Aether :" Pardon my sudden outburst ."
" I simply hate those who dare bring harm towards the people closest to me ."
Knight Captain : " No , its fine ."
" I would be to , If I was in your position ."
" Don't beat yourself up to much ."
Aether :" Thanks Captain ."
Knight Captain :" Gregory ."
" Call me Gregory kid ."
Aether :" Alright then , Gregory ,"
" I have a plan , but I need you and the others to cooperate with me ."
" I might just have a way to win this battle without further casualties on our side ."
" With a stroke of luck we might just all made it out in one piece ."
Captain Gregory :" Understood , we'll cooperate with you as best as we can !"
Aether :" Alright then here's what we are going to do .... "
I took a few minutes to explain my plan to the knights. I included as much detail as I can for them to play their part .
Captain Gregory :" I see ."
" This way we can avoid being dealt a decisive blow , while maneuvering around the enemies formation and striking deep into their ranks ."
" This plan is genius ! "
Aether :" Alright since I've fill you in on the plan , I'll head off straight away ."
Afterwards I mount my horse and rode away to execute my part of the plan . While also letting the knights prepare for their role within the plan itself .
Captain Gregory :" Well you've heard him man !"
" Get ready !"
" Remember to follow the plan in detail !"
" I don't want to see anybody straying off on their own !"
Knights in unison :" Understood !!! "
The Knights galvanized by Captain Gregory saw a new hope for victory , a hope to win this battle in the face of overwhelming odds. A hope presented to them through the minds of Aether. But why would they trust him ? Why would the knights who've spent all their lives fighting wars , battle after battle surviving many conflicts and fighting opposition came to believe in such hope ?
Although the knights were reassured by Captain Gregory's words , most still had their doubts in Aether's battle plan. Yet out of sheer respect for their commanding officer, they put aside their dissatisfactions and doubt , place them deep within their hearts and swallow their own pride. In the end ultimately what managed to convince them to do battle is the trust on their believe.
Aether knew that the knights won't easily acknowledge his plans , yet he kept pushing forwards regardless. The knights cooperation is crucial to draw the enemies away from their commander. Thus Aether planned his encounter with the knights carefully beforehand. He knew that the knights won't acknowledge weakness they value strength, Thus he saved the originally divided into small pockets of resistance , the knights fighting in their own battlefield.
By showing them his strength in the face of adversity he managed to show the knights that hope was not lost in this battle. With the knights owing their lives to him they are more susceptible to his commands. Then comes his meeting with Captain Gregory , as the leader of the knights holds a lot of influence over the minds of his knights , thus by bringing him to Aether's side is key to rallying the knights.
With the rest of the separated knights gathered , he earned the trust and respect of Captain Gregory. Afterwards he was able to masterfully lead their conversation to the point that Aether saw a chance to release a part of his Murderous intent upon the knights . That not only showed them that he was not one to mess with , But also to gave them a sense of reassurance in his abilities . Whilst also kept them guessing.
By showing only a part of ones abilities , one shall kept others at bay whilst they fought a never ending battle within their minds . Guessing and overthinking thus making them vulnerable to manipulation, oddities and surprises things that are beyond their scope of knowledge.
After striding through the forest , hunting down enemies as he went . Aether finally managed to reach the main enemies main force. He stopped his movements to observe them from the top of the trees covered by lush green leaves.
The enemies deployed themselves in battle rows , with their main force consisting of mercenaries equipped with weapons from a wide range of varieties. From hidden weapons like knifes , darts and small blades to the biggest heavy weaponry , the war hammer , giant axes , maces and even flails bigger than the skulls of most men.
However despite their less than mediocre looks , they are a large force regardless comparing to the knights here. Based on their marching order its easy to see through their plans. If you can even call it that. They are planning to attack in rows , sending wave upon wave of men into the fray, they hoped that their numbers will secure their victory.
Typical subpar commander, I guess the Mad priest didn't even bother to enlist an actual strategist . He simply pushed his forces forwards without any regards for anything at all. Thus despite being outnumbered the knights were able to manage to inflict massive casualties upon the enemy through strategic warfare.
It is time to break down whatever's left of the remaining enemy forces. Aether knew that a large portion of the enemy forces consists of mercenaries gathered from various places and regions. The only thing keeping them together was the promise of money. Once they are faced with a live nor death situation they will flee the battle to preserve their own lives.
They are not loyal to their leader , nor they are disciplined enough to work together under their so called leader. Thus once they are shown what true fear is like , they will run with their tails tuck between their legs.
With the enemy vanguard all but decimated , they're morale had dropped to an all time low . Compounded with the deaths of their forces within the woods. Now all they needed is a little push to go over the edge.
Aether started several fires a long the way to not only burn the dead bodies but also to facilitate his plan moving forwards. The plan was quite simple on the attacking side since all they have to do is charge in the enemies flanks whilst their men are in disarray . Now all that's left is for Aether to cause chaos amongst their ranks.
He put on a cloth in front to mask his face and slip into the enemy's ranks. In every opportunity He stabbed the mercenaries on the throat with arrow bolts at high speeds. As if he became one with the wind , while doing so he let out his murderous intent at singular targets within the enemy's ranks enough to make them fear for their lives , whilst sowing discord and confusion amongst their ranks.
They fell into a state of panic , one of them called out to the rest. He yelled on top of his lungs .
" Ambush !!!"
The entire force suddenly struggled to ready them selves for the impending attack. They shook in fear and anticipation , their watchful eyes scanning the area for signs of an enemy attack . It was there they found the bodies of fallen mercenaries amongst their ranks with an arrow to their neck . The panic ensued , they broke their formations running into the woods trying to find the so called enemy hiding in the forest.
Aether continued his efforts in disrupting the enemy's as much as he can , killing more and more mercenaries with immense speed. The Dawn Church Priest tried to calm his forces.
" Calm down , they are merely putting up a final desperate resistance ."
" They are no match for this combined forces , we outnumber them at least 3 to 1 ."
" All of you spread out and hunt them down !"
" I promise a great rewards for those who managed to kill these pathetic lot ."
With the order given by the Dawn Church Priest the mercenaries spread out into the forest hunting for the one who ambushed them. And with the promise of great rewards in their minds the Mercenaries charged forwards driven by their greed.
With most of the enemy troops scattered out into the woods it is time to end this battle . Aether Shot the arrow into the sky signaling Captain Gregory and his men to charge into the enemy's ranks . They screamed in excitement and charged in full galop towards the enemy ranks cutting them down as they ride their horses into battle .
The mercenaries had no time to react let alone organize any meaningful resistance. With Captain Gregory leading the charge the knights fell upon the scattered mercenarys like a wave crushing down emerging from the forest kicking up dust as they went.
With this Aether has the opportunity to end this battle once and for all , by killing the man who caused this bloodshed. To kill the one who dares to harm his family . The Dawn Church Priest fate has been sealed.
With sword in hand Aether charged towards the Priests bodyguards with his murderous aura overflowing , freezing them in place . He killed them all with a single slash their heads flown of their bodies. Blood gushing out , their bodies fell into the ground.
The Priest fell knelt into the ground overwhelmed with fear . Aether showed him what true fear is on his last moments the Priest fell into eternal despair . With his death the battle is drawn into a conclusion .
The Knights went to clean up the battlefield capturing those who had surrendered . Whilst Aether sent a how you say an unforgettable gift to the Dawn Church.
Aether returned to his family to find them in front of the village eager to await his return. So much for keeping his involvement a secret.