Eastern Conquest (1)

The Novamantus army, comprised of brave knights from Dreadmoore and Lancaster family, rode forth through the eastern border land of Skogzgard territory. The army of Novamantus left behind a trail of death and destruction in their wake, as they advanced towards their enemy with their flag raised high.

The Queen's decree, upon the request of the Dreadmoore first commander, Royce Varus Pendragon, to destroy the enemy's eastern city was carried out. And so the city of Vanningheim in the east, a vital economic city for the Skogzgard kingdom, was in a rough situation.

As the Novamantus army continued their relentless push, more blood was spilled unnecessarily, all because of the Skogzgard King's stubbornness and refusal to negotiate a peace treaty. The sound of the marching army composed of thousands of soldiers echoed through the northern east of the enemy's territory.

An ominous army led by the Dreadmoore's third commander, Niamh Morgan, and Lancaster's first commander, Leonhart Montmorency.

With the combined strength of the two commanders acting as leaders, the army of Novamantus surged forward unrelenting, pushing their enemies back to their main defenses and causing them to abandon the less protected villages and towns.

"CHARGE!"

With a single bellow of Niamh, the hell broke loose.

"HYAAAH!!!"

The fully armed Novamantus knights, numbering around nine thousand, charged forward with fierce determination. Their screams reverberated across the battlefield while they surged towards the fortress of Skogzgard.

While the defenders of Skogzgard consisted of only four thousand knights to defend a single fortress against the Novamantus army, they still remained unshaken in their defensive position.

The Skogzgard knights lined the frontline of the fortress outskirts, each of them held large iron shields that were facing forward. They stood onto their feet with firm resolution.

"Push!"

But their numbers weren't enough to hold the Novamantus soldiers who eventually broke through their defensive formation.

"GYAA!!"

The Skogzgard knights staggered and stumbled. Feets stomped their bodies and were trampled like dirt on the ground.

"AARGH!"

Although their line of defense was broken, the soldiers still held on their shields and pushed the enemies back, trying to maintain a defensive formation still. "Hold your ground!!" shouted one of the Skogzgard soldiers that were in the front line, his voice was barely audible over the noise of the chaos.

"Shit! It's hard to get through!"

But the Skogzgards weren't doing anything. Only they were holding the ground. It's like they were holding their line for something...

"Archers!!" a Novamantus knight shouted, pointing at the top of the fortress walls.

Thousands of arrows suddenly rained upon them, killing almost hundreds already.

Several massive wooden artilleries suddenly appeared from behind.

Like a hell that descended upon the very land, the hail of massive boulders rained down on the Skogzgards, breaking their defense.

With this, the clashing of metal against the iron shields and armors, added with the shouts and cries of the knights were heard.

Swish...! BOOM!!

As the war raged on, a deafening noise echoed across the battlefield. The trebuchets of the Novamantus army were bigger compared to theirs that were being overwhelmed at the moment.

The sound of creaking wood of trebuchets and the impact of massive boulders hitting the ground echoed across the battlefield, drowning out the screams of the soldiers.

The Skogzgard knights started to struggle holding their ground and focus on defense for their numbers has greatly diminished so quickly. Soon enough, the artilleries couldn't be operated due to lack of men.

"Focus on manning the artilleries!!" a Skogzgard soldier bellowed.

But despite their best efforts, the difference between the numbers of the two armies was very evident to overwhelm them sooner.

"Hyaak!"

The sky was filled with the sound of arrows soaring through the air, raining down on the Novamantus soldiers like a deadly hailstorm. The ground was littered with the fallen bodies of soldiers, their lifeless bodies laid on the rough ground.

"Hold your ground! Do not let them get through our defenses!"

The Skogzgard fortress that is barely holding on was the last hope of the citizens inside the eastern city. Meaning that the fall of the eastern fortress will only add the burden for the Skogzgard kingdom.

"Hold!... Launch!!"

Under pressure, the Skogzgards desperately hurled their projectiles towards the battlefield, heedless of who or what they hit, like a swarm of angry wasps attacking any moving target.

"Man the artilleries! Man the artilleries! We require more men at once!" the enemy soldiers bellowed in desperation.

From the side of Novamantus, several towering trebuchets rumbled forward on its wooden wheels, screeching under the weight of massive stones and other projectiles. Each wooden artilleries were operated by tens or more soldiers, straining to move the towering artilleries into position.

As the barrage of projectile attacks from the Novamantus continued, the Skogzgard's artillery became increasingly ineffective, unable to withstand the relentless assault any further. Some of the enemy soldiers were forced to retreat, leaving their grounds behind and scrambling to regroup; resorting to defend their fortress that will soon crumble to dust.

The Novamantus trebuchets drew closer to their targets, causing the enemy soldiers to frantically arm up to take cover and brace the incoming impact while they wait for reinforcement.

But the attacks were too great; and with a tremendous crash, each trebuchet launched its deadly boulders, hurtling through the air with incredible speed before smashing into the enemy's fortress walls.

BOOM!

The walls of the fort and the bare ground shook with each impact. Each shake filled the air with thick smoke and dust. The Novamantus soldiers' war cries were heard from the otherside of the wall. The shouts grew even louder as they doubled up their efforts while the enemies scrambled inside their fortress walls, panicking for their lives.

From the distant grassland, hundreds of soldiers stood behind, awaiting for orders. Niamh, the third commander of Dreadmoore, watched the ongoing battle below from atop a hill, taking note of their apparent advantage.

"The preparation is complete, Commander," reported the Dreadmoore knight, kneeling before her.

Niamh nodded, taking a deep breath before issuing her command, "Excellent... Captain, inform the cavalry regiment that we are moving forward."

The knight captain nodded back in acknowledgement before he quickly made his way to relay the orders to the soldiers on standby.

Nearly thirty men banded together, their muscles straining as they pushed a massive wheeled battering ram forward. The cavalry regiment, already mounted and at the ready, prepared to escort the ram, their mounts galloping in unison.

The screeching of the ram's wooden wheels was heard as it get pushed, accompanied by the hooves of the cavalry who surged forward in numbers, making way for the battering ram as it slowly made its way towards the enemy's fortress gate.

As the noise of swords clanking against another, and battle cries of the soldiers echoed across the battlefield, the soldier overseering, positioned at the perimeter of the fortress frantically shouted.

"C-Commander! A battering ram! A batte-!" he exclaimed, trying to send a message before an arrow swiftly pierced his throat, causing him to gurgle and fall lifeless to the ground.

The commander furrowed his brow in concern. He couldn't hear clearly because of the noise but he instinctively knew that the message was urgent. He turned to the knight besides him and demanded to know what the soldier had tried to convey.

Magnus Johannes Duerr, the 8th Commander of the Kingdom of Skogzgard. A middle aged man, with white hair and a receding hairline. Clad in full suit of iron armor, he proudly wore a pale blue cape and a blue feather on his front left shoulder, many believed it was a symbol of his years of heroic deeds to the kingdom.

The knight with a worried expression, "It seems that the enemy has already prepared a battering ram, Commander."

Magnus cursed under his breath before taking off his helmet to wipe off the sweat forming on his forhead. In a fit of anger and frustration, he smashed his helm on the ground and kicked it.

He silently panicked, thinking of what else he could do in this dire situation. Now that the enemies have prepared such weapon, their defeat is definitely nearing. The soldiers seemed to have tired already and he knew himself that the walls of their fortress wouldn't last long 'til the evening.

"How long will it take before the reinforcement come here?"

The knight scratched his neck and replied, "In a few days, possibly, Commander... The main forces have been sent to the southern front and west to recapture the cities near the borderlands."

"..."

"Commander... We await your order."

Magnus felt a wave of anxiety wash over him as he took more time to think. It was only a matter of time before their fortress would crumble if they didn't act quickly. Taking a deep sigh, he turned his gaze at the knight besides him and spoke.

"How long will it take before the reinforcement come here?" Magnus asked, trying to calm himself.

The knight shifted uncomfortably in his armor before responding to his commander's question. "My apologies, my lord. But the main forces have been dispatched to the southern front and west to reclaim the cities near the borderlands. There are few troops on standby to defend the eastern borders, but it will take a matter of time before they could send some men here."

Magnus sighed deeply, knowing that their situation was dire. He pondered more, trying to think of anything else but to no avail.

"Prepare the artilleries," he commanded, "We need to focus on taking out the crew of that battering ram before it can do any more damage. Give the soldiers outside at least a support as they are the last remaining defenses."

The knight nodded before shouting the the orders to the soldiers. They quickly sprang into action, moving the wooden artilleries into position and manning them, their eyes filled with determination as they are ready to fight to the bitter end.

Magnus watched as they worked, bearing a mournful expression.

The Skogzgard knights outside the walls were overwhelmed and outnumbered. They screamed in terror as they were forced to run away from the enemy's cavalries and arrows. The cavalry wiped out half of their remaining numbers, their hooves kicking up dust and dirt while they relentlessly pursued the retreating Skogzgard knights.

Eventually, the knights that were abandoned outside the walls of the fortress they had protected with all their life had no choice but to yield. They knew themselves that further resistance will only lead to their deaths. They threw their weapons down and raised their hands submission.

While the others died while chanting the name of their kingdom.

Magnus assembled a group of knights to abandon the fortress, it was the last decision he could've ever have at this moment.

It was their complete loss.

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

The wooden gate of the fortress shook and staggered at each hit of the battering ram. The Skogzgard archers that defended the fortress drew their bows and aimed at the men operating the battering ram.

The sound of twanging bowstrings were heard as the arrows took down several Novamantus soldiers. However, before some of the archers could shoot, they were suddenly caught off guard and impaled by the sharp baldes of the knights who had successfully placed a ladder on the walls.

Meanwhile, the commander and his loyal men made their escape through a dim tunnel that led to an exit towards a forest behind the fortress walls. While they made their escape, the knights that were left to defend a falling fortress died with honor.

As their enemies were preoccupied, conquering the fortress, Magnus and his men made their way through the dense forest, leaving the once impregnable fortress by the hands of the Novamantus.

...

"Commander Morgan."

Niamh turned her head, beckoning the knight she was talking with to leave them both for the moment.

Before her stood the first commander, Leonhart Montmorency.

Niamh kept a straight face, meeting the first commander's gaze with a glare.

"You've done well, I'm impressed," he said, his words had a hint of condescension.

But Niamh's expression remained straight, her eyes narrowing slightly at the remark. She then scrutinized Leonhart, from head to toe before she spoke.

Slightly carried away by her emotion, Niamh responded sarcastically, "If that is a compliment, Commander Leonhart of Montmorency, then I suppose I should be deeply flattered?"

Leonhart's brow furrowed, his attempt at jest seemed to backfire on him. He opened his mouth to respond, but Niamh suddenly interrupted him with a tap of her hand on his chestplate.

In her hand, she held a parchment inscribed script, which detailed the outcome of their siege.

Without saying a word, Leonhart took the parchment and read its content.

"That is the report detailing the casualties and the spoils we seized just now."