Commando Part 10

Combined with the Gantronese wave the second wave pressed the advance against the Sarcagos forces. Seeing the two waves coming towards them stirred some fear into the defenders who had hoped to besiege the Warlord and force him to surrender within a matter of days or simply put a bullet through him. A force nearly triple their force was gaining ground on the gathered Sarcagos fighters. Before the enemy force was even upon them a few hundred fled back into the city for shelter and a better defensive position than the open hill. Every outlaw and lone wolf fired wildly into the ranks of the Gantronese and thug army. Hooting and hollering were combined with the sporadic shooting. It did little to deter the advancing waves even though hundreds upon hundreds fell leaving corpses to be trampled upon.

      Maurice watched the locals break into a full retreat before the advancing enemy who was now sending in a fourth wave for supporting reserves. It seemed like a hopeless fight now with all the local militias backing out of the fight or were they just seeking better ground against the two waves of enemies. His disciplined fellow Vestrisians held their ground even with the gap between them and the enemy shrunk. His allied goons or gangs were stubborn much like the gathered outlaws and lone wolves whom kept fighting regardless of their losses and being outnumbered. He took a few steps back leaving his Major in command with another Sergeant and Captain aiding him. The commando witnessed an immense battle he had not seen since the fields of Zekmar, Dorntalla and the isles of the confederacies.

      Over ten thousand enemies encroached on them despite the losses they suffered and the overwhelming shooting. Foes fell and became trampled upon by those advancing forward while shooting back. The commando witnessed this larger force press against their position even as men within their ranks fell like flies. His own comrades started to back up slowly as a means to pull back to the city if the enemy got too close. Sure enough the enemy waves were within a charge’s reach of them right as multiple gunslingers and fellow combatants ran out of ammunition. In a single motion this larger force charged at the few thousand defenders holding their ground.

      Maurice drew his weapon ready for the collision of bodies and steel. Every Vestrisian, and gathered fighter drew a melee weapon. On either side of him various weapons were drawn ranging from axes, hatchets, clubs, maces, knives, combat knives, daggers, dirks, war picks, hammers, sickles, mauls, machetes, bayonets, spiked gauntlets, knucklers, morning stars, glaives, flails, tridents, spears, staffs, and claws. There were plenty of swords of various types, crowbars, metal bars, chains, gunstock war clubs, and cudgels. Within moments of drawing weapons the larger force collided with the defenders. The Gantronese were armed with bayonets, katanas, scimitars, Ono axes, Kanabos, metal tonfa batons, iron poles fashioned for combat with concealed blades in the hilt, and strange looking pole weapons that were cut in half for close quarters.

      . In a mass collision of bodies the Gantronese wave crashed into the defenders guarding the city of Vig Durahl. Every combatant on their side seemed to have held their ground swiping away bayonet strikes. A huge debacle of bodies pressed against each other as those in the back rows stabbed and beat the other foes while the ones in front held firm or pushed. Most of the Gantronese in the back had to protect their brethren’s flanks against an array of strikes all along the line of the battle. Maurice struck down several Gantronese attackers before having to hold his ground while locked with a Gantronese infantryman. Behind him were Hilastes and another Unseen Bear. Hundreds of Gantronese died in the back rows and along the front lines during the first moments of the collision. More of them slowly died as did those on the defending side. Scattered individuals and groups of defenders managed to hold the Gantronese at bay with enemy corpses piling up around them. He caught a glimpse of Brittany and thirteen others taking out dozens of Gantronese while Unseen Bears killed the enemies in the back ranks.

      History class taught him how the city-states of the Boathrin Isles particularly the Locian city-states fought against raiders and rival city-states. The body count kept mounting but the enemy just kept coming. Whenever an enemy fell in the fight another would fill his place.  This fight soon became a savage stalemate before the city of Vig Durahl. Having his weapon locked with the enemy while trying to push back did not please him. It did keep their flanks secure at the center. As the stalemate dragged on casualties mounted on both sides. For nearly an hour they struggled to maintain their footing while those behind them killed the Gantronese. Hilastes finally killed the ones in front of Maurice allowing him maneuverability. Taking advantage of the situation the commando plunged into the ranks of the enemy. Using his polearm sword Maurice cut down dozens of the Gantronese troops and several of the Warlord’s remaining thugs, henchmen and minions whom fled. His killing spree freed others who were locked in the hold and encouraged others to press the attack.

      Chaos consumed the area before Vig Durahl with combatants on both sides falling to the hands of each other. Thousands upon thousands lay dead, decapitated, wounded, dying and paralyzed from blows spread out or on top of one another forming heaps of corpses. From the looks of the battlefield more Gantronese lay dead and wounded. However this force still outnumbered them even with the Warlord’s men retreating from the field. Noticing the retreat of the Warlord’s men the Gantronese sent a few hundred to go after the minions and henchmen. However it proved a fatal flaw as the townsfolk of Vig Durahl and the surrounding towns charged out in force armed with rifles, hunting rifles, and other assortment of melee weapons. These groups of newcomers only reached up to several hundred in strength. Still the Gantronese had more than both combined, but no longer had the backing of the warlord.

      At the Warlord’s own lair another battle seemed to break out as his remaining henchmen fired upon the Gantronese officers and commanders. It was a sight no one really expected to see except in a play or in some dream. Sure enough the Warlord’s own men turned around and opened fire on the pursuing Gantronese. On the path leading up to the summit the two forces fired on each other inflicting staggering casualties. Maurice returned his own gaze to the battle he was in, which had moved away from the city by a few feet. More Gantronese troops died at the hands of the gathered SCA as they lost ground. Just as he jumped into the battle again those who had fled back to the city returned to the fight with more of their fellow citizens shooting from the city.

      By the time Maurice had killed several other enemies the Gantronese began to break. This force of Gantronese invader wavered from the constant loss of men and the slow loss of ground. Despite the ground being covered by corpses and weapons the defending SCA pressed the advance practically slaughtering the remaining Gantronese. Within moments of the sudden advance and the militias returning to the field the Gantronese were on the verge of full retreat. Victory was assured with the Gantronese force melting away in the advance of the SCA and the militias. For some time they chased the Gantronese nearly halfway to the Warlord’s palace until they had to stop due to exhaustion. The remnants fled away from the battlefield and the Summit while coming under fire from riflemen, militias Unseen Bears, gunslingers, and sharpshooters. Each gunner kept shooting until the last of the Gantronese disappeared into the western Sarcagos Mountains.

      Maurice gathered those who were able to stand chose a large group of 154 leaving the rest to tend to the wounded and dying. With a gathered healthy force Maurice and his commanding major advanced on the Warlord’s palace where most of his men lay dead among Gantronese corpses. On the summit they entered the Warlord’s lair to find the battle that was fought at its doorstep reached deep into its halls and chambers. In just about every hall, room, chamber, and corridor they discovered the fallen whether it was a Gantronese or a henchman or minion. Plenty of them lay wounded and only a few scores of No Beard’s men remained. Fifty seven to be exact remained standing that did not include the wounded that numbered in the hundreds. One of the main henchmen a black haired Dwarf with rune tattoos on the shaven part of his head led the party straight to the Warlord himself.

      Deep in the Summit they entered a large office-chamber where they found Warlord Bandornez himself in a corner. The beardless Dwarf Warlord held a bottle of wine in one hand and a glass in the other. His own concubines, and guards were nowhere to be found. This defeated Warlord was surrounded by bottles of wine and whiskey showing he had been drinking himself drunk. Not caring to let the drunk foolish Dwarf Warlord the Sarcagosee grabbed him. They dragged him out of the Summit lair where they met a massive crowd of the people who lived in the surrounding settlements. Two of the Vestrisians who held him tossed him over to the people who immediately pounced on him like a wild pack of predators on their prey. In moments Warlord Bandornez “No Beard” was beaten, punched, kicked, trampled, and choked as the crowd encircled him.