CHAPTER 7 - II -

 

Our impromptu force arrived at the vicinity of the town of Cullen just in time, as the mercenaries were about to launch an assault against the defenders.  We could tell from their formations that this was a determined attack, and the wooden palisades surrounding the place did not allow the town militia to mount an effective defense.

 

The Marquise of Monfort and I carefully crept into a hidden spot behind a copse of trees a few distances away from the immediate battle site.  We asked the rest of the paladins to hide themselves a little far from our current position since Cullen was surrounded by a wide prairie, and surprise attacks and ambushes won’t work here.

 

“What can you see?” I asked the Marquise.  By the way, aside from being the captain of the Paladin Corps, she was also a capable scout.  The reason behind that was her ability to cast the ‘Sharp Eyes’ magic spell, which improves her range, as well as line of sight.

 

“They bear weapons.”

 

I got a bit pissed when she said, “Yeah, I know that, but of what type?”  This wasn’t a time for jokes, Lady Monfort!

 

“Swords, spears…and maces?”

 

“Magicians?”

 

“There were a few.”

 

“Archers?”

 

“They got several at the back of their line.”

 

“How about cavalry?”

 

“None…oh wait, I see one!  I think that’s the commander…or I could be wrong.”

 

I quickly shifted from my hiding spot to confirm the Marquise’s sighting, “Yep, I guess it’s the commander alright.  His gestures suggest that he’s the one giving instructions.  Could you estimate their numbers from observation alone, Lady Monfort?”

 

“That group alone maybe about a hundred or two?  Plus, the archers on their rear line, that would put their numbers to around 250 or 260?  Again, it’s a rough estimate.”

 

“How about their armor?”

 

“Hmm…most were wearing leather armor, and a few possessed lamellar armor used by the elves from Cherwoods.”

 

“Oh, really?  Could you tell if there were elves in that group?”

 

“I think I saw one or two earlier.”

 

“Anything on the defenders?”

 

“Do we really have to check on that?”

 

“Of course!  We need to know how long they could hold out.”

 

The Marquise rolled her eyes and went back to her scouting, “Kuro, the town militia were armed with swords and spears as well.  However, I could tell that they’re exhausted, and their number was few…possibly some of them were manning the main gate, and was obscured from my sight.”

 

“Alright, let’s get back quickly.” I tapped on her shoulder, “Their attack could start any moment now, and we should join the fray to relieve the garrison as soon as possible.”

 

 

Back with the other paladins, who were impatient to attack, the Marquise told them the information we gathered.  At once, the ladies were quick to act.  However, I asked their captain to hold them back for a bit more.

 

“What?  You just told me earlier that we should make haste, or they could begin their assault soon!”

 

“Well, I said that.” I explained to the Marquise, “However, we need to plan our course of action, guys!”

 

“Nonsense!” another paladin interrupted me, “You may have had the trust of Her Holiness, but certainly not us!  Who are you to keep on acting like you’re our captain?”

 

The other paladins were also angry at me.  They were telling me off, and some went far as to call me a ‘coward’.  Well, get mad at me for all the time you want, but I won’t let them take rash actions that can end up killing us all.

 

“My ladies, I apologized for my unacceptable behavior.” I told them, “However, if I may just request that you listen to me one last time; the captain would surely lead you to victory.  If not, you could take my head anytime.”

 

There was an air of uncertainty among the paladins once I aired my proposal.  Even that paladin who called me a coward earlier agreed to listen.

 

“So, what’s your plan?”

 

“Do you know the Cantabrian circle?”

 

“For goodness’ sake, don’t start with the explanations now!”

 

“Alright, alright!  I’ll get to my point!” I quickly drew the enemy formation on the paper that was provided to me, “As you know, our enemies possess pole weapons, mostly spears.  It’s likely that once they detected our approach, they’d form a spear wall to counter your cavalry charge.”

 

“Well, with our numbers, I’m sure it’s enough to break them.” a paladin confidently boasted, “After all, these are only mercenaries.”

 

“With 45 people?  Sure, you can!  But what about the injured?”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“You could expect casualties, right?”

 

“It’s part of our job, yes.”

 

“And do you even have a plan after half of your force is injured, and the enemy hasn’t surrendered yet?” I raised this concern, “What about if they brought up fresh reinforcements?  Do you think your half-spent force and the weary defenders from the town garrison who’d try to sally forth could defeat them?”

 

“That’s…” the paladin had a terrible expression on her face; she suddenly realized the gravity of the situation.

 

“Here’s my plan.  The Duke of Braunhauer’s force would take time to arrive—if they so decided to help, so I propose we harass and ‘soften’ the enemy numbers before doing anything drastic like a full charge.  And for that, a Cantabrian circle could help.”

 

“A what?”

 

“The Cantabrian circle was a cavalry formation used by some ancient tribes back in my country.  Basically, the light cavalry would run in a continuous circular formation, armed with javelins and peppering the enemy with it.  Against a tightly packed army, it would surely be effective—either by dwindling their numbers, or provoking them into a disorganized charge that we can count.  On their side, the archers and magicians would have difficulty hitting us since we’ll be constantly moving, thus preserving our numbers for a last push.”

 

“Hmm…sounds plausible.”

 

“However, I know that you guys were mostly heavy cavalry, so we’ll have to change that formation.”

 

“How?”

 

“You fight as light cavalry.  We don’t have ranged weapons like bows and arrows, so we’ll have to fight by raining down magic attacks on them.  Have a few of our own magicians to act as a counter to their own magicians who’d attempt to nullify your spells as well.”

 

“But Kuro, we can’t be riding a horse while shooting magic!” the Marquise of Monfort pointed out, “It takes high concentration, unlike thrusting lances and swinging swords; and our minds could never be in two places!”

 

“Of course, it’s true.” I smirked, “That’s why, let’s try something new.  How about we attack in pairs?  One would direct the horse, and the other rider would be in charge with magic.”

 

“That’s stupid!” the paladins protested, “This is a grave insult to our honor!”

 

“If you guys have a better idea on how to survive, better spit it out, or we’ll be too late.”

 

“We better die than suffer this shame!”

 

“Well, it’s fine by me if that’s your wish.” I was actually desperate to make them listen, I kept on blabbering my thoughts, “However, your course of action would be useless once you’re dead, and it’s no better than actually doing nothing but watch those people get killed mercilessly.”

 

The paladins fell awfully silent.  Once I realized I was already raising my voice, quickly stopped myself from spouting more.  When I calmed down, I picked up my matchlock and walked in the direction of the town of Cullen.

 

My chest is about to burst with anger at their stupid reasons.  If they’d insist on their deaths, then so be it.

 

“Where are you going?” the Marquise of Monfort asked me.

 

“Let me go to the battlefield to watch your glorious deaths and then report to Her Holiness about it!”

 

“…”

 

Soon, however, the Marquise of Monfort picked me up and let me rode her horse.  Behind us were twenty other war steeds, each were being ridden by her a pair of her fellow paladins, marching into battle.

 

 

“Chhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggeeeeeeeeee!!!”

 

The attack on the town of Cullen had begun all the while we’re arguing on the best course of action.  I believed that this would be the mercenaries’ second charge to breach the town palisades; good thing the town militia fended them off in the first assault.

 

 

“…”

 

We watched from afar as we waited for our entire force of 21 horses to get into their respective positions.

 

“Alright girls, we use Kuro’s tactics.  Run in a circular formation, throw magic spells on these bastards, and retreat if they try to attack us.” the Marquise of Monfort reminded them, “Swords and wands at the ready!”

 

The paladins brought out their swords and wands.  And then, in a move that raised the hairs on my skin, they shouted in unison.

  

It’s not that wild, disorganized war cry that was prevalent in the movies I watched, but a melodic, almost-singing shout.  It was awesome, at the same time terrible.  I could feel my blood being pumped, and I quickly checked on my gun to make sure that I loaded it properly.

 

The Paladin Corps’ war cry is enough to instill courage in anyone fighting on their side, even though we knew we’re hopelessly outnumbered.

 

The mercenaries were shocked to see us appear on the battlefield.  Trained by their experience, they immediately shifted from attacking the town and its defenders to becoming the defenders themselves and forming a spear wall against us.

 

And then their archers shot their arrows at us.

 

“Deploy the barriers!”

 

The dedicated magicians in our group did as they were ordered.  The deadly projectiles bounced off to the ground, and the enemy archers stopped firing.  It’s a futile attempt to waste their ammunition without even scratching a single one among us.

 

“Once the barrier was removed, be quick to charge, fire your spells, and retreat.” I told them, “They’d surely fire their arrows on us.”

 

The paladins, though they never answered me audibly, nodded their heads in agreement.  Once the magicians in our group removed the magic barrier they set up…

 

“Paladins!  For the Saint and Chersea!” was the resounding cry from the Marquise of Monfort.

 

The entire battle line then moved forward with thunderous speed.