With a wave of his hands, the Black Halberds stepped forward as they head beside the formation of the defenders of the castle.
Heavy and unified footsteps once more sounded in the training ground. This time heading closer to the men in formation.
As the Black Halberds began their approach, the soldiers' hands began shaking.
Heavy Breathing followed
Their hands turning purple as their grip on their weapon strengthened. Afraid that their loose grip would cause them their life.
Their eyes wide open, watching the Black Halberds sharply, in fear of missing any action.
Some weak willed men took a step back.
They knew they were allies. These armored men following their Baron's command is a clear indication that they stand on the same side…
But they just cannot help it. Their mind is screaming to either fight or run. Their very being is afraid of these inhumane men, their very aura which screams of oddity and irregularity is something that cannot be formed by mere experience and skills. They are not natural, nothing about them is natural. They are from outside the system of this world.
Silent and Uncaring, the Black Halberds began forming a formation similar to that of the defenders of the castle.
After watching all this take place, Prewell heads towards where Ecish is.
Still with filled with nervousness and now with lingering fear and trepidation as the Black Halberds form a formation beside them. The men bowed as Prewell passed by them.
Ecish, bowed to Prewell as he saw his Lord nearing him. Gone was the solemn face as before, what appears now is his usual appearance.
Nodding in acknowledgment, Prewell rose to the steps. Reaching the middle of the wooden platform, he turned to the soldiers.
He stared at these men before him.
They're afraid, afraid of the Black Halberds and it's fine that they fear them. It's what makes one human. To fear something is to feel something.
He is also afraid. Many will die, in this upcoming battle with the goblins. In the chaos in the land of the Order, many are dying. In the future invasion of the empire, many will also die.
'Thousands… no… perhaps tens of thousands… death will come to those who were weak and unprepared.
My incompetence kept these land weak while my arrogance made me unprepared, that's why this land under me will suffer many deaths… but…' Clenching his fist, an emotion of anger and wrath is raging within him. 'This is the last time. The people in my land will die. Yes… it is a part of the cycle of life… but no more will there… be a risk of losing many in the future… after these battle… if I survive… Zalsac will rise. Zalsac will be strong. And Zalsac will no longer be bullied…'
Anger. Wrath. Rage.
His incompetence, his faults, his arrogance, he blames it all on himself. But after this. Zalsac will no longer be silent.
The schemers in the Order, The Opportunists in the Empire, The believers of the Cults. The Gods who wrote their scripts.
Beyond their knowledge, a sleeping leviathan will soon awaken, and with it brings doom to all its foes.
__________________________________________
The bright glare of the sun glazes over the men standing upon the now tension filled training ground. The inhuman beside the human, a display of contradiction.
Black Halberds stand in formation in silence, their callous attitude towards human life radiates as they disregard the action of the men beside them. Uncaring for the so-called emotion.
The Castle Guards and Men At Arms were nervous and terrified. Their hands in their weapons still trembled from time to time, as their body tensed in defiance. The horror and terror they felt before, still fresh in their memory. Their fears, their courage, their concerns, a display full of emotion.
A voice of clarity brokered the tension in the field. A voice of authority from a face of indifference, and the eyes of judgment, the young baron spoke to his subjects.
"Fear. It's good to fear. To fear is to learn once limitation. You fear them… the Black Halberds… it's good that you fear them. For you are a fool if you do not fear them." The baron of Zalsac paused as his eyes roamed through the faces of the men in the field.
"My men, My soldiers, you are gathered here at this very hour to overcome such a fear.
Hatr, is under sieged, and the people… no… our people need us. It requires Zalsac in its entirety. A goblin army led by a goblin chief besieged our people. 5,000–6,000 goblins now rampage across our land."
The silent training ground now broke out into murmurs. As men's attention shifted from the Black Halberds to their Baron a top the wooden platform.
The men were horrified, 5,000 to 6,000 goblins, an amount unheard of in the entire history of Zalsac. No such threats had emerged in the region, or at least anyone knows of such threat emerging.
"You're afraid, I know. I'm also afraid. But so what. Fear will not help us, fear will not rescue our people. FEAR! Is an obstacle that we must overcome!" The baron's stiff voice soon turned into roaring. His once flat face now contorted in anger.
Yes, their Lord is angry. Like a broken mirror, their lord's once callous reputation now broken.
"Look at the men around you. Think of your family, your home. Think of your sons, your daughters, your brothers, your sisters, your mother, and your father. Imagine of their future if Hatr falls.
Hatr, the first settlement in Zalsac to face the creatures of the Great Forest. If Hatr falls, Lawnberg is to follow, then Reztel, then Waldr and finally Saint Gerald Castle."
The baron's word of authority rang as the men processed what they had just heard. A fight for survival, a fight for their future. A competition between two races for resources and territory. Whichever it is, a fight against the goblin army is necessary.
"I, as your Lord, shall lead the fight. The Black Halberds will lead you forward. Ecish, the Ogre Slayer, this time, shall slay the Goblin Chief. That's why we must fight! Waldr, Reztel and Lawnberg have sent their word, they will come, and they will fight."
"2,121, that's the total number of men which will face the goblin threat. We will be equipped with various range weapons. From bow and crossbow to javelins and sling, we shall make it rain upon our enemies.
Slay their chief and make them rout." Gone was the thundering roar, now replaced by his old rigid voice. His demeanor cold and indifferent once again.
"I will lead the Black Halberds towards Lawnberg. We will unite forces with them, as I'm there, you will head for the cross roads. Establish a fortified camp in its vicinity.
After I reach Lawnberg, I shall send a fast rider to Reztel. They will then at once mobilize to meet you at the cross roads. By that time, I should be on my way towards you, men as well.
At last once all our forces are rallied. We head East to assist Hatr. Ser Lancel will keep the goblin army occupied."
"As they besiege the settlement, arrows and throwables will rain upon them. As the Black Halberds with their heavy armor forms a defensive formation."
"Ecish and Lancel will then assasinate the Goblin Chief. Once the goblins lost their chief, their fervor in battle shall cease.
Then it will be our turn to attack. Many will be lost, and many will be orphaned, but I as your Lord will stay beside you. So fight…" By the end of the speech. Silence descended over the training grounds.
Memories of his current life flash through his mind. The hand of a silhouette in his memory placed upon his head. The residents of this land. The Castle he stood by right now. A lady in a blue gown, tilting her head as his hands lay upon her soft cheeks. An unknown amount of mix emotion flashed as his rational self was broken, and his emotions took over.
He yelled it all. "WE FIGHT FOR ZALSAC!"
Ecish, his loyal attendant since youth, perhaps seeing his change soon followed. "ZALSAC!"
His emotion rages inside him, he willed the Black Halberds to slammed their weapons in support.
Burning emotions now fervent across the men. Its temperature rose as the Black Halberds slammed their weapons to the ground. Their lord is angered for the desecration of their land, for the threat to their survival.
Perhaps the speech garnered the soldiers' fighting spirit, or perhaps their way of life is now being threatened by another race. It doesn't matter, as right now, the men of Zalsac do not want to lose their way of life. They will fight for their survival.
Their momentum rising as their Baron and Ser Ecish yelled these land's name.
Zalsac the home of these men. The place that's threatened by an invasion of the goblins.
One by one the men began their shouts.
"ZALSAC!" "ZALSAC!" "ZALSAC!" "ZALSAC!"
The intense and burning emotions radiates throughout the castle as Zalsac now began its initial awakening. The sleeping beast beside the Great Forest now awakens. As the creatures who defile its very land are unaware of the wrought they brought upon themselves.