XV The... Battle? of Venit Ille

It was the strike of the sun's first of rays. Dawn. And as the one who declared had said; truly there were Unchean forces that ranged the whole of the forest. They stared at deadlock, as the Unchean forces had helmets, they couldn't discern whether their enemies were frightened or that they were laughing. 

However, of the forces of Venit Ille, they sat and looked as stern as they could, aiming down at the mass of steel and wooden shields. The silence didn't last long, as Lord Peraux slowly, with his horse, came near the defended bridge. 

"Come no closer!" Shouted Naturvege. "Lord, you are about to step into death." 

He scoffed. "Was that a threat? Or was it literal?" 

Naturvege remained silent. 

Peraux, with his shining golden armor and red cape, became irritated. "Whatever your sentence really meant, it wouldn't matter. Your village will become mine in a matter of hours." He smirked. "For I am a merciful lord, I shall give you time to understand that, and come with a decision to... Surrender. So we needn't harm our soldiers? Right? Chief of this village?"

"I am humbled that you remember me, lord." He spoke. "But, your reign against us is over, as a new lord befalls onto us. He, our new lord, will destroy your city!" 

Peraux was taken a step aback. "Your tenacity is suprising, as well as this... New lord you talk of, but no matter, I shall give you your time, hopefully, by the end of it, you surrender."

He gracefully went back into the forest.

They were confused. Why give 'them' time, when they could obviously just attack? Questions, questions, only answers that were the same as theories had popped up, each either contradicting or supporting each other. Like as Naturvege said; "They're probably just trying to scare us."

But then Verdel said; "No, I don't think so, maybe the captain might've done something and they're trying to figure out what to do by elongating the time."

"Or that they're preparing more troops to come?" Interjected one soldier. 

"That may be so." Said Naturvege, "But then-" It went on and on after this. 

( * )

In the not so distant forest, Peraux was freaking out. "Where is the rest of our troops!?" 

"I do not know, lord!" Said a knight. "They should have had left their camp some lots of time ago, and yet, they aren't here."

Peraux almost growled in anger. "Send men to their camp! If they are sleeping, I want each and every one of them to be whipped!" 

"Y... Yes, my lord!" The knight hurried off with his horse and with some other knights coming with due north. 

"God!" Peraux screamed to the heavens. "This is disasterous! Without them, taking that farm i'll be as hard as taking a fortress in the mountains!" 

"Do not distress yourself so hard, my lord." The captain, the one who came second to Venit Ille with an angered expression. 

"How can I not!?" He exclaimed. "When the bitches in that village have sticks of thunder that can kill us faster than our bows and arrows!" 

The captain stayed silent as he didn't want to be caught up in the lord's anger. 

"Who even is this, 'Hierd' he spoke of?" He looked perplexed whilst rubbing his chin. "I have no knowledge of a Steigburgenian lord of that same name!" The kingdom of Steigburg had indeed no such lord of such name, 'Hierd, Hierd.' The captain's name he repeated in his mind a multitude of times. 

"Oh damn it all!" He shouted. "We must message the capital, hope for the king's forces to come and subdue this feral lord." He looked at the captain.

"Eugene, has there been a messenger sent to the capital?"

"No, not yet, as you had not ordered it, my lord."

"Then go back and send a messenger, now!" 

"Y-yes, lord!" As the knight before, he straddled off with his horse and two other knights back towards Unchean. 

Unchean's forces that day were close to five hundred, yet not near their full power of one thousand. As over a hundred were left to defend at the castle, and four hundred knights were at the northern camp, of which Hierd had decimated. The lord itched his scalp in irritation and confusion, seeing this, the knights around him had lost morale, seeing the lord agitated and angery over a village that has forces as small as a hundred, scared them, scared them very much so.

( * )

At the farm land, Friedrick and Gelmund had just recieved word of what had happened at the bridge via a single messenger. Inside the large tent they were both in; the words that came out of the messenger had confused him. "They're giving 'us' time?" Questioned Gelmund.

"Thats peculiar, for them to postpone the battle for some time..." Said the confused Friedrick. 

"May it be that the captain is involved in this?" 

"That is probable, as we have yet to see forces surround the farm, it's clear there's something awry." 

"How will Naturvege use this time?" Gelmund looked at the messenger. 

"I have not a clue, sir."

"Well then, the farm will use this time to do nothing, rest, and observe."

"I agree, Gelmund. I shall tell this to our soldiers."

"Okay, sir."

The whole of Venit Ille's forces and villagers were confused and anxious, they hadn't the slightest clue why Unchean had postponed the battle, however, as the sun reaches ever nearer to it's crux in the middle of that blue sky, silence was ever still, and the two sides looked at each other, almost rather awkwardly. 

Unchean's forces took this time to build fortification and camps along the path, this was noted by one of the soldiers stationed at the bridge. 

Naturvege was cautious, thinking that they were buying time for soldiers to make a makeshift bridge downstream to cross, he had sent the Ridge Village troops inside the village to scout the prison and the training field in particular, whilst still keeping some men in the middle, 'just in case.' 

Yet, inside nor outside the village, there was nothing, anywhere, everywhere. Just silence and the cold winds that came down upon them. Naturvege was growing impatient and sent a messenger to Friedrick to contact the captain via the radio device he was given.

When the messenger had reached and entered Friedrick and Gelmund's tent, they had responded with due haste and pushed one of the buttons that Hierd had said to push.

*Pshhhhh

The sound of radio static, they did not know what this was and had frightened them a bit. But after some time, Hierd had responded to the signal that was given. "Friedrick? Is that you? If so, have the Unchean forces retreated?"

"Captain Hierd, the troops have yet to retreat neither have they yet to ambush us."

A 'huh' was heard from across the radio. 

"May that be because of what he had done last night?" Thought Hierd. 

"Do you have control of Unchean? Captain?"

"You can say that, since we stand at the gates with the city in our hands."

-Traveling back to the past-

It was some time off from Unchean's coming to Venit Ille that Hierd had made his move. The gate inside was open, seeing no other possible way, and that the main army had already moved and gone from sight, he and his men had charged into the daylight with their trucks at full speed. 

The knights at the gate had scrambled and were terrified at what they were looking at approaching them. "Iron tigers!" One shouted. 

"Is it Auferstehen already!?" 

The knights were distressed, and as the trucks had neared ever closer to the gate, Hierd stopped and let the soldiers behind to get off. With the order; "Fire the soldiers, fire anyone who is a part of the Unchean force."

*BOOM

The first shot. It seemed quiet after that. As the knights who were there to witness the first casualty, were shocked by the sound that had erupted their ears. 'Regaining' their right of mind, they had retreated. 

The five trucks now moved slowly inside the city, the citizens were already being evacuated by the knights, but to the citizens who soon saw the hunks of metal entering the city, they didn't need to heed the words of the knights carrying them out to book it away. 

Hierd's truck stopped and the four trucks behind him had stopped when they were parallel each other. The squad leaders had ordered for the soldiers to be out and to join the fire. And one by one, the artillery squad at the way back to the two squads at the middle were all out and about with guns at the ready. Their accuracy was at times shoddy, but good enough for the amount of time they had spent. 

Hierd had said not to use machine guns yet, for doing so will involve in unexpected casualties from stray bullets. Saying that they should use either the Kar98k or the Luger. 

Mltiple gun shots in less than five seconds, the city was full of noise and carnage. And soon enough, the entirety of the western side of the city was in their control. The knights had tried to ambush them, however, the quick responses by the soldiers had rendered their aggresive attack useless. 

As the tides switched to their control Hierd had went to Heduc to inquire about a question that lingered in his mind before they even came here. "Will the Guilds intefere?" 

"The guilds never interfere with wars, battles and all, doubt they will now, captain." 

"I still don't trust them. Send you and your squad to the adventurer's guild and say that we are in war with Unchean's lord, say that they shouldn't interfere.

"Yes, captain." 

He gestured to his squad, which was busying themselves in shooting knights, to follow him. The adventurer's guild was more north the city, and as expected, the adventurers, who people would treat as lords themselves, were not interfering. As soon as Heduc's squad entered, their Kar98ks were pointed at all directions inside the big rather crowded guild. "We come in peace!" 

The adventurers, seeing their outfits had bowed, Heduc and his squad moved close to the reception desk. The Adventurer's Guild's chief was there, Heduc recognized him. "You, chief of the adventurer's guild." The chief stood up. "Our leader reasons that the Adventurer's guild not to interfere with the ongoing war between Unchean."

The leader was shocked, so to were the adventurers in the room. Soon had it filled into mumbles and whispers. "Then we will not interfere, as should guilds do, sir." The chief bowed. 

Heduc then rotated himself in fast procession to the adventurers. "Adventurers of the guild! The city is being invaded by the forces of Hierd Die Grace, we will not target it's citizens and hope that you and your families are safe in this process of conquest, you may go home to your families, may you not resent us for killing loved ones who are knights." 

Their faces, upon hearing the last words of Heduc had nd not a word more, they bolted out, creating a crowd of adventurers at the front who were running for it towards their homes. The guild was clear of any person, the reception desk ladies and the chief had stayed. "We shall leave as well." Said Heduc. 

( * )

As that was happening, Hierd was foreseeing the killing of all the knights in their sights, they dominated the city in less than an hour. And in half an hour more, the city was theirs. The manor, of which the lord stayed was under control. But because of the small size of Hierd's forces. He had difficulty controlling the city. But under it, he had closed down the two other gates, one at the south and one at the north. Leaving the middle, front one opened. He was posted atop the gate, his squad below it. Awaiting for the radio signal. 

The citizens who were there, especially the old and the young were curious, their wooden sticks with metal daggers at the front from which at the tip of that wooden stick was the hole that a fire of uproportional power exerted off from, the mere thought that their invaders were these, so they put it, 'Sorcerers of fire,' had put them off and had no wills of not following their every word. 

Whilst waiting for the radio to signal in, Jeane was tending to the citizens with questions, of which there were many, however, she had not said anything about their guns, their 'country,' nor if they were sorcerers that could shoot out arrows of power. As Hierd had said that arousing them with such information shall make them spies for the kingdom, not saying too much information about these guns will make containing information and concealing especially endangering information, to them, and them only. 

But, unexpectedly, three knights atop horses were approaching the city gate. Seeing this, Hierd panicked with his squad and Jeane's to go to the entrance. The people who were at the entrance were ogled by the arrival of knights and in a way, cheered. "Stay back!" Hierd had yelled to the citizens as he was going down the gate. "Go back to your homes! For there will be carnage here, soon!" 

With fear in their eyes, the elderly had ran and the young had went back with the hands of their parents carrying them home. 

The entrance was devoid of people, just as Hierd wanted. And as the horse came close, the front, the messenger who was sent, was perplexed at the lack of soldiers defending the gate.

His heart dropped.

He stopped his horse abruptly. "Wh... Why are there Venit Ille forces here!?" 

Hierd's squad neared the knights. 

"We... We come in peace!" The knight at the front proclaimed. "I am merely messenger!"

"Shit, have they figured out that fast?" 

"Why send a messenger?"

"We... Well... Lord, we were sent to... contact the... capital..." Stutters made his speech blurry, yet Hierd had gotten it. 

"They're looking for the help of the kingdom, this'll be bad. I don't have enough troops to face them off. But atleast I don't think the troops down west know of our suprise invasion."

"You are to be detained!" Exclaimed Hierd. 

They climbed out of their horses without action to interfere with the detaining. And Jeane's forces had them thrown to the inside of the gate house. As it was the safest and nearest place they could put them three at.

Seeing Jeane get out, Hierd had said; "Now that that's done, we'll wait for the radio to spring to life.

"CAPTAIN!" A shout came from atop the gate where Hierd was at before. "THE RADIO!" 

Hearing this, he bolted upwards the ladder beside the gate. Jeane followed second whilst Heduc had stayed on the ground. 

He reached the radio which had was flickering. He picked up the mic-piece and began to speak into it. "Friedrick? Is that you? If so, have the Unchean forces retreated?"

"Captain Hierd, the troops have yet to retreat neither have they yet to ambush us."

"Huh?" Hierd was confused. It was already going to strike noon, how come that they haven't invaded Venit Ille? "May that be because of what he had done last night?" Thought Hierd. 

"Do you have control of Unchean? Captain?"

"You can say that, since we stand at the gates with the city in our hands."

"You are in control of the city captain!?" Friedrick's voice was full of joy and it seemed the room that he was in was too. "That is good for us!"

"Yes, yes, that is so." Wanting to know why the Unchean forces have not yet invaded, he said; "Why have they yet to invade?"

"This is what has been bothering us. There is no other reason, concrete that is. However, the lord had said the Naturvege and his troops at the bridge that he was being 'merciful' and alloting time for us to think of surrenduring to them."

A scoff from Hierd. "What do they think they are?" 

Friedrick had laughed a bit. "Indeed, captain."

"Then, if they wish not to battle, we will instead."

"Are you sure of that captain?" Friedrick sounded perplexed upon the sentence he had just uttered. "We did not talk of that in our quick planning."

"Well, the plan has just changed, as they, the forces of Unchean, aren't responding and are choosing instead to idle amazingly, in fact." He said the last words in a rather sarcastic way.

"What do you wish for us to do, captain?" 

"Shoot one knight. And they will come to retaliate." 

"That is rather bold captain."

"Whatever you think it may be, Friedrick, those Unchean are not people we should sympathize."

Friedrick had shut, but after a few seconds, he spoke. "Our men will do as you ask of, captain, be safe out there."

"As too should you be."

The radio connection was then cut. 

"What now, captain?" Jeane spoke from out of the blue.

"We wait."

-At Venit Ille-

Lord Peraux was in shock. The knight who had came to the northern camp had come back with grim news. That the camp was gone. It's tents were destroyed, the knights dead with holes that ran deep from the front and behind of their armored bodies. It was a gruesome scene, and it was something only a monster could do. Only, this village, could do.

The lord, without having even battled the Venit Ille, had lost the battle, he thought. His feet sunk the floor. He felt defeated, he was defeated without even a single sword clashing. "We must retreat..." He muttered. "We must-"

*BOOM 

A gunshot came from deep infront the line of soldiers, hearing this, he came out of his camp. A knight came running to him, "Lord! Venit Ille had just fired us!" 

The lord's face was angrier than ever before. "What!?" He screamed. "Shoot the arrows, unleash the whole of our forces, now!" 

"Yes lord!" 

A thunder of horses came galloping towards the bridge, with the men who rode it crying out a shout that bellowed the skies in its rage. 

Naturvege, upon seeing this, shouted; 

"SHOOT!!!"

In mere seconds, four bullets ran straight into four bodies. 

They fell like pathetic lumps of meat. 

Verdel then looked up to the sky. Arrows, arched and headed towards their heads.

"Cover! Arrows overhead!" 

They hid and cuddled onto the made wooden shields. Which were thick enough so that the arrows could not pass. But after the barrage of arrows, the soldiers came back up on their feet and back to their positions. 

However, the battle wasn't over just like that. The knights that went after, came with horses galloping faster than ever. But before they could even pierce Venit Ille's defences, a land mine was tripped.

BOOM

A mass splater of blood spewed everywhere, landing on the soldiers and the knights. They were horrified. But what awaited them if they retreated? Death by the lord's blade. They continued to charge, only to be met the same fate as the ones that came before, it was a gruesome sight, a one-sided battle.

At the farm-side, the lord had also sent troops towards it, the troops came towards the gate. The machine gunners noticed this, and started shooting at that direction.

Four machine gunners with their FG42s.

Ten dead knights and a platoon's worth of scared knights. 

Several knights came to the lord's camp to inform the lord of their failures. Each and every word that spattered from their mouths had depressed and irritated the lord, but in the end, he saw no lee-way. "There's no way we'll win..." He said, defeated. "Retreat."

"What, my lord?"

"I said... RETREAT!" His loud scream was heard from beyond the veils of his tent and into the scared knights' ears. 

Immidiately, the mass amount of horses, the steel that they carried on their backs so tirelessly. galloped out of Venit Ille's perimeter. 

And just like that. The battle, was so easily won by Venit Ille. 

Friedrick, upon seeing and hearing that the Unchean troops had retreated. Returned to the radio in their tent and dialed again captain Hierd. Taking a few seconds, Hierd picked it up. "Have they retreated?" Questioned Hierd from the other side.

"Yes, captain!" Shouted Friedrick, "And they're headed to Unchean."

"Perfect, good job Friedrick, pursue them carefully, we don't want them to gain the upper hand here."

"Yes, captain!"