Imperials Vs. Sentinels- part 4- The Valiant and the Faithful

Part 11- Surprise attack

The samurai ships were headed toward the east coast of Verana, and as they approached, a Ballista mounted on a fort spotted them.

The knights saw the ships approaching.
"Get someone on that Ballista, now!"
The knight in command ordered.
The knights scrambled to arm the weapon. They didn't have much time before the ships would reach the shore.

The samurai saw the projectiles coming, looking like large spears. It carved right through one ship, and moments later, the ship and its crew were underwater. Tsumaru looked toward the bow of his ship.
"Maintain our course! We have to make it to that shore!"
Another projectile sunk another ship effortlessly. The weapon was seemingly very efficient.

That was until the remaining samurai ships reached the shore, being met with a steep cliff. They docked at a beach close by.
"There. There's a way in through there."
Xavier pointed at a passage in the cliff face. It looked dark, short and narrow.
"Are you sure there isn't any other way?"
Tsumaru asked.
"It's the fastest. Trust me, we'll reach that fort in no time if we follow it."
As the army slowly poured into the gap, the samurai lucky enough to have survived the swim to shore followed. Verana was under threat yet again, but this time it was from a different angle. And that wasn't the only difference the samurai brought about.

In the south, several samurai ships filled with archers were wreaking havoc of their own. They were shooting volleys of flaming arrows at the wooden dock, setting the dock itself and all of the wooden ships alight. By piercing sails and igniting the wood, Verana's ships and dock were rendered useless, and upon achieving their goal, the ships aimed to regroup with their allies. That didn't quite go to plan, however. Many knight archers had fired back in retaliation, killing entire ships worth of samurai due to their accuracy. They also pierced sails, making samurai ships sitting targets. Members of the growing organisation the flaming arrow soon arrived, giving the disabled ships a taste of their own medicine by setting them alight. As the ships sunk, the survivors were shot as soon as they surfaced. Although the dock was destroyed, the mission was an absolute slaughter for the samurai.

The movement on land was more promising, as the fort had been taken over completely. As night fell, the samurai set up camps along the fort.
"I think that went rather well."
Luca said, referring to the assault they had won.
"We may have won, but several of our ships were lost, along with many samurai. We also haven't heard any news from the south, making it possible that all of the samurai there were killed too.
Hokoshao reminded him.
"Yes, of course, and their sacrifice won't be for nothing."
Luca told the Delphox.
"What are your plans after you kill this tyrant? Surely you must have something in place for a new leadership."
Tsumaru asked. That got Xavier thinking.
"That's a good question. I don't know quite yet. It's definitely something worth bearing some thought to."
He replied.
"For now, we need to rest. Tomorrow will be a long day."
Xavier advised. The camp soon fell silent, some samurai standing guard and sleeping in shifts.

Meanwhile, Shade had been made aware of two traitors to his cause. They were both presented before him in his palace.
"I hear that you were seen stealing from an army weapons cache. Is that correct?"
Shade asked, glaring at the Typhlosion and Garchomp below him, who were both being restrained by guards.
"Don't you understand? This nation is doomed. Taking a few weapons is nothing compared to your imminent defeat. The samurai will arrive here and kill you all. Your army will be defeated." The Garchomp spat back.
"Perhaps you're right. But neither of you will be around to see that if it does happen."
Shade told him.

The two were taken to the palace's back garden, into the cold night atmosphere. The cold breeze was enough to send shivers down anyone's spine. The two were tied to wooden stakes, one next to the other. The Garchomp looked to his left, seeing a third stake with a rotting corpse tied to it.
"Have you any last words?"
Shade asked. They both remained silent.
"Very well."
Shave turned to his guards.
"Do it."
Behind each stake was a guard with a bucket of cold water. The contents of the buckets were poured onto the criminals before they were left to freeze.
"If you survive the night, I may consider freeing you."
Shade told them, knowing full well that they wouldn't last for half of it. He then headed inside as his victims stood shivering, slowly freezing.

As the sun rose, the samurai were preparing for an immediate continued invasion of Verana, only controlling the eastern sea and coast. That alone wouldn't be enough to overthrow Shade quite obviously. They began to draft a plan for their next move.
"It won't be long before they know we're here. Because of that, we should take as much land as we can before resistance gets tougher."
Tsumaru suggested. Xavier nodded in agreement. Invading from the east meant that there was a lot of uneven terrain to trek through, but the palace was visible atop the cliffs of Anferia, a small, desolate reigon within Verana. It was also the highest point in the nation.

"He's right. Word won't reach the palace for a long time, which gives us a short window of opportunity."
Luca had a question, however.
"So where are we going to go? Are there any strategic advantageous landmarks nearby?"
He asked. That made Xavier suddenly think of one very special place.
"Actually yes. It may not be an armoury or a storage house, but it'll do."
He pointed to it on the map. Luca looked at him as if he had lost his mind.
"There? Why?"
Xavier looked back at him.
"You'll see when we get there."
He looked at the three samurai leaders.
"So? How about it?"
It was a gamble, but it had a high chance of success, and for that reason, it was a gamble at least Xavier was willing to take. Risk was part of war, and this was a war indirectly engineered by Xavier. Even if he didn't start it, he stood by his promise. He was sure as hell going to finish it. Either that, or he'd die trying.