"Agghhh!"
"*Clang*, *clang*, *clang*."
"Kill them! Kill them all!"
"Do not hold back! Fight! Aghhh!"
Ser Robert's sneak attack on Alexander's fleet proved to be quite a successful endeavor, and thus a raging duel soon developed around that part of the sea.
It was a strange duel, with no shield on either side, but only swords and arrows, thus making the air reverberate with the distinct clanging of steel hitting steel, and bolts wheezing past one another.
And it was here that Hemicus really showed his mettle as a swordsman, taking him little time to find the balance of his feet on such uneven ground and then going toe to toe against most of the Margraves troops without giving an inch.
Even just in the short time till the battle had started, the man had managed to kill five men and wound several more, really proving to be in his element even without the shield.
Hemicus thus thrust, swung, parried, and jabbed his short sword with such speed that it seemed like it was an extension of his limbs. And when accompanying this with his expert footwork, it was a display that most of the enemy was unable to counter, especially not without a shield of their own, or with just a really inferior short ranged dagger.
Thus as the dead bodies began to pile up around this one great blue armored man, the Margraves seeing this wisely decided to avoid that space, going around to instead fight his brothers and hopefully surround him.
This was not a bad plan. And indeed if given enough time, the Margraves might have been able to make quite a headway in this endeavor as certainly not all legionaries were so skilled as Hemicus.
But the slight caveat to the plan was the phrase 'enough time'. Because it had to be remembered that the platform they were fighting on was not solid ground, firmly, and securely anchored to the ground.
Rather they were on a wooden ship that was slowly sinking.
And yes, it was only one ship because Alexander quickly had all the troops from the other ship that had rammed him join his side too, being of the mind to engage the enemy as a single coherent unit rather than face them separately in a piecemeal fashion.
It was of course the correct move, stymying any idea of the enemy dividing them.
But the trouble was this also made the ship grossly overweight. Alexander's vessels were rated to be able to carry only around hundred to hundred and fifty men. Whereas now they were carrying over two hundred.
It was a number that was instantly smashed when the invading Margraves troops were taken into account, making it reach close to four to five hundred.
This was thrice the recommended limit and when taking into account also the fact that the ship was gravely damaged with water filling up its hull, the ship naturally began to slowly list and creak, giving away under such enormous pressure.
It was not a dramatic collapse, and thus at first, many of the men amidst the heat of battle were unable to perceive it.
"Dammit! Why am I constantly slipping!"
"Fuck! There's something with father's eyes. I am seeing everything slanted."
"Hey, anyone else feeling ....weird? Like he is about to fall?"
The most logical thought would be to of course beeline for the island's shore, it being just a few hundred meters away.
But that was also the most logical thought for the enemy and thus Alexander could see it being heavily patrolled with many ships, all zooming to and fro across the small section with a vigilant stare, thus showing their determination to prevent any enemy fish from escaping.
All these huge vessels around such a restricted body of water put great fear and apprehension in Alexander's head, as the congested space caused him to imagine being instantly spotted by the sailors there and then captured like a fish, before being taken as a trophy to their commander.
Alexander wanted to avoid that at all costs.
But perhaps even more than capture, there was the far graver fear of being entirely missed and having their ships run him over.
Even a slight glancing hit would be enough to seriously injure the man, if not snap his body in two just like this. In fact, just all the churned up water by the passing of the ship would pose a serious problem for Alexander, the turbulent waves threatening to drown him.
Thus Alexander contemplated giving up on this destination in favor of the alternative- in favor of returning to the Royal harbor.
The problem with that however was also very apparent.
The safety of his 'defensive lines' lay even conservatively a few kilometers away, and swimming such a distance would be extremely draining even under the best of circumstances.
Which was not certainly the case now, where Alexander was still wearing a chainmail over a leather thorax, which in the water would surely feel like being in a straitjacket.
It would be too constricting.
As for taking everything off before going ahead, well first of all the water was, to put it in mild terms 'fucking freeze'.
The sun might be out and shining, but it seemed no one had bothered to tell that to the waters. Even the scant few drops that occasionally lapped against Alexander's skin made his spine tingle.
Thus Alexander did not think he could make the long journey ashore naked without catching a serious cold, if not outright dying of hypothermia.
Alexander thus began to ponder on any other alternatives that might be available to him.
When suddenly....
"Retreat! Retreat!" This order began to ring out from the other side.
Let us say no to piracy! Don't take part in a crime! Don't patronize thieves!
Please come Here!
=>Link to the original si
te:
/book/herald-of-steel_24388579605084705