Chapter 1012: Icethorne under siege (Start of volume 13)

Chapter 1012: Chapter 1012: Icethorne under siege (Start of volume 13)

Alas while Niflheim was on a high the same couldn’t be said for the rest of the world.

Icethorne for example.

Far to the north of the Dungeon of Niflheim on the fringes between the external and inner regions of the Glacial mountains, settled in between vast mountains that reached far beyond the clouds an impenetrable fortress stood stalwart. Its southern wall stood a little over 100 metres tall, an imposing sight for any who sought passage into the inner regions, but it was nothing but a shadow in comparison to the northern wall that was not only taller and thicker but right now covered in dense invincible lines of hardened soldiers all of whom were staring dead ahead, unflinching.

Following their eyes you’d come across an army of impossible size; hundreds of thousands perhaps even millions littered the land before them as far their eyes could see.

After weeks of battle the Glacial mountains’ liberation alliance’s main force had arrived to support the crumbling vanguard. The enemy Generals were no longer in the early stages and on average were in the late stage, the same level as General Jessica and General Katrina.

They were vastly outnumbered but the soldiers of the War Ursa Battalion and the residents of Icethorne showed absolutely no fear, they were raring to go, to cull the enemy that so foolishly dared to assault their walls.

After almost a week of hard travel Anya, Baron Glorfile, Cavalish and the rest finally managed to reach the gates of Icethorne. With several thousand elites in tow they assumed they’d be viewed like wood logs in the dead of winter but most of the soldiers receiving them looked at them with almost pity. Not exactly the welcome they expected.

General Jared Bando as the newbie General of Icethorne was tasked with receiving the new arrivals as his presence did little in the way of intimidation for the alliance’s main forces.

"Is this it?" Jared asked, his tone laced with a burning anger and frustration. Before him were several thousand high level elites of the Northrend empire but when compared the size of their nation’s military it was nothing but a paltry crumb, he felt insulted.

Baron Glorfile being a military man himself couldn’t stop his face from wincing in response.

"Haaaaaa apologies General with reinforcements for Icethorne being denied by the crown Prince this was all we could scrounge up in the time we had." He knew full well that the men and women they had managed to bring this far north were nothing more than a drop in a bucket but surely it was better than nothing.

Jared’s face warped with anger, he could not understand the mind of the Crown Prince, how could he deny reinforcements for the Duke, didn’t he know Icethorne was Northrend’s lifeblood, practically half of the nation’s wealth was derived from having a solid position here in the inner regions.

Boom!

Suddenly the land beneath their feet brutally quaked, nearby buildings shook loose sheets of snow and several of the unsuspecting reinforcements found themselves stumbling to their knees.

"Brace for impact! Stay clear of any loose ice!" Jared caring little for Icethorne’s new additions hollered aloud, warning the residents going about their day to day.

"What the hell is going on!" Yellow demanded an answer as she fought against the violent quakes.

"War." Jared replied with but a single word but that word held an immense weight.

He waited until the quakes died down before interacting with those from the heartlands again.

"Follow me the Princess and strategists will likely want to meet with the heroes of Northrend." He wasn’t even hiding his sarcasm, the anger in his heart too great to play nice.

Glorfile and Anya understood this, but Cavalish and the others frowned, finding Jared’s treatment insulting and degrading. While they might not be much in terms of numbers they were still reinforcements, nonetheless.

"Princess? We’ve come a long way and at great expense you’d think the Duke would be more receptive to our presence." Those under the 2nd Prince were skilled with their tongues just as much as with their bodies but unfortunately they chose the wrong place to wag such talents.

"If you insult the War Marshall or any of the War Ursa Battalion’s Generals or officers again it’ll be the last thing you ever do." A thick, sickening blood lust spread around Jared as he stared dead eyed at the man who dared to spit barbs.

"Hmph complaining about treatment can hardly be construed as an insult but maybe the cold air here has made you a little testy Genera....Squealch!" Before the man could finish his retort an axe suddenly appeared in Jared’s right hand and an instant later that same axe slashed the man’s throat, swiftly decapitating him.

Blood gushed into the air like a geyser, stunning Cavalish and all those who followed the will of the 2nd Prince.

"The moment you stepped through the southern gate you became subjected to Icethorne’s laws and within those laws insubordination is treated very seriously." Jared ran his gaze over the several thousand supposed allies that were here to bail them out of the fire, his voice as cold as ice and as terrifying as a dragon’s.

"You have no authority here ladies and gentlemen. Unless the War Marshall decrees otherwise you will obey orders or you will be killed simple as that."

"You!!!" Yellow’s entire body bristled as she readied herself for an attack but Cavalish and even Baron Glorfile quickly stopped her.

"Understood General, I’m no stranger to war time laws nor am I a stranger to the methods of your War Marshall." Baron Glorfile as the most experienced of the lot stepped forward, his demeanour and air rippling with militaristic devotion and honour.

While the untrained would view such laws as barbaric and tyrannical those who’d experienced war time knew full well that such measures were necessary to maintain thorough control as an unreliable ally was much more dangerous than even the most heavily armoured foe.

Jared was putting them in their place quickly and with the minimal casualties, a single death amongst several thousand was a small price to pay for order.

Jared locked his eyes on Baron Glorfile, his brow rising slightly as he recognised the man or rather the legend.

".....General Glorfile, I didn’t think I’d get a chance to ever see you grace the battlefield ever again." In his youth, when he was still but a lowly private, one of many in the Northrend army Jared was lucky enough to witness Glorfile do battle with three Generals from the Khaganate of Lucresia -a mighty nation on Northrend’s eastern border. Not only were his tactics impenetrable thus allowing their army to come out victorious despite only having 60% of the enemies numbers General Glorfile himself was able fight all three enemy Generals at once, severely injuring two of them in the end.

The man was an icon of traditional military tactics and strength, an unassailable anvil struck by an invincible hammer. He would stand at the forefront of his armies and hold back the tide, his body never buckling in the face of injury.

"Hahaha neither did I but the military is a cruel mistress and war a siren, I could not resist the allure tempting me to make the trek north." A range of emotions flitted across Baron Glorfile’s face as he remembered his vaunted past before he donned an expression of acceptance and peace. "For men like us, the battlefield is not only our home but ultimately also our grave....Valhalla beckons me lad and I intend to answer the call." He intended to die in this war, fighting to the best of his ability and greet death with a smile on his face and blood on his fists.

A ripple shuddered through Jared’s body; he felt a strong sense of kinship with Baron Glorfile. He smiled; his expression not laced with pity, sadness or denial but rather envy. Baron Glorfile was old and experienced he had earned his place whereas he was still but a young pup bereft of experience.

Many of his brothers and sisters in arms would meet their ends here, many even looked forward to it, but he was tasked with living. If all else failed and the mighty bulwark that was Icethorne came crumbling down he was to escape with Princess Avira to safety, to ensure that the dawn would eventually rise on a new day.

No words escaped his lips; Jared only performed a complete military salute and bow before guiding the several thousand outsiders to the palace. The ground quaked and the echoes of roars and screams occasionally washed over them, but Jared didn’t respond, he’d gotten used to such things over the past few weeks.

The group were ushered into the palace; the majority being stationed in a nearby barracks while the leaders followed Jared to one of the nearby war rooms.

"Princess Avira reinforcements from Northrend have arrived." Jared loudly announced.

"Finally some good news, bring them in" The voice of a young, spirited woman replied, Princess Avira had lost some of her innocence, the war and the place’s dire straits had roughed her up a little. She wore less makeup, her hair was tied up in a form more suitable for battle and she hadn’t touched a dress in two weeks, she was the spitting image of a young Valkyrie.

"Might be a bit ambitions to call it good news." Jared muttered under his breath before leading Glorfile and the others into the war room.