The Realmsic Conquest: The Hero of Legend
The battle waged for hours. The Realmsic Army, though significantly smaller than Damian’s Legion, had managed to hold their position beyond the outskirts of the Realmsic Castle. Fighting valiantly, they had now forced their way to the walls of the castle and, by this point, King Maebus had abandoned his horse and was fighting on the ground with his men.
In one monstrous montage, the faces of his enemies appeared, and then disappeared with the swipe of his battle sword. He tried to gain his bearings amidst the chaos, but there was hardly any room to maneuver. His body constantly bumped against the other combatants. Ironically, this is where Maebus preferred to be, shoulder to shoulder with his comrades, face to face with his enemy.
Leoden, who’d been fighting by his side, swung his axe ferociously. He had adjusted to the Legionaries’ sparking swords well enough to deflect them from both himself and Maebus. The young warrior’s advanced ability was impressive.
“Whoa!” Maebus bellowed, barely dodging an attack. His arms were fatigued from swinging, yet the Legion showed no signs of slowing down. At any moment, the Realmsic Army could be pushed backwards and defeated. But Maebus would not allow that to happen.
“Keep fighting!” he commanded to Leoden and his soldiers. “Hold our line!”
Through the haze of smoke and Legionaries, the castle’s land bridge and entrance gate loomed but a few hundred yards before him.
So close! Maebus pushed himself. Can’t give up!
• • • • •
Still observing from the command tower, Damian kept a close eye on the battle’s progress, in particular, that of General Thane. Just beyond the castle’s exterior guard wall, he engaged a large force headed by the tall woodsman. The Warlord remembered him from when Maebus was captured and, to his surprise, the woodsman had since been promoted to the rank of General.
“Well, desperate times I suppose,” Damian mused.
Scanning the battlefield one last time, he decided he’d seen enough. This battle was over, whether Maebus realized it or not.
With his upcoming invasion of the Uncharted Lands, he wondered how many more times he would have to go through this. How many more soldiers would he need to sacrifice before the entire world kneeled before him?
As he prepared to re-enter the castle, something caught his attention. Towards the west side of the castle, a large crowd of people gathered.
“What is this?” he asked himself. Such a peculiar sight gave him pause. Squinting, he couldn’t determine if the group was fleeing the castle or invading it. Unexpectedly, a large boulder was catapulted over the tower just above his head. Without flinching, he followed the object’s trajectory as it smashed into the ranks of his Legion below.
“What?” His eyes widened as two more flew past his position, nearly hitting him this time. Damian was forced to leap out of the way. Undoubtedly, they were aiming for him. Upon landing awkwardly on his side, he slid a few feet across the ground and smacked into the balcony banister.
Several tower guards scrambled to assist him. Damian rose to his knees and peered over the balcony, instantly spotting a line of wheeled catapults inching their way towards the castle. Damian realized that they were now being attacked from the opposite direction!
“Clever,” he muttered to himself through a strained smile.
• • • • •
From the battlefield, Maebus watched as the boulders sailed through the sky. For a moment, they seemed to hover in midair before plunging into the Legionarie ranks.
“It’s the allies!” he heard someone shout. “It’s the allied army!”
Just as Maebus had hoped, the surviving Western Nations, knowing that Damian would ultimately conquer them, had banded together to form an allied army. Marching from the west by the hundreds of thousands, he could see the arsenal of catapults, cavalry, and infantry they brought with them.
The Legion split their forces to engage both armies. Caught by surprise for yet a second time, the Legionaries found themselves trapped between two enemies.
Maebus’ pincer strategy was working! The allies, combined with the unyielding efforts of the Realmsic Army, was significantly shifting the momentum of the battle into their favor.
“Come on! We can do it!” the King shouted, pushing closer and closer to the castle entrance.
• • • • •
Damian hadn’t expected this sudden turn of events, and a frightening notion filled his mind for the first time. We might lose this battle. He clenched his teeth in anger, and determined to himself that despite this battle, he would not lose the war. With that last thought lingering in his head, he marched back into the castle. Quickly stepping through the empty corridors, he calculated it was only a matter of time before the structure was overwhelmed.
“So be it,” he stated to himself.
In reality, it mattered not if they reclaimed the castle, for Damian still possessed the Realmsic Crystal. Without it, Maebus could never truly win. Damian cradled the gem in his hand as it hung around his neck—the power of the crystal pulsating through him. Being a man of many contingency plans it was now time to change the location of this battle. He could feel the presence of the Realmsic Army getting closer, and he had but a few moments to escape. He only hoped that Maebus would take the bait and follow him.
Making his way through the castle corridors, Damian called out to his handlers.
“Saddle my war panther!”
But his request went unanswered.
“Did you not hear me!” he shouted. But again, nothing.
Damian stopped. The corridors were empty. In fact, much of his staff had suddenly vanished. He continued through the castle’s main structure. Exiting from the side, he ran toward his personal stable, which he had built just for quick escapes such as this. There, his silver panther awaited him, ready for combat.
Strapping on the saddle himself, he hopped onto the beast’s back, grabbed the reins, and leapt forward. Speeding through the stable and across the grounds, he raced toward the castle main gates. With a magical blast from his hand, he blew the gate open and sped across the land bridge.
The combatants before him were caught off guard as the panther sprang headfirst into the thick of the battle. Unflinching and unrepentant, Damian blasted everyone who obstructed his path, including his own men. He jerked back and forth on the panther’s back, his thighs tight against its ribs. The beast’s powerful gallops trampled everyone in its way.
Ripping across the battlefield, those around him flew past as a streaming blur. Not once did he think about the protection of his Legion, who were quickly losing ground. Not once did he think of Seku his spy, who apparently disappeared along with the rest of his staff. Not once did he think of General Thane, who charged willfully into battle, but by now had been personally slain by the woodsman-General. Thane had served Damian well. But ultimately everyone was expendable, and only one thing remained on his mind ... getting to the east!
• • • • •
Both Maebus and Leoden watched Damian flee. Using the path opened by the Warlord’s flight, Maebus fought his way across the castle’s land bridge. Without thinking, he climbed to the top of the castle’s entrance. Holding on to the protruding flag post, he rose above the battle. From there, he watched Damian abscond eastward upon his panther, leaving his Legionaries utterly confused.
Many actually ceased fighting and began trailing behind him. Upon seeing the Warlord sprinting away, Maebus’ men cheered. His own mind filled with elation. After all of the heartache, the blood, the agonizing pain, they’d done it! They’d reclaimed their castle, and had Damian on the run!
“Maebus,” a voice suddenly bellowed. Looking down, he saw the Grand Wizard standing on the land bridge.
“Kelm!” he shouted gleefully, “did you see that?”
“Maebus, what’s wrong with you!” Kelm reprimanded him. “Damian still has the crystal. Get after him!”
His mind instantly snapped back to reality. The celebration would have to
wait. With that, he broke off the Legionarie flag that had flown above the castle entrance. With the crumpled fabric in his hand, he raised its broken staff toward the sky for all his army to see. Then, pointing it toward Damian, he shouted to his men, “Pursue the Warlord!”
Chapter Fifty-Nine