An Eventful Visit Pt. 3

Giselle watches in fascination as every man under his command has their hand lit up. Spinning wires pop up from the iron balls in their hands, with spikes protruding at each interval.

She looks to the window, watching the soldiers intent on capturing her. Each one smashing their hammers into the door, a delaying attempt as he readies the actual defenses.

I look to the ten guards behind me, their expression filled with tension as they follow me. Doing their duty the moment they got to me.

Lucius looks back at me after finishing a conversation with an officer.

"Your Highness, since you have already met with your guards."

He points up, "I believe it would be best for you to go to the fifth floor."

"I see," she looks around with a smile, "Will the view be better there?"

Lucius looks at her in confusion before realizing something with a chuckle, "It is the safest part of this mansion."

He smirks at her as if daring her, "I assumed your Highness cannot stand to see such bloodshed. After all, such carnage has not touched the capital."

She raises an eyebrow before replying, "You assumed wrong, Sir Lucius, I am more than capable of watching the cruelties of war."

An explosion and a cheer erupts downstairs, the hundreds of men flocking towards the mansion ready to raid it for it's riches.

His look hardens before he gravely spoke, "Get ready then, battle's about to start."

The men behind them finish their preparations and Lucius orders them, "All men take formations!"

She looks to them, to see them hurriedly running toward the line of men, men holding unto weird crossbows mounted unto some contraption.

She looks to him in question, "What's wi-"

The sound of running stops her thoughts before their enemies arrive in large numbers. Lucius gestures to Giselle, "Let's move further back. We can't risk you getting injured."

She nods as before the sounds of arrow whizzing by enter her ears. She looks back as their enemies shout in pain.

Their enemies push through the hallway, men jumping through the barbs with their shields raised up, only to realize the crossbows' power piercing through their thin shields.

Seeing this, the men behind them take cover, hiding behind the walls as they shout their taunts, hoping for a close confrontation only for them to reply with a storm of arrows.

"Cowards!"

"Fight like real men!"

The officers watch the situation unfold, unable to do anything to the chokepoint their enemy made. They look at one another as a plan forms.

"All men, hit the walls, we'll break through the walls and confront them head on!"

Their men raise their hammers, ready to take down the wall.

Lucius chuckles. Hearing their predictable plan was amusing. SInce one of the first thing he made sure was that he would build the mansion as a fortress. The same he plans to do for every temple of Entirum.

Giselle looks at his amused expression, "Something funny? I don't think this is amusing, since they could bypass you defenses."

Lucius replies back with a smile, "Each wall would take a day to take down, while those in the chokepoints. They wouldn't even make a dent through the thickness I had them built it on. "

She looks at me in confusion, "You wasted such resources on a mansion?"

Laughter escapes his lips as he looks to her as he replies, "It should be quite costly,"

His hand lights up, "But with the resources, something so expensive and labor intensive was done in weeks."

"That's" she mutter to herself, as what he meant settles in.

"Powerful once fully used."

He locks eyes with her, "That's why I need something more than a city. Something to show what Entirum's gift could really do."

She swallows thickly, the weight of his words making her think. After all, what else could be next to a city. A kingdom.

The thought aloen frightens her, if he intends to take the kingdom from her. Can she even stop him? She shakes her head away with such thoughts. She needs him as an ally, she'll get him as an ally.

No matter what it takes.

The sound of hammers was endless. Ten men smashed their way to the walls. Yet despite the gargantuan effort, there as barely any damage done. To both the concrete and the iron bars reinforcing it.

"Sir! Officer Iren has ordered you to push forward."

"WHAT!" He points to the men before them, can't you see those iron barbs. If those don't kill us, those crossbows will."

The man salutes, "Apologies sir, that was your orders." he leaves.

The officer grits his teeth as he shouts to his men, "STOP!"

The men stop and looks to him in confusion,

"NEW ORDERS."

He gestures to them, "RAISE YOUR SHIELDS UP AND CHARGE."

Everyone looked around in fear, hesitantly raising their shield as they walk over their dying comrades.

They hear the crossbows reload before a storm washes over them. Drowning them in a sea of blood and arrows. Some push forward, they using their shield to push over the barb wires.

But as another magazine reloads, a barrage follows. The men in the frontline falls over, their groaning and dying bodies piling up turning to more obstacles.

Seeing this, some men run, the fear of absolute death washing over them as they watch the fellow soldiers die in a futile attempt at a charge.

The officer looks behind him as the men take a step back. He shouts, "What are you waiting for?"

"Get in there." He points to the bloody hallway. The men shriek in fear before running, almost retreating fully and ignoring any shouts their officer says.

Though as they do so, the sound of glass breaking takes all their attention. As hundreds of men break the glass and jump far behind the crossbows, ready to attack from behind.

Seeing this chance, the officer shouts, "See that! Now is our chance. Take out those crossbows and we shall win."

The remaining men look around hesitantly before nodding, raising their shields up then charging.

Lucius, meanwhile, watches the window as it breaks, the soldiers entering their flanks intent on taking out the crossbows before making anymore damage.

He looks up the stairs as he shouts, "Spear Formation!"

The sounds of marching and echo from upstairs as men waiting for their orders come down in an orderly fashion.

Their armors shining from the light, their shields thick and their spears long. They shout out, "Yes sir!" As they take their stances and formation.

Giselle watches it all as she raises an eyebrow, "You had this spare men, yet allow them to break through your windows."

He shrugs as he said, "I needed them to die. They won't attack if they think there isn't any chance of winning."

They met the soldiers that jumped through the window, a formation of spearman. With thick shield and long spears, compared to theirs was simply a battle they cannot win.

Though as the men look around in concern, they hear a shout, "Move Forward! Take them out."

The formation of spearman moved, each synchronized step a sign of their discipline. Stabbing and stomping through the ill-prepared enemies.

As they reach their enemies, formation changes, with shield raised up. A stab followed each step. They try to fight, but before they could ever step forward with weapon's a stab takes their life.

The formations roll forward, stepping on them, choosing to ignore the screams of pain. As they leave the men groaning and bleeding behind them.

Unfortunately for those still alive, those behind the formation finish the job, uncaring of their pleads and as a spear stick to their throat.

Giselle watches this all in horror as he takes Lucius's sleeve, asking him, "Why are you killing those already wounded! They've already surrendered."

He raises an eyebrow at her, "Because they're enemies? And besides, they're not really soldiers of your kingdom. They're mostly household army of the officials and merchants, angry at my presence."

"Tha-"

He interrupts her, "Princess Giselle, if you give mercy to every enemy you come across. You'll never stops having enemies."

She glares at him, her purples eyes filled with indignation at the jab at her ability to rule. She spoke out in anger, "Neither would a man killing indiscriminately."

A small smile enters his expression as he spoke, "Fair point."

The sounds of battle then erupts outside. Daril's shout of exuberance made sure that reinforcement was here.

Lucius reaches his arm to her, "The battle is about to end. Would you like to join me in looking around the city."

He smiles, "Just to see how well it ended."

She hesitantly take his hand as she replied, "I suppose, but shouldn't you at least take care of the aftermath in the battle you just conducted."

He locks eye with her as his smile disappears and he replies with, "I am."