It had been almost a month since the battle on Mt. Boren. Maxis made a speedy recovery and was planning an assault. Baldwin and his men secured the surrounding area and foraged for food in the wilderness. It was thought that Middle Tahl could be preparing an attack, but it was uncertain.
Monterrey walked up to the peak where Baldwin was, carrying a plate with some grilled fish and some berries.
"Thank you." Baldwin said as he took the plate. "How are the men's morale?" He asked.
"Morale is high, but I fear that they may get too arrogant. I fear you may become too arrogant as well."
"You need not worry about my ego. I'm a humble servant of the Lord, no more."
"As humble as one might be, they may still get too confident in themselves."
"Don't worry, Mont. I'll be fine, we'll be fine"
"I hope you're right."
The two stood on top of the peak, admiring the view and eating their meals.
"How long do you think this will take? The war?" Monterrey asked.
"Maybe a few months, perhaps a year. And you?"
"A long time, years probably. Middle Tahls allies are many, and their people are strong."
"They're frontiersmen and indians, nothing more. However tenacious or stubborn they may be, they'll face the judgment of God one way or another."
Cid and Edwin came up the path that led to the mountain's summit to speak with Baldwin.
"Yes, brothers? What is it you need?" Baldwin asked, turning to face the two men.
"We have word from Grandmaster Aldonva d'Artés of the Order of Calatrava, as well as the Pope." Edwin said.
"Ah, excellent. Do tell."
" Grandmaster Aldonva should arrive sometime in the next few days with reinforcements of every holy order from Europe as well as soldiers from the Vatican and Byzantines."
"Most excellent. Thank you for your service. What are your names, my brothers?"
"I am Edwin of Arnestown, this is Cid of Frias, Spain."
"You have done me a great service, Edwin the Steadfast and Cid the Noble."
Edwin and Cid's eyes widened at Baldwin's words. He just gave them formal titles that they would use until the end of their days.
"Y-you're giving us titles for such a miniscule task?" Cid stuttered
"Not miniscule, but necessary. Without that message, we would have no way of knowing if the church would support our cause."
Cid and Edwin stood there in amusement by The Grandmasters' generosity.
"Uhm, thank you, Grandmaster Baldwin" He said, trying not to sound too grateful or submissive.
"Of course, brother. You may return to your quarters now, I want to be alone with Monterrey." The two knights then left and began excitedly chatting to each other about their new titles as if they did not just witness them be bestowed upon themselves.
"This is amazing!" Edwin said. "We're finally making a name for ourselves in the order. Maybe one of us will get to be the Grandmaster of the Templars someday!"
"Oh, calm down, Edwin. I doubt we'll rise to such a rank." Cid said, trying to hide his excitement and optimism.
"Oh, don't act like you aren't excited. We have titles now! Official titles for ourselves."
"Fine. I admit it's exciting to have this just be given to us by the Grandmaster, but we shouldn't let it get to us, you know."
"Yeah, yeah."
The two knights walked off to the main encampment and continued talking.
"Do you think they'll try to retake the mountain?" Monterrey asked
"It's entirely possible. God willing, we'll hold it if they do."
While the two Templars were talking, they were completely unaware that their camp was being watched every day by Owaine and three other rangers. Owaine had mapped out the entire camp, and by sneaking around at night, he was able to find where the important members of the order slept and had memorized their schedules. He planned to kill Baldwin in his sleep eventually but hadn't figured out the right time, as Baldwin's sleep schedule seemed nonexistent.
Owaine scoped out the camp for a bit longer before deciding to make his way down the mountain.
He made his way back to Fort Broken Sword, where Maxis' forces were residing and relayed the information to Maxis.
"Ah, Owaine. Do you have any word of the crusaders' reinforcements?" Maxis asked as Owaine approached him beside a fire outside the walls of the fort. Maxis winced in slight pain as he stepped towards Owaine. He held his hand over his chest for a second before continuing to converse with the captain.
"No. It doesn't seem they have any yet. If we were to attack, I think now would be ideal. They have yet to think about sweeping the woods and searching for the fort."
"Hmm… It would definitely catch them off guard. They wouldn't expect us to attack, especially if we just lost two battles in a row. We have six hundred more men now. It seems doable, does it not?"
"It may be doable, but it might not be necessary."
"What makes you say that?"
"It's a mountain, Maxis. That's all, just a mountain. There's no strategic importance to it. There's no major trade route that goes through it, there's no fort up there, and there's no vital materials up there. Why not surround the mountain instead? Starve em' out."
"Starving them out would take far too long, and the mountain itself is a fortress, Owaine. Countless ledges and narrow walkways, just like a castle. The terrain would make it hell to assault and it would be an uphill fight for attackers."
"Why are we attacking it then?"
"Well, Owaine, I don't know about you, but I'd rather be freezing my ass off up on a mountain fortress than staying down here susceptible to an attack."
"Fine. What's your plan?"
"Let's see, you said it's mostly Templars up there, right? With a rear guard of a few teutonic knights?
"Yep, no more than forty, maybe."
"Good. we won't spend six hundred men fighting the Templars at the base of the mountain. We'll take on the teutons at the rear and move up from there. Are there any patrols on the road there?"
"Only teutons from the rear from what I've observed."
"Perfect. We'll need to take them out quickly and take no prisoners. None can escape, or else we'll have lost before the battle even starts. If even one teuton escapes, he could report to the Templars, and they'll have their men at the base of the mountain encircle us and block our escape while we get slaughtered on the summit."
"Right. I'll get the vigils ready. What time do we attack?"
"Sundown, today."
Owaine walked off to gather the vigils, and Maxis told the horn blower outside his tent to call for the men. The soldier sounded the horn three times, and slowly, all of the knights and soldiers gathered around Maxis' tent to hear him.
"Today at sundown, we are to march into the rear of the crusaders. Owaine and Tos-Que have been scouting, and they tell me that the only men at the southern flank are about forty teutons. We are to take no prisoners. If even one of them escapes, the Templars could bring their main army at the base of the mountain around and slaughter us from behind. Is this understood?" The men all nodded and vocalized their understanding.
"Good. Prepare your armor and weapons. We'll march in a few more hours."
Back at the mountain, Baldwin and Monterrey were still atop the peak, admiring their view.
"Do you think we could get the Baron of Frostgrad to join us?" Monterrey asked. "He is Christian, after all."
"Maybe. He's a stubborn bastard from what i've heard, but he'll cave in if his city is threatened."
"Isn't the Mage College under his control?"
"Technically it's under Jurisdiction of Middle Tahl, though the king has never usually had a say in the school's affairs."
"Maybe the college could be helpful. A detachment of powerful wizards would be a great help."
"Fool. The Mage College has always been neutral and will forever remain that way. They're all secular as well. They don't believe in the same God as us. They believe in all manner of heretic deities and worship them in order to receive their magic."
"Is that true? I thought they were a select few that were born with magic abilities."
"Lies. Their powers come from the worship of heathen gods and demons."
"Katashua would've outlawed the college and practice of magic by now, then."
"He's a false christian, posing in the place of a true man of God. He's easily swayed by his people or his own personal belief on what is 'Ethical' or not."
"Hm. What other militias are left? The Sons of God were wiped out, of course, but what other groups are there?"
"The order of the Star, The Circle of Fortitude, and the Preservers of Worship are all fairly active. No doubt they'll come to our aide if things are to go awry. That reminds me, we should seek them out and have them join the crusade. Another two thousand or so men would be most useful."
"Of course, Grandmaster."
Aldonva and a force of seven thousand men rode up to the city of Frostgrad. They had been marching and riding for days. The men consisted of knights from the Vatican, Spain, and Mexico, as well as other kingdoms in Europe.
He looked at the walls of the city, his eyelids feeling heavy from the lack of sleep over the last two weeks or so. He'd been to the Vatican to request papal support of Baldwin's crusade, and with the help of his silver tongue, he was able to convince the Pope to send aid to Baldwin
He and his men passed by the great city and headed east to the Cochise River, where they were supposed to meet up with the other crusaders. When they reached the river, they were met by a small detachment of Templars manning breastworks and other makeshift defenses along the river.
Aldonva dismounted his horse and approached one of the Templars.
"Hello. I am Aldonva of the Order of Calatrava. Where is your grandmaster?" He asked.
"He's over yonder on the mountain." The templar said, pointing to Mt. Boren in the distance.
"Already? He was supposed to wait for me and my men." Aldonva said, concerned.
"You took too long, I guess. If you wanna see Baldwin, you'll need to go to Mt. Boren."
Aldonva sighed and walked back to his horse to mount it again. He muttered to himself in spanish and proceeded to lead his men across the Cochise River. It took about an hour for the massive army to cross the river. They were losing daylight.
"Christ, at this rate it'll be night by the time we reach Baldwin." Aldonva said to his lieutenant, Sisulf.
"Maybe we should camp here tonight?" Sisulf suggested.
"No. We need to get to him as soon as possible, God knows how short he is on men."
"Let's go!" Aldonva ordered, followed by Sisulf sounding a horn. The army was off now, marching into the thick pines…
It was sunset now. Maxis stepped out of his tent and put his helmet on. He walked to his men, who were all in ranks, ready to march at his command.
"To Mt. Boren!" Maxis yelled, leading his men forward.
The knights marched and marched, following Maxis down a path littered with pebbles and twigs. Beside Maxis was Owaine and Hetfield, gossipping about the latest events in the kingdoms.
"Did you hear about the wildfires in Schussel?" Owaine said to Hetfield.
"Oh, yes. Lumber prices are definitely going up. Meat and hides too." Hetfield responded. "What do you think about Wivven, Owaine?" Hetfield asked, looking over at the ranger.
"I think he's a fine leader, but he's too stubborn. He cares about his city and his people, but he often fails to realize that he is simply a baron, not a king. I think everyone forgets that's all he is."
"Hm. You think he'll side with the christians?"
"Not by choice. If his city is threatened, then he might, but other than that, I think he'll stay loyal."
"Hey, Maxis." Hetfield said, tapping his shoulder. Maxis looked to Hetfield and responded. "Hm?"
"What do you think about Katashua?" Hetfield inquired.
"He's a son of a bitch. Love the bastard though. Far too stubborn to become a king in his own right but he makes a fine baron."
"I don't think you two are very good friends with him then."
"We are." Owaine interjected. "He's just an ass." Maxis replied.
The three men finally came to a halt at the base of the mountain and Owaine examined his map to check if everything was in order.
"Look's like we're south of the mountain, that's good." Owaine said, looking up from his map and then eyeing the area.
"So where's the teutons?" Hetfield asked, walking over to Owaine and looking at the map.
"Somewhere around here. Maybe we'll find them at the path leading up to the mountain. No doubt they've set up a checkpoint there.
Maxis approached the two men and spoke. "Owaine, once we get there I need your bowmen and riflemen to fire on the knights, after a few volleys then i'll head in and clean up whatever's left."
"Alright." The ranger agreed and folded his map back up and put it in his satchel.
The soldiers were off once again and finally found the teutonic knights guarding a checkpoint.
Owaine and his ranged fighters took cover in the trees and brush of the forest, blocking the teutons from escaping. First, the archers fired into the unsuspecting crusaders. As they collapsed to the ground, the crossbowmen fired a volley in return on the opposite side of the forest.
While the remaining teutons scrambled into positions, the vigil riflemen fired their volley from the center, killing the captain of the detachment.
Maxis unsheathed his sword and led his men forward, wiping out all resistance, which wasn't much. After finishing off the remaining knights and wounded, the knights of the pines continued up the mountain.
"That was quicker than I expecteds." Hetfield said to Owaine as they marched next to Maxis.
"Yeah, there wasn't as many as I estimated. There was only, what, fifteen, twenty?" Owaine responded, seemingly concerned
"You seem concerned?" Hetfield said as he looked over at the ranger.
"A little. They may have been expecting it. But then again, we took them by surprise. I don't think we should've used the rifles though, it was pretty loud and for all we know, the Templars heard the gunshots and are on their way down from the mountain as we speak."
The knights kept marching up the mountain, their feet crunching on the dirt and rocks of the path as they trudged up the narrow trail. After an hour or so of walking the trail, Maxis began to smell fire burning nearby. He knew they were close.
"Owaine." He said quietly.
"Hm?"
"Take your riflemen and go ahead of us. We're close."
The ranger nodded and assembled his small detachment of riflemen, which included Tos-Que. They made their way up to the encampment and lurked around the outskirts, hiding behind rocks, bushes, and trees. Owaine waited until he could hear Maxis and his men marching up the trail and ordered his men to shoot.
"FIRE!" He yelled, following the crack of the rifles firing into the crusaders camp. The volley tore through tents and killed soldiers as they slept or as they were resting by fire pits. Atop the peak, Baldwin and Monterrey jumped at the sound of the rifle fire and started to rush down to the main camp to command the men.
After two more volleys of deadly rifle fire, Maxis and his men stormed through the Templar camp, slaughtering soldiers as they tried to get into positions.
Towering over a Templar, Maxis stabbed him through the stomach with his greatsword and then threw the dead soldier to a fire burning beside him.
Maxis and his men tore through the Templars with great ferocity and started driving them down the mountain.
Baldwin and Monterrey couldn't even rally the Templars in the chaos. Baldwin was forced to order his men to retreat, despite having men at the base of the mountain still.
As the Templars withdrew from the mountain, the knights of the pines cheered in victory, yelling profanities and spitting at the retreating Templars.
The knights of the pines started to salvage things from the now abandoned camp. They cleared the camp of corpses with haste and burned them in a pile on the side of the mountain.
"How many casualties?" Hetfield asked as he approached Maxis.
"Barely any. Mostly wounded but five were killed." The grandmaster responded.
"Really? I'm surprised we even made it halfway up the mountain, considering the shit luck we've been having."
"Yeah. I need you and Owaine to go ride to Middle Tahl for me, tell King Skinner we've taken back the mountain."
"Of course."
That night, Maxis lie in a Templars tent. There was a bed in it, not a cot like most soldiers tents had. He listened as his men celebrated their victory, drinking and laughing as the night went on.
He took a deep breath and massaged his temple with his hand.
"How much more." He thought.
He knew the war wasn't going to be so easily won and knew it was foolish to think so, but he couldn't help but hope for more victories like this one. But he knew this was nothing.
"That's how it always starts." He thought.
"Something small."
The End.