Chapter 18: Battle Junkie

It was a bit past noon, Achilles and Oedipus were having a friendly talk, as Achilles was telling the stories of his hunts and other encounters.

-So the poacher shot an arrow at me and it actually hit his horse, who then ran to give him a beating and- Sir! We are soon to reach the camp!

One of the guards aproached interrupting Achilles story, Oedipus nodded and started to prepare his things, so did Achilles.

After arriving on the camp the first thing you see is a sea of tents on one side and makeshift tent on the other, of course it wasn't that neatly separated but it was close to that.

Most of the people who are in the camp are common peasants from various small villages and others from cities, there was a great variety of origins, those were levies, men who were conscripted by their lords to fight for him, there was thousands of men in the camp. The makeshift tents were made in a variety of ways, from a hole in the ground covered by a bunch of long sticks and leaves tied togheter to small houses made from boards of sticks tied loosely one to another.

And the worse thing of all, something that is an undeniable fact from medieval warfare, disease, in Alex's former world it wouldn't be to the event called World War 1 that more people died in the battlefield than by disease. Campfever, a umbrela term for diseases that appear when you bring a lot of people from very different places with different immune sistems together, but the main disease is disintery, making the soldiers have diarrhea and lose a lot of water and nutrients. Not to mention the fact that people did their business anywhere. The closest they had from a toilet in the middle a warcamp is a big hole where people would do their business and when it was filled they would cover it with dirt, but until then it stayed open for days, for everybody to smell and for everybody to get the disease.

Luckly for Achilles and Oedipus they had a higher standing, for Achilles monetarely and for Oedipus from lineage, than the common people. So they have servants that can take away their business to somewhere far away. People who do those kinds of job aren't really well received as it isn't seen as a job a proper person would do, so the slaves are who generaly do it, they were given a nickname, tigers, for the shit in the sacks and barrels would fall on them giving a striped patern on them overtime. Truly a terrible job.

Five days passed since Aquilles arrived at the camp. The general, Sir Belissarius, commanded all to get ready, they would depart to relief the fort tomorrow, and so the day passed and at the first rays of the sun the soldiers were awaken by the sound of someone beating on a pan.

The army was organized, Achilles was part of the third unit of the fifth company, together on his side was Peracles and there were other eighteen other soldiers on the unit, Achilles didn't know them, he could recognize one or two by face but he didn't know their names nor anything like that. In various sections of the army there was a interval of space for the carriages with suplies and the belongings of the soldiers.

Achilles has been marching for days with thirty minutes breaks for every three hours of marching with exception for lunch and dinner, for breakfast it was given hardtack, a biscuit that was basically tasteless, and was so hard that some broke their teeth trying to eat them, Achilles learned to soak them in water but it was still tasteless.

It was in the third day of the march Achilles unit plus two others were to scout and forage for food around the camp.

-So there is a forest close by, we should look for mushrooms, berries, roots and stuff like that.

One of the soldiers from another unit said. All agreed. After entering the forest they divided themselves in groups of three to search around the area but still be close one to another.

Achilles was a hunter, he knew how forests worked from childhood, he looked for signs of animals and saw what berry,mushroom and such could be eaten, but when he was following the signs of a hare he stopped.

-Wait! Call everybody, I found something.

Peracles who was with Achilles did so, after sometime all units where there.

-What did you call us for? We need to get some more food.

-I think this is more important, look at this.

Achilles found a belt in the ground some firewood and close by human footsteps. Achilles had just arrived at this area and there isn't any village around.

-Achilles, do you think there are enemies nearby?

Peracle said aloud what everybody was thinking.

-Maybe, but it might just be a poacher, in any form i would like to ask you to search for any human signs.

Everybody gulped dry, if there really was an enemy and they were discovered it was them who would die. Even if you say they are soldiers it's not like they don't value their lives more than some fortess or the will of a noble. There is a saying "Better run to live another day than fight and have a foolish death" even if they were to fight and die it's not like they would be remembered for their sacrife or anything.

-Achilles, dude, no offence but, I'm not gonna do that, I would rather go back to camp and just report the possibility and not have to risk my ass for a possibility that can easily kill me.

-Alright, alright, I know, if we were to find the enemy camp with just 60 of us we would die most likely.

Looks like Achilles just raised a flag, cause just as he said that two people with spear in hand showed up in their line of sight.

-Dude, are you sure you lost it here? Why would you forget your belt in the middle of the woods?

-There is no need to judge me, okay?! I was getting firewood for the camp when nature called and then you called me, so if anything it your fault!

The two soldiers were discuting about a belt, in this area, close to some firewood, yeah, that's not a good sign is it?

One of the soldiers was constantly raising his pants that was falling because of the belt, or better because there was no belt. The sixty of them immedietly went back to camp, they reported what they found and were dismissed.

-Achilles, I really have a bad feeling about this. I bet they are going to send us to fight them.

Peracles was really worried, while he was by no means bad at fighting and would not hesitate to hit someone, he would rather not, even more so when his life would be at risk.

-You know they are, but better attack prepared than to be attacked disprepared, I guess. Better eat a good meal, sharpen your weapon and prepare your armor.

-Right... are you fearless or what? I mean I really respect you, but, like, it feels like you want to be in danger.

-You think so? Well, I guess it's exiting when you know your life is in danger and such.

-Yeah, I remember on that practive battle, I felt like you were mad when just kept hitting those who were already out, you almost killed that guy you know?

-I guess I did exagerate a bit... But it was a cool scene wasn't it?

-...It was... But that's not the point!

-It might be.

-No, it;s not!

On that exchange Peracle and Achilles went to sleep, they were both nervous, but drowsiness came to them anyway.

The next day, as Achilles and Peracles thought their company together with another one would storm the enemy camp.

Achilles had in his bow case a bow, 20 arrow, a spear and a war dagger, he was wearing brigandine armor above a gambeson, he had greaves and gauntlets on his arms and legs, his head was protected by a spartan looking helmet, protecting his throat was another layer of gambeson and some chain mail. It weighed heavy over 15 kilos, but Achilles had good stamina and had trained to battle in heavier armor before, but now he had to kill in it. It would be a challange.

The other soldiers were also in some type of armor, when you are in the army you are expected to provide your own equipament, as such it wasn't very uniform, some had only a gambeson and a makeshift shield for protection, others had metal armor and the better off had fullplate of brigandine armor, some were on horses others were on foot, you could see social differences on war just like that.

On the woods there was a great clearing it was some 100 meters wide in a almost circle shape. The two companies have already surrounded the camp, the camp had about 150~200 soldiers, the numbers a almost equal, the centurions give the signal.

-Fire! Charge!

Arrows fly from the forest, some hit the trees, others hit true on the unprepared enemy. The calvary charges at the same time, the enemy soldiers startled by the sudden attack and the sight of the hundreds of horses charging foward at them.

-Run! Run!

-Shit! Shit, shitshitshitshit!

-Die!

Some of the enemy run afraid, others have the reaction to fight, buth they don't realize their situation, in this case running would definitely be the better option, better live another day than die meaningless.

Achilles charges on his horse, his spear pointed low to the level of the chest of someone on foot, he sees a man running, his face is crying from fear, he prays to his god to spare him.

*stab*

The spear pierces the soldier's shoulder and his lungs, Aquilles let's go of the spear as it would be difficult to keep holding to it when there is a body skewered in it.

Achiles picks his bow, he decides of a target, he draws the bow.

*zwoon*

-It's like hunting ducks.

Achilles smiles as he says that, and as he strikes true again and again the enemy soldiers don't die immediately, they suffer as the arrow with a barbed head pieces through their arms and legs orwhen then his their backs. And Aquilles smiles.

Achilles goes around and picks another spear from a dead body, there is some soldiers grouped into one place, Aquilles decides to charge at them. His horse has a light gambeson armor to protect it's chest and sides, it also has a protector in it's forehead.

-Haaaaa!

-Whhaa-

Achilles charges at the soldiers, breaking their formation, the horse of course slows down with the first impact. One of the soldiers tries to stab Achilles with his spear.

*Ching*

The sound of metal hitting metal, the soldiers tried to to stab Achilles' side but the brigandine armor completely protected the stab and the spear slided to his back just to hit air.

The allied troops close in on the gab Aquilles created on the tightly grouped enemies and routed them up.

It was a slaughter to say the least, but a win is a win. Peracles who was a foot archer in this battle couldn't help but notice Achilles' contant smile during the battle, that only got away when the situation calmed down.