The Battle of Brikstrat 1 - Look. Harden. Advance.

“Times up.” Ulal muses and stands up. The soldiers around him quickly go back into formation and Ulal looks over towards the open gate. ‘Well, I didn’t expect them to just turn on their back and die.’ He thinks and cracks his neck. “Well then soldiers, it seems like they have given up so let’s just walk in there and….”

He is interrupted by a sudden war cry. Hundreds of men come pouring out of the gate in an uncoordinated charge. “Really? Give up your advantage?” Ulal snickers. “Soldiers and Drafted, at the flanks. Elite to me, Mages to the back.” His orders are quickly obeyed and soon a row of shields to each side of Ulal has taken hold, the Drafted behind them holding their long spears between them.

In the centre Ulal stands at the front of his elite. Of course, using the mages to pick up the spearhead of the enemy charge would have been the smarter decision but Ulal is afraid that the enemy would turn tail the second they saw the overwhelming destructive power of thirty mages. That would ruin the chance of this battle practice.

“Hold your position.” Ulal gives the final command before the first attackers arrive. With drunken, untrained stupor they run towards his army and are quickly decimated. There are no right attack points for them. They attack the centre only to be culled down by six giant axes held by intimidating figures, they attack the sides and are either impaled by the long spears or eviscerated by the sword of the protective row. The few that are a bit smarter and try to run around the defending position and attack from behind are electrocuted, frozen, drowned or burned alive, depending on the mage that gets them into their sight first prefers.

“ADVANCE!” Ulal shouts and the whole army takes a step forwards, then another one. The attackers now realize the extend of their failure and run back to the gate. Few remain behind, either trying to heroically slow down Ulal and his army or to drunk to realize what is going on. ‘This is not even a mock battle, this is just target practice.’ Ulal realizes as he cleaves one of the men in two.

“The gate closes.” Tang says to his Lord. Ulal looks op from the bloodstain on his cloak he was expecting and sees the gate slowly shutting. “Let them. HALT!” The army stops it advance like a cart whose horses suddenly stopped. They all wait and see as the gate closes, wondering why they won’t advance. If they made a sprint for it they could have easily gotten inside.

Ulal takes a few steps in front of his army. He raises his metallic arm. The enchantments pulsate. The segments part slightly, black mist creeps out and moves in agitated fashion as Ulal channels more and more power into the enchanted gauntlet. Runes glow with arcane might, weakly at first then brighter until they burn themselves into the retina of whoever is watching to closely.

“Aclysium.” Ulal says and the energy bursts out as the enchantments conditions are met. An arch of black lightning shoots forth, tainted by the demonic power of his arm. The excessive brutality of the spell reduces the gate to ashes, then breaks into the wall above, destroying it all the same as rock and metal melts. Ulal clenches his hand into a fist and the spell abruptly ends. It was the same spell he used back in Arlheim, with the fine difference that this one didn’t require him to constantly charge a staff.

Ulal smiles sinisterly, his face hidden from his army. “I am going ahead.” He says and breaks into a sprint. The army barely has time to react, Ulal running of with the speed barely possible for the fastest of humans.

Tang looks after him and raises his hand. “Advance.” He grunts and takes the first steps. Everyone but Tarzana and Catherine are still locked in place. “Are you defying orders?” Tang stops and asks without turning around. Something in his voice makes those that hear it feel a shiver run down their spine. The way Tang clenches his axe, the position of his feet, ready to turn on his heels. “Advance.” He repeats, this time everyone obeys.

The step through the gate without opposition. Whoever remained here to defend got either killed by excess power or ran away. A sensible decision. Tang continues his way through the ashes, trampling splinters of wood and corpses all the same.

He looks behind him to find the soldiers taking hesitating steps over through the once proud gate. “Faster.” He tells them. They barely quicken. “Halt.” He then says and walks towards them, the other four elite in the back. “Why are you slowing down?” He asks a random soldier. “Because this is….this is…” he gulps, “This is not what a human should be able to do. This is Demonwork.”

“And?” Tang asks. The soldiers mumble shocked expressions. “This is terrifying power. Yes.” Tang says, “But we obey Ulal and he rewards us. Who cares if he is a demon? The holiest of priests never did anything for me.” The mumbles turn slightly agreeing. The random soldier still doesn’t look convinced. “Is your life better?” Tang asks, “Yes it is.” “Why is that?” “Because the rules in the city are equal for all of us.” “Who makes sure these rules are abided by?” “Lord Ulal.” “Is it important that he is a demon then?” The soldier hesitates for a moment. “No.” he admits.

Tang nods and turns away. “But this scene is still terrifying!” The soldier shuts after him. “Look. Harden.” Tang says. “Advance!” The army sets into motion as one again with the usual speed.

In the shadows of a nearby house three shadows sit still and watch. One of them laughs. “I am going to tap that.” Alratha says. “I am so going to tap that.” “Really, that is you type, teacher?” Erica asks. Alratha gives her a flick against earlobe, the scarred girl barely keeps quiet against the sudden pain. “Shush. Did you place the orbs?” “Yeah, I already told you a minute ago.” Alratha grins, “Did you? Sorry I was too preoccupied staring at that guy’s ass.” “He is wearing full armour.” Reinal drily comments from the side. “It is the imagination that counts. Now come we have to move to the next block.”

They press to the corner of the street, careful not to be seen by the panicked man they run from one alley to the next, always searching for houses accessible through side entrances. “This one works. Reinal, your turn.” Alratha and Erica keep a lookout while Reinal tries to open the door with a piece of wire. “Oh for Saeletra’s sake.” Alratha groans, “We are supposed not to be seen, it doesn’t matter if we leave a few destroyed doors.” She pushes Reinal to the side and rams her dagger through the lock. The glass cuts through the metal with a screeching noise and they hush inside. Alratha takes an object out of a small bag that hangs from her belt.

It is a glass orb enveloped by cloth so it doesn’t make a noise. The orb is flat on one side and has a single rune on it, a liquid swimming on the inside. Alratha has no idea what it does but Ulal told her to place them all over the city and evacuate afterwards, so she hopes it does something pretty.

“Who are you?” A men stumbles down the stairs, waken up by the screeching noise Alratha’s dagger made when she opened the door. “Reinal, if you would be so ki…” Alratha doesn’t even get to finish her sentence before the young blonde has thrown herself at the male and rammed a stiletto through his eye. The electrical discharge afterwards is an absolute overkill but happens automatically. “Wow. If you had that enthusiasm during the sneaking lessons you would be as good as Erica tomorrow.”

The demon worshipper furrows her brows under the hood. “I doubt that.” She says and fidgets with her own stiletto. Alratha has given both of them one of her old weapons after Ulal has promised her new ones in the near future. Currently she keeps on to the glass dagger, that thing is enough for her to get out of most situations.

“Well then. Clean your weapon up and let’s continue.” Alratha says and gets ready to leave. “Shouldn’t we dispose of the body?” Erica asks as Reinal follows her teachers advice. “Nah, whatever these orbs do will ensure that nobody will even find that body.” “How can you be so sure?” Alratha chuckles, “Because the contract said that they could stay in Ultopja until Brikstrat is rebuild. Ulal doesn’t want them to leave sooooo…” She waits until one of them realizes the implication. “There will be no Brikstrat to rebuild.” Reinal whispers and looks at the glass orb. It is barely bigger than a marble.

“What did I get myself into?” She speaks out her thoughts, “Oh, girl, it is too late for questions like that. But to answer your question: Nothing worse than Estara is. At the end of the day every leader is a fucking asshole, it is only a matter of perspective.” A shadow lays over Alratha’s face as her eyes start itching from the inside, the echoes of a maddening pain, “And some like to torture ten year old girls with needles.”

“Wha-?” “Bored now! Let’s get moving.” Alratha says in a sudden return of her jolly attitude and walks out of the destroyed door. Erica and Reinal exchange a confused glance before following their teacher.