*Chapter 133 – The Holy War Begins

Chapter 133 – The Holy War Begins

A couple weeks ago…

“[Elvish] The legion awaits your command,” Lueth said as his blonde hair flowed out from underneath his helmet.  The green tinted armor of the Vetteresies proudly bore the silver trimmed mark of Agnude across his chest as he looked out across the field to the first of the dwarvish cities they had encountered thus far in Kag’Dul.  “It is most unfortunate that they do not surrender, we lose many would be disciples this way.”

Yastiel sat mounted upon her horse beside Lueth as she too looked out to the dwarvish city of Covmore, it’s fortifications rose high and mighty to stand against them.  Behind her a legion of primarily elves and humans had assembled in rows and sections to number at 30,000 and had taken up residence on both the western and southern sides of the city.  The vast majority were regular soldiers that had come because of their devout faith in the almighty lord’s call, but many hundreds of Vetteresies were stationed there too.  More soldiers were pouring in from far away lands every day to answer the call of the crusade, and the army had made amazing time in mobilizing this far north on such short notice.

They were far to the north of the Lumenorei jungles and had already crushed one of Kag’dul’s many armies without much of a problem.  The dwarves had been caught unawares and didn’t have much time to muster a force before the southern border had been breached by Agnude’s holy army.

Looking to the mountains in the west Yastiel let her brunette hair catch in the wind.  “Let us go then, we shall begin now.”  The two elves turned their horses around and rode back to the columns of soldiers awaiting their orders.  The officers awaiting them, all of which were Vetteresies, stood by for instructions as Yastiel and Lueth rode to meet them at the forefront of the legion.

“Launch the trebuchets,” ordered Yastiel.  Her brunette hair flowed out into the wind as the tanned elf looked back towards the city underneath the green tinted rim of her helmet

“LAUNCH TREBUCHETS!” yelled one of the officers and signaled back towards the crews working the machines of war.

It had finally begun.  Peace talks and offers for the city to surrender on good terms had failed, largely in part because Agnude had allied himself with the dark goddess Alkir. It mattered not… with such a powerful ally, there was no doubt that her chosen numen would ascend into godhood and join the infernal crowns in time – and with him, his chosen people, the elves of Nagochus, would be blessed with the infernal keys as well.

A moment later dozens of boulders were airborne against the midday sky, descending upon the city from the south and west.  In response the city defenses launched their own trebuchets, balls of flame and rock flying back out towards the legions at the city’s doorstep.

The boulders and other large pieces of debris were continually being loaded into the trebuchets to wreak havoc down upon the city wall and interior.  The bulk of the army had been placed back behind the trebuchets to avoid any retaliation and needless casualties as the assault commenced.  Most of the retaliatory balls of fire missed their marks on the first wave, the same could be said for the second, but the third wave of retaliation brought death down upon the heads of many Lumenorei trebuchet crews.  To Yastiel’s direct right two men were crushed beneath the flaming mass as it slammed into their machine of war, destroying it as well.

Lueth signaled one of the officers.  “Send forth mages to support the trebuchets.”

The barrage of the city continued as debris, fire and massive rocks were hurled back and forth between the outlying army and the defending city.  Far to her left Yastiel saw a small group of mages put up a barrier to block an incoming piece of debris from shattering their war machine; but a moment later those same mages failed to deflect the second one as it crushed their barrier along with the them, the machine’s crew and trebuchet completely to bounce on past the decimation.

An hour passed amidst the rumble of traded fire along with Yastiel’s patience.  As the counterattack became less forceful and both sides began to run low on ammo, Yastiel took her sword and pointed towards the city.  “Siege towers and rams forward!  Have ladders follow in tow and set up the archers within range of the wall!”

Signals were given and a total of eleven siege towers began to slowly move forward towards the southern and western walls.  The beat of war drums sounded loudly as the army began to march to a low-toned chant.  A mass of infantry were gathered behind each siege tower as it was pushed forward to shield them from incoming fire, and individual war songs of the clans began to join the underling chant as they marched.  Gigantic ladders were also carried in tow as columns of archers marched in unison towards the city.  As the archers moved in closer - they spread out to have three yards inbetween each of them in a staggered formation.  Reaching to their backs they took large scutum shields and planted them in the ground using spiked bottoms to face the city as the first volley of dwarvish arrows rained death down upon the crusaders.  Many of them fell, never to rise again, but the majority of them were able to hide behind the shields just as the volley reached their position.  Standing back up from cover the archers then returned fire in volleys of their own.

Meanwhile two huge rams were making their way towards the city gates alongside a column of heavily armored infantry, shields above their heads and to the front of the column in order to protect them from enemy fire.

Yastiel began yelling out orders to her officers again, her tone firm and confident.  “Have the trebuchets focus what they have left on the gates until the rams are 50 yards away, then have them continue to barrage the inner city until you see my signal!  Leave the walls to the ladders and siege towers!  I’m leaving you in command Lueth!  I ride to the Northwestern flank of the city to meet the other Vetteresies!”

Lueth nodded as Yastiel’s armored horse bolted westward away from the legion and into the forested area, out from sight.

The walls of the city were littered with marks left by the trebuchets.  Smoke was streaming up into the sky from both the city and out near the approaching army as war drums beat their methodic rhythms.  Archers fired back and forth from the ground and walls to mark death upon their victims while a siege tower took a direct hit from one of the city trebuchets, blasting away the top of the tower and leaving it in shambles.

“Redirect those men to the next tower over, they shouldn’t have much ammunition left!” Lueth let off the command as the first of the towers reached the city wall.  As it did, three scorpion siege bows fired cabled bolts from along another sector of the wall into the side of the tower and began to pull.  As the tower began to topple over the men scattered and began to mount the ladders to the right instead.  Archers covered the infantry as they made their way up the ladders while the second and third siege towers met the wall and lowered hooked draw bridges.  Men and elves poured out to meet the dwarvish defenders in a madness of steel, screams and violence.

A glint of light was seen from the western forest and Lueth turned to signal the trebuchets to stop firing.  “All supporting mages to the gate, Cavalry ready yourselves to charge through!”

The rams had just reached the main gate.  Hot oil was poured down upon the attacker’s heads and torches were dropped to light the oil ablaze, cooking people alive as they screamed in horror.  Arrows continued to rain down upon both the defending dwarves and offending crusaders as mages tried to put the fire out.  Bolts of electricity were exchanged between the walls and ground as the madness ensued while lines of cavalry lined up a ways away from the men at the gate.  Slowly but surely the rams began to heave back and slam forth into the iron and wooden frames of the massive city gate.

***

To the northeast Yastiel had met with the four hundred Vetteresies lying in wait within the woods.  They saluted her in unison, touching two fingers to their foreheads and bringing the fingers down to their chests, as she dismounted to stand on ground level with them.

“My brother and sister Vetteresies!” Yastiel cried out, waving a curved elvish sword overhead.  “These infidels have defiled the sacred name of our lord Agnude and our new patron goddess Alkir!  We have righteous cause here upon this field of battle!  Bring these heathens to justice for their glory!”

Unsheathing their weapons in unison the Vetteresies shouted back.  “For the glory of Agnude! For the glory of Alkir!”

Turning about Yastiel sprinted headlong out of the woods with the four hundred Vetteresies behind her, green tinted armor gleaming against the sun as it began to lower itself in the sky.  With superhuman speed the Vetteresies cleared the small gap between the forest and the wall in seconds.  They then began to climb up the ropes dropped down to them from above.  The night before this Yastiel had some of her dwarvish Vetteresies infiltrate the city and pose as some of the citizens.  They had killed the guards posted along the largely unprotected northwestern wall of the city and were engaged in battle with dwarvish reinforcements when Yastiel and the foremost of the other Vetteresies scaled the top of the battlements.  Brunette hair whirling about her in a frenzy she jumped down to a nearby roof and then flipped acrobatically over to land into the street many feet below, brandishing her curved elvish blade as her armor delicately outlined her athletic form.  A fellow Vetteresie lay slain in front of her as the first of her assailants advanced upon her brandishing a massive warhammer and screaming out a battlecry.

With incredible maneuvering and lightning speed Yastiel dismembered the dwarf with one hand while simultaneously crushing the next two opponents with a wave of white light from her other, their bones fracturing as their bodies ripped apart with the sheer force of her attack.  Sidestepping an arrow the flew by to narrowly miss her shoulder while pulling up a holy barrierto deflect an incoming fireball, her fellow Vetteresies began to rush by her across the rooftops and along the streets to engage the enemy dwarves.

Cutting down enemies as she went, Yastiel decided to make her way back to the rooftops for a better view.  Jumping up to grab an overhanging jut she pulled herself up and jumped up to the next windowsill.  Pushing off the windowsill with both feet she crossed the street with ease as she landed with a somersault onto the top of the opposite building.  Looking out across the city she saw the main gate just as it burst open in the distance from the impact of the rams.  Fighting all along the walls could be seen and she had no doubt the cavalry were charging their way through the front gate at this very moment.  Enemy soldiers could be seen running towards her own position as the Vetteresies below her slaughtered the incoming dwarves.

She smirked.  These dwarves were no match for the elite forces of the Vetteresies, this was mere childsplay.  They would all soon bow before Agnude or pay the ultimate price for defying him.  Signaling to six others on the rooftop next to her she headed out along the tops of the buildings towards the fortress centered within the city.

***

Lueth had let the infantry know to make way for the cavalry as soon as the gates fell, and he had been at the front of the charge when the gate fell to the rams.  The defenders along the walls on either side of the gate were engaged with crusader forces that had come up the ladders and siege towers, so little was the resistance from up top that the rams had made quick work of the gate.  As Lueth rushed through the gate with lance and shield raised, his warhorse plowed into a wall of spears and heavily armored dwarven infantry.

The resulting impact was traumatic.  Lueth was flung from his horse and into a crowd of enemy dwarves as his lance found its only mark.  Swiftly picking himself up amid the chaos ensuing around him he deflected a spear thrust with his shield and cleaved the man’s head nearly in two with his broadsword as the enemy dwarf’s body shuddered, dropping to the ground.  Whirling about to see an axe coming straight for him, Lueth crossed his arms and a blast radius of white fire rocked everything around him.  The mana cost was great, but it had saved his life.

The dwarf who’d attacked him was quickest to recover amidst the flaming soldiers Lueth had knocked down, and he sliced at the dwarf only to have his blade deflected away by the heavy armor.  Cursing, Lueth sent bolts of white lightning through his blade and into his assailant to leave the enemy writhing upon the ground in shock.  Another dwarf came hurling towards him amid the crowd and this time Lueth was able to shove his broadsword through the chainmail by boosting his right arm at the moment of his thrust.  The dwarf dropped his mace to fall to the ground, grappling with Lueth as the dwarf tried to wrestle the blade away from the elf.  Out of nowhere the dwarf sent a telekinetic blast out towards Lueth who only barely avoided it by deflecting it with a barrier into a fellow crusader next to him.

Surprised, Lueth drew back and picked up the mace that the dwarf had dropped.  The dwarf stood and, dripping blood from the massive wound in his gut, pulled the sword out from his body to brandish it with a roar.

‘This is no ordinary opponent,’thought Lueth as the dwarf again charged him.  Quickly he tried to identify his enemy.

Name: Dwarf Commander

Race: Dwarf

Class: Rune Warrior

Level: 101

HP: 960/1784

MP: ???

SP: ???

DP: ???

The elf met him halfway and, as the weapons clashed together, shockwaves erupted from both weapons to crash into anyone close by, sending both dwarvish defenders and crusaders sprawling out in various directions.  The dwarf sent out a torrent of flame as the elf flipped over backwards to avoid the blast, only to meet the dwarf immediately upon landing with a blow to Lueth’s shield.  Lueth was sent sprawling backwards as his enemy rushed forward to finish the job.  Suddenly a flash of green tinted armor rushed in to close with his adversary, and as Lueth picked himself up along with the mace he saw that he had been saved by a fellow Vetteresie.  The human woman adorned in the holy armor of his order flew by with grace as she undercut the legs of the dwarf with one sword while using her other sword to cut his throat from the side, then finished him off with two sacred art backstabs that caused critical hits and her arm to blur under the speed she thrust with.  She then picked up his broadsword and flung it over for Lueth to catch and before returning to enter into the fray of battle.

***

Meanwhile Yastiel and the six other Vetteresies made their way swiftly across the rooftops, jumping over the gaps between houses and leaping over streets until they came to what was probably the central market of the city right outside the inner fortress.  Spires and battlements loomed out above them as the seven warriors leapt to the ground of the market and sprinted headlong towards the fortress gate.  The vast majority of the defenders were out doing battle along the outer walls or in various other parts of the city, so resistance was few and far between here.  As they came up to the fortress gate, two heavily decorated and armored dwarvish knights brought about massive greatswords.

The gates began to lower as the dwarves saw their enemies approaching and, as Yastiel motioned for the two enemies to be engaged, she leaped over the heads of her adversaries with four of the other Vetteresies following suit.  Two of her companions stopped to engage the enemy dwarves as magics and weapons flew about in a rage behind her, while Yastiel and the others all managed to slide under the gate in a rush as it came to a close.  The few soldiers that came out to meet them were swiftly cut down as the five holy warriors made their way past the courtyard, through great wooden double doors and into a throne room.

Upon entering, the five crusaders stopped as they faced down twelve dwarvish knights, all heavily decorated in the same fashion as the two out front but in a tan colored plate mail.  Behind them was a dwarvish noble sitting upon a throne while servants nervously bustled about to deliver wine and food to him, though the servants all scattered when they saw the Vetteresies come through the door.

Unwavering, the dwarvish noble snidely looked down upon Yastiel and her companions.  “Is it too much to ask,” he said drunkenly, “that I not be bothered until the siege is over and done with?  Is that really too much to ask?!”

Yastiel stepped forward, “Are you the lord of this city?”

The dwarvish noble burped, “Indeed I am.  What of it?”

Yastiel took another step forward, “Surrender now and spare the lives of your people, we wish to subjugate you as loyal worshipers to Agnude the almighty.  We do not wish to kill you.”

The dwarf lord laughed heartily, “Agnude the almighty eh?  What a joke.  What nonsense!  NONSENSE!  Your god is anything but almighty.  Almighty would imply he doesn’t have opposition, and he most certainly does have that if anything.  You will never take Kag’Dul, our people will rise and show your god to be the mockery that he truly is.”

Yastiel frowned, “The city is lost, you do not wish to surrender yourselves?”

The dwarf lord burped and didn’t even give her an answer.  Instead, he flicked his fingers at them as if to shoe the elves away.

“Kill them,” said the noble dryly.  In turn the twelve dwarvish knights drew their weapons and advanced towards the Vetteresies immediately.

Yastiel sighed heavily and began to walk towards the approaching dwarves.

It was a quick and bloody fight.  Within a few minutes, everyone in the room save Yastiel and the nobleman had been slain.  Her fellow Vetteresies had fought valiantly but in the end had all died alongside the heathen dwarves.  Covered in bits of grime and blood with dents in her usually pristine armor, Yastiel slowly approached the throne where the dwarvish noble sat giggling to himself drunkenly.

“You dwarves should know your place, your judgement has come.” Yastiel said as she lifted her curved elvish sword and brought it across and through the seemingly crazed dwarf lord’s body, leaving a trail of crimson from neck to abdomen.  She shook her head in disgust.  “What a pity you didn’t see reason before it was too late.”

***

By nightfall what was left of the dwarvish population had been put in chains or grouped up into pens.

“Most of them refuse Agnude outright,” said Lueth dryly as he wringed his hands together.  “What should we do about it?”

Yastiel took her helmet and set it beside her as she squatted down to clean it off.  “Kill the biggest of the troublemakers, set free and reward anyone who will accept Agnude’s holy name and sell the rest into slavery back in Lumenorei.  Sort them into these groups within the next few days as our men rest.”

Lueth straightened up.  “Many of our men are pillaging and looting from what is left of the city, should we have them dealt with?”

Yastiel shook her head.  “No.  Let them have their fun, this is war after all.  Even if it is a holy war, some things do not change.”

The man nodded in turn.  “We were lucky that the siege was so short lived.  I had feared the city would hold out for days, if not weeks.  Instead it took but a day, if not many hours.  Much of our victory is due to a lack of leadership and a drunken dwarf lord.”

Yastiel laughed, her voice a melody upon the wind.  “The hand of Agnude guides us, Lueth.  Have more faith.  May all our victories be so swift and decisive.”