The Dream, IV
It took less than 30 minutes for Tei'hi's men to gear up and start their defense against their enemies.
But the battle started with a fire. All soldiers could see in the sky a rain of arrows on fire. They raised their shields in anticipation until they realized that their enemy was not aiming for them… rather their boats.
Several of the arrows landed on their wooden fleet as it catches on fire. Whatever hope of escape they had, it is now gone as the enemy army starts swarming on them like a pack of vultures around dead prey.
Tei'hi could only smile. He knows that a cornered rat is much more fearsome than a free lion. "MEN! IN THIS FIGHT WE FIGHT FOR OUR LIVES!" He yells out as his army roars in cheers.
The enemy army charges on all sides, luckily, Tei'hi's army took a square formation, granting them adequate defense on all sides. The least they could do is defend themselves and not break the line.
Archers appear out of the tree line, the same archers who burned down the ships. They started raining arrows down on the defensive line, to little avail as it also hits their own men. Although, Tei'hi is still at a disadvantage.
None of his men are equipped to deal against the archers, and all his horses were left behind in Nydorekith. He was forced to hide under the shade of shields by his men as they hacked their way through the attackers.
"STAY IN FORMATION!" He yells again towards a line that seems to be advancing ever so quickly away. The line moved back, clashing their shields against the enemy, their axes piercing some of the shields, killing the people behind them.
He could see the line in the front crumbling under the sheer weight of the enemy army. He runs towards it, ax in hand as he yells out, "DO NOT LOSE YOUR GROUND! PUSH!" His men, with all their strength, push the enemy with their shields, stabbing those in front of them.
One enemy soldier leaked through the line only to be met by Tei'hi, swinging his ax down towards him and slashing him in half. Tei'hi's ax meets another person's blood in a long time.
He jumps into the fray, yelling out, "SHIELDS! TO ME!" The soldiers slowly advanced, following Tei'hi who slashes his way through the enemies with his ax, their blood littering the beach, his men slowly routing the enemy. Until finally, they reached the end line. The archers ran away before he could catch them.
Catching his breath, he ordered his men to strengthen the other lines. It wasn't long before the enemy crumbled under the sheer weight of his men, and then they retreated, some, slaughtered.
Tei'hi walked towards the middle of the camp, exhausted, he put his ax down as his vice-general Zoroan approached him, sitting down beside him. Exhausted as well, surely.
"What should we do now, General? These locals... they're hostile, and we can't get back home." The burning ships cackled behind them as they slowly collapsed to be swallowed by the sea.
"We march forth, but for tonight, we must rest. Go, count our losses, and relay to the others to set up a fortified camp for tonight. How are our rations?" He asked, his eyes distant through the trees. He sees them, watching still.
"We got most of our food out of the camp boats before they caught on fire, luckily. We have enough food to feed the men for two weeks." Zoroan said.
"Good... good. Go, feed the men, and count the bodies."
"Yes sir." Zoroan stood up, saluted, and left.
It was then that Lui-eya entered, she had fallen asleep inside the camp and had not bore witness through the entire attack.
"Woah, what happened here eh?" She said, looking around and seeing mountains of corpses of their soldiers and enemies.
"An attack with the locals, it seems that they are weak. I'm making Zoroan count our losses now."
"I see, should we make peace with them?"
Tei'hi looked down, "They slaughtered my men, peace is not an option with them."
"Yet have you not considered that they might be doing this for their own good?" She suggested,
"Look around you. Do you think this is for their own good!?"
"We must understand them first, Tei'hi. There is no use in-"
"Enough of this, they will receive my blade... SCOUTS!"
The two scouts approached him, "Yes, general!?" They hesitantly asked.
"What did you see out there?" He asked a bit of scowl in his voice.
"We saw their village sir, right beside a river. They seem to be hunters."
"How good are they?"
"Very good, sir. The wounds on their game are clean."
"I see. We travel at dawn and let the scouts guide us."
"Y-yes, sir!" The scouts saluted as they went out.
The night went on in silence as the men quietly patch up their wounds.