Author's Note: Sorry this worldbuilding section was so long. I know I got a bit carried away with it, so if you would prefer to skip ahead to the actual chapter, here's an annotated flow chart with the essential information. But if you want a little bit of extra lore/context, then I suggest reading the full worldbuilding section.
Worldbuilding: Rontak Imperial Army Structure
Lower Armies
Armies below the Imperial level, such as those maintained by Counts or Viscounts, are referred to as 'lower' armies. As their individual noble commanders are responsible for training and organizing these armies, there are no universal quality or organizational standards throughout the Rontak Empire.
Hadeki (pronounced: had-ek-e)
Hadeki are standard Rontak infantry, freshly recruited from a Count's army. After joining an Imperial army, recruits are required to pass a basic training regiment to make sure they're up to Imperial army standards. They carry a spear, a scutum-like shield, and a short sword on their belt. Some hadeki instead choose to become skirmishers and use slings or javelins.
Kardeki (pronounced: car-dek-e)
The kardeki are the elite ranged infantry of an Imperial army. Though less prestigious than frontline combat, they are still an essential part of warfare. These soldiers started off as hadeki trained in slings or javelins. Expanding on their existing abilities, kardeki are trained to use warbows to great effect.
Tradeki (pronounced: trad-ek-e)
After serving for five years, hadeki are promoted to tradeki. They are older and more experienced heavy infantry than hadeki, but they are equipped with the same gear. These soldiers are the backbone of Imperial armies. Cavalry, wyvern knights, combat engineers, and the land dragon division draw their recruits from the tradeki.
Rondeki (pronounced: rond-ek-e)
Tradeki that serve for ten years are eligible to be recruited into the rondeki. These are the most elite standard infantry of an Imperial army. They receive additional training in more advanced combat forms, compounding the lethality granted by their experience.
They wear heavier, more durable armor than hadeki or tradeki, and their weapons are made of mithril rather than iron or steel. They wear purple caplets over their armor, signifying their first-rate status.
Rontoradeki (pronounced: ron-tora-dek-e)
Only recruited from veteran rondeki, rontoradeki have unparalleled skill at arms. They are given highly secretive martial arts training from ancient kingdoms across Kraffnia that have long since been conquered. They are clad in full mithril armor and carry adamantium-tipped weapons and adamantium-reinforced shields. Rather than serving as infantry in the army, rontoradeki act as bodyguards for high-ranking nobles, including the Emperor, earning them the nickname 'Imperial Guard'.
Generally, the Rontak Empire believes that training should be a deathless ordeal; tougher training does the trainee no good if it gets them killed, and a less skilled soldier is more useful than a dead soldier. But the rontoradeki are the exception. Their training period does not end until half of the recruits are either dead or voluntarily leave the program. This is to ensure that those that make it through are the very best. They are the most hardcore and fanatically loyal soldiers in the Rontak Empire. It is said that to challenge the rontoradeki is to invite death.
Wyvern Knights
Not to be confused with knights of the Order of the Dragon, wyvern knights serve solely as the Rontak Empire's de facto air force. Wyvern knight squads are led by first knights, experienced and battle hardened wyvern knights. First knights subsequently report to the captain of the army's wyvern division. Captains and first knights are the only ones to carry the valuable mana comm equipment on their wyverns.
Cavalry
Imperial army cavalrymen are recruited out of the tradeki. They are trained as either marteko or grateko. Marteko serve as light cavalry and the army's scouting division. They also harass the enemy and conduct raids when necessary. Grateko are the army's heavy cavalry and primarily have a defensive anti-cavalry role and offensive shock cavalry role.
Veteran grateko can be promoted to helteko, the centaur cavalry division, which is the army's super heavy shock cavalry. The marteko, grateko, and helteko are each led by a captain, who in turn reports to the cavalry commander of the army.
Mages
Magic users recruited or conscripted into Imperial armies are trained as battlemages. Their training focuses on using magic at a unit scale, rather than as individuals. Those with exceptional magical combat skills are promoted to archmage. Command of the battlemage division usually falls to either the oldest or most capable archmage; usually those are the same person. Mages with an aptitude for psionic magic become beast handlers and tend to the wyverns and land dragons of the army. Mages with an aptitude for life magic become healers and treat wounds during lulls in the fighting.
Minotaurs
Minotaur slaves that show unwavering dedication to the Rontak Empire are promoted and given command over their fellow slaves. Just because they're slave soldiers doesn't mean they don't require organization and command structures. Ordinary slaves fight in groups of 20-40 (depending on the supply of slaves) led by a parleon, who in turn reports to an overseer. The entire minotaur division is led by a captain, the highest attainable rank by a minotaur.
Combat Engineers
Rontak combat engineers are responsible for construction under battlefield conditions. They operate siege equipment, build earthen ramps, and construct bridges, all while under attack by the enemy. When not in battle, they direct the labor of the rest of the army on construction projects like the army's camp or roads. They also oversee parts of the army's logistics, like maintaining the carts in the baggage train. Requiring more skills than simple soldiery, combat engineers are also recruited from skilled craftsmen in addition to the tradeki, provided they undergo basic hadeki training first, of course.
Command Structure
Imperial armies are sometimes overseen by a lord for political reasons but can also be commanded by a general. The general is supported by three lieutenant generals who serve as tactical advisors and field commanders. They're given sections of the army to command (from the front) in battle, the composition of which are determined on a case-by-case basis. The wyvern knights, land dragons, minotaur slaves, and combat engineers are led by a captain of each respective division. In addition to the cavalry commander and most senior archmage, these officers make up the inner circle of leadership for an Imperial army.
Standard Imperial Army Composition
4,000-5,000 kardeki
5,000-7,000 hadeki
8,000-12,000 tradeki
2,000-3,000 rondeki
1,000-2,000 marteko
2,000-4,000 grateko
1,000-2,000 helteko
1,000-2,000 minotaurs
~1,000 battlemages (includes beast handles, healers, and archmage officers)
80-120 wyvern knights
20-30 land dragons
~1000 combat engineers
Joining an Imperial army offers a plethora of career paths for young fit men. Although some hadeki may only serve temporarily, generally Imperial armies are composed of career soldiers. They offer better pay than lower armies and are the Rontak Empire's main offensive force. The looting of captured cities is an attractive prospect, even to minotaur and centaur slaves. Conscription into an Imperial army actually offers a much higher standard of living for slaves than toiling in the fields, as they too get a share of the spoils of war.
Chapter 20: Prince Cevlion Part 1
July 20th, 2053
Southeast Duremar Plains, Girshan
Maribelle was standing with General Ulmok, Baron Rentho, Ambassador Smith, and Lieutenant General Reed at the wyvern field waiting to greet the delegation of lords from Ronta. The past several days were incredibly taxing on her. She was glad the lords had finally arrived and could take over the negotiations. She needed a break from politics.
Ralva had left Girshan a couple days ago, reunited with her knights, to aid Kallia in the search for the few still-missing American citizens. She suggested that they might be able to find clues as to their whereabouts by following the trail of coinage left by slave merchants from Rontak's Reach. They were hopeful that the slave merchants would be more cooperative with the Order of the Dragon than the Americans.
The lords landed their wyverns in the makeshift wyvern pen, as directed by American drones. There were only four of them in total, but they brought their own bodyguard detail of ten rontoradeki. Sitting two to a wyvern, the rontoradeki dismounted first with practiced efficiency. They expertly formed an escort for the lords.
Maribelle always found the difference in attire between most nobles and their Imperial Guards to be striking. The lords wore the latest fashion in Ronta: elegant but sharp multicolored suits embroidered with precious metals (like gold and mithril) in fancy patterns. The rontoradeki, on the other hand, were their usual stoic selves. They wore practical but intricate mithril armor dyed to be dark gray, almost black, with linear purple adornments patterned across it.
They held their adamantium-tipped spears and adamantium-reinforced shields as rigidly still as a statue. They wore open-faced helmets, similar to her own knights, but they had a strip of purple cloth covering everything but their eyes, concealing their individual identities. Overtop their armor, they wore a full purple cape over their backside, latched at their shoulders. Their colors were a flamboyant projection of the Rontak Empire's wealth and power. Their weapons and overall demeanor were enough to intimidate even the greatest warriors from other kingdoms, though she didn't think it would have the same effect on the Americans.
Escorted by their Imperial Guards, the four lords introduced themselves as Lord Torlan, Lord Fevrah, Lord Jarpon, and Lord Galiv. Maribelle immediately became apprehensive. She didn't know these lords personally, but she knew of them. They were known for their aggressive warmongering policies. They frequently pushed for more conquests faster than the Emperor could accommodate them. That they were here couldn't be a good sign.
"On behalf of the United States I'd like to thank you for meeting with us," Ambassador Smith said. "I'm sure you're all tired from your journey. We've worked with Baron Rentho and the people of Girshan to offer you temporary lodging before we–"
"That won't be necessary," Lord Torlan interrupted. "We won't be here long. We are here to demand the immediate withdrawal of your kingdom's army from our lands and the return of all property stolen from our subjects. And that includes the slaves you stole from us."
Maribelle felt a wave of tension wash over everyone. She knew the Americans would not take kindly to that demand.
"I can promise you that won't happen," Lieutenant General Reed said with cold defiance.
"We've been working on an agreement with the Princess–" Ambassador Smith started to say something more diplomatic, but she was cut off.
"As of this moment, we are assuming full control over the Rontak Empire's dealings with the United States," Lord Torlan said. Then he turned towards Maribelle. "You no longer have any authority here, girl. Take your little knights and fly away now."
It was a good thing Kallia wasn't here. Maribelle knew she wouldn't have taken that insult very well. Not that she took it well herself, but at least she had the restraint not to attack Lord Torlan on the spot.
"How dare you speak to me that way," she said angrily. "I am–"
"Second in line to the throne," Torlan smugly interrupted. "Which means you are little more than a figurehead with no real power."
Maribelle collected herself, shrugging off Torlan's insults, which was no easy task.
"Lord Torlan," she said respectfully, through gritted teeth, "My father sent you here to continue talks with the United States, not end them. When he learns of this, he'll–"
"He'll do what, exactly?" Torlan asked, condescendingly. "In case you haven't noticed, Princess, we're a long way from Ronta. Besides, I needn't worry about the Emperor. I happen to have fallen in favor with Prince Cevlion."
Maribelle noticed Lieutenant General Reed and Ambassador Smith exchange a nervous glance. Now things were starting to make sense. Her brother must have used his influence in the House of Lords to get his lackeys elected as the delegation. They weren't here to negotiate peace! They were here to sabotage the talks!
"General Ulmok," Lord Jarpon said, "You are to return to the Kashir forest at once, under my supervision."
"My Lord, we are making progress here," General Ulmok countered. "To leave now would–"
"Are you questioning me, General?" Jarpon asked.
"No, My Lord, I'm just trying to–"
He wasn't able to finish his sentence. Lord Jarpon snapped his fingers and gestured for the rontoradeki to apprehend General Ulmok.
"Take him back to the forest," Lord Jarpon told them. "I'll deal with him privately."
The rest of the brief conversation didn't go much better. Lord Torlan demanded that the United States immediately withdraw their occupation of Girshan. Lieutenant General Reed tried to explain that it wasn't an occupation and that they were only there to provide security for the negotiations, but Torlan wouldn't listen.
Reluctantly, the Americans began pulling out of Girshan. Without hesitation, Maribelle decided to go with them. She didn't really have much of a choice. Someone had to smooth things out and repair the diplomatic mess created by her brother. It seemed she wouldn't be getting a break from politics after all.
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Lord Torlan was speaking with Baron Rentho in private about the Americans.
"We haven't heard from Lord Kushmon or anyone else since the Americans took Rontak's Reach," Baron Rentho explained. "When they came to our doorstep, we knew we couldn't fight them, so we welcomed them instead."
"Is that so?" Lord Torlan asked.
"Yes, My Lord," Baron Rentho assured him. "And it was the right decision. They were nothing but generous and well mannered."
"Then tell me, Baron, where are your town's slaves, hmm? Surely a town of this size requires slaves to feed itself."
"Well, the Americans–"
"Ah, yes, the Americans and their high and mighty ideals," Lord Torlan said. "They abolished slavery in your town and granted your former slaves safe passage back to their fortress to protect them from retribution from their former owners... Can you not see that you've been robbed in broad daylight, Baron? They asked for your coin pouch and you gave it to them!"
"I-I don't think that was their intent, My Lord," Baron Rentho said.
"Save your groveling, Baron," Lord Torlan said. "You will be dealt with, but not by me. I have more important matters to attend to."
"I understand, My Lord," Baron Rentho said. "Please accept my–"
Lord Torlan glared at Baron Rentho. Apparently his message about not groveling didn't register with the Baron.
He remembered the view of Girshan from the air when he arrived. American contraptions were everywhere outside the walls, or what passed as walls in this tiny backwater town. They were even flying through the sky! Even worse, inside the walls, their soldiers freely walked the streets.
How could Baron Rentho have seen it for anything other than what it was: a military occupation? One that the Baron had willingly invited, no less. He would have to be dealt with swiftly and severely. Before the delegation went back to the Kashir forest, Lord Torlan sent a message to Prince Cevlion, informing him of Girshan's treachery.
July 20th, 2053
Fordrolan Province (South of the Kashir Forest), Outskirts of Vakria
Prince Cevlion was in the army's rearguard, marching towards Vakria. He wasn't foolish enough to command from the front; that's what underlings were for. Instead, he was in the rear with Lord Kighvum and General Kimlon on a land dragon, giving them an elevated view of their surroundings. His bodyguard unit of twenty rontoradeki that he summoned from Ronta marched beside the land dragon, ensuring his safety. He also held back a mage for his personal protection, in addition to the archmage assigned to shield the army's leadership.
Cevlion recounted the events in the Fordrolan Province that led to this situation. Count Korlum secretly began preparing this rebellion the moment the Emperor sent out orders for his absurd military deployments. His father had clearly gone mad, deploying the Count's armies in small groups spread across the landscape. No wonder it led to rebellion. Raids and skirmishes weren't going to deter a powerful foe like the Americans.
Instead of carrying out those admittedly ridiculous instructions, Count Korlum and his viscounts began raiding supplies destined for the Kashir forest. They sent false reports of bandits to their local lord and used the stolen supplies to fortify their cities. The lord ruling the Fordrolan Province only discovered their treachery when they boldly ambushed a caravan of land dragons, taking most of them alive for themselves; mere bandits weren't organized or disciplined enough to pull off something like that.
Apparently they were under the misguided notion that they could defend themselves against the Americans without Imperial support. The lord of the Fordrolan Province speculated that Count Korlum planned on consolidating his forces at Vakria and would try to survive an American siege. Failing that, they would strike a deal with the Americans to join them in exchange for sparing the city.
The lord was hoping to deal with this himself and then keep the whole incident quiet so as not to embarrass himself. But luckily, Lord Kighvum's army arrived in the region and discovered the rebellion. When Prince Cevlion arrived, he told the lord that it was selfish to keep all the fun for himself. As punishment, he forbade the lord from intervening and decided to crush the rebellion himself.
And that was why he was here today, marching on the city of Vakria; it was Count Korlum's most heavily fortified city. The rebels chose to meet them on the field of battle first rather than immediately invite a siege. This would be the decisive battle that determines the fate of Count Korlum's little rebellion. The Prince had every confidence that his Imperial army would crush the Count's pathetic band of traitors.
Prince Cevlion had his forces arrayed in a standard checkerboard formation. Twenty one 15x15 squares of hadeki formed the front line. In between each infantry block was a land dragon, for a total of twenty. Each infantry block had battlemages embedded within it to cast offensive and defensive magic as needed.
Tradeki infantry blocks formed the second line, being offset from the first line so that they were positioned behind the land dragons. The plan was for the land dragons to create gaps in the enemy lines that the tradeki behind them could then exploit. The third line was a mix of tradeki and minotaur infantry blocks.
He placed the rondeki on the flanks of the army to guard against cavalry. The remaining tradeki and the minotaurs were kept in reserve to fill holes or exploit opportunities as needed. After all, battle plans were always the first casualties in combat.
With their flanks secured by heavy infantry, they could use their cavalry to offensively counter the enemy's cavalry. The marteko would harass the enemy's flanks and try to draw overeager troops out of formation. Meanwhile, the grateko would be used to protect the kardeki and prevent the enemy's light cavalry from drawing their own infantry out of formation. The helteko were kept in reserve, only to be used if the opportunity presented itself.
Before the main battle began, Prince Cevlion strongly wanted to neutralize the enemy wyverns. Their fireballs could pose a serious problem for his mage's limited magic and for the land dragons. They could only withstand so much heat before suffering debilitating burns. Screening his land dragons with wyverns during the battle would pose a friendly fire hazard.
But surely the enemy general would anticipate that and decline to commit all his wyverns to an unwinnable aerial battle against Imperial wyvern knights. Cevlion needed a way to provoke the enemy into making a mistake—a misstep that he could exploit.
As they approached the enemy army, the kardeki and marteko marched in front of the rest of the army, sent ahead by one of the lieutenant generals to skirmish with the enemy prior to the main battle. Before the skirmishing could start, however, a lone rider broke from the enemy army and made his way across the field.
"What's this?" Lord Kighvum mocked. "One of the traitors wishes to surrender?"
"More likely he has come to beg for his pathetic little life," Cevlion said, forming an idea. "I think I'll go meet him myself."
"Are you sure that's wise, Your Highness," General Kimlon asked. "It could be a trap to draw you out into the open."
"Not to worry, I will have my rontoradeki and this mage at my side," he said, grabbing the young battlemage by the shoulder. He looked somewhat uncomfortable with having such a high profile assignment. Cevlion found his skittish demeanor amusing. "Besides, this is the perfect opportunity to make an example of the consequences of treason."
He pushed his mage down the side of the land dragon. He landed on his feet but stumbled to the ground. The Prince followed, sliding off the side of the platform atop the beast and expertly landing on both feet.
He ordered a security detail of four rontoradeki and the battlemage to mount their horses and follow him to the front. As he climbed on his own horse, he turned back towards General Kimlon.
"And General," he said. "Don't ever question my authority again. YAH!" He galloped towards the front line.
Prince Cevlion stopped his horse a short distance away from the enemy rider, who was now on foot. He was wearing gold-coated ceremonial armor that was not particularly practical and carried no weapons. They were in the open field between the two armies, but closer to his side than the rebel's. He and his bodyguards dismounted and approached the lone rider.
"Prince Cevlion?" The man asked, his voice a mix between surprise and unease. "I-I wasn't expecting–"
"You didn't think this treason would go unnoticed, did you?" Cevlion asked. "Or unpunished..."
The man knelt on one knee. "I am Viscount Hem–"
"I don't care for your name or title," Cevlion interrupted. "Speak. What is it you want, you traitor."
The Viscount raised his head to look at the Prince. "I-I rode out here to bargain a deal for my city. To avoid unnecessary bloodshed on both–"
"A deal?" Cevlion chuckled. "I don't make deals with traitors."
"If you would just spare the city, we would be willing to negotiate terms for surrender."
"I don't think he heard me," Cevlion said to his rontoradeki with sadistic charisma. "There must be something wrong with his ears. Bring me one of them, please."
The viscount's face filled with fear and desperation; he tried to get back on his feet, but wasn't fast enough. Two rontoradeki powerfully walked forward and grabbed his arms while a third drew a knife and removed the Viscount's conical helmet. The rontoradeki were known for their loyalty and willingness to follow any order. In just a few short moments, they handed the Prince the Viscount's right ear.
Cevlion mockingly examined it in full view of the Viscount, who was gasping from the pain, holding his hand to the side of his head. Then he casually tossed it aside. "No, this isn't it," he said, wiping off the blood from his gloves. "Perhaps the problem is with something bigger, maybe his head. Remove it for me, would you?"
The Viscount made a desperate plea for his life, but it was no use. One of the rontoradeki drew his sword and severed the Viscount's head in one fluid motion, as casually as a wyvern cuts through the air. He picked up the head and handed it to the Prince, who grabbed it by the hair.
He turned around towards his army and held the head up high. "DEATH TO THE TRAITORS!"
"Death to the traitors! Death to the traitors!" His army echoed back.
He had his rontoradeki tie the corpse and severed head to the horse. Then he sent it running back to the rebel army, dragging the Viscount's body behind it with the head dangling from the horse's neck. It was a crystal-clear message. Throughout the whole ordeal, the young mage stood meekly behind the prince, his services fortunately not needed nor requested.
By the time Prince Cevlion returned to the rest of the command staff, the enemy had begun launching their wyverns. His provocation magnificently succeeded in baiting them out. This was his opportunity to eliminate as many of them as early on as possible.
Counting the enemy as they flew in a rough formation, he saw that they managed to rally an impressive 60 wyverns. Not bad for a lower army, but still not enough. His army had 110 wyvern knights, with an additional 10 wyverns for scouts and spotters.
"What do you think, Kighvum? Is seventy wyverns enough to counter them?" Cevlion asked.
"Seventy?" Kighvum replied sarcastically. "We could launch as little as forty and still come out on top."
They shared a laugh at the superiority of Imperial wyvern knights.
"You're probably right," the Prince said. "But let's go with eighty, just to be safe. I don't want to take unnecessary casualties before we even get to the Americans."
"You!" Kighvum yelled, pointing down to one of the messengers at the base of the land dragon. "Tell Captain Kardan to send eighty wyverns to engage the enemy wyverns."
The messenger hurried off. Shortly after, their own wyverns took to the sky. Prince Cevlion, Lord Kighvum, and General Kimlon watched the wyvern battle from their land dragon.
Their wyverns formed up to attack the enemy from multiple different angles and elevations; in the air, you could attack from above and below too, not just from the front, back, left, or right. Both sides exchanged volleys of fireballs at each other. Their well-drilled wyvern squadrons fired from all directions, not giving the enemy much room to maneuver.
The rebels lost three wyverns for each one of their own that fell. After exchanging another volley of fireballs, the wyverns closed to melee distance. The battle quickly became a chaotic dogfight. Both sides used wyvern lances to target the wings of their enemy's mounts.
Wyvern lances were 7ft spear shafts tipped with a 2ft curved blade.
This image is not my own, full credit goes to the original artist.
The Imperial wyvern knights were far more experienced in this type of fighting. They fought as a single coordinated force, whereas the rebel wyvern knights broke formation and became easy targets; they dropped like flies. Still, it was impossible to maintain formations completely in this type of fight. Occasionally, one of his wyvern knights would get cornered and had no choice but to break formation and become an easy lone target.
Meanwhile, on the ground, the two armies began skirmishing with one another. The marteko made mock charges on the enemy to get them to break formation, while the grateko screened the kardeki from enemy light cavalry.
Archers and slingers on both sides exchanged salvos of missiles. Magic shields materialized in and out of existence to protect the infantry from rocks and arrows, but occasionally the battlemages would be too slow and the skirmishers would land a hit.
This went on for some time while the hadeki in the first line slowly inched their way closer to the enemy. Occasionally, an infantry block would get baited out of formation by enemy cavalry, but they were quickly brought back into line by the field officers.
Cevlion made sure the lieutenant generals knew not to fully engage the enemy until the aerial battle was finished; he didn't want a falling wyvern corpse to land on his troops at a critical moment. As if to prove that was a good call, a wyvern missing a chunk of its left wing half glided, half crashed into a loose grateko formation.
Enemy cavalry took advantage of the distracted defending cavalry by charging a group of kardeki. A hadeki infantry block was sent out to engage the enemy cavalry while they were distracted butchering the kardeki.
The hadeki made it to the enemy cavalry. They were able to use their spears to rout the cavalry and save the remaining kardeki. But by then the enemy sent their own infantry to engage the hadeki. It looked like skirmishing would soon be replaced by a pitched battle. As the first battle line marched forward, the exposed hadeki rejoined their comrades in formation.
The skirmishers evacuated from the shrinking open space between the armies, retreating behind the battle lines and around the flanks. The first line, composed of hadeki and land dragons, made contact with the enemy. As expected, the hadeki held their own against the rebel infantry. The sound of battle could be heard all the way from where Cevlion watched.
Then, the land dragons between each infantry block commenced their attack. They unleashed a torrent of fire on the enemy, but magic shields appeared, protecting most of the enemy soldiers.
Suddenly, enemy mages summoned earth golems in front of the land dragons. The golems were made of dirt with grass on top. Their arms were twice the size and length of their legs, allowing them to walk on all fours but remain upright. Clouds of brown magic particles radiated from them.
"What!?" General Kimlon exclaimed upon seeing the golems. "That's not possible! How can their battlemages be so powerful?"
Cevlion and Kighvum shared a worried glance. "Elves," they said together.
Cevlion swore. "They must have conscripted the enslaved elves from the city's workshops. Damn elves and their damn magic..."
This would hurt his battle plan.
The golems attacked the land dragons with heavy punches. Then, they grabbed the disoriented beasts by the head and tried to steer them into their own infantry. Most were unsuccessful, but four of them ended up forcing the land dragons into their neighboring hadeki. Land dragons were near impossible to forcibly control like that, but these were golems summoned by elven mages.
The beast handlers controlling the four compromised land dragons did the only thing they could: they used their psionic magic to put the beasts to sleep, removing them from the fight. Luckily, the enemy's mages couldn't do this themselves. Land dragons were heavily conditioned to only follow the commands of one specific beast handler at a time. Putting them to sleep gave them a higher chance of survival than outright killing them, and it was easier, although the odds weren't that great if done close to enemy infantry, as was the case here.
Seeing the opportunity, the enemy infantry quickly used their spears to pierce into the beasts' eyes and nostrils. Asleep, they may not have been a threat, but they also became easy targets for the enemy in melee combat this close. The four sleeping land dragons were quickly dispatched.
Then came a saving grace. Captain Kardan sent down two wyvern squads to fireball the enemy golems. The wyverns swooped down and launched their fireballs. Nearly all of them hit right on target, a testament to the knights' superb training, effectively dispelling the golems and doing a fair amount of damage to nearby enemy infantry.
His own hadeki weren't unaffected by the blasts, but it did shift the tide back in his favor. Enemy archers took advantage of the opportunity, however. They fired a volley of arrows, taking down three wyvern knights. Luckily, the wyverns attacked from behind friendly lines, so the downed wyverns crashed into or behind enemy lines, not their own.
The remaining land dragons took advantage of the crumbling golems and pressed forward. With their earth magic, they pounded the ground with their front legs, each sending out a jagged wave in the dirt that knocked enemy infantry off their feet several ranks deep.
The tradeki behind the beasts saw the opening and surged forward. They carefully went around the land dragons and broke into the enemy's ranks, easily stabbing those that were still on the ground with their spears.
The enemy's first line began to falter; their attention was divided between the hadeki attacking their front and the tradeki striking deeper and deeper into their ranks. It didn't take long for them to start a controlled route. The rear ranks retreated to the safety of their second line while the front ranks backed up, desperately trying to keep the advancing hadeki and tradeki at bay. Cevlion was surprised at the discipline of the rebel army. Count Korlum may have been a traitor, but his army was well trained.
Soon, the controlled route turned into a full route. Enemy mages (those damned elves!) grew rows of thorn bushes as they retreated to the safety of their second line, preventing the entire route from being slaughtered by the pursuing hadeki. Enemy infantry trapped on the wrong side of the bushes frantically tried to climb through, only to be impaled by spears and swords as they struggled through the thorns. The pursuing hadeki knew not to go too far, however.
The kardeki waiting behind the front line were given the order to fire. They fired a few volleys of arrows, striking the retreating enemy. The enemy returned fire with their own archers and slingers. The battle seemed to pause for a while as both sides resumed skirmishing with each other.
The remaining wyverns dropped swarms of flechettes on the enemy. Most of the enemy infantry were protected by magic shields. After all, they were using elven mages. But some sections must have run out of mana because their shields fell and didn't come back up. Those areas were decimated by his wyverns focusing their attention on them.
While the skirmishers fought one another, healers tended to wounds sustained in the fighting, mostly burns from the fire attacks so far. A runner came back to the command area with an estimated casualty report. They were higher than anticipated due to the earth golems and subsequent wyvern fireballs, but the losses were acceptable; mostly just hadeki.
As the combat engineers cut away the bushes, removing the obstacles, both sides revved themselves up to continue the battle. Cevlion could hear his army begin to chant, "Death to the traitors! Death to the traitors!"
He was highly confident that his army would now crush the rebels. Most of his own casualties came from skirmishing, not the actual battle itself. His kardeki were hit the hardest while the enemy's entire fighting force had been reduced by one third. He hadn't even committed the reserve troops yet. Lord Kighvum and General Kimlon agreed with his assessment; he liked his odds.
The next phase of the plan would heavily lean on the tradeki of the second line, who were relatively unscathed. They would march in 15x15 infantry blocks with land dragons in between them, similar to the first stage of the battle. Even with their mana mostly depleted, land dragons were a fearsome sight on the battlefield. Their mere presence might cause the already battered enemy army to route.
While the tradeki kept the enemy infantry locked in place, he would bombard the enemy cavalry with wyvern fireballs and clean up the survivors with the grateko. Then, he would send the helteko to flank the enemy's infantry and attack from behind. A centaur charge into an infantry formation's flanks was incredibly deadly.
Simultaneously, he would send the minotaurs and tradeki reserves past the engagement, towards the city walls, to cut off the enemy when they routed. This was crucial because if too many made it to the safety of the walls, he could be in for a long siege. With the looming American threat in Duremar, he had neither the time nor the resources for a siege.
The rebel's second line was composed of their reserves and the survivors from the first line. Their stolen land dragons were part of the second line as well, in a formation similar to his own. But then the rebels did something unexpected. Their land dragons advanced at a full charge, while the enemy infantry retreated towards Vakria's gate.
"They're going to sacrifice their land dragons to buy time for their infantry to get back to the city!" General Kimlon exclaimed.
It was a daring move, but a good one. Inside the walls, those land dragons would be near useless. During a siege, they'd just be a drain on resources. Without wasting any time, Prince Cevlion pushed General Kimlon aside and accessed the mana comm himself.
"Captain Kardan!" He yelled into the magical device. "Have all wyverns torch the field behind the enemy's route!"
"Behind them, Your Highness?" Captain Kardan protested. "What about enemy archers? What about the land dragons?"
"JUST DO IT!" Cevlion shouted. "Then, fireball the gatehouse and anyone lowing rope over the walls. Don't let them get back to the city! We'll deal with the land dragons some other way."
Captain Kardan acknowledged the Prince's command and relayed the orders to his first knights. Wyverns in formation strafed the fields between the enemy army and the city wall with their fireballs. Enemy archers shot back at the wyverns. He counted at least a dozen that fell out of the sky, but a few lost wyvern knights were more than a fair price to pay to avoid a siege.
Cevlion watched with glee as the enemy's escape was cut off by a wall of fire several meters thick. Meanwhile, the enemy's land dragons engaged his forces. The remaining kardeki managed to get one or two lucky shots at the beasts' eyes, but most of them were unharmed, protected from the arrows by their boney armor.
With arrows embedded in their thick, leathery skin, they spewed streams of fire onto his tradeki. Those not lucky enough to have a battlemage with a bit of mana left embedded in their unit frantically hid from the inferno behind their shields. His own land dragons deterred the enemy's from getting too close, though, so it wasn't as bad as it could have been.
Any soldier caught within the fiery gauntlet with enough personal mana tapped the water rune on the inside of their shield. Within seconds, water seeped out of the runes, soaking their shields. It didn't do much, but to those writhing in flames, every drop of water was a blessing.
The land dragons snapped and clawed at each other, taking their attention and magic away from the tradeki. The ground shook as they butted heads and pushed each other, like a wrestling match with no arms. With their own land dragons challenging the enemy's head on, the tradeki still standing flanked the enemy beasts. They did their best to stay out of the way of the clashing behemoths, but some were inevitably squashed like ants or swatted away like flies, even by their own beasts. Those that remained thrust their spears into the creatures' comparatively vulnerable neck and unarmored underside, just as they were trained to do.
The enemy war beasts roared, enraged by the pain. They stomped all four of their legs, shaking the ground with earth magic and throwing many tradeki off their feet. Then the minotaurs came in. They had flanked the land dragons and attacked from the rear. Using their immense strength, they hacked away at the land dragons' legs with their axes and maces.
That was the last blow needed to subdue the beasts. One by one, they slumped to the ground—death by a thousand cuts. Any that were still alive quickly had their vulnerable eyes and nostrils targeted by spears. With the land dragons out of the way, there was a clear shot to the retreating enemy infantry.
Battered by their battle against the land dragons, the frontline tradeki remained where they were. Instead, the lieutenant generals now committed the reserves. The reserve tradeki supported by rondeki were sent to chase down the retreating enemy, along with the minotaurs and remaining cavalry.
It was a slaughter. The wyverns overhead blocked their escape path to the city with walls of fire. As one wall burned out, more wyverns created another behind it, significantly slowing the enemy's retreat. Two squads of wyvern knights were diverted to perform fireball runs on the scattered rebels to keep them from forming a solid formation now that they knew they were trapped and had no choice but to fight.
Prince Cevlion still had more wyverns in reserve on the ground, but the sky was already crowded; any more would have been too many to be practical. That many wyverns flying so close to the ground would inevitably collide with each other, even with well-trained formations. The sky would also become a target rich environment for enemy archers; committing more wyverns would unintuitively lead to higher casualties.
The helteko, so far not having seen combat, gleefully tore through the disorganized enemy, cutting down swaths of rebels. The minotaurs broke formation and joined the chaotic massacre. The tradeki and rondeki had too much discipline to do the same. They maintained formation and instead engaged the few enemy soldiers that managed to form cohesive formations. The skilled elite soldiers of the army easily beat back the demoralized rebels.
Prince Cevlion decided to make a personal appearance on the battlefield. While the routing enemy soldiers were being slaughtered, he advanced the command staff's land dragon towards the front.
With the enemy's gate burned down by the wyverns, the city was his for the taking. When he was within earshot of his men, he shouted, "Sack the city! Sack Vakria! Spoil yourselves to your hearts' content!"
Enthusiastic cheers erupted from his army. They eagerly poured into the city, anxious to relieve the stress of battle by looting the city and its people however they wished.
July 21st, 2053
Fordrolan Province, Vakria
Prince Cevlion was in the Vakria's keep, having just finished with his new concubine from the city. Though, she wasn't as good as the slave he demanded from the dark elves before he even began settling a treaty with them. He hated elves on the battlefield but loved them in bed.
The keep had been stormed by his men yesterday as they looted the city. Unfortunately, they killed Count Korlum on the spot, rather than capture him alive. Cevlion lamented that he wouldn't be able to make an example out of the Count, but he had bigger issues to worry about.
After he dressed himself, he found a report waiting for him from his political pawn, Lord Torlan. Apparently, the town hosting the misguided negotiations with the Americans required his attention. The baron in charge there, and the townspeople, willingly cooperated with the Americans, even going so far as to accept an American garrison and let them steal their slaves.
Luckily, Lord Torlan put an end to the American occupation and sent them out of the town, but that still left the inhabitants of Girshan to deal with.
"Well then," he muttered, "I guess I've got more traitors to deal with."
He found General Kimlon and had him send a company of marteko and a wyvern squadron ahead of the rest of the army to raze the town. He wanted to send a clear message to the entire region that any sort of disloyalty, self serving interests, or collaboration with enemies of the Rontak Empire would not be tolerated. Soon, no one would ever turn to the Americans again.
Author's Note: I'm thinking of writing a short offshoot to American Gate where I analyze battles like this and go into more detail on the tactics both sides used. It wouldn't be a major project or anything, just a quick description of what each side's plan was and then what went wrong (for the losing side), and what went right (for the winning side). Would anyone be interested in something like that?