FARHAYVEN: VENGEANCE

by S. K. Ng

  Convian Serene Genox straightens herself up.

  “Are you really an Elementhar!?” she asks, trying her best to sound cold and sharp.

  “Answer _ of this, I have already given to you, therefore I see no point in repeating myself,” answers Ray in an equally cold and sharp manner.

  “If you really are an Elementhar, we… we… we need your help!” says Convian Genox hesitantly, looking at the ground.

  “Help _ I shall offer none of this to you, as you deserve none from me,” stresses Ray.

  “If you choose not to help us, this fort will be destroyed. Your young novice and your wolf friend will either die or be enslaved. You do not really have a choice, do you?” explains the convian.

  “Worse _ it is none of this than what we are in right now,” says Ray casually.

  “Help _ please, of this, I ask of you, not for me or my soldiers; but for the safety and security of the entire Eastern Falls Province. Vital _ it is of this that this fort must not fall,” says Convian Genox in a surrendered tone.

  Convian Genox’s sudden change in speech manner surprises Ray.

  “Speak _ you do of this in our ways, how and why?” asks Ray.

  “Speak _ I do of this in your ways as I have a relative who is of your kind and I do so for the reason of apologising for my error in judgement and behaviour,” answers Serene Genox.

  “Staff _ I shall require mine of it as well as my headband, and what is it that you for wish me to do?” agrees Ray.

  Convian Genox nods to one of her soldiers, who in turn returns the silver staff and the jewelled headband to Ray.

  “Catapults _ those of these that belongs to the enemy, we require that you destroy them,” says Serene.

  Ray, wearing his headband and clutching his staff, steps closer to the parapets. He sees the two remaining gigantic wooden structures. He is unsure if he can destroy them, for they seem very far away. He takes in a deep breath and draws in the stored soul energy of the rubies in his staff and in his headband. Then with a sudden exhalation and a loud shout, he thrusts forward his right palm and sends a series of large Heat Bursts, the size of small boulders, straight towards one of the Grand Catapults. Convian Serene Genox freezes in surprise and so does Verallvian Sayson. Loud explosions occur as the large flaming spheres smash into the first Grand Catapult, sending pieces of flaming debris flying through the air and creating fear and confusion amongst the Serpentians.

  “Fire!? Your kind is supposed to be extinct!” says Convian Genox in disbelief.

  Ray ignores the two confused Provincial Guards. He draws in another deep breath and executes the same spell at the second Grand Catapult with the same devastating effect. Then suddenly Ray coughs, and miniscule droplets of blood sprays forth from his mouth. The world around him begins to spin. Then Ray’s vision goes blank and he falls to the ground, only to be caught by the alert Verallvian Sayson, who with the help of another Fallsian soldier, carries Ray off to the side. He then gives out instruction for several of his subordinates to carry Ray off to the infirmary. Convian Genox, meanwhile, breathes a sigh of relief as the biggest threat to their defences has been eliminated. The Fallsian soldiers shout out loud in defiance at the Serpentians. The gentle morning breeze blows as the stage is set for the next phase of the battle.

  Battlelord Constrictor’s eyes narrow with a suppressed and hidden rage as the last of his precious Grand Catapults crumble into a pile of flaming heap. Waving his hand, he sends the signal for attack. The commanders of the three Serpentian forward columns shout out their orders and their subordinates begin their slow but sure march forward. Another shout of command is given and the march turns into a light run. Then the Fallsian arrows fall. The Serpentians’ light run turns into a full sprint. Frontline Serpentian swordsmen lay long ladders onto Fort Eastguard’s eastern wall and climb them as fast as possible while their archer comrades let loose volley after volley of arrows onto their Fallsian counterpart.

  A fair number of Serpentian swordsmen arrive at the top of the eastern wall. A large number of Serpentians penetrate the fort via large holes in the wall itself. Convian Genox shouts out orders for the Fallsian archers and swordsmen to take defensive positions behind the buildings in the fort which are facing the eastern wall and engage their enemy. Arrows fly, blades cut and blood sprays forth from dying soldiers on both sides. Red is the colour of the ground. Red is also the colour of the various shapes and figures locked in mortal combat. Battlelord Constrictor affords a slight smile. His soldiers are gaining steady entry into the fort. He expects the battle to be over soon. The Fallsians are excellent horsepersons and fairly good archers, but when it comes to close contact combat, the Serpentians have immense advantages in the form of extreme brutality and aggression as well as a bigger built. The fort will be his, and with it, the entire Eastern Falls Province as well.

  Meanwhile, Ray wakes up to the sound of fierce battle and finds himself in the infirmary. He sees several wounded Fallsian soldiers pick up their weapons and walk out to join the battle. Ray forces himself to get up. He grabs his silver staff and taps one end hard onto the ground while focusing his thoughts. Slowly, he absorbs a small amount of energy from the stone floor. The healers nearby look at him in surprise. He walks off several paces to another spot and does the same again. His headache begins to subside and some amount of vigour returns to his body. Then he walks out of the infirmary and tries to get to Lance and Spirit. The healers, still puzzled by Ray’s behaviour, afford no effort in trying to stop him. Slowly, they recompose themselves and return to tending to their patients.

  Meanwhile, Fallsian arrows fly in continuous streams towards the eastern wall, targeting the huge holes where the Serpentian soldiers are coming out of. Serpentian arrows stream in the opposite direction, forcing the Fallsian archers to break off their volleys occasionally to avoid being hit. Serpentian swordsmen jump down from the wall’s huge holes and rush forward to engage their Fallsian counterparts. Blades clash and bodies fall in the ensuing bloodbath. Every single pace of ground in the fort is fought, killed and died for.

  A Serpentian swordsman eyes his target, a female Fallsian commander. She seems to be wounded, judging by the bandages on her arms, body and leg. She is engaged in fierce battle with one of his comrades. He creeps up behind her, poising for a quick and clean stab to her spine. Stab! A cold wet blade protrudes from within his torso. A loud shout of frustrated pain catches the Fallsian commander’s attention and Convian Serene Genox turns around momentarily to see the Serpentian swordsman’s shocked expression. Verallvian Sayson draws his blade out of the Serpentian swordsman. The verallvian then engages another Serpentian nearby.

  “Convian Genox, you should really be more careful, you cannot expect me to save you all the time, can you?” says Verallvian Sayson jokingly while blocking and striking at his opponent.

  “Thank you for your advice, Verallvian Sayson. I would love to hear more about it but as you can see, I am very busy. And as for saving me all the time, do not think that I do not appreciate it, I do, actually. But I am sure that before this battle is over I shall be able to repay your kind deeds at least once!” replies Convian Genox while she stabs a Serpentian in the torso.

  The midday heat caused sweat to flow continuously from the foreheads of the men and women manning the barricades in Eastgush Village, stinging their eyes. Most of the men awaited the upcoming battle with silent anticipation while the women hugged and comforted each other in preparation for it. Approximately 250 Serpentian raiders were sighted by the village scout earlier on. This would be the ultimate test for them. This would be the main and final raid on the village.

  The Serpentians had realised that some of their raiders were unaccounted for. They had no doubts that these raiders were killed by the people of Eastgush and that the village was being defended by someone knowledgeable in the art of war, as common Fallsians would not have stood a chance of beating battle-hardened Serpentian raiders. Thus the Serpentians were required to follow up in full
force and with extreme caution. The Serpentians were ruthless and cruel, but they were not stupid.

  Thorn assesses the overall situation. Should they succeed in repelling the raiders, he knows that the Serpentians will not be able to launch another raid as they will have depleted their resources. But if Fort Eastguard falls to Serpentian hands, there will be no point in defending the village after this battle, as the Serpentian force which will be sent later to secure this village will be so large that to resist them will be virtually pointless and suicidal; though he is sure the villagers will fight on to the end, nonetheless. Too many factors to consider, yet not many are within his control!

  As expected, the Serpentians appear on the main road marching in three straight files. They stop about 600 paces from the barricades. The Serpentian commander assesses the situation. Thorn can make out that the Serpentians look alert and cautious. Thorn realises that this is going to be a very tough battle. Then the Serpentian commander gives the order to march forward. Step by step they close the distance between them and the villagers.

  Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Three arrows cut into the Serpentian files, causing two Serpentian raiders to fall in agonising pain. The third arrow lands on the ground harmlessly. The Serpentian commander shouts out commands for his archers to stop and attack while his swordsmen march on at a fast pace. A frenzy of arrow exchanges occur between the Serpentians and the villagers.

  Thorn’s heart skips a beat, for he now knows that the battle is lost. Unlike the previous raiding party, these Serpentian raiders did not scatter in panic, thus avoiding the numerous bamboo stake traps in the surrounding field. One by one, the village archers fall onto the ground either injured or dead. Thorn shouts out orders for the villagers to throw as many spears as possible at the Serpentian files. Several dozen Serpentian archers and swordsmen fall to the ground with wooden shafts protruding from their bodies. But it is not enough! Approximately 180 Serpentians still threaten the village. And they march closer and closer to the barricades.

  Then the inevitable happens! The Serpentian commander orders his swordsmen to charge. The villagers throw spears and various projectiles at the raiders as fast and as accurately as they can in order to stop them. Thorn shouts out a command to the villagers and all of a sudden, dozens of spears protrude from the tiny holes in the barricades and impales a number of the charging raiders. The rest of the Serpentians jump over the outer barricade and a bloody battle ensues. Swords clash with pitch forks, machetes, axes and sickles. Shouts of anger intertwine with the screams of pain, fear and frustration in a chaos of violence and bloodshed.

  Swinging his left hand, Thorn Sayvion slams his shield onto the head of a Serpentian who is trying to jump over the barricade. He thrusts his sword forward to stab the Serpentian who follows behind the first. Pulling his sword from the second raider, he swings a Horizontal Cut to knock away the sword of another raider and swings the edge of his shield horizontally into this Serpentian’s neck, breaking it. Thorn steals a glance at Caramel, who with the help of two village women, is engaged in battle against a raider. She seems to be holding her own as a warrior, but still, he would have preferred it if she had chosen to go into hiding with her parents.

  More and more Serpentian raiders jump over the barricades. Though fierce combat still occurs at the outer barricade, the Serpentians have managed to penetrate into the village hall itself. The villagers fight as best they can, but are no match for the well trained and stronger Serpentians. Village men fall at the hands of the Serpentian as easily as a hot knife cuts through butter. Some of the village men and most of the women folk are knocked unconscious. Thorn steals another glance at Caramel, but panic consumes him as he sees a Serpentian punching her in the stomach, which causes her to collapse onto the ground.

  “You’re too pretty to die, darling. We’ll find a better use for you,” remarks the Serpentian.

  Without a single thought of sensibility, Thorn rushes towards her; but a wall of Serpentians stands in his way. He charges, hits, swings, cuts, blocks and manoeuvres, but to no avail. A solid thud at the back of his head and Thorn Sayvion’s vision darkens. The ambient noises become silent and only his heartbeat can be heard. Then there is nothing but silence and darkness, except for one word. This one word repeats itself over and over again in his mind! Failure! Failure! Failure! Failure! Failure! …

  Meanwhile, back at Fort Eastguard, Elementhar Ray Iddell slams one end of his silver staff into a Serpentian’s face. As the Serpentian falls to the ground, a Fallsian swordsman finishes him off with a stab to the torso. Ray engages another Serpentian, trying to keep him out of the prison building where Lance and Spirit are being held. The border fort is close to being overrun as the fighting reaches the western wall itself. Then the sweetest sound to a Fallsian soldier’s ears can be heard.

  “Royal Guards! One cavalry pond approaching! Royal Guards! One cavalry pond approaching! Royal Guards! One lake approaching at a distance!!” shouts one of the sentries on top of the western wall.

  Every Fallsian soldier’s heart leaps with joy. Their fighting spirit reignites. The large gate of the western wall swings open slowly and like a loud burst of thunder, a lone horseman, in shiny silver armour and wearing a crowned battle helm, charges through, leading 311 galloping horsemen behind him. The Royal Guards waste no time in joining the fray. The fort’s defenders, further inspired by their horse-mounted comrades, charge forward to push the remaining Serpentians back towards the eastern wall. Hundreds of Serpentians fall victim to the Royal Guards, whose horses wear armour equipped with thick metal spikes that can stab at galloping speeds or break bones upon a brushing impact. Cavalry archers of the Royal Guards shoot off volley after volley of arrows at the Serpentian archers who control the eastern wall, sending them to their deaths.

  A Serpentian scout strains his eyes into the distant western horizon, then rubs them in disbelief. He strains his eyes again and finally accepts what he sees, tall wooden structures making their way towards the fort. He recognises these wooden structures to be Heavy Catapults. The reinforcement lake of Fallsian soldiers march steadily ahead of these catapults. Serpentian runners at the frontline relay hurried messages to each other and moments later, a Serpentian runner informs Battlelord Constrictor of the latest developments. To the Serpentian commander, there is no doubt in his mind that the result of the battle has already been revealed. He has approximately 3,500 able-bodied soldiers left and this figure is extremely insufficient to overcome the reinforcement lake of Royal Guards and their Heavy Catapults, especially since he no longer has catapults of his own.

  Though his pride makes it hard for him to do so, Battlelord Constrictor signals the retreat. Serpentian signallers blow horns in long slow rhythm, sending the signal of a general retreat. The Serpentians who are in the fort are trapped and get cut to pieces. The Serpentians outside the eastern wall make a fighting retreat, with groups of archers leap-frogging backwards to cover the retreat of their swordsmen comrades. With an expression of cold indifference, Battlelord Constrictor turns around and marches the remnants of his columns into the eastern horizon.

  Convian Genox made her way to the lead horsemen of the Royal Guards.

  “Convian Serene Genox, acting commander of 1st Lake, 3rd Ocean, reporting, Your Highness!” said Convian Genox as she bowed.

  “Prince Eagle Patrum, commander of 1st Ocean. Proceed with your report, convian!” replied the silver armoured horseman, as he removed his crowned battle helm, revealing a handsome young man of Serpentian ancestry.

  “Your Highness, Orgavian Ram Deffs and the other minvians were killed in battle, mainly by shadow-archers. The only other surviving minvian left is Minvian Eggle, who is a reinforcement officer from one of the town garrisons. Most of my soldiers are dead or severely wounded. The eastern wall is severely damaged. All of my Heavy Catapults are destroyed. The town of Timberstock and most villages along the border have been raided, Your Highness,” reported Convian Genox.

  “Most unfortunate,” ex
pressed the prince as he shook his head in sadness.

  Prince Patrum turned to look at Convian Genox again.

  “Convian, I am promoting you to the rank of minvian. You and your soldiers are to tend to those who are injured and also to bury the dead. Strike Force 3 is a quarter of a day’s march away. When they arrive, this fort will be placed under their responsibility until further notice. They will be responsible in rebuilding the fort. As soon as you and your soldiers have completed your tasks, you will assist Strike Force 3 in rebuilding the fort. Replacements will be sent here to reconstruct 1st Lake in due time. Are my instructions clear, minvian?” continued Prince Patrum.

  “Yes, Your Highness,” said Minvian Serene Genox.

  “Battle commendations, minvian?” asked the prince.

  “Verallvian Rod Sayson, Your Highness. He saved my life twice. He took temporary command of our soldiers while I was unconscious. He provided sound military advice and acted calmly and bravely in combat,” replied Minvian Genox.

  “Accepted, minvian. You may inform the verallvian he is promoted to convian. Anything else to add, minvian?” said Prince Patrum.

  “No, Your Highness,” replied Minvian Genox.

  “Carry on!” ordered the prince.

  Minvian Genox bowed and left.

  Prince Eagle Patrum dismounted from his horse and proceeded to assign his men to set up the temporary defences of the fort while the newly promoted Minvian Serene Genox and Convian Rod Sayson, assisted by Minvian Eggle, proceeded to carry out their tasks. Tears of sorrow flowed down their cheeks as they took in the sight of carnage and destruction that lay before them and as they identified amongst the dead, close friends and comrades whom they would never see again, or whose voices, jokes and laughter they would never hear again.