113 Advance

On the left and the right of Emery were knights with full armor and large shields. The knights seemed intimidating as if they were unmovable rocks.

Kastan and Morgana walk just behind him. Emery of course made sure to remind Morgana not to transform into the feywolf if she wanted to join, she came along using a sword and a knife. 

As they drew nearer at the ruined fort, about fifty meters, it meant that they were in the effective range of the arrows, one of the Silver Knights with brown hair shouted, "Arrows! Incoming!" 

Everyone stopped and the knights and the Quintin Guards raised their shields, forming a roof of shield and blocking the arrows. Some passed through the gaps and some even hit the knights, however, the arrows couldn't penetrate the armors of the knights.

Once the rain of arrows stopped, the shield formation dispersed, and out came a dozen mercenaries who were holding their own bows and arrows on the backline.

"Return fire!" the Silver Knight with the brown hair shouted as Emery watched a volley of arrows flew overhead their battleline. The arrows reached their highest point and then curved downward at the broken battlements, hitting the underprotected marauders. 

Emery heard the screams of the marauders and once more the command 'advance' had been issued. Again, they started walking with thunderous steps, however, they were unable to repeat this again for the marauders standing on the battlements started firing at will. 

The enemy line was within sight, about thirty meters away. Emery could see how some of the men from the marauders were shaking despite it being his group were the ones receiving the scattered rains of arrows. Once they had passed the thirty meters mark, the Silver Knight with the brown hair shouted at the top of his lungs, "Charge!"

The seventy men then started running at full speed, easily crashing the wooden palisade into pieces. They were just five meters away when some of the men from the defensive line ran away. A loud clanking of metals; deafening roars ensued as the two opposing forces crashed under the broken gate of the ruined fort. The force of the seventy people stacked on top of each as well as the charge threw some of the marauders' files making it easy to penetrate through the ranks.

The chaos from the marauders; the order from the knights were clearly defined as they continued breaking through the ranks. 

This is Emery's first battle in a formation like this, he could clearly see the difference of disciplined people battling in tight formation against an undisciplined foe with low morale. In fact, they were doing the five-man formation, it ensured that each flank of a person was covered as the five people coordinated with each other. 

The two silver knights really were skillful in battle, their strength matched Quintin's strongest fighter Kastan. Other than them, Emery saw Gregory The giant also able to make a mess out of the enemy's line. With a huge hammer, he crushed the opponent's shield and head alike. And lastly Morgana, it's the first time Emery saw Morgana fighting skill without her wolf form and now Emery knows why the Akavi warrior gives her the strongest fighter title.

Morgana's fighting skill using a sword and dagger is very fast and unpredictable. She's able to quickly dodge and move behind her opponent and slash the opponent's throat. Emery suddenly feels fortunate that Morgana is not his enemy.

With just two to three minutes, the enemy's line composed of hundred people completely wavered and started routing in all directions. Many marauders ran back to the fort, some ran outside the fort. The knights didn't bother capturing those who had run outside as they stood their ground just underneath the ruined fort's wide open gate.

Like what Sir Bagdemagus had mentioned, the morale of criminals couldn't compare with the professional knights and properly equipped people. The show of force the good sir had presented worked beautifully.

Emery became confused why they had stopped all of a sudden. Less than a hundred people were going back to the fort and if this fort was broken, then it meant there might be gaps where the leader, Padraig, could go through. He was about to say something when the thumping of horses' hooves resounded behind them. 

"Do not chase!" It was Sir Bagdemagus. The ten people who had stayed behind were no longer with him but when Emery looked around, they noticed the ten scattered to the left and right of the ruined fort, they were probably trying to block off any possible gaps like what he had thought.

"Kastan! Take the mercs and the guards to secure the perimeter of the fort. Capture anyone who tries to exit through the gaps," said the old knight.

"As you wish," answered Kastan, immediately coordinating the mercenaries and the guards.

"As for the rest, follow me inside," said Sir Bagdemagus as he dismounted from his horse.

Emery followed the Knight of the Anvil and watched as the knights knocked out the ones who had thrown their swords down but killed those who had tried to resist. Once again, Emery was slightly getting anxious, thinking Padraig would escape if they didn't hurry. Fortunately, they went through the courtyard, and there they saw at least two dozens of the marauders busy loading cargos into a cart. Padraig, the leader of the Crimson Fang, was standing next to the cart.

Based on the circumstantial evidence, Emery could guess Padraig didn't think his men would win in the first place, so that was why this man hadn't appeared in the battle a few minutes earlier because this greedy, son of a bitch who had raided and killed his father, as a result, had abandoned people who joined him was planning to run! 

A blaze of anger ran past his chest as Emery wanted to kill this man right here, right now!

"Padraig! Surrender now! You have nowhere to go!" said one-eyed Keane, a Silver Knight.

"If you all don't wish to be hanged, fight!" roared Padraig to the men around him.

The two dozens of marauders suddenly charged and fought with the knights, including Emery. This time, it looked like they were a cut above from the ones earlier for these marauders didn't fall after a strike or two from the knights.

Two dozen knights against two dozen elite marauders, the situation turned more lively when a group of marauder archers came shooting from on top of the fort. The brown hair silver knight was forced to head inside the fort with a few other knights. The battle at the courtyard becomes outnumbered but Emery himself is not worried, especially with Morgana fighting beside him. 

While facing two elite marauders at the time, Emery still didn't take his attention off of the damned Padraig. So, when the chief marauder got on the cart and was about to whip the horse, Emery deftly dodged the two marauders' attacks and casted a spell that drew water from a nearby well.

[Whip Splash]

Water from the well shot up and struck the burly man with the bushy hair off the cart. The knights, as well as the marauders, stopped fighting immediately, shocked by what they had just witnessed. 

Sir Bagdemagus though, shouted, "Attack!" making the knights suddenly be brought back to reality and killed the elite marauders they had been fighting.

It seemed like a split second only but the only one left alive was Padraig. 

"So it is true! You truly are a wizard, Merlin," said the old knight.

Emery didn't respond however for his eyes were still on Padraig who was still swinging his sword wildly at every knight close to him. 

The one-eyed silver knight Keane moved forward and was about to fight Padraig when Sir Bagdemagus stopped him and said, "Keane, let the young wizard deal with him. 

The silver knight obeyed and walked back with the other knights. The old knight shouted to Emery "Young Merlin, he's all yours." 

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Authors Note: