareem ran to her from behind and the two joined one another.
The first skeleton that came towards them was blacked by her shield then Kareem advanced and destroyed the skull by his sword. The chaotic situation became more messy and the two started fighting back to back.
It was dangerous, too dangerous for the two of them as everything started making less sense. Zombies charging at them where rammed away by the rampaging Minotaur, he spread his Bound Flame Wings and used them as weapons by slashing with them or shields by joining them together. He would fly with them for a few meters and land the midsts of any undead formation obliterating it with his hooves.
A skeleton jumped on Faten and pushed her shield aside, the girl was about to lose her protection when Kareem managed to cover for her.
She looked at him with a face overwhelmed by exhaustion and he tried to fend for her but…
{Behind him.}
A voice rang in her head.
She didn't recognize it but something told her that "him" is Kareem.
She pulled him towards her and put the shield forward then…
*Crack*
A flying Lightning spell landed on her shield and made it explode in splinters, luckily, she was fine.
{Duck together!}
Kareem was stunned by the sound of the spell but Faten heard the voice once again and pulled him down.
In the following second, a flying axe went by over them.
"Shit!" Kareem felt that he just escaped the clutches of the Grim Reaper.
Looking towards the source of the lightning spell and the axe, the couple saw a mighty undead warrior which is one of those premium undead summoned by the cultist, a Mummy.
This mummy belonged to a great Nord Warrior that has fallen ages ago in battle. Right now, this seasoned warrior was marching to the couple with a short sword in hand.
{Stand up, don't fight him head-on. You are no match for him.} The voice rang inside Faten's head again.
"Who are you?" She shouted.
"Faten, I'm sure it is no of no use asking about the identity of the Undead." Kareem said as he started pulling her away from the sure death that is the mummy.
"No, Lord Governor. I'm not talking…" She tried to say something but the voice spoke again.
{Governor? Wait! Is he the Governor?}
"Wha… Yes, Kareem is the Governor of Stros M'kai." Faten replied to the voice.
"What are you saying?"
{Is he a descendant of Iszara?} The voice asked hastily.
"Yes." Faten replied.
{Pass me to the boy. Now!}
"Pass… you?"
{Yes. Pass m… Pass the Sword. There is no time. Hurry!}
As the voice urged her, Faten simply stopped Kareem and put the sword in his hand. Kareem looked between her and the sword yet he was about to urge her to keep running then… he suddenly stopped.
The sword in his hand brightened, it brightened like the sword of a Paladin.
Faten felt the strong power and presence coming from the longsword she just passed to Kareem. It gave off a shocking power and a Holy Aura.
Kareem, whose face brightened up, felt the power surging inside him as he heard a voice ringing into his head. His Aura which was a Flame Aura switched into a Holy Aura which he never trained before. It overtook all the different energies around him and he moved faster than he ever could.
*Clank*
In a single move, he blocked the sword of the mummy chasing them. Even his wounds started to heal and his power started to come back and increase. He was experiencing a miraculous moment.
Slash! Cut!
Two moves were all that it took to bring down the mummy of the Nord Warrior.
"…Tha…nk…y…ou."
The voice of the Nord Warrior being freed from his eternal servitude sounded near him and boosted his spirit. Kareem looked at all the undead around him and his Holy Aura blasted around like a Nova.
"Redguards!" He shouted, raising the sword high and marching forward.
Behind him, Faten picked a sword and threw her shield away.
"To his Lordship!" She shouted and rallied everyone around him.
"Follow the Governor!"
"Lord Kareem is advancing!"
"Behind him!"
Every Redguard fighting in this battle gathered after him in one final drill attack. Kareem took the forefront and spearhead the assault, all mummies and necromancers standing in his way were either cut in half or beheaded. The Holy Sword finally landed in the hands of the Hero.
Zombies on the front. Cut!
Mummies making a pincer attack. Bash, stab, slash!
Worm Knights blocking the way. Slice!
The enemies fell one after the other to the Prince of Stros M'kai. It was until he reached Jax.
"Haha! Little man, that's a good skill you have." Jax called for him.
Kareem looked to the side seeing Jax handling more than a quarter of the undead on his own. He smiled wryly to the Minotaur and together they pushed forward.
The situation was a victory. No matter what, that charge of the defenders of Stros M'kai was invincible but as the thing with all good things… it came to an end.
They overlooked one gigantic detail that finally arrived at them. It was the towering Flesh Atronach.
Jax, Kareem, Faten and all the defenders behind them looked up at the large flesh tower that raised its fused metal arm aiming to smite them down.
As there was no escape, there was no fear. It was do or die, now or never. Whatever attack comes, the answer of the united front would always be the same.
"Bring it on!" Kareem shouted.
This shout wasn't just for the Flesh Atronach that is about to end them in one hit but also to the Redguards around him to untie their Aura and stop the coming attack together.
"HAAAAA!"
The whole formation of fighters cried out whether they were Aura Masters or not. It was known that the Aura came with the voice and some of those who didn't train their Aura could actually feel it.
It was a glorious moment as they all came in front of danger, but...… someone had to ruin it.
"WAAAAAIT! You fucktards can't have all the fun without me! Jax, I won't let this pass if I missed that scene. I'll fuckin bring you back to life and tie you to the carriage!"
Hearing that voice, Jax lost all the momentum and even his will to fight. He even slapped his own face and muttered "Not now!"
A rider in Ebony on a Black Yokudan Charger horse known as Joergen entered the scene as fast as lightning. He passed in front of Jax and Kareem, jumped off the horse that exited the scene and stood in front of the army.
A team of exceptional individuals was right on his heels jumping off their Atronach Horses.
The man in Ebony looked at the Gigantic Flesh Atronach and smiled widely.
"I would have cried tears of blood if I missed this party. Greed!"
He raised his hands to the side and called for [Greed] that was on his shoulders as a cape. [Greed] moved on its own and entered Jon's gauntlets, [Ahzidal's Evil First].
Those gauntlets started to change in a strange scene. The started to grow bigger as if Jon's hands and firearms themselves were growing. The bizarre scene continued until each gauntlet became as large as an adult man.
———————————
[Ahzidal's Titan Fists]
- Fortify Strength
- Resist Magic
- Magicka Sealing Chains
- Flying Grip (Greed Effect)
———————————
He raised those large hands up and fixed his stance looking at the gigantic Flesh Atronach that was still raising his metal arm up.
"Now hit!"
And the metal arm descended.
~~~~~~~~~~
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