章 113: An Escape Attempt (2)
Back at Browntown, the messenger knights went across the entire town, informing Danial's army to go towards Browntown's square. The soldiers were informed that King Danial was giving a speech on the balcony, just before leaving the city.
The Browntown Square, which was surrounded by the only other stone buildings in the city, was where King Danial was put back in his clean runic armor except for his helmet. His hair was well combed with oils available in the small home of the lord, and his head healed thanks to a newly brewed potion.
He took in a deep breath, and let it out. Building up his voice and persona, to boost the troop's morale. Once he was ready, he walked right up to the balcony of the building. A loud cheer erupted in the town square as the soldiers see their handsome, masculine king once more. They all wonder what his speech will be.
Danial raised both of his hands, accepting the praise thrown at him, before losing his left hand. The soldiers, after witnessing Danial holding his right hand, started to calm down and stay silent. With the town entering a state of silence, Danial could finally speak.
"Throughout the past few days, we had fought for our lord and savior, to save the peoples of the south. We fought many battles and won almost all of them.
ALMOST! As 2 days ago, we suffered a terrible attack from the enemy's new weapons. Weapons handed to them by the devils! Our men were mowed down, while they hid behind the safety of their fort, like cowards!
Now, they are marching towards the city of Browntown as we speak. My loyal subjects, it is my deepest regret, that I will have to let some men stay, to fight their army, to not let them take this city.
We have lost many friends, many allies, many brothers, many fathers, and many sons along the way. Yet, fear not! They may be up above the heavens, watching us, cheering us to defeat the monster that is tearing society and humanity apart!
We may have lost the battle, but we have not lost the war! We will fight till the very end! Even if it means sacrificing all our lives for it! Anyone, who fights to the death, will reach up to the heavens, where they will be granted eternal peace in the afterlife.
We will fight till the end! For our brothers! Our sisters! Our mothers! Our Fathers! Our Wives! Our Family! Our Friends! And for God!"
The crowd erupted in cheer as Danial finished his short speech. Time was of the essence, after all. They started chanting "Long live his Highness! Long Live God!". Danial turned back and headed back inside the building. He picked up his helmet and puts it on.
His forehead gets covered in something. He quickly takes it off and looks in the mirror. It appears to be his blood. Probably coming from his head injury. Danial casts a spell that summed a bit of water. He washes the blood off his forehead, as well as his helmet, before putting it back on.
...
Rose Valine was wearing a suit of runic armor, powered by a purple stone. Behind her, was the first brigade, comprising musketeers, pikemen, knights, medics, and others. There have been a few hit-and-runs by the enemy, but they have managed to quickly deal with it.
Though she had to admit it, Rose smiled when she heard that they were resorting to such tactics. It was a sign that Danial knew he was in peril.
Rose looks at her map to see where they were. She used landmarks around to pinpoint her exact location before they would be able to arrive there. Time was of the essence, and she did not want Danial to escape her claws.
She then picked up her spyglass and placed it on her eye. She hoped that they were close enough to get a visual. Lucky for her, she was. In the distance, she saw the river which blocked Danial from leaving. A bit to the side, she spots the bridge.
However, what she couldn't find is Danial's army. She knew he was in the vicinity, considering his knights were harassing the brigade, but he was not to be seen. Unless... he had already left? It was certainly possible. Just then, they heard the sounds of a lone horse coming over their way. It appears to be a messenger, carrying some heavy news.
"Your majesty! We have approached the vicinity of Browntown! The third brigade has entered battle with the army!" he said.
"How many were there?" Rose asked the messenger.
"We counted about a couple thousand peasant infantry, as well as about a quarter hundred knights!"
"25 knights?" she questions, a little shocked at the low numbers.
"Yes, your highness. Is there something wrong?"
Rose sat on her horse, thinking of what it meant. She figured it was some force meant to slow them down, to make sure that they wouldn't catch up to him.
"How long did it take for you to come here?"
"Uh... about 6 minutes your majesty. I came here as fast as I could."
"Hm... Good. Tell Colonel Leroy to keep on engaging the enemy. After they are defeated, head straight for the bridge. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, your highness!"
"Good. Now go. Go as fast as you can." The messengers leave. Rose turns her head to the back.
"Men! Ready up! We are going to march faster than before! We will be engaging the enemy from the north!" she said. Rose then turned to a knight and instructed him with the following.
"Take a few knights over and slow them down. Perform hit and runs, cast fireballs, or even explosions. Do whatever it takes to slow them down." she instructed. The knight nodded, selected a few knights from the front, and ran off to the distance at high speeds.
...
Danial and his army had marched in an orderly fashion out of the city to the paved road. With their bellies refilled up with the citizen's food, and their thirst vanquished after drinking a good jug of water and beer, the 11,000 troops marched on with high spirits.
It was going well. The army was supposed to be arriving at the bridge in about 30 minutes. That was until, suddenly, a cavalry consisting of enemy runic knights comes down and attacks the convoy of peasant soldiers. With only a few knights in the vicinity, many of them die due to being stabbed through their bodies with pointy metal spears.
Just as soon as they came in, they left. The knights who possessed violet mana-stone cores in their suits of runic armor, cast explosive spells that left lots of damage, both in terms of equipment, men, and even the road they marched on. Soon, the news reaches the front end of the army, where Danial rode on top of his horse.
"Hit and run attacks?" he asks to reiterate.
"Yes, your highness! They also cast some powerful explosive magics well! We have lost about 95 men so far!"
"I see..." Danial thinks of his options. He would like to keep as many men as he could, but a rearrangement now would mean that they would have to slow down. It took a few more hit-and-runs and slowdowns before he eventually made a decision.
"Go to the side of the army and protect our flanks. We do not want to lose these people. I will defend the front along with a few myself. Do you all understand?" he told the front 4 rows of knights.
"Yes, your highness!" The knights replied. Using the leash on their horses, they moved away from the front of the march, to the side. This way, the peasant infantry would have a better chance of surviving and repealing any hit-and-runs. Although this also meant that they would have to slow down, Danial would rather risk getting there slower, than have a lot of his men killed.
He felt his heartbeat increase as he got closer and closer to the bridge, wondering whether the enemy had already gotten to the bridge. He takes out the map and looks to see where he was. Noticing that he was very close, Danial picked up his spyglass and looked around.
There, surrounded by the stone bridge that would allow them to escape, was infested with the enemy brigade, consisting of probably a few thousand men, knights, and a possible monarch. Although, Danial could not tell from his current position, as he was very far away.
Facing the fact that, in the end, he came to terms with that battle was not inevitable, and it was his decision on how he should play it forward, determines the lives of his soldiers, and the lives of millions of people to come.
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