-Alexis Lycan, 18 Years Old-
As Alexis charges forward on his horse with his sword held high, he sees the shock in the enemies' eyes. A lone rider charging towards an enemy force is downright crazy, yet here he is. When he is a few feet from their lines, Alexis suddenly pulls his horse to the side and runs parallel to them. He sticks his sword out and rakes it across the few soldiers that are in its path. Whenever the blade touches them, it cleaves through their armor like butter. Their hot blood and sticky guts rain on their comrades and compromises their footing. A few of the soldiers even fall down, slipping on the gore.
Alexis wheels his horse around and draws behind his own lines of men, who have just reached the enemy. The Lycan soldiers lock their shields together in perfect sync. The shields cover most of the body, only their feet are barely sticking out from under the wall of steel. And these feet are covered in sturdy greaves. No normal blade would damage them.
As the Lycan soldiers form their wall, the unknown force skids to a stop before them, unsure of what to do. They have never faced such a tactic before. Usually, they would be hacking away with wild abandon right about now. As the enemy is confused as to what to do next, Alexis' soldiers are not. Spears bristle from the wall and shoot forward with a quick shout from Ryan. Most of the polearms find their mark. The spear tips tear through the cheap armor and inflict grievous wounds. Screams of agony and confusion soon fill the air. The spears pull back and prepare to stab forward again.
At this point, some of the enemy soldiers realize what is coming and swell forward, hoping to smash through the shield wall. But as they close in, they see small glints from the top of the shields. This is the sun reflecting off of drawn swords. As the first enemy crashes into the wall, the front row of the Lycans strike out with their swords, stabbing over the shields. It is a slaughter.
Alexis watches the massacre from behind his line of men. His job is done. His self-appointed role was to disorganize the enemies already reckless charge so his soldiers could form up. All he has to do now is wait for the dust to settle. Ten or so minutes later, Ryan pulls his horse up next to Alexis. The 'fight' is over.
"We captured a few of 'em. No casualties on our side." Ryan says briefly.
He wants to keep it concise so he can look after his men. After all, this was their first battle and their first taste of actual combat. Some will inevitably struggle with feelings of taking a life for the first time. Alexis nods his head as he surveyed the plains where the battle took place. Bodies are strewn across the field, their faces contorted into silent screams. It is a grotesque sight indeed.
"Have them chained up in the pillories of Starfall." Alexis says. Then after a few moments of silence he rests a hand on his vassal's shoulder and speaks softly to him. "You have done well, Ryan. Be proud."
Alexis then rides towards his soldiers and stops before them. He gazes at their faces, some of which have wild eyes or white faces. He also notes that some of the soldiers are calm and composed, so he memorizes their faces for the future. He holds his bloody sword high, drawing their attention.
"My soldiers! Look at the sheep before you." Alexis shouts as he points at the dead bodies of their foes. "They could not even touch you. Relish in this victory, my soldiers. Do not forget this day. You are now wolves! You will become the swords and claws of the Lycan Dukedom! Rejoice!"
At Alexis' words, the more distraught of the soldiers slowly pull themselves together and let loose a strained rallying cry. Alexis nods and signals for Ryan to take over. As he leaves the field, he feels the hair on his arms stand on end. It is the telltale feeling of being watched.
-
Alexis sits at his desk, strewn across which are various maps of the current and old Lycan domain. His foremost goal is to reclaim the land that the old Lycan castle sits upon. The good news is that the land borders his own and is officially unclaimed. The bad news is that it is now the home of bandits and outlaws who had settled the land as their own. As he thinks this over, there is a knock on the door. Alexis waves his hand, preoccupied by the maps and his own thoughts. Sabrina bows slightly and opens the door.
"It is Ryan, my Lord."
Alexis glances up and nods. He has been waiting for him. "Let him in."
Sabrina opens the door and stands aside so Ryan could enter. She then walks to the edge of the room to prepare tea for her Lord and his guest. Ryan quickly strides up to Alexis and sets a few papers on his desk. They are transcripts of the interrogation that had just taken place. Ryan had been tasked with 'questioning' the captured soldiers. Alexis picks them up and reads through them quickly. His frown deepens the more he reads on.
"I see..." Alexis mumbles. "So, it looks like Baronet Anstrada is jealous of our newfound fortune."
Baronet Anstrada is a minor Lord in charge of a couple villages and whose lands straddles a small part of Alexis'. His family were once vassals of the Lycan family and served as their accountants and attendants. They were also one of the first families to break away during the Lycans decline.
Ryan looks downright furious as he stands before him, his fists clenched. Righteous fury burns inside him at the brazen attack from a traitor family. Alexis notices this and lets out a small laugh. It echoes in the near silent room.
"Come now Ryan, save some of that rage for later." Alexis says playfully. "They have just delivered us the perfect casus belli."
Ryan looks confused for a quick moment before catching on to his words. A fearsome grin soon breaks out on his face.
"You mean...?" He asks hopefully.
"Yes. We can counterattack without any repercussions. And take back some of the ancient Lycan lands while we're at it." Alexis says with the same smile as Ryan's.
War is now on the horizon.