Chapter Text
Ursan Frontier/ 32 AEDS/ September October 1st, 1096 Terran time
The sacred banner flew proudly over the temporary headquarters of the captain, the Captain could only watch as the entirety of his company and 2 more which had arrived directly from the homeland barring the guards on the walls and redoubts, began to gather around the sacred banner for morning rites. The Captain had been notified if his authority now being upped up.
The Captain had now been promoted to the title of Raid Chief of an area of 400 by 900 chunks ( 6.4 miles by 14.4 miles) this well put under his authority a total of 3 raiding company's including his own granting him a total of 600 raiders and 7 ravagers under his command. Among these where 200 pillagers, 300 vindicators, and 100 evokers and witches dispersed among his 3 company's.
This area also put him under regional authority of the other 2 villages in the area with the blizzards and constant snow fall serving well enough to keep all the villagers in this area isolated from one an other if one doesn't including the distance between them. His new fiefdom to rule over, to reign over may have started out as small as the feifdom of a minor Raid Chief but with raiding, expansion, and conquest for the Illager race in such a fresh new land of ice and snow, it could grow and it could be intigrated properly.
The once tents of his camp in the village ruins had turned into a bustling proper Illager village, one fill with young raiders and warriors eager to bask in more glory. And more where on the way. As the captain took the steps onto the stage lay in front of his headquarters to address his company's his mind wander to the fact the Regent Raid Chief would be arriving soon, and with him a great host, these company's sent to him where just the vanguard, the rest where on their way to go on a raiding campaign.
Carolus Valdict Ferrnagin had given these companies to be used for whatever purposes the Captain, now Raid chief to use at his disposal. The Vindicator Captain now raid chief, Vadact hornshoe did not want to disappoint with his usage of his warriors so, the raid of a village would be enacted in the Regent Raid Chief's name to truly assert Illager authority and to pacify the remaining independent villages within his dominion.
He stared down at the hundreds of men gather around the sacred banner as he sheathed his axe and cross his hands behind his back.
"Pacify arms!" He barked.
All along the line axes where sheathed and crossbows slung over the shoulders as for just a brief moment their was peace in the new raid village. The Sacred banner was slowly hoisted down from the roof gently by a Vindicator and handed over to him as he gently planted it on the stage as for 30 seconds his raiders castrated themselves before it as did himself. He slowly got up from his knee.
He then gently began to sing the anthem of the banner and was soon joined in by those under his command as per morning rite.
"In tight ranks the enemy attacks us"
"Rally around the sacred banner"
"The threat of death matters little to the Illager"
"The Illager race, shall never be bent under shame"
"There is only one banner we follow"
"One motto: Emeralds, Glory, and Duty"
"That motto bounds us together"
"O brothers, O sisters, to arms"
"To arms for the struggle"
"For the victory of the Illager compact"
"The villagers sprawled in their wealth"
"Robbing the Illager of his emeralds"
"Those who fall in raids, shall not fall in vain"
"Against the Villager and their wealth"
"Against the players on their rotten thrones"
"Our raids shall cut deep into the heart of the sworn enemy"
"O brothers, O sisters to arms"
"To arms for the struggle"
"For the victory of the Illager compact"
It was a moment that brought pride into the soul of every Illager, it also served as a Farwell to those who would not return from the embarking raid. Vadact slowly walked off the stage handing back the banner to the Illager who then climbed back up the roof and gently placed it where it had stayed for all these days once more.
He then gently moved to the ravager pens gently opening one of them as his personal ravager gently made its way out in a brutish yet fine grace, a grace that befell any of these mighty beasts. He gently gave it a small pet from under the beasts large chin as it let out a satisfied huff before he gently got on it pulling himself up on its saddle before mounting it.
He rode forward on it to the gate as an entire company, 200 strong and fresh made up of 50 Pillagers, 170 vindicators, 1 rocket battery (2 rocket artillery pieces manner by 1 pillager each), and 28 witches and evokers formed up. All ready for a raid, ready for battle. He looked at those among the company he was leading with the swelling of pride before the Captain unsheathed his axe and aimed it forward in the direction of the opening gate of the village as it opened up for the company to march out from.
"Forward march!" He barked, he lead forward riding on his ravager as the entirety of the company followed behind him neatly arrived and marching in columns of 10 Illagers deep and 5 wide.
It was still snowing, the blizzards of this land never letting up and pounding the company as they marched out of the village now advancing to the nearest village some 600 chunks away. Thus the march to eventual battle, eventual raid, and glory began.
4 hours had past by the time they had manage to come somewhat close to the village, most of the trek had been marked by a struggle through the snow and trying to get a good read on directions based on the map Vadact currently held in his hand. The New raid chief could only look at what the map had showed him and formulate a plan on the fly.
Currently the village lay behind a river bend of sorts though the river had in this weather been iced over and their lay a single narrow bridge, the road they marched on was non existent having ben frozen over and filled with snow as behind him the rocket artillery pieces struggled to keep up with the marching company.
Based on what scouting done by some small parties of pillagers had informed him, was that their was a small outpost of sorts that was defended by a small contingent of soldiers in black, the village itself as shown on the map was rather small. Just 10 huts and 5 houses, smaller than the ruined one currently being occupied. What loot lay in the village could only be guessed by several hundred more chunks away apparently laid hills with a small mine dug into them. That was mostly likely where the real value lay.
The village would serve to test the iron of these fresh new raiders before then in a day or two the real raid, the one on the mine could begin. The rocket artillery pieces had already began to be set up on some small slopes filled with snow that continued to rain down upon the company. As the rocket artillery was set up the Pillagers slowly fanned out to form up along the river bank as on the other side of the frozen river their lay the dimly lit outpost for the soldiers in black.
The outpost was a small block house with some small palisades to its sides and nothing else, it was most likely garrisoned by 20 soldiers maybe less. Vadact slowly dismounted from his ravager keeping her gently to the back not wanting to risk his precious beast so early in a river crossing, even with the river frozen over river crossings in raid could be perilous.
He formed up in front of the column of vindicators, his race, those honored and elite warriors among them hoisting there shields up in a shield wall in front while the rest only wielded a single axe and not an axe and shield. On Vadacts back lay the sacred banner as he took the first step forward followed by the rest of the formation.
They began to cross the narrow wooden bridge as the blizzard masked their approach partially. Though not enough as 2 guards lay on the other side and Vadact watched with amusement as they stared out at his force slowly approaching across the bridge in formation. They rung the alarm but not quick enough to have a desired effect.
The Rocket artillery began to fire from the slopes behind crashing down on the village just several blocks and paces away while the outpost exploded into an inferno as the rockets hit their mark. From the village obvious chaos seemed to reign as some huts where already on fire though the rockets held their fire clearly not wanting to cause further damage to a small but lootable village.
From some of the village streets emerged some soldiers in black carrying what seemed to be smaller but a well built variation of a pillager crossbow, in fact several of them had something akin to a spy glass on them. They quickily formed something of a fire line though they came under fire from the pillagers on the river banks which provided clear blanking fire taking down several of the soldiers in black as fine Illager crossbow bolts easily punched through their leather armor.
As he advanced forward with the vindicators, witches and evokers advancing through the iced up river besides them the remaining and disorganized soldiers let loose a crossbow volley that tore through some of the veteran vindicator warriors shields. His own shield nearly cracked under the weight of one of these enemy crossbow bolts while besides him one vindicators shield broke before he was impaled through the next by a crossbow bolt and fell in battle.
"Forward keep moving at a steady pace!" Vadact barked not wanting the formation to led up until they reached the other side of the river.
The witched to the flanks hurled forward potions of slowness that greatly reduced the speed of the 10 or so soldiers opposing them while the evokers unleashed their vexs which swarmed over as they soldiers in black broke and ran. It was then that Vadact dropped his damage shield and broke out into a charge followed by the rest.
Some Vexs slaughtered and swarmed 2 retreating soldiers in black while 5 others let out a final crossbow volley that dropped several vindicators and one of the witches crossing the ice who was injured and drunk a healing potion to recover. Still this small volley was next to nothing compared to the might of an Illager raiding company.
They descending upon the remaining soldiers, the captain hacked down with his axe a retreating crossbow man while others besides him chased off and hunted down surviving soldiers. The pillagers moved into houses forcing out their residents as vindicators followed soon afterwards looking for any valuables. A total of 50 villagers had been corralled up rounded up as prisoners, contraband whose fate was in his hands.
"Raid Chief, I have found pens of sorts!" A pillager said as he hurried approached Vadact. Vadact could only raise eyebrow.
"You found livestock?"
"No sir.....I have found something not to dissimilar to the cells of player mob farms." That statement made Vadact blood run cold.
POV:????
Alina watched, as she was let out from her cell as well as all the other infected corralled into the villages small outdoor prison. Many of those infected who hadn't died from Ursan military death squads massacre of those infected within the village had been rounded and forced into these cells...pens to die of the elements. Yet now she was like many of her fellow infected left to the mercy of an unknown force.
She had at first when she heard the sounds of conflict and death though obscured by the snow storm assumed Talulah or some Reunion command had sent a squad to rescue further infected in this village like many others where massacres of the infected where occuring. Instead she and the others stuffed together in this cramped cells where greeted by multiple creatures that where utterly alien to them.
They where slightly taller than the average Ursan soldiers, wielded wooden crossbows of sorts larger than any of those she'd seen and the crossbow bolts where large but looked like they could blow the head off of any unfortunate bastard with a single shot. They looked more primitive yet equally deadly to the ones the Reunion resistance fighters wielded.
She hesitantly took the first step out of the pen still absorbing the scene around her, those no infected who had gone about their lives after damning their fellow person where now corralled up in the village squad and facing some sort of scrutiny by their liberators? Occupiers? Alina didn't know and her horns had the rapt attention of the creatures? Aliens? Their skin was grey, they had noses that where much larger than her own and where half the length of her head, they had grey or blue eyes with no distinguishing eye color outside of those to.
Some with axes where breaking down house doors and looting the contents inside the houses while those with crossbows where lining up the civilians and some 3 captured Ursan soldiers, organizing them into small groups of 10. To the far side as Great grey beast with large horns lay snorting and nudging the capture Ursan soldiers alone its teeth somewhat bear before sinking back into its mouth as on it rode what she assumed to be the leader of this group of creatures.
They spoke in a language that was utterly inconceivable to her, all she heard was "Hurrm" "HUUUUURM", "hrm" and so on so forth. a Small group of those with crossbows and some with a lighter skin color wearing purple rose and "Witches" hats gently separated them from the main mob of civilians saying things in those "hurm" noises and pushing them alone.
Everything of value on the village had been utterly looted including furniture which was being broken down for something. The leader who had a scarred eye waved his hand in the air and then down as the 3 Ursan soldiers, who like their comrades had participated in the massacred of the infected, where lined up against the back wall of a hut and then shot through the back of the head by 5 of those creatures wielding crossbows.
Alina personally wanted to make a run for it but at this point escape was impossible, their was no possible way of making a run for it currently and trecking alone through the blizzard to warn? No tell the reunion of this new player, new creatures at hand.
The leader then looked over at her and the rest of the infected before making a motion with his hand as they where pushed and pressed into a column while the non infected where soon marched away from the village in their own column.
Covered her ears when the screaming in the distance began.