Capítulo 39: A grand demonstration
Nada was without a doubt the Dark Flames top muscle. He and the team he commanded, which comprised of more than half the entire team, were the vanguards. They led the way in any major operation done by the Dark Flames.
Since coming to Tristan city, they were the top earners, taking on many jobs from the gate including patrolling and manning important posts. Now they were going for a confrontation. You'd expect the team to be scared and apprehensive, you would be wrong.
The night prior, everyone in the team had received a new batch of equipment to use. The sword users got new swords, the spear uses got theirs too and so did the ax uses. Along with a change of their primary weapons, came the upgrade of their armor.
As one who had used a shield and armor for most of his life as a warrior, Nada found that the new equipment was considerably heavier than what he was used to. He had to practice moving around in them to get the perfect feel. The equipment itself was not that special in design since it had been done by blacksmiths following the trend. One good thing about it was that it was above the common standard.
Fitting it in, the group found out what it felt to wear products from certified smiths. Unlike their previous weapons and equipment, these were made by certified blacksmiths. What's more, since these blacksmiths were trying to engrain themselves with Barda, they had given their best in the making.
The blacksmiths recognized the value of the new solution, but they now understood Barda was like the goose laying the golden eggs. One was not all they were going to get, so they decided to stick around for better or for worse. They had no idea how right they were.
Barda had plenty of things to introduce to this world, and he would need a dedicated and committed team. This was some sort of audition, and if they proved themselves then they would get a chance to ride with him for longer.
Nada led his team to the assigned spot on the wall. Right across the field there lay the enemy's camp. From their vantage point, they could see the defenses that had been set up. It was the same way on their side of the wall, a no-mans-land in between that no one ventured unless they were looking to get a hurting. That was what Nada's team was after.
Getting on the field, Nada and his frontline troops raised their shields high in the air in anticipation of the rain of arrows to come. This was one of the biggest hurdles and the reason the no-mans-land existed in the first place. Both sides were at the edge of the bow-range of each other's archer team. The no-mans-land was a haven for any good archer, and no one thought to go in unless a full-scale war was going on.
One of the reasons why both teams were so fierce was the use of metallic tipped arrows. Both sides had good blacksmiths who could make incredible arrows. Neither side had an advantage over the other.
The problem was, the shields couldn't hold against either blast of arrows. After a continuous rain of the arrows, even the sturdiest shields would be worn down and torn through. Before making it halfway through the no-mans-lands. There were bodies to show the damage of either side. No one had been able to make it through.
Nada looked over across the field. His first target was the defense tents that had been erected. A massive barrier had been placed, a sort of fence to keep them protected. Nada had to move across the field with his 50 men and break the barrier. This was his mission.
The no-mans-land was 2 miles wide. Every inch of it was a death zone. Even the brave Nada was frightened. If the shields didn't hold, then they were dead in the water. They would be killed before they made it to their mission. This would be a big blow to the Dark Flames adventurer team. Not only would they lose a big part of their team, but their reputation would sink. They would become a laughing-stock and bolster the enemy soldiers' morale.
"Alright everybody, this is it," Nada said, right off the edge of the battleground. "Across the field is where our glory awaits us, let's go grab it!"
The adventurers let out a loud shout and advanced. The team was well-formed and organized with years of experience working side by side. They were well versed with each other and could do this with their eyes closed.
The formation was like a tank, shields all around. They were 5 rows of 10 men. Each one had their shields raised, closing the gap on every inch like a fortress. Even more, many men had spears coming it out from in between the shields, making it look like a moving hedgehog.
Their advance was slow but steady. Every inch gained bringing them closer to the barrier and their mission. Their hearts were beating fast as they walked forward, panting with fear and anticipation. There was no turning back.
Across the field, the enemies noticed their approach fast. The commander was shocked, wondering what was wrong with them. It had been tried and tested before and confirmed that neither side could withstand the bombardment of the arrows, but if the enemy was willing to throw away their men's lives, she was not going to question that. Their archers were quickly in place, and the arrows nocked. The commanders gave the signal.
"FIRE!"
Hundreds of arrows took to the sky, the hedgehog formation as its target. As they coalesced in the sky, the arrows looked like a black cloud covering the sky.
Everyone on Tristan's side held their breath. This was it, the moment of truth. The shields were up, the arrows were coming down, and the truth would be out.
Lord Juma was standing on the city gates, surprisingly, so was Barda. This time, he chose to show up in the battleground in person. He kept looking at Barda, trying to glean anything off him. Up till that moment, Barda had been steadfast, keeping his head, but at that moment, Lord Juma noticed the look of excitement in the man's eyes.
Lord Juma didn't know how to react to this. Even he knew he would be worried if his weapons were facing such an onslaught, but Barda seemed excited. He couldn't help wondering what kind of man Barda was. Was he so confident of his weapons or was it just all a show? He couldn't tell.
Nada braced himself for impact. The arrows came down. Like rain on iron roofing, the arrows buffetted the shields with fury. The warriors panicked, but they were confident in themselves. If they were going to die, then they would do it with their heads held high and with their shields up.
A smile flashed across Barda's face. The first wave was up. No arrow had made it through. No arrow was stuck on the shield at all, they had all bounced off the shields. To the folks up there, it seemed like a miracle but the guys on the ground could feel the impact of the arrows. They had packed a punch. The shields may have held but the impact still came through.
The adventurers walked on, inch after inch, wave after wave they made progress. It was getting harder to maintain the formation. At around the halfway point, weaknesses were beginning to form. 2 arrows made it through and took down 2 men. The adventurers moved quickly to fill the hole, but as they advanced, more and more men fell.
The shields held though. In a moment of total exhiliration, Nada led his team to the barrier which was made of wood. The hacked at it with their shields raised until it was down. The enemies responded by swarming them, but the archers on Tristan's side covered the team as they made their retreat back behind the wall.
Behind the walls, loud cheers exploded as the team made it back. They were received as heroes! They had done it, they had managed to go across the wall and come back. Granted, they may have lost a few of their guys, but that just made their story all the more heroic. They were heroes to everyone. '
The higher-ups and everyone recognized what this meant. Tristan had found a solution to the no-mans-land problem. They could finally root out these enemies out of their flanks and off their coast.
Even Barda joined in the celebration. He was the main event after all. None of this was possible without his creation. Everyone eyed him with envy since they now knew he was a made man. Anything he wanted he would get from Tristan, as long as he gave his secret formula.
Late in the night, Barda and Nada were sharing a drink and a laugh when a horserider came. They were bloodied and battered, she looked on the verge of death. On closer examination, they realized it was Phoenix.
Status de energia semanal
-- Ranking de
Poder 
-- Pedra de
Poder