Lightstar Family/Xarnelf/Roleplay 65
Holy Aenilic Zombies?!
The scout sprinted back as fast as his long legs could carry him, for he had just observed something quite unsettling during his rearguard duty. Some of their recently buried dead were rising from their very graves to attack the fortress again!
"What?! Are you certain, lad?"
"Yes, milord! I swear on my life, the dead are rising to attack them again!"
"Well then... Get yourself some water, and good job on the scouting."
Xarnelf turned to Mathias and opened his mouth to speak, but then closed it to gather his thoughts. The captain had heard, of course, so he had a fairly good idea of what his liege was thinking. Thus, Mathias spoke first.
"Sire, you do realize that all of our equipment is heavily damaged, with most of it beyond repair? And that we are still behind enemy lines, with another full day's march to Ansopen. We don't have exactly have time to turn around--"
"Mathias, listen to me. This must be a sign from the Aenil. Why else would our brothers-in-arms rise again in this fashion, so soon after our last two defeats? We must return to finish the job! This time, victory shall be ours!"
"But sire, please be reasonable! That is just a twisted coincidence, nothing more! We are in no shape to storm the high fortress walls for a third time, especially with half our men still wounded!"
"NO, we must return. They will be distracted by the undead on one flank, while we shall strike at them from the opposite direction, catching them completely by surprise!" And with that, the Duke of Idapur steered his horse around and trotted back down the line, in the direction of Haul, while calling out to his men, "Legionnaires, to me! The blessed Aenil have granted us a boon, for they have raised our slain brothers to storm the enemy fortress yet again! Victory will be ours!"
"Sire, be reasonab--!" Mathias's cries of warning were suddenly drowned out by the men's cheering and abrupt turning about-face, leaving him now at the end of the column, only to stare hopelessly and helplessly, as his insane leader rode back towards the recent battlefield. He sighed deeply and thought, not for the first time, that his liege's intense hatred and desire for vengeance against Soliferum would not only sacrifice all of his men's lives, but also his own, in addition to that of his young cousin.
Many more good men would not live to see the next dawn, but he knew that, being the only reasonable man remaining, it seemed, it was his job to ensure that the hero was not one of those to be slain in the coming battle. So, the captain grudgingly turned his horse around and followed, sighing again and shaking his head; it was going to be a very long four hours....
