FARHAYVEN: VENGEANCE (33 page)

    
Boom!!!
A huge boulder smashes into the battlements next to where Orgavian Deffs and Convian Genox are standing. Debris bursts in all directions from the impact, sending lethal airborne projectiles into the bodies of nearby soldiers. Convian Genox’s vision turns dark. All she hears is silence. She does not remember falling. She does not remember anything. Now there is nothing but silence and darkness.

     Slowly, a ringing sound plays in Convian Genox’s ears. It grows gradually louder. She realises that she is still alive. She opens her eyes and slowly gets on her feet. Crimson fluid flows from cuts on her face. Her hair is in slight disarray. Her battle helm is missing. Her shiny armour is now brown and grey with dust. The ringing in her ears is ever so loud. She looks around, temporarily disorientated and confused.

     Several moments later, she regains her senses. The ringing sound fades away, only to be replaced by anger and sorrow; for in front of her lay the body of Orgavian Deffs in a crimson pool, pieces of debris protruding from his face and torso. Suddenly, a hand taps her shoulder.

     “Convian Genox, Orgavian Deffs is dead. And except for Minvian Eggle, so are all the other minvians. You are the ranking battle officer now
!
You are in command now
!
Do you understand me, Convian Genox
!?
You are in charge
!
What are your orders
!?
” says the owner of the hand that tapped her shoulder, who happens to be Verallvian Rod Sayson.

     The reality of her responsibilities hits Convian Genox like a boulder from a Serpentian catapult
!
Orgavian Deffs is dead
!
All the other minvians are dead
!
Minvian Eggle, who is just a temporary supplement to the fort, is not eligible for command as long as there is a Fort Eastguard officer who is battle-fit. So, she, being the most senior of the convians, is in command
!
She turns to look at Verallvian Sayson in a stunned manner.

     Spirit paced his cage nervously. The sound of every explosion was amplified a hundred times in the white wolf’s sensitive ears. He gnawed at the metal bars of his cage again, and again, but to no effect. Lance was scared as well. Ray tried his best to calm Spirit down, but the white wolf was too distracted to listen.

     Voices of men and women shouting orders and instructions on treatment of the wounded soldiers could be clearly heard through the barred windows.

     “Happening _ what is it of this, master
?
” asked Lance.

     “Bombardments _ these sounds are of these, which means the fort is under attack, most probably by Serpentians,” explained Ray in a serious tone.

     “Do _ what are we going of this
?
” asked Lance nervously.

     “Nothing _ we are going to do of this, but to wait for an opportunity to prove our innocence or to escape,” replied Ray.

    
Boom!!!
Yet another huge boulder smashes into the eastern wall. Cracks begin to form on the wall, connecting the huge craters already existent on its surface.

     “Madam, the wall cannot take too much of this type of assault. It will collapse and this fort will be lost,” reasons Verallvian Sayson.

     “Yes, you are right, Verallvian Sayson. We must neutralise their Grand Catapults,” concurs Convian Genox.

     Convian Genox shouts out an order of ‘Black Fire’ to the convians who are in command of the Heavy Catapults. The catapult crews begin launching sealed, large-sized clay jars towards the Serpentians. These jars reach far into the Serpentian columns and smash into their ranks of archers and Grand Catapult crews. More jars fly through the air and smash into the Grand Catapults, splashing black viscous liquid that adheres like glue to these wooden structures.

     The Fallsian catapult crews follow up by launching baskets full of flaming rocks at their enemies. The rocks are wrapped in cloth soaked with the same black liquid. A rain of fist-sized fireballs fall upon the Serpentians, setting whomever and whatever that had come into contact with the black viscous liquid, on fire. Hot dark red flames and belching black smoke appear in the Serpentian columns. Ten Grand Catapults, located at the centre of the columns, are now alight in flames.

    
Smash!
A few Serpentian archers find themselves drenched in black viscous liquid as a clay jar explodes on impact with the ground near them. Then flaming rocks fall upon them. The fortunate few die immediately as the rocks smash their heads while others stare in disbelief as hot black flames spread throughout their bodies. First they feel the intense heat, and then the unimaginable pain. Finally, they experience the darkness. As they lay dying, they all ask themselves the very same questions, ‘Why did I choose to come here
?
  Is fame and fortune worth undergoing this horrible death
?
’

     The sight of his Grand Catapults in flames angers Battlelord Constrictor. The catapults are a vital strategic factor for the success of his attack. He shouts orders for the remaining catapults to target the Fallsians’ catapults. The battlelord wants the boulders to go over the wall, not slam into it, so that he can smash the Heavy Catapults behind it to bits. The Serpentian Grand Catapult commanders in turn shout out orders to their subordinates to shift the angle of their gigantic military machines. The catapult crews align their catapults by pivoting them. Then they push their catapults forward so that the front wheels roll onto wedge-shaped wooden blocks. This changes the vertical alignment of the catapults. Then once again the Grand Catapults launch large boulders into the air, wrecking havoc on the Fallsians.

    
Boom!!!
A boulder smashes into a Heavy Catapult that is in the centre of the catapult formation. The resultant debris burst through the air and drives deeply into the faces, torsos and limbs of its crew and a few nearby archers. Shouts of pain and misery permeate the air. Fallsian soldiers rush to rescue their injured comrades. More boulders smash into the Heavy Catapults even as the Fallsians launch more clay jars and flaming rocks at their adversary. A few boulders fly over the eastern wall and smash into the buildings inside the fort.

     Convian Genox looks very concerned and Verallvian Sayson knows exactly why. Both Fallsian soldiers realise that the Serpentians have begun targeting their Heavy Catapults.

    
Boom!!!
Another Heavy Catapult explodes to pieces, with the resultant debris injuring and killing nearby soldiers. The Fallsians send their reply. More clay jars smash into the Serpentian catapults. By now, two more Grand Catapults, which are located in the northern area of the Serpentian columns, are being consumed by hot, dark flames. Meanwhile, a few more boulders smash against the border fort’s wall.

     “We must do something
!
Those Grand Catapults are destroying our Heavy Catapults. Without our catapults, we cannot even touch them
!
It is time to attack
!
Those Grand Catapults must be neutralised,” concludes Convian Genox.

     “I concur, madam. Anyway, those Grand Catapults, located at the flanks, are too far for our Heavy Catapults to take out. So we have no choice but to attack. Perhaps a cavalry assault
?
” agrees Verallvian Sayson.

     “Yes, Verallvian Sayson. A frontal assault with swordsmen, archers and cavalry as a diversion for a flanking cavalry assault. What do you think, verallvian
?
” says Convian Genox.

     Verallvian Sayson nods his head in agreement.

     “Good idea, madam. 1
st
Pond and Minvian Eggle’s ad hoc pond for the diversionary assault, and 5
th
Pond for the main assault. A Black Fire assault, of course,” recommends Verallvian Sayson.

     “Yes, verallvian
!
Minvian Eggle is to be the commander of the diversionary assault. Send out the order and make preparations
!
” commands the convian.

     Verallvian Sayson bows, turns and runs off to brief the other convians of the plan.

     Half an hour goes by. Convian Genox leads 5
th
Pond, designated ‘Assault Force’, into a secret tunnel at the southern side of the fort. 1
st
Pond and Minvian Eggle’s ad hoc pond, designated ‘Diversionary Force’, prepare and position their equipment just behind the eastern gates. Diversionary Force’s equipment consists of, amongst others, ‘Shield Platforms’ and Light Catapults. A ‘Shield Platform’ is a thick, gigantic slanting wooden shield mounted on a wheeled platform and a Light Catapult is a small catapult mounted on a horse-drawn cart. Numerous horse-drawn carts laden with large rocks and small jars of Black Fire are lined behind the Light Catapults.

     Another half an hour goes by. The sturdy doors of Fort Eastguard’s eastern gate slowly open. Swordsmen of Diversionary Force move out, pushing Shield Platforms in front of them. The archers follow next with Shield Platforms as well. Cavalry riders follow behind their comrades. Finally, the Light Catapults and their crew make their way out together with their supply carts.

     Large shadows move over the battlefield now as cumulus clouds begin to take form. This gives the Fallsians another concern. In approximately three hours, these clouds will grow to become cumulonimbus clouds and an hour after that, rain will begin to fall. This will definitely kill their Black Fire advantage. Thus, facing insurmountable odds and certain death, the brave soldiers of Diversionary Force march out to meet their foe head-on.

     Thorn sits behind the outer barricade at Eastgush, listening to the gushing sound of the nearby waterfall. Several make-shift spears lay by his side. Some of the villagers are resting while the rest are busy making arrows. Steadily, a Serpentian soldier emerges from the surrounding forest. Then the rest of the raiding party emerges in three unsteady columns of swordsmen, totalling 62 hostile men. As the Serpentians cross the crop field towards the village centre, their commander looks at the barricades with a slight feeling of surprise, and then laughs out loud. The rest of the Serpentians begin to laugh as well, some giggling so badly they can hardly stand.

    
Whoosh!  Whoosh!  Whoosh!
  Three arrows fly through the air. The first arrow goes astray and lands on the ground. The second arrow pierces the throat of the Serpentian commander, bringing his obnoxious laughter to a sudden and complete stop. Blood spurts out of the wound at his throat. The third arrow pierces his left arm. As he collapses onto the ground, his second-in-command shouts out orders to charge at the barricades. The Serpentians break formation and begin to run wildly towards the villagers with their swords drawn.

     One of the Serpentians, while charging towards the barricade, suddenly feels the ground disappearing from underneath him. He feels his body fall forward. Sharp pains at the soles of his feet pierce his senses. As he looks to the ground below him, the grass has given way to reveal sharp bamboo stakes planted firmly in the ground; waiting patiently to impale his fragile human torso. Then comes the searing pain as his body makes contact with the sharp bamboo stakes. Relief comes in the matter of moments as the pain fades, along with everything else. Only silence and darkness remains…

     Another Serpentian receives the same fate. Then another and another. A volley of arrows falls on the Serpentians. Screams of pain by the Serpentians are only matched by the screams of anger by the villagers. Several spears fly through the air, piercing deeply into Serpentian bodies.

     32 remaining Serpentians manage to arrive at the outer barricade. Thorn wastes no time in driving a spear deep into the closest Serpentian from behind the barricade. The villagers acted similarly. 20 Serpentians collapse in pain and are greeted by the cold emptiness of death. The remaining 12 raiders jump over the outer barricade and begin cutting and hacking the defenders. Fierce fighting ensues as swords clash with machetes, pitchforks and axes. Bladed weapons make contact with other bladed weapons as well as human flesh. Village archers let loose their arrows cautiously from the inner barricade, while spears are thrown from the middle one.

     A Serpentian raider swings his sword horizontally at Thorn, who blocks the swing with the shield in his left hand and thrusts forward the sword in his right hand. A powerful spray of crimson liquid spurts out from where the metal has penetrated the flesh and the raider falls onto the ground stiffly. Thorn turns around in time to parry a thrust of the sword by another raider with his own sword and slams the side of his shield into the raider’s face with his left hand. The raider’s battle helm flies of his face to reveal a bruised cheek and a bleeding nose. Thorn follows up immediately with a Reverse Alligator Kick to the Serpentian head, knocking him unconscious; and finishes him off with a stab to the heart.