While the rest of the defenders were asleep with some staying on duty atop the walls, the command tent was busy, planning their next move.
Ding! [You have a new notification. Press [OK] to continue.]
"Boy, can you explain what you meant?" Julius asked.
"Wait Pops. please excuse me for a second, I need the latrine." Linus replied. Then, he ran outside for a quick break, checking the new notification.
[Quest: Field Strategist]
[Being a leader requires a brilliant mind. Offer advice on a stratagem that will help your tribesmen win the upcoming battle.]
[Reward: (Skill) Chemistry]
[Time Limit: a day]
[Failure: If time limit is not met, reward is forfeited]
[Accept the quest?]
[Yes] [No]
Linus eyes almost popped out, seeing the reward. "Acids, explosives, and fertilizers? I must absolutely get this skill." he thought to himself, excited.
Without even thinking, Linus automatically accepted the quest. Then he came back to the tent.
"Alright Mr. Poopy Pants, can you explain why the mountain dwellers would ally themselves with the pirates?" Julius asked.
"An enemy to my enemy is my friend, simple. The pirates came to the mountain dwellers and promised to help them rid of us, in exchange, they will earn a portion of the spoils from the battle. Both sides win. It's a pretty simple tactic, but it works wonders in increasing one's fighting force." Linus explained.
"That must be it. Igor must have known about Eric's injury. And to go as far as to threaten me face to face, it just doesn't add up. He pretends to be as tough as he says but was easily frightened by a mere arrow! He must have been plotting something. He wanted to use this issue as a cause for war. I agree, I smell something suspicious here." Julius said.
"Correct! The mountain dwellers wouldn't move by themselves, it must be a ploy to weaken us. So we have to watch out for reinforcements from the pirates." Linus replied.
"So, what's the solution?" Rock asked.
"Hit them, hard and fast! If we're able to cause large casualties quickly, the pirates would hesitate to come out, throwing out their alliance. Now, this is all conjecture, but assuming it's false, we still win." Linus explained.
"Boy that's easier said than done. What means do we have to do that?" Julius asked a tough question. Just the mountain dwellers alone were not so much of a threat with them numbering to a thousand, but what if a reserve force doubled that? The small town of Solus could only field 500 fighting men. Head to head, they could not compete with the number of the pirates and mountain dwellers combined.
"Although there are risks involved, I have a plan. Pops, please listen." Linus told Julius.
"Please do." Julius listened earnestly.
The next day before the battle started, Linus used
"Hmm… Is this what Simon felt. I feel I can teach you a lot of things." Julius remarked.
"Pops, I believe it will help you relay commands better. It is an essential part of the strategy." Linus said with confidence.
***
In the morning, forces of both sides lined up cleanly in the field, facing each other a kilometer apart. The mountain dwellers were surprised by the act. They were expected to do a siege, not a field battle.
Igor was quick to notice the oddity. Their opponents were outnumbered two to one, yet they wanted to battle outside. "The fools! Ha ha ha ha! I heard of Julius' strength, and he may have the means to prove it, but I didn't expect him to be this brainless. No matter how good the warriors of Solus are, we far outnumber them. Plus, we have backup. Julius is in for a rude awakening."
"Master, an enemy combatant walked in the middle of the field, alone with a white flag." His henchmen reported.
"Yes, I can see that fool Julius! For formalities' sake, I must meet him. Come with me, bring a white flag."
Igor met Julius in the middle of the field. He couldn't help but reveal a sinister smile. He asked, "What do you want?"
"A battle of champions, you and me. Come on, Igor, let's settle this personally. Let us not waste our men's blood over a simple difference in opinion." With a finger, Julius gestured to the man, come at me.
"Opinion? It's a fact that you harbor a criminal. You have a duty to turn him over." Igor replied.
"It's true we had no conflict, but we are not friends. I have no such obligation to mountain dwellers like you. What's more, he's already dead! But enough talk, come at me!" Julius brandished his ginormous club, showing its sharp dark protrusions.
"Hmp! I would be a fool to accept your challenge, Julius. We'll meet each other later, should fate allows it!" Igor turned away and went back to his camp.
"IGOR, YOU SPINELESS COWARD! WILL YOU NOT DEFEND YOUR HONOR LIKE A MAN? GO HOME GIRL AND HIDE UNDER YOUR MOTHER'S SKIRT!" Julius yelled, mocking Igor. He turned around, bent over, and exposed his flawless buttocks for Igor and his army to admire. The warriors of Solus cheered the act, chanting, "COWARD! COWARD! COWARD!"
This was the second time Igor turned back with his tail between his legs. If shame could kill, he would have dropped dead already. Along with his ego, his army's morale took a deep dive. The chanting on the other camp only grew louder and bolder.
Back at the camp, Igor screamed, angrily stomping at the ground. "AARRRGGHH! JULIUS! I won't go home until I had your head on a spike! I'll dismember your corpse, gut you and feed your entrails to the wild dogs!"
"Master, calm down. This battle is ours! Look, they started marching." his henchmen reported.
From a frown to a smile, Igor's face quickly transformed, revealing his jagged yellowed teeth. "The mad man did it! Archers and slingers, ready! Troops, let's march and meet them in the field!"
At 400 meters, Igor's men were nervous, but the warriors of Solus didn't show any reaction. At 300, the men silently prayed to their gods, sweating, with some of them leaking – warm liquid flowed down their legs. Yet the men of Solus were calm, brandishing their weapons.
"Archers!" At 150 meters, the horn sounded, and Igor's archers lined up for the shot. They fired their first volley of arrows in the air.
Thun, thun, thunk! Arrows rained down, slowing down the march. The men of Solus received the arrows with their shields. Only a few hits went in, injuring some, but no fatalities.
"Archers!" Before Igor's men could fire another volley, the archers of Solus were already lined up, and returning the favor, they unleashed a storm of arrows.
"ARRRGGHHH!" The arrows hit with astonishing speed and accuracy, striking down the archers and slingers unopposed. The arrows hit so hard that the force knocked their targets down helpless. Some of the arrows even penetrated through, creating an exit wound on the other side and on rare instances caused more injuries to the person standing behind.
Igor's army haven't even recovered yet when another volley fell from the sky, catching them unprepared. Numerous men were struck and knocked down, while some were lucky enough to hide under their shields. Regardless, they were still forced down by the weight of the arrows. Although they survived, they were fearful of the opponents who were capable of shooting the heavy projectiles.
Volley after volley of heavy arrows fell from the sky in quick succession, causing confusion in Igor's ranks. Igor himself was puzzled, "How could they shoot so quickly?" Even before the armies clashed, some of Igor's men started breaking ranks, fleeing the scene.
"A ROUT! BROTHERS, CHARGE!" The men of Solus ran at full speed, swinging their heavy clubs and axes at their opponents, falling them by the hundred with just one blow.
Disorganized, Igor's frontline didn't offer any resistance at all and disintegrated in an instant. Witnessing the onslaught, the rest of the men fled, starting a massive rout. The battle ended right away.
"MEN, DON'T PURSUE, LET THEM COWARDS RUN! ARCHERS, KEEP ON SHOOTING!" Julius yelled.
It was a massacre. The arrows struck down many of the fleeing men.
Julius recalled the conversation he had with the kid last night.
"Pops, how far can our new bows effectively shoot compared to the old ones?" Linus inquired.
"About twice as far. 150 meters is a comfortable distance, but skilled snipers like myself can shoot beyond 200 meters." Julius replied.
"If our enemies entered the kill zone of 100 meters without knowing the ability of our new weapons, what do you think will happen?" Linus asked.
"Good heavens! They will get absolutely smashed. These new bows shatter planks in half at this distance. Considering how easy and fast these things shoot, we can easily annihilate their troops in a short time." Julius said.
"That's exactly is the key to winning. Do not let them know the capabilities of our new weapon until we are in a good range to rid of them. I sold 200 bows, if our men used them effectively, we could easily kill all the hostiles even before they have a chance to run." Linus explained.
"That should cause a rout. Then we pursue, annihilating their entire force." Julius concluded.
"Wrong, don't pursue, just keep on shooting. Their losses should be sufficient to keep them from dreaming of launching another attack." Linus suggested. "If you pursued them, the pirates might find an opportunity for an ambush. Do not give them that. That's a battle for another day." he further explained.
"It went exactly as the brat planned. The pirates must be nervous." Julius smiled.
Ding! [Achievement unlocked! You are hereby granted the skill
***
SMASH! A heavily bearded man pounded the table. "Damn you to hell, Igor! The monkeys didn't even last an hour in the fight. We didn't have a chance to come in."
A woman massaged his shoulders, whispering to his ear she said "Relax master. We haven't lost anything. We can come back another day and plan things through."
"My Priscilla, you are right." The man kissed the woman in the cheek. "Eventually, Julius' head will be mine. Ha ha ha ha!"