The night was but a velvet sky, its stary sisters glistering in the pale moonlit daze of the lunar's glare. But tonight, the clouds were as dark as the colour of night itself, the moon's beauty well hidden behind its dreadful curtains. It was dark. Pitch black.
The encampment was long since ready, the men already doing the rounds. Waves after waves of torches burned brightly in front of the camps, causing it to look like an entire village on fire form a distance away. Footsoldiers marched, thier rythmic pounding of the ground echoed throughout Norshire forest. Clanking of metal, the swooshing of blades as well as the sharp crack of the arrowhead hitting the hay-sack dummies bombarded his ears. But to General Siow The Great, it was music to his ears.
Scouts patrolled the woods in packs of ten, thier blazers illuminating the shrubs and shadows of the night. Then, there, at the frontlines, the pride of Siow's years as the commnading officer for the House of Nesh, the Immortals - Twenty thousand men in heavy armor and halbierds, with shields made of pure alloyed steel, a new breed of waeponary the blacksmiths had concocted for him. Also, there was the snipers. Mean, lean hunting machines that were well hidden within the forests, thier eyes well accustomed to the dark, rifles at the ready. That was the massive army only the house of Nesh had the authority and well-organized art of war to produce, and on such short notice. The letter bore a simple message, by order of King Wye, he was to command Lord Nesh's troops to advance towards a target location. Something about a lair of somesort. General Siow didn't bother with the details. He never did, for he has not lost a war while he was the supreme commander. Never. Besides, who was he to question the might of Lord Nesh? Quite literally. It was fabled that his lordship had such strength, that he could build a tower of stone with his barehand, his left one that is. The other he used to scrath his back and lean against the walls for support. But what he saw before him was nothing he had ever set his eyes upon. The castle was not gigantic, but the aura around it was melicious, cold and dark to the sight. Black clouds always seemed to gather above its rooftops, as though taunting his army to challenge the forces that lie within those dark walls. The occasional clasps of thunder and the eerie breeze surrounding them got stronger every passing second.
But he was warned that it was not going to be an easy enemy. General Siow, in his gleaming armour of silver, its heavy breast plate and shoulder mails reflecting the light of the torches of his men passing by, entered the General's Encampment. Four others were already in there, and stood at attention as he entered, helmets by their side, the crest of the bear clearly visible over thier armour. That was the way it always was. Major Karth stepped aside, giving the General acces to the table before him. The old soldier was not of an advantage in height, but his skill with the sword and tactics on horseback made him one of the House of Nesh's most vital soldiers. He had severed his Lord and Master for over three decades, his greyish beard visible through the cracks on his battered helm. Beside the Old Major, as they called him, stood two others, the agile Seargent Chern Chiang; swift with a blade, but even quicker with the rifle, and General Siow's second in command, General Olaf, the hot tempered personal guardian of Lord Nesh himself. His massive physique cast a shadow that covered most of the light in the camp, and in his hadn he held the Legendary Hammer of Gondar, the fabled weapon that caused the earth to shatter with every blow. General Siow and General Olaf were never in talking terms, but in the world of warfare, alliances are formed and broken, when necessary. At that very moment, it was a bond to the death.
The map before them was laid out and illuminated only by candle light, but to these experts of war, it was butter and bread. All heads were turned towards the last man in the tent, and they all bowed in coherence. Lord Nesh, in his glittering armour of gold, approached the table.
'Arise, my friends. Let us make do without the formalities. I want to know how the army is preparing,' his lordship said in an authpritative tone.
'Alas, my leidge, the footsoldiers are all armoured and armed, and ready for battle.' said Major Karth. 'And so are the calvary.'
'Excellent. Form the divisions. I want that castle taken by sunrise!'
'With all do respect, sire. We cannot take a castle of that magnitude with mere swords! I suggest we wait a little longer, the catapults would be ready by...' stuttered Chern Chiang.
'Wait?! WAIT?! I've been waiting for two whole days to get my hands on those wretched demons! Did you not see what they did to my people? Knaves! Fools! Wretched ingrates of the lowest lifeforms!'
General Siow remained silent, looking intently at the map spread before them.
The rest resumed, ignoring his deep concentration. General Olaf, aware of the situation the army was in, chipped in. He was slow and heavy, was his voice was loud and ear pummeling.
'My leidge, perhaps we should wait till sunrise. Our men have had a rough journey within the forest of Norshire, and attacking the castle in such consitions would be but suicide, my leidge! Let them rest. Besides, the darkness favours the demons in more ways than one...'
The speed was incredibally fast that even an experienced General like Olaf could not forsee. He winched in pain. Lord Nesh's fist struck the middle of the General's massive chest, and in an instant he was thrown backwards and flew directly out of the encampment and crashing hard on his back, the force so strong that his armour split in two. He groaned in pain, blood streaming down to his chin. The others merely watched, silent. Olaf looked up, and bowed, his hands clenched tighly around his chest.
'Anymore smart ideas from anyone?!' Lord Nesh looked around, his fist held high in the air. Everyone was silent, not daring to even look at the Lord.
'Good, now, as I was saying, we..'
'We send in the tunnelers.' interupted General Siow.
Lord Nesh glared at General Siow, who had just tested his patience. He could land an assault just like he did Olaf, but Siow was different. He was a man of pure talent, and even he, the Lord of the Northern Lands had to admit. But such insolence was unforgivable.
'And what's THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN!?' he blarred.
'It is simple, milord.' General Siow replied calmly. 'It would take days, even weeks if we directly assault the castle's walls with our men, even though he have the advantage of numbers. But if we can entrench our ground forces by digging a tunnel straight into the demon's lair, we could hasten our progress, while we await the catapults to be prepared. There is little to lose sire.'
Lord Nesh was fuming now, but he knew his general made sense. Engaging his enemies head on would prove difficult, but if they could attack from beneath the lair, it waould be a lot simpler, and they had the element of surprise.This gave him a little more hope, and he relaxed a little. That was the reason his father had chosen the Siow to be his general in command anyway. The man was wise, and with both the looks and the sheer strength to go with. All northlanders were strong, even as a child. A five year old who couldn't lift up a horse with one hand was considered weak, though such occasions were rare. But on the downside, the people of the north, were.... deprived of an intellectual mind. Northlanders were mostly hot-headed, harsh talking men and women who distasted hygene and cared as much as peanuts for manerism. But Siow... was different. He was the only child of the the late General Scott II who outwitted most of the people around him. He was considered wierd by many of his people, for he kept quiet most of the time. But when he spoke, the ideas that brewed from within was so brilliant, it would be foolish not to give it some thought. Not that the Northlanders ever thought before they acted, so Siow was doing them a favour.
'Then.... so be it. We begin the entrenchment immediately.' he said, and with that, swallowed his pride, tunred his back at the rest of the men, and headed back to his own camp, stepping over General Olaf as he went by, pushing the aides attending to the wounded general aside. General Siow bowed to an empty presence of the Lord, and exited, Major Karth by his side.
'Another senseless brawl, as always,' said Siow, stridding past several soldiers brandshing spears.
'His lordship has a very.... apparent need to show power. You, I and the rest of us know that. But he is still our Lord and Master, young lad, and in time, you'll learn to know a little more about his lordship. Besides, his strength preceeds us all. We need him, young lad. And I have sworn my hammer to it!'
Siow smiled. Old Major had always been a father to him, telling him the ways of the court, especially when it come to his lordship. Of all the soldiers in the battlefield, Siow respected Old Major the most. He was the wisest, the most experienced, and above all, the most caring. Another rare trait in the blood of a North Lander.
They continued to trot forward, until they arrived at a camp with the emblem of a sickle on it.
'Let me do the talking, lad. Go get some rest, you'll need it.' and with that, Major Karth entered the camp to brief the tunnelers of the task ahead. Siow stood outside, the wind getting stronger by the second. He ignored it, and looked beyond the horizon, staring at the army before him. Twenty thousand strong. He liked the sound of that. In a matter of hours, his men would be able to situate themselves near the castle walls for a surprise attack. The demons won't see them coming. That, provided nothing stood between the tunelers and thier work. He had to be sure. He headed back to the camp, mounted a horse, and galloped all the way down the field towards the stables. It was his favourite place, where his best knights gathered for a quick game of dice or to sharpen thier mastery of swordmenship. He disembarked, the calvary batallion saluting before him. The knights approached the General, forming a circle as they listened intently to his orders. They were to guard the tunnelers while they were at work, but to stay out of sight behind the mulbery bushes. Archers would have to do the job to back them up, as the gunmen would be too loud, and the enemy might be alerted.
Siow continued to reassure them of the daunting task, and was just about to wish his men the best of luck, when suddenly, one of the knights drew his sword and dagger and lundged at the general. Siow dodged, barely, the tip of the sword slicing his armour plate. He was still stunned when his assailant went for another strike. This time, he dodged it perfectly, avoiding the blade that was aimed for his neck.
'Assasin! Guard the General!'
One of the knights drew his own sword, but was not quick enough. The Assasin dealt a deadly blow to the neck, and the armoured soldier fell to his knees. Then he ran. Siow drew his rapier, and orderd his men to give chase.
'Do not let him out of the excampment! Go after him!'
The assasin was agile, almost inhuman. Three solders gave chase, then eight, then ten, then an entire scout patrol. He was quick. Too quick. He avoided his pursuers and headed into the forest, dissapearing just in time as the scouts released a volley of gunfire at his direction, Siow arriving a second too late.
'Damn it!' Siow cursed. 'He's spotted us.' He looked around, his guards searching desperately for the run-away assasin. The faint galloping of the scout's horses could still be heard.
'Go! Warn the Lord that the enemy has spotted our location! Go! We don't have much time now. Gather the troops. We march towards the castle immediately!'
The guards immediately reached for the battlehorn hanging by the guard tower, but stopped in his tracks.
General Siow shouted, 'Hey, soldier! Sound the alarm! What are you..'
He turned into the sky and he too, and was left speechleess.
There, high above them, the once velvet sky was now ablaze with flames. Small flames at first, like little fireflies that consumed the emptiness of the black clouds, illuminating it. Thousands and thousands of them right up into the air. And then, it slowed down, and began to decend, heading menacingly towards the encampment at top speed. An arrow shower! The enemy has engaged!
'Take cover!' Siow bellowed, rolling quickly under the nearest tower, dodging the first few arrows in time, the guard before him screaming in torment as the arrows pierced him. Then, he went silent, and fell on the ground. Dead, and covered in flames. There was havoc as the pain and anguish of his men filled the cold, chilly air, one by one falling like dominos. The arrow's flames did its marvel, burning all that was not already dead. Then for a brief moment, the arrows stopped. Siow quickly emerged from his cover, a shield in hand, surrounded by the bodies of his men, and reached for the battlehorn. He drew his breath, and was about to blow, when the skies were once again ablaze with flaming arrows. And this time, so were the archers.
*********************************************************************************
The little boy emerged from behind the shadows of the trees.
'Halo?' said the little boy.
Halo turned and once he saw him, forgot all the pain his body has endured. He immediately ran forwards and held the little lad in his embrace, tears of joy flooding his blood-drench face.
'My prince! Oh... My young prince!' he repeated, refusing to let his hand go.
'Halo?' came another voice behind him. Halo froze, and looked at the direction where the sound came from. There, before him, stood a young man of charm and youth, with a bow in his right and an arrow in another. Halo stood at disbelief.
'Halo? ... You can let little Jimmy there go now. You're going to crush him if you continue hugging him like that.'
The old general looked at the little boy struggling to breath in his strong arms, and immediately released his grip, apoligizing over and over again to the little boy, who ran to the young lad's side, terified. Halo glanced up at the young lad. He immediately recognized those azure eyes.
'Its good to see you again, old friend.'
This time, Halo didn't let the young Prince Wai Kit go.
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