Chapter 12: First assault on Feoh: Part 2

The darts came off my hands one by one, each time sending someone to the afterlife. There were even more than one at a time. Like this one...

- [Cool throw!]

- [Thanks.]

The projectile I threw killed two enemies at once. First it angled into the collarbone of one, and then it pierced the stomach of the other, who was walking, breathing into the back of the first one's head.

The archers fired volley after volley, showering arrows on the enemy. Their losses were enormous. With no cover from the fire, the monsters fell to the ground in dozens, sprinkling their blood on the ground. But they still continued to advance with frantic persistence, staying on their feet, sometimes taking two or three hits each. It was only a matter of time before they reached the walls.

- "Aim for those with ladders! Don't let them hit the wall!"

Following the princess's order, archers concentrated their fire on those monsters who had assault ladders in their hands. For a short time this helped. The bearers died and were wounded, dropping their burdens, which greatly slowed their approach. But once the enemy realized exactly what the defenders were doing, dense groups of monsters began to gather around the ladders, shielding them from arrows in every way they could. They didn't hesitate to do so even with their own bodies, just to drag the load a few more meters. After that, the fire lost a considerable amount of its effectiveness. Certainly it was not useless. Tightly marching monsters were losing many of their congeners, but they were doing their job.

Soon, the enemy came close to the fortifications. Some of them also had long-range weapons, and now they were using them. The defenders could no longer fire on the attackers with impunity and had to hide behind the teeth of the fortress wall from return fire. The first dead and wounded appeared. They were few in number, not by comparison less than the enemy had already died, but the rest began to be afraid of getting a sharp bite, which allowed the monsters below to act more actively and begin to build ladders to the wall.

- "Don't let them get in!"

Alicia, of course, knew not to let that happen. Her shout echoed through the positions, calling the defenders to action, and immediately rocks and boiling water poured down on the heads of the enemies, and the gunners with redoubled zeal continued to collect the bloody reap from the enemies.

During our training, my brothers and I studied military history, beginning with ancient times. Including the Middle Ages. From those lessons we learned that with heavy losses any assault on a fortress would choke because rarely would a commander drive his soldiers into a useless attack and give the signal to retreat if necessary, and if for some reason it did not follow, they themselves could turn and run. In our situation neither was the case. The monsters stubbornly kept trying to climb the wall, with no regard for their losses, and without a trace of fear. It was either the work of a cornered animal with nothing to lose, or of someone like me. Someone made to kill and die no matter what. Now, seeing how they act, I'm completely sure of that.

No matter how hard our soldiers tried to stop the enemy from getting to the wall, they couldn't do it forever. I could see from my tower that one of the ladders was surrounded on all sides by small green-skinned monsters that looked like goblins, or maybe they were actually goblins, hooting and hooting belligerently and waving their weapons in the air. Then the bigger of the two threw a couple of hooked ropes against the wall, and when they caught hold of the tines, they began to lift them up. The first was followed by another, then another, and now more than a dozen ladders, bottom to top, filled with screaming creatures, were clinging to the wall. Some of them were immediately thrown down, others collapsed halfway, when the enemies who lifted them were killed by a well-aimed throw or a shot of one of the defenders, but most of them, however, leaned against the wall. And the chopping began.

"Cease fire!" - Alicia reacted to the situation just in time, ordering the second line of archers, the one in three rows lined up on our side of the wall, to stop firing so as not to hit the comrades fighting above. They will not participate in the battle on the wall without an absolute necessity, because most of them consist of yesterday's townspeople, who had barely had time to learn how to shoot an arrow in the canopy, and to stab with a spear. Such will simply die on the wall without any benefit, and will interfere, causing a crush. The girl herself was on the tower next to mine, and led the defense from there. When she was satisfied that her command had been carried out, she drew her sword, and, fastening her shield on her arm, hid inside the building to join her men in battle. And it's time for me to do the same. I'd run out of darts, and showing off my firearms would mean letting Vult know that the dark elf queen had snuck out from under his nose, which, for the time being, we weren't going to do.

- [So, Martha. Time for us to stretch our legs, too? We don't want to fall behind the Princess.]

- [You can count on me, Carrier.]

- [Then let's go!]

Glancing around the battlefield, I find a place where the enemy has been able to push the defenders away from the stairs and free up a few meters of ground for themselves, freely climbing their congeners. That's where I need to go.

Taking a few steps back to accelerate, I run up and jump right onto the cog, and then at top speed, rush to the place of the breakthrough. My actions did not go unnoticed, both by my allies, who were watching my figure with astonished looks, and by my enemies, who were trying to shoot at such a convenient target. Or rather, they thought it was convenient. In fact, no one was able to hit me. The accuracy of the primitive bows left a lot to be desired, and the speed with which I moved and the cloak that blurred the outline of my figure became an insurmountable obstacle for the enemy shooters. A couple of the lucky ones who somehow managed to hit me didn't count. They were just lucky, and it was no use - my armor was made to protect against something much cooler than anything they had.

One particularly badass freak even tried to do what I did. He climbed up on the cog in front of me and started swinging his club, grinning his crooked, yellowed teeth. I didn't even have to do anything myself: one of the soldiers jammed a spear into its belly and yanked it out, letting his guts fall out on the heads of the fighting men. The monster immediately lost all its fervor and lowered its head and stared at its insides in surprise before its strength gave out and it fell from the wall to its rampaging brethren below.

The next one was smarter and did not try to repeat the trick of his brave but dumb counterpart. Instead he tried to hit my leg with an axe, but only succeeded in getting that same leg to dent his facial bones inside his skull. The other tried to pierce me with a spear, and failed, too. I simply intercepted the shaft near the tip and wrenched it from the bastard's hand, and the soldiers finished the job, easily finishing off the unarmed foe.

With the trophy spear in my hand, I continued to run toward my target, dealing blows left and right. Here, I brushed the spearhead across the neck of the orc, who had already laid his axe over the young guy he'd shot down a second ago. There, running past the ladder, I put the little brute who was about to leap onto the wall on the tip, and flung him down on the heads of those crawling after him, making them all fall to the ground, and the enterprising mustachioed man used it to cut the ropes and shove the wooden structure down. I managed to make my mark in one way or another on every part of my way, garnering appreciative shouts from my allies and the death cries of my enemies.

And now, there was the captured section of the wall in front of me. In the minutes it took me to get here, the monsters had managed to reclaim some more space, despite the fierce resistance of the defenders. I made it in time.

- [Let's see how good the queen's gift is.]

I drop my spear, which will now only get in the way, speed up, and take a long leap, extending both arms forward in flight. The familiar feeling from my training, informing me that the nanomachines in my body give away the accumulated mana, lets me know that Martha understood my words correctly, and a moment later two small energy clots fly from my open palms and fly right into the center of the crowd of enemies. The effect was impressive. The place they'd hit exploded in a bloody rain of monsters torn to shreds. The bodies exploded in all directions, showering copious amounts of blood on the fighting men, who froze for a moment in astonishment at the sight.

Before anyone knew it, I was in the bloody cloud, landing on the small patch of empty space left by my attack, and immediately kicking the orc in the chest, who was staring at me with his eyes batting stupidly. With that look on his face he flew into the pile, knocking them down, and I turned to grab the one behind me and throw him off the wall. One blow after another fell on the stunned creatures, breaking bones and skulls. They had nothing to counter my speed and strength, and the limited space played into my hands. Encouraged by my appearance, the defenders, recovering from their shock, intensified their attack and helped me to finish the job and finally repel this section of the wall.

For me, the next couple of hours were a succession of runs and short skirmishes. I kept a close eye on the battle and tried to get to where the defenders were having the hardest time, so that I could correct the situation and go immediately to the next trouble spot. At one point I came across Alicia. The girl had lost her shield somewhere and was covered in dust and blood, but even so she looked quite attractive. On the contrary, in the heat of battle she seemed to be in her place. Her lilac eyes burned furiously with excitement and anticipation every time she took on another enemy. And the voice she used to give commands was loud and resonant, standing out clearly among the sounds of battle.

And so, fighting beside the Princess, covering her and furtively admiring her, I caught the end of the battle.

 

***

This battle was not the first one Alicia had fought. Her blade had long ago been stained with blood, and the sight and stench of dead bodies had ceased to frighten her when she was just on her way to becoming a true knight. So she was sure she would be ready for today.

But she was wrong. She'd noticed that she was wrong all too often. Wrong when she'd decided that defending the city would be enough to fend off the occasional monster raid. Wrong when, stepping on the path of the knight, decided that others would act in accordance with the code of honor. And finally she made the mistake of trusting Beasley. The man she'd thought of as her mentor and friend, who'd bought her like a thing and set up a criminal network in their town.

It was very painful. To realize in an instant that the world was not at all what it seemed, and that people might not be who they said they were. She was blind and naive. And who knows where her naivete would have led if things had stayed as they were? Her imagination once again drew the picture of human bodies floating in murky liquid...

Fortunately, there was a man who discovered her truth in time. And helped not to lose heart, when this truth heavy weight rested on the shoulders of the young princess, threatening to break the spine. The lesson was unpleasant, painful, but very effective. But, most importantly, safe. As Kay had once told her, during one of their conversations, [Better you learn now than when you find yourself naked in a cage in front of a raging mob of bastards.]

Their conversations in the past few days had become part and parcel of Alicia's life. With his words, Kay questioned everything the girl knew and believed to be absolute truth. Of course, she could not listen to criticism for nothing, and entered into an argument on any, even the smallest occasion. And Kay would just smile, looking at her with a kind, understanding, and to the point of gnashing her teeth, and... pelt her with arguments, sometimes supplementing them with colorful examples. Alicia could only blush and bat her eyes like a village idiot, or bashfully hide her eyes like a child in mischief. And some examples at all drove in shock and awe of its brutality and unsightliness of the events described. And still she wanted to object! To say that it was impossible, that it did not happen, that people did not do that, and much more.

But deep down in her heart, the Princess knew that, and it happens, and people do. She just didn't want to admit defeat, subconsciously trying to keep the picture of the world cracking at the seams and the remnants of pride.

The last straw was Beasley's return to town. Alicia harbored a timid hope that a mistake had crept in somewhere, that the things found in his office were just someone else's cruel joke. Guided by this feeling, she asked Kay for leniency. And he heard her. Turning that request into a cruel lesson that all words can have a second bottom, and that promises made by someone can be kept in a way that is not at all what the person to whom they are made expects. But the most frightening thing was the sight of a chained madman whose words wounded right through her heart more painfully than the sharpest knife. Something inside the girl snapped and shattered. Unable to stand it, she turned and ran. Anywhere but away from the monster who had long pretended to be close to her.

Kay found her a few minutes later, utterly shattered and devastated. How much time she'd cried, huddled into him like a life preserver, she wouldn't say. That day, in this man's arms, the old Alicia Arcturus died and a new one was born. And what she will eventually become, only time will tell. But she will definitely do everything to make sure that the people dear to her, her home, live in peace and safety. By any means necessary.

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The surprises didn't end there. One simple question from Mistress Celestine, and there they were, watching the bloodiest battle Alicia had ever seen. And to believe that all this was happening somewhere far away, in another world, was... not so hard, really. After that, it became clear why all the strange things she had noticed when she talked to Kay: the clothes he wore, the unknown names he kept mentioning in his stories, and a lot of other little things unnoticeable at first glance. The real reason why he travels with the queen of the dark elves, and his incomprehensible love for long-range weapons came to light. Everything... fell into place.

Alicia was struck to the core by what this man had been through. And what he had shown was just one battle! Not even the hardest, he said! With a life like that, you either go crazy or you toughen up and become a really good person. Someone to look up to. True, the girl doubted very much that she could keep her sanity if she were him. Very much doubted. But what she certainly didn't doubt was that Kay was on her side. And that instilled confidence.

Still, seeing how many enemies had come under the walls of Feoh made the maiden knight's heart skip a beat, and it took a noticeable effort to quiet the trembling in her knees. The power that was about to descend upon them was immense. Monsters are a formidable foe enough as it is, and when they are gathered in such numbers, with the guidance of experienced and disciplined mercenaries, they are truly a formidable force. Even knowing how they would be met, Alicia wasn't sure they would hold out.

But Kay came to her rescue again. His confident look made the knight princess ashamed of her own, defeatist thoughts. She can do it. Protect Prim, Mistress Celestine, and all the innocent people from what these things are going to do to them.

Well, once the battle began, there was no time to be nervous and worried. It was just hard. She had to keep her eyes on the battle. She had to tear her throat out, shout commands, raise the fighting spirit of the fighters by personal example, and beat, beat, and beat.....

Until the frenzy, until the loss of strength. Even when a foreign blood tastes nasty, flooding your face, making it hard to see. Even when a missed punch knocks all the air out of her chest. Even when it feels like there's no strength. She had to hit. Or else it's over.

For a moment, it got easier. Princess was even able to find time to catch her breath and look around. And immediately she found the reason why.

Kay.

He was fighting with his bare hands, but that didn't stop him from playing with his enemies. It looked even more incredible in person. Sharp, stingy movements far beyond human capabilities. Incredible precision. Overwhelming strength. And the grace of a predator in the midst of livestock. A true god of war, coming down to the mortals to stretch himself and quench his thirst for battle a bit.

He spent the rest of the battle at her side, watching her back and supporting her until her enemies, who had been charging forward like a battering ram, finally gave up and ran back, leaving more than half their dead brethren to lie beneath the walls of Feoh.

The triumphant cry of hundreds of throats resounded around the area. The soldiers rejoiced at their resounding victory.

Looking behind the fleeing monsters, Alicia leaned against the edge of the wall. Her ears rang, sweat poured profusely into her eyes, and her legs began to weaken as the tension of the battle abruptly left her body, draining what little strength she had left. She did not rejoice like the others. On the contrary, the realization that this was only a reconnoitering battle, and that there was only annon fodder against them, made her want to howl. After all, it was only going to get worse.

- "Tired?"

The voice came through the water, muffled, but Alicia knew who it belonged to. Turning her head, she found Kay beside her. He was covered in mud and blood, like hers. But he didn't look tired at all. In fact, he was breathing normally, unsteady on his feet.

"A little..." - The Princess replied languidly, trying not to sound like "a little" was really "a hell of a lot".

"Heh, I figured as much." - With a kindly grin, the guy stepped closer, took her under her arm, and led her toward the stairs.

"Where are you taking me?" - The girl tried to be indignant, but made no attempt to stop him. She was too tired.

"To rest." - He replied.

Rest! But she must not rest! She had to organize the delivery of the wounded to the infirmary, get rid of the corpses, collect the spoils. Lots of things she has to do!

"No. I must stay." - With a twitch of her arm, Alicia still tried to stop Kay.

"Rest." - Once again, Kay cut in a short phrase.

Alicia twitched again, staring at him indignantly, and tried to return the hand he had grabbed.

Kay stopped. He sighed. And looked into her eyes. There was a look of undisguised skepticism in his eyes.

"Listen." - He began, in a calm, soothing tone. - "You're exhausted. You need a drink and a snack and a shower and some sleep."

- "But..."

- "No buts. You're in the throes of your first real hard fight. If you keep pushing yourself too hard now, you'll never recover for the next one. And believe me, the next one's not far off." - Again he began to reprimand the Princess like a misbegotten squire. - "Leave the debriefing to me. Get yourself cleaned up. I want a cheerful and ready to work and defense Alicia, not a wrinkled moth in a faint. And if you're stubborn, I'll carry and put you to bed myself. If necessary, I'll even read you a bedtime story!"

Once again, she could not find anything to say to her... friend? Indeed, who is Kay to her? In the beginning she had been, predictably, distrustful of him, and then she had a sort of competitive spirit. And now? After analyzing her feelings, the girl was surprised to realize that she didn't. She didn't feel he was her friend. Not after what he had said and done for her, especially that day by the stairs at the casemates. There is more here than just friendship. Alicia remembered well the sense of peace and security that his embrace gave her, the comfort zone she found in it.

And then abruptly, with both feet, the squelching sounds and moans from the balcony below burst into the girl's thoughts. She then went out to admire the stars in the night sky as she suddenly witnessed blatant obscenity! Debauchery! And where! Practically in full view of everyone! Naturally, she recognized from the voices of the participants in that action. But, for some reason, instead of the desire to yell at the lechers and stop their perverted games, she felt her heart beat faster, and a new, unfamiliar, but very pleasant feeling arose in her belly. There was also envy, and a desire to be in the woman's shoes.

Wait, what was going through her head after the battle? Maybe Kay was right, and she could really use a little rest.

Yeah... a little... rest.

"You're right, you know!" - Alicia jerked away from the guy, her cheeks flushing red, and scooted quickly back to the exit of the wall. - "I'll be right over here, if it's any trouble, just come find me!"

And, quickly, carefully avoiding eye contact with Kei, Alicia cowardly ran off...proudly went away!

 

***

"...and what's the heck was that?" - Supersoldier from the future asked the air. His keen gaze caught the kaleidoscope of emotions that flashed across the Princess' face in an instant. And the reasons for it were a big mystery to him.

"Ah, whatever." - He shrugged, said to himself, and went to assess the consequences of the battle.

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