The Birth of Ugriccarious

Seven hours prior, the resistance led by the Younger Stanillo and the Younge Illya bolted straight to the incoming army led by the Norian Chieftain, Acco of Nori. The resistance amounted to 300 men altogether. The 300 men were divided into a miniature infantry and cavalry unit. 150 men were selected for the infantry, and this unit would not be led by one of the two notable Youngers; instead, they would be led by a reputable warrior, named Bay. The young warrior was around twenty-two years old to twenty-seven years old; I do not quite recall the man’s age.

In those days, I would consider him to have been a much better warrior than me; but I was about to reach what would be my so-called “youthful days”. There was no better man to lead the infantry than Bay, and the Younger Stanillo was adamant on giving him the reign. He was a disciple of Yarik, and the two shared a strong sense of patriotism for the village. Belomas was always something that each warrior took into their hearts, as if she were their own mother, daughter, or wife.

Mother is the most suitable perspective of one’s village or country. Wherever one grows up, they have an obligation to tend and protect the place that gave them community and most importantly the customs of great men. No matter the politics of the present or past, it is one’s duty to cherish and protect her. Therefore, it is one’s responsibility to display the might of her mighty sons in action, or towards her defense against the enemies of that particular time period.

Our village has not existed for so long, but it is something that my father and his comrades take pride in. They were not born in the times of the Kingdom, but their ancestors were keen on instilling this sentiment into them, and if the opportunity ever came to revive that great kingdom, it should be done by any means necessary. However, that is enough of that matter.

As long as the village remained, there was something to fight for. The resistance were willing to sacrifice themselves and prevent the enemy from advancing forward. It did not take long for the Younger Stanillo to think of the possibilities of the Nori wiping them out and advancing towards Belomas. It was the perfect opportunity for them, and that is why it was crucial for the resistance, to hold them off for as long as possible until: a). They somehow won the battle; b). Reinforcements arrive; c). The resistance forces the Nori to withdraw.

These were all hypotheticals, but preferably the Younger Stanillo would desire a ceasefire altogether. However, he was aware that would make him extremely unpopular amongst the army, and that the Elder Illya would never approve of it. The Elder Illya is determined to conquer the west, and to restore the lost kingdom of Rus. In such times, a man must commit to the resolve of his comrades and the sentiment of the people; for there is no worse decision than one that goes against the ways of the ancestors. 

The ways of the ancestors were on the minds of most, but the Younger Illya found himself lost in thought still. He was reminiscent of those three months with her. At one point, those three months felt eternal. There's something about time that people do not understand. The young believe that it’s on their side, but time is on nobody’s side. We are so accustomed to the sunrise, first to beat the others to the hunting grounds. Every night there is a creature that takes in the moonlight, and not knowing if that will be his last night or not. Those were the feelings building up in me: what if I never got to feel Coria’s embrace?

At least, she’s going to the village; somehow, I do not feel that she’s going to be alright. My family would not deny her asylum, but what if I do not get to experience old age with her? What would she look like? How will she feel? My child, what will become of you? Will you think of me? Shall another replace me, like Illya, who replaced my father?

Father gave me life, but my other father gave me his love and acceptance. That is what is most important in life, is it not? The one that raises you is more of a father than the one that conceived. Father, how will you react to the situation at hand? You gain another, but you lose another in exchange. Father, were these the feelings that you felt? Those feelings of uncertainty in battle, whether you will live to see the faces of your children and wife again.

Maybe those thoughts never permeated your mind, but if those thoughts ever did come across, I am certain that you held your head high and did not falter to the insecurities and limitations of the mortal man! In this world of ours, a man aims to be the reason for envy and disdain amongst others! There is no better fight that a man can have than to earn himself a seat amongst those they pray to!

Household gods, and lord of lords, provide me with renown and glory so that I shall be able to be amongst you and dine with you! Father of Fathers, oh, great Oleg! provide me with your blessings and accompany me in spirit, for I wish to also display my courage to you too! Oh, child of mine, may I too be the pride and joy of your life!

Having finished his prayer, the Younger Illya and the others were closing in on the enemy. The horns were sounded, and the paeans began to be sung by the soldiers. Each of the soldiers began to release their energy, each of the soldiers wanting to make their individual presences known to the enemy. Moreover, the soldiers began to draw their respective weapons for battle. Some had axes, swords, or lances. Others had spears; mainly those fighting for the cavalry. Those fighting in the infantry had nothing more than their fists! The Younger Stanillo tried to provide those without weapons a weapon, but they flat out refused!

The cavalry led the army, and the Younger Stanillo, ordered the cavalry to increase their speed to the maximum. They were planning to blitz the opponent with their cavalry and give the infantry the chance to break through further onto the enemy’s side. In a matter of minutes, the resistance cleared three miles worth of distance. As they continued their advance, the resistance began to feel the ground tremble, an indicator of the great army coming towards their way. On the other hand, the enemy was astonished to sense the powerful energy coming their way. A powerful energy, but it did not compare to their overwhelming great army.

If they were this adamant, it meant that they were aware of what had occurred to their first line of defense. It was a great display of courage, but Acco had his way of piping down that resolve of theirs. Immediately, he signaled the others, to lift their spears and reveal the decapitated heads of the resistance, to the incoming resistance. In total, forty-eight of the heads were brazenly displayed to the resistance; however, the one that proudly displayed the head of Yarik would be Acco, who held it by the hair with a brazen smile!

In a sense, Acco wanted to make them submit through fear; however, if he could not, it would be best to humiliate them and get them riled up. This would cloud their sense of judgement, and make it easier to fight against them. It did not help the resistance to bear this insult, as cackles and hollering filled the battlefield from the enemy side. The terrain was perfect for combat, and before they knew it, they were about to fight the enemy at close quarters.

Having front row seats for the spectacle, Illya held his head down, trying not to lose his mind. Others of the resistance could not help, but burst into tears at the display of disgrace their comrades had suffered against those barbarians. Some were family to the disgraced deceased. Others were friends to the deceased. The ones that suffered greatly were those fathers and sons, who had to witness the disgrace of their loved ones. For the first time ever, the Younger Stanillo’s Stoic demeanor fragmented, as his fury was overpowering his pacifist nature.

The Younger Stanillo, is a man who has always advised against warfare that does not benefit the village. Putting the backs of men on the line was never ideal, and Stanillo had always preferred to enact diplomacy between Belomas and other sovereigns. This time, he did not desire to settle things with the Nori. For starters, they were the ones planning to eventually launch a full-scale invasion; also, the Nori and Belomas have been enemies for ages. The enmity between the two sovereigns is not something that can be settled through words, and it likely will never be. Therefore, the only solution is to engage those barbarians with their sword in hand, and cut those maniacs to the ground!

The feelings of agony and fury led to the Younger Stanillo making one of the greatest blunders of his career, as he ordered the soldiers to put the idea of victory aside, and to avenge their fallen brethren here and now! Everybody followed these orders, but it was unlikely that Stanillo could have controlled his soldiers, who felt that they were abandoned by the gods at their worst moments! As a result, the infantry and cavalry abandoned their formations and the great standards of Belomas. 

In a mere moment of fury, years of history and duty were discarded in favor of fulfilling the animalistic instincts of man, that they try so hard to discard in favor of rationality. As his comrades charged towards their impending demise, the Younger Illya came to a stop. Feelings of uncertainty began to build up, like, the thoughts of preserving his life for the sake of his family or to redeem himself on this battlefield for abandoning his post. The numbers were overwhelmingly against them. If he were to die here, he would obtain glory and honor, for his future descendants to come. Eventually, the Younger Illya succumbed to those foolish youthful thoughts of glory and honor.

Right now, he desired to kill every enemy that stood before him. Illya quickly discarded that promise that he made long ago, to never give in to his anger and to kill others. At long last, the instincts of the warrior that he suppressed for so long had awakened in those dire moments. Quickly, he drew his sword from its sheath; tightly gripping onto his sword, a surge of power was bursting through the surface. In seconds, his pupils disappeared, and this surge of power grew further and further.

The growth of his aura cannot be attributed to his increase in strength. Instead, this surge of power was caused by the kid’s overwhelming anger, which caused his energy control to become sloppy. As a result, the energy was causing his hair to stand. This was noticed by Acco, who smirked at the lone horsemen. Someone that was out of control would be easy to kill, and it was also a confrontation that did present himself danger.

At long last, the Younger Illya charged into battle with the others. His charge was met by an incoming enemy infantry unit, that intended to get the boy off his horse and then kill him when he fell onto the ground. However, the boy slaughtered them without breaking a sweat, and he continued to penetrate into the enemy lines. On command of Acco, the cavalry threw the heads of their enemy and stormed towards the opponent. The battle was just commencing.

At first, the battle taking place between the infantry was a brutal one. Each was doing their best to kill the other, and as horsemen were knocked off their horses, they were surrounded by multitudes, and killed before they could get back on their feet. The deaths were brutal, but no side fought with so much ferocity, like the resistance did. In fact, the resistance were the ones getting most of the kills on the horsemen that fell, or were knocked off their horses. This overwhelming intensity was noticed by the enemy infantry, and they resorted to using their overwhelming numbers to surround the soldiers of the resistance.

These tactics led to the numbers being 40 enemy soldiers to 1 soldier of the resistance. However, this was a great mistake on their part; for you never corner a wounded animal. If there is anything that any being in this mortal plane values, it is self-preservation. A desperate man will act aggressively, but most dangerous of all is their unpredictability. Truly, I tell you, a warrior is truly forged throughout battle, and the more intense it is, the better because abilities and power are improved further in such circumstances.

Most of these men in the infantry did not have a technique, and it was something that hardly developed in Belomas. The Elder Illya and the Younger Stanillo are the only exceptions, as they are rumored to be the most gifted warriors from Belomas. In one particular circumstance, a man named Bay, a man a part of the 300-man resistance, began to lose his grip. The overwhelming number of opponents were too great, and each time, he cut down five of their men. Soon after, he was being swarmed by more. This battle was beginning to feel impossible.

Henceforth, the stress on the battlefield and the fatigue were causing him to stumble around. Bay was losing his will to fight. Eventually, he was no longer able to sustain himself, and he knelt. The young man took breath after breath, and began to wonder how it came to this. Was the campaign a foolish mistake? Did the Young Illya’s mistress betray them? As he took in these thoughts, ten enemy soldiers were quickly approaching him with the intent of killing him.

Bay gritted his teeth, as he struggled to grip onto his blade. The wounds that he suffered were taking a toll on him, and the lack of rest between opponents was making him lose sight of things. Whether it was out of despair or the great human spirit. It is uncertain. However, in desperation, Bay regained his courage and released his energy to its limit, to the point it was out of control. No, it was not out of control. The nature of the aura had completely changed, as it began to spark violently around him; but it did not hurt him. His pupils ceased to be, and his hair began to stand.

Just when he thought it was over, fate had other plans in mind for him. In one instance, his energy began to return to him. At that moment, Bay had gained speed beyond what was human. Swiftly, he slaughtered the ten incoming men in mere seconds. The killing was so swift that the enemies were unable to process the great pain inflicted upon them. This feat would not go unnoticed by both sides, as those of the resistance smiled in relief. A great power had been awakened on the battlefield; however, the enemy was not pleased by this awakening.

They were furious, and began to find ways to neutralize what appeared to them, to be the resistance’s best warrior in the infantry. On the other hand, Bay was in rhythm and eager to kill whatever stood in front of him. In mere moments, a singular warrior was able to turn the tables on the resistance on the infantry side. Somehow, the infantry was not having a bad start against the enemy infantry. The cavalry on the other hand...

Energized by the success of the infantry, the Younger Illya continued to pummel the enemy to smithereens with great pride and determination. Effortlessly, he had earned himself twenty-seven kills against the enemy. Each kill was on horseback. These kills weakened the defense of the enemy, in which, it allowed for the infantry of the resistance to funnel towards the enemy’s core. Throughout the battle, the resistance was hammering the left and right flanks of the enemy relentlessly. Despite the difference in numbers, the resistance proved superior in the art of horsemanship. 

The resistance had noticed the rear was full of young men, and this was something that was of great advantage. This army was raised in a matter of hours, and there was a chance that most of these soldiers were inexperienced youths that did not have the proper training. The number of young present on the rear flank was unusual, and it was something that could not be without reason. The enemy’s greatest asset is their large infantry, and this is because they are great fighters on foot; however, they are quite inferior in fights on horseback.

Essentially, the Younger Illya and Younger Stanillo made a charge to the flanks. They were already aggressively attacking the flanks, but this double envelopment maneuver was to give the infantry an easier shot at funneling further into the center. The numbers of the enemy were proving to be their weakness, as their inexperienced youthful horsemen were proving inadequate to fight against the double envelopment. In a sense, the enemy was now fighting on both fronts, making it difficult to maneuver despite having a stronger center than the resistance.

This bold strategy would be what finally gave the edge to the resistance. The inexperienced, youthful Nori was terrified of the endless assault, but this brutal assault by the resistance would be a slow one, as it slowly chipped away at the large numbers of the Nori. In response, Acco of Nori, was finding it difficult to counterattack the relentless attacks on both fronts. It was only a matter of time before they were encircled and butchered to the last one. From embellishing the glory of the prior battle, the Chieftain of the Nori found himself in a great predicament.

He was aware of the youthful horsemen being inexperienced, but there was no choice because last spring, with the death of the former Chieftain of Nori, a great majority of the senior cavalrymen were wiped out in that campaign. They lacked experienced cavalrymen, but most importantly the Nori made the mistake of relying on their infantry. In his mind, Acco believed that he could put these inexperienced young people on horseback, and it would not prove detrimental to their victory because of their overwhelming numbers.

Out of fear, a great number of youthful cavalrymen began to flee, and this led to the collapse of the enemy’s right flank at the hand of the Younger Illya. This collapse was noticed by the Younger Stanillo, who displayed his admiration for the youth’s relentless spirit of battle and the ability to reorganize his left flank. Acco desperately tried to counterattack the resistance; however, it was futile with the fleeing soldiers and annihilation of his left flank. At that moment, the Younger Illya had spotted what he recognized to be the enemy leader! In mere moments, his great fury returned to his body, as he galloped towards Acco, intent on killing him and stripping him of everything!

Others tried to prevent the Younger Illya’s charge, but they were slaughtered mercilessly. Nothing could prevent him from getting his vengeance, and to restore the dignity of his disgraced comrades. Before Acco knew it, the Younger Illya was approaching him; however, foolishly or stupidly, Acco charged straight towards him. Immediately, the Younger Illya used his long spear to pierce the man’s shoulder, as he foolishly had underestimated his range. The Chieftain of Nori suffered a great blow, as the youthful warrior of Belomas continued to push the spear further into the man’s body. Acco came to a halt, as he tried to prevent the spear from going further with his hands; however, the boy was stronger than he. If he did not stop this brat, Acco knew he would not see another day.

With his freed hand, the Younger Illya used it to grab onto the Chieftain’s throat. This gave Acco the opportunity to brutally headbutt the boy; in which, the force of the headbutt led to the two of them being knocked off their horses. As the Younger Illya regained himself, he grabbed onto his head. At worst, his skull was fractured by the blow. It was the least of his worries, as Acco had yanked the spear out of his shoulder, in which he proceeded to heal his body. This was something the Younger Illya had never seen before.

‘Did he just heal himself,’ He thought, ‘Neither of them ever mentioned this to me.’

‘This child,’ Acco thought, ‘He’s stronger than me, but less experienced than me. In the ways of battle, I am his superior. This growing surge of power is something that I noticed, but it’s still growing uncontrollably. He has no control of himself right now, and that is my advantage!’

In moments, Acco swung his spear around, and charged straight at the youthful boy of Belomas. Unarmed, the boy resorted to unknowingly coating his fists with his energy; he too charged towards the incoming enemy. In their first exchange, Acco attempted to pierce the boy’s heart with his spear; but the Younger Illya evaded and delivered a brutal punch to the Chieftain’s solar plexus. All of a sudden, these two were the main spectacle of the battlefield. Everybody began to stop whatever they were doing, to get the opportunity to witness this exchange. Anyhow, the blow may have been a brutal blow to the Chieftain; however, he was no slouch. Quickly, he recovered and would throw his spear aside, as he became adamant to kill the boy with his mere fists.

It was a rather courageous effort on Acco’s part, but he was no equal to the boy in hand-to-hand combat. This was proven when the boy charged straight towards him, in which he delivered another blow to his solar plexus. The impact of the blow was so great, it threw him into the air; in which, it gave the opportunity for the young man to deliver a barrage of blows at Acco. These blows were so powerful that it did not give him the opportunity to fight back, and each blow was starting to take a toll on him.

In a matter of seconds, the youth delivered the final blow that would send his opponent slamming and rolling over the ground. Acco was completely out of it, but this did not stop the youth from putting him into a blender. As the Chieftain laid in defeat, the youth was about to charge towards him with the intent of putting him down for good. However, at that moment, his body was no longer able to handle the abuse of his power.

The boy’s entire back would combust, and for the first time in his life, he would be forced to kneel. Screams of agony filled the battlefield, as the boy struggled to control his power. The truth is the boy’s growing strength was not something out of anger, but it was his power that allowed him to transcend his limits as a mortal. As it stands, the youth was beyond the limits of the mortal body.

In this instance, a group of cowardly men from Nori took the opportunity to kill the youth of Belomas. In their minds, a great power of that sort should not be allowed to be cultivated within Belomas. As they charged towards him, an unexpected army would make it to the battlefield. This army terrified the men of Nori, as they recognized that this new foe was somebody that they were well acquainted with. The great Chieftain of the Sejuku had arrived, and she was in great spirits. As it stood, the Nori stood no chance at fighting a capable army.

At long last, whatever remained of the great army of Nori retreated in a brutal defeat. Killing off the boy was no longer a priority; instead, the would-be assassins of the Younger Illya retrieved their defeated Chieftain and withdrew. Their retreat would not be easy, as many of them were chased by the resistance and butchered; eventually, the Younger Stanillo ordered an immediate cease to all fighting. The arrival of the Sejuku’s army was something that needed to be addressed, but it was also important for them to figure out what happened to the Younger Illya.

This concludes the battle between the resistance and the great army of Nori. At the end of the battle, only 29 men from the resistance had survived the skirmish. The Nori lost a majority of their cavalry, and thousands of their infantry were killed or injured throughout the battle.