(This is a short story depicting my first intense game of Chivalry: Medieval Warfare with my friend Brian.)
The storm raged overhead, obscuring the battlefield with heavy rain and lightning. Thunder boomed and drowned out the noise of battle. The Mason Order was relentless. We couldn't stop their cart of plague from poisoning our water supply. We fought hard and almost stopped them from opening the floodgates. But their numbers were too great. We were outmatched in almost every way. We had fought hard to protect the Royal Family. But we couldn't stop them all. We were pushed back as they broke through two of the three safe houses and killed the family within.
But they would not win. Not yet.
I would do my job as an Agathian Knight and protect the last of the family. No matter what. My plate mail was dented where swords, axes, and spears had slammed into me. My chain mail was torn in many places, blood oozing from the wounds. My sword hand was locked to my blade's grip. I couldn't open it if I tried. My shield arm was sore from the battle and my shield itself was barely staying together. My helmet was gone, torn off as a Mason had almost finished me off. He would have if my ally hadn't arrived just in time.
I looked over to him. An Agathian Vanguard, he leaned heavily on the pitchfork he was wielding as a weapon. Crude but deadly in his hands. He looked just as worse for ware as I. Archers rained arrows on our position. Fortunately, they would have to close in with us if they wanted a fight. The last strong hold sat in a bottle neck canyon with only two ways in and no clear shots for archers. The sounds of Mason battle cries closed and my friend looked at me with weary eyes.
"Casey. We almost got em. Just hold out a little longer. Think we can?" He smiled and hefted his pitchfork.
I mentally prepared myself for the coming battle and moved to stand in front of the door. The last line of defense for The Family. Our allies were scattered, it was just us now. Us against the angry tide of Masons just outside. I returned my friends smile, "Let them come, Brian. We'll hold them off till reinforcements arrive!" I slam my sword against my shield in defiance.
"It's been an honor fighting beside you." Brian joked as he crouched, waiting for the first unsuspecting foe to lance.
"Same to you."
They came in ones and twos at first. Brian exploded from his hiding place and ran the first soldier clean through. The second charged him and tried to take advantage of his open guard. I rushed forward and slammed my shield into him, dazing the man long enough to remove his head. Arrows hissed by my ear, narrow misses, and we retreated to our cover. On the winds, through the storm, another sound was drifting through. Horns and battle cries. Screams for the glory of Agatha. Reinforcements.
"Almost done! Just a bit longer, Brian!"
"Heads up! Here they come!"
The Masons couldn't wait. Our reinforcements were coming and they needed The Family Dead. They charged in with their full force and met our resistance. Swords smashed against my shield as I cut into foe after foe. Brian danced from soldier to soldier, stabbing anyone he could reach before retreating. The fight was only minutes long, but it felt like days. Wounds piled atop themselves and blood spilled across the ground, making it slick. My shield was knocked away from my grip, this was the end. I watched as the sword came down, accepting the end. The Family would die, Agatha would fall. Suddenly a spurt of red covered my face and the sword fell short of harming me. The man gurgled and collapsed, an arrow protruding from his throat.
More arrows rained down and soldiers, Agathian Knights, charged in to clean up the Masons. Two Masons had pushed Brian into a corner. He blocked as best he could but couldn't retaliate. I pulled my hand and a half sword off my back and rushed to his aid, quickly cutting the men down. Horns blared across the battle field and the sounds of victory beat back the sounds of the storm.
Brian looked around, dazed, and began to laugh, "WE WON!"
Exhaustion washed over me. The rush of adrenaline from the battle ran away and I collapsed onto the ground laughing so hard that I began to cry, "I didn't think we would win...WE DID IT!"
Brian sat down next to me and we laughed. The family was rescued, they thanked us personally for risking our lives, and reinforcements were beating the Masons back.
And we were alive.
A victory. One hard fought and well earned.
Too bad it was only the start of our day.
A Knight approached us. His armor pristine and well cared for. He wore a cape that fluttered in the storm. The mark of a general.
"You two did well. But this isn't the time for rest. There is more work to be done." And with that he left to martial the rest of his troops.
Brian sighed and looked at me, "What now?"
I shook my head, "I don't know."
I could never have imagined the hell we were diving into.
The storm raged overhead, obscuring the battlefield with heavy rain and lightning. Thunder boomed and drowned out the noise of battle. The Mason Order was relentless. We couldn't stop their cart of plague from poisoning our water supply. We fought hard and almost stopped them from opening the floodgates. But their numbers were too great. We were outmatched in almost every way. We had fought hard to protect the Royal Family. But we couldn't stop them all. We were pushed back as they broke through two of the three safe houses and killed the family within.
But they would not win. Not yet.
I would do my job as an Agathian Knight and protect the last of the family. No matter what. My plate mail was dented where swords, axes, and spears had slammed into me. My chain mail was torn in many places, blood oozing from the wounds. My sword hand was locked to my blade's grip. I couldn't open it if I tried. My shield arm was sore from the battle and my shield itself was barely staying together. My helmet was gone, torn off as a Mason had almost finished me off. He would have if my ally hadn't arrived just in time.
I looked over to him. An Agathian Vanguard, he leaned heavily on the pitchfork he was wielding as a weapon. Crude but deadly in his hands. He looked just as worse for ware as I. Archers rained arrows on our position. Fortunately, they would have to close in with us if they wanted a fight. The last strong hold sat in a bottle neck canyon with only two ways in and no clear shots for archers. The sounds of Mason battle cries closed and my friend looked at me with weary eyes.
"Casey. We almost got em. Just hold out a little longer. Think we can?" He smiled and hefted his pitchfork.
I mentally prepared myself for the coming battle and moved to stand in front of the door. The last line of defense for The Family. Our allies were scattered, it was just us now. Us against the angry tide of Masons just outside. I returned my friends smile, "Let them come, Brian. We'll hold them off till reinforcements arrive!" I slam my sword against my shield in defiance.
"It's been an honor fighting beside you." Brian joked as he crouched, waiting for the first unsuspecting foe to lance.
"Same to you."
They came in ones and twos at first. Brian exploded from his hiding place and ran the first soldier clean through. The second charged him and tried to take advantage of his open guard. I rushed forward and slammed my shield into him, dazing the man long enough to remove his head. Arrows hissed by my ear, narrow misses, and we retreated to our cover. On the winds, through the storm, another sound was drifting through. Horns and battle cries. Screams for the glory of Agatha. Reinforcements.
"Almost done! Just a bit longer, Brian!"
"Heads up! Here they come!"
The Masons couldn't wait. Our reinforcements were coming and they needed The Family Dead. They charged in with their full force and met our resistance. Swords smashed against my shield as I cut into foe after foe. Brian danced from soldier to soldier, stabbing anyone he could reach before retreating. The fight was only minutes long, but it felt like days. Wounds piled atop themselves and blood spilled across the ground, making it slick. My shield was knocked away from my grip, this was the end. I watched as the sword came down, accepting the end. The Family would die, Agatha would fall. Suddenly a spurt of red covered my face and the sword fell short of harming me. The man gurgled and collapsed, an arrow protruding from his throat.
More arrows rained down and soldiers, Agathian Knights, charged in to clean up the Masons. Two Masons had pushed Brian into a corner. He blocked as best he could but couldn't retaliate. I pulled my hand and a half sword off my back and rushed to his aid, quickly cutting the men down. Horns blared across the battle field and the sounds of victory beat back the sounds of the storm.
Brian looked around, dazed, and began to laugh, "WE WON!"
Exhaustion washed over me. The rush of adrenaline from the battle ran away and I collapsed onto the ground laughing so hard that I began to cry, "I didn't think we would win...WE DID IT!"
Brian sat down next to me and we laughed. The family was rescued, they thanked us personally for risking our lives, and reinforcements were beating the Masons back.
And we were alive.
A victory. One hard fought and well earned.
Too bad it was only the start of our day.
A Knight approached us. His armor pristine and well cared for. He wore a cape that fluttered in the storm. The mark of a general.
"You two did well. But this isn't the time for rest. There is more work to be done." And with that he left to martial the rest of his troops.
Brian sighed and looked at me, "What now?"
I shook my head, "I don't know."
I could never have imagined the hell we were diving into.