Into The Storm

23

In the early hours of the morning, the war had begun. Wolfgrimm marched his army towards Frinnor, wanting to leave nothing but destruction in his wake. The knights stood by the battlements and others stood outside the gates, ready to defend the kingdom. Suddenly, the cannons were fired from the battlements, the action having begun. The fifteen kilogram cannonballs flew across the plains and collided with a portion of Wolfgrimm's army. The combatants screamed as they were scattered all over the place. They still continued forward, stepping over the corpses of their fallen friends. The army managed to get to the front gates, heaving a huge battering ram but the knights on the other side were already waiting for them. The enemy went for the first set of gates, but some did not make it as rocks were dropped from the battlements. Blood and brains were scattered all over the place as their skulls were crushed into nothing. Some others survived as they held their shields up above their heads, letting the rocks merely bounce off of them and into the moat. Without waiting for any order, they proceeded with smashing the battering ram into the second pair of doors, breaking them apart slowly. Others tried to find their way around the castle, trying to find any other points of entry to surprise the kingdom and gain some easy kills. Forty foot ladders were placed on the walls, the enemy slowly gaining entry into the kingdom. They proceeded to climb upwards. Two knights stepped up towards one of the ladders and kicked it down. Wolfgrimm's soldiers screamed as they plunged to their death. Suddenly, the soldiers planted their feet onto the battlements and a battle had begun. The knights stabbed their spears at their enemy, denying them entry. A row of knights stood at the front gates, protecting the entry with a shield wall. Their spears stuck out through the gaps, ready to slay their enemies. There were other knights behind them, aiming arquebuses at their enemy, placed on fork rests.

"Hold the front lines at all costs!" One knight ordered. Suddenly, the gates broke open and Wolfgrimm's soldiers charged at them head on. The knights pressed down onto the levers on their arquebuses, firing at their enemy. Within the blink of an eye, a huge cloud of smoke was released. Wolfgrimm's soldiers collapsed as the shot pierced through their armour easily. The ones behind them had got lucky, surviving. Suddenly, they collided with the shield wall. The knights' sabatons skidded backwards on the ground as they were pushed back slightly, but they kept a firm hold on the formation. They began stabbing at their enemies blindly, the smoke enveloping them. Some were impaled easily. Some knights were killed as axes and swords were slashed at them. One by one, they were killed off as the smoke dispersed and the shield wall was easily broken apart. The survivors retreated into the kingdom. Wolfgrimm's army cheered as they charged through the unprotected gates and into the city like bacteria to an open wound. Quickly, chaos was spread throughout the city. The knights stabbed their spears at their enemies and the elite slashed and stabbed their swords. A group of Wolfgrimm's knights died, screaming in unimaginable agony as boiling tar was dropped down onto them from the battlements. One knight delivered a brutal punch to his enemy's face and blood sprayed out every single feature of his face broken to pieces. He collapsed to the ground and the knight got on top of him. Bringing his sword up into the air, he brought it down onto his enemy's throat. Blood erupted from his mouth and the knight twisted his sword, giving him a quick but painful death. A small group of knights retreated from Wolfgrimm's soldiers as they chased them through the city. They entered a tunnel beneath the palace and their enemy had no choice but to follow them inside. Two knights at the end of the tunnel waited for them. Wolfgrimm's soldiers ran straight for them, spears out, ready to impale their cornered enemy. One of the knights took a burning torch and put it to a barrel that was toppled over. Suddenly, the tar that covered it set aflame. Without hesitation, both knights kicked the barrel, letting it roll towards their enemy. Two of Wolfgrimm's soldiers managed to stop it from colliding with them and went to go further but then suddenly, the gunpowder ignited and exploded, killing the enemy instantly. One soldier quickly looked around, realising that he had survived. The knights quickly opened up a barrel that contained white, powdered quicklime. One knight quickly grabbed a jug of water and proceeded to pour it into the barrel. Another knight took a long pole and proceeded to mix it. Some smoke escaped and the quicklime began to bubble violently. Having made a crude mixture, they wasted no time and kicked the barrel over. The liquid quicklime poured itself all over the floor and quickly travelled towards the enemy knight's feet. Within an instant, it proceeded to smoke and corrode through the steel. The enemy knight dropped to the ground, screaming in abject agony, red, bloody flesh peeling from his feet. The quicklime began to cover his back and corroded through the steel like a flame to paper, melting through the skin, muscle and bone. The knight died in a screaming agony, literally melting away. Blood covered the tunnel like a horror show. Combatants came constantly and combatants died constantly, the streets of Frinnor running red with blood.

Night fell, the battle was over, and the dead were collected. There were knights polishing and fixing up their arquebuses, cleaning away the gunpowder burns. It was a rare weapon and one to be treated with the utmost respect. Rosalis and Edmund stood by a burning brazier, trying to get some warmth. "You have to pull through this war and find a way on how to kill Wolfgrimm." Edmund said.

"May I confess something?" She asked. Edmund looked at her.

"Please."

"I took four other people on my journey and three of them are dead because of me."

"Now is not the time for guilt. You can feel guilty of all the things that you have done after we win this war. Besides, they decided to join you. You didn't force them, did you?"

"No. I did not."

"Well there you go, they joined you on their own accord. They probably knew what they were getting themselves into."

"But I feel responsible for their deaths. How can I be a custodian if I cannot even protect a monk?"

"It's not your fault. You should just move on. I need you to help me pull everyone through this war."

Rosalis looked at him. "Okay. I will."

"Do you need a hug?"

The custodian did not say anything and stepped over to him, wrapping her arms around him. Edmund stroked her head and sighed sadly.