Flight of The Harpy's Heart

Chapter 34: Serendale Undersiege

Aden stood his ground on high alert behind the barricade in the courthouse front yard. Phil already set up several torches some yards in front of the barricade, enough to scare off the harpy who had a thought to attack the ground unit.

The villagers had set up the barricade with junk in the front yard of the courthouse to slow down the harpies charging from the low altitude.

The air crackled with the tension of battle, the ominous rumbles, and cries echoing through the stone corridors like the harbingers of an impending storm. From the lower level, Aden strained to discern the chaos unfolding above, his ears attuned to the symphony of conflict that had enveloped the rooftops.

The rooftop unit had engaged the harpies, their weapons barking in defiance against the winged foes that soared through the skies. But it was the sight of the formidable siege weapons from the Far East that truly seized Aden's attention, their presence a stark reminder of the ingenuity and might that had emerged from distant lands.

This was the first time Aden bore witness to the hwacha in action, the very weapon that, a century ago, had rendered the wyverns and their riders obsolete, forever altering the dynamics of aerial warfare.

"So that is the power of hwachas," Aden murmured, his voice a hushed whisper of awe and trepidation as he watched the unfolding spectacle.

The hwachas roared to life, their thunderous voices reverberating through the very stones beneath Aden's feet. In a blinding flurry of motion, they unleashed a barrage of hundreds upon hundreds of arrows, each one a lethal messenger of death and destruction.

The harpies, those fearsome aerial predators, tumbled from the skies like mowed weeds, their bodies pierced and torn asunder by the relentless onslaught. Their shrieks of agony rent the air, a haunting chorus of defeat and despair that sent shivers down Aden's spine.

He could scarcely believe the devastating power of the hwachas, their ability to decimate the aerial foes with such ruthless efficiency.

"If only we had them in the Battle of Al-Ard," Aden lamented, his thoughts drifting back to the last great battle he had participated in.

In that battle, the enemy had unleashed a surprise attack, three flamecrest wyverns taking to the skies and raining down destruction upon Aden's forces. Ill-equipped to counter such aerial might, his army had been left vulnerable, unable to retaliate against the fearsome beasts and their riders.

But now, witnessing the hwachas in action, Aden could not help but wonder how the tide of that battle might have turned had they possessed such formidable weapons. The wyverns, once seemingly invincible, would have been mere targets for the hwacha's relentless barrage, their scales, and leathery wings no match for the hail of arrows.

As the hwachas continued their thunderous assault, Aden found himself transfixed, his mind racing with the implications of such fearsome weaponry. He could almost taste the acrid tang of smoke and feel the tremors of each earth-shaking volley, his senses heightened by the raw display of power before him.

At that moment, Aden understood the true might of the hwachas.

"Tsk, We miss the action." Hjalmar disappointed. His complaint brought Aden back to his feet.

"Our order is to defend the ground front, what we can do now is to stay alert and not let any harpy breach our defenses nor get inside the courthouse," Aden explained while watching over the rooftop unit have their action.

"Hai', Aden-san is correct. Stand guard the front yard, we must," Maeda confirmed.

"See, even our samurai friend agreed," Aden complimented Maeda.