Satzell - Volume 1

Chapter 1 - The Battle of Gurendam

"Then let them see what we're made of!"

"YESSIR!" The whole army replied with a loud cry.

They then heard a mechanical noise coming from the gate and immediately came back into formation.

 "They're about to ram the gate, prepare for battle!" Shouted Harrock.

Then there was a moment of complete silence.

With each passing second, the fear in the soldiers' minds grew stronger and stronger, their sweating became more intense, their breathing louder and heavier; they were highly trained and skilled soldiers, but no normal amount of training could eliminate the natural human fear.

A few more seconds passed, then the ram was released.

It quickly gained speed, pushing the air away from its path, and then hit the gate with full power: as the first blow hit the wooden gate, a terrifying loud thump was heard, followed by the creaking noise of the wood slowly falling to pieces.

Then, after only a few seconds, came the second blow, hitting even harder than the first: the gate was visibly deformed, letting out an incessant, loud creaking noise; it was only a matter of seconds before it would collapse, leaving the way open for the enemy troops.

The soldiers stood still, masking the internal fear that was growing within them, and were preparing for the imminent irruption of the enemy troops; they knew that the gate would soon fall and leave the entrance open for the enemies to storm in.

After a few more hits the wooden giant was finally brought down, and enemy soldiers started swarming in. They all wore black armor and carried a variety of weapons, depending on their role in the battle.

Dozens of enemy knights tried to run over the first shield line, many having their horses speared by the pikemen: after having been injured by the sharp pikes, they quickly died or became uncontrollable and started to create chaos on the battlefield; the soldiers riding them fell violently on the ground and couldn't get back up because of the horses running over them.

 Some knights tried to crash head-first into the shields hoping to break through, but the immovable wall of steel could not be easily demolished, and the attackers fell back on the ground, some drowning in the ocean of bodies and blood, some managing to get back up, only to get skewered by the deadly pikemen. 

Shortly after, a loud explosion was heard: the enemy mages had cast gigantic fireballs at the village's walls, turning them into rubble and letting the enemy forces swarm the formation.

Attacked from the sides, the shields and pikemen were quickly overwhelmed, but the Captain and his swordsmen were ready to aid them.

"Let's go, soldiers!"

Harrock shouted, followed by the battle cry of all the warriors. They rushed forward to help on the frontline, as more than half the pikemen and shieldsmen had been killed, but not without taking many enemies to the grave with them.

The swordsmen were highly trained in hand-to-hand combat, and so they began to slaughter one enemy after another; splatters of blood covered their armor, wounds became their new skin, yet they continued to fight like furious beasts, often surrounded by enemies and holding out until their last breath.