[Phase 5] Grasslands vs. Harmonia at Safir [Concluded]

[Cedric]

The sky above looked so dark and grim. Already, droplets were beginning to form on the edges of the army tents. Grassland soldiers hurried to gather their rations indoors avoiding certain spoilage by the coming downpour. Celes Tilly looked up and crossed her arms, "It's going to rain really hard today." She took a quick glance at Harukaze who was sitting on a stool, polishing his blade.

He hadn't talked much since they received orders to lay siege on his hometown of Safir. He was truly focused. This was his chance to finally return home.


"Well," she chimed half-jokingly, "If you're not up to it, then we could always come back . . ."


*clasp*

Harukaze sheathed his sword fiercely interrupting his comrade, indirectly telling her not to finish that sentence. He motioned toward the exit when Celes blocked his route.

"Don't be reckless . . ." she told him. She knew how personal this was to him. Grassland is supposed to go before anyone's personal grudges, but she understood his position.

Harukaze bowed slightly, but continued his silence. He stepped outdoors to gather some last minute training before the march.


*

That was hours ago.

The pouring rain drenched his outfit and his hair. His boots squished on the ground as stepped closer and closer to his home. Here he was with the Grassland Army, after all that time wondering when the Wolves of Senai would return. Reaching the gates of Chanta Safirii, they had noticed their beloved flags replaced by the dominant symbol of Harmonia. Harukaze glared at the rain drenched flags with enraged eyes and hastened his step.

The splatter of the raindrops on the sides of the mountain disabled the audible sounds of the advancing army, but rain or no rain, Harukaze made sure he was going to be heard. He drew his blade and held it to his side.


"I demand to speak with the Harmonian leader!" he shouted at the amassing troops on the fort's roof.


Within minutes, a young man with a bow emerged from the fort's door. He approached the lone soldier followed by two Harmonian escorts. He bowed slightly affirming the presence of the Grassland warrior.


"I am Deloseth" he divulged "To what do I owe the pleasure of this conversation?"


Harukaze's knuckles turned white as he clutched the hilt of his sword. The rain wasn't cooling down the fire building inside him "As Chief of the Safir Clan, I demand Harmonia's immediate evacuation from Safir and Chanta Safiri!"


Deloseth let out a small snicker and shook his head. "Grasslander, you really felt the need to waste your breath on such a request? My obvious answer is no, of course."


Harukaze took a deep breath. He couldn't stand this man's attitude. "Then I demand a duel for the rights to this land! I will fight any of your men. This includes you!" He pointed his blade at Deloseth's throat.


But Deloseth did not say anything. He merely smiled at Harukaze, cleared the rain from his eyes and hair and began to walk back to the safety of the fort. His escorts stayed behind making sure that the Safir Chief did not follow.

The Grassland Army began to move to the rear out of Harmonia's range, but screams stopped them in their tracks. Harukaze out of pure rage had attacked the two Harmonian guards. Their halberds were no match for his speed and skill with a sword. He felled one Harmonian and immediately lunged toward the other. The remaining soldier countered his move with one of his own. Their weapons locked in place as both stared at each other. But suddenly, the Harmonian soldier slouched down to his knees and on to the muddy wet ground. Surprised by the fall, Harukaze fell back as well. An arrow penetrated through the soldier's neck and blood began to trickle down with the rainwater.

Celes Tilly had snuck up behind them as the two men were fighting. She shook her crossbow clearing away the water soaking her weapon. "Watch your rear." She spoke with eyes closed "First rule of defense."

Harukaze wondered whether she was addressing himself or the fallen soldier but decided to leave it at that. He gathered himself and rose up to his feet. As he was wiping his tunic, he heard cries of war that penetrated through the blanket of the rain. The Grassland Army witnessed a massive amount of troops amassing at the roof of Chanta Safiri. Simultaneously, the doors of the fort opened without warning dispatching more Harmonian troops. They all carried bows and readied their arrows. Led by Deloseth himself, they numbered 15,000.

Celes Tilly motioned for Harukaze to fall back with his regiment. "Let me take care of this. Buttery Lungs ADVANCE!" she commanded. Her entire regiment numbering 80,184 Crossbowmen loaded their arrows and raced towards the fort in a vicious stampede. In response, Deloseth ordered his archers to fire at will. Volley after volley ensued picking off numerous Crossbowmen. In the end, Deloseth's archers were able to fell 7,500 Grasslanders. But Celes and her regiment finally reached the range of their weapons. She shot her arm forward motioning to attack the archers. The Crossbowmen retaliated with numerous arrows of their own decimating Deloseth's entire regiment despite enjoying the safety of the fort.

But reinforcements began to build up behind the dying archers. Harukaze watched from afar sensing runic power emitting from the fort. He knew that magicians were sent to counter Celes' regiment. He began to shake uncontrollably and looked back at the Wolves of Senai. "The time is right. Everyone, let's go!" The Safir warriors rushed towards the battle scene knowing this day had finally come. Celes saw the advance of Harukaze's regiment and designated a strategic retreat for her regiment.

Noticing the switch in the ranks, 11,000 magicians led by Lynn began to chant in Sindarian tongues focusing all their magical energy. Harukaze broke his ranks and immediately called to counter the unavoidable attack, with one of their own.

Lightning split the clouds and thunder boomed above the Grassland army. Multiple strokes of lightning struck the earth near the Wolves of Senai. When the lightning subsided, 5,500 of the Safir clan were instantly incinerated. But the remainder of the Wolves continued their incantations. Inside the fort, Lynn's magicians fell one after the other, suffering numerous puncture wounds. The Wolves of Senai turned the rain pouring over the Harmonian regiment into sharp icicles that dove to the earth acting like sharp knives. There was no defense for such an attack as the rain poured even harder. In the end, Lynn's regiment was sent to oblivion matching the fate of their Harmonian counterparts.

The flooding waters send piles of rocks and mud down the slopes of the mountains. Recognizing the dangerous situation, Celes Tilly ordered full retreat of the Grassland armies for the time being.

The Buttery Lungs and the Wolves of Senai followed the Grassland commander as they rotated and began their march back to the Grassland garrison. Celes turned to join them, when she noticed that Harukaze remained at his position staring at Chanti Safiri. Celes started to give an order for the young chief to return, but shook off the idea. "When you're ready, we'll be back in camp." She then turned and towards the front of the Army.

Harukaze stood at the same spot for about an hour. Memories of the Safir Clan seeped into his head creating a vivid image of the life long past. As his thoughts made way to the present, he finally walked around and began his trek to the Army. His shoes sloshed away at the mud below him as lightning filled the horizon with flashing lights.


***

Results

Grasslands

Round 1: Celes Tilly (Crossbowmen) 80184 - 7500 = 72684
Round 2: Harukaze (Magician) 73453 - 5500 = 67953

Harmonia

Round 1: Deloseth (Archers) 15000 - 15000 = 0
Round 2: Lynn (Magician) 11000 - 11000 = 0
_________________

[Celes Tilly]

Good job to the writer; I was greatly amused. About time someone used my awesome regiment name.
_________________
"Oh my god--"
"God? God is love. I don't love you."

[Vextor]

Now the sky giving way to rain, the battlefield surrounding Chanta Safirii quickly turned to mud and mist encompassed the mysterious fortress, also known as "the maze" due to its confusing layout. Although the Safir people lived in this fortress for ages, the true maker of this fortress was said to be a people more ancient, which can be evidenced by the sophisticated engineering the fortress would have required.

For centuries, this fortress has not served its purpose, but now it serves its purpose--albeit not the purpose that its original maker has envisioned--the protection of Harmonian forces.

As dawn broke the horizon, Grassland forces awakened to see the gates of Chanta Safirii flung wide open.

"Did they run away?" one duck clan member spoke as he healed on his duck halberd.

"More likely a trap," Celes Tilly said as she consulted with Harukaze.

A regiment of cavalrymen returned from a scouting sortie, led by Kalidor.
"The gates are open?" He said. "It was close when we left for our sortie before dawn."

"It looks like a trap, but it may be necessary to trigger this trap..." Harukaze said thoughtfully as he rubbed the pommel of his blade.

Kalidor replied, "I will go scouting inside the fortress. My Valor's Blade are fast, we can do this." Celes Tilly nodded in approval. Kalidor immediately ordered his men to ready their weapons; a metallic sound echoed in the mist as visors of helmets shut in unison.

"Be alert!" Kalidor said as he led his men. They slowly entered the fortress. A huge wall greeted them as they proceeded into the gate. One of the cavalrymen lodged a spike into the gates to prevent it from closing.
A path went left and right from the wall. Kalidor and his men took the right path, entering what looked like a courtyard. Kalidor and his men carefully entered the courtyard, but noticed that it was quite empty, except for a well with a crank at the center. One of the cavalrymen went over to the well and peered inside. He then returned to Kalidor, telling him there was something strange inside the well. Kalidor went to the well, led by the cavalrymen. Peering inside, he saw that something was glimmering at the bottom of the well, inside the bucket connected to the crank.

"Let's take a look," Kalidor said, as he tried turning the crank. The crank was very heavy and didn't budge at all. He ordered a number of his men to help, and finally the crank moved. A giant sucking sound followed, as if water was being sucked out from the well. The bucket was raised to the top without much effort, and Kalidor noticed that a piece of metal was placed inside the bucket. Taking it out, he realized that there was something etched onto the plate, it read: "Here, a grasslander dies."

Suddenly, water started gushing out of the walls of the courtyard. A stone slab suddenly sprung out and closed the passageway out. The water level in the courtyard rose at an alarming rate.

"Trapped by your own trap?" laughter was heard as archers appeared at the top of the walls. Werewolf Clanman and his 10000 archers started raining arrows on the defenseless cavalry scouts, numbering only 205. Some brave cavalrymen managed to swim towards his enemy, emerging from the waters to take a few Harmonians with him to the next world, but all of them were killed in due time. Kalidor passed out during the battle.

Haring the screams was Harukaze, who knew the workings of Chanta Safirii due to being a Safirii himself. "The Harmonians have learned the secrets of Chanta; it must be the defector among them..." he said as he bit his lips.

Brazen by their initial victory, Harmonian forces poured out of the fortress to attack the Grassland camps. Seeing this, Harukaze ordered his Wolves of Senai to counterattack. Timbo's Wandering Prophets also engaged the enemy.

"Wolves of Senai, it is time to claim back our land!" Harukaze roared as his blade took the lives of many infantrymen under TheStrategist. His magicians numbering 67953 efficiently destroyed the Harmonian infantry numbering 11875. However, the melee also took the lives of 5938 magicians under Harukaze.

Meanwhile, Timbo's Wandering Prophets were not faring so well, completely overwhelmed by Alucard's massive infantry. Although Timbo ordered a retreat, all of his men were either killed or captured, and Timbo himself barely escaped.

Seeing the tide of war shifting, Celes Tilly ordered the remaining Grassland force to move back. As she prepared to leave, she spotted a body floating in a stream that led from Chanta Safirii. The armor was familiar--it was Kalidor. She ordered some soldiers to rescue. Fortunately, he was merely knocked out and was soon nursed back to health.

The Harmonians cheered as they watched the Grasslanders flee. However, Deloseth warned the gleeful officers to not underestimate the Grasslanders.



Harmonia wins this turn!

-----=<Results>=-----
[Grassland]
Round 1: Kalidor (Cavalry) 205 - 205 = 0
Round 2: Harukaze (Magician) 67953 - 5938 = 62015
Round 3: Timbo (Archers) 470 - 470 = 0

[Harmonia]
Round 1: werewolf clanman (Archers) 10000 - 77 = 9922
Round 2: thestrategist (Infantry) 11875 - 11875 = 0
Round 3: alucard (Archers) 5625 - 176 = 5448

[Daniel Blackhand]

An excellent battle, which makes the next round a must win situation. I look forward to seeing who comes out on top.
_________________

[Synchysi]

The small flatland surrounding Chanta Safirii was now slightly different from the hue it was once, months ago. The vivid green grasses, the dark rocks that were all diverse and distinct now shared the same reddish tint from the blood shed on the battle field. Now it had come down to this, the final conflict in a string of many. Maybe one day conflict would arise again but both sides were resoved that this encounter would bring a close to the battles for the time being.

From inside the depths of the castle a man stood, sharpening his weapons and prepping his men for the battle that would soon be upon them but they didn't know what exactly awaited them outside the maze that they were now familiar with. The labyrinth was usually an advantage anyone possessing the fortress but in this case it offered no more protection than any regular wall would being that their opponents formerly inhabited the castle. Outside the walls of Chanta Safir stood Celes Tilly and the Buttery Lungs, standing in ranks numbering 72,684 crossbowmen. Alucard and his 5,625 Archers emerged from the great gate of Chanta Safir, stopping and gawking at their opponent. Alucard took heart and gave the call, firing the first arrow of the lot of them.

Seeing their leaders passion for Harmonia they all began their fervent assault on Celes Tilly and her Buttery Lungs. Seeing the arrows being launched Celes responded in the same fashion, commanding her well trained Crossbowmen to fire off the first wave of their assault. The bolts and arrows cascaded through the air falling upon their targets heads. Alucards men and women shot their very best but were outnumbered. Before the last of them was felled, they had managed to take out 2,813 grasslanders. Alucards men and women all lay dead, all 5,625 of them just outside the gates of the fortress. Seeing this Celes Tilly waltzed back to the Grassland camp and proclaimed victory over Harmonia. This riled up the soldiers yet to fight and Harukaze was ready to get back into his home, Safir, so he put his unit into motion and began their approach on the maze of Safir.

The Wolves of Senai numbered 62,015 began their seige on their home, sending blasts of magical energy at the Harmonians at the walls. Unfortunatly they weren't making much headway with penetrating the walls. Suddenly the mid-day sunlight became darkened as a wave of arrows fell on Harukaze and his magicians. As more and more of his troops fell to the Harmonian arrows Harukaze, being the strategist he was, saw the need to retreat before all of his men fell, leaving more Safir families missing members, fathers, mothers, sons and daughters. 10,000 troops were lost by the time they made it back to their camp while Werewolf's Clansmen's archers hadn't lost a single soldier out of the 10,000 they had begun their succesful attempt at staving of Harukaze.

Finally, it had come down to this. Both sides knew that the winner of this battle would go on to claim Chanta Safirii for their respective nation. On one side, Chanta Safirii to their backs, stood Aternus and his 10,000 troops for Harmonia. Opposing him stood the great leader of the Grasslands, wind swirling arround her. "The spirits in the wind favor you, Chief Sybillious. Victory is ours!" said a nameless shaman. Sybillious took the prediction to heart but knew that combat was the only true determinate of histories victors. The two units charged into battle.

As rangers fought against magicians, magic flew through the air in all directions. A flash of blue to your right, red to your left, a bolt of lightning whizzing by your face and your adversary all around you. Immersed in combat. Luckily Sybillious had prepared her troops well and they were veteran fighters. Of the original 60,515 Sybillious' well trained Knights of Squee lost only 5,000 of their troops. Aternus' troops were massacred though, losing all of their 10,000 soldiers. Seeing their forces beaten, the remaining Harmonians abandoned the base out of the back escape of the labyrinth. Those unfortunate enough to have never learned to navigate the maze found themselves at the mercy's of the Grasslanders, some gave mercy while others wanted vengenance for the lives lost, their friends and family's that had been lost.

Shortly after there was a great victory celebration in honor of the men and women who succesful reclaimed Chanta Safirii, and the Safir region from the grasp of Harmonia.


Grasslands: 2 wins.
Harmonia: 1 wins.

Grasslands Win

Grasslands wins Safir!

-----=<Results>=-----
[Grasslands]
Round 1: Celes Tilly (Crossbowmen) 72684 - 2813 = 69871
Round 2: Harukaze (Magician) 62015 - 10000 = 52015
Round 3: Sybillious (Rangers) 60515 - 5000 = 55515

[Harmonia]
Round 1: Alucard (Archers) 5625 - 5625 = 0
Round 2: Werewolf Clanman (Archers) 10000 - 0 = 10000
Round 3: Aternus (Magician) 10000 - 10000 = 0
_________________

[Celes Tilly]

Great job, whoever wrote it! I am so proud.
_________________
"Oh my god--"
"God? God is love. I don't love you."

[Noot]

I just noticed that Werewolf clanman should have 2 victories. He defeated Kalidor and Harukaze.
_________________
~~Harmonian Tenhei Star~~

It's hard to bargle naudle zauss with all these marbles in my mouth.