CHAPTER 6 - III -

 

***At the coalition camp…***

 

“Looks like the Imperials never took our bait,” Kuro muttered as he watched the horizon for any sizable enemy force after they deliberately showed themselves at Gebrei.

 

“Yes.” The commander of the Golden Territory Warriors, Stephan, agreed, “Looks like they remained encamped outside the town.”

 

“So, what do you plan now?” Griffyth asked.

 

“We go to plan B.” was Kuro’s answer, “Hold these hills for now.”

 

“Hoh?  That’s just strange coming from you.” Griffyth commented, “I thought we’re going to attack?”

 

“Well, yes.  We’ll hold our positions here, and attack them as well.” Kuro called out to Winters, “Hey, Winters!  How’s the preparation going?”

 

“It’s all done, Sir Kuro!” he answered back.

 

“The traps?” the captain of the Oaklyn Bets, Kevin, asked.

 

Kuro was smiling, “That, and something else…”

 

“Ooh…what do you got there for these Imperials.” Griffyth was trying to prod him for answers.

 

“You’ll see.” Kuro winked at him, “Standby at our hourglass, we move by 11 pm.  Kevin, you take your men to defend our path of retreat, should things take turn for the worse.  Winters will wait here until the signal.  Griff, Steph, you’re with me.”

 

“Alright.”  The mercenary leaders agreed with Kuro’s plan.

 

 

True enough, by 11 pm, an hour just after the official ‘long sleep’, the coalition army led by Kuro, Griffyth, and Stephan moved towards the camp of the Imperials in Gebrei.  

 

“…”

 

As a precaution to an attack, while most of them were asleep, the Imperials created several ‘outposts’ from their main camp, which was besieging the Savoian town.

 

It was an effective tactic to deter creeping sudden attacks.  Besides that, sentries were placed all around the area in the west and northwest of Gebrei, watchful for any sign of movement.  The site was pretty easy to watch anyway, for it was a wide grassland clearing with a good view of the approaches to Gebrei and Jeveneria.

 

But of course, the site was not without its flaws.

 

“The view of our positions from here seems nice.” Griffyth laughed as he tried to take measurements from their point of origin to their destination, “I can’t even see a single flag from this distance.”

 

“Well, we’re pretty far off from the hills.” Kuro replied, “This is the eastern side of Gebrei after all.”

 

Using the trees to the edge of the fields of Gebrei as cover, the coalition marched eastward from their western positions to flank the Imperial legions besieging the town.

 

“!!!”

 

Just as we were nearing Gebrei, we heard a loud trumpet blast from the enemy camp.

 

“Sir Kuro, we’ve been detected!” Stephan exclaimed, “Those are some foragers escaping!”

 

“Kill them, quick!” Kuro bellowed.

 

“Demons out!” Griffyth’s order was quick; his men immediately brought out their rifles.

 

“Griff no—” Kuro tried to stop them, but…

 

“FIRE!”

 

“!!!”

 

At once, loud bangs echoed from their spot and across the entire field of Gebrei.  Three Imperial and Amaranthine foragers went down, while another one escaped back to the Imperial lines.

 

“Great!” Griffyth exclaimed, “Now he’ll warn them of our presence.”

 

“Don’t worry, Griff.” Kuro patted his shoulder, “Your guns already woke them up, so that won’t be necessary.”

 

“Yep.  Get ready for battle.” Stephan said as he pointed towards the Imperials assembling to meet them, “Looks like they’ve been expecting us.”

 

Someone then shouted, “Incoming!”

 

 

Kuro’s contingent of 2,000 men quickly deployed their magical barriers to fend off the physical and magical projectiles.  And then, once the bombardment was over, they immediately formed their own battle lines, just as the enemy marched towards them with swords and shields were drawn.

 

“Here comes, the legion boys!” Griffyth cried out, “Demons out!”

 

The Band of the Oak pulled out their guns once again and pointed those on the Imperials, who were marching in close formation.

 

“Fire!” was his thunderous command.  The mercenaries followed and a thick smoke generated by the burning gunpowder obscured the coalition’s line of sight.  However, every one of them could still hear the marching feet of the legionnaires getting nearer to their location.

 

“Come on, guys!  Hurry and load those weapons!” Griffyth urged them, “Don’t slack off, or you’ll be dead soon!”

 

Kuro watched them as they hurried to put in the bullet, shake off the gunpowder into the barrel, prime their gun hammers, and train their weapons into the enemy.  It was a process that gave their enemies several paces of ground before being able to complete it.  Good thing Stephan’s men were quick to engage the Imperials so that they could shield Griffyth’s gunners from the melee.

 

“Griff!” Kuro cried out, “That’s not how you use that weapon in formations!”

 

“Hah?  But it was effective when we’re fighting in Bere River!”

 

“We’re skirmishing back then so I didn’t notice.” Kuro explained, “In any case, let me command them.  Watch and train your men to do this, soon!”

 

Griffyth stepped aside as Kuro took charge of his mercenaries, co-led by Gats.  Meanwhile, Tarasca and his magicians were busy protecting their comrades while they were loading their weapons.

 

“Listen boys!” he looked at the gunners, showing his weapon to them, “This is how you kill using this matchlock gun—the demon weapon!  Everyone’s eyes and guns to the front!”

 

They followed, and then Kuro shouted to Griffyth, “Pull back Stephan’s men!”

 

Griffyth did as Kuro commanded, and soon Stephan’s mercenaries were racing back to the rear, with the Imperials rushing just behind them.

 

“As soon as you see the whites in the eyes of your enemies, shoot!” Kuro’s order thundered among the mercenary gunners, “Remember, you’re all the Saint’s Holy Army!  Her best soldiers!  Ready, aim!”

 

His words calmed the nerves of the mercenaries, who were tense and jumpy as they watched the Imperial juggernaut coming closer.  They were the Saint’s Chosen, and with her blessing, they’d conquer!

 

“FIRE!”

 

The sound of explosions almost tore Kuro’s eardrums, for he stood too close to the gunners.  Their effective volley fire shredded a considerable number of the legionnaires at their front.  It caused the Imperial line to pause for a bit, in shock because of the power of the musket bullets to punch through their shield and armor.

 

Like a mindless wall, soon they resumed their advance at a steady pace.

 

“Fix your bayonets!” Kuro called out to Griffyth’s men, demonstrating it on his own weapon, “Let’s gut these fuckers alive!”

 

“Rrrraaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrggghhhhhh!!!”

 

Soon the battle lines were joined in close-quarters.  Blades and bayonets clashed.  Swords and spears parried one another.  And men were falling on the ground, only to be stepped upon by their comrades and enemies alike.

 

 

Prince David watched from his command tent as the Imperial legionnaires clashed with the coalition forces.  So far, his plan had worked, placing sentries in the eastern and northern side of Gebrei as well.  

 

“…”

 

Though the Imperial officers thought of this as stupid—they claimed it is impossible to flank them since it would take a long time to go from west to east and would have to go through their camp, he surmised Kuro would do a flanking maneuver to attack them from behind.

 

Without the advantage of ruse and trickery, the Imperial legions could square it off against the inferior coalition infantry.  After all, only the soldiers from Nerfes could properly square it off with the legionnaires, and that’s if their numbers were on equal terms…

 

“Sire, the Royal Guards are ready at your command.” his orderly whispered to him.

 

Prince David had a smile on his face as he stood up.  Aside from the prowess of the Imperial legionnaires, the cavalry of the Amaranthine Royal Guards was another force to reckon with on their side.  As Kuro was busy fighting the legionnaires, the crown prince planned to surround them with his own Royal Guards and annihilate the coalition army in one sweep.

 

Fixing his sword on his waist, David von Albert of Amaranth gave the order, “Prepare your lances.  We ride those coalition bastards down!”

 

 

***On the other side of the outskirts of Gebrei…***

 

On the western face of the town, it was relatively quiet.  The town defenders never dared to venture out of their defensive walls, for fear that the Imperials would defeat the small coalition army fighting outside.  

 

Likewise, the legionnaire auxiliaries that were left guarding the western and northwestern flanks for the Imperials had it quite easy.  The front was quiet, as all the action was going on at the eastern side of Gebrei.

 

“That’s it, they’re done for, those coalition idiots.” a sentry told his companion, “Damn those legionnaires, they always get the action.”

 

“Isn’t it good for us?” his buddy asked, “I mean, the less exposure to battle, the lesser the risk?”

 

“Well, of course…if you plan to live forever.”

 

“What?  There’s no shame in wishing to be safe!  No one wants to die early!”

 

“Tch.  If you always wish for that, you’d find no glory!” the sentry moved away from his friend.  

 

“Heh…glory is just temporary.  After all, I plan to get married after this campaign.”

 

“Don’t go near me; I might get your coward’s sickness!!!”  

 

“Coward sickness?  Well, it’s—” The other sentry could not finish his statement as his neck suddenly got slashed by an unseen enemy, much to the shock of his ‘courageous’ companion.

 

“!!!” the brave sentry tried to fight back the cloaked attacker, but he didn’t have a chance.  The cloaked girl was quick to silence him with a dagger in his throat.

 

The auxiliaries’ camp suddenly came alive, when someone shouted, “Enemies up ahead!”  Soon, they heard hooves galloping towards their positions, as the lookouts began seeing horsemen charging in their direction.

 

“Where did they come from?  I thought the enemy is at the eastern side?” the Imperial auxiliaries scrambled to get themselves ready for battle.  

 

The first wave of enemy cavalry made a short work of the few first outposts and killed everyone inside.  Then, the second wave charged past the first wave to crash into the almost prepared Imperial battle line.

 

“Brace for the charge!”

 

The auxiliaries grit their teeth just as they were about to receive the brunt of the coalition cavalry’s charge, led by the captain of the ‘Band of Brothers and Sisters’ mercenary group, Dickenson Winters.  However…

 

“!!!”

 

An explosion suddenly tore through the lines of the Imperial auxiliaries.  Blood and gore flew in the air and were received by their shocked comrades.  It created a hole in their defense, at which the Imperials could not react on time.  Not missing the opportunity, Winters and his horsemen crashed and cut the men who survived the explosion, brought about by the timed gunpowder bomb planted by Griffyth’s assistant, Kashca.