บท 10: Fire and Sunlight
The sea was on fire.
Atenzi stood on the highest tower of the Sovereign Lands' defenses, his golden eyes reflecting the flames below. The harbor, covered in oil like Sir Henry Morgan suggested, had turned into a wall of fire.
But it wasn't enough.
Through the flames, they came. Vampire ships, their sides burned but still intact, pushed through the fire. The screams of their undead crews cut through the night, a sound of anger and hunger that made Atenzi's blood run cold.
"Nice opening move, lad," Morgan said, sounding impressed. "But I think we've just made them mad."
Atenzi's mind raced, looking at the situation with cold logic. The fire trick had taken out some of the vampire ships, sure, but the ones left were the strongest and most determined. And in the middle...
"There," he said, pointing to a huge ship coming out of the mist. "That must be Báthory's main ship."
Morgan looked through his spyglass, then whistled low. "Aye, and it's a scary sight. Look at the front of the ship."
Atenzi looked through the glass and felt his blood run cold. The front of the ship had a scary statue: a woman with bat wings, her mouth open in a silent scream, blood coming from her eyes.
"The Crimson Countess sure knows how to make an entrance," Atenzi muttered.
A messenger ran up to the tower, out of breath. "My lord! The east sea wall is broken! Vampire forces are landing!"
Atenzi's mind switched gears instantly, from watcher to commander. "Morgan, take half our forces and help the eastern wall. I'll handle the harbor defense from here."
The pirate nodded, a fierce grin spreading across his weathered face. "Aye, aye, captain. Try not to let them sink the whole city before I get back."
As Morgan went down the tower stairs, shouting orders, Atenzi turned his attention to the harbor. The vampire ships were getting into attack positions, ignoring their burning friends.
"Archers!" Atenzi called out. "Get ready! Wait for my command!"
Below, hundreds of bows were pulled back. Atenzi watched the lead vampire ship, timing it just right. One second too soon, and the arrows would fall short. One second too late, and the vampires would be on them.
"Fire!"
A rain of flaming arrows flew through the night sky, lit up by the burning harbor. They fell among the vampire crews like deadly rain. Screams of pain and anger rose from the ships, but they didn't slow down.
Atenzi frowned. Normal battle plans wouldn't be enough. He needed to think differently, to use every advantage he had.
"You there!" he called to a nearby soldier. "What's the biggest building near the harbor?"
The man blinked in surprise. "Uh, that'd be the Merchant's Guild hall, my lord. Five stories tall, with a copper roof."
Atenzi's eyes lit up. "Perfect. Get me every mirror you can find. Big ones, small ones, doesn't matter. And I need carts of sand, quickly!"
As the soldier hurried off, looking confused, Atenzi allowed himself a small smile. Báthory might have hundreds of years of experience, but he had knowledge she couldn't possibly have. It was time to even the odds.
The next hour was chaos. Vampire ships crashed against the harbor defenses, undead warriors climbing the walls with superhuman speed. Atenzi's archers kept shooting, but for every vampire that fell, two more took its place.
Meanwhile, confused citizens carried mirrors of all shapes and sizes to the Merchant's Guild hall. Following Atenzi's quick instructions, they were placing them on the building's roof and upper floors, angling them just right.
"My lord!" Another messenger, this one splattered with blood that Atenzi hoped wasn't his own. "Sir Morgan says there's heavy fighting on the eastern wall. He's holding, but barely. He needs more help."
Atenzi cursed under his breath. They were being stretched thin, fighting a war on two fronts. He needed more time.
Time. The word sparked something in his memory. With a jolt, he realized the eastern sky was starting to get lighter. Dawn was coming.
"Tell Morgan to hold on," Atenzi ordered. "Help is coming sooner than he thinks."
The messenger nodded and ran off. Atenzi turned back to the harbor, where things were looking bad. The vampire forces had landed and were pushing inland. He could see panic spreading among his defenders.
It was time. Atenzi closed his eyes, gathering his strength. When he opened them again, they blazed with inner fire. He walked to the edge of the tower, his voice ringing out with the power of Lashon Kesef.
"People of the Sovereign Lands! Listen to me!"
All across the battlefield, heads turned. Even the vampires paused in their attack, caught by the commanding presence high above.
"I see fear in your eyes," Atenzi continued, his words reaching every corner of the city. "I see despair. You look at these monsters, these leftovers from an old age, and you think: how can we fight against such power?"
He paused, letting the silence stretch. When he spoke again, his voice was low, intense.
"But I tell you this: we are not just fighting against them. We are the start of a new age. An age where humans take back their rightful place in this world!"
A murmur ran through the defenders. Atenzi could feel their attention, their very souls, hanging on his every word.
"Look around you," he thundered. "These streets, these buildings, they are more than just stone and mortar. They are the last stronghold of human achievement in a world that has forgotten us. Will you let them fall to these bloodsuckers?"
A chorus of "No!" rose from the defenders, their voices getting stronger.
"For too long, humans have hidden in the shadows, happy just to survive. But I say, it's time we did more than survive. It's time we thrived!"
Atenzi's voice got harder, filled with the full power of Lashon Kesef. "Each of you carries the legacy of countless generations. Your ancestors crossed oceans, built empires, reached for the stars themselves! And now, in this darkest hour, their strength flows through your veins."
He swept his arm out, taking in the entire city. "This is our home. Our fortress. Our line in the sand. And I swear to you, as long as one human heart beats within these walls, we will not fall!"
A roar went up from the defenders, a sound of defiance that shook the very foundations of the city. Atenzi could see the change in how they stood, the fire rekindled in their eyes.
"Now, my brothers and sisters, show these night creatures what human toughness really means! Show them why we are the rightful owners of this world! For the Sovereign Lands! For humanity!"
"For humanity!" The cry was taken up by thousands of voices, echoing across the battlefield. Atenzi saw his soldiers throw themselves back into the fight with new energy, pushing back the vampire forces through sheer determination.
As the speech ended, Atenzi felt dizzy. Using Lashon Kesef so strongly had taken its toll. But there was no time for weakness now. The real test was yet to come.
He turned to his helper. "How's the mirror setup going?"
"Almost done, my lord," the helper replied, still looking a bit dazed from the speech. "But I don't understand—"
"You will," Atenzi assured him. "Now, are the sand carts in place like I said?"
"Yes, my lord. Though the men think you've gone crazy, ordering sand brought to a sea battle."
Atenzi allowed himself a grim smile. "Sometimes, craziness is our best weapon. Especially against an enemy who thinks they've seen it all."
A commotion from the harbor caught their attention. The massive vampire flagship had finally reached the shore. As they watched, a figure appeared on its deck, her presence so strong that the very air seemed to get colder.
Elizabeth Báthory, the Crimson Countess, had entered the fight.
She was beautiful in a terrifying way, like a snow-covered mountain or a raging storm. Her pale skin seemed to glow in the pre-dawn light, and her eyes burned with an unholy red fire.
When she spoke, her voice carried across the battlefield with unnatural clarity.
"Is this the best the great Sovereign Lands can offer?" she mocked. "A rabble led by a fake king? I had hoped for more of a challenge."
Báthory raised her arms, and the vampire forces surged forward with new ferocity. Atenzi's defenders, despite their newfound courage, began to falter under the attack.
"My lord," his helper whispered, fear clear in his voice, "what do we do?"
Atenzi's eyes were fixed on the eastern horizon, where the sky was getting lighter by the minute. "We hold," he said firmly. "We hold, and we wait for dawn."
The next few minutes were the longest of Atenzi's life. He watched as the vampire forces pushed deeper into the city, as brave defenders fell to inhuman strength and speed. But he held his position, counting down the seconds.
Just when it seemed the line would break, the first rays of the sun peeked over the horizon.
"Now!" Atenzi roared. "Light the sand carts!"
All along the shoreline, barrels of sand that had been soaked in oil burst into flame. The vampires closest to them screamed in agony as the burning sand clung to their flesh.
But this was just a distraction. The real plan was about to unfold.
As the sun rose higher, its light hit the carefully positioned mirrors atop the Merchant's Guild hall. The reflected beams, made stronger and focused, swept across the battlefield like the finger of an angry god.
Vampires caught in the concentrated sunlight didn't just burn—they exploded into ash.
The Crimson Countess's triumphant laughter turned to a scream of rage as her forces were decimated by this unexpected weapon.
"Impossible!" Báthory shrieked. "What kind of magic is this?"
Atenzi walked to the edge of the tower, his voice carrying over the chaos. "Not magic, Countess. Just good old human cleverness. Something you and your kind have forgotten in your long undeath."
He turned to his forces. "Press the advantage! Drive them back into the sea!"
The defenders surged forward, their spirits soaring at this miraculous turn of events. The vampire forces, caught between burning sand, focused sunlight, and reinvigorated human warriors, began a chaotic retreat.
Báthory, her face twisted with fury, locked eyes with Atenzi across the battlefield. "This isn't over, little king," she snarled. "You've won a battle, not the war. We will return, and when we do, all the mirrors in the world won't save you."
With that, she vanished in a swirl of mist, leaving her remaining forces to fend for themselves.
As the last of the vampires were driven from the shores of the Sovereign Lands, a cheer went up from the defenders. It started small but quickly grew, until the entire city echoed with cries of victory.
Atenzi sagged against the tower's wall, exhaustion finally catching up with him. But as he looked out over the city—battered but unbroken—he felt a surge of pride. They had done it. Against all odds, they had won.
A hand clapped him on the shoulder. He turned to see Morgan, battered and bloody but grinning from ear to ear.
"Not bad for your first big battle, lad," the pirate said. "Though I have to say, that mirror trick was brilliant. Where'd you come up with that?"
Atenzi managed a tired smile. "Let's just say I had a hunch about vampire weaknesses. Sometimes, the old stories have a bit of truth."
As the sun climbed higher in the sky, casting its healing light over the war-torn city, Atenzi heard a new chant rising from the streets below. His blood ran cold as he made out the words:
"Hail the Messiah! Hail Atenzi, savior of humanity!"
He exchanged a worried glance with Morgan. This worship, this blind faith—it was a double-edged sword. One that could either cement his rule or destroy everything he'd built.
The battle was over, but Atenzi knew that his biggest challenges still lay ahead...
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