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A frail wind day blew over Al Zhabi that day. A day like any other really, for the Near East country. The Beastman hordes had been a tad less intensive in their attacks, possibly busy with matters of their own, given a much needed respite to the battered city.
Whitegate was bustling with activity as always, enjoying the comfortable weather, the marketplace filled with the many travelers and mercenaries patrolling the area, many of them on errands for the Sentinels.
Myself was taking a break, sitting by the road next to the Residential gate, where thousands of people flock back and forth everyday with their goods and equipment. You can often know what they are up to by simply taking a look at what they carry. A proud looking Elvaan just walked past me with possibly the shiniest black and blue armor I've ever seen. The way it has been polished, he obviously has been invited to the Palace.
He practically yelled at the poor Tarutaru in black robes that almost bumped into him, carrying as many Ether bottles his little arms could carry, running back and forth all over town with them all day. Fortunatly no incidents there, as an imposing Galka in a sparkling white and grey armor, probably a friend of the smaller one, made sure it would not go any further. The Elvaan found no interest in squabbling any further and promptly left to his own destination.
I finished my drink quietly afterwards, watching all of those ongoings. I was resting from my usual Paladin tasks. It was a day after a particularly rough hunting in that area known as Dynamis. While the group I hunted with is very skilled and knowledgeable in this area, those dark beastmen are rather cunning, and the slightest mistake can cost life and precious time to us dark realm invaders. Especially in that area known as Xarcabard. Our team was benefiting from several newcomers to this area, and the learning curve there tends to be steep. We fell short of the objective, but the results were still positive for the future.
I had barely come back from a more or less disastrous attempt at training myself to new arts, the red magic. Valkurm Dunes is not to be underestimated when your teammates is a rag-tag mismatched group of new adventurers, alot of them barely out of the relative safety of the Ronfaure forests. Between the Forest Hares and the Sand Hares, there is a world of difference despite their resemblance. Seeing as I was not going to be able to train properly on that day, I returned to Al Zhabi using my handy Warp Scroll. No adventurer should ever go out of town without one.
That is when suddenly, the alarm bells rang. Everyone in Whitegate immediatly froze. This was never a good sign. The Beastmen were at the doors of the city, ready to attack. Near-panic takes the city right as the third bell rings. That is when the city splits into two : Those who run for safety, and those who fight. People are used to these attacks, but it does not make them any less threatning. The beastmen are usually only interested in one thing, the Astra Candescence. The people of the city themselves are only an obstacle for those hordes.
I had to make a quick decision myself. I was not as trained as a Red Mage, compared to my Paladin, and would most probably be no match against one ith a sword in hand. On the other hand, I at least have some curing magic, so I can give a bit of backup to those fighting. I saw several strong looking mercenaries run past as well. So I made my mind that I might as well train as a Red Mage during this fight, as the close fighting seemed covered.
So I quickly made my way through the gates leading to Al Zhabi, where the beastman had already started to infiltrate through the doors leading to the Wajaom Woods. Trolls. Pesky trolls. Even Gurfurlur the Menacing was along for the ride, apparently they want to go all out for this attack. The generals atop the battlements screamed their rally to the mercenaries gathered, hoping to lift their spirits and courage one last time before the fighting begun.
I stood my ground where the main fighting usually happens, in the middle of the Ulthalam Parade. Beastman usually pour out south and east into the city, but the Ulthalam Parade is the nervous system of it as it connects most of the areas, including the way toward the Hall of Binding, where the Astral Candescence is stored preciously behind the gates. Those gates are locked with a magic force that is bound to the five Serpent Generals defending the city. Normally, as long as one of them is left standing, pushing the attack back is only a matter of time. That method has been proven effective in the city defense, and many mercenaries take up the task to defend the generals as a priority, while the rest take care of the invading monsters.
The first gate was breached soon, and shortly after numerous foes came out toward the awaiting mercenaries. The fighting was fierce, trolls are known to be opponents with a tough skin that makes them hard to slay. Each beastmen horde tends to use their own strategy, but Trolls usually try to push their way through on sheer resistance. All I could really do from the back lines is keep the fighters healthy as much as possible with my currently limited mana pool and spell abilities.
The Ulthalam Parade were holding well the attackers, pushing back the first wave with relative ease. But it was only a few minutes into the attack that a mercenary came shouting through the plaza. General Gadalar and General Zarzag had fallen! The breath we had managed to take with the lag between two waves of Trolls escaped us quickly. What had happened in the south of the city?
We soon saw the answer arrive through the gates, as they had finished their clean up of that area of town, leaving a wake of lifeless bodies behind. Bombs. When you say troll, you say Bombs, one of their favorite pets. Exploding freaks of nature that often prefered to explode the crowd around them then fighting their way through. In only took a few of them to fell two Generals, and there was many more arriving in the plaza.
Several healers rushed to the south of town to aid those felled, but the generals were unrecoverable at this point, incapacitated for the rest of the attack. Still, we needed as many hands as we could, and those that could be raised had to be to push them back. This attack was already showing that Trolls were not going down easily.
Meanwhile the plaza was swamped. It was impossible to hold all of those monsters at the same time, so they easily spilled toward the Hall of Binding, where more mercenaries and General Milhi was awaiting. General Najelith was felled by the huge bomb known as Aerial Torpedo, while Gurfurlur, followed by his pet scorpions, trampled his way through a 4th General, leaving only Rughadjeen in the Plaza and the Hall of Binding almost unguarded.
General Rughadjeen could not hold the onslaught for much longer either, as mercenaries fell around him like paper dolls. He fought valiently to the end, but fell as well. A victorious scream from the Trolls erupted in the besieged city. The Hall of Binding was open! Al Zhabi was about to fall, and things didn't look good for the mercenary legions.
But the Mercenaries were not down for the count yet. As Gurfurlur, Aerial Torpedo and what was left of their army marched their way to the Astral Candescence, the flock of healers that had moved south suddenly reappeared, followed by the numerous fighters that had been revived thanks to them. Pratically an army of its own, they rushed through the back rows of Trolls, piercing a way through their ranks until they stood like a wall before the Hall of Binding.
Several of them provoked Gurfurlur and Aerial Torpedo away from the Hall of Binding, hoping to dwindle the strain on the last line of defense for precious moments. Meanwhile the healers worked hard in the Ulthalam Parade, readying the troops felled there for the last stand.
At the Hall of Binding, the fighting was fierce, the Scorpions fiercly clawing at the fighters, and pushing them back inside the building, right to the Astral Candescence's altar, which was shining brightly, a silent watcher to those fighting for its ownership.
The last Scorpion fell after the desperate battle, and when Gurfurlur came back to the Hall of Binding after taking care of the earlier distraction, he saw the near thousand people standing there, waiting for him right in front of the doors. All of the city's fighters were up and ready to fight to the end.
Gurfurlur stared for a moment silently at the troops gathered there. For a moment he simply watched, as if he was considering his options. Most of his troops were anihilated, and the defenders looked in shape, numerous and ready to bite if he even came closer. He let a grunt out, and simply turned around, waving to what was left of his army to leave the city, retreating. The roar that came out as a single victorious cry showed the pride and courage of the Al Zhabi defense, once again victorious.
The Hall of Binding was once again sealed back in quietly, as the mercenaries left to rest after the intense battle. It was at a hair close, but the Astral Candescence is still resting in Al Zhabi.
-A page from a Besiged City
Battle of the 27th of the 10th Month, year 1009.
Related by Celedh, Adventurer from San D'oria, Phoenix.
Whitegate was bustling with activity as always, enjoying the comfortable weather, the marketplace filled with the many travelers and mercenaries patrolling the area, many of them on errands for the Sentinels.
Myself was taking a break, sitting by the road next to the Residential gate, where thousands of people flock back and forth everyday with their goods and equipment. You can often know what they are up to by simply taking a look at what they carry. A proud looking Elvaan just walked past me with possibly the shiniest black and blue armor I've ever seen. The way it has been polished, he obviously has been invited to the Palace.
He practically yelled at the poor Tarutaru in black robes that almost bumped into him, carrying as many Ether bottles his little arms could carry, running back and forth all over town with them all day. Fortunatly no incidents there, as an imposing Galka in a sparkling white and grey armor, probably a friend of the smaller one, made sure it would not go any further. The Elvaan found no interest in squabbling any further and promptly left to his own destination.
I finished my drink quietly afterwards, watching all of those ongoings. I was resting from my usual Paladin tasks. It was a day after a particularly rough hunting in that area known as Dynamis. While the group I hunted with is very skilled and knowledgeable in this area, those dark beastmen are rather cunning, and the slightest mistake can cost life and precious time to us dark realm invaders. Especially in that area known as Xarcabard. Our team was benefiting from several newcomers to this area, and the learning curve there tends to be steep. We fell short of the objective, but the results were still positive for the future.
I had barely come back from a more or less disastrous attempt at training myself to new arts, the red magic. Valkurm Dunes is not to be underestimated when your teammates is a rag-tag mismatched group of new adventurers, alot of them barely out of the relative safety of the Ronfaure forests. Between the Forest Hares and the Sand Hares, there is a world of difference despite their resemblance. Seeing as I was not going to be able to train properly on that day, I returned to Al Zhabi using my handy Warp Scroll. No adventurer should ever go out of town without one.
That is when suddenly, the alarm bells rang. Everyone in Whitegate immediatly froze. This was never a good sign. The Beastmen were at the doors of the city, ready to attack. Near-panic takes the city right as the third bell rings. That is when the city splits into two : Those who run for safety, and those who fight. People are used to these attacks, but it does not make them any less threatning. The beastmen are usually only interested in one thing, the Astra Candescence. The people of the city themselves are only an obstacle for those hordes.
I had to make a quick decision myself. I was not as trained as a Red Mage, compared to my Paladin, and would most probably be no match against one ith a sword in hand. On the other hand, I at least have some curing magic, so I can give a bit of backup to those fighting. I saw several strong looking mercenaries run past as well. So I made my mind that I might as well train as a Red Mage during this fight, as the close fighting seemed covered.
So I quickly made my way through the gates leading to Al Zhabi, where the beastman had already started to infiltrate through the doors leading to the Wajaom Woods. Trolls. Pesky trolls. Even Gurfurlur the Menacing was along for the ride, apparently they want to go all out for this attack. The generals atop the battlements screamed their rally to the mercenaries gathered, hoping to lift their spirits and courage one last time before the fighting begun.
I stood my ground where the main fighting usually happens, in the middle of the Ulthalam Parade. Beastman usually pour out south and east into the city, but the Ulthalam Parade is the nervous system of it as it connects most of the areas, including the way toward the Hall of Binding, where the Astral Candescence is stored preciously behind the gates. Those gates are locked with a magic force that is bound to the five Serpent Generals defending the city. Normally, as long as one of them is left standing, pushing the attack back is only a matter of time. That method has been proven effective in the city defense, and many mercenaries take up the task to defend the generals as a priority, while the rest take care of the invading monsters.
The first gate was breached soon, and shortly after numerous foes came out toward the awaiting mercenaries. The fighting was fierce, trolls are known to be opponents with a tough skin that makes them hard to slay. Each beastmen horde tends to use their own strategy, but Trolls usually try to push their way through on sheer resistance. All I could really do from the back lines is keep the fighters healthy as much as possible with my currently limited mana pool and spell abilities.
The Ulthalam Parade were holding well the attackers, pushing back the first wave with relative ease. But it was only a few minutes into the attack that a mercenary came shouting through the plaza. General Gadalar and General Zarzag had fallen! The breath we had managed to take with the lag between two waves of Trolls escaped us quickly. What had happened in the south of the city?
We soon saw the answer arrive through the gates, as they had finished their clean up of that area of town, leaving a wake of lifeless bodies behind. Bombs. When you say troll, you say Bombs, one of their favorite pets. Exploding freaks of nature that often prefered to explode the crowd around them then fighting their way through. In only took a few of them to fell two Generals, and there was many more arriving in the plaza.
Several healers rushed to the south of town to aid those felled, but the generals were unrecoverable at this point, incapacitated for the rest of the attack. Still, we needed as many hands as we could, and those that could be raised had to be to push them back. This attack was already showing that Trolls were not going down easily.
Meanwhile the plaza was swamped. It was impossible to hold all of those monsters at the same time, so they easily spilled toward the Hall of Binding, where more mercenaries and General Milhi was awaiting. General Najelith was felled by the huge bomb known as Aerial Torpedo, while Gurfurlur, followed by his pet scorpions, trampled his way through a 4th General, leaving only Rughadjeen in the Plaza and the Hall of Binding almost unguarded.
General Rughadjeen could not hold the onslaught for much longer either, as mercenaries fell around him like paper dolls. He fought valiently to the end, but fell as well. A victorious scream from the Trolls erupted in the besieged city. The Hall of Binding was open! Al Zhabi was about to fall, and things didn't look good for the mercenary legions.
But the Mercenaries were not down for the count yet. As Gurfurlur, Aerial Torpedo and what was left of their army marched their way to the Astral Candescence, the flock of healers that had moved south suddenly reappeared, followed by the numerous fighters that had been revived thanks to them. Pratically an army of its own, they rushed through the back rows of Trolls, piercing a way through their ranks until they stood like a wall before the Hall of Binding.
Several of them provoked Gurfurlur and Aerial Torpedo away from the Hall of Binding, hoping to dwindle the strain on the last line of defense for precious moments. Meanwhile the healers worked hard in the Ulthalam Parade, readying the troops felled there for the last stand.
At the Hall of Binding, the fighting was fierce, the Scorpions fiercly clawing at the fighters, and pushing them back inside the building, right to the Astral Candescence's altar, which was shining brightly, a silent watcher to those fighting for its ownership.
The last Scorpion fell after the desperate battle, and when Gurfurlur came back to the Hall of Binding after taking care of the earlier distraction, he saw the near thousand people standing there, waiting for him right in front of the doors. All of the city's fighters were up and ready to fight to the end.
Gurfurlur stared for a moment silently at the troops gathered there. For a moment he simply watched, as if he was considering his options. Most of his troops were anihilated, and the defenders looked in shape, numerous and ready to bite if he even came closer. He let a grunt out, and simply turned around, waving to what was left of his army to leave the city, retreating. The roar that came out as a single victorious cry showed the pride and courage of the Al Zhabi defense, once again victorious.
The Hall of Binding was once again sealed back in quietly, as the mercenaries left to rest after the intense battle. It was at a hair close, but the Astral Candescence is still resting in Al Zhabi.
-A page from a Besiged City
Battle of the 27th of the 10th Month, year 1009.
Related by Celedh, Adventurer from San D'oria, Phoenix.
Glad you enjoyed reading a bit.
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