Age of Heroes

IN FRONT OF CITY OF ORBOUGH

'Diego, what are you waiting for?' Bareal said sitting in the war tent.

'The men are exhausted. Shouldn't we wait?'

'If we wait King Harald may march here from Vangua with his royal army. Better pillage them, raze the city, rape the woman and then take what we can.'

Diego just shake his head. Pirate he mused.

'The reinforcement from the other three families does not yet come.' 

'So what!' Bareal yelled. 

'My warriors follow me because I promised them woman, promised them gold and glory. What is this cowardly act of waiting? I will not wait! If you want to wait, then wait. I will attack the city tonight.' 

Saying that Bareal stormed out the war tent as he ordered his warrior to take position.

Diego rushed out of his tent and approached Bareal. 

'My lord please listen to my explanation.' Diego could not lose the support of the Anjouian King.

'My lord, the inhabitants have retired within the walls, shut their sturdy gates, and bid us defiance. And the town is situated under the hill, which rose in in a steep acclivity upon one side. Why should we attack the gates and risk death of our warriors when they are still so many lands yet to be liberated by Vanguan rule?'

'Are you saying you have a strategy to not sacrifice any of my warriors?' The King asked, his tone is still impatient

Bareal even though he is a brute he would not like to see his warriors die meaninglessly. 

Their ways have always been brutal and merciless but even they know the sturdiness of the wooden and brick wall of the Human Continent. 

Anjou land have no brick walls, not even wooden walls and for himself who traverse the sea earning him the nickname the Sea King fighting such gate with axes and hammer is uncommon for his warriors. 

And the dreams that pervaded their mind before the sailing has shaken the morale of his warrior.

'I do have a strategy my lord if you are inclined to listen. There are still other cities to be plundered so we need to conserve man power.' 

'Tell me this strategy of yours' the Anjouian King said.

Then Diego told him of the plan and the King nodded and agreed to use Diego plan. They went upon the hill up from the city. 

And then they began preparing it from the night until dawn until once again it reaches night. 

Until that night where the wind is windy and Diego said 

'It is time.' Diego is not that of a genius in warfare not like the lord of Arrandy for he was what some would say trader prince. 

His family is more traders then noble and Diego himself is a trader and merchant blood run in his veins. 

But this idea does not come from his brilliant mind but from the same tactic of the Art of Battle by Zhu Ar Zur. 

He remembered the teachings because he once read it as it also contains advice on how to battle in the business frontier. 

Diego has tried diplomacy but it proved ineffective and the Anjouian King is losing his patience.

Not once the city gate is open neither did they send any envoys to express their surrender. Diego said this is not his fault.

And then it happened.

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THAT NIGHT

That night the citizen of the city Orbough screamed in terror as their city gate is attacked mass of fire rolling from the hill.

The Anjouian listened to Diego idea where they go to the hill, and where they piled up an enormous heap of trunks and branches of trees, with the interstices filled with stubble, dried bark, and roots, and other such combustibles, and then setting the whole mass on fire, they rolled it down into the town, attacking it with fire thus increasing the panic that people of the city felt as they pray to their Gods and goddesses.

The vast ball of fire, roaring and crackling more and more, by the fanning of its flames in the wind, as it bounded along the hill bumpy surfaces attacking the city gate like a siege weapons and burning the surrounding forest when the ball of fire strayed.

The area burned.

The trunks of trees are framed together, some are fastened with wet thongs or iron chains, after being made in the form of a rude cylinder or ball, and filled with combustibles within, so as to retain its integrity in such a descent.

The area was bombed all night and the bombardment appear successful. Like thunder they hit, like earthquakes they shake, as the city prays.

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ON THE HILL

'HAHAHAHA. YOU FREYANS SURE HAVE SOME PECULIAR STRATEGY. Who would have thought?' the King roared in laughter seeing the destruction these ball of fire has produce.

And finally the gate could stand no longer and it burned, and fell. The invaders then rush through the door. 

At first there is chaos but then a man from the crowd went in front with nice clothes that could only mean he is a noble or maybe the Mayor of the city.

Then an elderly man can be seen kneeling in front of the gate, his hand is trembling in his knees, looking at the fierce Anjouian warriors in front of him.

'Who are your Old man?' the Anjouian King asked. 

'My lord, I am this city Mayor. My name is Mayor Siegfried.' 

Behind the Anjouian is his warrior all fierce and terrifying with war paint on their faces and their eyes leered to the ladies while their hand is playing with their war axes.

'So?' The King asked.

'This city surrenders to your might. Please do not harm us.' He said pleading; his eyes darted to the people of the city.

The king smirked and then he looked at his warrior. 

'WHAT DID HE SAY, MY WARRIORS? LET HIM OFF? LET THE CITY OFF? HAHAHAHA' then suddenly with his long war axes he swing it and his arm vein showed spectacularly, showing to everyone that this swing is fill with malice and hatred and the head of the mayor flew into the air as his decapitated neck spurted red blood and slowly the body dropped to the ground.

'ARGGH' the people screamed as some of them run away from the scene while other is too stunned to move and look at the headless body of the count, tears in their eyes.

'Dark things' they cried as they all run and the warriors of the Anjouian King laughed. Diego just close his eyes.

This King is brutal. He mused.

'My warriors. Hear my order. Pillage their home. Loot their treasures. Rape their women and then we will feast. HAHAHAHA.'

'HAHAHAHA. Son of Barael is a true man' the other warrior cheered as they chased the common folk and slashed the men, the kids and even the babies. 

Some babies were smashed to a puddle of blood by their big hammer while the mother cried in despair. 

Diego could not stomach such cruelty but he could not rebuke the King for he is the one that ask for his help. 

So with his army he returned to his tent, puking when he reached his tent remembering what he has seen and heard. 

The Anjouian warriors kill people like they were cow meat and they rape maidens in the middle of the street before choking them to death as their religion dictates.

The Religion of Anjouian horde is various and this Anjouian King worships the Three Ladies of Furies. 

They do not accept impure woman that is raped so like their interpretation is that they have to kill those that they raped. 

Yet they chose to choke them. Diego still remembered the eyes of the girls, helpless and full of despair. 

The babies on the other hand are smashed and thrown from the city wall. Diego could still smell the flesh of a one-year-old baby whose flesh stuck to the castle gate after the baby was dashed to castle wall because it won't stop crying.

He could still see the image of hundreds of baby fall to the ground from the city wall, splashes of blood filled the entrance of the gate, like a rain of blood just passed the area, as the blood flows to the nearby rives.

This is madness. Diego mused. 

It is unmanly of him but Diego shivered with guilt. He once ruled Freya so in a way the city of Orbough once under his family rule. 

The reason why Diego seek the help of the Anjouian King is because he wanted to liberate the Freyan from Vangua hold.

But…. this is madness.

Shivering and sobbing with his eyes filled with tears of regret, he sleeps unconsciously.

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That morning, the city was like the city of the dead. 

Smashed head, wailing woman holding smashed meat which might have once been her baby, flesh sticking into the hard ground as the color red washed the soil, the smell was revolting.

The city then with no hope left is set to fire, its inhabitants become the sacrifices for the Three Lady of Furies as they are all put to the steel, while some are choked to death. 

The woman's and maidens usually receive that torture as they are choked while being raped, tears sliding from their eyes before their final breath.

Diego could only watch helplessly. 

He chose power. He chose this path. One day he will pay back the people of this city by becoming a better ruler.

But can such sins be removed? Such question did enter his mind but he ignores it. And that is how it starts.

The temptation of sin and power. The things that made people cruel and hard, cold and unyielding.

And then with this thought on Diego mind, they continued to the next town.

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