Leothrad's Personal Prize Chapter

It was midday and Leothrad and his Angoths were thirteen ships deep in the fortress of Cren war galleys linked together. His attacks during the night destroyed a considerable amount of damage to the Cren fleet. He could tell ships were starting to break away and attack the Irkan ships and Crowsians. However, other ships moved to the reefs where they were met with strong currents that drove them into the reefs. Some got caught in whirlpools and sank to the depths as the ocean destroyed them.

Leothrad fought his way deeper into the columns of ships with hundreds of warriors behind him killing the rest of the enemies he forged a path through. Most tried to surround him on each ship, but a storm of arrows rained down on them followed by battle hungry prisoners his men freed along the way. He was please to know more ships came to their aid. Word about a large Cren fleet must have reached the Councils’ ears forcing them to send in more ships. To his dismay the Makool managed to enter the fight using magic to resurface some old ships from the bottom of the ocean.

His Irkan friends were fortunate they had four vessels full of Makool fighters, which fell quickly to arrows and ballistae fired on them. Leothrad was about to board the fourteenth vessel when he realized his men were a whole ship behind him. At his feet were plenty of warriors and creatures to fight. He did not care how many he had to fight as long as the ships behind him were losing troops in the battle fronts over the fleet of ships.

His sword arm ached for more kills as he unsheathed a Kopis he received from General Apkis as a thank you gift for saving him from annihilation at the hands of the Makool on a remote island south of New Angeris. Leothrad swung his sword slashing an enemy in the face then swung it the other way cutting into an enemy’s neck. He took the Kopis and hacked down into a skull as he shoved the other blade into a chest. The Champion twisted both weapons out as he jumped down and commenced the killing. Swinging both blades and twirling around Leothrad made short work of thirty enemies as they backed away from the mad foe their false god despised so much. He sliced more necks and stabbed seven chests killing twelve more then paused to glance at his handy work. There were still plenty of kills to go around in circles.

Nineteen warriors attacked him at once and tossed the Kopis into a Goblin’s chest as he grabbed the weapon of another while cutting another in the back of the neck. He held an axe for a brief moment before burying it in the skull of another, which fell instantly along with five others he killed. Leothrad realized he would get bored of counting if he tried to keep up with how many he killed. So he plunged himself into the crowd of enemies like a mad warrior that was blood drunk. As killed his enemies he glimpsed more came aboard to surround him. He saw it one of his victim’s eyes before its head flew off its shoulders. Most of them tried to swing at him but missed or were kicked back. Some had fled jumping overboard as others fought on or watched the butchery.

He found it hard to have pity on such creatures after hearing what they did to any woman they had in their clutches. Leothrad go the feeling that many of these were spawn from the women captured and felt inclined to kill them. The Angoth was so busy killing his way to the bow that he nearly forgot he was not alone until a shower of arrows killed most of the enemies that gathered behind him.

As the arrows started to hit the deck behind him he had thirty three enemies left to face. He saw his brethren and Freed Allies allow him to continue his killing spree, which littered the entire deck with bodies in large quantities that covered every inch.

“Wait, wait. Before you kill of us, you must know something.” A Goblin said stalling his death at the hands of the ferocious Angoth. The Goblin stood near a Cren Priest-Warrior who looked at him with hateful, betrayed eyes. It was an Elite Goblin that spoke to Leothrad who waved a hand to the other Goblins. Four Goblins grabbed the Cren Servant as one of them slit his throat.

“Best not let him hear what I have to say. There is a descendant of the Cren God who would be of use to you.” The Goblin informed Leothrad, he then pointed behind Leothrad.

“You see that red Galley that is slightly bigger than the rest. That is where the Descendant hides while his servants command us.” The Goblin spat. “Now Angoth, kill us.”

Without so much of a word Leothrad cut the Elite Goblin’s head off and commenced to kill the rest of the Goblins who put up more of a fight than the rest since they were cornered. Their sword arms were no match for his as he cut them down like peasants against a heavily armored Hoplite. When he was done thirty Angoths and Velts climbed on board the galley. They had to face another group of enemies that came aboard. His senses told him the enemy were losing ground and ships faster than ever as others broke away and sailed straight for the island rather than the reefs.

This battle was over despite the numbers of enemies still around to fight. He spotted the main galley the Goblin Elite told him about over the heads of twenty enemies. It was three ships away from him. Ilkabad came to his side with his spear in hand. Blood dripped from the spear point as he prepared to plunge into another battle. His Kopis still sat in its sheath as though he never used it at all.

“Ilkabad, you do the honors.” Leothrad stepped to the side as more warriors gathered behind. He heard some fighting still going on behind him, but slowly subsided as his warriors gained the upper hand. The warrior heard catapults fire in the background and smash into a score of ships. Some projectiles destroyed the links of some ships causing the galleys to drift away.

Iclkabad charged a large goblin shoving his spear into its stomach and pushed it back. The ones behind his kill made way as he forced it into three others behind it. One fell over board and another had the same spear go through him. The third fell to the floor as the Angoth let go of the spear and unsheathed his Kopis. Ilkabad moved swiftly killing numerous enemies leaving the one he knocked to the floor for last. He held onto one that was too confused to even cut him or pull away. The handsome Angoth warrior used his Kopis to cut down twelve more enemies left and right as several began to retreat.

Leothrad watched his handiwork as he forced the rest to route still holding on to one and kept kicking the other to the floor. The Champion smiled as he watched the enemy retreat to other ships to join others on the retreat to make a stand against the allied forces. Ilkabad brings his sword back ready to strike and swings it across severing the enemy’s head off. He turned to the one lying on its back and stabs into its guts.

Leothrad found it amusing and applauded Iclkabad for a few moments as others joined in the applause as though it were a spectator’s event. Borix came to his side with an Ogre’s hand axe. Several other Velts came up behind him. “Are we close to the master of this fleet?” he asked.

“If you’re talking about the so called descendant that is here, then yes he is.” Leothrad said pointing at the red galley a few ships away.

“Then what are waiting for?” Borix exclaimed stepping forward, but Leothrad put his arm in his path stopping the Velt.

“Let the archers send another volley. If our warriors are tired they won’t make it to the main ship without suffering heavy losses.” Leothrad told him

Borix turned his head and yelled. “ARCHERS!”

Somewhere in the back another Angoth officer yelled the same thing. From behind them two separate volleys of arrows were fired into the ranks of the retreating enemy. Some had fallen in between the gaps and drowned others fell to the arrows as scores ducked for cover. “Another volley should do it!” Leothrad yelled as he stepped up to the platform that connected another ship to the one he was on. He was ready to step closer to the main galley and claim his prize. Ilkabad and Borix stood beside him ready to fight their way with him. Scur came in behind them and took position next to Ilkabad.

“Scur? You little rascal you’re fighting with us? Ha ha!” Ilkabad ruffled the young Angoth’s hair and kissed him on the head.

“Splendid you’ll become more famous than our Champion Leothrad.” The lover of Leothrad’s sister boasted as the Champion stepped up and walked across the platform. He would have came in using the other vessel behind their’s, but he felt like using this path instead.

As he came aboard the other vessel scores of warriors and slaves armed with clubs, and maces emerged out of the lower decks of the galley. He had Ilkabad, Borix, Scur and Ilexra the Adorcene armed with a bow. She fired the first shot as Scur killed the second one. Borix hacked at three enemies at once while Ilkabad shoved his spear through a throat. Leothrad joined in killing his way to the other ship. As he made it to the next platform an Ogre raised a massive war club and smashed the platform to pieces forcing Leothrad to back into an enemy. He turned around and killed it. There was only the quarter deck he could take now since the platform was destroyed.

“To the stern!” Leothrad yelled as he cut his way through a group of enemies. His followers were at his heels as he came up on the stern to see how close he was to this main galley. It was surrounded by other war galleys filled with enemies and arrows. Some corpses riddled with arrows could be seen at the feet of the regrouping enemy who saw Leothrad with a small group with him.

One laughed at them until an arrow hit his chest and he fell joining the dead at the feet of his brethren. Leothrad saw he only had two more ships to go. There was the one he had board from the stern and one next to that one. He turned to Iclkabad. “Are there any other warriors in reserves?” he asked.

“I am not sure, but I could get more men as you start the attack.” Ilkabad suggested.

“Thought you’d need more men.” A voice said behind them. Leothrad turned to see Evnar with fifteen able bodied warriors ready to kill the enemy.

“We cannot swing from this stern to the other bow over there, but we can jump to that bow nearest our position.” Leothrad planned a strategy while observing the ships around his target. There were plenty of enemies left to fight, only some were starting to break away in defeat. More prisoners broke free two ships away from the main one drawing some forces away. Leothrad jumped from the stern and onto the bow of the next ship where a few score of enemies sat waiting for orders. They turned their heads and saw the group of warriors board their ship. He turned to see archers notching their arrows to fire. “Ilexra, you and the archers take care of the ones on that ship.”

“Yes, Champion, archers to me!” Ilexra gathered the archers and fired a volley into the ranks of the archers as the warriors attacked the first group.

These goblins had been itching for a fight all day. They rose up with their weapons in hand gazing at the fresh meat they could fight. Leothrad went on with the fight killing as many as he could. He wanted to force his way to the platforms connecting the two galleys and the large vessel in the center. His warriors fought the Goblins who seemed more of a challenge than the rest.

Some managed to block several blows from Leothrad forcing the Angoth to fallback and join his colleagues had similar trouble. They lined up and charged as one making slow progress with the killing. A dozen Goblins fell to his sword once he got where he wanted. More arrows had been fired on the enemies aboard the other vessel, which was the last obstacle in Leothrad’s way.

Leothrad killed his way to the stern of the ship forcing the Goblins and Cren warriors retreat to other vessels as ten more broke away smashing into each other. On board three vessels the slaves were brought out left there. Slaves from others were also left on board. This was something Leothrad never expected to see. When he turned to his left there was a sight he was too familiar with, but was glad to see it.

Cren warriors, servants and slaves fought the Goblin raiders and Ogres on ships surrounding the barge like vessel in the center. He noticed the Veeks, Crowsians and Irkan were five ships away from his prize. His gaze turned to the ship next to his prize and saw Goblins fighting Cren warriors even as arrows showered down on them. He saw two Ogres standing guard at the entrance to the cabin of the barge.

His target was inside the barge that he wanted to board and claim his prize. Leothrad turned to Ilkabad who was fighting an Elite Goblin. “Ilkabad, take command here, I’m going for that barge!”

“Of course Leothrad!” Ilkabad obliged killing the Goblin as six more poured out of the cabins. Leothrad jumped from the stern to the other ship’s stern and clung to an enemy Goblin with one hand and the railing with the other. He pulled himself up pulling the Goblin off and into the water. As he came up he kicked a Cren warrior in the face before jumping down on the deck. He glared at Leothrad with hate in his eyes. Paying no heed to the Cren Leothrad brushed past him as five arrows struck him. Leothrad felt the glory of being near his prize, a descendant of the very god that forced the Angoths from their homeland many years ago.

He stood on the ledge of the stern facing the barge and the two Ogre guards who were busy watching raiders and warriors fight each other as two more ships abandoned the fleet. As he jumped he dove for a pike on the deck and snatched it up as he landed. Leothrad twirled around throwing the pike into the chest of one of the guards. He had no intentions of breaking up any of the enemies who were fighting each other now. His focus was on the last guard, the very last obstacle remaining. The Ogre charged after him with the halberd in its hands. It swung at him and he ducked under the blow going for its knees. He unsheathed his kopis and sliced through he monster’s legs. Leothrad heard it collapse with pain coming out of its jaws as he rushed into the barge.