Aurion Ch. 03

There was little that the Myssan pike square couldn't simply roll right over given momentum and open ground, though contrary to the beliefs of many, they weren't invincible. They could march at speeds in excess of that considered feasible by most infantry forces and, as long as they stayed in formation, they were very hard to stop. However, Michael intended to turn their strength to weakness.

To maintain their high speed and properly handle their giant weapons, they couldn't wear more than a mail shirt as armor nor could they carry more than a long dagger as secondary weapons. Since their long pikes required both hands to operate, they could only carry a small buckler strapped to their left arms as a shield. This meant that, as formidable as they were, they were still a tightly packed group of lightly armored men on foot. And there was nothing an archer loved more than a tightly packed group with light armor.

The enemy had numerical superiority in both horse and foot but they were lacking in missile troops. Their ranged combatants were composed of 2,000 mercenary Crossbowmen from the Western Isles, who usually made their living in piracy (often times being hired by rulers to put an end to raids perpetrated by their brethren or even themselves). Unlike most Crossbowmen, these men were armored and equipped for close combat as well as skirmishing. Their mail shirts were complimented by brigandines (heavy quilted cloth with small metal plates riveted or sewn between the layers of fabric) along with greaves and gauntlets. Their powerful crossbows could punch through chain mail at closer distances but lacked the overall range and reach of a longbow, let alone a composite bow. They also had large shields that covered their whole bodies called pavises that were anchored or spiked into the ground to provide cover for them to reload behind.

The enemy had barely formed into position before their war horn blew and they began their advance. Smart, though Michael. The enemy sought to close the distance by advancing quickly to minimize the effect of his archers and siege weapons (which were rarely used in open field warfare, instead being reserved for sieges and the defense of fortified positions). Unfortunately for the enemy, Michael had considered that already, just like he predicted that they would try to sweep away his numerically inferior cavalry so they could sweep in from the sides as the pikemen rolled right over his infantry.

As if on cue, the barbarian cavalry on the flanks gave their roaring war cry and brought their disorganized charge forward at their counterparts, intending to sweep all before them with the ferocity of their charge alone. Michael's cavalry just waited though, appearing unworried. The entire first rank, and much of the second rank, of the enemy cavalry ran straight into the covered trench. Those that weren't crushed by their screaming horses or impaled on the spikes lining the bottom of the trench were thrown clear, most being obviously injured, while many others throughout the formation fell in to hidden spike pits or triggered the traps that were spread over the ground.

By the time the enemy had recovered, continued their charge and regained momentum they were just over 200 meters out. However, the hidden traps and trenches weren't the only alterations that had been made to the ground. Michael had had men divert a local creek into small canals that carried the water into the plains and soaked into the ground, turning it into a muddy quagmire. The charging horses got bogged down and Michael's archers (foot and mounted Xia both) and scorpion bolt throwers positioned on the flanks opened up on the stuck mass or horses and men. At a range of less than 200 meters, their fire was devastating. Men and horses screamed as their bodies were fully pierced by large bolts and armor piercing arrows from the bolt throwers and Xia mounted archers while the peasant archers rained massed volleys of arrows down on them from above. It was ugly work and it took several moments but not a single enemy rider made it through the hell that had been created just for them. Several managed to reverse their course in the writhing mass of perforated and dying bodies and successfully flee the battlefield, but they were clearly broken.

At that point, despite the fact that the enemy infantry had yet to clash with his lines, he knew that his victory in the battle was a foregone conclusion. The Myssan infantry had endured losses and been slowed by the trenches, but the impact wasn't as pronounced as it had been with the cavalry on the wings. Their superior discipline, long pikes, lower height and slower speed softened their losses and allowed them to cross or bridge the trenches.

Again, Michael had his men wait long after the enemy had crossed into bow range before ordering the first volley loosed. By the time the first line of Pikemen was closing the last hundred meters to Michael's frontline, the enemy cavalry on the wings had been defeated and the foot archers on each flank had turned their lines inward and set-up a crossfire on the enemy infantry while the cavalry circled around outside of the muddy quagmire. The onager catapults opened up first, followed a second later by the scorpions positioned on each wing, but instead of targeting the advancing line they focused their fire on the far rear line of Myssans positioned behind the enemy's second line of militia men. The surprised pikemen were crushed by boulders and pierced by bolts, enduring heavy casualties within the time it took for their commander to order them forward since the untrained militia positioned in front of them limited their movements. As soon as the enemy were all moving forward in an attempt at a final push, the catapults and bolt throwers stopped raining death on them, much to their relief. Few of them even considered the possibility that they were being corralled and herded.

The intensity of the Myssan charge against the shields of the legionaries and Hoplites was blunted by the withering hail or projectiles, many flaming or poisonous, that came from the four hundred Dorian helots, the Special Warfare Groups and the Ballistas. Bolts as big as full sized spears punched through multiple men while an assortment of arrows, bolts and darts burned, poisoned or penetrated the men of the first line. In the rear, a wave of expertly aimed arrows started reaping death on those at the back of the third line. Being Myssan professionals, the third line did a smart about face and lowered their pikes to the rear to prevent a cavalry charge from sweeping away their ranks. The Xia, however, were completely content to continue riding and swirling about in dazzling displays of coordinated horsemanship, all the while loosing extremely powerful and accurate bow shots against a bunched up group of lightly armored men. It was battle paradise as far as they were concerned and they had relay teams bringing fresh quivers of arrows and skins of water for the mounted archers. Paradise indeed.

The front lines of opposing infantry locked together upon impact, the large shields and extreme discipline of both the Hoplites and the Legionaries protected their users from the long pikes and absorbed the charge. Opposing men locked eyes over the rims of their shields as the tried to look for openings to slide a weapon through as their feet churned up the mud and blood underfoot.

The pikes were too long and heavy to be used with much precision, instead relying on force and momentum to defeat their enemies. Initially there was a stalemate as they stayed locked but Michael simply wanted them held in place. As soon as the opposing forces were well and truly locked, Michael ordered both Legionaries and Hoplites to step back and hurl their heavy javelins (both of which were meant to penetrate shields, making armor little obstacle) at the Myssans, the significant stand-off range of their long weapons providing the necessary space for a very close range javelin barrage. Devastating as it turned out to be, the javelin volleys were a distraction.

Right after the wave of javelins came at them, dozens of individual masked men in concealing black suits came flying over their front ranks to land amongst the pikemen inside their formations. The long weapons were useless at such an intimate distance and the few with the wits to drop their two handed pikes and draw their long daggers were immediately cut down with speed and skill far in excess on their own. Venom covered steel spikes and throwing stars flicked outwards in arcs to bury themselves in the exposed faces, necks and arms. Spiked steel balls attached to long chains lashed out to tear flesh, crush skulls or painfully entangle limbs. Curved shortswords with sickle-like blades flashed in short arcs that removed limbs and heads with frightening ease while many others fell to the bare hands of the masked assassins, whose hands shot out with palms flat and fingers extended to spear throats and crush tracheas, quarter fists impacted the base of skulls to snap spines while others struck the palms of their hands at a particular angle into the foreheads of their enemies as to snap their necks with whiplash. Large gaps opened in the enemy formation causing their lines to buckle in multiple locations before the black clad killers retreated back over the friendly shield wall.

Many of the Myssans had fallen, revealing the untrained militia pressed in behind them desperately. The third line had also been forced back by the deadly hail of Xia arrows, to the point that the enemy was forced into a tightly packed mass. The foot archers that had swung inwards from the flanks opened up their crossfire and the catapults and bolt throwers opened up in concert, concentrating fire from the outside inwards. In short order, the enemy had been reduced to a giant writhing ball of dying men in the center of the battlefield. Every bow, dart and javelin was turned inwards against them and they had no order, large shields or heavy armor to delay the inevitable.

By the time it was said and done, Michael's men and women were exhausted but they had lost only a dozen dead and thirty wounded. It was a truly epic victory that was easy to win and would boost morale among the fighters and provide experience to those still learning.

:..:

Over the next several weeks Michael's fighters operated in small groups spread widely through the land. Supported and supplied by the locals who had pledged to Michael's cause, they worked together in large networks to herd, surround and defeat enemy war parties and formations.

They also cut off and intercepted any of the enemy's attempts at communication by capturing riders and shooting down messenger birds. The enemy coalition used Ravens as messenger birds in a world where everyone else used Doves as messengers and royalty used trained Falcons. This made it very easy to identify enemy messenger birds in an area where Ravens weren't indigenous. In the North there were only Crows, as many smaller birds fell pray to the giant Golden and Bald Eagles that only lived in the North.

Michael had ordered physicians to the camp full of the gravely ill people that Jurgen had directed their way. Michael had searched for, vetted and generously rewarded all of the physicians he had brought on, wary of butchers and charlatans alike. Michael also aided the men and thoroughly educated the otherwise proud men in germ theory and the importance of a clean and stable environment. The men listened eagerly, which surprised Michael, but when asked the men explained that the information was confirmation of their private theories and suspicions. Of course, genuinely intelligent and compassionate men wouldn't be able to help noticing the difference in their patients in filthy environments versus clean ones.

Any doubts that they may have harbored were immediately crushed when Michael had them watch as he healed many who were considered terminally ill before explaining his secret was a strong antibiotic compound that he and Amila managed to concoct from the molds of particular breads. After experimenting on many of the wild beasts captured and brought in by the men that were sedated in large pens, they tried the compound successfully on a soldier with a rotting wound.

The physicians, being among the best in their field, were aware of plants with antibiotic properties that they used in poultices and wraps. However, they were truly amazed at the results they managed when treating the men wounded in the skirmishes and ambushes happening on an almost daily basis. Using Michael's regimen they found that the majority of the patients that lived long enough to reach their care managed to survive. Even massive tissue damage was treatable. If there was one thing these men's skills were far beyond Michael in, it was surgery. They were truly amazed and content with their successes.

Using surgery to repair or contain any damage, leeches to aid in circulation, maggots to clean away any dying flesh with oral and topical application of their powdered antibiotic (which had powdered copper, silver and a few herbal concentrates added to the powdered mold) they saved many who would have otherwise died and took pleasure and comfort in their achievements. Unfortunately, there were still many who suffered from viruses and plague that simply couldn't be helped.

These individuals, most aware of their own imminent demise, were quarantined in their own camp and attempted to be given every comfort. It was therefore with some surprise that they dictated a message through the fence to be delivered to Michael directly. What was of even more surprise was the contents of the message.

Apparently, one of the ill was a charismatic and genuinely compassionate Knight named Sir Henley. Feeling helpless and wanting nothing more than to aid the cause of Light in it's struggle with Darkness, Sir Henley came up with a plan and even managed to convince the rest of the gravely ill to join him in his mad plan. He wanted Michael to leak information about their location, located miles from his own, that the enemy might come to capture or kill all of the undefended-infecting themselves in the process, who would in turn infect the rest of their Dark army.

It was a cold blooded plan and Michael was a little disgusted with himself when he realized that he had all but decided to agree with the plan as soon as he heard it. He did recognize and respect the sacrifice and he knew the difference between dying for something and dying for nothing. Not to mention the fact that death by the sword was a much less painful prospect than to continue on in the present state. Lord Henley proposed that they wear fine clothing to improve their apparent value as hostages and use make-up to cover any lesions or unhealthy skin. A few of the more attractive bitter females and many lesbians made themselves up like whores (even if many of them really were whores) and planned to welcome any assaults on their contagious womanhoods.

As Michael sat staring into the flames in front of his command tent, Amila quietly approached and sat down beside him. For awhile they simply say in companionable silence before Michael spoke, "do you think me a monster that I would even consider such a course of action?"

"Oh Goddess, no. Those men and women are already dead, time just hasn't caught up with them."

"The same could be said for us all. All men die." Michael responded, a faraway look in his eyes.

"Maybe. But not all men are stricken with incurable plague and living out their last days. You are allowing them to die with honor and purpose, instead of wasting away in some sick tent and possibly infecting their comrades or families."

"I know. I've been telling myself that very same line. I just can't help but feel like I am abandoning them. Plus, germ warfare is a dirty and dishonorable way to fight."

"But this isn't a fight. It is a battle between good and evil. Life and death. Whether the universe will be bathed in light or consumed by elemental darkness. You will do whatever it takes and I will support you, because I've come to believe in you."

After that they both sat quietly, staring at the crackling flames, before Michael randomly asked, "do you miss your home?"

After a moment of consideration, Amila replied, "yes, in some ways. I miss living hundred of feet off the ground in our treetop city built among the can spot of the great forest. I miss a few of my friends, though I never really fit in. And I miss my family. But since meeting you, my eyes have beheld wonders and beauties only written of in our ancient texts. As it is, I am perfectly happy to be by your side. You are one of the few people I've ever met who didn't use his power and strength to further his own means at the expense of others. No, you won't be getting rid of this little Elf that easily Lord Michael."

Michael chuckled and wrapped an arm around her, "thank you. I needed that".

They sat together in silence for awhile longer before Michael finally got up to give the order. He called his men and informed them of the plan, as well as his reluctance to commit to it. However, in the end, he got their support.

It was a pretty horrible plan but Michael finally made the decision when he realized that to deny it would be to condemn all of the ill to a slow and purposeless death. With a heavy heart, he agreed to the plan and used the anonymous spy network he had inherited from the former lord Kandor to distribute the camps location and state of vulnerability. He made sure to claim that his overconfidence was to blame for the camp's vulnerable state, as he wanted his enemy to believe that he was under the impression that the war was all but won.

Up until that point, the enemy had only managed to successfully build two forts in their area of operations and neither had survived the first night. The first had been built in the style of the Aurion Legionary camp, surrounded by an eight foot trench with the excavated soil was thrown inwards and packed into a rampart from which sharpened wooden stakes were implanted. Behind that was a twenty foot wooden wall with watch towers built along it's length.

The Rangers and the Assassins were paired off into teams to deal with the men on the wall, who were promptly yanked off the wall by lassos only to be replaced seconds later by assassins wearing their helmets and cloaks. After that it was a simple matter quietly open the gates to roll in the animal carts and caged. Before silently exfiltrating themselves, the men quietly cut the throats of the officers and deposited bags filled with venomous snakes into the large tents of the sleeping soldiers.

As the animals roused from their sedation, they found themselves momentarily confused before becoming scared and angry. They also found the gates to their cages open. Soon there were hundreds of Bears, Wolves and Lions shaking off their drowsiness as they spread through the camp. Before scaling the wall to join their comrades, the last few dozen men tossed boxed Hornet and Wasp nests into the group tents nearest the outer walls.

The screaming soldiers reacted to their hellish wake-up call by screaming and streaming out of their tents to roll around on the ground. The commotion woke the camp but many of the enemy soldiers were met with hisses and shooting pains when they suddenly stirred or tried to race outside, usually falling to be immediately struck again by the snakes twisted underfoot. Michael's men had ensured that there were no officers alive to bring order to the growing chaos and the few soldiers who tried to step up to lead found it very difficult to command men who were being mauled by giant wolves, stalked by hungry Lions or chased by roaring Bears.

There had been a moment when the enemy started to gain some semblance of organization in areas not populated by the roving predators who had every advantage in the dark, especially since the woken men wore no armor in the middle of the night. However, a volley of flaming arrows instantly returned chaos to both man and animal inside the camp. Michael had ordered the gates opened before the camp was consumed by flames but the men inside were to panicked to surrender and wildly charged at his men only to be cut down in a storm of concentrated arrow fire. Many of the animals survived and simply fled back into the night to return to their lives or, more likely, wait for Michael and his men to leave before returning to feast.