"I feel odd in saying this is a welcome experience..." I commented quietly as I keep a gentle hand within the confines of an embrasure. Letting the shudder and the quakes our guns let out travel through my body before I turned my head. Looking at my superior as she surveyed our situation with the other officers.
"That will be all, report back to me on the same interval." she told them as she joined me at the edge of the wall. And as her eyes looked out over the battlefield, I joined her. Watching carefully as fireballs of many different varieties appeared and disappeared. Some lingered longer than others, some were brighter.
But their purpose remained the same.
"The Union is wasting little time in forcing themselves against us."
"I am concerned that we will not be able to hold the lower fortifications." I tell her as my eyes once again catch sight of the fearless, shadow-masked men that assailed us. Fear was foreign to the army that besieged us. But so was a willingness to preserve the lives of their men. This lack of fear was as reckless as it was terrifying.
"For the sake of those who would rally to us, we must keep it open." she reminds me just before a cluster of guns on our far left opened up. A sudden burst of loud pops, almost.
"We barely have enough men to man the guns up here..." I point out despite what the current ferocity of our fire might've suggested.
"We don't. Many of them are silent and have not even felt the black soot burning their bronze or iron skin. But, as we see more into our arms. We shall unveil more of our teeth."
"The Battcomm is handling this well, then." I say with a shrug as I try to focus on something more positive. Like how we were able to keep them corralled into the valley from which they came. Even if they insisted on pushing out with a monstrous fort. In that, it was almost a corpse of one.
The guns here were all marked for covering as far out as the valley exits. The plains before us were our domain. If there was a God of Artillery, then this was his realm. A land which saw all made equal to even the smallest of guns.
"He is, but we need to be handling ourselves better." she tells me as she briefly touches my shoulder to make me follow her.
"In what way, Wing-Head Allyoceer?" I ask as I personally couldn't see it. Or, perhaps, I was too inexperienced to even know about it or consider it. The sieges I once oversaw were much different to this... Giant's Victory was a seemingly impenetrable wall with little fronts to worry about.
The Long Battery Fort was potentially surrounded on all sides.
"We must sally out, harass the enemy while ensuring our own defence stays healthy."
"There are only two of us!" I remind her needlessly.
"Not for long, I have received words from the informals we have managed to slip out under the cover of darkness and the crack of guns that there are other forces on their way. Forces containing Valkinvar."
My eyes widened with hope upon hearing that, "That's wonderful!"
She smiles at my words, "It is, but the orders I am about to give you cannot be accepted with confidence lacking." she tells me as we find ourselves heading to the officer's tower.
"I am to head out on my own?" I assume, fearing the worst is just what we had to endure at the moment.
"I am afraid so, but, Wing-Tip Vapooliar... I know you can do this." she tells me as her hand firmly grasps one of my pauldrons.
"Tell me the way I must head, then."
"The pass in which our enemy have spilled out of, to the right is a smaller, narrower passage, not one suited for an army to pass through."
"We left someone behind...?" I questioned fearfully, my worries coming to the front as my incompetence became clear.
"No, no!"
"Sorry..."
"There is a small monastery in that direction. It belongs to the Ordoar Ammimpaurst, and we believe it rang back when I sounded the bells."
"And of the informals?" I ask, predicting that this was not the way they went. It was too dangerous for the far more mortal soldiers under us.
"They report a force towards our east. Find and save the Ammimpaurst there, and head towards the east with them to bring in the reinforcements."
"And when we return?" I ask, choosing not to put forward any dire mindsets. I would not belittle the courage of the men here by making them believe we had no chance of support.
"The guns of this fort shall guard you, now go, we have little time to waste." she orders me. To which I respond with a slight, sharp nod and a fist against the chest. One hand soon grasped my sword and I dashed out of the fort. All the way back to the roof.
From where I waited a brief moment for the puff of smoke and roar of a cannon. Then, I dashed forward and leapt over the battlements. Falling through the brief blindspot on our side before shooting ahead towards the enemy lines. And with my blade ready, I cut down any who I got near.
I was not instructed to, but I felt that it was best to make them believe I was attempting to gash them open. An attempt to outflank them was what I wanted it to appear as. So I went past the passage Wing-Head Allyoceer spoke of and made a quick detour through the enemy. Smashing their works in a way the guns could not and leaving many dead before I did as I was asked.
But, until I could confirm that the skies were an able route for us. I withheld myself from slashing at the rocks of the tunnel this pass started in. Yet, once the light of day reached out to me from the far end. I forced my blade through the stone and left it collapsing behind me.
Crashing into the ground with a crouch so I could inspect the damage before I went off again. Desperately looking around for any signs of a landmark before I came to a halt in the sky. A frown on my face as I struggled to sense anything as well. The combined magic of all the machines and soldiers a mere mountain range over made it hard to sense for another Valkinvar.
Thankfully, however, I seemed to find what appeared to be a road. And I dropped down to check if it indeed was one. To my delight, it was. Though, it was not paved so much as well-travelled.
It was a hint towards the monastery, though, so I followed it until something else came up. And that something else was a river. One that flowed down from a mountain top. Yet, near its origin of it, there was an isolated building.
"Unreachable by foot..." I commented as I realised that this must've been it. A place that could only be reached through flight? It had to have been a Valkinvar monastery! Yet the smell it was belching out was concerning.
But, regardless of it, I landed by the entrance and tried to open the door. However, I was met with stubborn resistance by the lock and its reinforcement. The desperation of my mission here made me want to break it down... But what this place was withheld me from any violent action at the moment.
"Hello!?" I called out to the hopefully alive occupants of the monastery.
"Wha- Who!?" a man called out from the inside as the sound of furniture falling and scraping suddenly came out of the building.
"Valkinvar-Ammimpaurst, open this door!" I demanded, recalling what Wing-Head Allyoceer had told me as I bashed away at the door.
"Stop that..." he groaned before the sound of a heavy bar being thrown filled my ears. And within moments, a giant of a man came stumbling out of the building. To avoid being shoved to the ground, I hovered away. But I was left somewhat in despair as I looked at them.
They wore no armour and I saw no weapon at their side. Their clothes were filthy and they were unclean. A mess of a beard was present and blood-red lines decorated the white of his eyes. His focus was lacking too...
"Alcohol..." I remark quietly in disgust as I realised what the smell was. And I suppose that explained the river is connected to the monastery. It had a built-in brewery for economic reasons. Not that it clearly mattered to this man.
I wanted to believe that they weren't a Valkinvar, but... There was no way they could be here if they were not one. Was it better for me to just head out on my own? To try and save the reinforcements without this embarrassing drunkard?
"Who are you, Valkinvar-Imdvarce?" he asked with a groan as he rubbed his head. With his fingers lingering so he could scratch his messy beard.
"I have been ordered to retrieve you to both save you from encirclement and to get your help in supporting arriving reinforcements."
"On whose authority? The Valkinvar-Bordeon's?"
"It doesn't matter, you are to come with me." I tell him as he went back inside.
"Whatever." he dismissively said before I followed him in.
"You are to come with me now! So we might have a fighting chance of saving our country and the men who fight for it!" I tell him, nearly brought to a fit of rage by the dismissive comment.
"I never said no." he told me as the air suddenly trembled as if a horn had gone off near us. The building then shook suddenly as a heavy weight was suddenly dropped onto the ground. His hammer...
"Good..." I meekly commented as I felt the power of this man ripple through his muscles. Despite the seemingly undisciplined attitude he gave me, this man clearly looked after himself. Or most of himself, anyway.
"If I can remember where my armour is, we could go but..."
"Fine, I'll help you look for it." I groan as I put my sword down and inspect the monastery. And although I wanted to give it the respect it deserved. Not even its keeper seemed to care that much. As it was a mess covered by both spilt downslope and noxious bile.
Thankfully, I was able to get my hands on it. Though, I had to pull it from a pile of bottles and ruined shattered tablets. I didn't even have a moment to at least dust it off for him. As he just snatched it up and began to pat me out of the monastery.
"H-Hey!" I complained before the door was slammed shut in my face. And as if one of the gods had come to laugh at me, an unwelcome noise filled my ears. The distinct sensation of magic as well... A small airship had flown over the mountains and was now staring me down.
My sword wasn't even in my grip either, it had been locked inside the monastery by that drunkard. So even though I could not guarantee the safety of this monastery. I at least ensured it would survive for the moment by not calling on my sword. Such a force likely ruining the building long before we took back what was ours.
"I suppose it doesn't matter." I remarked I jumped down to the valley floor to meet the soldier disembarking to face me. To my displeasure, though, they were greatswords. And I had just willingly refused to summon my weapon. So I was to be on my own for the moment with no weapon.
Yet, just as the greatswords wasted no time in exploiting my lack of a blade. I wasted none in displaying that I was more than just a sword. I weaved past and under their swings and shaky thrusts. Jabbing and slamming my limbs against their armour with mixed success.
With so many to worry about, I could not get the fatal blows I desired. Their numbers as well along with the supporting airship also complicated things. They did not allow me to exploit their individual weakness for long and they kept forcing me back. Either with a honed steel edge brimming with internal-magic or those strange bolts of magic fire.
Thankfully, it was clear that they could not hold up against me and more openings were becoming apparent. But the sudden appearance of a war-witch ruined everything. And a spell from her sent me into and through the soil. Though, only by surprise did that happen.
"Great..." I remarked lowly as I stared down the gathering force. None of it was particularly strong on its own but together it was a small problem.
"KEEP IT DOWN!" a voice then boomed from the monastery as it suddenly exploded outwards.
"NO!" I screamed as I watched the holy site turn into a shower of rubble. Yet, as the dust settled, we were all left beholden to an armoured giant. One whose weapon reached out for more than the length of an equal-sized giant. And its spherical end pulsed with magic as they all turned to face him.
"Oh, you lot." he remarked before he suddenly spun in the air. The winds which he wrangled from the sky then seeped into the ground. And as he finished one rotation of his spin. The rock spiked out with veins of bright emerald.
Smashing apart the small airship and scattering the rest as he suddenly dropped with a boom. And within a blink of an eye, a greatsword-wielding soldier of the Union became mist. Small, torn-up pieces of bloodied metal rained on the others and the air exploded. Another great explosion then washed out onto the other side of the valley.
With only the war-witch safe in the sky surviving. Before she could run away, though, I shot up to meet her. Snatching up my sword and bisecting her from behind with my blade. Yet, instead of meeting up with the Ammimpaurst, I shot straight into him.
Angrily thrashing him against the mountain with one hand, "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!?"
"Saving your backside..." he answers as he tries to swat me away as if I was a simple bug.
"YOU DESTROYED A MONASTERY OF THE ORDOAR AMMIMPAURST!" I roared as I gestured my sword back to the thornbush-like mess he had left. Sharp, jagged stone filled the gap and blood pooled out of it. And worst of all, the value of that holy site lay shattered about the place.
"It was a mess anyway." he commented as he shoved me off with a single clean move.
"Try anything like that again and I'll trial you like the blasphemer you are..." I threatened as I spun my blade around. Situating it past the gaps of his neck guard. All it would take would be a single downward burst to decapitate him.
"Oh, Shining Armour." he remarked with a shake of his head. And he made it still, despite the state my armour was in. Which only infuriated me.
"Excuse me!?" I demanded to know as I applied pressure to his covered-up neck.
"You are freshly anointed, aren't you?" he questioned with a mocking laugh as he flicked the blade out of the gap precisely.
"And what of it?" I asked back. My current anger ensured that I fell for his provocation.
"A lack of willingness to let go." he answers as he walks away.
"We're fighting for the very survival of our faith against an army of heretics! Bloody men who wish to wipe us out!" I remind him.
"This is just one land."
"From which it may spread!" I hiss before I back away with a shake of my head. I wasn't here to debate. We had to fight. There were men south of here fighting for their lives, waiting for us to rescue them.
Thankfully, he took note of this and readied himself, "So, where do we head?"
"Just follow me." I tell him before I shoot into the sky.
"Tsk, tsk. You Imdvarce and your need to rush ahead." he comments once he catches up to me in the sky. Though, his eyes wandered towards the Long Battery Fort as we flew past it.
"We'll be guiding them there." I answer before he gets the wrong idea.
"A relief army?"
"Reinforcements."
"The plan is to hold them at the fortress?"
"It is the best option available to us."
"I wouldn't be so sure."
"Well, we have time, give me some ideas so I might give them in turn to Wing-Head Allyoceer!" I demand to know. My patience reaching its limit.