Chương 470: The Siege of Stros M'kai (2) : Beginning of the Mayhem
Sorry for being late, I was at the dentist yesterday and my wisdom was all over the place.
Also, big thanks to our new Patron @HaiiroOokami
Note: Last Chapter, I described the gigantic Flesh Atronach as 7 meters tall. Judging by my broken sense of measurement, I am fixing that to 15.
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A Gigantic Flesh Atronach.
A walking tower of flesh reaching the height of 15 meters, a tad shorter than the city's walls, made of flesh on a manufactured skeletal frame all of that sacked in a cover of human skin taken from multiple corpses and stitched up together. (A Pic in Discord's Gallery)
This combination of things formed a grotesque Abomination walking on two and marching towards Port Hunding with metal spikes growing from its back and a large metal pillar fuses in an arm with a wrecking ball-sized flail to the other. It had a face that carried the twisted features of hundreds of sacrificed innocents. Pain and suffering were what can be seen on it if someone can endure the dread that face causes.
But no one could.
The sight of that undead siege engine almost caused the defenders of Port Hunding to throw up their guts and shit their innards out.
It was death incarnate.
Even lord Kareem commanding the defense couldn't help but freeze in front of that thing.
He thought and thought of what is behind him and what is ahead of him. Behind him was a city to protect and behind him was an enemy to repel.
He looked to his left and saw scared men, he looked to his right and saw scared men, he looked behind him and saw men plotting against him.
"What kind of shit is that?" Kareem took off his helm and threw it towards the coming undead but it barely reached thirty meters from the wall.
His young face appeared to all around him. His hair was black reaching his shoulder and his skin was dark as any Redguard but his eyes reflected the will to survive.
"What kind of shit is that? I asked you!" He jumped atop the battlement turning to his soldiers.
They looked at him as if who is passing out from death, not knowing what to say.
"That thing… that thing over there is something none of us has ever been trained for. Something straight out of the stories of Cyrus and the Dragon. That is not a thing man can hack with a blade and that thing is coming for us… All of us.
We have two choices, we either die shitting ourselves and begging for life, or we just die… taking that thing down with us cause let me tell you, tonight we are dying. So we die the right way, we feast in Far Shores before the sun goes up and make the whole damn Hammerfell envy us."
"... Yea…" A few responded to the Lord's speech.
"I see your necks arching down as if you're scared that some blades go through them. Let me assure you it won't happen because what is waiting for us is much worse. But we will fight, we will give those citizens running to the boats a chance so they can tell our story.
Our souls won't be damned for we are the warriors of Stros M'kai!"
"Yeah!"
"We don't fear, we don't falter!"
"Yeaah!"
"We look at death, we know it's coming, but we will race for it to Far Shores."
"Yeaaaah!"
"Then let me hear Drums! Light that bonfires! Tonight, Stros M'kai makes its stand. Redguards, HAIL!"
"YEAAAAH!" "HAIL!"
Lord Kareem inspired the soldiers like none other. Those who had lost all the will to fight were dragged back to shape.
Kareem but took his sword and raised it up looking at the Abomination that was less than a few minutes away.
Hearing the shouts of Soldiers away from the walls, Zayed sneered in disdain.
"Idiots!" He said.
"Lord Zayed! Lord Zayed!"
An old man in fancy clothing came running to Zayed.
"Lord Hammad, what is it?"
"We have gathered all that we can at the docks, where is the Young Lord?" Hammad asked.
"Oh! I… I don't know what to say. Lord Kareem decided to stay and fight. He won't retreat." Zayed said putting a disheartened face.
"What? No! You told me you will bring him… he… the Young Lord must survive!"
"I am sorry, Lord Hammad, but we should get moving. Old men like us will get in the way once the fight starts. Oh! Look, it is starting. Let's go, let's go."
Zayed pulled away Hammad and their guards directed them to the docks. As soon as they reached there, they started hearing the sounds of a battle on the wall.
"Not good." Hammad said as he looked back to the wall.
"My Lord." One of his guards shouted to him.
"It's Miss Faten, my Lord. She is refusing to evacuate."
"AH! This girl."
Hammad couldn't stand it and ran to the docks, Zayed looked indifferent as he followed silently.
Once they reached near a certain ship, they could see a girl arguing with the guards. She was a good looking Redguard girl wearing a decent dress and making a serious face.
"Father, they wouldn't let me pass."
"Faten! What are you doing? Go back to the ship." Hammad came running to his daughter with a helpless appearance.
"Father, where is Lord Kareem? I smell blood in the air!" As the girl spoke, she showed a strong character different from her father.
"I am sorry, daughter. I am so sorry. The Young Lord is staying…"
"You say what?" She turned scarier than she was before.
"Daughter, I…"
As Hammad started to explain the situation to his scary daughter, Zayed was approached by a sweating chubby young man.
"Father, I did as you asked and loaded all the treasures from the warehouse. By the way, I found that sword…"
Zayed's son, Mansour, was ordered by his father to secure some family treasurers in the cargo and among them, he found an old sword that he suspected to be junk and came to inquire about it.
But once Zayed saw the sword, his hair stood up from the scare.
"You imbecile!… hide that." Zayed was about to shout but to not cause a scene, he lowered his voice and pushed the sword in his son's mantle.
"Don't walk with that around, you fool. Did anyone else see it?" Zayed asked.
"N- No… No." The boy stuttered.
"Who saw it?" Zayed pulled his son's ear with anger.
"I- It- Lady Faten saw it but she didn't seem to recognize it." The boy said in pain.
"Hmph! You better be thankful she didn't."
"F- Father, what are we waiting for? Let's leave this island already." Mansour whined.
"Stay quiet now!" Zayed wasn't pleased with the current situation as the Hammad father and daughter were still arguing.
"This girl… why is she giving us such trouble? Boy, didn't you say you are already in a good relationship with her?" Zayed asked his son.
"Eh? I didn't… she is okay but… that governor! Once he came back from the mainland, she is all about him, father. Wh… what should I do?"
"Tsk! Useless boy… don't worry. The city won't hold much longer. We are leaving right now."
Zayed was convinced that the city won't hold as his contacts from the other side convinced him so. If he wanted to survive, he was to leave the city as soon as Saintsport Village gets torched by the Necromancers. The village is on the other side of the bay and the Necromancers are planning to take it then use its boats to attack the city from the docks.
His role was to keep the Governor in check, cut assistance from the North to the South, and keep the docks lightly guarded. Also, if possible, he should plot the Hunding Chargers to go in a confrontation against the undead. This will guarantee the city's finest soldiers being out of the picture and the morale of the defenders would drop rock bottom. He managed to do most of his role but the Governor was protective of his elite cavalry.
Still, Zayed's job wasn't over as he has some last business to take care of. The Hammad family are very rich merchants, even with the current family head being a weak character, his daughter is beautiful and smart but on top of it all, she is the only heiress. If he could tie that girl to his son, he would gain a lot of riches but unfortunately, she and the young governor were head over heels for each other.
That girl was now delaying the departure for the Governor that should be dead by now.
"Lord Hammad, Faten my daughter. There is no point arguing. We must leave as soon…" Zayed tried to finish the father and daughter argument but Faten glared at him.
"Don't call me your daughter, Fatso! You two listen, you want to leave, take your ships and leave. I am staying."
Faten stormed away from her father and as she was going towards the city, Mansour bumped into her.
"S- Sorry!"
The chubby boy retreated from her path but she looked at him with strong eyes… Not particularly at him but she felt the sword he was carrying.
Snatch!
In one move she took it and strode away.
"Thanks for the sword, Nasser." She said taking the regular sword she found on the regular young man she's acquainted with.
"It- it's Mansour!" Mansour corrected her but she was already exiting the pier.
"No! Wait! The sword." Zayed freaked out.
"Wha! The Sword!" Mansour noticed he no longer had the sword.
"Daughter! Wait!"
Faten had already found herself a horse and rode to the direction of the wall with the relic sword in her hand.
***
A few minutes ago, the Western wall of Port Hunding was as active as a beehive. All the soldiers transferring barrels of burning substances to the catapults fixed on the wall, the engineers mounting the ballistas with spears, and the archers filling their barrels with fresh arrows.
The young Governor of Stros M'kai himself was carrying barrels with his soldiers and fortifying the gate.
"It is getting closer!" A watcher on the wall shouted and the soldiers maximized their working speed.
The young governor climbed the wall and saw the gigantic Flesh Atronach getting closer and closer with the smell of thousand corpses coming from it.
The horrifying feeling gripped the heart of the young man as he thought of his reckless speech a few minutes ago.
He lied to his men. He knew of the Soul Snare spell as his ancestor Iszara recorded it in her journals. Whoever dies under the spell gets his soul trapped and he just told his men they will meet after that day in Far Shores.
Such a shame to end those men's lives with such a lie. He was ashamed but he swallowed it.
He looked behind him to the port where Faten should be. At least she will be safe when he buys her time.
"Catapults, Ready!"
"Ballistas, Ready!"
"Mage Squad, Ready!"
"Archers, Ready!"
All his army squads were ready to commence the defense.
"SEND THEM BACK TO OBLIVION!" And Kareem gave the order.
Thousands of arrows, hundreds of flaming barrels, rocks and stones, spears and harpoons, spells of Fire and Light.
A spectacle of shooting stars fell on the coming army of the dead without holding back a thing.
*Boom* *KaBoom* *Screech* *CRASH*
A scene of absolute mayhem!
Every spell and projectile send at the deal exploded as the land was trapped with a burning pitch. Hell broke loose on the army of the dead.
The defensive method gave a great shock to the Necromancers and even shook the wall itself. The young Governor kept watching how the fire spread in a split of a second but a large cloud of nasty smoke blocked all the view to the west. No one saw anything or could tell what is happening amidst the smoke.
"Did we get them?" A soldier asked.
But the reply came grim.
*GROWL*
A frightening voice came from the other side of the smoke, the nasty smell of corpses followed, the certain part of the smoke dissipated revealing the most hideous of all faces.
The Gigantic Flesh Atronach.
It was standing a few meters away from the wall.
It was harmed and scratched due to the effect of the fire but it remained standing not bothering with any pain as it is the child of agony.
Its dreadful eyes met Kareem's giving him the chill of his life. The latter froze until the Flesh Atronach showed movement.
The arm that was fused with metal was what caused the defenders to get scared but the other arm carried another horrifying weapon. It was the arm dragging a chain and a flail with the size of a wrecking ball.
Once the Flesh Atronach moved that arm, the gigantic flail flew up and landed on top of the wall landing on some soldiers. Those poor souls were killed as if some stone fell on an insect and made it squish from the pressure.
Those soldiers that got squished were the beginning, the Flesh Atronach pulled the chain horizontally and the flail was dragged on top of the wall grinding every soldier on its way.
It was horrific!
No matter what or who, that weapon didn't stop and kept dragging with Kareem at the end of its line.
Death!
It came so fast.
Was he really ready?
Kareem wanted to react but… he already realized there is no point.
But in such an hour, a hero stepped in.
It was not a Man or a Mer but a Beast.
A tall figure landed in the way of the flail, it took its distance, lowered its stance and pawed the ground with its hoof.
The flail drew closer to it but he took two steps towards first it and…
*Clash*
The beast hit it with its head and horns carrying it from the wall and sending it away towards the face of the Flesh Atronach.
*Boom* *Crash*
The flail was deflected by Jax's head attack and flew to the face of the Flesh Atronach pushing it to the back in one move.
Silence!
Utter silence came from the defenders' side as a single Minotaur redirected that giant thing with just its head.
Another Monster appeared.
"Hmmm! Master mentioned that the Flesh Atronachs have resistance to Magic and are very resilient." Jax spoke in self monologue.
He then noticed the others looking at him in fearful eyes.
"Excuse me, I will just mind my own business and keep the big thing in check. You take care of the other things, please. My Master is on his way… hopefully he arrives late."
The ones around him felt frozen from the polite tone it spoke in.
"You don't mind, right?" He asked again.
"B- By all means." Kareem replied.
"Oh, thank you."
Jax cast [Flameskin], [Flame Cloak], [Bound Flame Wings] and [Lava Whip].
The Arsonist Minotaur finally got his moment to shine.
[A/n: next double chapter is available on Pat-reon.]
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