The Forge Of Kings

Chapter 2: The Battle of Eithor

    
     "VERATH!" Esíos screamed from outside the wall, I landed on a rooftop with a roll and traveled to the wall from the rooftops, jumping house to house, when I finally arrived above the gate. Esíos' men filled the valley between the fortress of Eithor and his kingdom. "Wow. It's an honor to meet the great king of Ciron in person!" He said as he looked to his colleagues for response. He chuckled and looked back to me, "tsk. tsk. tsk, I had heard you were due back today, and my men and I wanted to extend the warmest of welcomes." He said boldly, "and what's warmer than the blood from your soldiers chests?" He asked then smugly chuckled at his question.

      "As much fun as slaughtering everyone behind the walls you're standing on would be, We are here to get a peaceful reaction of surrender." He said. "And we'll even say Please." His face beamed cockily as he finished his sentence, I kept my face stoic, does he really think he's funny? He dismounted his horse and walked excitedly to the gate and rattled his sword between the slats and whistled impatiently. "Let's go people, start bowing, I wanna see you have it mastered before I conquer this fortress." His face grew irritated, as he saw none of my soldiers bow, good to know that their doubts stopped before he arrived. "Oh come on Verry-, may I call you that?" He asked coyly "No." I said sternly, not even hiding the fact I was unamused. "Pfft, doesn't really matter what you think, it'll happen eventually, after I dethrone you and make you my jester, you'll joke and dance like the fool you are." He said with a giggle.

      "Anywho, we're getting off topic, what was I saying?... RIGHT, conquering this fortress, surrender and we'll let you live, resist and die or be enslaved!" He stated in a cutesy tone. I inhaled, "I'm afraid we're going to have to decline your offer." I said with a quick forced smile, Esíos frowned, "Why would you say such a stupid thing?! It's so much easier to surrender than to watch your followers die in battle." I nodded along with his uncontrolable yelling and replied, "That maybe so, but they'd be fighting for a worthy cause." I placed my arms behind my back and gripped my dagger, The woman near me watched me closely and nodded, she passed it down the line and finally nodded to me.

     "You go for him, We've got your back, Sir" She said surely. "We're with you." She whispered, I waited till Esíos rambled and turned to the group behind him, I leaped from the wall, dagger in hand and aimed for Esíos. My dagger lodged in his shoulder and rooted itself inside. He shrieked in pain and my army launched into action. Archers began slaughtering the horses and men in the front line, clerics healed the wounded and the knights and paladins tried to maintain a defensive perimeter around the gate and holding back Esíos' forces. Esíos turned his head enough to see me out of his peripherial vision, and attempted to remove my dagger from his shoulder with a deep growl, he shrieked once more as he threw me of his back with my dagger still lodged in his shoulder and screamed at the men approaching me with swords. "HE'S MINE!" The men ran off to fight elsewhere. Esíos pulled out his sword and charged, I evaded him with a roll and picked up a sword from a fallen light soldier.

     Our swords clashed. "You think you can take me?! Me?!? Of all the Royals! I am the strongest! That is why I was appointed to the gated kingdom containing Eithor. You are no match for me!" He laughed. I ignored his chaotic ramblings and focused on breaking his stance with fast and firm strikes to the sides and then attacking from the back before he knows what hit him. He countered each hit and cackled. "Nice try Verry... and to think I was afraid this would be to easy." I let out a low, irritated growl at him in response. "It's hard to know why The Lord is so afraid of you. Your attitude seems to be the scariest thing about you. The fight went on for minutes, neither of us making any notable strikes to each other.

     The female soldier I saw from the wall was about to run by when she saw what was happening, she grabbed her sword and charged for Esíos, doing her best to dodge attacks and not alert her target, when she was close she let out a battle-cry that drew attention of every soldier in the valley, she swung her sword and in seconds her sword was gonna rip through the flesh of Esíos' neck. But just as her sword was about to hit it's mark, Esíos' neck hardened, and gleamed silver from the point she had hit, she rolled and dodged Esíos counter, and slammed her sword into his. "WHAT ARE YOU!?" she shouted in a shakey and furious tone. He chuckled and grinned provocatively, "Why my dear, I am no more than the savior of life as we know it, The killer of darkness and the tamer of evil, I AM THE BANE OF YOUR EXISTENCE!" He screamed as swung his sword and she dodged by rolling back three feet and holding up her shield defensively.

     He struck the wood three times and growled in fury. She rolled again and continued distracting Esíos with defensive moves. I was watching the two fight, her evasion and defensive swings and him just swinging frantically, why would my dagger penetrate his shoulder, but not her sword? Maybe it's cause he didn't see my attack coming and she announced it? Maybe I should test my theory and attack while she's got him distracted. I sprang into action as the thought popped into my head, and I readied my sword and waited for the perfect moment to strike. Suddenly he turned his back to me and I moved right away. I jabbed my sword through his chest. He arched his back onto my blade and gasped deeply, he dropped his sword. And shuttered. "Bu---How?" He gasped he coughed and thick blood covered his chin and neck.

      The rest of the valley was filled with stragglers from the battle. They look as if they're my army, but it's unclear. I looked down at Esíos. He looked up at me and exhaled. "You won't get passed the others... They're stronger the closer you get to the Lord, it's impossible to win, you have no chance..." He muttered. The female soldier walks over and stops beside me and looks down at our foe. "I don't think you're in the position to judge, you did just say we'd lose this fight." She said firmly. He narrows his eyes and goes to speak. "You'll never claim my kingdom, this was only a quarter of my men, I have more, and they'll kill the rest of yo..." His face relaxed and he exhaled a long breath and fell silent. The female soldier spit on his corpse. "Evil Asshole!" She kicked him a few times and stepped away. "Sick of this asshole..." she sighed and turned away from the corpse.

     She left to look for survivors, I stopped the nearest soldier and told him we needed to set up a group of scouts to ensure structural integrity of the outer wall. And the safety of all civilians in the portside district. He nodded and proceeded to spread the word for volunteers. "What a mess..." I mumbled as I looked over the valley. The ground was littered with bodies, hardly any grass could be seen. I turned to my fortress and headed towards the gate, next is the kingdom of Sylhalin, The first pillar is cracked, without a royal it's bound to collapse upon attack. "THE PILLAR WILL FALL!" I shouted and raised my sword in the air, all the soldiers roared and mimicked me. "We'll attack at sunrise." I yelled "they'll never see it coming." I said with a smile. "They'll never see it coming..."