Rangers Fury
Veteran
Alright guys, I hope this thread isn't dead because I just spent an hour or so writing another story...unfortunately, this on is not related to any of my previous stories...never-the-less, enjoy!
I probably won't be writing many more, as school is in full swing and I'm not playing much M&B right now.
It was a bright, clear, sunny day in early spring. The trees had just begun to put forth their buds, and the very first flowers we forcing their way up through the newly warmed earth. The grass was no longer dull and flattened; it grew straight and tall and green once more.
A young village boy, who was out pulling pails of water from a well, looked up from his work to see a dot appear on the horizon. He paused for a minute, watching the dot move slowly closer. It was quite easy to see that it was a horseman, which was not a terribly odd sight...but the boy needed little excuse to avoid his work for a bit. Then the figure was joined by others. First by just a few, but then by scores, not only mounted but on foot as well.
The boy stepped back, nearly knocking over one of his buckets, before turning and running back towards the heart of the village.
***
William let his gaze fall lazily on the rolling hills that seemed to extend forever in all directions. He felt only a gentle breeze and the muscles of his horse rolling beneath him as it plodded through the landscape.
To either side of him, and slightly behind, rode his two most trusted men: Firentis, his second in command, and Jeremus, his lead healer. Still further behind was the bulk of William's band, comprised of many archers and foot-soldiers, as well as a strong corp of knights.
A small group of building in the distance caught William's eye.
“Firentis, come, tell me...what village is that?”
“It is Yalibe, my lord...we are nearing the southern border of great Swadia”
“Very good...we shall stop there to refill our supplies,” said William.
“I shall make the preparations,” Firentis replied. And with that, he wheeled his horse around and began to ride back along the columns of men, shouting out orders.
Yalibe's village elder, an old man named John, stood on the village green. Behind him he heard the murmurings of the many people gathered there. They were all very nervous, and they had every right to be. To the common people, the sight of a large military force was usually a very bad sign...too many times had their village been raided.
But the main force had actually stopped almost a mile away from the village, and only a half dozen riders had kept moving towards the village...they had, in fact, almost reached the first few buildings. At this point, all but one rider reigned in their horses. The final one was dressed in a red surcoat, and he wore a long sword on his side. His horse was a large black charger, although it was not dressed in it's armor.
John sighed, cleared his tired throat, and asked, “What brings you to my humble village milord?”
The rider smiled warmly and replied, “Please, call me William...I come only to buy some supplies for my men.” William surveryed the villagers assembled and saw that many were showing signs of a hard winter and continued “I will pay double the normal rate for them.” William had the pleasure of seeing the old man's mouth drop open.
“Thank you my lord, thank you indeed.”
William and his men staid camped outside the village that night, but they were on the move again by the following morning. They headed south and west from the village, and had soon crossed into Rhodok territory.
In the late afternoon, one of William's scouts reported a that a Rhodok army was on the move, and that the two forces would meet within an hour.
William called a meeting with Firentis and several of his more experienced soldiers.
“As you all know, last autumn the Rhodok slime we are about to face besieged, sacked, and looted our great city of Uxhaul...today, we take our revenge,” he began. “We will wait here for them, giving our soldiers a chance to rest. We will begin our attack when they enter this valley.”
Christian was a veteran Rhodok solider who had fought and survived many campaigns. His captain had told him that there was a Swadian force in the area, and he was eager to prove once more that he was a capable soldier. He was a second rank spearman, meaning he carried a board shield and a long, bladed glaive, which he used to stab and hack into enemies from relative safety. If an enemy got too close to use his polearm, he also carried a Rhodok special: a small cleaver, perfect for brutal close up combat.
Christian and more than two hundred fellows marched forward tirelessly, until finally the reached a small valley. After a short debate, it was decided that the fastest route was the most direct: straight through the valley. As a precaution, the Rhodok soldiers were command to march in their battle lines. Christian took up his position, and then began advancing. They were halfway through the valley when all hell broke loose.
Arrows stormed down from the hills to either side of the Rhodok force. At first, the effect was dampened by the large shields carried by nearly every soldier. But after the first few moments, arrows started to find the gaps between these shields. Men started falling, opening holes in the tight Rhodok formations. The soldiers tried to retaliate with their own crossbowmen, but the Swadians were too well placed, and very few of the bolts made it to the tops of the hills where the archers were. Death continued to rain down.
William watched from the main Swadian position as his archers tore into the Rhodok lines. He knew that the soldiers below couldn't take much more punishment before their discipline broke, and when it did...it was all over. There, the Rhodok soldiers could no longer stand still while they were mercilessly slaughtered. They broke their formations and began charging up the hill towards the Swadians. At this moment, William looked over to his infantry and yelled “Charge!”
Christian was reluctant to break ranks, but he knew the consequences of staying in the open with so many arrows flying. He joined a large mass of Rhodok infantry as they charged uphill towards the Swadians. As they reached the hill's slopes, the arrows began to come less frequently. Christian soon saw why. A mass of Swadian infantry was counter-charging downhill, swords at the ready. The Rhodoks had no time to form their formations, and so they were stuck in single combat with the Swadians...they stood no chance. Christian fought ferociously with his cleaver, but all the while he was being pushed back down the hill.
After ordering the charge, William had donned his own armor and readied his sword and lance before joining his knights on the opposite hill. Now was the time. With a simple nod and a slight motion with his lance, the began crashing downhill towards the melee below.
Christian turned just in time to see the mass of Swadian cavalry come galloping down the hill behind him and crash into what was left of the Rhodok forces. As he turned, he felt a something hit his stomach. He looked down to see the end of a Swadian lance embedded there, blood gushing from the sides. He saw the owner of the lance, a man dressed in a red surcoat bearing the symbol of Swadia, sitting astride a black charger, then Christian fell to the ground, and died.
A young village boy, who was out pulling pails of water from a well, looked up from his work to see a dot appear on the horizon. He paused for a minute, watching the dot move slowly closer. It was quite easy to see that it was a horseman, which was not a terribly odd sight...but the boy needed little excuse to avoid his work for a bit. Then the figure was joined by others. First by just a few, but then by scores, not only mounted but on foot as well.
The boy stepped back, nearly knocking over one of his buckets, before turning and running back towards the heart of the village.
***
William let his gaze fall lazily on the rolling hills that seemed to extend forever in all directions. He felt only a gentle breeze and the muscles of his horse rolling beneath him as it plodded through the landscape.
To either side of him, and slightly behind, rode his two most trusted men: Firentis, his second in command, and Jeremus, his lead healer. Still further behind was the bulk of William's band, comprised of many archers and foot-soldiers, as well as a strong corp of knights.
A small group of building in the distance caught William's eye.
“Firentis, come, tell me...what village is that?”
“It is Yalibe, my lord...we are nearing the southern border of great Swadia”
“Very good...we shall stop there to refill our supplies,” said William.
“I shall make the preparations,” Firentis replied. And with that, he wheeled his horse around and began to ride back along the columns of men, shouting out orders.
Yalibe's village elder, an old man named John, stood on the village green. Behind him he heard the murmurings of the many people gathered there. They were all very nervous, and they had every right to be. To the common people, the sight of a large military force was usually a very bad sign...too many times had their village been raided.
But the main force had actually stopped almost a mile away from the village, and only a half dozen riders had kept moving towards the village...they had, in fact, almost reached the first few buildings. At this point, all but one rider reigned in their horses. The final one was dressed in a red surcoat, and he wore a long sword on his side. His horse was a large black charger, although it was not dressed in it's armor.
John sighed, cleared his tired throat, and asked, “What brings you to my humble village milord?”
The rider smiled warmly and replied, “Please, call me William...I come only to buy some supplies for my men.” William surveryed the villagers assembled and saw that many were showing signs of a hard winter and continued “I will pay double the normal rate for them.” William had the pleasure of seeing the old man's mouth drop open.
“Thank you my lord, thank you indeed.”
William and his men staid camped outside the village that night, but they were on the move again by the following morning. They headed south and west from the village, and had soon crossed into Rhodok territory.
In the late afternoon, one of William's scouts reported a that a Rhodok army was on the move, and that the two forces would meet within an hour.
William called a meeting with Firentis and several of his more experienced soldiers.
“As you all know, last autumn the Rhodok slime we are about to face besieged, sacked, and looted our great city of Uxhaul...today, we take our revenge,” he began. “We will wait here for them, giving our soldiers a chance to rest. We will begin our attack when they enter this valley.”
Christian was a veteran Rhodok solider who had fought and survived many campaigns. His captain had told him that there was a Swadian force in the area, and he was eager to prove once more that he was a capable soldier. He was a second rank spearman, meaning he carried a board shield and a long, bladed glaive, which he used to stab and hack into enemies from relative safety. If an enemy got too close to use his polearm, he also carried a Rhodok special: a small cleaver, perfect for brutal close up combat.
Christian and more than two hundred fellows marched forward tirelessly, until finally the reached a small valley. After a short debate, it was decided that the fastest route was the most direct: straight through the valley. As a precaution, the Rhodok soldiers were command to march in their battle lines. Christian took up his position, and then began advancing. They were halfway through the valley when all hell broke loose.
Arrows stormed down from the hills to either side of the Rhodok force. At first, the effect was dampened by the large shields carried by nearly every soldier. But after the first few moments, arrows started to find the gaps between these shields. Men started falling, opening holes in the tight Rhodok formations. The soldiers tried to retaliate with their own crossbowmen, but the Swadians were too well placed, and very few of the bolts made it to the tops of the hills where the archers were. Death continued to rain down.
William watched from the main Swadian position as his archers tore into the Rhodok lines. He knew that the soldiers below couldn't take much more punishment before their discipline broke, and when it did...it was all over. There, the Rhodok soldiers could no longer stand still while they were mercilessly slaughtered. They broke their formations and began charging up the hill towards the Swadians. At this moment, William looked over to his infantry and yelled “Charge!”
Christian was reluctant to break ranks, but he knew the consequences of staying in the open with so many arrows flying. He joined a large mass of Rhodok infantry as they charged uphill towards the Swadians. As they reached the hill's slopes, the arrows began to come less frequently. Christian soon saw why. A mass of Swadian infantry was counter-charging downhill, swords at the ready. The Rhodoks had no time to form their formations, and so they were stuck in single combat with the Swadians...they stood no chance. Christian fought ferociously with his cleaver, but all the while he was being pushed back down the hill.
After ordering the charge, William had donned his own armor and readied his sword and lance before joining his knights on the opposite hill. Now was the time. With a simple nod and a slight motion with his lance, the began crashing downhill towards the melee below.
Christian turned just in time to see the mass of Swadian cavalry come galloping down the hill behind him and crash into what was left of the Rhodok forces. As he turned, he felt a something hit his stomach. He looked down to see the end of a Swadian lance embedded there, blood gushing from the sides. He saw the owner of the lance, a man dressed in a red surcoat bearing the symbol of Swadia, sitting astride a black charger, then Christian fell to the ground, and died.
I probably won't be writing many more, as school is in full swing and I'm not playing much M&B right now.
