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| Lake-Forest City of Ludl, Merida |
3.3.19.3. Merida Marination
‘Commander,
is it right for us to move out without waiting for the Parthenian war machines
and the Valanian mages?’ asks Ney’varíth Ushmiel the elf sorceress to
Cristophe, Commander of the Allied Forces second division as they march along
the main road from Arcadia to Merida.
The latter,
the red-haired man who is also known as Emperor Sage the Fifth of Arcadia and
Vadis’ Heir answers, ‘Rael’charon’s instruction stated specifically that we
must move at once to liberate Merida, and the Parthenians and Valanians will
meet up with us en-route. That’s why your brother went to Valanis and sent Ivor
Bigstumble to Parthenia to make sure that those countries fulfill their part of
the Crusade.’
Carolyn
Deveraux, who also joins her cousin Chris also comments, ‘Oh, great. That
leaves three women and one man to lead the main force. Are you sure this is the
right arrangement?’
‘Well,
everything is in Rael’s calculation,’ Iris responds. The elf archer points at
the troops and says, ‘He has already predicted enemy’s movements, so for this
part we need more magic and those who are highly defensive against magic, say,
the elves, griffin riders, mages and war machines.’
Again,
Carolyn speaks up, ‘Plus, I have been to Castoria and Iris and the Emperor to Merida. With our
knowledge, we have formulated some tactics to avoid enemy ambushes and the
best, unexpected way to defeat the enemy. In Merida, Ney is the key.’
Her three
comrades nod together in understanding.
And then,
Chris glances at the troops marching in high spirits, each of them carrying a
log of wood and a rope, singing the Crusader’s song as they move along, setting
his mind adrift in his memory.
Ah, I have fond memories in Merida, diving for hours
in the lake without freezing, and learned from Res’marth that again, violence
is not always the answer to attain our goals. He carresses the Shield of
Faith hanging on the saddle of his armored red griffin, Acavela.
And now, I shall go and avenge her and the
people of Merida
so they can rest in peace.
Chris then turns Acavela around, lifts his
sword high and pulls the rein so the griffin stands on its two hind legs, and
shouts with a thundering voice, ‘FOR RES’MARTH! FOR MERIDA! For all the good people who should’ve
lived in peace in this world! For all that, WE’LL FIGHT! We’ll purge the
scourge in this land! Yes, we’ll fight!’
‘HROAAAH!!!
HUZZAH!! WE FIGHT!’ Come the thundering voices from the troops as answer.
==oOo==
The march
comes to a difficult part when the Allied Forces arrive in the Grad Mountain
Range. The dwarves, who repelled the Dark Forces with their formidable mountain
guerilla defense join the Crusade and serve as guides.
This is
still summer and still, the road is as treacherous and dangerous as Chris and
Carolyn remember it from their previous journey to Grad. Many men fall off the
slopes and succumb to fatigue, yet casualties are minimal and eighty-five
percent of the troops arrive near Lake
Ovalna in Merida in good health.
It’s
raining now, a perfect momentum to launch the battle.
‘Lake Ovalna
is actually located on a plateau, and the city of Ludl is (inappropriately) built on a fertile
valley, surrounded by mountain ranges of Borgia and Grad. Now, though most of
its inhabitants evacuated that city, the undead had overrun it so badly even
Res’marth gave her life to protect our retreat,’ says Iris in a bitter tone.
‘Don’t worry,’
says Chris in consolation. ‘With this piece of strategy, we will cleanse Ludl
from the scourge and maybe, the people of Ludl will find a better place to
build a city and start anew. Now let’s get this tactic in effect.’
And then,
he shouts, ‘Ney! You and Iris take your team to the lake and do your thing! And
the rest of the troops! Assemble the logs before sundown! And keep your voices
down! Don’t let the enemy know what we’re doing here!’
Ney and
Iris nod as answer, and together with a small group of troops (including some
dwarves) they go uphills towards the lake. Chris just watches them go, and goes
to supervise the assembly so they can finish in time.
Note: Script draft 1 pg 222/487
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Image source: Urbanism Fantasy City Painting by Kriston Capps
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