Serendale Undersiege

Aden stood his ground on high alert behind the barricade in the courthouse front yard. Phil already set up several torches some yards in front of the barricade, enough to scare off the harpy who had a thought to attack the ground unit.The villagers had set up the barricade with junk in the front yard of the courthouse to slow down the harpies charging from the low altitude.The air crackled with the tension of battle, the ominous rumbles, and cries echoing through the stone corridors like the harbingers of an impending storm. From the lower level, Aden strained to discern the chaos unfolding above, his ears attuned to the symphony of conflict that had enveloped the rooftops.The rooftop unit had engaged the harpies, their weapons barking in defiance against the winged foes that soared through the skies. But it was the sight of the formidable siege weapons from the Far East that truly seized Aden's attention, their presence a stark reminder of the ingenuity and might that had emerged from distant lands.This was the first time Aden bore witness to the hwacha in action, the very weapon that, a century ago, had rendered the wyverns and their riders obsolete, forever altering the dynamics of aerial warfare."So that is the power of hwachas," Aden murmured, his voice a hushed whisper of awe and trepidation as he watched the unfolding spectacle.The hwachas roared to life, their thunderous voices reverberating through the very stones beneath Aden's feet. In a blinding flurry of motion, they unleashed a barrage of hundreds upon hundreds of arrows, each one a lethal messenger of death and destruction.The harpies, those fearsome aerial predators, tumbled from the skies like mowed weeds, their bodies pierced and torn asunder by the relentless onslaught. Their shrieks of agony rent the air, a haunting chorus of defeat and despair that sent shivers down Aden's spine.He could scarcely believe the devastating power of the hwachas, their ability to decimate the aerial foes with such ruthless efficiency."If only we had them in the Battle of Al-Ard," Aden lamented, his thoughts drifting back to the last great battle he had participated in.In that battle, the enemy had unleashed a surprise attack, three flamecrest wyverns taking to the skies and raining down destruction upon Aden's forces. Ill-equipped to counter such aerial might, his army had been left vulnerable, unable to retaliate against the fearsome beasts and their riders.But now, witnessing the hwachas in action, Aden could not help but wonder how the tide of that battle might have turned had they possessed such formidable weapons. The wyverns, once seemingly invincible, would have been mere targets for the hwacha's relentless barrage, their scales, and leathery wings no match for the hail of arrows.As the hwachas continued their thunderous assault, Aden found himself transfixed, his mind racing with the implications of such fearsome weaponry. He could almost taste the acrid tang of smoke and feel the tremors of each earth-shaking volley, his senses heightened by the raw display of power before him.At that moment, Aden understood the true might of the hwachas."Tsk, We miss the action." Hjalmar disappointed. His complaint brought Aden back to his feet."Our order is to defend the ground front, what we can do now is to stay alert and not let any harpy breach our defenses nor get inside the courthouse," Aden explained while watching over the rooftop unit have their action."Hai', Aden-san is correct. Stand guard the front yard, we must," Maeda confirmed."See, even our samurai friend agreed," Aden complimented Maeda."No, I'm samurai no more. Ronin, I am now." Maeda corrected Aden.Aden raised his eyebrow, curious about it. "What's Ronin?""Ronin is a jobless mercenary," Ethan chimed in, his background as a former Crown Enforcer made him a knowledgeable person."Correct, Ethan-san," Maeda affirmed.For Aden, everything related to the Essen, especially Hi-on's culture sounded fascinating. Even their women are pretty and classy, unlike Wessen women who were mostly carefree. Each with its own uniqueness, but for Aden, he lean toward classy women who have naughty secrets.The ronin was ready with his bow and arrows with buckets of extra arrows near him. The mute Martin made sure to put arrows on buckets near each group of archers in the ground unit, ready for any archers who needed extra arrows.Aden saw a little bit far from the barricade was the torches set up as high as the eye level, it was Phil's idea. The party knew that the harpy disliked fire, their feathers were flammable, and easily caught on fire.After the stretching session, Aden saw how Phil was busy preparing a flame oil behind the barricade. In the case of the harpies decided to attack the ground unit."Harpies!" Ethan screamed along with other villagers defending the front yard behind the barricade.Dozens of harpies flew low. Arrows and boltcasters showered them from the rooftop.Aden saw upward. It was the rooftop units. They were already on the edge of the front yard rooftop unleashing arrows and bolts.The front yard of the courthouse was the most vulnerable point. Double doors and wide windows. They were built with thin wooden frames. Harpies could crash in with no problem and kill all the villagers inside.Captain Willem made the rescue party build a barricade with pieces of furniture and any unnecessary objects from the courthouse."Brace for impact!" Aden, Hjalmar, and Ethan screamed.Standing with them, the villagers were ready with whatever objects they could arm themselves.The harpies flew fast hugging the ground to avoid hwachas aim. Just as Aden expected, the harpies who were closing in avoided the torches Phil set up a bit further from the barricade. They were bottle-necked to the sturdiest part of the barricade. Another thoughtful idea from Phil who set up the torches in a way to funnel them to the strongest side of the barricade.The harpies crashed onto the barricade. The ground units quickly engaged them. The ground units stabbed them with swords, spears, and poles. Another banging metal. made loud noise repelling the harpies.They were relatively fighting in a safe distance."Wah!" a harpy grabbed a villager from the gap of the barricade.Phil stepped in with a torch in his right arm. Flame oil bottle in his left arm. Flame oil ready in his mouth—Bwoosh!Phil set ablaze the harpy. she caught on fire rapidly. She dropped the villager and left. Hjalmar rushed in to drag the villager from exposure.Another harpy tried to profit from this, closing fast from the front. She aimed for the gap between the barricade."Oh no, you don't," Aden dashed in. Blocked the path between the harpy and the entrance. Aden thrust his spear and shield to repel her. She nearly missed in the last second, the tip of the spear slashed her belly. She flew up and met with arrows from the rooftop units—and fell just next to where Aden stood, lifeless.Aden looked around, everyone fought bravely. Hjalmar bashing his sledgehammer. Maeda releasing arrows one couldn't count. Ethan swung his sword at any harpy closing the barricade.The harpies were scattered on the ground.Aden can sense the morale of the villagers started to increase. They didn't seem nervous or fiddle anymore. It was a good start for the first day in the long battle of their war against the harpy siege.⁕⁕⁕It was afternoon. the battle started slowing down but the dust had not been settled. There were a few skirmishes on the ground against the harpies.On the rooftop, Captain Willem and Corporal Knightly overheard the villagers down in the front yard murmuring words such as capture and fortune.They knew what they were thinking - there were some harpies scattered on the street and on the ground near the courthouse, not knowing whether they were dead or alive, and if one of them was alive, they could capture it and make a fortune by selling it to the slave-market.Harpies and mermaids were both highly sought commodities in the slave market. Just like what Marcus said back in the mountain outskirt campfire. One can make a fortune with an unblemished harpy or mermaid.But the captain knew that this was not the time for greed. The harpies were a dangerous and relentless enemy, and they needed to be defeated, not exploited."Corporal!" Captain Willem called for his second in command."Sir?" Corporal Knightly replied."Take the command of the ground unit," Captain Willem gave the order to straighten the intention of the villagers because there were countless war stories about an army obliterated because of not-the-time greed."Yes, sir." as if knew what he must do, he looked around.On the outside of the bell tower, he saw a sturdy pulley system fixed in place, with an anchor weight that was securely embedded into the ground beneath. One could easily grip onto the rope that runs through this pulley and descends quickly towards street level, far quicker than running down a staircase.he walked towards it. jumped off to grab a rope on the pulley.The counterweight was precisely calculated so that when an adult uses the pulley from above, they would be able to make a safe and smooth landing right behind the barricade where the ground unit is ready.*Thump!"Nice," Ser Knightly exclaimed. He made an awesome landing in front of the ground units and villagers behind the barricade. The people were amazed. The pulley was not only a convenient way to travel between different stories, but it could also be quite thrilling!"Ahem," The corporal cleared his throat, stood tall, puffed his chest, and shouted."Stand your ground! All of you! No one leaves their post!" Corporal Knightly yelled firmly to the tempted villagers, he snapped the people who were dazzled by his entrance stunt."This is not the time for looting, We are here to defend our home and our people." The dark-skinned corporal's armor glinted under the soft ray of light from the afternoon sun as he spoke. "The harpies are dangerous enemies, and intelligent, they could snatch us one by one if we break our ranks, we must not let ourselves make opening weakness to them."The villagers looked at him, then they looked at each other, their eyes filled with uncertainty. But Corporal Knightly stood firm, his shield and sword at the ready."We must work together, as a united front to defeat the harpies," he continued. "There will be time for our bounty. But first, we must remain focused and determined, and fight with all our might to protect our home. fight for the best bounty of all, our lives."The villagers nodded, their eyes filled with clarity. They knew that Corporal Knightly was right - they couldn't let greed and temptation cloud their judgment. They had to work together, as a united front, to defeat the harpies and protect their home."Stay alert, men," said Captain Willem to everyone on the rooftop. The veteran knight didn't believe the harpies would just retreat away.Realizing they were being mercilessly mowed down, the harpies desperately retreated beyond the hwachas' deadly firing range. Their wings beat a hasty path towards the far side of the mountains to the north as they fled the village's firestorm of retaliation."They're retreating!" Sir Percival called out, pointing towards the horizon."The harpies are retreating!" The cheer rippled through the village's scattered defenders like a wildfire, igniting raucous celebrations."They're pulling back!" "We did it!" "Yeah! Yay!"The villagers erupted into jubilant cheers and whoops, some sighing heavily with relief. For now, Captain Willem's defensive strategies had paid off - the coordinated gambit allowed no weakness for the harpies to exploit."It is too early to celebrate," the grizzled captain cautioned, tucking an arrow back into his quiver with a shake of his head.Beside him, Knightly sheathed his longsword with a weary nod. "But it's only right they have a moment's respite. They've earned this small victory."Willem's stern features softened with the faintest of approving smiles. "Indeed, they have."As the adrenaline faded and the village grew still once more, the defenders allowed themselves a fleeting moment to bask in their hard-won triumph. Yet all knew the fight was merely beginning; the harpies would regroup, and the battle for survival would rage anew come the dawn.The sun dipped below the horizon and the battle-weary defenders prepared for the respite of dusk. Corporal Knightly ascended to the rooftop, his boots ringing out against the shingles."Corporal!" Captain Willem called out, beckoning his second to approach. "Report on the condition of the battlefield below."Knightly stood at rigid attention. "Sir, the ground units could manage themselves - little skirmishes occurred below. Our arrows remain plentiful. The barricade stood strong."Captain Willem glanced to Old Man Jed and Gilbert who inspected the siege weapons after the harpies retreated. "Old man, how's the hwachas?""Our girls are in prime condition, only need some minor adjustments." The Old man replied, his eyes still fixed on the hwachas.The captain leaned forward, surveying the fading chaos. "Make it quick!""Yes, sir!" With a crisp nod, Old man Jed turned on his heel and hastened away to oversee the repairs.For now, the winged menace had been driven back, granting the village defenders a momentary reprieve to catch their breath. Across the courtyard, they tended to their wounded, repaired damaged equipment, and recalibrated the deadly siege weapons.The first day of the rescue effort had ended in resounding success against the harpy onslaught. "A good start," Victor remarked with a satisfied grin, surveying the scene.Corporal Knightly approached Marcus and extended his hand which was welcomed by a handshake of the former smuggler."Thanks again," Corporal Knightly thanked Marcus properly."Heh, let them know the power of humanity," Marcus boasted, puffing out his chest.Corporal Knightly looked at Marcus with a tinge of nostalgia. Little did Marcus realize, he didn't just save Corporal Knightly once.⁕⁕⁕As the cheers and laughter of the villagers filled the courtyard below, Aden couldn't help but feel a surge of pride and relief wash over him. From his vantage point on the rooftop, he surveyed the aftermath of the first clash - the scattered feathers and splashes of crimson amidst the churned earth.It had been chaos, a whirlwind of claw and steel, but they had weathered the storm. For now. He knew all too well that this was just the opening salvo, that the harpies would soon regroup and renew their onslaught with brutal ferocity.But in this moment, Aden allowed himself to savor the fleeting taste of victory. To draw strength from the indomitable spirit of these villagers who had stared unflinchable into the face of overwhelming odds. Their courage, their tenacity, had turned the tide that day.He was no longer just an outsider thrust into their struggle - he was a brother-in-arms, united with these people against the mortal threats that sought to destroy them.This was bigger than any one village or nation. It was a fight for the salvation of humanity itself against the primal darkness encroaching from beyond the veil. And Aden knew, with every fiber of his being, that he would stand alongside them until the last. Come what may, they would face the approaching oblivion together as one indomitable force.The real battle was only just beginning. But for tonight, hope still burned bright in the hearts of the defenders. And sometimes, hope was all the light one needed to banish the darkest of nights.⁕⁕⁕