Last Battle Part 1

April 15th, 1701.

The boom of the first cannon shattered the morning stillness.

A split second later, a section of Saint-Michel's wooden palisade exploded into splinters. Smoke and dust filled the air, and the cries of civilians echoed through the town as debris rained down upon them.

The battle had begun.

Armand Roux barely flinched at the sound. His focus remained on the battlefield ahead, his hands gripping the reins of his horse as he rode at the head of his army.

"Hold your lines!" he barked, his voice carrying over the rustling leaves and shifting armor of his troops.

His forces were a ragtag coalition—veteran soldiers, former Elysean deserters, native warriors, and civilians who had taken up arms in the name of freedom. They had no cannons, no disciplined formations, and no professional cavalry.

But they had will.

They had rage.

They had something to fight for.