The city was theirs in what seemed like hours since Atago's first arrival. Now, she laid docked on the destroyed port, whereupon injured knights and dead knights were retrieved from grave situations. For all who survived Germany's first onslaught, they were treated with a nice hot meal of soup and bread.
A kind gesture, sure. But meaningless in the face of all that transpired. In the bar, Hierd and Friedrick were busying themselves with a map they had just accuired from the merchant's guild's office, of which was left abandoned.
"There is a way toward Hesia from the sea, but it'd take atleast three days before we get to their main land." Pointed out Friedrick as he glided his finger along a hidden line close the shores and stopping onto a Hesian city.
"Which is why, it'd be more faster, better; really. That we have our troops run up to the mountains."
"It's cold up there, and I do not think we have any winter gear in our supplies, and even so, it would only be up to the hundreds."
Hierd smiled. "You're wrong about two things; we do have winter gear and we have enough for a thousand." He slid a paper, "Rush on over this invoice from me to Atago, she's storing it in her hold.
"Thank you, lord." Friedrick stood and headed out.
( * )
It was nearing the end of September, yet the coldness was as if it were the end of October. The swell of cold was most probably because of the absence of people heating up their homes and the surrounding streets with their chimneys. And also the geographical climate of Hesia, and how coldness comes rolling in as early as October.
The Atago and it's surroundings were the hub of everything military. Just to it's side was a multitude of tents of soldiers and sailors resting and making food. Hierd wasn't aware of the customs and traditions of the common krimvaldian; but if he's learned anything since his first year of ruling Germany, was that they gathered any day, everyday, for food.
Then just outside the tents were a small encampment, a small prison one could say, as it housed the various injured knights and Hesian sailors. The nurses and field doctors worked hours on their injuries, treating the lightly and gravely injured with the same attention as would they treated their own soldiers.
The winter gear cargo was unloaded by the Atago's cranes; working together the soldiers and sailors carefully put them on the few hard flat grounds available on the port.
Then opened them using a hatchet; coming out in droves from the first few holes, the winter great coats ran out, they were black in color and the fine, smooth, fabric they glided their hands across with were satisfying to touch, to feel.
Soon after, the whole army there had their winter great coats on, and they were warmer already. (The sailors did not wear such since they wouldn't be going up the mountain).
( * )
"Soldiers, we'll be going up the mountain turn clocks by four P.M" Friedrick looked at this own watch, 3:49.
"It will be cold, just like when Auferstehen came." Friedrick continued on; "And because we do not know exactly what is happening up there, and we do not know whether they've mobilized a cannonade up there. So? We will be employing the range of our mortars and rifles."
4:10 P.M
It started with a march, trekking the dirt path as it made it's way; swindling up like a snake, traversing the flattest of surfaces on a steep mountain. Of the hundreds of soldiers; only three platoons made their way up. With each platoon having ten squads, with all platoons combined there were thirty of those mortars.
Trekking with them, the lieutenants were given orders to survey three main points of the mountain's steep. The first platoon were to survey, to scout first as soon as they reach the summit, then the second platoon would be going a bit adjacent. To act out a flank in case there really was a troop of knights heading up.
Then lastly the third platoon would stand by, warming up and setting up a small tent on the small cliff face that had enough space to put a tent in. Ultimately, for their radios. "We'll reach sharp by four-twenty, let's make it quick before the first platoon reaches the top."
"Yes sir!"
There was this sense of urgency and competition amongst the three platoons to do their duties. It was uncommon for their leader, the leader of Germany to be watching them do their every action. Because of that, they were at their best faces.
4:40 P.M
The tent's done as well with it's radio equipment. The first call went through. Picking it up; "How goes the first platoon?" Recognizably; it was Friedrick's voice.
"Sir, the first platoon is still heading up, sir."
"How much longer till they've reached the summit?"
There was a moment of silence between two phone calls, of the first platoon's radio man and Friedrick down at the bar in Geo. Then; "Sir, they are pretty near, they say about thirty more minutes."
"Good."
5:10 PM
The first platoon had just stepped on the boundary of two cities and the tip of a mountain range. Her name was Hallband, stretching cross Hesia all the way to the so called municipality of Arsteli to the north. And indeed from that height could they see her greatness in length as well could they feel the frigidness.
It was by no means the tallest of mountain ranges, however, with the cold climate of the Hesian kingdom as well as the tall altitude. The first platoon could just make out the two ends of the world. As well as the bottom of the cliff. "Movement."
Hearing the word, the platoon's lieutenant outlooked the cliff as did the soldier. "Indeed. You!" -he pointed to the radioman- "Radio third platoon, say that there are forces making their way up to the mountain… And that they are relatively close."
"Yes, sir!"
Immidiate urgency among the men of the first platoon. Their exhaustedness from the hike up, taking few breaks with fewer time spent in those said breaks all broke up in an instant. They shuddered awake their tired bodies and erected their mortars as fast as they could.
Three,
Then four,
Then ten.
Ten mortars lined up together, their barrel pointed high, but as calculated, their trajectories should hit the mountain below. With the lieutenants eyes eyeing up the crowd of dust moving toward them, the flags that stemmed on the top of every wooden pole
It was an army coming to them for the second time, the third time? The knights were clad in iron, it seems they've been informed of the catastrophe that blasted forth their city and they all wear their best wears. But whatever they wear, be it metal or leather, "No man can stop a gun." The lieutenant commented.
"Indeed, sir, no man can stop a gu-"
Impaled.
The lieutenant stood eyeing up the arrow that was planted deep into the man's left eye. It took a few seconds before that soldier could understand what transpired, but in those brief few seconds, the man fell; blood splattering on the lieutenant's uniform.
"Men!" He yelled, "FIRE!"
Before another arrow would fly-by, potentially hitting someone, the soldiers ducked and went towards their mortars. A hip! And the round hovered on the barrel. Then a ho! The rounds drops and fires!
Blasts by blasts. Ten mortars and ten blasts. A hail of fire, that, like arrows, were to meet the ground. The mortar rounds, the bombs, came down like hail and blew up in spectacular bangs with similarly horrendous sparks of shocks.
The knights down below erupted in yells and cries for help. Their cacophony reaching even to the other side of the mountain to Geo's streets.
A call, the radiomen of the third platoon picked it up. "Report to me what's happening right now!" A sense of urgency from Hierd's voice this time.
"Lord, the first platoon has started firing at the knights with their mortars that are 'close' they said, to their position. The second platoon has yet to place themselves into position. But they are now making haste towards it."
"Casualties? Injuries? The knights, what are they doing and what will they be doing?"
A second of silence, "Lord, there is one casualty, by arrow-fire. Our mortar fire should silence any knights trying to huckle arrows at the first platoon. The knights, lord, should be detered from making their way up, but the first platoon believes they'll get pass and they're prepared to shoot."
Tisk
"No casualties." Hierd slammed the phone shut.
---
The fusilade of mortar fire have the knights by the tip of their toes. They sent a messenger to tell what was happening up yonder the mountain; "Sir! The first command needs urgent back-up, the unknown militant forces possess magicians that use explosive magicks."
"Explosive magic!?" The commander yelled in surprise; "And you say, magicians?"
"Yes, sir."
"There are multiple magicians they have that use explosive magic, such a magic is unheard of! In all of the world only three I could name who could use such!"
Taking in the overwhelming information brought down to him, he thinks of a decision that could be the best of decisions his mind could bring upon. "They're hailing a manner too powerful, I want our second battery of magicians to run up in aiding them fight back. -
"With their way of fighting, they'll have the first line down in moments, reinforce the first camp with field cannons, and while reinforcing the second camp." He sighed in exhaustion. "Go! Now!"
---
Indeed, the first line of knights were down in instant, the whole line of what seems like a hundred knights were down, down to their flagmen and pike men. "They are moving fast down there." Commented the lieutenant looking down, now, with a bit more hesitance.
"Sir, what do you suppose we do?"
"They've reacted fast, this isn't Krimvald we're fighting now, so let's expect some differences. We need to establish a camp here. We're using a tank."
( * )
6:30 P.M
No movement whatsoever. And in the time, a simple camp was spent and a whole brigade of work was done in that singular hour. Night was approaching, the violet-orange serenity of the end of dusk and the start of twilight was like the beginning of a hypnotically beautiful painting background.
Staring down, lanterns were being lit in Geo's next door city. The beauty of a city, clearly shone from the high altitude. Friedrick stood, eyeing it up from the edge, the tip of his sole almost touching the cliff.
"Are you going to jump?" Joked Gelmund, coming out from a lit tent.
"Just observing." He turned backwards and walked to him. "Thanks for the MP40," He opened the belt-strap and gave him the MP40.
"You can keep it, as far as I know, I'm in charge of the tanks and vehicles of late, won't be getting to close to the heat of the battle sadly."
"Hmm." He put the strap back on his shoulder again. "Thanks. How goes the tanks?"
They started walking to the opposite direction, where Geo was. "They're improving the road in some areas, since it's narrow and tank's are heavy, in risk of falling the cliff. At seven it'll probably all be completed, enough for the tanks to climb the hill."
"Good. Let's try and make this battle a bit more faster?" He chuckled a little. "Length isn't something I'm going for really."
"I too… I too, Friedrick."
---
At the said camp, they had installed small wooden towers with soldiers with binoculars observing the rapidly darkening paths that wind it's way down to the city below. With the magnifying distance the binoculars could use, they could see the first camp of theirs with full detail.
Said camp turned into a fortress. Wooden spikes turned stable walls, with two tower sentries, obviously with bow-men inside each of the hidden slits.
Gated closed, with two knights whom stood outside, eyeing at the tip of the mountain, fear? Curiosity? Their faces dictated two emotions, both, lining up with each other. "We aren't expecting an advance. And since there are no other routes up the mountain, we think they'll be there indefinitely waiting for us to come down, lord."
"Then let's not make them wait too long." Hierd smiled to himself. "The tanks will come by seven, as planned, first and second platoon will escort the tank down, providing rifle fire if they were to flank. The first fortress'll be knocked down by the tank, then proceed to the second. It should all go down without fail."
"Yes, sir."
Hierd hung up the call and rested on his wooden chair. Admiring the mountain range from the small glass window. The road leading up was plastered with electric and lantern lights. And what came blocking each light was the tremendous steel rhinos moving through.
The sheer weight, with each track grasping the ground tightly; rumbled the mountain as if it were a titan coming through. A knock rocked the door; "Lord! Requesting permission to enter, lord.
"You may enter."
A female soldier, she carried a letter.
"Lord! The purpose of my visit was to deliver this message from sir Adelheid regarding the issues with the Betelion incident that happened. As well as Ma'am Jeane's current health." As Hierd extended his hand, she put the letter on it. "I shall go now, thank you lord."
"Thank you."
As the door slammed closed, Hierd ripped the top part of the envelope, revealing the paper enclosed within. Folding the letter open, he was graced with multiple paragraphs and two names; Jeane and Adelhied.
It read;
"Lord Hierd, I presume by the time this letter has been received you have taken the city of Geo. I am pleased to say, lord, that talks with the Betelionic leader has gone smoothly.
"Rather comedic, I add. Since my leading argument why our troops were there was because;
"'To strengthen our friendship as two countries, we wished to help you bring down a foe that has been degrading yours.' Since I found out; they didn't know the 'hidden' operations that George guy was doing."
"To further settle things. Jeane apologized for not informing them. But all's well, she's well. They said instead that they wished to have a gander at our armory, taking home a Luger and a Kar98k with them for research. I'm sure all goes well for that part."
"Thank you, lord. And hope to find you ruling Germany with proud eyes."
Signed; Jeane and Adelheid.
"Them having a taste of my technology," Hierd said with intrigue; "I'm not so sure about that. But, if another man could mass produce guns, I would a hundred percent endorse it. Let's see where that road goes to."
( * )
"Sir!" The knight came barreling down the door towards the commander.
"Is this about the rumbling?" The commander looked at the knight, begging for the answer to his question.
"Yes, sir. We do not know what is causing this rumbling, but the second line is requesting the third line's cannons in case they…"
"They what? They what!" The commander commanded.
"Sir, they think that our enemies possess golems."
"Golems? Golems!? I'd more better believe the existance of a higher plane of being than golems, but damn it I can't shake that feeling off." He shaked his fist in anger. "I grant the request. But I must need our siege weapons available right now, if we need to, we'll bring down this mountain!"
"Y-yes sir!"
Then, another knight came barreling down his already broken door.
"Sir!"
"What happened!?" The commander exclaimed.
"There are several lights heading down the mountain from it's summit, the first line can't see much but they have voiced huge dark sillhouetes, they are the things making the ground rumble, sir."
"Golems." The commander dropped down to his knees, in the face of horror, this urge to flee, he refused his primal instinct. "To the third line! I want available cannons to aim high up the mountain, place wooden wedges on their bottoms if need be! All we want is fire erupting that mountain edge! Now!"
---
The first blast of the many, the Tiger, first in line, fires a bit offset the first fortress ahead them. The blast alone, was an invisible army. The mere sight of the explosion sent knights down, afraid to move even.
"What are you numb nuts doing!?" Lieutenant of the second line, yelling at the cowering knights and footmen. "Fire your arrows at the force! Now! Before you get beat down, not by me, but by the law!"
The fierceness of his voice sent the men, already cowering, to their left positions. Holding their arrows and bows shaking with fear. Both from their enemies, and their allies.
The lieutenant ran to the magicians, preparing their spells and staffs. "What are you all doing!? This is no picnic to the beach, this is war! Fix your gear at once and release your fireballs!"
"Y-yes, sir!" Quickly, the remaining work left to do they did with haste.
The lieutenant stood half-waist. Resting on a singular wooden pole. The black dots in the even blacker environment was hard to observe, all he knew, was that the commander down the mountain wanted a full barrage of power. "Men! Cast fireball!"
A magical cast; broke and straight it threw casts of fire, balls of varying sizes. Toward the darkness ahead; unknown voices introduced themselves in yells; "Fireballs! Cover!"
As the fireballs neared their supposed targets, observers; the knights and sorcerers. They saw a hunk of steel, a hunk of mountain moving towards them, protruding forth like does the horn on a unicorn; this metal rod.
Fire did nothing to this metal beast; the heat of the fireball, the only spell deemed powerful enough to melt the steel of a blade. Cannot melt this monster moving at them. What was it?
Crackles came from the top of the mountain; flashes of light then the very next milisecond; an archer falls from the tower. "What magic is this!?" The lieutenant blurted out; "Everyone! Back to the ground! Hide for cover!"
Fragments of wood blasted from every which place, along with the wood came the stray bullets hitting someone's body injecting them with this seering pain; the pain almost making the knights faint.
Cannons.
From the bottom of the mountain; the knights and footmen were shooting cannons judging from the sounds being so distant; it was from the third line or even from the very base of the mountain.
The back gate lowered and a small platoon of knights came gushing out with cannons being pulled by horses. They rushed to the cannons, releasing them from the clutches of the horses. "Men! Aim at the wooden walls! Archer men, prepare for a retreat! We're going down after the cannons fire!"
"Yes, sir!"
The archers and knights left their positions; fleeing out the back gate. With a small group of them left to operate the three light cannons that were there.
BOOM!
The tank blasted through the wooden gate; the HE round penetrating through yet when it hit the ground; a blast, this explosion erupted. Red and orange; then this heat. A very distinct heat. The lieutenant, and the other knights were blasted backward in terrific fashion.
"Fire! Fire now!" The lieutenant raised his sword toward the tank going fast toward them.
Two bullets pierced the metal around his torso, and ultimately; into his heart. In fleeting moments, as if were it a dream, his eyes caught glimpse the cannons firing. Dying; he left smiling.
---
"They have the first fortress! The second line is broken!" The footmen yelled; running for the gates of the third line's second fortress. The men were let in, and they groveled to the ground in exhaustion, running in full knight gear bearing their staffs and their blades.
Cannon fire has yet to cease from this fortress and the fortress after it; looking up, the knights find their fortress engulfed in flames, and a whole symphony of harsh yells coming from it. "You have to believe me, to believe us!" The knights begged to the lieutenant.
"Those monsters have tamed an iron dragon!"
"Coated in iron, with a snout that expels fire!" Another added.
"Calm down, men." The lieutenant eased them, yet did not work in the slightest regard. "I want a messenger down there quick telling the commander of the circumstances. But, right now, our defenses are weaker. We need to focus on arrow fire and our sorcerers. Liuetendante prepare it now!"
"Aye, sir!"
---
From out the fires of the first fortress, tanks and soldiers slowly crawled down, aiming for the next one to destroy. "Sir!" The Tiger's radio operator shouted to it's crew. "Command tells us to fire at the second fortress here."
They popped open the periscope, stopping all movement. With only the mechanical hum of the engine soothing their ears. The next fortress was about two kilometers away. With the slope the tank had stopped on; it was already in it's lowest elevation.
Swiftly, the loader put an HE round into the barrel, closing the lid. Making sure it's locked in. Now, all was needed to do was flick the button.
A phish of hot, inferno-like heat exhaled forward the three barrels of the three tanks. The rounds exited their cages, now free to relish towards their targets. The sheer explosiveness, the recoil of the round repelled the tanks back a little. And in another second, the fortress was gone.
This cloud of smoke and heat. Has a volcano erupted from the ground? A geyser of lava destroyed the wooden fortress effortless. That, that was the comment the commander made before fainting.
"The commander has gone!" Taking command; the lieutenant there instructed for the knights to keep shooting with their cannons at the mountain. Then; bringing up the remaining magicians and sorcerers; fireballs and iceballs were fired upon at the mountain in quick succession.
A bang, a dent. Yet never a puncture. "Everyone! Remain hiding behind the tank and you'll be okay!" The lieutenants screamed to their soldiers.
"Yes, sir!" The tanks began moving down slowly, making their way through every short and sharp curve. Whilst being bombarded by cannon-fire and magics of different elements.
Soon, the tanks reached their destination, the second fortress. Taking ahold of it, their tanks gathered for a final bombardment. The small court of the burnt down fortress was a great platform, and figured they would just shoot through the still standing wooden walls. A sort of; surprise why don't you?
But, while in the middle of taking their measurements; The lieutenant in charge of the tanks, was eyeing out the city from atop the still standing upper platform of the fortress, and too the last fortress guarding it. When then, he noticed a small silhouette hiding itself from behind the fortress. A large, sillhouete. "What is that?" He questioned to himself.
The sillhoeute moved!? What was the large dark sillhouete? No, it couldn't be… "Everyone!" He turned around to his soldiers. "Duck! Get down!"
A trebuchet and it's stone payload. The tigers stationed there narrowly avoided the devastingly heavy weight of the stone. It, missing by only a meter. "Shit!" The lieutenant screamed internally, "Everyone! Get in position and fire the tanks!"
"Yes sir!"
The tank crews were completely oblivious inside their silent cocoons. But when the radio operators received their orders from within the radio, the loaders quickly loaded the HE round and then…
"Fire!"
The last explosions to end it all.
The blasts of five tanks and their equivalent power. The wooden fortress was evaporated, gone. Destroyed. The tank crew opened their cupolas, and the soldiers hiding behind the tanks got around to the front.
A spectacle of carnage. The lieutenants got their binoculars out, observing the city from their newly gotten fortress. "The bottom fortress has been wiped out. They put on a good fight." A smile.
Victory.
The soldiers rejoiced, throwing their arms up into the air with their guns and pistols, their faces widened as their teeth did the same. The yell of victory; to Hierd it was music; to all of Hesia?
It was the end days.