Reincarnated Prince just wants a quiet life

Part 11: Aftermath

Hennerick Dupay sat on his horse in front of the five thousand mounted horsemen that anxiously awaited his command. They were positioned just inside the forest on a small hill that gave a great view of the battlefield below. About fifty yards from their position was a long line of foot soldiers that were readying battering rams and siege ladders. Behind them sat even more foot soldiers all milling about as if they were on a Sunday stroll. A scowl formed on his face as he watched them, he shook his head as he returned his attention back to the battlefield.

"Such undisciplined men, how has Jan been training them?" said a man as he rode up to stand by Hennericks' side.

Letting out a sigh but never taking his eyes off of the battlefield Hennerick responded, "How many times must I tell you to address the man correctly. You may not respect the man but he is your superior."

"Many apologies sir," said the man in an exasperated tone while he bowed in his saddle, "I oft forget myself sir when I see such an unsightly display."

"As do I," Hennerick muttered to himself, "Any progress at all?"

"Nothing of note sir. We managed to do some damage to the main gate but the men there were whipped out." the man replied in a more serious tone.

"Those new weapons they have are proving to be a real hindrance." Hennerick said, "Yet Jan just keeps trying the same old approach."

"Sir, I would remind you of General Hoebeeks' rank." said the man with a hint of laughter in his voice.

Turning to the man with a stern look on his face, "Enough with the jokes Virgil. I'm not in the mood for them."

"Apologies sir." said Virgil in a more serious tone. "Ah it looks like their shield has finally broken."

Tuning back to the battlefield Hennerick could see holes forming in the nearly transparent dome that had protected the city. "I am surprised it lasted as long as it had, they must have quite a few skilled mages in their ranks."

"It would seem so sir, to think they would have enough to fuel those fearsome weapons whatever they are. I count at least fifty, and it seems they are working in teams of four." said Virgil.

"Was this why you seemed so confident, prince?" Hennerick said to himself as he watched round after round destroy rank after rank of troops.

"Sir?" asked Virgil.

"Ah, pay me no mind." Hennerick replied, "How many men have we lost already?"

"Two divisions sir," said Virgil in a solemn voice.

"Two whole divisions. Thirty thousand men dead, and we haven't even dealt them a single blow. What a ridiculous show this is." said Hennerick shaking his head. "Maybe with the dome down we will see some results finally."

Suddenly there was a flash of light that came from deep within the city followed by a thunderous boom that seemed to silence all other sounds. "What in the world was...." Hennerick started but stopped short as a shockwave rippled through the forest, knocking men and horses alike off their feet. Trees bent at the force, strong and old oak trees bent and threatened to be uprooted with many actually doing so. Many of the mounted soldiers fell out of their saddles and found themselves without a horse as they fled whatever it was that had caused the shockwave. Others were not so lucky as both man and horse fell as one, the weight of the latter crushing the bones of their riders. The men that managed to remain in their saddle could do nothing but look on in horror as the scene unfolded.

Gripping his reins so tight his knuckles turned white, Hennerick spurred his horse out into the open field so he could look down the forest line to try and catch a glimpse of what had caused the shockwave. What he saw drained the blood from his face and despair gripped his body making him unable to move or even look away from the horror. Rising high above the tree line was a dark cloud that as he watched on in horror blocked the very sun from view. Dancing amongst the cloud were bolts of lighting that occasionally struck out and charred whatever it touched. Fire had spread from somewhere causing trees to become gigantic torches that illuminated the sky in an orangish red color.

Everywhere he looked men were slowly getting to their feet but not a single soul could do anything other than stare in horror at the scene before them. Not a single arrow left its bow, no spells were cast, it was as if the battle that had been taking place moments before was nothing more than fiction.

Hennerick didn't hear the man shouting at him nor was he able to draw his attention away from the cloud that seemed to be death itself. It wasn't until the man slapped him across the face that he was able to snap out of the daze he found himself in.

"Sir! You have to get back to the forest before they decide to open fire again!" said Virgil, the fear plain to see in his eyes.

Shaking his head, Hennerick wheeled his horse away from the city walls and made a mad dash back into the forest. Although he suspected that he could have casually walked there as the Padarian soldiers hadn't made a single move either. It would seem that they too were in shock, or perhaps they were taking pity on them, though he thought that unlikely.

As he made it within the safety of the forest another man came riding up to him, panting heavily and stricken with fear. "G-general Dupay, what are your orders sir?"

"Orders? Are you not one of Jans' men? Why come to me for orders, soldier?" Hennerick replied.

"S-Sir General Hoebeek is dead Sir. Along with General Robbin. The rest of the Generals and Commander Morges are missing, Sir." the soldier replied.

"Dead? Missing?" Hennerick said in disbelief. "Just what in the world happened?"

"Whatever form of magic that was, it... It struck the main camp.... We were unable to get any closer to search for survivors due to the thick shroud of miasma that has settled in, Sir" said the soldier.

Hennerick looked past the soldier as if he could see the cloud of miasma through the mass of trees. "Sound the retreat," he said in a soft voice as he dropped his head.

"Sir?" asked the soldier

"Sound the retreat!" Hennerick bellowed. "Gather the injured and retreat!"

Nodding, the soldier pulled out a large horn and blew into it three times, singling the soldiers to retreat. The same single was repeated four times by four different horns as the order passed down the remaining lines of troops. Men were seen rushing back into the forest en masse, as they were followed by the shouts and cheers of the Padarian men.

Hennerick took one last look at the capital city and grimaced. This would be the biggest disgrace the kingdom has ever faced. Soon word would spread of this failure and other nations would be sizing up the kingdom as an avenue for conquest. Not that I'll be around to see that happen. Thought Hennerick as he started his march home, where he almost certainly would face execution. Well fought prince, well fought.