Chapter 27.3: The Two Weeks Journey Home - Against all Odds
Personal System Calendar: Year 0009, Days 1-14 Month IX: The Imperium
Imperial Calendar: Year 6854, 8th month, 1st to 14th Day
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First War
August and his companions had experienced war before, but only against beasts. Fighting humans, humanoids, or demi-humans was different. Even their encounters with bandits and robbers had caused serious moral dilemmas at first. How much more difficult would this be? August may have accepted the necessity of violence, but he limited himself to killing only when all other options were exhausted. If words couldn't get through, then blades would have to suffice.
The war they were about to experience was against a determined foe: a rebel group of ideologists who had adopted the principles of the fallen Fresco League of Kingdoms. These rebels called themselves Fresco's Revenge. They weren't operating alone. They had a central leadership and, more importantly, significant financial backing. Words alone didn't move people to action. They moved because substantial resources had been invested, and one such supporter was a well-known underground organized crime syndicate called Corvus, though they operated publicly under their reputable front: the Zargos Mercantile Guild.
For the Zargos Mercantile Guild to invest in such an operation meant only one thing: there was profit to be had. They were capitalists who loved the smell and trail of money no matter how dirty it was. The organization presented two faces, spreading goodwill publicly while pointing daggers at people's backs privately. They wore smiles while plotting betrayal, treachery and greed.
As the saying went, where there was war, there was money. Lots and lots of money. The guild didn't particularly care about honor, morals, who lived, who died, or who was innocent. For them, life was something to be exploited. If a life had no worth, it wasn't a life worth considering. People without value were worse than trash. Hence, they felt no moral qualms. They slept as soundly as those who lived by the rules and laws of society.
The Zargos Mercantile Guild (Corvus) wasn't the only organization financing this newly established rebel group, but they were probably the most well-known. Six other shadowy organizations backed the rebels, each with their own interests. Some were comrades in the ideology of slavery. Some shared history with the Fresco League and had gone into hiding when the Empire rose to its prominence and current monopoly of power. Others were simply snakes wanting to deliver a poisonous bite to the Empire who they had trampled already before. Which was the old Empire of Arkanus after its fall, technically the house of Elms as its successor. These were groups that didn't want the Empire to become the sole hegemony of the three subcontinents.
The rebel force that was attacking the fort consisted of an odd mixture of humans, humanoids, and demi-humans. Some were former slaves purchased by the rebel leadership. They numbered 250,000 and would act more as cannon fodder than professional soldiers. Additionally, 50,000 Fresco League veteran soldiers who had survived and gone into hiding after their defeat had slowly regrouped under this banner. Their goal was the restoration of their kingdoms and their honor, whatever that meant.
The rebels had also managed to secure four of the Bagag-hwa currently in the region, thanks to the support from the seven shadowy organizations. The four masters controlling these beasts were wizards who specialized in illusion magic. They were considered archmages in the imperial hierarchy, and they commanded at least 200 acolytes and disciples.
This force was arrayed against a garrison that held 25,000 combat personnel and 50,000 support troops. Fortunately for the garrison, they had the support of 51 Dragonguards, all of them master-ranked warriors considered armies unto themselves. They also had Talon One, though the garrison wouldn't know about their willing helpers until after the battle ended. If they survived, they would sing of the heroics of these unexpected allies.
The defenders manned the walls. This battle represented quality versus quantity in the most literal sense. The siege had begun, and the nearest reinforcements wouldn't be able to reach them for at least two hours. Those reinforcements would likely be occupied by the enemy's rear guard. Other outposts wouldn't be able to reach them for two days at the fastest. They had already sent word to their ally, the Kingdom of Perlah, but no one knew how quickly they could amass their forces.
For now, the garrison would have to hold the line on their own. The enemy was clearly thinking of making this a battle of speed. Taking this garrison would give them a significant foothold in Region 5, and if they captured the portal, that would be a bonus. The rebel command wasn't overly hopeful about the portal, but they had bet heavily on the capture of this fortress.
Commander General Roger took the helm of the garrison's defense, and that was exactly what he intended to do. Although he was semi-retired, this battle made his aging bones and muscles tingle. The smell of blood pumped his adrenaline.
"Soldiers of the Imperium!" His voice carried across the walls. "We stand here today faced with a cowardly attack on imperial grounds. These bastards couldn't face us on an open field, which is why they resort to such tactics. Road ambushes, terrorist attacks, and more. Now they surround us, thinking four of those beasts can topple the walls of this garrison. Your garrison!
We will fight, and some of us may die. But it is all for the glory, honor, and virtues we uphold as free citizens of the Empire! We have been liberated from our oppressors before. Now we will hold this line to keep it that way for eternity! Men and women of the Imperium, arise! Stand firm! Scream with your blades and train your arrows against those who wish to trample us! For the Imperium! For our people! Fight with me now, and let the Emperor see our bravery on the field of battle!"
The aging veteran general's words aroused the spirits of the soldiers beneath him. The ballistas continued to target the marching beasts while they awaited their foes to come near, ready to unleash their fury.
"Commanders, lead our men well! Defend your posts until your last breath. Let us show these weaklings why we have been victorious against them for thousands of years!"
Another set of commands echoed and rang out to man the gaps on the walls, to form an extra barricade around the gates, and to theirs ready spears, swords, shields, bows, and arrows. They would meet the enemy, which had now fully revealed itself as a sea of people in the distance.
If this garrison wasn't manned by elite troops, hearts might have frozen in fear. But these warriors weren't ordinary soldiers. They were the best of the best, chosen to protect this vital asset of the Empire.
Meanwhile, August and his companions, along with a few Dragonguards, were executing a tactical counter-assault before the enemy could reach the walls. They rushed toward the southern section where one of the Bagag-hwa was present as it was the nearest to the fort. The only ones who remained in the fort were their non-combatants: Uncle Andy, Marcus Fernando, Sibus Dino, and Nina Simones.
Master Ben Flameswrath came with them, as he would be vital to their plan. While the general was busy with his speech and manning the defense, they were doing what others might consider suicidal. But they weren't normal people. With them were 21 Dragonguards, including Grand Captain Commander Alexander Draconis and 20 of his soldiers. They also had Master Ben.
The enemies, although they had been emboldened by their zealous ideology of their past glory, hadn't accounted for this in their planning. Their assault on the fort was fundamentally misfortuned. The timing was the worst possible. If August and his caravan had managed to enter the portal earlier, this battle would have been entirely different. But sadly for the rebels, they had chosen the wrong time to lay siege to this fort.
Most of Talon One rode on Kirpy's back as he flew into the sky. They were able to escape detection from the enemies below. They would do something they hadn't done before: dropping from above to provide air assault, especially useful for their ranged fighters.
Meanwhile, Erik and Rexy would execute a mobile flanking maneuver. This served several purposes. It would allow them to assess the full scope of the enemy forces, since they didn't know if this was the only force on the battlefield. It would also let them charge into the exposed backs of the enemy. Ten Dragonguards and their war mounts accompanied Erik. They were intimidating even in small numbers.
Meanwhile Master Ben's task would be to create magma constructs to act as additional soldiers for their assault. He and the remaining Dragonguards, including Grand Captain Commander Alexander, would hold the front. This meant they would receive the full frontal assault and serve as a distraction.
Within minutes, they had reached the enemy's position, approximately one kilometer from the garrison. When everyone had reached their assigned places, they began their bold counter-assault.
At their rear massive ballista bolts were being launched toward the beast, coated with lightning elemental magic for additional armor-piercing capability. But the beasts were too berserked to notice any damage done to them as they continued moving forward, their defense was truly legendary and their vitality was more or in the same category. They had very thick hides with an additional layer of armor, not including their natural defenses and their incredible health.
August and the other close-range fighters dropped when the ballista bolts struck. The projectiles had done their die and it did some considerable damage and it definitely slowed the beast's march. Meanwhile, those who remained airborne in the sky were Hiraya, Adarna, Isabel and Bren, who was Kirpy's bonded rider. They would provide aerial range support for the ground assault and possibly immediate healing factors as needed and evacuation if the situation turned for the worst
The ground team consisted of Adam as their tank, Milo as their dual-wielding berserker, August as their all-rounder, and their two combat support-attackers: Angeline, was a combat healer and damage dealer, and Betty, who now wielded a light weight and magically enhanced crossbow for range attacks and her spear for mid-range combat while also wielding her fire element on top of it.
They landed on top of the beast and immediately faced the enemies stationed there: the 50 or so acolytes and disciples of the wizards, along with a few armed bodyguards (100+ or more). The battle was fought fiercely on top of the beast's back. Meanwhile on the ground level the Dragonguards beneath attacked the beast's feet, hoping to finally take it down.
Master Ben, meanwhile, created walls of magma and fire to hold back and destroy enemies on this end of the field. His display showed why he was called the Wizard of Molten Flames. His walking magma constructs, (golems) he had summoned, killed enemies with brutal efficiency.
Elsewhere after scouting the perimeter of their current battlefield, a sufficient time has already passed, after Erik was certain that the enemy had its focus on their front lines and wouldn't notice their approach in the left rear of the enemy formation, there he rode Rexy to a valiant charge filled, with courage and determination to face their foe.
The rebels who were already focused on their front were shocked when this tiny force had hit their rear and had inflicted such damage on their numbers. But they too were desperate in this assault as all of them were drugged with physical enhancers to their very bones and continued their assault despite their mounting losses.
Once the drugs had fully kicked in, the rebels transformed into creatures of disfigured and asymmetrical proportions. Although this increased their power, it also signed their death warrants. The drug may have enhanced the natural abilities of those taking it, but it came at the price of exhausting their lifespan once the effect ended.
But there was another hidden embedded mechanism that was concocted by the alchemists responsible for creating this dangerous drug. When the user dies, they would explode into meat bombs. But not just any meat bombs for moral effect, no, this one was more sinister than that. The effect was quite lethal: a poison was mixed into their bloodstream after taking the drug enhancers, which upon explosion, would turn their liquid blood into a red gas of death.
Thankfully, August and the others were quick to react and weren't directly affected. Although the gas wouldn't kill them in their current status, it would significantly weaken them and if hundreds of such were in the field then it would create a greater and more lethal effect to those present, that even a master ranked individual would surely be affected by it.
They were also fighting the master wizard, who is responsible for guiding the beast and turning it into a blind rage filled monster to attack them. The wizard also expertly used its illusionary spells to attack them mentally, creating afterimages and phantoms to confuse their senses.
This battle had just started, but their momentum was rapidly becoming a stalemate. The enemies seemed to also have many tricks up their sleeves.
The southern front had become a chaotic melee. August's weapons sang through the air as he parried an acolyte's spell-enhanced strike. Beside him, Adam's shield absorbed a barrage of magical projectiles while Milo danced between enemies, his dual wielding weapons leaving trails of crimson in their wake.
"Watch out for the blood!" Angeline shouted, her healing magic already working to purify the poisonous mist that threatened to engulf them. "Don't let it touch your skin!"
From above, Hiraya and Adarna provided covering fire. Arrows wreathed in their magical skills (wind and water element) pierced through the drugged warriors, while Isabel's more powerful wood elemental skills created zones of control that forced the enemy to funnel into kill zones. Bren coordinated with Kirpy, the great beast's aerial maneuvers allowing the ranged attackers optimal firing positions.
The Bagag-hwa beneath them roared in pain as the Dragonguards' coordinated assault targeted its joints and tendons. Grand Captain Commander Alexander moved with the precision of a master, his blade finding gaps in the beast's armor that may have seemed impossible to exploit to the untrained eye. With his soldiers following his lead, working in perfect synchronization, to hopefully bring the beast down to a halt.
On Master Ben's end, together with his 100 or so magma constructs that crashed through enemy lines like living avalanches. With the heat from their bodies radiating towards those who are near them, it made even the air shimmer, and the rebels who were caught in this molten embrace screamed in agonizing pain before they died. There were also walls of master Ben's elemental fire also erupting at strategic points, creating barriers that funneled the enemy into predetermined kill zones which made the magma constructs job a lot more easier.
On the eastern flank, Erik and Rexy had already burst through the rebel rear guard like a thunderbolt. The ten Dragonguards who rode with them formed a tight spearhead formation, with their war mounts trampling through the surprised enemies and Rexy literally tearing through flesh and steel.
The psychological impact that this atmosphere created was immediate. The rebels, focused on the frontal assault, had now begun to panic and created an observable disarray from the command structure down to the file with whatever fragile leadership and camaraderie they had at the beginning. Because of this sudden and unexpected attack from behind.
"Push forward!" Erik was no longer a child, he was an adult in his own right and because he has the experience to take leadership roles when August is absent. He had that gravitas on him that made those even with hundreds of years of experience in battlefield warfare to follow him earnestly, as he made this command unknowingly, his voice cutting through the chaos. Rexy's massive jaws clamped down on a cluster of rebels, and the wolf's massive paws and claws swept through their ranks like a siege weapon.
Back atop the Bagag-hwa, August found himself facing the master wizard's most senior of disciples, a woman whose eyes glowed with ethereal dark light.
Within just seconds from her casting her illusion skill, which copies her image to near perfect likeness and her strength to a certain degree, illusions began to appear and multiply around him, each appearing as real as the last.
"Now you cannot trust your eyes, imperial dog," the woman hissed, her voice seeming to come from every direction at once.
Unbeknownst to her August was somewhat impervious to such weak mental attacks. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, remembering his training. To trust his other senses when one fails.
The wind carried sounds, the vibrations through the beast's hide revealed positions that weren't always visible to the naked eye.
And when he next opened his eyes again, he moved with certainty, his blade finding the real target among the illusions.
The disciple gasped in disbelief as his sword was able to graze her shoulder. As to the reason why she wasn't dead yet was because she was able to sense her impending death and was able to move out from the place where she last stood. Which has also dispelled her primary illusion. "Impossible..."
"Nothing is impossible when you stop relying on just one of your senses," August replied, pressing his advantage.
Betty because of his proximity and having also killed one of the acolytes she faced also joined him, her crossbow releasing bolts of concentrated fire that forced the senior disciple to maintain a defensive wards. But the combination of ranged and melee pressure was too much for her to handle, and within moments, the senior most disciple also fell to August's blade.
But their victory was short-lived. The master wizard himself appeared, his form coalescing from what seemed like empty air. He was an elderly man with silver hair and eyes that held centuries of knowledge and malice.
"Impressive, for children playing at war," the wizard said mockingly, his voice calm despite the chaos around them. "But you now face a true master of the mind. Your reality is now mine to shape."
The world twisted. Suddenly, August found himself standing alone on a barren wasteland. His companions were gone. The Bagag-hwa was gone. Only the wizard remained, now towering like a giant.
"This is your mind's own prison," the wizard intoned. "And here, I am your god." The wizard declared as if he was assured of his victory.
But August felt something burn within him, there was warmth in his chest. It was his system returning. It was the presence of his Personal System who had been absent for some time. The thread that connected him back to reality.
"No," August said firmly. "You're no god, but just a man with tricks."
He focused on that warmth, that connection, and pulled. The illusion shattered like glass, and he found himself back atop the Bagag-hwa. But now he understood the wizard's game.
"Everyone, close combat formation!" August shouted. "Make physical contact with me! If we can touch each other, we can ground ourselves in reality!"
His companions quickly understood and moved closer together, maintaining physical contact with each other even as they fought in a tight space. The wizard's illusions became less effective, unable to isolate them mentally.
The battle raged on.
Below, the Dragonguards had succeeded in crippling one of the Bagag-hwa's legs. The beast stumbled, and Master Ben seized the opportunity. A massive spike of solidified magma erupted from the ground, piercing through the beast's underside.
The Bagag-hwa's anguished roar shook the battlefield. It began to topple, and August's team had only seconds to react.
"Kirpy, now!" Bren shouted.
The great bird swooped down, and the team leaped from the falling beast onto Kirpy's back or into the waiting arms of the aerial team. They barely cleared the impact zone as the Bagag-hwa crashed to the ground, crushing dozens of rebels beneath its massive bulk.
The wizard, caught off-guard by his mount's sudden fall, and he was forced to teleport away to find solid ground. But his concentration was broken, and his remaining disciples were exposed without his illusions to protect them.
The southern assault had been blunted, but August could see that the other three Bagag-hwa were still advancing on different sections of the garrison. The battle was far from over.
Will our heroes prevail against the remaining threats, or will they fall in this desperate defense? The answer would be written in blood and fire on this day as it would be remembered by many, as the birth of the legends who helped the defenses of the Garrison of Fort Aulexus's finest hour.