More chapters on my patreon page
⛔www.p@treon.com/Greatsage5302⛔
________________________
"People of the stars, darkness has struck once more. Singhry has no place to retreat! I ask you to take up arms with me, to walk the unfinished path of our fallen king!" Novia's voice was steady but laced with an undeniable urgency as he addressed the gathered Singhry elves.
"Move out!" Novia commanded from atop her unicorn, her voice carrying the weight of centuries-old grievances. The star elves, quiet and resolved, let the anger of a three-thousand-year-old betrayal stir within them once again.
Roland eyed the unicorns with envy. "The local tyrants, riding those majestic creatures," he muttered. A unicorn's life force rivaled that of a dragon, and though it was a support type, it was loaded with buffs that could turn the tide in battle.
"Don't be too jealous, Your Highness," Reynold said with a smirk, having overheard Roland. "When it comes to battle, unicorns are no match for griffins."
"Still, the unicorns have style," Roland replied, nearly drooling with admiration.
---
In the city of Los Saint-Neil, a few sentries leaned against the wooden walls, lazily watching the dark forest. They stretched and yawned, their minds far from any thoughts of danger.
But then, a sentinel noticed something unusual. "Wait… what's that?" he stammered, his eyes widening in disbelief as he pointed toward the forest.
The other sentries snapped to attention as they followed his gaze. The forest was alive with movement—large-scale troops were marching toward them, the bushes swaying and birds scattering in fear. There was no mistaking it: the orcs of Dogordo were on the move.
"Sound the alarm!" one of the sentries shouted. The bells rang out, echoing through the city and sending the townsfolk into a panic.
"Get to the walls! Bring everyone inside the city!" James commanded as he rushed out of his post, rallying his soldiers into action. The heavy clatter of dwarven-made armor filled the air as they scrambled to their positions.
"25 of you to the north wall, 25 to the east! Adriq, take 100 men to the south! The rest with me to the west wall!" James ordered, his voice firm as he raised his weapon, ready to defend the city.
---
Meanwhile, Roland struggled to control his moon deer, grimacing as the creature moved beneath him.
"Having trouble, King Roland?" Novia teased, his own mount responding smoothly to his commands. "The moon deer have their own charm, don't they?"
"Why do elves even raise mounts if they don't have knights?" Roland asked, curiosity getting the better of him. After all, knights were a human institution, a profession not shared by other races.
"Rangers," Novia answered, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
Roland sighed. Human knights were knights by virtue of their mounts. Elves, on the other hand, were rangers with or without a steed. "Such arrogance," Roland muttered to himself.
Suddenly, James appeared, his eyes wide as he took in the sight of the elven army emerging from the forest.
"Elves? Where did they come from?" James wondered aloud. His gaze fell on Roland, recognizing him immediately.
---
"King James, what's going on?" Roland called out as he noticed the soldiers on the walls of Los Saint-Neil aiming their bows at them.
"Uh… forgot," James muttered, waving his hand for the soldiers to lower their weapons. He hurried down to meet the group.
"Who are these?" James asked, eyeing the newcomers suspiciously.
"They're star elves from the dark forest, the last reinforcements I could find," Roland explained. "This is Novia, the king of Singhry, and Peter Gros, the star dragon knight."
"Welcome to Los Saint-Neil, to the Kingdom of Akvia!" James said, extending his hand in greeting.
"Thank you for your hospitality, King James," the elves replied with a nod.
---
Later, at a dinner gathering, James pulled Roland aside. "So… no other reinforcements?"
"Correct," Roland said, lowering his voice. "If we're lucky, the dwarves from Iron Hill might come, but…"
James sighed. The star elves had a history of conflict with the dwarves. The thought of them working together was almost unimaginable.
"At least the elves brought us something we sorely needed: long-range support. We won't have to resort to throwing stones at the orcs," Roland said with a sigh of relief.
Roland's troops consisted of 100 knights, 100 Batenian shooters, 100 Lagrand city guards, 100 Dovini heavy armored swordsmen, 500 conscripted light infantry, and 10 El Niño rangers. They were joined by Temple Priest Ivy, War Mage Ladir, Dragon Knight Carlos, and Paladin Commander Reynold. But of these, only the 100 Batenian shooters were truly skilled at ranged combat.
James's forces were in a similar situation, with 500 elite infantry, 200 cavalry, 47 knights, and over 150 hunters—an army cobbled together from the best soldiers 7,000 people could offer.
"I just expanded my army," James said, explaining that the dwarves had provided weapons, hoping the southern front could hold. "The dwarves are facing the half-orc army from the north," he added.
"They can't possibly fight on two fronts," Roland mused, understanding the dwarves' predicament.
"Your Highness, this wall… it's too low, and wood and stone are only used for key supports. It won't hold against the orcs," Novia remarked, having carefully inspected the defenses of Los Saint-Neil.
"They've only recently migrated from the north and established this kingdom," Roland explained, slightly embarrassed.
"We'll need to help you reinforce it," Peter Gros said. The original plan was for the elves to position themselves between Los Saint-Neil and Elub to support both. But given the city's current state, that plan would have to change.
"Your Highness, how's the defense of your own city?" Novia asked, his tone serious.
Roland nearly choked on his drink. "Well, Swift City's defenses aren't that important. The orcs wouldn't cross the Swift River to attack it."
"The stars above… don't tell me it's as bad as this place?" Novia's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Actually… it's worse," Roland admitted, shrinking under Novia's gaze.