Chapter 9: One To Turn The Tides [Siege Of Mackarole]

Commander Jacob lunged up in the air, landing on top of a Mackarole soldier, his sword plunging deep into his chest, destroying his heart. Then, with two quick bashes of his shield to the head, he executed the soldier. Quickly pulling out his sword, he looked up and put his shield in front of his head just in time to block an incoming charge from another Mackarole soldier. His shield deflected the sword upwards, giving him enough time to get up, blocking another strike from the soldier in the process. Even if Jacob was up, he couldn't have reacted fast enough to avoid the soldier spinning around, his sword catching him on his right cheek. It wasn't deep as it was meant to be a quick attack, but it still stung.

Unfazed by the pain, Jacob took a step forward, raising his sword above his head. The soldier, seeing this, quickly made to stab him, falling right into the bait. Jacob's shield went fast, faster than his opponent's strike. Striking his arm, Jacob broke the soldier's guard, allowing him to step forward and slash his sword across his chest, a vertical strike. The soldier stumbled back but quickly recovered, raising his sword. Unfortunately, for him, he failed to stop the shield again, this time Jacob uppercutting him.

With his guard temporarily broken once again, Jacob took a step forward and stabbed his sword through his neck, his blade piercing the spine. To his credit, the Mackarole soldier reacted quickly and jumped back, elbowing Jacob's blade out of his neck. Ignoring his limited movements and the blood gushing out of his throat, he raised his sword up, ready to attack again. Yet, like before, Jacob was still faster. He darted forward before the soldier's sword could come down and smacked him with his shield, causing the soldier to fall down to his left. Once there, Jacob dove down and stabbed the soldier through the eyes, ending him.

Jacob looked around, taking his blade out of his fallen foe, and noticed, with a frown, that the slightly stormy-looking clouds have turned into full blown storm clouds, and rain was starting to fall. Letting out a growl, he surveyed the area, taking note on the two hundred Mackarole soldiers in front of him in a line, interlocked with the few Vanyan soldiers left. If there was one thing the Mackaroles did right so far, besides show their Nostaliskian spirit, it would be hiding a good million troops underneath the city. If he didn't know any better, he would think the Mackaroles were expecting an attack.

Still, to say that the Mackaroles were going to win this engagement was to say potatoes are good food.

Jacob turned to his left in time to see a fellow Vanyan soldier shove a Mackarole off their large shield. Then, with them on the ground, the Vanyan soldier simply shoved their longsword up through the Mackarole's neck and chin, the tip of their sword going through their brain, killing them.

Looking to his right, he saw two Vanyan soldiers, baldors as well, locked in combat with three Mackarole soldiers. Seeing as two of them were ganging up on one, Jacob ran in to help. Covering the ground quickly, he let out a snarling bellow as he bashed one Mackarole soldier up into the air with his shield, waited, and proceeded to slam his sword down their chest, bringing them to the ground. Quickly ripping out his sword, Jacob raised it above his head and slammed down, knowing the risk of executing the soldier so close to the fighting.

His worry turned out to be true as, when his sword went through the Mackarole's head, Jacob felt his senses screaming at him from behind. Unfortunately, he couldn't move fast enough to avoid the incoming magic projectile.

Letting out a hiss at the sudden pain, Jacob turned around and narrowed his eyes at the Mackarole soldier who fired it. He was with forty other Mackarole soldiers, making Jacob think twice about running over to fight him, but only for four seconds. With a mighty Vanyan war cry, he ran towards the batch of soldiers, ready to fight and die, or fight and survive. Before he reached them, however, he sensed something overhead and stopped in his tracks, looking up in time to see a massive fireball of Vanyan artillery fly over him and crash into the now fleeing Mackarole soldiers. Most of them died, not on impact but by the intense shockwave and fire. The ones that survived were quickly shot down by the Vanyan ralfers, leaving only three left who were quick to run back into the fray. Jacob turned around and smiled, seeing them and another two legion of Vanyan soldiers, a mix of baldors and boldors, moving up.

As Jacob waited for backup to arrive, one of the Officers broke off from the legions and ran towards him.

"Commander Jacob! You have new orders from Bloody Marrie to withdraw from this fight and go and support the rest of your army, E-Wing and G-Wing, in taking the fight to the second wall and the six hundred thousand Mackarole infantry located there!"

Jacob blinked, then sheathed his sword and put a hand on the Officer's shoulder.

"Remember to breathe when giving thy explanations," Jacob told him, "Other than that, you did a great job. Congratulate thyself."

With those parting words, Jacob took off his shield and took out his sword, this time sheathing his sword in his shield before proceeding to put his shield on his back.

Although the big jump in numbers were surprising, Jacob still trusted in their victory. They'll do enough damage to successfully raid the city. Though, he knows that isn't what Marrie came out to do. Then again, if there is one person out there who can change the tide, then it would be her.

--------

High Commander Shiro Tanaka was called from battle by High General Toshiro, someone who was also sent into the capital with Shiro in order to make sure everything runs smoothly. If things did, the two were going to use a fort given to them by the Mackarole King and Queen to set up a forward base of operation to attack the Empire Faction and, though not likely much to Toshiro's dismay, attack the Kingdom Faction. All the Clan leaders agreed that they should focus on the Empire Faction first, and so did Toshiro, but most also agreed that they shouldn't even attack the Kingdom Faction, which Toshiro did not.

They say it wouldn't be honorable to attack a Faction that has dulled their teeth and culled the strong, but Toshiro argued by bringing up an even older tradition of honor, where punishing the unworthy was the duty of the Senshi. Of course, his good point, and his even better point about how if they take over a good portion of the Kingdom, they can have an even better position over the Empire Faction. Shiro was sure that some of them didn't want to give the old High General any more power and renown, even if his plan was a good one.

Climbing up the stairs of the nicely decorated temple archway, the layout of the palace and the Konin* area reminded him of their own palace and noble area, only more decorated and shiny with dark silver and orange colors mixed in, and the many spirals that were dotted all over the place, like some of the art and statues deep in the Demon Faction's mountains.

Once he made it up, he spotted High General Toshiro standing by the white smooth stone railing, looking down at the city below. The capital city of Mackarole is one large and impressive city, but the palace was located more towards the front of the city. Even then, one wouldn't be able to clearly see the very outer walls from the palace. Only from the temple can one see such a view. As such, one can also see the fires in the distance, as well as the smoke and sharp glitter of mana and magic. Every now and then, a tiny black speck in the distance would fall over. Worse of all, the fire was approaching the secondary wall, and Shiro was close enough to see the slight disturbance brought about by the Vanyan's breath. They were coming closer and, if they don't manage to repel them soon, they will be able to raid part of the city.

High General Toshiro was a tall man wearing a red oni mask and traditional helmet, showing how much of a stickler to tradition he is. On his back was the Odarchō*, an old yet still deadly long sword with a slightly straighter blade than the katana. and wore a massive dark blood red rope knot on his back that somehow suited the light grey armored haori. Shiro heard those were a pain to make, as one had to place thin fornine metal in-between the fabric, and then proceed to stitch in fine steel in the fabric. It was tactically better than steel armor, but steel armor still offered better protection, and the jacket was not better than common knight. That is why Toshiro wore the more normal, if not a little heavier, armor that Senshi Commanders wear. Shiro was an exception since he and his class were made for speed and dodging, so they lacked most of the heavier armor the other Commanders wore.

"High Commander Shiro Tanaka," Toshiro greeted, giving a small bow. Shiro almost responded by giving the normal Senshi salute, which is to stick out one's non-dominant arm and flex their lower arm upwards.

"High General Toshiro Nōburu," Shiro greeted back, bowing in turn, "Why have you called me from my post out in the front?"

"Tell me, what need would the Vanyans need for supplies this early in their war rampage?" Toshiro asked, causing Shiro to let out a sigh.

"They probably don't need supplies, but the fact that they sacked the capital of Mackarole will help with their goal. Remember, Vanyans love to spread fear. They have no rhyme nor reason otherwise."

Shiro remembered learning about that when he was made into a Commander, and was taught even more about it from his sensei. Vanyans have no need to raid and pillage. They have more than enough natural resources to sustain their four point four million population, which only includes warriors. Upon learning about it, Shiro remembered feeling outraged. How could they? They do it all in the name of fear?

When he told his sensei what he felt about them, however, his sensei just gave him a sad smile. If there is another reason as to why the Vanyans do what they do, he hasn't been told nor figured it out yet.

"Do you know who is leading these armies? I assume you were there on the front line, so you must have met her," Toshiro asked yet another question, his voice still as calm as a lazy river.

"Yep," Shiro spat out, "The one and only Bloody Marrie, Warmonger Of Vanyan."

"Yes, High Commander Marrie Ashta. A named Warmonger who is known for her brilliant mind," Toshiro said, his head turning back to look at the fire in the distance, "Now, why would she bring her armies here? There is no way she could have known that we were here, and she isn't backing down despite the now clear and large number difference."

"Because she too, is a Vanyan?" Shiro tried, not understanding what Toshiro was getting at.

"Marrie is a Warmonger, but she can arguably be called the weakest. Her magic is only attuned to ice, and she can't regenerate as well as the other Warmongers. However, she makes up for it in her brutal fighting style, and her tactical mind. She fights more like a High Commander, but thinks more like a High General."

"...So, you think that there is an actual reason for her attacking Mackarole, and it isn't some decision made by their so-called Senate?" Shiro asked, a bit of worry in his voice.

"I don't think this was made by their Senate, and I don't think this is a simple raid," Toshiro explained, "Tell me, if one wanted to spread fear and mess up the second-most trading route, where would they attack?"

Realization hit Shiro within an instant.

"Wait! You can't mean-?" Shiro started before he too turned and looked out at the fire in the distance.

"Their armies are larger than normal, since there are multiple Commanders here instead of the normal one or two, they dragged their siege weapons through thick forest to purposely attack the front of the city rather than the larger yet less defended back, and they aren't backing down upon seeing a million extra soldiers come in to reinforce, instead going even deeper into the city."

Toshiro turned towards Shiro, a grim look in his eyes.

"Her plan is to destroy the capital, which will, whether intentional or not, destroy the Mackarole Faction for good. If we don't stop them, they will cause most of the Factions to go to war with each other again, this time with much more aggression, just like before and after the Union fell. Marrie is living up to her Warmonger title, High Commander Shiro, and we have to stop her before whatever her plan is comes into fruition."

Silence filled the clearing which was only broken by the subtle yet still audible sound of explosions and booms coming from the Vanyan artillery and the Mackarole's own city-built artillery. Then, Shiro let out a slow chuckle.

"I think I might have a plan," Shiro said, "Vanyans may have a high and rather strange moral, and they are definitely great fighters, but they won't be able to handle being pinned with superior numbers. I just need you to guide me."

........

Commander John Hawk watched the last remaining tower fall down and hit the secondary city wall. The Vanyan army under Jacob had already managed to break through both Mackarole lines, allowing for them to meet up. His army was behind him as well, pouring in and ready to march with Jacob, and Marrie's army was about to be done clearing up the eastern part of the city. Once she was done, she will go and join the other Vanyan armies and help push through the obvious chokehold the Mackaroles will, without a doubt, have set up. Once they were through, they would split into two, Marrie leading her own army to once again clear the east side of the city while he and Jacob were to attack the remaining Mackarole army, if there was any. If not, then they were free to raid and pillage as much as they want.

John waited, undisturbed, as a massive bronze tri-cannon mounted in the secondary city wall aimed at his army. Before it could fire, five massive fireballs came and smashed into it, destroying the cannon. Letting out a chuckle, he turned his attention on the few hundred Mackarole troops in front of him. They were caught between two Vanyan armies, one of them paying them no attention, and the other one needing to go through them in order to join the other said Vanyan army.

Still chuckling, he threw his axe in the air and caught it before pointing its head at the soldiers.

"Thy has met a dead end," John announced, "Ready thyselves, since thineself and thine army shall be yer undoing."

With that said, he let out the famous Vanyan battle cry, "GOONGALA!" and proceeded to charge forward, his army right behind him.

He let his army overtake him, having no shields that can block the swords sticking out of the Mackarole's shield wall formation. When the two forces met, the shield wall broke instantly. The shields of the Vanyan soldiers instantly knocked away most of the swords, or were impaled, yet still ran forward, bashing into the shields of the Mackaroles while using their swords to stab the soldiers behind them. Only one Vanyan soldier died in the first clash, and as the fighting picked up, three more fell before one Mackarole soldier was killed. Then, the tides started turning.

The Vanyans pushed, using their shields, unnatural strength, and tough bodies to break the center of the Mackarole soldiers formation. They had tried to reform their shield wall, and managed to do it, but they failed to keep it under the pressure of the Vanyan soldiers. Now that they could fight without having to worry about being poked and stabbed by other enemy swords, the Vanyans showed their might, tearing through the Mackarole soldiers with ease.

It was at this point that John joined the fray. He leaped up and slammed the head of his double-headed battle axe into a Mackarole's forehead, kicked him off, spun around and slit another soldier's throat open before finishing him off by stabbing him in the head with his sai. After quickly pulling it out, he turned and swung his axe, swiping another Mackarole soldier across her face, allowing him to trip her and bring his axe down on her neck. It didn't decapitate her, but when he stomped down on his axe, her head rolled off.

Picking his axe back up, he dodged an incoming sword, then another one which he countered with a swipe of his own, though it was deflected by their shield. Not giving his failed counterattack any mind, he raised his left arm up and blindly stabbed the previous soldier. She went back, pulling herself off his sai. Before he could bring in his left arm, something sliced it.

Quickly pulling it back, he cast a quick glance to his left and saw that one of the Mackarole soldiers had jumped up over the front line to get at him. His choice quickly led to his demise as a Vanyan baldor drew in their shield, causing the Mackarole soldier who was on it to fall, then stabbed him in the head with their longsword. With him dead, they focused back on the fight.

John smiled and, sensing and hearing danger, darted back just in the nick of time to avoid a sword. Acting fast, he aimed a strike with his axe, then fainted, spinning behind the Mackarole soldier and stabbing them in the back of their neck with his sai. Turning around, he blocked two incoming strikes, one of them nicking his chest, his punishment for being behind enemy lines, before reaching around and wrapping the soldier from before in a headlock, where he then snapped his neck twice before throwing his body at the soldiers who attacked him.

Before he could back up, John blocked one more strike and failed to block a swipe at his left hip, which stung more than the slash on the back of his left arm did.

Once he was safe, he waited for an opportunity to strike. When he saw it, he took a big step forward, flipped his axe before raising it high, then slammed it down on a soldier's head, killing them instantly.

Flinging the body off his axe, he socked another Mackarole soldier in the gut before finishing him off by stabbing him in the face with his sai, then spun around and slit another one's throat with his axe, which he then finished off by kicking her in the chest, sending her flying into three other Mackarole soldiers, her ribs, armor, and lungs crushed by the blow.

Their little battle ended rather quickly. At the end of it, John had killed fifteen more people, holding himself back so that his soldiers could get some kills in. There was only one soldier left, the Captain, which John was finishing off now. The Captain was on the ground, the head of John's axe behind her. With a quick thrust, John stabbed her face with his sai, then planted his foot on her chest and pulled. It took four seconds but his axe did the work, decapitating the Captain, executing her.

Looking up from his kill, he saw through the archway that the Vanyan soldiers had slowed down, most of them standing still. It seemed that Jacob's army finally ran into the chokehold.

Chuckling, he cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders, standing up tall.

"Soldiers Of Vanyan! Come, to thy Glory!" John shouted, raising his battle axe above his head. Behind him, his soldiers cheered.

With his little "pep talk" done, he ran through the archway. Seeing him and his army coming, the Vanyan soldiers under Jacob fanned out, making room behind them. John was the first to run through the archway and into the empty space, and his eyes instantly caught sight of a jeweled door a bit ahead to the right in the secondary wall. However, seeing as how no Vanyans were using the door, and upon seeing no seam, he realized that it was just a decoration.

"John!?" A voice called out, causing John to turn to his right.

Coming up on the street with another Vanyan army behind her was their leader, High Commander Marrie. Seeing her, as well as the fresh blood coating the left side of her dress and face as well as dripping of the head of her long axe, caused John to chuckle.

"High Commander!" John called out, walking towards her while his army funneled in behind him, "How you've been? I see thy was busy, huh?"

Marrie stopped in her tracks and grumbled something, clearly ticked off at John's disrespectful behavior. He was the only Commander that almost constantly undermines her authority, and gets under her skin as well.

"Commander John," Marrie growled, placing the hilt of her weapon on the ground. Behind her, her army stopped.

"It seems that Jacob finally met the chokehold," John informed Marrie with his arms cross, stopping a couple of feet away from her, "and it seems that you arrived earlier than expected. Was there not enough action, or were they not good enough to keep the fight going longer?"

Marrie let out a hiss but didn't answer his question.

"I see you finally knocked down that tower," Marrie noted dryly, lazily nodding at the dark grey and orange tower that was above most of the street, its head laying down on top of the secondary wall.

"Yep. It was a challenge," John admitted with a still hearty and smug smile on his face, "but it was nothing me and my Marjinars can't handle."

"Hawk?"

"Yes-" John began but was quickly cut off by Marrie.

"Shut up."

John opened his mouth to respond, then thought better of it and closed it.

"Now that thy problem here is clear, let's go and examine thee chokehold thy Mackaroles have set-" Marrie began, walking forward, but stopped when they heard a loud creaking sound.

"THE DOOR! FACE RIGHT!" Someone cried, causing the Vanyans in ear range to turn and see what the commotion was about. When most of the ones that turned didn't turn back, John and Marrie realized they had a problem.

"John, yer in charge of thine army," Marrie snapped, quickly walking up the the wall, "Tell yer army to join the fight with Jacob while you lead thine army to snake around the secondary wall to provide support."

"And what shall you be doing?" John asked, though he already knew what she was going to say.

Marrie leaped up on the wall, her claws digging into the metal and her long axe on her back.

"I'm going to try and hold them back," Marrie replied before leaping up once again, scaling forty feet in eight seconds.

Once up high, she turned and leaped off the secondary wall, taking out her long axe and using the blade to hook part of the fallen tower. Then, caught, she climbed up and went inside the tower.

"It's going to take a good while for us to arrive, Marrie," John sighed, "That's why you wanted us to go the quickest route."

--------

Shiro Tanaka found himself fighting among the frontlines, only this time he wasn't behind a barricade. As such, he was struggling with the Vanyan soldiers. The baldors' armor was extremely tough, blocking most of the affects of glancing blows from his katana, and the Vanyan soldiers were highly skilled too.

He darted back from the front line, catching his breath, and spotted a Vanyan Enforcer*, a tall, hulking woman wearing silver armor over her arms, legs, and back, while leaving her stomach pretty much open, wielding a long axe, wearing a red sarashi, and a Viking-like helmet and a bone mask.

The enforcer eyed the soldiers fighting in front of her silently, her eyes dreadful yet calm, then moved. She darted forward, twirling her long axe over her head and slamming it down in a Mackarole's shoulder blades, making him drop to his knees. Then, she ripped out her axe and picked the Mackarole up with her free hand by his head, then slammed the blade of her axe into his head, killing him before smacking him off her axe. Now free, she picked another target and stepped forward. He raised his war flail in defense and the two eyed each other, taking small steps in a circle. Then, the enforcer struck, stabbing him in his open knee with the spiked pommel of her long axe.

The Mackarole cried out in pain, dropping to one knee. He didn't have time to defend himself when the enforcer struck, her long axe upside down. The blade embedded itself in his chest where she then proceeded to rip it upwards, cutting up and into his chin, where she then pulled out, leaving a gurgling pool of blood. Instead of moving on, the enforcer shifted her hand once again, her axe now being held normally, and twirled back and spun around, swinging her long axe in a wide and powerful arc. It decapitated the fallen Mackarole soldier and hit another one in her guts, causing her to fall to the ground from the sudden impact.

The enforcer didn't pursue the fallen Mackarole soldier, instead opting to pull out her long axe and stomp to her left, heading towards Shiro as she searched for another spot to help out in. Seeing that the enforcer hasn't retreated behind the frontline yet, Shiro took the chance to take her out.

He crouched down and darted out, his katana at the ready. The enforcer saw him coming and shifted his axe, ready to block the incoming attack. However, Shiro never reached her. Instead, a boldor leaped out in front of him, his sword nicking his chest while his shield blocked his katana.

The two collided into each other yet, despite taking the worse of it, Shiro recovered first and pulled his katana up above his head, the blade pointed down, and stabbed his sword into the boldor's chest. The boldor screamed in pain and tried to retaliate, but Shiro was quicker. Darting back with his hands still on the hilt of his katana, he jumped up and kicked the Vanyan with his feet, ripping his blade out while sending the boldor crashing to the ground where Shiro finished him off by pouncing on him, driving his katana through his head.

After ripping his sword free, he looked around and spotted the enforcer to his left, too far away to stop her from snapping a Mackarole's neck with her long axe, crushing her jaw in the process.

Before he could come at her again, one Mackarole swung his war flail and hit her square in the head, bringing her to all fours, where he then finished her off with another powerful blow to the back of her head. At first, Shiro was confused to why the enforcer didn't dodge, but then he saw the sword that was lodged into her left shin. It seemed the female Mackarole, before she got killed, managed to injury the Vanyan warrior.

'It won't be long now. Once we break apart the two Vanyan armies, they shall be in disarray, allowing our artillery to nail them. Their own artillery will destroy ours, but they won't be able to stop the massive damage that will be done. This time, they will be forced to retreat and regroup, allowing time for Shiro, Toshiro, and the other Mackarole Commanders to set up better defences. Once their defences are up, even Bloody Marrie won't be able to get through without taking too much damage. She will, unless she really wants to raid this city, retreat and leave the Mackarole Faction alone. For now, at least.

Then, Shiro saw something fly high in the air. Quickly darting out of the way, he realized what it was before it was even six feet from the ground.

It was Ryan's, a Mackarole Commander, decapitated head.

Instantly, a shiver ran through Shiro's spine. He looked around, praying to the Senshi Gods, and even to the Apostle Aya, that his worries weren't true. However, once he spotted the pile of bodies around an area where very few Vanyans were around, he realized that it was time to face reality, especially when he saw a familiar plain-looking head of an axe bury itself in a fleeing Mackarole's head, killing him.

Then, out stepped Bloody Marrie, her dress coated with blood as well as most of her face, her hands especially. Her claws had some slight chunks of flesh in them, and her hands were coated fully with blood, as well as most of the staff of her long axe. Her Vanyan breath bellowed out of her mouth with each exhale, creating a slight mist around her head that her eyes glowed through. However, even if she was covered in blood, Shiro could tell that she was injured. She has a nasty gash on her left hip, and it seems someone managed to slit the right side of her throat. She healed it off, obviously, but that doesn't change the fact that she will have trouble breathing for a while.

Yet, the look in her eyes as she scanned the battlefield before landing on six Mackarole soldiers charging her...made it look like she wasn't even hurt at all.

....

Marrie Ashta twirled her long axe up into the air, taking a step back, then let go of the staff with her left hand and lunged forward, catching one charging Mackarole soldier by surprise, getting him in a one-arm headlock. With her other free hand, she shifted her grip, her right hand now closer to the head of the axe, then cleaved right into another Mackarole's head, bringing him to the ground which allowed her axe to cleave right through his head.

The other four charging soldiers stopped their charge, more cautious now, incidentally giving Marrie time to snap the Mackarole's neck she has, then use her axe to cleave into the back of the soldier's neck, killing him. Dropping the body, she stood up and rested the pommel of her long axe on the ground, beckoning the other soldiers forward with her left hand, a smug yet manic smile on her face.

A Mackarole Captain took the challenge, running forward with his war flail. His plan was to use his superior weight and armor to win up close. That, however, was his worst mistake.

Marrie started walking forward, heading towards him. When the two were close, the Captain lunged, his war flail's staff to his right to hit her if she dodged. But, of course, unfortunately for him, that did nothing to stop Marrie from dodging. She became a blur, side stepping and swung her long axe with one hand to the side while simultaneously using her free hand to palm strike the Captain's right arm down to his side. Just like this, she eviscerated him with her axe without even glancing at him, her eyes locked on the other three soldiers.

The other four soldiers all looked at each other, then charged her. Marrie felt her smile widen at the sight and couldn't help but let out a giggle. Her muscles were twitching, her body dying for action.

After rapping her fingers on the staff of her axe, she decided to attack rather than defend. With a plan in mind, Marrie crouched down and charged, sprinting towards the four soldiers at an impossibly fast pace. The ones to her right were her targets. Arriving before the two could get into battle stances, she rammed the head of her axe, the top and non-sharp part, right through his chest and lifted him up in the air with it. The soldier had dropped his sword and shield, trying to free himself from the impalement, but Marrie wasn't going to finish him off just yet. There was still the other soldier to worry about.

Side stepping to her right, she dodged the Mackarole's swing. Using the chance, she reached out and grabbed her head with her left hand, threw her up into the air, caught her by her head, then slammed her down on the ground three times, an impressive feat considering that the Mackarole soldier weighed about two more times than she did, and was more than twice as tall.

Pulling her axe in, Marrie stomped on the Mackarole's neck, keeping her pinned while freeing her left hand, which she then winded back before punching the soldier still on her axe right in the head, sending him flying off as well as caving his skull in, killing him. Then, with her axe free, Marrie shifted her grip and slammed the head of the axe down on the squirming Mackarole trapped underneath her foot, killing her.

As Marrie made to free her axe, she looked up, sensing danger, and saw one of the two remaining Mackarole soldiers who challenged her high in the air, his sword at the ready. He was a mere foot away, too close and moving too fast for Marrie to free her axe. However, even unarmed, one should never try and fight Marrie in close quarter combat.

Marrie spun in a circle, gaining momentum, then kicked with her right foot, hard! Her foot connected to the stomach of the Mackarole, causing him to bite down so hard that he bit off the tip of his tongue, and then threw up with his mouth still closed.

Then, he was sent flying seventeen feet in the air. While Marrie can be considered the weakest Warmonger, she is by far one of the, if not, strongest Warmonger, and that is without using magic to enhance herself, which is something she can't do.

Now, there was only one soldier left, the other one having been kicked right into the frontlines, getting shredded by both sides. Freeing her axe, Marrie let out a chuckle, her body quivering from the thrill of fighting, before she beckoned her foe forward.

The last Mackarole soldier titled his head, deciding what the best way to go about this, before, with a shrug, he let out a bellow and charged, winding up his war flail as he did so.

Marrie's smile widened and she ran at him as well, twirling her long axe once before dropping on all threes, her right arm in the air carrying the long axe. Like this, Marrie covered ground at an even more alarming rate than her sprinting speed. The Mackarole, however, would not be pulled off by this.

Slowing down a bit, he tracked the her blur dashing, listening to the sound of dirty shifting and the wind moving as she ran, and tracked the glint of the axe.

Then, struck, the two flails coming around and slamming down where Marrie was. Only, she saw it coming and quickly darted to her right, still on all threes. However, when the Mackarole whirled his flails around and attack her a second time, his movements a blur, she deflected the flails with her long axe, knocking them aside.

Now on two feet, Marrie darted forward, doing a palm strike on the Mackarole, sending him back, which was then followed up by a punch from her right hand, which held her long axe, in a horse stance, sending him back even more and making him lose his footing bad enough for him to trip and nearly fall flat on the ground.

Taking the opportunity, Marrie swung wide. Seeing this, the Mackarole put up the staff of his weapon to block it but, to his horror, even if her hands were near the pommel of the weapon, the raw strength behind the swing knocked aside his weapon while still keeping its trajectory, which ended with the blade of the axe cutting open the right side of his throat.

Withdrawing her axe, Marrie jumped over and landed by his head, her axe over her head, and swung down. Yet, much to Marrie's surprise, the Mackarole soldier wasn't done yet and rolled out of the way.

Looking up, he met Marrie's eyes who, to him, looked eerie and full of a manic rage driven by some other primal emotion. Then, she disappeared, leaving only a small dust cloud in her wake.

Too late did he sense her behind him. Before he could even move a muscle, Marrie brought her axe, once again holding it close to the head while on all threes, into his head, killing him.

Using her left hand to support herself, placing it on the soldier's corpse, she yanked her axe free. Once free, she stood up, not even showing the slightest signs that she is tired. She wasn't, if one was wondering. Her high stamina is what allows her to fight in the brutal, powerful, yet fast style that she does.

Letting out a sigh, Marrie turned the soldier around and closed his eyes before closing her own eyes, giving him a silent prayer. Once done, she stood up and planted the pommel of her axe into the ground, using her left hand to block out the rays of light coming from the fire while she scanned for a place to join in on the frey. As she looked, she couldn't help but glance behind her at the pile of bodies she had made. The Mackaroles opened two doors, and now one of them was clear. If she can hold out for, hopefully, a little while, Hawk will come in with her army and flank the Mackaroles. Once they do that, the battle will be all but over.

Looking to her right, where a large amount of Mackarole soldiers were busy fighting a rather small Vanyan legion, she spotted her target. The female Mackarole Commander she saw before. She already killed one of them, she thinks his name was Ryan, meaning there should be one more Commander left. Well, two since someone clearly came in with the million army, though, whoever they were, they have yet to show themselves, and they also let this Commander take control of their army. Well, she could also be wrong about it and she is the actual Commander of this army, with the other one being somewhere else.

"It doesn't matter," Marrie whispered, her voice giddy and quivering, "A lovely fight to signify the endless start of our glorious cause, and thy plan me made. If I die, then I guess that's that."

Marrie took a step forward, her eyes trained on the Commander, before she froze, the smile on her face dying down to a small frown. Then, she reached down into her dress and into one of the few pockets hidden in it, and pulled out a white flower with a blue center.

"...Home," Marrie muttered, gently rubbing the petals with her claws.

"Bloody Marrie!" A familiar voice shouted out, causing Marrie's pupils to shrink and turn diamond in shape out of rage. She had to quickly put the flower away or there was a high chance she would have crushed it, "I Challenge You To A Duel!"

Marrie's head snapped to the left, her eyes searching the crowd that was slowly stopping their fighting, and quickly found the Senshi she was looking for.

Marrie was vaguely aware that the other Mackarole Commander has spotted her, that there were much more Mackaroles than Vanyans around her, and that she was still injured, bleeding from the gash on her hip. Yet, her anger and code of honor both screamed to fight him for the dirty little trick he played. Being a Vanyan, especially one with such a bloodline as herself, a leader, and a Warmonger, Marrie has a strong, if not confusing, sense and code for honor. She would never try and single a Commander out, instead wanting them to fight in combat rather than die to attacks they can't control...

....which is exactly what Shiro just did before, opting to take her out by herself with projectiles during their greeting.

....

Shiro knew that fighting Marrie was not really a fight, but more of an execution, but it is his only chance of success. He can't outkill Marrie, since her fighting style makes her even more deadlier fighting groups of people. She is, in fact, less skilled in single combat, which is why Shiro knew his chances, while not good, weren't impossible either.

Still, the anger in her eyes when she saw him reminded him that she still clearly remembered the dishonorable trick he pulled. He also remembered the strange scene he saw before he decided to call out. It looked like Marrie was...sad about something, and that something had to do with the flower in her hands. Since she was twenty-three, the flower probably belonged to her husband or maybe even child. However, Shiro doesn't know for sure since, in Vanyan tradition, the wives give flowers to the husbands while the husbands give rings to their wives.

Since that is the case, then the flower Marrie has might belong to her rumored younger sister or a friend. Either way, the fact that Marrie has it means they died, and most likely in battle too. As a Warmonger, Marrie shouldn't be bothered by this too much, and she would definitely be proud of whoever died too for dying in battle. So, why did the flower affect her so much?

"Does thy think thar dishonorable tricks will be enough to put thine down!?" Marrie snarled, interrupting Shiro's train of thought, "Thar spirits, honorable, and all that bullshit. Erymar fucker, Shiro!"

Shiro looked around, eyeing the Vanyan soldiers who have stopped fighting, and the Mackarole soldiers who have done the same. After giving them a nod, he stepped out and approached the Warmonger, stopping twelve feet away from her.

"I am sorry about that but, from my view, taking you out was the best way to secure victory," Shiro explained, doing a bow.

"....Well, ya clearly succeeded in pissing me off," Marrie growled after a tense five seconds, her eyes slightly wide in disbelief while her smile grew, showing her teeth.

"I can see that," Shiro responded, getting up from his bow.

"Well, thy little trick of yours...did it happen to include thee clerics?" Marrie asked, giving a cheeky smile.

Shiro felt his fist clench and he cursed silently in his mind. Of course he didn't take into account how good the healers, or clerics as Vanyan call them, are. They managed to heal Marrie in a short amount of time, short enough for her to get back into the fight and change the tide of battle.

"Well, let's get this started," Shiro said, getting into a battle stance.

"Heh heh heh," Marrie chuckled, leaning forward while tilting her head, "Thine couldn't agree with thy more."

Konin: The more decorated, expensive and exclusive place in a city, normally around the palace. The upper class usually live here.

Enforcer: These Vanyan are specially trained to use the long axe, fighting in a style similar to Bloody Marrie. They can be soldiers, Officers, Captains, High Captains, and etc. Although they use a long axe, they are brutal and highly skilled in close quarter combat. They leave their belly exposed since, in their belief, their Gods and the Apostles made the Vanyans feel the hunger of war. As such, they believe that an exposed belly allows them to feel the "hunger" better.