Wholly Undead 103 A New Kind of Warfare

The Warriors of Jakahn could hear the rumbling, but more than that... They could feel the rumbling.

"Shield wall up front and ready! Skirmishers began volleys! Ballista re-angle and fire on the incoming!" General Lee spat in quick session.

Javelins of five thousand Skirmishers were tossed into the air. With the eternal twilight of the city behind and the Glow of the Camps ahead, the rain of spears turned the battlefield into a porcupine.

The Javelins would make clear "ding" sounds as they bounced off the armor of the Warbreakers, as they stormed forward in silence, only with the rumbling thunder of their steps their warcry now. A few lucky shots would find their way between the chinks in the armor of the Warbreakers. Most shrugged and they continued to charge with the Javelins embedded into them. The unlucky fell, to only be dozed to the side by the shields of their fellow Warbreakers plowing forward.

A Ballista shot came blistering in on the ranks of the Warbreakers. A Warbreaker could see the incoming show. As she continued to charge, she raised her mighty Morning Star Flail, and begun to swing it in her right hand. She waited just before impact, and unleashed the power of her Flail. The Flail crashed into the long arrow like Ballista shot shattering the missile. Splinters rained down around the Warbreaker who broke the shot, as they continued to storm forward unaffected by the shrapnel.

"Damn! Is this the might of the Warbreakers of Deagoth!?" General Lee muttered, as he seen his first Ballista destroyed.

"I don't believe they can all be destroyed! CONTINUE TO FIRE, YOU MAGGOT FILLED BONES!" Lee screamed out!

*Snap* *Snap* *Snap* *Snap* *Snap* *Snap*

The sounds of the Ballista's drawstrings where heard, as now the sky filled with Javelins and now Ballista missiles. The Javelins were ignored, as the Ballista shots were broken in flight just before impact by the Warbreakers!

General Lee traced the "X" etched on his face in thought, when a solider appeared to him, "General Lee! General Mark has had me to bring some Ballista shot from his personal collection! He wishes for you to fire them down on the incoming Warbreakers!"

"What?! WHY WAIT NOW! GO USE WHATEVER IT IS, YOU INCOMPITENT INGRATE! BE QUICK ABOUT IT OR YOU WILL BE LOADED INTO THE BILLISTA!" General Lee was a foul general in combat, but a decent guy when not in combat.

The solider didn't need to be told anything else, as he had already had the Ballista shots transported to the Ballista. He only needed permission to load them, as he went back to the crews to relay the order.

The new shots were loaded, as the crews scratched their heads. These new shots were like hollow arrows, that contacted powder... How would this be better than a solid Ballista shot...? But it wasn't their place to ask. They loaded, and fired.

The Warbreakers were now half way across the expansive gap between Zitergall, and the invaders of Jakahn, when several odd Ballista missiles came from above. The Warbreakers in the path readied their Flails ready to strike.

Multiple bangs were heard as the Warbreakers slammed each shot, but the horror of these new missiles was revealed. As the missiles were destroyed they exploded in a wave of orange and gray dust, covering many of the Warbreakers in the impacted area. They continued to storm forward, when the second volley of these missiles came, as the same instance occurred.

Mark stood on his hill looking at the charging Warbreakers. He looked to his left and right to see the two other armies flanking them.

"Beautiful." Mark commented.

"General Mark, what exactly is that dust that is blooming from the Ballista shots?" Jacob asked.

"A weapon generously provided by a mad man. It shouldn't be long before we see the fruits of a labor of insanity." Mark said cryptically.

Jacob frowned.

A third of the Warbreakers were now covered in gray-orange dust, but they continued their efforts. If would could look closely, they could see a fine black pattern growing on the armor of the Warbreakers that were affected. Soon, those that were covered by this black pattern fell to their knees to be dozed by the Warbreakers behind them out of the way.

One third of the Warbreakers were consumed by the dust, and were heartlessly tossed out of the way by the Dozerblade shields of their fellow Warbreakers... On both sides of the Warbreaker's charge laid three thousand or so Warbreakers that were now covered in a black mass.

Lee was astonished! The Warriors of Jakahn gawked, and General Jacob's face slackened.

"General Mark... What do you call those Ballista shots?"

"Haha, would you believe me if I their called Soul Eating Ballista Missiles. I know it's a long name, but the mad man I spoke of likes to name things. Think of the dust emitted as a type of poison." Mark said casually.

Jacob gazed at last volley fired into the air... Was this still war?

"Alright, that should about do it. Leave the shield wall, and pull the forces back. Let's lead them into our playground." Mark nodded, while speaking.

Jacob nodded as well, as he turned to relay his orders. Jacob didn't feel anything now that the show was run by Mark, because Mark showed just from these bizarre shots he could back up his words with results!

"LORD COMMANDER!" General Bryce of the Warbreakers called to Verruca at the front.

"Yes!"

"WE...! WE HAVE SUSTAINED MAJOR CASUALTIES! THE BILLISTA SHOTS ARE SOME KIND OF POISON! WE'VE LOST ALMOST HALF OUT FORCES!"

Startled Verruca turned her head slightly to look behind her! To her horror, it was exactly as described! She seen the incoming shots, but disregarded them. Her troops had fought against Ballista in Borda on more than one occasion, but this... What was this black mass all over her troops!

She gritted her teeth!

"WE MUST PUSH FORWARD! IF WE FALL BACK THEN, WE CAN'T COMPLETE THE FORMATION WITH THE OTHER ARMIES! SPREAD OUT TO MINIMIZE THE IMPACT OF THE POISON FROM THE BILLISTA SHOTS"

"UNDERSTOOD!" The general relied.

The Warbreakers slowed down as they formed scattered lines in their frontal assault.

[Something feels off....] Verruca thought as she looked at the shield wall in front of her, now in sight. She glanced left and right to see her incoming forces to descend on the army in front.

The impact of the Warbreakers on the shield wall came fast and furiously. The dozer shields broke the ranks of the Soldiers of Jakahn instantly from the impact! Enemy warriors were broken and split in the collision, now tossed to the side by the Dozerblade shields to be trampled on by the other Warbreakers.

The forces of Ken, Mossvale, and Stephanie arrived to flank the army in front. The battle was quick, and the shield wall fall just as fast. The Skirmishers found where quickly slaughtered. Black blood reeked, and a feeling of helplessness spread through the forces, as they seen that the Ballista left were destroyed... The Drawstrings cut in half, and the main pillar broken. In the distance, the retreating army of Jakahn could be seen Glowstone torches in hand.

Without truly displaying the power of their armies, the warriors of Ken began to celebrate.

"WE HAVE PUSHED THEM TO RETREAT! WOOOOOOOO!" As their voices were just as grating as their Warmarshal, though their Warmarshal Ken knit his brows, as he looked into the distance at the retreating forces. He wasn't the only one... Verruca's brows had long slammed into each other looking at the cowards in the distance... But cowards were only a slur...

Mark still stood high on his hill looking at the retreating army of Jakahn.

"Just as planned." Mark spoke out sinisterly.

"General Mark... Warmarshal Verruca's forces did sustain heavy damage, but... General Lee didn't get a chance to fight with Warmarshal Verruca or the others, and you didn't even let General Russell fight... So what plan?"

"Plan within plans, General Jacob. Plan within plans. Watch the true power of faith." Mark said as he pointed to the armies of Deagoth that had ceased their charge.

Jacob followed his finger to see.

Warmarshals Verruca, Ken, Mossvale, and Stephanie huddled together discussing the next step. when underfoot the ground moved.

Undead sprang from the ground in strange attire holding black ball like objects in their hands.

Startled the warriors around them lashed out! Only to hear the undead that sprang in the surprise attack underground around them yell, "FOR THE MONOCLE!" and explode in a cloud of gray and orange dust.

Another wave of undead sprang from underground, and one sprinted to Warmarshal Verruca!

Verruca had already lifted her shield, even though she knew her shield could not save her from the dust these undead used. The undead was almost upon her. A flash of light, and he was knocked down to the ground. Warmarshal Ken covered the undead, as he yelled, "FOR THE MONOCLE!" and exploded with Ken in the epicenter of the blast. He tried with all his might to suppress the explosion and contain the dust, though he knew not what it was.... An explosion was an explosion.

Ken rolled off the suicide bomber, and laid on the ground... Like the others surrounding them, a black pattern formed on his light silver armor.

Chapter end