The water feels cold as the shallow waves washes up the shore and over the top of her boots. The tip of her blade dips into the surf before is washes back out to sea. Her breathing is heavy and fast matching her hammering heart beat. The wind carries mists of sea water that feels cool against her face and the shaved side of her head. With eyes closed and head held up she allows herself to enjoy the cooling breeze and the calming sound of the surf. She doesn’t have long before she has to go, but she let’s her mind wander briefly.
“You know that salt water isn’t good for your boots". The deep baritone voice brings her back to reality.
Letting her head drop she opens her eyes. Her vision is filled with the blood stained water that rushes around her feet. The disfigured body of a creature she had just slain moves as the small waves push against it softly on the sand. She lifts her sword clear of the water and turns to the man sitting upon his horse.
“Shut up Groeff, where were you when I was elbow deep in flesh demons?” she said exasperated, pointing the tip of her blade at the last grotesque creature she killed. “I don’t need your advice captain, but I could have used your sword.”
As she approaches him on his horse he looks around at the dozen bodies laying in the sand and surf. “apparently, you didn’t need that either General Kass.”
“It is no longer my job to fight captain, it is my job to direct the fight. Your blade should not be resting comfortably at your hip while mine does the dirty work” she followed his gaze around the beach looking from one dead enemy to the next. She smiled lightly at the victory she felt from defeating so many alone.
“We both know why your blade is out and mine is not. I would have gotten yelled at either way. Perhaps, however, the General would like to pat herself on the back later? Her direction is needed elsewhere.” The big man smiled with her, but then roared with laughter when she immediately stopped, and went stone face.
He was right though, this was definitely no time to dawdle or stroke her ego. Calling for her horse, she finished cleaning her sword before slamming it into the sheath. She mounted her stallion, Eclipse, and turned him away from the shore. Not far away her soldiers fought hard against an inhuman enemy. These creatures led by evil and controlled by man were trying desperately to get through her army. They were not ready for this fight, they were expecting another village of farmers or traders, not skilled fighters.
Together, her and Captain Groeff rode throughout the battle field providing help and direction where needed. Two more times she felt she needed to dismount and fill in at a weakening spot in the line or at a small skirmish near the flank. Otherwise she simply did her fighting from horseback while giving orders. Even Eclipse dispatched a few enemy with a well placed kick.. The soldiers fought a little harder, and gained ground on their enemies when she and Groeff joined the fight. Motivation is a useful weapon in battle like any sword or shield. She wishes she could provide this support through the entire line. Unfortunately she can only be on one place at a time.
The sound of thundering hooves brought her head around and sees the young messenger boy approaching. She gives her captain a glance that he returns with a roll of the eyes. She already knows what’s coming so she pulls Eclipse around and gallops a few yards down the line yelling few final words of encouragement and orders to these brave soldiers. She then rides hard past the young boy on his horse who began to give his message. She knew what he was going to say, she didn’t need to hear it. She also didn’t need to look behind her to know he was following her.
“Try as he might, they never keep up with you.” She laughed like a child as Eclipse thundered up the hill at top speed. The sound of him running and the wind in her ears always filled her with joy. A joy she hid from everybody except those closest to her.
She calmed herself as she rode around the double line of archers. She slowed Eclipse to a walk as she approached the line of personal bodyguards. Glancing down the line she spotted her younger sister, Aurora, who was watching her as she approached. They smiled at each while presenting and returning salutes. She was proud of her younger sister. The girl wasn’t a natural fighter like she was, but she had worked hard to perfect her forms, and she has earned her position. Ironically it took Kass getting her promotion to get Aurora into the guard. She just hopes her sister doesn’t hear that she only got in because of a good word from her. Aurora would feel that she didn’t truly earn it, and would then try to prove herself.
Passing through the guard she fixed her eyes on the man she was there to see. Prince Wyler sat upon his horse, eyes scanning the battle going on in front of him. He gave her a quick sideways glance before returning his gaze to the field. His armor clean and shining even with the slight overcast. His face stern with a look of frustration. His right arm laying across his body with his hand resting casually on the handle of his sword. She knew he wanted to be down there among the soldiers. He could not join in the fight even though he is a skilled fighter. His father would not be happy to here that the heir to the throne had jeopardized his life. So he sat there watching. He was a prince, not a coward, and for that she would follow him to the end of the world.
Bringing Eclipse to a stop in front of him she saluted, fist to heart. “You sent a runner for me, my Lord.”
His eyes shifted to her and looked her up and down. “My General should not look as if she has been rolling around in pig slop.”
“I’m doing my duty my lord. I will not order these soldiers to do something I am not willing to do myself.” She spoke with the authority of her position, but with enough of a subordinate tone that it would not come off as disrespectful. “They fight with more intensity when they see me amongst them.”
“That as it may be, but there was no need for you to go alone to the right flank. That shoreline is well covered by the archers you placed there. Nobody but those of us on this hilltop saw that. Explain your reasoning there.” He shifted in his saddle as his horse danced a few steps, the beast responding to his riders agitation.
She turned in her saddle to see the battle field below. The coast off to the right makes this a good place to have a battle as it protects the right flank pretty well, but it also protects the enemies left flank. The shore line moves up along the side of the hill where it turns to a cliff with rocks below making it extremely difficult if not impossible to pass. With the archer along that hillside next to those cliffs they could see a long way down the coastline. With this vantage point they could kill just about any threat making it’s way along the beach. What the archer didn’t get, the skirmish fights would, pinning them between the water, and the cliffs. Trees dotted the field and some were even cut down if they were going to be in the way of either archers, or view from the hilltop. The trees got thicker and more dense as the land leveled out and got farther way from both the hilltop and water.
Off to the left was a dense forest of mostly pine. The people of the small village on the back side of the hilltop cut down most of the hardwoods to build their homes, docks, and fishing boats. Throughout the woods she had placed scouts and small forces of skirmish fighters to delay any force trying to make it’s way through there. It would not be easy fighting in the woods so there was little chance of a major threat. She had chosen this spot to fight because it was the only ideal spot, plus these creatures and their human handlers were hitting all the fishing villages along this coastline. She dropped this barricade right in front of them. To ignore it and try to go around to the village would be stupid and suicidal, as the creatures abilities become limited by space. The flesh demons wouldn’t think that way, but the humans knew, and they also knew that stopping the demons from fighting and eating was almost as suicidal. As long as they gave them something to kill and chomp on they would listen to their commands.
“The archers saw my lord. Stories will spread, and with that, respect.” She said looking back at the prince, before looking back down at the field.
It looked as if her soldiers had broken the enemy line. Flesh demons and humans fell under sword and spear. Their roars and screams of pain and death could be heard clearly all the way up the hill. Men and creatures alike ran from the fight as others were cut down. Soldiers began cheering as the fight was all but won. Eclipse danced a few steps as the sounds of triumph reached his ears.
“Well.” Spoke an elder man to Prince Wyler’s left, his arrogant tone reflected his position as a King’s advisor. “It would appear that the day is won, my Prince. Perhaps we can leave this dreadful hilltop, and allow this…. General, to fulfill… HER.., duties.”
Every word that he emphasized was supposed to be an insult, an attack on her position. He clearly hated seeing a woman with so much power and authority. He was intimidated by her, and that made her happy. She did nothing to hide the smile spreading across her dirty and blood splashed face.
“Oh,…well thank you master Haylle.” She spoke with exaggerated femininity and placed the fingers of her gantlet covered hand to her breast.
Master Haylle's face turned red with anger at her mocking him. “listen here you insolent whore, I’ll have you…”
“Master Haylle,” roared Prince Wyler as he turned to him in his saddle. “I will not tolerate you insulting my general. My father may have sent you to keep an eye on me, but he did not send you to take charge.”
“Prince Wyler.” Master Haylle began with his tone moving from anger to it’s normal smugness. “This… woman, must learn her place when talking to…”
“This, woman.” Prince Wyler interrupted, “knows exactly where her place is, and she’s proven it time and time again. This battle is won by her command, not mine, and certainly not by yours. Plus, I highly doubt that any of us will soon forget her efforts on that beach. We sit on this hill while she, and those soldiers down there, battle those damned things, and…”
Prince Wyler continued to speak, but her mind started wondering. Her stomach told her that something isn’t right. Her soldiers have fought these enemy before but something seems different this time. With realization she sat up straight in her saddle eyes opening wide. She pulled Eclipse’s reigns bringing him to the right so she could peer down at the ending battle.
“Flesh demons.” She said as she watched the monstrous creatures running away from the fight, and back into the woods they attacked from.
These creatures were not normal in any sense of the word. Some had extra arms or hands, some had an extra face appearing from random spots on their bodies. They were extremely hard to kill because, not only did they have extra limbs to fight with, some had extra organs to keep them alive. A few of them ran with swords or spears sticking out from their deformed bodies. A few paused slightly to rip bits off dead men and began to eat to regrow lost appendages or to gain new ones. They looked disgusting and huge, but moved with an unnatural grace and speed.
“See, Prince Wyler, she doesn’t even show you respect.” Master Haylle said with distaste on his tongue.
“Silence Haylle.” Prince Wyler barked as he pulled his horse up next to Eclipse. “What it is?”
“When have you ever seen flesh demons retreat?” she asked while pointing at a few as they crashed through the thicket at the tree line.
Everybody looked at where she pointed. The elite guard started scanning for approaching threats. Sword came free of sheaths and leather on their armor creaked as they made sure it was loose and ready for fighting. She stood in her stirrups and leaned over Eclipse’s head as she watched the creatures flee.
“Look, right there.” She spoke as she pointed at a specific spot in the woods.
It was a slight clearing of the overgrowth, and a break in the thicket. In that slight gap they could see the enemy running to their left from where they sat. She turned her head and saw that the ranks on that flank was too thin. She could tell that soldiers had been pulled from those ranks and moved. as most of the fighting had taken place in the middle she finally noticed the overabundance of soldiers. She would never have left a flank that thin. Nobody should have given her soldiers orders without her knowing it or her say so. No one except one man. She turned her head around and looked Master Haylle right in the eye. He simply lifted his chin in both defiance of his choice to give them orders, and a challenge for her to argue with him.
“By your leave, Prince Wyler!” she looked at the prince waiting for him to end their meeting.
“Go!” he exclaimed to her. “Don’t wait on me.”
She already had Eclipse moving before he finished his sentence. Instead of heading towards the flank she headed towards the archers placed on the left side of the hill opposite the cliffs. She needed a bow and even though these longbow were not designed to fire from horseback they would have to do. She didn’t need to be accurate she just needed to be lucky with at least one shot.
She pulled up Eclipse sending dirt flying. “your bow soldier, I need it.”
Without question or hesitation he handed her the bow and lifted his quiver from his hip. She glanced at the wood line to make sure they had not started their charge yet. Peering back at the gap she saw a few more of the creatures crossing the opening. Looking at the front line of the main force they were still fighting and winning convincingly. Their were just enough flesh demons left behind to keep the soldiers busy and preoccupied to notice what was happening.
“Prepare to fire at the tree line on the left flank. As soon as you see them emerge you loose two volley and then fire at will.” She yelled the order and saw men pass the order on to those that may not have heard her.
She had only taken three arrows from the soldiers quiver as that is all she feels she had time for. He then ran off to the supply wagon in search for a spare bow he could use as the others began to knock arrows and hold their bows at the ready. They always had spares, but they needed to be strung and have the extra wax knocked free of the string. She just did not have the time to prep a new bow. Holding the bow and three arrows in hand she pulled Eclipse's reigns and turned him to the flank. With a command he launched himself and her towards the building threat.
The wind loud in her ears she had Eclipse at a full sprint. She needed to get closer before she did what needed doing. She needed to hurry and hope that the enemy were not set and ready for the attack before she got there. As Eclipse sprinted on, she dropped his reigns and got an arrow knocked in the bow. It was awkward handling such a large bow from the saddle, but she managed to get it done. She looked back at the opening and saw nothing moving which meant they were close to attacking.
Hoping she would be heard over the fighting and shouting of soldiers she began yelling a command for support. “Rally! Rally! Rally to me! Rally! Rally! Rally to me!”
She kept it up as she slowly tried to stand up in her stirrups. Nearly impossible to do this at full sprint, she was grateful when Eclipse felt her moving in the saddle and slowed his speed a bit. Still difficult to remain standing she had to try several times to get up enough to draw the bow. Still yelling her command, she noticed a few soldier on the flank turn and look back. Seeing their general charging to them on horseback they new something was wrong. Pulling up spears and swords they began preparing for a fight. The call to rally should have them running to her, but since she’s heading to them, they knew it was not a command meant for them. Just like the archers they began passing the order along and soon dozens where echoing the command.
Eclipse had slowed just enough for her to remain standing. Holding two arrows and the bow in one hand she pulled the string to her cheek and let the first arrow fly. It arched high over her soldiers heads, who watched as it fell towards the tree line. She did not see where it went but she knew already it was a failed shot. She glanced to her right while knocking the second arrow. She saw captain Groeff on horseback running along the back of the main force as he passed soldiers that were not fighting, they began running after him. She could not hear him but knew he was echoing her command to rally to her. It would take time for them to get there, but if she could get this force to attack before they were ready to it would help.
She stood again and pulled the string to her cheek and let the arrow fly. Again it arched high and came down into the trees with the same result of nothing. Last arrow knocked she again stood and pulled the string to her cheek. She closed her eyes and said a prayer to her Goddess to grant her a sliver a luck. With eyes closed she let the arrow fly. As soon as it was away she dropped the bow and sat back into her saddle. She urged Eclipse back to full speed and thundered towards the oncoming fight.
The arrow disappeared into the woods, and was shortly followed by a roar of anger and pain. She allowed herself a slight smile and a nod to her Goddess for the assist. She didn’t need to kill anything, she just needed to hit it. To make it mad enough to start the charge early before they were ready. It also told her soldiers to get ready as the charge has begun. Shields up with spears over the top they braced for the enemy attack. They were smart to do so, but her plan was going to change this fight completely. She hoped her efforts would give time for the reinforcements to get there and bolster the flank.
“Make way! Make way!” she screamed at the soldiers before her.
Most turned their heads and those directly in front of her began moving out of her way. Making a hole for her and Eclipse to pass through. The front two ranks did not take their eyes off the tree line as more roars came from the trees. Those behind had to tap shoulders and echo her command for them to move. Side stepping to the left or right they made an opening big enough for Eclipse to fit through. She did not need to look back to know that the gap in the line closed as soon as she was past. Normally she would have turned and began giving orders and what to expect, but not this time. With a command for her soldiers to hold, she had Eclipse at a full sprint straight towards the enemy that had begun to emerge from the woods.
There were only a few to begin with but everybody knew more would be making their way out shortly. She could have counted to the second when the volley of arrows began raining down on them. There was still plenty of space between her and those creatures. she had no fear of any arrows hitting her or Eclipse. There may not have been a lot of enemy, but with these things you didn’t want to wait for more. Those that were struck by arrows didn’t always die. To get two volleys into them as soon as possible is the best solution.
Knowing that second volley was going to begin falling, she pulled the reigns and Eclipse began running in an arch to the right, back towards the main force. She knew that the humans wouldn’t fall for it, but these creatures were not all that bright, mostly ruled by basic needs and instincts. They followed their leaders and they rarely attacked their own, but when injured or angered they would go after the nearest threat. They also had a pack mentally which means if one goes others will follow. She needed to be that threat. She needed to give these soldiers time to reinforce and ready themselves.
Keeping her eyes on the tree line she saw that they were focused on her. Even as arrows from the second volley rained down on them, she could see they were angling towards her and Eclipse. This is what she was hoping would happen, what she needed to happen. Having them chase after her would soften the blow of a full charge into her soldiers. She looked back at her army and saw that Captain Groeff began to understand what she was doing. She had turned Eclipse enough so that they were running straight for them. The beasts were getting confused as some followed her while others ignored her and started running in the direction of the falling arrows, towards the flank. She had successfully divided this attack with three arrows.
She could just barely hear her captain giving orders for the soldiers to fall in. She was nearly there and saw them forming in echelon formation, it put them in an angle making the charge slightly off to the enemy. With them out and running there was little the humans could do the change the course now. Their plan will not change the outcome of this battle, only the spot where all these devils die. She knows the humans will abandon the battle, and let their creatures run free, allowing them the escape for now, and come back with more creatures to raid these lands.
Drawing her sword she began to call out her orders when she felt something heavy strike her back. It didn’t hurt, but it felt like a large hand clapped her on the back. She tryed to take a breath but found it quite difficult which was very odd to her. She felt like she needed to ask what happened but who was she going to asked. when she looked down, she saw something very strange, something she had never seen before. A jagged edge of a poorly made arrow protruding from the armor over her right breast. She should tell somebody about this, it didnt belong there. She looked up from the bloody arrow to see captain Groeff stand up in his stirrups and watch with an open mouth and wide eyes. Eclipse realizing something was wrong began to slow and turn to the side as she began leaning to the right. Lack of air from not being able to breath was making things hard to understand. She didn’t even realize she had dropped her sword. Letting go of the reigns she turned to see where it fell so she could go back for it, and slide fully out of her saddle.
She hit the ground hard snapping the arrow off as she tumbled across the ground. The blow knocked out whatever breath she had left in her near empty lungs. The shooting pain should have brought a scream but she had no air to do so. Her arms and legs flopped around as if they were dead already.
She was just yards from the line that had formed and the beasts were coming fast. She could see the shocked looked on her soldiers faces. Hear them call to her. Some began to break ranks to go get her but her Captain did the right thing and ordered them to hold the line. Her plan would work perfectly unless they break ranks and try to help her. As long as they follow orders and fight like they have all day, they’ll win. Breaking ranks for one person would kill more than need be. Some will die in this fight, but more wouldnif they broke to help her. If she is one death so dozens more will live, that is a fair trade. They will destroy this enemy saving that village and countless others.
Her vision began to go black and things began fading away when she barely felt her arm get jerked as she was lifted off the ground. If she could have breathed she would have smelled the stench of the flesh demon as held her up in front of it by one arm. Darkness was quickly taking her as it grabbed her other arm in order to pull her apart. She could barely feel the pressure as her left arm dislocate from the socket. She thanked her Goddess there was no more pain, just blackness and the last thing she heard was the sound of thunder.