Nothing Prepares

[Tankplaysmc 62]

Nothing Prepares
The First Battle of Samuel Starling 

When Samuel Starling took to the arena or the jousts, he never felt so much adrenaline as he did standing in the siege camp outside Southbridge. Though he was skilled in tournament combat, a nagging voice on the side of his shoulder told him that the chaos of battle would be far less civilized. And it was right. As the trebuchets came to life and threw out their fireballs, Samuel and the levy horsemen assigned to him watched in wonder. That was until they saw similar fireballs hurled back at the camp.

The men scattered and took cover behind whatever they could. Samuel, however, was frozen. The smell, the sounds, the grimness of the battlefield was something he had never experienced. He had no experience with raids, nor skirmishes... Nothing. And when he thought back to his Marshal's words in Savoy, the celebrations after the Basrid wedding... He knew that the Marshal was right. Nothing could prepare for such conflict.
Samuel brought himself out of his stupor and glanced to the cavalry next to him. He raised his Warhammer high above his head as he yelled out, "Follow me, brothers! For our glory today shall be echoed forever!"
And it was at that moment the cavalry began to ride out past the walls of the siege camp, to glance upon the damage of the trebuchets. They saw the massive holes left in the foundation, yet Samuel's eyes were glued to another prize. He gave out another yell, and his 1000 cavalrymen charged to meet the retreating 1000 Orennians.

 

The first battle against the Orennians was a blood bath. At first contact, Samuel's cavalry utterly crippled the formation and formed a great wedge between the forces. Wounded and battered, the side closest to the Fort attempted to retreat back into it, while the other 500 were encircled and butchered by the lances and swords. Samuel himself killed tens of men, each blood-curdling THUNK of his Warhammer letting him know his aim was true. It was then that some Ferryman forces began to assist in the endeavor, picking off the wounded 500 as Samuel and his riders pursued. And, pressing them against the wall of the gate as they cried out to no one to let them in, Samuel and his men slaughtered the fellows. Samuel himself had only lost roughly 100 men in the attack, or so he believed from the quick guesstimate. And with the sight of his comrades swarming the crippled Fort, Samuel again saw another cowardly force of Orennians retreating into the hills nearby.

 

Had it not been for the support of 2+ Ferryman divisions, the fight uphill would've been disastrous for Samuel and his men. But, the ever-lovely sound of arrows hitting steel and wood had terrorized the Orennians and their formation was barely coherent before the clash of horsemen overran them. But, these Orennians were dedicated spearmen, and as the cavalry charged and cut down hundreds, many of their own horses were left broken or dead. What occurred next was a battle alongside Ferryman infantry, as the Orennians desperately tried to fight and flee for their lives. Samuel himself was face to face with the leader of the Orennians, though he couldn't tell if the man was simply a Footman or a proper Knight. As a duel took place amidst the noise of the battlefield, Samuel's tournament prowess had prepared him for such a fight. His Warhammer swung true and clobbered the man's armor, causing his opponent difficulty breathing as his chest piece dented inwards. Samuel used the spike atop his Warhammer to finish the job, stabbing the man in his throat as he overextended from fatigue. And as many Orennians began to realize their leader had fallen, they surrendered and were taken captive by Samuel and the Ferrymen, dividing the prisoners equally.

 

The rest of the battle was quite tame for Samuel and his men, their losses were minimal, and the only action they truly participated in for the rest of the siege was archery. Many Orennians fled to their hiding spots as they were hit by Samuel's men, and Samuel was surprised to see so few of them run for the hills and run for their lives. He didn't know whether to pity their stupidity or admire their stubbornness. Though. when the trebuchets finally broke into the inner depths of the castle, Samuel and his men were funneled in alongside other Coalition fighters to fight a pitched close-quarters battle. Luckily enough, by the time they had breached into the upper rooms, most of the other combatants had already slain many Orennians. Samuel did take some losses, but they weren't exactly grand.

 

And then, the battle was finished. The siege was over, and as his men cheered Samuel went to the forest nearby to kneel and pray. He gave thanks and kissed the ground, giving praise to GOD that he was alive. But the battle had changed the man. No longer was he using dulled weapons, or yielding before death... He had now killed people. Ended lives, and commanded the deaths of others. He glanced to his fellows marching to the nearby Tavern, celebrating their glorious victory, and went off to join them. He didn't drink much that day though, and after some time decided to go elsewhere to clear his mind of the horrors he had seen. For Nothing Prepares a man for battle except battle itself.