Chapter 63 – Return to Arctic 06.
[Chapter Size: 3000 Words.]
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Third Person POV
Beyond the wall, 292 AC, Some days after.
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"Let's go back to Artica from this point," Jon commented while having a meeting with all the members of his army, when they decided that the western region had nothing more to offer them.
Jon picked up the map he had created during these moons with his aerial eyes and began to trace the path with his hands.
"We will follow this path, although it is not a straight line to the kingdom, we will not encounter a gorge or forests that compress our army before entering the cursed forest where Artica is located. How are we on supplies?" Jon turned to one of his men.
"We are good, we still have supplies for 6 more moons with the group," he said.
"Understood, let's organize the camp," Jon told everyone to get ready.
"Yes, I will prepare the men," said a human soldier.
"I, the dwarves," spoke a dwarf.
"We, the giants," said the giant.
All the leaders of each race and the leaders of the exercises were dismissed, and Jon went to the tent where Eragon, Ghost, Arya, Wind, and Ygritte were sleeping, many of them as intruders, but Jon could not do much about it.
He just let his body fall heavily on the bed. Hours before dawn, something made Jon open his eyes, with his night eyes wandering through the huge camp and on its outer side, he spotted a threat approaching.
Realizing the imminent threat, Jon acted as an experienced commander. He quickly left his tent, with Ghost, the giant wolf, by his side. The tent, now silent, housed Arya, Wind, and Ygritte, all still deep in the night's sleep.
Dawn was still far away, but Jon did not hesitate. The camp, immense and spread out, was quiet under the cloak of darkness, but the threat perceived by Jon required immediate action. He knew every moment counted.
With a voice that cut through the night's quietude, Jon summoned his forces, his voice echoing everywhere from his main army to the thousands of people following him behind the main group: "Listen everyone! Prepare for battle against the dead!"
He shouted immediately, causing panic, but he could not lie about what he saw, at least everyone would be prepared for what was coming. Hearing these words, causing a wave of urgent movement, the people who joined him with the giants became quite agitated, exclaiming things nervously, as they had never managed to defeat the dead when they attacked in a large group as Jon's voice suggested.
"Jon?! What's happening?!" Arya emerged from the tent urgently.
Jon did not pay attention to her and continued with the orders while his small army of 2500 men began to act quickly, moving to prepare for the attack.
"I want the first, second, third, and fourth Artirion divisions at the vanguard following me with dragon glass! Fifth Artirion division, protect the freefolks! All the giants, prepare arrows and hold position to the north, where our enemy will attack!"
"Arya, stay in the camp, do not leave for anything, understood," Jon said as he mounted Ghost and began to move.
In seconds, the night's silence was replaced by the sound of armor and weapons being prepared, commands being given, and troops organizing. The Artican giants, imposing and ready for combat, took up their huge bows, while the human soldiers and dwarves quickly equipped themselves with dragon glass weapons, essential for facing whatever was approaching. In contrast to the rest of the group, the 2500 Artican soldiers showed no fear and acted firmly against the threat as they moved in the middle of the night only with torches.
The efficiency of the training done in Artica was evident in the speed with which Jon's army prepared and organized for the confrontation. Each soldier knew exactly what to do, moving with a clear purpose and unwavering determination.
While everyone organized, Jon went to the northern region where there was an open area outside the forest they were in. "I was lucky to identify them here, otherwise it would be quite problematic with them attacking us in the forest," Jon could not help commenting.
Jon, in the center of the whirlwind of activity, maintained his calm. His eyes, sharpened by night vision, scanned the horizon, trying to identify the nature of the threat that awaited them, while a curtain of fog arrived like an aggressive blizzard. Ghost, sensing the tension of the moment, remained alert under Jon, ready to spring into action at any moment.
At this critical moment, Jon knew he was not just a leader with his powers to fight in this field, as his owls flew across the sky and he was the only one who could lead in this darkness; he was the heart and soul of an army that would face the unknown under the darkness of night, even before the first ray of light of dawn broke the sky.
The shrill sound of trees being uprooted began to be heard behind him as his army quickly made a path through the forest, then they began to emerge, dwarves, humans, and giants in armor starting to approach.
"Align all divisions with the giants at the center of the attack!" Jon gave the order and his army of 2,000 Artirion soldiers in 4 divisions of 500 men moved towards their position on the chosen battlefield for the best strategy for long-range combat.
Jon observed in front of the army the fog approaching a few kilometers away and moving in their direction, only the sound of the cold night wind could be heard while torches were mounted in the middle of the entire army for better visibility.
Jon could not help but be thankful for an area where they would have a great advantage, as it was a vast open field flanked by rocks and covered in snow, offering the ideal terrain to face the threat of the undead to be taken down by their giant arrows, away from the restrictions of the trees inside a forest, the fighters could move and fight more effectively.
Jon examined his troops with the look of an experienced leader, gathering all the experiences granted in the green vision, he had seen this scene countless times, but the Artican army had more confidence than he had witnessed in most armies, and he knew how important morale was in a war.
He himself had absolute confidence in his men, his face reflected an outward calm, but his green eyes shone with an intensity that revealed his readiness for the imminent combat. He knew that the battle against the undead would be his first test of strength, courage, and tactics, and he was determined to lead his men to victory, this would be his first battle against the dead, as Artica had fought with only a few groups of White Walker soldiers, it was the first time he was taking on such a large group and Jon could see the thousands of dead moving within the freezing fog.
"Articans!" he shouted, his voice echoing through the silent field. "Remember who we are! We fight not just for our survival, but for freedom and for the life of everyone in Artica! Leading our kingdom to victory!"
The army responded with a roar of approval, banging their shields with their weapons, creating a sound that reverberated through the icy landscape. Determination and bravery were evident in each soldier, each one prepared to face the terror of the undead under the command of an 11 namedays old boy.
As Jon watched the enemy approach, he firmly held the Valyrian steel sword, ready to lead his men into the battle that would decide the fate of Artica. The war against the undead was about to begin.
As the storm advanced with the undead in its wake, Jon positioned at the front of his army, raised his voice once more to boost morale, launching a war cry that echoed throughout the field:
"Artica, what are we?" Jon shouted.
"WE ARE NORTICS!" the army replied in unison.
"Artica, what are we?" Jon insisted.
"WE ARE DESCENDANTS OF THE FIRST MEN!"
"Artica, what are we?"
"WE ARE THE MOST POWERFUL PEOPLE!"
"Artica, what do we fear?"
"WE FEAR NOTHING BUT THE WRATH OF OUR GODS!"
"Artica, what do we do with White Walkers?"
"WE DO NOT RUN! WE KILL THEM, WE EXTERMINATE THEM! THEY ARE THE ONES WHO FEAR US!"
With each call, the warriors banged their shields once again, creating a resounding sound that pulsed with determination and bravery. The frontline was formed by humans and dwarves, divided into aligned groups, while the remaining 500 giants positioned themselves behind with their long-range bows. Usually, the giants served as shields for the army in the front, but this battle was different.
The fog continued to devour the landscape as it approached the group, everyone fell silent at that moment, Jon could hear his camp still bustling in the middle of the forest, he hoped his 500 armored men could handle the panic while waiting for the main army to deal with the wave of dead. The army remained silent, no one questioned a child leading them, and Jon just calmly watched, he waited until the fog was at a safe distance.
Jon gave the order to the archers with a shout: "Prepare and aim Wildfire Type 2 at 600 meters!" The giants armed their bows with arrows with a cylinder of blue liquid brought in carts along the way and adjusted their special bows, made from a combination of various woods, including Weirwood, to reach the necessary distance. "Fire!" Jon ordered.
The arrows launched by the giants with a boom echoing through the air and crossed the night sky, with the sound of them still cutting through the air, 500 arrows hit the 600-meter distance leaving a trail of blue liquid that spread across the snow-covered ground in that area. The fog of the dead was still distant, and the arrows fell before reaching it, creating a bluish barrier in the middle of the white field, the White Walkers leading their army had no idea what awaited them.
Meanwhile, Arya, unable to resist the curiosity, escaped from the camp to observe the battle. She saw the fog approaching and, despite the evident fear, her eyes were fixed on the scene before her. Jon, upon noticing her, felt a mix of concern and resignation. He knew Arya's presence there could be dangerous and potentially traumatic for a child her age, but also recognized her courage and desire to be by his side. He had no way to send her back to the camp, especially now that Ygritte and Wind had joined him.
With one last look at his sister, Jon prepared to lead his army against the horde of undead advancing relentlessly towards them. Turning again to face the threat of the dead with the fog, Jon focused on the battle. The distance between them and the advancing threat was quickly diminishing, now only 1000 meters away.
"Stone! On my signal!" Jon shouted, preparing for the next phase of the plan. The giant named Stone, with his fire arrow ready, awaited the command.
"ARCHERS, WILDFIRE Type 1 at 300 meters, READY!" Jon ordered, and the giants adjusted the aim of their bows to 45 degrees, ready to launch a new barrage of arrows with the green liquid this time.
"FIRE!" Jon's voice echoed through the field as the giants released their arrows. The sky was lit up by the vibrant green color of Wildfire, forming another barrier between them and the approaching dead on the ground.
'This should serve to slow their advance and end most of them, as they are not an organized army.' Jon thought calmly. He looked at his army and needed to keep them steady.
"WHAT ARE WE?" Jon roared again, seeking to maintain the high morale of his soldiers.
"WE ARE NORTICS!!" they replied in unison.
"ARTICA, WHAT ARE WE?"
"WE ARE DESCENDANTS OF THE FIRST MEN!"
"ARTICA, WHAT ARE WE?"
"WE ARE THE MOST POWERFUL PEOPLE!"
"THESE CREATURES THINK WE ARE JUST ANY GROUP THAT WILL ONLY RUN FROM THEM, BUT WE WILL SHOW THEM HOW THEY MADE THEIR LAST MISTAKE AND WE WILL MAKE THEM RETURN TO THE LAND FROM WHERE THEY SHOULD NEVER HAVE LEFT!" Jon shouted fervently, further inflaming the fighting spirit in his warriors.
"Archers, keep the bows ready to fight them with dragon glass!" Jon demanded again, the giants, prepared with dragon glass arrows, were ready to shoot at a distance of 600-400 meters, waiting for Jon's signal. The tension was palpable, each warrior prepared for the final clash.
The sound of shields being rhythmically beaten mixed with the howling wind and the constant advance of the fog. The barrier formed by the blue and green Wildfire and the dragon glass arrows was ready to be the first line of defense against the undead.
The fog continued advancing until it reached 600 meters, swallowing the entire line of blue liquid spread on the ground, as soon as they were at 500 meters, Jon finally gave the order.
"STONE, NOW!" shouted Jon, signaling the giant to launch the fire arrow. Stone shot the arrow, which cut through the sky like a burning meteor in flames, heading towards the heart of the fog, destined to ignite anything in its path.
Meanwhile, Arya and the girls watched everything from a safe position, their hearts beating hard with the excitement and fear of what was to come. She knew that this would be a decisive moment in the battle, and her brother was at the center of it, leading his people against whatever was inside that fog that even she herself did not know, and the Free Folk couldn't explain well beyond being the dead walking like living people.
As soon as the arrow entered the fog, 2 seconds passed within it before a flash began to illuminate the entire horizon, making the night momentarily turn into day as an explosion and green fire began to spread and cover everything around it at that distance.
*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!*
The giant explosion shook the entire landscape by a few centimeters while the sound of the explosion resonated through the mountains surrounding them and went beyond.
While the army maintained a firm gaze with some dwarves clapping as if at a spectacle, a group of Free Folk and giants who had gathered to watch the battle were astounded by the power demonstrated by Jon and his warriors. They had never before seen such a display of strength and fighting capability against the White Walkers. With wide eyes and open mouths, they watched as the dazzling flash lit up the sky, followed by a thunderous explosion. The impact was so powerful that it shook the ground, even the camp felt its force.
The green fire exploded spectacularly, engulfing everything within its 100-meter radius of action. The snow, the earth, the rocks, and the bodies of the undead were thrown into the air, wrapped in flames. The line of fire extended for hundreds of meters, devastating the horde of undead with unmatched efficiency as the fog began to dissipate with the explosion due to the shockwave.
Now without more fog and with the light of a green fire line spread on the battlefield, the undead paused for a moment, until they began to throw themselves on the ground, forming a bridge to let the others pass quickly, they continued to advance. Jon couldn't help but be a little surprised by this behavior, which was valuable information for future battles.
The dead continued to come, and Jon wasted no time. "Archers! Launch the first line of arrows!" He ordered and quickly launched an impactful force against the group at 500 meters.
The arrows cut through the air, and the first line of running undead desolately was hit by one-meter arrows, making the ground they were embedded in the ground with the impact without having time to react, the undead continued to approach.
"Prepare new arrows!" Jon shouted again for them to shoot at 400 meters this time, and the giants quickly aligned, placing new arrows in their bows.
Approximately 10,000 enemies initially advanced, and although 4,000 had already been eliminated by the initial explosion and the first volley of arrows, the threat persisted without giving up.
"FIRE AGAIN!" Jon shouted, and the giants, promptly obeying, launched a second volley of arrows with dragon glass tips. The arrows were effective, and the sounds of pain and death of the undead echoed in the distance once more, showing that dragon glass was a formidable weapon against them.
Arya Stark, witnessing for the first time the reality of the stories told by Old Nan, watched with astonishment the nightmare creatures that were real. Meanwhile, the Free Folk, newly recruited by Jon, celebrated the efficacy and power of their new leader against the enemies they had always feared, they were killing them like animals, and this made them replace their initial fear with celebration.
"Stone, another fire arrow at 300 meters!" Jon ordered again for the giant to burn the second line of wildfire while what was left of the army of the dead advanced.
The arrow was launched into the air and again hit the middle of the army of the dead, causing a large explosion of green fire, illuminating the night sky while dawn had not yet arrived on the horizon.
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Raccoon here: I divided this battle into two parts, since it became a bit lengthy.
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