26. Highwayman


    Utbah met with his reinforcements, some 4000 camel riders who praised the winner of so many victories. He rode to friendly villages just shy of the Wersh province, there friendly villagers gave supplies to the general and his troops. Although he had looted much of Marwan’s baggage train, using the coin to purchase friends in the Wersh province. He decided to nonetheless locate himself in a place where he would be among friends.


    “Are you going to march on Wersh?” The lieutenant bringing the reinforcements asked.


    “Our task is to destroy mobile armies,” Utbah said, “Yerek does not conquer, it liberates,” he said simply, “that being said, every army that has passed by land has to come through Yerek.”


    The lieutenant simply stared at Utbah, the words were more of a verbal thought than an actual answer to the question.


    So will you? Came as a question to everyone.


    Utbah had no answer, if he marched and took Wersh, he would be in a hostile city, baggage trains would be necessary, and the Church of Light priests could ambush him with devastating fireballs.


    “Their priests are warriors, ours are not,” Utbah said, “taking a town not loyal to us, is going to be problematic for many reasons. Nichomachus is doing a good job, we should rest.”


    He did rest for about a week, hearing of reports from local villages of an another Amoreb army. The commander was a man named Ibrahim who had heard of the fates of other armies and was extremely cautious. Utbah noted the 2000 cavalry that screened in all directions and the infantry that was clumped up, ready to bounce into formation.


    “Man did his homework!” A lieutenant joked.


    “This means more people might die,” Utbah said turning seriously to his officer, “but yes, he did.”


    Utbah chased down the cavalry, his heavily clad camel warriors ignoring the missiles that were flying in their direction before utterly crunching into the infantry. They were fanned out, Utbah had positioned his camel units one behind the other, so that the momentum of a charge was always felt, what cavalry did get charged upon was immediately torn and destroyed, the infantry down below were smashed, their spears smashed into harmless sticks, the soldiers stomped by Utbah’s elite unit. Utbah proceeded to annihilate the enemy infantry to a man, the cavalry scattered. The light blue flags of Amoreb standing as a testament to Utbah’s might, as they were manned by no one, fluttering in the wind.


    “Reconstitute!” Utbah shouted.


    They did so, for in the distance, an army of Hitara could be seen. 10,000 horse charged into 13,500 camels to a predictable result. Utbah utterly crushed them. The horses were scared of the camels, but also the more heavily clad units would beat weaker units. Again Utbah flicked blood off his mace. Looking before him, and sighing. He was left with 12,500, but his martial prowess scared all.


    The Republic was concerned Utbah would become a powerbroker of his own, with his own interests rather than that of the common good of Yerek. Nonetheless, no actions were taken against him, offering him all the logistical support he needed, but his fearsome reputation had many wondering what he would become. The Church of Light made scare stories, made him out to be a butcher, and his name began eliciting excited acclamations, the man who had crushed five armies and seemed to be just getting started. The road from Wersh to Polt was littered with the dead, albeit locals did try and tidy the carnage left behind. Utbah yet again looted the pay of the dead, he found a baggage train not far behind, dedicating some local villagers to taking the coins and depositing them for him. In the east, in the Wersh province he hired some 2000 mercenaries, his fame alone making local villages give him better treatment. Nichomachus exploited the changing feelings and began bribing the locals with food and water in the true God of Trade style. Villages were inundated with goods, and the Wersh province’s hinterlands became not so loyal to the Church of Light. Gatula’s success had inspired southern villages especially to openly fly the tricolour of the Republic, and suddenly Utbah had a base of operations even closer to Amoreb.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    The news that the Republic dreaded, four days after stunning victories, 50,000 troops under the command of Lir had arrived. There a white flag with a golden flame was paraded by soldiers. Theymarched on Wersh city, stunning the locals into a silenced awe.


    “Surely the Republic can’t beat this one…” a man whispered.


    The Republic is finished now. Was a thought many had.


    Utbah took it as a challenge, even the newly converted tribes now flew the flag of Amoreb and shooed the camel riders out of their villages. Utbah heard they had 20,000 cavalry, and 30,000 infantry, a formidable force on any day. Utbah went to a fortified village on the coastal road, fortified and armed with crossbowmen who waited the inevitable confrontation with the Lir army. 500 crossbowmen waited in their positions, while the enormous army came to the village that blocked their path. Relatively close to Wersh, it was a new addition to Yerek. Nichomachus, Mercurius and Salutius teleported some 1000 men into the settlement, beefing the numbers up to 1500, making murder holes in towers to stop the advance of such a monstrous army. The Lir cavalry fanned out, and their infantry charged the positions, from north, east and west, attempting to take the town’s main entrances. The evangels to the God of Trade had created a strong garrison, who fired with great enthusiasm at the bodies of men approaching. Fire smashed into the towers by 500 Church of Light priests, the firepower causing the buildings to become embers. Cavalry were crushed by heavy camel riders; infantry stormed the fortifications. Their white banners soon seen over every building as they attempted to storm the stairwells. Utbah had destroyed the charges to the southern entrance of the town, opting to use the smokescreen to advance from the east into the Lir lines. Lir would not see him, until he appeared right under their noses. In normal circumstances, Lir troops could indeed flank these heavily clad beasts, but they plunged deep into the Lir lines, the general who was supposed to be observing the events was taken out in a swing of Utbah’s mace. Fireballs began firing on their own troops, such deviousness was unprecedented, but it had its effect. Nonetheless Utbah continued pressing on, his mace hitting target after target after target. Utbah’s men followed their commander’s example, jumping into death. Fire killed many, Lir iron killed many more. The fortified crossbowmen were killed to a man, but Utbah fought a brave and stunning battle, having taken out the Lir commander out, the Lir army lost heart in many places. Lir cavalry had been the first to run, the infantry were not so lucky. Utbah leaped over burning carcasses, the camels snorted over the smoke, Utbah camel was killed and he fell to the floor, groaning as he did so. He rolled up and began hacking at the infantry all around him. His men continued their relentless assault, officer after officer fell, and with lack of information, the Lir army routed en-masse, this was then followed by the camels chasing them down. Utbah clubbed Lir soldier after Lir soldier, after many hours of relentless pursuit, Utbah gave up. He had been reduced to an army of merely 1500, however he had annihilated 10,000 cavalry and 25,000 infantry, bringing his fame Utbah to legendary levels. He was not jubilant, looking at the bloody sight with shock.


    Victory at such a price, is not victory at all. This is atrocious. I might as well die.


    He flicked the blood off his mace, and looked at the sight of the dead in the burning village. Bursting into tears. The smoke hid the commander, the dark battlefield descended into the darkness of night, where Utbah could assume the position of commander once again.