chapter 16: The Corruption

Chapter 16: Judgment From The Heavens

"Alright boys, we're in the shit now!"

Maxim pulled his plate carrier over his head and onto his chest as he strapped it securely, tugging at it before moving on to the rest of his kit.

Similarly, the rest of the soldiers were doing the same thing. Sounds of boots stomping, slides of guns racking and being inspected, for many this was going to be the first engagement of their lives and there was a visible nervousness in all of them.

Overlooking all of them, Simon overlooked all of them as they got their appropriate arms ready. He was staying back in the TOC to relay information to both the 82nd and 101st, as well the Chinese army if necessary.

"Goddamn- Captain, are you sure we should do this!? I know we want to score some points or whatnot with the king but fighting an actual war?"

Maxim grimaced, strapping his M4 on his gun sling before facing Ben. He himself wasn't even sure if what he was doing was right or wrong.

Nobody was older than 25 here, with improper guidance and leadership, the entire structure would break down. Everybody was stressed, sustained on MRE's which was not helping morale, and many had never been deployed before even though they've gone through the training.

"Sigh Yes, this is definitely necessary. As much as I know what you're thinking, if this city falls, the enemies of the kingdoms could be coming for our necks next"

Simon nodded in agreement with Maxim, with James popping his head out to give a thumbs up as well before hastily dressing.

"Captain Maxim is right. From what we've been told, the holy city shall not fall unless we want the heretics' influence to spread across the lands. They can cause monster attacks and people's minds to go insane with their rituals, and those are just the tamer ones."

Maxim rapped his fingers on Ben's helmet before sighing again, turning his focus onto the rest of the force gathered in the barracks.

"Simon, James, we all know the plan right? We drop in quick and push em out, and then HOLD"

Both of them nodded. They were there at the brief with Maxim and Zhang, the plan was solid and ensured the least casualties while maintaining a good offensive.
—-----------------------------------------------------

A few hours ago
Silence had fallen in the meeting room as they all stood around, staring at the glowing crystal as it was connecting to another recipient, one that Zhang had requested.

Though they had known each other for only a short few days, with trust still being a bit unsteady, Maxim did still want to trust the one other army that came from the same planet. Yet, there was so much that was different about them that Maxim couldn't help but still be wary of, perhaps it was a deep-rooted concern of betrayal, or just uneasiness of a matching army, but a little voice in the back of his head kept him vigilant, even with his "allies".

With that being said, what in the world is he thinking?

Zhang, to his credit, remained calm and deep in thought while the rest of the officer's in the room didn't hide their anxiety. There were too many factors to consider when talking about a conflict, especially since they were essentially intruding on someone else's war, if it could be called one.

But then again, the benefits cannot be outweighed. More than the artifact that was offered- this would secure a permanent alliance between one of the most prominent kingdoms on this side of the planet, which meant the stability that the people of Fort Bragg and Fayetteville had been longing for in the past weeks.

Whatever train of thought everybody had was cut off by the crystal, which had been glowing red, before suddenly turning green.

"This is Captain Vance of the Wyvern Knights, whom am I speaking with?"

At the mention of the Wyvern Knights the Americans in the room suddenly perked up. Maxim remembered briefly meeting him as they flew to the king's castle, with him guiding their blackhawks on where to land with his scarlet red Wyvern.

Maxim cleared his throat before stepping forward.

"Captain Vance, this is Sergeant Maxim, leade- er- representative of the United States Of America and its army"

For a moment Maxim wanted to call himself the leader, but to call himself the leader of the entirety of the United States seemed like a line of hubris that Maxim really didn't want to cross, especially since the affairs of the regular civilians weren't in order yet.

There was a pause, before a voice of realization came through the crystal.

"Oh! The new nation, the ones that controlled those steel contraptions! Pardon me, but the squad of us are currently prepared to provide support to the pope and the holy city. We cannot delay much longer, the holy relic is at risk of being stolen"
Despite the casual tone at which Vance spoke, it was clear that he really was in a hurry, even as he said this he could hear the shuffling of metal in the background and roars of Wyverns.

I'm not sure if the importance of the relic is supposed to be common sense, but I SERIOUSLY want to ask what that's all about.

Maxim wanted to ask, but also wasn't sure if it was a sensitive topic. Luckily Simon, the only one in the room who had gone through his full education in college and therefore knew how to not accidentally piss people off, asked the question.

"Sir, if I may, what is the importance of the holy relic and the holy city in the first place? Who are you fighting against?"

Maxim heard a collective sigh on the other side, with the other wyvern riders passing by seemingly exasperated at the topic. He heard a shuffling noise on the other side before the sound of a door slamming echoed through the crystal.

Without the background noise, the only sound left was Vance's hushed voice.

"The relic is what keeps the creation and attacks of monsters of evil to a minimum. Some monsters exist in nature and are fully natural, but the most dangerous monsters of all are all the product of something called "The Corruption"

"The corruption?"

Silence on the other end.

Even without saying anything, everybody could feel the tension from the other side as Vance was looking for the words to describe what this mysterious "Corruption" was.

"It's the terror of the world, the devourer of life and sanity, it's the god that wants the world to fall into anarchy."

Vance took a deep breath, whilst everybody in the room was intently listening to what he was saying.

"The heretics that all the western kingdoms have dedicated their lives into keeping at bay, they are the speakers and warriors of the Corruption and unlike monsters are immune to the effects of the holy relics and powers. They spread Corruption in communities, poison their minds to kill their own families and friends, all in the name of their god."

There was a dawning silence between the communicating men. Maxim stared at Zhang, who was seemingly unphased at the information, but he saw his hand shake.

"And, if we don't stop the heretics?"

"Then the kingdom and the people in them are lost, there is no stopping it other than through destruction. You will die, we will die, we will all perish."

This was enough confirmation for everybody in the room. It was unlikely that they were lying, but this meant that this wasn't a war against a neighboring kingdom. It was essentially against a terrorist organization, aiming to burn the world down into ashes.

But then there was another question, if this "Corruption" was a god, were they originally from another world as well? Were they fighting otherworlders?

I have so many questions, but this isn't the time. There is one thing we need to make sure of though.

"If we get involved, is there no chance of political retaliation?"

"No, they aren't a kingdom or country. They are the enemies of everybody sane"

Maxim nodded, Zhang doing the same.

"Then we will fight."

Maxim moved back, with Zhang taking his place.

"This is Captain Zhang, of The People's Republic Of China, a nation similar to us. He wishes to discuss battle tactics with you"

"A pleasure sir. So, what do you have in mind?"

—-------------------------------------------------------------------

Wyvern Captain Vance P.O.V

"Alright boys! We're closing in on the position, you know the plan!"

Vance glanced around at his men, with him leading the charge. They flew in a close formation and flew slightly above the clouds. They couldn't risk the enemy seeing them, with their magic weapons and arrows they could possibly shoot them down, also destroying their chance of saving the holy city.

"sir ! We're closing in!"

The shining sun reflected off of the wyvern's scales, making them shine and glimmer as they darted through the clouds. The moment they dove, they would become the largest targets.

He glanced at his men. He knew they were all ready for a glorious death if they must, but he wasn't going to let this day be their last. Zhang's plan made sure of it.

—----------------------
"Captain, I need your Wyverns to bait the main force of the army onto an open field. We can't risk hitting the castle you're trying to protect."

Vance nodded, if the castle was brought down then this was all for naught. The Wyvern's couldn't attack the main castle either, the risk of lighting the defenders and survivors on fire was too great for them to take the risk, clearly they had thought of that as well.

"So we need to herd them there and attack them with our knights?"

Zhang shook his head.

"No, once we know where to attack, we'll take care of the rest. You just need to make it clear where we need to attack. A signal."

—-----------------------

Vance could see the holy city, the large castle was certainly in bad shape. The outer walls were smoking and crumbling from catapults infused with magic, green fields outside the castle were bloodied with bodies from both sides.

He could see the white armor of the Holy Guards, their gleaming armor stained a scarlet red as their corpse's were strewn across the battlefield.

However, compared to the dozens of holy guards that had died, hundreds of heretics clad in black and monster corpses littered around them. It was clear that they had put up a hell of a fight, however thousands more were currently trying to enter the city, maybe even more.

Far away, he saw most of the heretics setting up ballista and catapults, smashing projectiles into the wall and over it.

Shield formations were present around the constructs, as well as some which were beginning to advance towards the castle. Bolts of lightning and fire arced over the walls, inevitably hitting and destroying infrastructure and troops inside.

Vance grimaced. It seemed that these guys were coordinated, attacking in waves rather than sending them all in at once, which the superior holy guards still alive inside the city would undoubtedly decimate them in a frontal assault.

As he watched, another wave attack fell as the heretics attempting to breach the walls were blown backwards. A few guards rushed forwards in a desperate attempt to push them back, before being mowed down through a combination of magic and conventional arrows. The ones that were still alive were dispatched by quick, man-eating hounds that ripped them apart before darting behind the shields again.

"Captain, what should we do?"

Vance looked at his soldiers. They were a small force, not nearly enough to defeat such an army, no matter how antiquated their tactics were. Wyvern's were used as a support troop, to break up formations, but a dozen weren't enough to break this up.

However, Vance knew what they had to do.

He breathed in, pulling goggles over his head. He felt the wind flowing through his hair, the sun shining on his skin, the steady breathing of his Wyvern.

"DIVE!"

All at once, the Wyvern's pitched upwards before plummeting downwards, wings folded to the side as they became red streaks across the sky.

Vance looked downwards as they flew towards the ground. None of the heretics had looked up yet, too focused on their attack to look up at the sky. It wasn't until they were upon them did they notice.

"HIT THEM!"

Vance yelled out his command before the wyvern's dived down with their talons fully extended, gleaming in the burning light of the castle.

Vance saw one of the heretics, a young man, enthusiastically shooting his bow at the defenders on top of the walls. However, his enthusiasm died as he realized too late that he had become a target.

He couldn't utter a single word as the talons of the wyvern tore through his body, cleaving him in half as blood flew everywhere near his frozen, wide-eyed comrades.

"WYVERNS! READY YOUR ATTACK!"

The defenders that were destroying the wall and gates of the castle remained, however the siege weapons and magicians, as well as the shield formations, turned their focus onto the riders as they streaked across the battlefield.

"After them! They are few and we are many!"

In a frenzied craze, hundreds of them dashed after the wyverns, flinging their weapons and projectiles at them as they evaded.

The wyvern riders had all made it through, successfully drawing the heretics' attention as they yelled profanities and screamed as they chased after them.

Slowly, the mass of attackers moved away from the castle and after them instead. It was clear there was no commander, despite some coordination they were still brainwashed without a leader. Everything not corrupted was their enemy, and if they believed they could win then they would rush them in an instant.

As they moved, they moved a few miles away from the castled city. Even some of the siege weapons had rolled after them, being levitated above the ground through the efforts of multiple enemy mages as they hurled rocks and arrows towards them

FWOOSH!

"Down!"

Vance's wyvern dived downwards, just before a group of stray ballista shots hit it. There were too many of them to deal with, but luckily they didn't have to stay.

"Hand it!"

Vance reached his hand out to a nearby knight, who took the pack off of his back before holding it out for him.

As Vance reached towards him and grabbed it before separating again, narrowly avoiding the arrows being shot upwards.

"This better work you court magician bastard! Or we're coming for your head!"

Tapping the inside of the bag, runes and scripts started to appear all over it. Causing it to let out a soft glow, before starting to glow brighter and brighter before Vance tossed it behind him, right on top of the heretics congregation.

Soon, it turned into a glowing beam, reaching high up into the heavens and causing everybody below to shield their eyes from the light.
Vance turned back towards his comrades. A few of them were scuffed up, but nothing serious.

"It's all up to the Otherworlders now! They better do this right!"

Zhang P.O.V

The sounds of wheels and clanking of steel filled the field as humvees and trucks drove. Most of them were driving back to bring more ammunition while some stayed as a precautionary evacuation measure.

The few that stayed also had their gunners at the ready, in case things got hectic or an ambushed occurred, they were in unfamiliar territory and anything could happen, there was no room for mistakes.

The sounds of screaming and yelling were a distant echo to them as Zhang surveyed the enemy. Holding a pair of binoculars, he watched as the wyverns dove in and out before seeing a mass of black start to come into view.

He looked down the field. Rows of shining, camouflaged barrels of six AH4 155mm howitzers aimed down range towards the heretics . Some were hiding behind small hills as they chased the wyverns, he still wasn't sure if that was all of them yet.

However, his question was answered as a bright light illuminated above the group, signaling that most of the heretics had been lured out onto the field. Helicopters could have done the same, but Zhang found it prudent to utilize as little forces on their side as they could. They could not afford to lose anything, a helicopter down was irreplaceable, so were its men.

"We have confirmed visual! Coordinates-"

Zhang watched as the artillery leader barked out orders at the artillery squad.

"Confirm coordinates! Readjusting elevation!"

The howitzers made small adjustments as they aimed at a slightly lower arc, pinpointing the coordinates given to them as the wyverns fled the scene, with their jobs completed.

"Confirmed! Loading!"

A few men from each of the guns passed down the shells (155mm ERFB-HB) before another held them and palmed them into the guns, locking the breech with a loud CLANG

Since they weren't that far away from the battle and were uphill, they were configured in a direct fire fashion rather than an arc, being aimed directly at the beam of light as the heretics were disabled from being blinded.

There was so much that could go wrong. They were soldiers that hadn't been on a battlefield, hadn't taken lives, were young and naive. Yet, lives were on the line, their lives as well.

All of them knew, as Zhang yelled out the command.

"Stand by! FIRE!"

BOOM!

Six resounding boom's echoed as the shells left the guns in a spark of flames and smoke. Flying at such a velocity that even the soldiers had a hard time spotting them.

Streaking across the sky, the shells flew right next to the light that the wyverns had laid down, right into the heretics army.

"Impact!"

Right before the shells slammed into the ground, the fuses in them went off. In a burst of smoke, they exploded right on top of them as screams of pain echoed through the valley.

"ARGHHHH!"

As the smoke cleared, it was clear a chunk of the heretics had been wiped out.

Strewn limbs, corpses, people missing their arms and legs, the shrapnel from the shells decimated the lightly armored enemies as they took the brunt of the shells.

Catapults and ballista's lay in ruin as they were torn to pieces from the explosions, a smoldering mess, as the earth had been uprooted where the impacts happened.

Zhang stared, as did the artillery crews. It was a horrible sight, the bodies of the dead everywhere as they could do nothing to hide.

And yet, it was kill or be killed.

"Reload! Keep firing!"

The echoed command caused the soldiers to be snapped out of their daze, quickly moving to empty the breech of the shell and load new one's in as the heretics attempted to find where the attack had come from.

As they continued their fire, Zhang opened his radio.

"Sergeant Maxim, we are neutralizing the threat outside of the walls. You and your troops can do what you do best now."

He looked back towards the scene of destruction as the second volley of artillery smashed into the earth again.

This was what a real battle was.