
A/N: Map for the current state of the fighting.
[Small note for the ranks of the Signatari in case ya'll forgot ]
- Signatari Commander (Basically Colonel)
- Signatari Marshal (Lieutenant Colonel)
- Signatari Grand Captain (Major)
- Signatari Captain (Self-Explanatory) (Leopold in this case is a Captain via rank)
- Signatari Ensign (Lieutenant)
- Signatari Sentinel Commander (Sergeant)
- Signatari Sentinel (Corporal)
- Signatari Initiate (Private)
- Signatari Novice (Recruit)
The arrival of the Imperial Air Service turned what was already a losing battle into nothing but a massacre as the Signatari of the Dukedom's Army while bold, faced an impossible scenario for them to win despite their will to keep fighting. One unfortunate Signatari Initiate tried to fire off his light crossbow at an incoming wyvern, watching with confidence that switched to horror as the bolt bounced off the hard scales of the wyvern coming at him. He screamed as the talons of the wyvern's feet dug into his body before lifting him up from the ground as quickly as it snatched him and flew away, killing the man by crunching the body in its grasp before tossing it away. Another Signatari tried to spear a wyvern coming straight at him, throwing his spear that bounced off the head of the mighty creature before he screamed in terror as a stream of fire consumed his body whole, turning him into a charred corpse that collapsed onto the snowy ground. Then there was a group of Signatari mages that fired away into the sky with a barrage of fireballs that failed to strike down any wyvern in the skies, ones that were struck shrugged off the attacks without a problem. At one point, a group of Signatari soldiers who were part of the 1st line engaging the encircled 1st Army had formed a square out of desperation as the wyverns began killing people who were cycled out of the fighting. These soldiers aimed their spears and shields upward to defend themselves from the incoming streams of flame that spewed forth from the mouths of these flying mounts but despite their bravery, they all screamed in pain as the flames were too strong for them to tank and soon they writhed and rolled onto the snowy ground as burning husks.
In the midst of the large cavalry battle, Signatari cavalrymen now had to engage not only the enemy cavalry they were in the midst of a massive melee with, but also be aware to the skies as wyverns, dragonkin and demonkin soldiers swooped in to pick them off atop their mounts and killed them. One Signatari cavalryman in the midst of the melee barely dodged a swing from an opposing cavalryman, leaning back and looking up to see a wyvern diving straight at him, before he could even react the wyvern grabbed him and his mount in its sharp and powerful grip, crushing rider and horse in one swift motion before dropping their body somewhere on the field. Another Signatari cavalryman was unable to defend himself as he threw his spear at a wyvern that bounced off the scales and then quickly returned the favor as its wolf beastkin rider ordered her mount to unleash a stream of flames that killed the cavalryman on the spot.
As a group of mages were too busy firing away into the sky somewhere in the midst of all the fighting, Fafnir landed in the midst of them with a loud BOOM that kicked up snow into the air and covered her in a small cloud of smoke, the shockwave of her landing sent the mages sprawling onto the ground and left them in a daze.
As the Signatari Mages gathered their bearings, Fafnir massacred them like sheep as she whipped out her dragonkin claws, and her armored tail. The first mage that got back up, didn't even see the attack coming towards him as Fafnir's tail punched through his chest and out the other side. Before he could even grab the thing that skewered him, Fafnir tossed him away with her tail before she quickly turned on her heel and used one of her dragonkin claws to crush the head of a Signatari mage that got behind her. She then leaned back as she dodged a lighting stream cast by another mage directly in front of her and she used her wings to propel her forward, grabbing the Signatari mage by the throat and crushing it swiftly before throwing his corpse at another mage.
Then there was the biggest threat that was tearing apart what remained of the now crumbling forces that were breaking off from the Signatari lines engaging the 1st and 3rd Armies, Spithe. The Divine Beast landed smack dab in the middle of the open field, in-between all of the fighting and they did not waste any time in crushing any of the now scared shitless strays now running from the fight. The Divine Beast fired off lightning streams, streams of flame and even ice blasts that belted ice shards that punched through the plate armor of the unfortunate souls who were struck by it, leaving no survivors in their wake.
"Fuck! Fire at the damn thing!" A Signatari Grand Captain ordered as he rallied a bunch of light crossbowmen, mages and archers to shoot at the massive target before them
"Ready!"
"Fire!" The Grand Captain ordered
The light crossbowmen were the first to open up, their bolts streaking through the air and crashing upon the tough scales of the Divine Beast to no effect. Followed closely by the crossbow bolts were a barrage of fireballs and lightning streams and the rain of arrows that slammed into the thick scales but like the bolts before them, did nothing to even scratch them.
"Run! We have no chance against that thi-" A Signatari Captain shouted before a blast of lightning fired from one of Spithe's mouths cut him down
The other Signatari the captain commanded broke rank and began fleeing to the west, but before they could even get even a stone's throw distance away, Spithe fired off lightning streams that reduced them into ash, cutting off their screams in one swift motion.
The Imperial Air Service had definitely made itself known and there was now no chance for a Dukedom Victory, although it was unlikely there was going to be one in the first place.
With their air power now in play and the entire battlefield under their control, Belle, who had been standing in the center of the formation of the encircled 1st Army opened up her magic crystal communicator
"This is Marshal Belle to all forces. Press the attack. Send them running" She ordered before turning it off and then charging into the fray
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With their commander seemingly dead, since the only thing left of what was once Sir Matthews and his mount was the charred-out remains of his horse that laid still on the snowy field it now lay upon. The remaining Signatari soldiers were now torn into smaller local commands as they tried to struggle on what to do now. Many stood and fought as they still believed that Sir Matthews was alive despite evidence to the contrary or just chose to keep fighting to give others a chance to flee west and then head south to regroup with the others. Those who did choose to flee west, did so in an organized fashion as they scattered like cockroaches in the light.
"Keep running! We can make it-" Were the last words of a Signatari Ensign shouted before being cut down by a wyvern that scooped him up, bit his head off then dropped the corpse somewhere along the plains
"Give our men time to escape! Fight harder!" A Signatari Sentinel Commander shouted as he charged towards a group of Imperial Soldiers of the 1st Army now making their move to break out. But as he charged in, he was cut down by Belle who cleaved him in two with a single swift slash of her halberd
Meanwhile, the dual monarchs were doing their own to ensure that the fight was undoubtedly in their bag. Ophelia, whose 2nd Army was in the middle of crushing a large formation of Signatari they encircled, moved ahead and began mopping up the support elements that were now left practically undefended except for a few squads of infantry that were spread far too thin.
"Get her! She's just one w-" Before the sentence from the Signatari Mage could be finished, Ophelia had landed a slash across his chest that killed him on the spot and sent his body crashing to the snowy ground.
Another mage tried to fire off a barrage of ice spikes at her but the raven-haired empress dodged the barrage and then replied with another slash of her sword, ripping off the mage's top half and sending it flying, with the blood spraying over the snow. Seeing how their mages were dying swiftly, a squad of six Signatari Initiates moved to stop her. They raised their shields as they charged into range and once they were, they let out cries of war as they raised their swords in preparation for their attacks.
{!}
But before they could even get their own attack out, Ophelia stepped back and unleashed a single horizontal slash that cleaved through all six soldiers, breaking apart their shields and leaving a massive wound that either split the Signatari in two or sent them sprawling onto the snowy ground beneath them.
"Pitiful" Ophelia remarked before moving on to her next target
Elsewhere, in the middle of the fighting alongside her 3rd Army, Amelia was unleashing her power as she cut down enemy soldiers left and right that dared get in her way. Unlike her lover, Amelia's prowess in fighting was not usually seen or even mentioned as it was usually overshadowed by Ophelia's, and between the two of them, Ophelia knew that her lover had an even more advanced blood lus than usual due to her Carnomancy Magic that was courisng through her and it was something both were concerned about but not to any major extent. But now, with her lover nowhere in sight and her inner warrior and adventurer doing its own thing, Amelia let loose as her own pent-up frustrations of life and her Carnomantic hunger took hold of her like a vice.
Her body was pulsating with a combination of Holy Magic and Body Strengthening Magic that gave off a seemingly Holy Aura to her, as there was a faint sheen of gold that enveloped her body. She let out loud cries as she delivered death upon the foes before her, such as when she drove her dagger, the [Corrupter], into the chest of an unfortunate Signatari Initiate who failed to even get his shield up in time. The man gasped and coughed up blood as he felt her danger plunge deep into his chest, breaking through his chest plate, the chainmail underneath and sinking deep into his flesh, breaking ribs and embedding itself in his heart.
She didn't even twist or turn her weapon as Amelia just pulled it downward, breaking through the rest of what was left of the Signatari's chest, creating a large gash that spilled so much blood onto the ground. Once the dagger had reached his waist, she pulled it out and then quickly slit the man's throat, causing him to gargle on his blood as he stumbled back and died as he hit the ground. Wasting no time as the fighting around her only intensified as the Signatari facing her were determined to fight to the last, she stomped onto the ground, and the blood that had soaked it all across the fighting of the 3rd Army formed into massive tendrils made of pure blood.
Many Signatari and even Imperial soldiers were left stunned and silenced as they looked upon these horrific abominations but before anyone could even regain their bearings, the tendrils struck. The bloodied mass wrapped around Signatari soldiers by their waists or by their legs and lifted them into the air, leaving them open for wyverns, dragonkin, and demonkin to pick off the screaming foes who were now helpless to defend themselves, such as one Signatari Marshal having his legs wrapped tightly by a bloody tendril that sprouted from the ground near him and then hoisting him into the air screaming. As he tried to slice his way to freedom, a wyvern from the Imperial Air Service saw his vulnerability and its rider ordered his mount to move in. Before he could even set himself free, the wyvern snatched him up, its sharp talons digging into the back of the Signatari Marshal and making him let out a strained gasp as he felt his life fleeting from his grasp.
"Crush them ALL! I want no survivors!" Amelia bellowed as she dodged and incoming spear thrust from an opportunistic Signatari
She growled as she lashed out back at the daring Signatari, she slashed off the head of the spear and then quickly closed the gap, shoulder bashing the dude backward sending him staggering but not falling. Before he could even get his bearings back, Amelia had closed in and with an angered shout, sprouted several tendrils from her back that wrapped around the man and crushed him into a bloodied paste of flesh, blood, and bones before absorbing all of that into her to give her even more fuel for her fire in her heart.
"Kill them ALL! Leave none alive!"
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As the battle progressed, and the sun began its journey to set, the battlefield before the Imperial and Signatari forces was littered with the corpses of the latter's forces as they died in droves. It was now 5:45 and the skies above while supposed to be dark were still illuminated by the bright golden orbs high in the sky that brought down light upon everyone and everything.
The orders from the Empresses and the Marshal were clear. No Survivors. The entire army had to be wiped and here and now and that was what the Imperial forces were going to do. With the enemy in total disarray, the soldiers of the Halkare Empire pressed every single advantage they had on the field.
"All units. this is Empress Ophelia. The enemy's will and their lines are broken. Surge forward and drive them off our land" She spoke into her communicator crystal while she cut down several mages with ease
"Understood Your Majesty!" The collective voices of the Imperial shoulders replied as they fought with renewed vigor and tenacity
"All wyvern squadrons. Hunt down every single one of them that tries to escape. Leave none alive" Amelia quickly followed to add as she cut down several more Signatari soldiers
"Understood Your Majesty! None shall escape our grasp!" Fafnir relied as she soared back into the air to take charge
[And Spithe]
{{Yes Master?}}
[Bring down the thunder]
{{With pleasure Master}}
{!}
At Ophelia's orders, Spithe let out a terrifying roar that shook the earth and sky as the Divine Beast summoned a massive thunderstorm that swept away the orbs of light that were illuminating the field and then began laying down thunderstrikes across the field. To ensure that the forces of the Imperial Air Service and the Imperial Army were not caught or struck, the Divine Beast also tweaked the spell to ensure that only the Signatari were struck and that it did no damage to those Spithe deemed to be allies.
"What the?! What's happening???!" A young Signatari Initiate barely out of his teen years asked as he looked into the sky before a barrage of lightning came down upon him and his fellow soldiers, wiping them out in an instant.
"Incoming!" Another Signatari shouted from the encircled forces battling and dying against the 2nd Army shouted before a thunderbolt struck in the middle of a large group of soldiers, killing them instantly
"Press forward! Finish the job!" Amelia urged her soldiers as she raised her daggers into the air while the tendrils from her back skewered Signatari around her
"Come on everyone! Let's send them running!" General Raddis urged his fellow cavalrymen as they had broken the remaining Signatari cavalry, sending them scattering to the west while still being chased by Raddis' cavalry and the numerous wyverns in the air
"Let's Go! Push forward!" Belle shouted to her soldiers as she charged into the weak Signatari formation surrounding her army, cutting down several Signatari Initiates and their commander with her halberd, sending them crashing to the ground with large gashes on their chests pouring out blood, urging her forces to break out of their now weak encirclement
With their forces in every single fight across the Barrah Plains being overwhelmed, the remaining Signatari who had for so long been defiant, broke ranks and fled west. The sight of the enemy breaking ranks and fleeing into the darkened west made the forces of the Imperial Army let loose a triumphant cheer as they saw them run. But as the enemy was retreating, the Imperial Air Service went to finish the job.
"All squadrons. This is Empress Amelia, finish them off, leave none alive" She ordered with a cold tone as she spoke into her magic crystal communicator
"Understood Your Majesty. We shall leave nothing but charred corpses" Fafnir answered her as she and the rest of the Imperial Air Service began their mopping-up operation
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As the surviving Signatari fled west along the Barrah Plains, many had dropped their weapons and were fleeing as fast as their feet could carry them. None of them daring to look back as they tried to make for a treeline that was still well in the distance.
"Just keep running! If we can make it to that-"
{!}
Before the Signatari could finish his sentence, a wyvern had swooped in and carried him off into the sky screaming. The sight of this made other Signatari turn their heads and scream in terror as they saw a black mass of wyverns dotting the sky, hot on their trail.
A few moments later, the wyverns and their riders swooped in and began picking off the running Signatari, picking them up with their large sharp talons that dug into the armor and flesh of the poor souls who could only let out terrified gasps as the air was driven from their lungs while being crushed in the claw of the wyvern and squeezed out of life.
Others were killed as they ran, the wyverns landing on their prey and pressing them into the ground, crushing their bones, muscle, and flesh while others died from streams of fire that came out of the mouths of the wyverns, turning them into burning husks that collapsed onto the snowy ground. Just like earlier, however, there were a few Signatari Mages and even some light crossbowmen and archers who stood their ground, defiant to the end to defend their comrades who were fleeing.
One Signatari Archer pulled back his bow and fired away at the rider of a wyvern baring down on him, the arrow bounced off the plate armor of the rider, leaving him shocked and unable to react fast enough as the wyvern let loose a stream of flames that burned him on the spot. Another, a Signatari light crossbowman, fired his bolt at a wyvern that was flying by him and at a fellow soldier, the bolt bounced off the scales of the beast and before he could fire another, a dragonkin officer landed behind him and impaled him from the back and through his chest with his bastard sword in swift motion. Then there was one Signatari mage who had formed a small mound of dirt that surrounded him from all sides to protect himself, but that alone had drained him from his mana, leaving him trying to dig his way downward with his staff, desperately trying to escape. But the top of the mound was ripped open by a wyvern and he screamed as the monster let loose its fire breath that blasted the poor mage and killed him.
"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Just die already!" A Signatari mage shouted as he unleashed a barrage of fireballs from his staff, striking true at a wyvern coming right for him but only just taking his attention while another swooped in from the right and killed him by crushing him with its talons.
By 6:20 in the evening. The last remnants of the Dukedom's Army, an army that was just newly minted and had been sent out on its maiden operation to subjugate the north, had been utterly annihilated. 275,000 young men and former slavers turned into soldiers had been massacred to the man. Their commander was seemingly dead and without even survivors to tell what remained of the army what had happened, the Dukedom of Abernath had been dealt a killing blow right out the gate but they had not even realized it.
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Sitting down next to one another on one of Spithe's heads, the dual monarchs rested their heads on one another. The fight hadn't been physically straining for either of them, but it had been mentally. This had been a tiring day but in the end, it was worth it, their enemy was now defanged and even better, said enemy didn't even realize it.
"Haaa...this was certainly an experience" Amelia remarked as she let out a sigh
"Indeed it was...and to think none of our own died" Ophelia stated with a smile as she turned to her beloved and kissed her on the cheek
"Those healing crystals were working overtime and the healers also did their job ensuring that they didn't all just die then and there"
"Yeah, it was a damn good decision to have armor with those enhancements, saved many lives today"
"Ophie..."
"Yes, my darling?"
"I love you" Amelia stated with a smile as she moved in for a kiss
"I love you too" Ophelia replied as she met her lover and kissed her on the lips
Meanwhile, Marshal Belle was convening a meeting with the officers and the commanders of the day inside a tent that had been set up where the 1st Army had been the entire battle.
"Casualties?" Belle asked as she turned to General Rohm, General Korab and Imperial Air Marshal Fafnir
"A few thousand wounded on our side. Bastard roughed us up good despite our advantages" Rohm replied with a nod
"A few hundred for us, having them encircled and exposed to attacks from all sides greatly kept them from doing more damage than they could have" Korab added
"A few casualties but they are mostly our dragonkin and demonkin officers" Fafnir finished
"Deaths?"
"None Ma'am"
"None Ma'am"
"None Ma'am"
"Good. Good. Congratulations to you and your soldiers, we have just won the war against the Dukedom with this one victory. Next stop, is the Dukedom itself and soon, the entire continent shall fall under the Halkare Empire"
"Thank you Ma'am. Though I must say, it was fascinating to see Her Majesty Amelia fight"
"Rohm's right. Seeing Her Majesty Ophelia in action was something else"
"I wish I got to see them, but alas, I was too busy hunting down the enemy that fled"
"You can talk about it all you want later, return to your forces and get ready for further orders. I will be heading up to inform our Empresses of our status"
"Up?" Rohm asked, slightly confused at what the Marshal meant
"They are resting on the head of the Divine Beast. Now go, dismissed"
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Going back to earlier in the battle,
Appearing in the middle of a well-lit but isolated room in his manor, Sir Matthews was rocked from his unconsciousness and screamed in pain as he clutched the right side of his face. The entire right side of his body had been burned, his flesh giving off a smell as it was stuck to the searing hot metal plating he was wearing, adding to the pain already coursing through his body.
"Fuck!" He shouted as he continued to writhe in pain for about twenty minutes before he came to a stop and slowly but painfully rose to his feet
He opened the door of the room and saw a startled elderly maid who was shocked to see her master in such a state. But before she could say anything else, Sir Matthews growled as he looked at her
"Get me a doctor and send a letter to Lady Mako. Tell her....tell her that I wish to speak with her, but do it discreetly. Understood?"
The maid nodded and Matthews shooed her away before closing the door to the room. He tried to move over to a couch on the other side of the room but his strength then wained and he felt himself go unconscious and fell onto the wooden floor. The darkness consumed him as he felt his world go dark once more.
'Fuck'
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As darkness descended upon the Dukedom, one of the various gates that led into the nation, a gate along the territory of the House of Fluchet, was seemingly unguarded and left slightly open. The sentries along the top of the wall didn't dare to turn their gazes as they saw a mass of shadowy figures approaching, many of them turned their heads and continued on their routine patrol route while others acted as if they saw nothing at all.
"Quiet night ey?" A sentry joked to his partner as he glanced over at the shadowy mass that was approaching the gate
"Yeah, it is...let's go back on patrol"
"Right behind you"
Meanwhile, waiting on the other side of the gate, Baron Flavius Fluchet and a cadre of his knights, wore black cloaks to hide their faces as they awaited meeting a special group that they were told was to come later tonight by Flavius' handler. Said handler, the kitsune dressed in her H.I.S.S armor, Agent Takawa, was conversing with several other slaves from a nearby slave pool regarding the finalization of certain parts of the plan to revolt within the coming days.
Flavius glanced at her and felt a twinge of fear as he saw just how overmatched his home was. The nation that his family had pledged loyalty to for generations was now facing a foe that could undoubtedly roll over them and silence them forever. He internally thanked his mother who had taught him that slavery was a horrid thing and had raised him to try to save these people by employing them in his territory which had better standards than the ones provided by the other houses. This had earned him and his people the favor they needed to be exempted from the coming storm and now that storm was on their doorstep.
"They're here" Takawa told them as she moved to the gate and stood straight, Flavius and his knights followed and their eyes turned to the group that entered the gate
{!}
Their eyes went wide as the first thing they saw was a massive lamia the size of which they had never seen before as this lamia towered over them like they were nothing but children. The lamia's armor was pitch black with red linings and in her hand was a massive halberd that could cleave a man in two with as light as a flicker. Takawa bowed her head and then saluted the figure,
"Agent Takawa reporting for duty. The preparations have been finalized and we are ready to commence the plan by tomorrow" She stated as she saw the lamia turn to her
"Good. The Black Guard shall assist in securing the territory"
"Understood. It is an honor to fight alongside you, thank you Lady Erhet" The kitsune agent added as she bowed her head
"The honor is mine...I take it you are Baron Flavius Fluchet?" Erhet asked as she bowed her head to Takawa and then turned to look at the young man and his knights
"Y...Yes! I am Baron Flavius. It is an honor to meet...you, Lady...Erhet?" Flavius answered as he bowed his head and then looked up at the towering lamia, biting down on his fear as he felt a wave of intimidation roll over him
"Hmm, good enough...Now, let's get down to business"
A/N: And with that, the Battle of the Barrah Plains is over.
"a startled elderly maid who was shocked to see her master in such a state."
The maid called out, "Anyone order barbeque?"