"Uhn!" Adrian felt a boot fall on his shoulder, using it as a foothold to steady the man above him as he climbed back up.
Adrian grunted but climbed forward. It was hard, especially with the sounds of steel on steel and flesh, the screams and grunts of pain, the spear in one hand, and the heavy weight of his armor.
It was as uncomfortable as carrying a mountain of baggage, going into a fight with such a burden never felt good. But it was better than going up without a weapon at all.
That feeling was washed away, however, by a spear that suddenly grazed his shoulder and slid down his back.
"!"
At some point, the person above him had managed to get atop the wall and was fighting. Another enemy had plunged a spear at Adrian.
Retaliating, Adrian stabbed his own spear upward, making the enemy step back, as he climbed faster, being on the ladder was a great disadvantage.
The enemy above seemed to be hit by something, and Adrian took the chance to hurl his spear at the man. It hit his chest hard, not enough to penetrate, but enough to make him tumble back.
Now without a spear, Adrian quickly scrambled up until he pushed himself atop the stone wall, his boots finally landing on solid ground.
He didn't have time to properly take in the situation, as the enemy from before had recovered and tried to stab him square in the chest.
Adrian only had enough time to grab the tip of the spear to stop it from skewering him or pushing him off the wall.
His boots planted firmly as he used all his strength to hold his position. He grunted, shoved the spear to the side, and pulled it forward. The sudden tug made the enemy stumble, and Adrian freed one hand to punch him hard in the face.
He then grabbed the man's shoulders and hauled him closer as he stepped aside, the enemy fell from the wall with a scream, plunging to the ground below.
Adrian ripped his sword free from its sheath and grabbed his shield. For a brief moment, he managed to observe the wall. The fighting was tight, but he could see their forces trying to push the enemies away from the ladders to give the others space to climb.
An enemy slipped free from a block of bodies and charged at him, roaring.
Adrian snorted and charged in return, leading with his shield. His speed and strength seemed to surprise the enemy, he managed to shove the man back with his shoulder before stabbing with his sword.
The man managed to twist his body, dodging the blade, but Adrian was relentless. A flurry of swipes and stabs had the enemy pedaling backward until another soldier, from Lord Hardinge's force, judging by the colors, noticed the struggle and drove a mace into the enemy's face in a spray of blood.
Adrian took a brief moment to stride to the other side of the wall. Looking down, he saw several squads of enemy soldiers preparing at the front gate. Lord Cenroy's forces were ramming against the wood, heavy thuds resounded through the stone with every strike.
They were winning. At least, that's what he liked to believe. On the other side of the yard, across from them, was another chaotic battle where Lord Sanford's forces were also climbing the walls.
From the corner of his eye, he saw someone swing an axe at him, pulling him back into the fight.
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Lord Cenroy, Lord Hardinge, and Lord Sean, along with Lord Harrow, were overlooking the battle from a distance, all mounted on horses.
Beside them were their attendants and guards, protecting the small hill, more of a mound, really, where they had perched themselves.
"We are close to victory…" Lord Cenroy said, nodding proudly. Despite not being in the thick of the battle, he wore fine-made armor, better than any of the other lords. Truthfully, he would rather be back in town with the Prince, but he wanted to show his capability.
Leading an army wasn't something he had done before, even though it was his knights who actually led the charge and commanded the units on the ground. Besides, his wife had done a good job of gaining favor with the Prince.
"The invaders are nothing in the face of our forces," Lord Hardinge said.
Lord Cenroy sneered. "Of course. They are just a bunch of savages in the end."
"But what about possible reinforcements? The enemy has bunkered down…" Lord Sean said. He was the most concerned, as his territory was closest to the Maglu Islands.
"We need not worry much. Even if the enemy comes, we have the Prince nearby," said Lord Harrow, the oldest among them.
Lord Cenroy nodded. Through his wife, he knew the Prince had plans for this area, likely related to the ocean, though he didn't know the details.
Having the Prince's attention here meant he wouldn't let the region fall. Not that Cenroy thought it would, the nearby Barons might struggle, but he was a Viscount's son. Their territory was larger and had more resources.
It was then that one of the guards at the edge of the group noticed something. There was a whistling of wind, and then an arrow suddenly lodged itself in his throat. The guard fell.
"Enemies!"
Soon, everyone had their weapons drawn as more arrows rained down upon them. Lord Cenroy reigned his horse around to flee, but he saw figures rushing out of the trees toward them.
"Here!" Lord Sean called to the lords as his horse cantered in a new direction. The other lords followed while guards and servants scrambled to protect them.
Suddenly, Lord Cenroy's horse let out a yelp, its rear jumping high before it crashed to the side, taking him down with it. His leg was crushed under the weight of the animal.
"Ughnn!" Lord Cenroy was briefly lost to the pain before orienting himself. "Hey! Help me!" he hollered at the guards and servants in the distance.
It was then that a few enemies found him and rushed toward his position, their targets clear. Despair filled his eyes.
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Adrian saw a mighty knight falling against a skilled foe.
Sir Rookie, who had cut down a dozen soldiers the moment he set foot on the wall, had a dagger pierced through his eye. It was buried deeply, and he crashed to the side with a loud thud.
The foe sneered and spat at the fallen knight. Adrian froze, unsure of what to do, but the person next to him didn't hesitate.
Dexton let out a fierce flurry of stabs at the foe. The enemy simply swiped the spear away with his own sword, grabbed the shaft, and pulled Dexton forward while stabbing.
Dexton quickly let go and grabbed a mace from the ground, but the foe was quicker, closing the distance instantly. Before he could swing his sword at Dexton, Adrian was there to block the attack. Together, they both tried to fend off the man who had killed a knight.
It was clear, however, that despite being outnumbered, the foe was skilled enough to handle both of them. Adrian felt a kick to his leg that nearly tripped him, and Dexton's attack was deflected before he was slapped away by the blunt side of a sword to the head.
Adrian managed to keep his footing and, in one daring moment, jumped at the enemy. Using his momentum and weight, he tackled the man to the ground. Adrian landed on top of him, his knees quickly pinning one of the man's arms, but the other arm, the one with the sword, slashed at him.
Because of the angle, Adrian couldn't properly defend himself. The sharp edge hit his right shoulder, his hauberk protected him, but it was still painful and ached his shoulder.
Just as the enemy reversed his grip, pointing the tip at Adrian's neck to finish him, Dexton appeared and swung a mace at the man's hand.
The man was fast, pulling his hand back just in time before slashing at Adrian's chest. The armor protected him, but the blow knocked the breath out of him. The man quickly twisted around and used his strength to shove Adrian aside.
The situation reversed, now the enemy was on top.
He deflected an attack from Dexton before pointing his sword downward with a sinister grin. He stabbed down.
Adrian only had enough time to barely block the blade with the edge of his shield, but he couldn't stop the momentum. The blade pierced through the shield. His helm, which only protected the top of his head, couldn't protect his cheek, the sword penetrated the side of his face. Adrian could taste the cold steel directly on his tongue.
The tip of the sword was now between his teeth!
Dexton must have done something, because Adrian felt the man pull the sword out as the clang of steel on steel rang out. Adrian took the chance to push the man off, quickly rolling on the ground and getting to his feet. Blood dripped down his face, and this time, it wasn't from his enemy.
But the hole in his cheek was already gone. His gift mended it. As he readied himself, he saw the man was now fighting Dexton along with Sir Cordell!
Sir Cordell cornered the man in a flurry of blows. The foe's confidence turned to alarm. A dagger was hurled at him, striking his shoulder while he was unprepared.
He didn't have time to pull it out and in that momentary pause, Sir Cordell delivered a swift and unforgiving strike. The mighty foe's head rolled to the ground.
"Haah… haah…" Adrian panted, slightly lowering his guard. The fighting on their side of the wall was slowly dying down. They were winning.
"Are you alright?" Sir Cordell asked. Adrian nodded. The wound in his cheek was nothing but a minor injury now, though he could still taste blood and taste of iron in his mouth.
It was then that a horn sounded, not from the main force, but from the command post. The trio looked into the distance through the trees toward the mound where the lords should have been. They saw bodies falling and a battle raging.
Adrian grimaced, realizing the truth immediately, the enemy had sneaked a force behind to attack the lords directly.