Part 12: The battle for Schwartz Woods
Zorzal, having arrived with his forces, establishes an encampment that obscures their presence as their base of command. All the while, Nate continues to receive reinforcements within the hour
Nate: How many?
Soldier: From those here, we have less than 50,000 infantry and 10,000 cavalry
Nate: Therefore... the enemy will be trying to overwhelm us by sheer numbers...
Meanwhile, Zorzal began bellowing orders that the men, even their centurions, questioned it
Zorzal: The fourteenth will cross this river while the seventh will cross the road in a pinsir
Centurion: ... Your Highness... this plan of yours may not go--
Zorzak: You question my intelligence, centurion?
The centurion then shuts up, knowing that he can't question Zorzal's orders, even if they were stupid
Meanwhile, Nate received word of their moovement
Nate: The enemy is here?!
Soldier: Yes! The enemy strength sums up to over 90,000 men with wyverns and auxiliaries!
Nate: We're only 40,000 men strong! We need to hold out and form defensive positions overlooking the heights! You!
A nearby soldier stands up
Soldier: Sir!
Nate: Relay the message to my father that we need reinforcements!
Soldier: Yes, sir!
Then, Nate gets in the center of his army and yells
Nate: ENEMY FORCES APPROACHING! GTAB YOUR MUSKETS, NOW! GET TO YOUR COMMANDING OFFICER AND GET READY FOR THE ATTACK!!!
The soldiers grab their weapons and fix bayonets, ready for the incoming attack
Meanwhile, Zorzal and his forces approach the Eldian positions
Zorzal: Go! Lay seige to their useless defenses! Show them the might of our spears!
Saderran soldiers march on, going through their pre-determined routes as Eldian troops get ready for an encounter
Then, within 5 minutes, Saderran troops come into view
Eldian Soldier: They're coming!!
Eldian Commander: Hold your fire! Let them get closer!
Meanwhile, Zorzal is atop the hills, watching his men head towards the enemy positions
Zorzal: Watch them crumble before our impenetrable formations!
He yells as his own force march down the hill to face the enemy fortifications
Centurion: Show them our mighty shields!
They form a testudo as most of the veterans dread while the younger, less experienced ones remained unaware and ignorant of the imposing danger the Eldians posses
Eldian Commander: LOAD POWDER CHARGE!
The cannons crews follow the orders
Eldian Commander: RAM!
They load in the cannon balls
Eldian Commander: ... TAKE. AIM!!
They prime the charges
Eldian Commander: FIRE!
The Saderran soldiers scream in terror and fear as their shields are immediately turned to nothing but paper as the cannon balls tear through their formations
Zorzal: WHAT!?
Centurion: It's no use! Charge!!!
They break formation and rush towards the enemy
Eldian Commander: Volley fire, ready? First rank, FIRE! Second rank, FIRE! Third rank, FIRE!!!
Within minutes, the Saderrans who held their emotions back immediately turned to flee back to their camps in fear
Centurion: ... The forces that were sent through the river retreated...
Zorzal: Send in the rest of the men in!
5 minutes later, Saderran troops responded again
Eldian Commander: Again?! FIRE AT WILL!
The Eldians affix bayonets as they prepare for a possible CQC as they fire at their own discretion
Meanwhile, reinforcements arrived via railway as the Eldians regained momentum, and this time, they unleashed their thunder spears on the enemy
Zorzal: What...!?
Centurion: I beg of you, Your Highness! Let us retreat and regroup!
Meanwhile, Herm's men are currently pinned down due to the Eldians' muskets and anti-personnel gear, forcing many of their soldiers to use the nearby structures as cover
Saderran Soldier: Come on! The path is--
Eldian troops who positioned themselves on the roof took aim and took them down
Herm: Dammit, we can't get any further!
Saderran Soldier: Should we retreat and regroup?!
Herm: ...
Weighing his options, he could continue on the attack and lose more men. On the other hand, they can pull back and lick their wounds
Herm: Pull back, have all our forces retreat.
Saderran Soldier: Understood.
As the word got to the centurions
Centurion: RETREAT! RETREAT!
The already demoralized soldiers immediately turned tail and ran for it
Eldian Soldier: They're retreating!
Eldian Commander: Don't! We can't go after them.
Back at the Eldians' central command, Nate talks with his commanders
Nate: Okay, we were able to fend them off. But Fath-- the Grand General still hasn't received word that we're under attack, get to your men, recouperate your losses, and plan your next defensive formations
Commanders: At once!
Then, Nate slumps onto his chair, contemplating if he is even worthy to become the grand general once his father steps down
Nate: ... I'm not like him... Father is charming, commanded respect! I'm just a boy living in my father's own shadow...
As the night wears on, Nate finally sheds tears. Believing that he is an unworthy son
Nate: Rosa.. my dear sister... I'm still searching for you... but... I'm coming...
Back at the main encampment
Satoshi: My son needs reinforcements?!
Soldier: Yes, sir! An enemy force of 80,000 men will overwhelm their defenses!
Satoshi: ... Commander, send your battalions to relieve the pressure on the front
Commander: At once!
The commander and the messenger leave to reach Nate's frontline defenses with their reinforcements
Satoshi: ... Get ready, Son... I'm sending reinforcements to you
As the next day arrives, so did Zorzal's newly improved plans
Eldian Commander: They're coming again!
Eldian Soldier: Wyverns!!
This time, Zorzal brought in their aerial units to battle, making the Eldians panic. None of them have ODM Gear or Anti-Personnel gear to counter
Zorzal: With our mighty wyverns, they can't defeat us this time!
But then, what appears to be enemy "magic" arrived and destroyed the wyverns approaching
Zorzal: What the?!
Nate sighs in relief. The reinforcements he requested have arrived
Nate: Here comes the cavalry!
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