Struggle for power: The end of the dark ages

[Commando]

Note: This can be our story based battle. We can make another that is turn based as a seperate topic.
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Commando looked at the dusty map that his advisors laid before him on the ornate table. It was simple. A bold plan to attack his neighboring rival, Lord Diaz San Franco. Both had kingdoms in the province of Aragorn, which made up about 1/10 of Spain. Commando, as well as 35 other feudal Lords, fought for control of the province. Commando's kingdom, named Greater Rome, was an odd name for this area. But it had a purpose. Commando's ancestors had come from Italy to Aragorn to set up a new kingdom after a plague struck the Southern half of the country. Now, in the year 1200, Commando was the ruler. He had ruled Greater Rome for 3 years and had never fought, save for against several groups of bandits that threatened his people. But now was time. Commando was going to attack Lord Franco.

Commando's kingdom was small but wealthy. There was a huge keep surrounded by a wall, with a moat outside. After that was Commando's village, which was quite large and prosperous. Another wall surrounded the village. Outside of this wall, were several farms and their fields. The army of Greater Rome was quite large. The town had a militia to guard it, but the regular army was what was important. Commando controlled about 200 spearmen, 100 pikemen, 200 men-at-arms, 200 swordsmen, 200 Archers, and 50 Royal mounted knights. So his army right now was almost 1000 people, not including the town militia. And they had awaited this day for a long time. Right now Commando only controlled 5% of the province of Aragorn, and 1% of Spain. But he would gain more territory soon. Very soon. And he had friends in high places. Pope Urban, the most powerful figure in Europe, had once visited Greater Rome. And Lord Sanchez of Castille, the most powerful Lord in Spain, was good friends with Commando. It was a perfect time to strike out at the rival lord Franco.

Commando watched as his advisors debated over what to do. One said fire flaming arrows all day and wait until night to attack. Another said simply shoot a few trebuchet rocks and then go over the top. Commando, rubbing his hand across his face, interrupted.

Commando- Silence! I will go and command this attack personally! I will make up my mind when I see Lord Franco's empire for myself.

Advisor- My Lord, who will run the kingdom?

Commando- Maximus, once again you ask without thinking. I will leave the Bishop Julius in charge. He is not corrupted by money as are you all. Now begone!

The advisors fled the room, carrying their papers. Commando watched them leave and sat back in his throne. Tommorow would be a long day.

[Kid Game]

Ok thats fine commando. This can be the story based medieval battle arena. At least try to use some of the units I suggested in my suggestion topic but the stats dont have to be what I have listed. You can make up your own troops for this battle.
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Kid was a british general. He was only 17 and was quite young for his age. He was trained at such a young age and quickly passed all tests with flying colors. He was a high ranking general- in fact as high as they currently went to in the area. Kid's army was considered very big in the area and he was also a ruthless and dangerous murderer. Kid could be nice and good willed but if you get him mad and on his bad side he can't be stopped and will kill anything in his way.

Kid's army consisted of around 1,000 Militia men, 500 Axemen, 650 Crossbow soldiers, 500 archers, 400 swordsmen and about 150 Royal knights. His base didn't need much defense since he had so many military soldiers willing to die to protect kid. But for safety he had around 70 or so catapults scattered about his base which were each manned by several peasents who would arm the catapults with rocks, and some which fired.

All of kid's peasents and soldiers respected him greatly and they would rather die then spill out information about kid. His soldiers were trained well and were nearly as brutal as kid himself. They were trained so well in fact that if kid told them all to commit suicide- they would. Although kid would never give that order.

Kid had tons of supplies. He had lots of food which he used for himself and also gave some to his peasants when they asked for some. He had tons of wood and some Iron used for the catapults. He had a good amount of armor used to help protect his soldiers. Kid of course had several million dollars in gold stored in all forms- Gold bars, gold coins, everything! Kid had tons of friends so if he ever needed anything he would trade some gold to get what he wanted.

Luckily though kid didn't have many enemies. That was also due to the fact that kid owned and controlled 99.9% of great britain. That was due to the fact that most people feared kid and avoided him unless they were friends with kid. Today there weren't any training sessions scheduled so kid had decided to hold a chess tournament that day and he as well as a bunch of peasants and some workers decided to join in. After all everyone in kid's kingdom liked chess.

[Commando]

Commando was up early the next morning. He could hear the peasants in the village starting to work as well. He was greeted by Bishop Julius, head of the church in Commando's kingdom and a representative of Pope Urban.

Commando- Good morning Julius. Are you ready to rule for a day.

Julius- Of course sir.

Commando- Good. Tommorow I am attacking Lord Franco. I am leaving you in charge, as you know.

Julius- Yes sir, I will do my absolute best.

Commando- Good. And if my scheming advisors do anything, don't hesitate to tell the guards to lock them up for trial. I have a feeling they are jealous that you are in charge.

Julius- I will take action if necessary.

Commando- Good.

Commando and Julius walked down the hall past lots of tapestries and torches. Julius was kind man being a Bishop but also a skilled leader. Finally the arrived in the banquet hall. All in the hall were Commando's loyal captains and knights, who were ready to die for him. Commando and the Bishop sat down and began to eat.

[DaBomb]

Does that have to be partially true to history? Because this isn't.
---

Through years of struggle with Duke Charlot Eduard in the South and Lord Francois in the East, DB had earned Normandy, France, and had claimed it for his own. His experience in the field of warfare had increased and matured over the years of bouts, making him realize the key to any country is transportation. As only primitve horse-drawn-carriges were available on land, the best way to transport supplies, troops or weapons was to use water. Hence, his army was populated mainly by Naval fleets and the entire coastline around France was his.

Though he owned a quarter or so of France, Louis IX was the monarch, and therefore would not allow a mere Lord to occupy any part of his kingdom. Unfortunately, Fance had been separated into factions, and his rule had faded ever since.

DB resided mainly in Nantes, a city only a short distance from the coastline, but other major cities included Guerandle, a coastal city, and Cherbourg, a Northern town. There, he plotted, building up his armies as he planned to seize control of the entirety of France.

Several eecades back, DB's grandfather was the rightful heir to the throne, but had been pushed aside in favour of Louis VIII. Now, he would regain power for his family, but eliminating the King and his next of kin, whereby he would automatically inherit the crown of France.

Matthieu rode inside the keep on his horse, holding high a scroll and blowing his horn. He stopped beside the stables, descended from the saddle and tied the horse beside a stack of dry hay. He approached DB, bowed, and handed him the scroll.

DB read the first few passages. "Are you sure of this?" DB asked?

"Quite," Matthieu replied, "He is powerful, resourceful, and has many friends."

The scroll spoke of a kingdom named Greater Rome, where the Lord continued his fued over the province of Aragorn. DB's friends were in short supply after the infamous blattle at Chartres ended in defeat, and he required an ally, or at least someone who would trade, to aid DB in his quest. Spain was quite distant, but DB was sure that this Commando would help DB regain the French crown in return for more control over Aragorn. He sent Matthieu and three riders to send a message of peace to Commando.

[Commando]

Commando took a sip of a golden goblet, then almost dropped it as a horn blast rang out. Several guards entered the banquet hall, escorting a rider with a flag he had never seen before. The guards brought the messenger to Commando, who was curious as of the riders nature.

Commando- Who are you? What do you want in my kingdom.

Rider- My Lord, I come from Lord Da Bomb, a powerful figure in France. He is the rightful heir to the French throne but the monarch Louis VIII of course will not accept this. DB asks for your help.

Commando- My help? I am but a minor lord struggling for control of a small province. Why does he wish my help?

Rider- You have friends in high places and are quite wealthy no? That huge Cathedral in your village is the most magnificant I have ever seen.

Commando- My friend Pope Urban gave me the funds to build it. It is my second favorite building here, other than my keep. Tell this DB that I accept his offer. First however, I must increase my territory. Tommorow I am attacking Lord Franco. If I succeed, I will help your master.

Rider(being escorted out)- Thank you kind sir. You will not regret this.

As the messenger was leaving, Bishop Julius and army General Romulus exchanged confused looks with Commando. This was too good an offer to be true.

[DaBomb]

The battleground was to be a flat plain, accompanied by several gentle, rolling hills nearby. After several hours of marching from their keep at sunrise, they had succeeded in settling into the area first. By that time, though, the light was dim, and the battle would have to wait until the next morn. DB's soldiers rested, lit fires using the nearby trees and sung war songs long into the night. DB kept to himself for the most part, sharpening his scimitar until he fell into slumber. Another horn blast, the signiature sounds of his army, awoke him later.

***

His archers, whether longbow or crossbow, aligned themselves in a long line ontop of a grassy hill, while the swordsmen rushed to the bottom of the hill, and the Cavalry waited inside the forest. The enemy, under Duke Charlot Eduard, was composed mainly of swordsmen; this was judged by most to be a weakness, but after multiple bouts DB had learned that every swordsman was specialized and so competant at his task, that they would win wars by themselves. DB took that into account, and had taken many archers with him.

The cries were deafening, and immediately the opponents rushed forward with longswords raised. DB's own footmen began to march, keeping their shields tightly against their torso, and their spears and swords ready to stab.

"Archers, aim!" DB cried. The entire line of archers reached for an arrow in their quiver, and placed the finely-crafted weapons nto their bows. Several more seconds passed as they waited for orders. "Steady!" DB urged, waiting for the opposition to move into range. "Fire!" he yelled, and a blare of horns followed. The rain of arrows pierced the enemy, breaking down their lines before they were even in reaching distance. Another shower of arrows followed almost instantaneously, ploughing down another line of Charlot's men.

Finally the swordsmen came into range of DB's footmen, and began their onslaught. Steel clashed together, with the bitterness and anger of both sides showings as they slashed, parried and fell.

Marcel, DB's second Lord, hurried toward his commnder. Thick red hair curcled around his bloody face, and heavy chain mail protected his burly body. "Lord!" he cried, "They are carving up our ranks!"

DB's hand grabbed the hilt of his scimitar. "How many archers to we have?" he shot back.

"They are almost useless in close range combat, my Lord," Marcel replied. "Shall we order them to retreat?"

"Yes, and send forth my cavalry!" More horns blared, this time in a different set of notes, and immediately the archers dashed back, behind DB's footmen, while the cavalry leaped from thw forest and ploughed through Duke Charlot's swordsmen.

***

DB was alerted again by Marcel, who had returned from the thick of the action. He was told the Cavalry were making progress, but the footmen were being slaughtered by the dozen every minute.

"Draw your swords, men," he commanded to his high chiefs: Marcel, Fabìen and Thierry. They ripped their various swords from the sccabards, and and followed their High Lord into battle.

[Commando]

Commando went to bed early that night, and the next morning his army was assembled outside of the village, being blessed by a Cardinal. Commando put on his armor, stuck his sword in his seath, got onto his armoured horse, and rode out to the front of his army after the blessing stopped. All he said was-

Commando- Soldiers, we ride!

The massive army of 1000 was hauling several trebuchats, and began marching down the dirt path. Commando took one last look back at his kingdom, saw the massive keep, the bells on the cathedral, the few soldiers left at the kingdom waving from the battlements. He wondered if he would ever see it again.

The army marched for several hours, rested, and marched agian. They kept this process up until that evening, where they came within sight of Lord Franco's kingdom. Commando's men blew war horns, and all around the fields panicking farmers ran insside the village gates, which sealed. Commando leaned over to Romulus and gave the order to ready the trebuchats. Romulus shouted the order, and the trebuchat crews began setting up the massive siege weapons. It took a few minutes, but they were ready to go. Several rocks were put in, covered in oil, and set on fire. In one minute Lord Franco's town would be alight.

[DaBomb]

In his one arm was a torch, burning brightly in the night sky, while in the other was a scimitar, dripping with blood. In fury he stabbed one of Charlot's men in the stomach and again in his shoulder, before parrying a blow with his scimitar, spinning around to knock the sword out of his target's hands and finally hacking the torso to pieces. Another enemy approached, screaming in anger, only to be burned with the torch and decapitated with a swift slice.

DB saw Marcel topple over, his nose bleeding heavily, and dashed over to assist. He deflected another blow, and gave one of his own, while Marcel groped to his feet and began slashing once more. The clashes of steel ended, and within hours the battle was over.

But not in victory. Duke Charlot Eduard had once again prevailed, though not without losses. His men lay strewn in a sea of crimson, while DB's lay in large piles of mutilated carcasses. His cavalry had been forced backward to the hill, where they archers joined them and fired one last volley. They rode off, leaving the footmen to waste on the plain, where they were slaughtered easily. Though both sides had lost similar amounts, DB had been the first to retreat, and so therefore was not the victor, which severely battered his confidence. They arrived back in Nantes with grim faces and many wounded, and rode into the keep with not so much as a word.

***

Matthieu - Lord Commando agreed to our proposition. Our prospects are not dim my leige.

DaBomb - Perhaps not, but we lost terrirtory today, along with our reputation. I'd like to get both back as soon as possible.

Marcel - Duke Charlot Eduard will be marching back to his kigdom in no hurry. He will not expect another attack so soon.

DaBomb - He will have reached his castle before we catch up.

Fabìen - What if we let him come to us?

DaBomb - That gives him time. But it may be possible...

Thierry - ...a trap, my leige?

DaBomb - Yes. I send my fastest riders to meet Charlot in battle. They will not bare any heavy equipment or other unneeded weights, and will hopefully catch up to the Duke.

Fabìen - Yes...

DaBomb - We try and lure Charlot back. If he doesn't take the bait, we will begin murdering his peasants and farmers until he is willing to attack us.

Matthieu - And I take it we will be prepared for such an attack?

DaBomb - Of course. Begin training more archers, and start securing the gates. Also, I want for every peasant to begin storing food or grain. Take as much sustenance from the Royal Dining Hall as needed. I want to be prepared for a seige.

[Commando]

The flaming rocks flew from Commando's lines into Lord Franco's town. The heavy flaming rocks smashed into the houses and towers, sending smoke and debris flying through the air. Screams came from inside the walled village, and no enemy troops had appeared yet. Another volley of flaming rocks hit Lord Franco's town, this time destroying even more. Rocks and dirt, together with blood, spilled all over the ground as peasants were blown apart or lit on fire. Nearly all of the buildings were burning by now, since the fire had spread. Commando waited for two more volleys, than raised his hand. Something was not right.

Commando ordered 50 soldiers with tower shields and spears to form close ranks and march toward the desecrated city walls. The soldiers marched, and suddenly from out of the rubble on the walls came enemy archers. They sent a volley into the soldiers, but Commando's men simply raised their shields and blocked these shots. The archers began firing at will at the soldiers, who had by now stopped walking an formed and old Roman manuever by the front line placing their shields in front of them and the rest of the men putting their shields over their heads. The archers continued to shoot at the men under the shields, but the arrows simply bounced off. The archers became irritated, and one took out a war horn and blew it. Immediatly the ruinmed gate opened and out poured about a hundred enemy men-at-arms and militia. They charged the shield bearing troops of Commando, and immediatly bashed the shields out of the ront rows hands and sunk their blades into the flesh of Commandos men. Commando's troops fought back with thier spears, and pieced the bodies of the enemy. Several fell back with spears ptruding from their bodies, while Commandos men fell over to blade and mace wounds.

Commando was watching all this from the hill. He ordered his archers to fire into the group. The archers all aimed, and sent 200 arrows into the huge mob of troops. Each arrow hit it's mark. Soldiers stuck with arrows collapsed everywhere, inluding Commando's men. Commando felt bad as he watched his own men get pieced and collapse in a spray of blood. But the enemy had been killed as well. However more were pouring out the gate. The real battle had begun.

[DaBomb]

The peasants in the small farms surrounding the keep were rushed inside with their necessary belongings while the front gates were secured by metal reinforcers. Meanwhile, DB's fastest riders had made it to Charlot's kingdom, where they began their atack.

On their horses they fired multiple arrows at the crowds of soldiers, then another before the enemy even caught on. Suddenly the cavalry began to collapse, their bodies baring many arrow wounds, but they fired one last volley of arrows before circling backm hoping that Charlot would come. It seemed doubtful, as his men were tired, injured and few in numbers. If he didn't, the Cavalry would begin destroying the farms.

[DaBomb]

They didn't follow, much to DB's dismay. It was foolish to expect the war-weathered Duke Charlot to fall for such a trick, especially when he had just won in battle. So, DB's horsemen began to attack the farms of Charlot, which would hopefully coax the Duke into attacking DB in enemy territory. If the Duke were enraged enough, he could be at DB's walls within a week, so the entire knigdom began to prepare for a seige.

The horse riders hurled torches onto the thatched roofs of the meagre peasant houses, setting the dry hay alight instantly, and slashed own all who came near. One farmer with a pitchfork knocked one rider off his horse and stabbed him with the fork, only to be pierced by multiple arrows later. While the farms were burned, the people were slaughtered, save for the women and children, who were ignored for decency's sake.

***

The farm land surrounding Charlot's kingdom was a mixture of ash and blood. Smoke curled up toward the clouds, alerting the Duke to the attack, and immediately he began battle preparation. One his army was saftely inside his keep, he began discussing his attack while feasting at his table.

"I want his head for this," the Duke cried, sipping his wine in a hurry, "Where are my other forces?"

The other advisors neither ate nor drank while the Duke was feasting. "We have 50 soldiers moving West as we speak, attacking any of Lord DB's trade partners," one advisor spoke up, standing as he spoke, "They would be here by tonight." He sat down as he finished.

Another stood. "There are 250 longbow archers at your service in 6 miles away, and 400 longsword men too. We can call for their aid."

The Duke continued to eat. "Bring them all. What about seige machinery?"

"Your seige workshop has been working day-in-day-out for a week. You have 4 catapults and 18 ballista units," another advisor said, "13 battering rams, hundreds of slow-burning arrows to set any kingdom alight, and several dozen ladder for climbing the walls."

"We won't climb the walls," the Duke replied with little regard for any opinions other than his own, "We will breach his front gates and ram our soldiers down his throat," Charlot continued, mopping up gravy with a morsel for bread, "After a ballista battering."

"Very well, my Lord."

"I want my forces ready within 24 hours," Charlot commanded, "And I want Nantes in ruins within a week."

[DaBomb]

While the peasants and serfs greived over the forlon lands of Charlot, recovering any salvagable items, the Duke's army set out in full force marching throughout the night and into the early morning to make it to the Chevu River, where the troops rested and ate. Within only 3 hours they were back on their feet, their stomachs full with rotten salted pork and stale water, and their eyes red with anger. Behind them trundled the catapults and ballistae, and at the rear of the line were the carts of rocks and spare arrows.

***

"Marcel, is the gate secure?" DB shouted.

"Yes," the Frenchman said as he bowed, "Several metal reinforcers have been placed to prevent breakage."

"Or rather to slow the breakage," DB corrected as archers lined up upon the walls, "Now, I want 50 footmen with longswords in the main compound, to halt the intruders once they come through the gate," he continued, his troops instantly abiding to his demands, "And I'll need 20 or so archers to attack those who break through."

In the distance, he saw the flicker of torches. The battle was about to commence.

[Commando]

Lord Franco's men poured out of the gate, getting pierced by Commando's arrows and falling over, only to be trampled by the mass charging behind them. They ran across the bloody fields until Commando's men met them halfway. Steel clashed upon steel, and blood spewed everywhere. Commando himself was upon his horse in this battle. He withdrew his sword and hacked the head off a nearby enemy. Another foe wielding a spear charged and impaled Commando's horse, and Commando was thrown off. He landed on the ground, and the enemy spearmen wrenched his spear out of the horse, and tried to stab Commando while he was on the ground. Commando rolled to one side, and the spear got stuck in the dirt. Commando then stood up, and chopped his enemies arm off and then stabbed him through the gut. Another enemy charged him, but a slash by commando downed him as well.

The enemy was fighting well, but Commando's superior numbers were getting the best of him. And Lord Franco was still inside his keep like a coward. As more people fell all around him, weether to spear, blade, or arrow, Commando ordered his heavy Knights to join the fray.

From ontop of the hills the Royal knights poured down. They immediatly chopped apart those who attacked them, and Lord Franco's forces fell back, retreating to the village. The knights pursued them, cutting them open with their sharp blades or simply riding over them. The knights entered the village, but here was a new obstacle, men from the keep, in windows firing crossbow bolts at them. The heavy bolts pierced the knights armor, and many a knight flew off his horse. The knights retreated from the village back to Commando's lines, and another mass of Lord Franco's troops, even bigger, followed them. Commando had underestimated his enemies strenghth.

[DaBomb]

DB felt the feline curves of his blade with his thumb, waiting for Duke Charlot's men to approach. They were only 400 or so metres out - just out of archer range - when they halted, and the catapults and ballistae were loaded and trundled into position. There was a dealy silence inside DB's castle, which was broken by the shrieking of the flaming boulders in the sky. Over a dozen smashed into the buildings and wall, blowing bricks and clay apart with ease and sending flames in all directions, which spread like a virus. Another volley came, and once more the boulders smashed into DB's castle and blew apart one of the towers. It crumbled as soon as the rock hit, scattering debris and dust on those below.

"Stand tall, my men!" DB cried, blocking the screams of the peasants out of his mind, "Prepare to fire!"

Another volley screamed overhead, and impacted more buildings. Collectively, these boulders had set alight much of the city, and though several peasants were putting out the minor flames, choking smoke still curled up from DB's keep. Charlot began to charge, having run low on rocks to fire.

"Fire!" DB cried, and his archers began to cut down hundreds of Charlot's men with their continuous firing. Many of the aid archers were on the wall, killing multiple targets befre they toppled over the wall to their death. Others, though, sootd inside 3 of the surviving towers, where they waited for Charlot to burst through, where they could rain down bolts behind the safety of rock.

"200 metres, my Leige!" Matthieu shouted, a crosbow in his right hand, "They will reach the gates in seconds!"

"Brace the gate!" DB retorted, "And centre all of the arrows on the battering rams!"

100 metres, 50, 20...they were at the wall, and the thick battering rams were being forced into the front gates, over and over, while others attempted to set it alight with torches. On the other side of the access point were DB's men, pressing against the sturdy wood to lessen the battering blows. There was an unpleasant crack, and the gates began to splinter.

"Draw your swords," DB commanded, "And tell those by the gates to draw theirs."

The gates burst open, and immediately steel clashed. DB, Marcel, Thierry and Matthieu hurried down the stairs to the inner compound, where they met their enemy.

Many were on chariots, and were mowing aside DB's forces while hacking and slashing into the hordes. Matthieu fired a sudden bolt, and the rider flew back from his chariot with an arrow in his heart. Another bolt took down the horse.

There were more screeches overhead, indicating Charlot was firing once more. As the Duke had no intention of killing his own footmen, he had re-aimed the ballistae to fire at the Western wall.

Charlots men were ploughed down by the archers and the ferocity of DB's longsword weilders, but there was still much work to do. From the battlements above the gate were several posts of boilng tar, and spear-throwers who aimed solely at the chariot riders. The pots were tipped with a heave, and the pitch/tar splashed open the enemy below, and screams erupted from their burning bodies. While the sudden rush of Charlot's men had halted, DB and his accomplices moved forward, and cleared out the last of the intruders in the compound. The second wave neared...

[DaBomb]

DB pulled a glistening sword sharply from a carcass at his feet, and swung it several times to get a feel for the blade. Rain poured down below, helping to put out the flames, but making it hard for both sides to move through the thick mud. Charlot's troops began another charge, but unfortunately DB had no pots of tar left to do his dirty work. This battle would come down to greater heart and determination, nothing more.

One soldier approached in dark armour, and took a slash at DB. The latter jumped back, falling into the mud, and deflected a shot with his newly acquired longsword. He shot back up to his feet, parried another blow, and dove his scimitar into the knee of his enemy, immobalizing him as DB stepped back, and decapitated his foe with the longsword. Another came near, but was quickly subdued when DB carved up his torso.

"Their knights are approaching!" Macel cried.

Knights posed a problem. They posessed thicker armour, superior weaponry and excellent training, and would have no problem bursting through DB's line of forces. As they approached, DB took it upon himself to make sure they would not break through into the keep.

"Hold your ground!"

DB shouted as he rushed forward, slashing right and left while all around him his troops fell. One knight spotted the Lord, and moved over. He swung, but DB parried the blow. More steel clashed before a piercing, shrill sound indicated DB's longsword had been shattered, and the Lord himselrf was left only with a scimitar. The knight moved forward, allowing DB to roll past, jump up and slash the rear of the knight's knee. In retaliation, the knight ploughed the hilt of his sword into the face of DB, breaking his nose. The Lord wiped the masses of blood away from his lips, and continued the assault.

[Commando]

Commando and his men stood covered in blood with lesser numbers as the much larger force neared. Commandos knights had outraced them and made it back, but they were weaker now. Commando raised his sword and ordered his remaining men to charge and attack the enemy horde. Blades clashed, and immediatly bodies came flying down everywhere. Commando sliced a limb off a nearby enemy, and stabbed his sword through the light armor of an enemy crossbowman, who for some reason was in this hand to hand force. There were no enemy riders, save one ontop of a horse yelling out commands, but was swiftly cut down by Commandos men.

Commando kicked an enemy over and thrust his sword into him, and left the sword sticking out of his body. Lord Francos troops were not as well armoured as his. Commando was now weaponless. A nearby enemy charged him but commando punched him in the face with his gauntlet. The enemy soldier went flying down, a dent in the helmet that covered jis face. Commando was about to reach down for his axe when something hit him over the head.

Commando awoke a few minutes later ontop of a hill, surrounded by his knights. The knights had dragged commando out of the battle after a club wielding enemy had hit him, while cutting down the oppsoing troops all around him. Commando watched from the hill as the battle raged on. Somehow, his troops were winning yet again. Hundreds of soldiers were still killing each other on the bloody plain, but now the odds were evening out. Commando ordered his crossbowmen, who were standing with the knights, to put down their crossbows, draw their swords, and go help the infantry. The soldiers obeyed, and rushed down slashing at the enemy.

[DaBomb]

The Knight swung yet again, knocking DB back against the stone staircase and injuring his arm in the process. DB attempted a stab toward the abdomen, but his scimitar was deflected and his shoulder slashed painfully. DB stumbled back, blood pouring from his shoulder and trickling down his arm, before dripping off his hand. Knowing he could not fight with this injured arm, he handed the blade to his weaker right arm and continued the attack.

Another knight approached from behind, armed with a mace, but his swing smashed harmlessly into the staircase, giving DB time to roll out of the way and stab his opponent in the leg, then slash vertically through his torso until he collapsed, lifeless. During that time, the original kinght had acquired a second blade from the carcass of a fallen comrade, and began flailing both swords in an effort to kill Lord DB. His first swordhacked off a piece of DB's armour, while the other burst through the breastplate, though DB himself was fortunately unharmed. Finally, a wave of quick deflections and sudden attacks resulted in DB gaining the victory, when he stabbed the knight in the stomach, and twisted the sword while it still lay in his enemy - to cause more pain. Hearing a call from Thierry, he rushed up the staircase to his archers, who were under attack from ground forces.

***

His keep was a smoking and littered with rubble, making it resemble a quarry rather than a castle. The archers had continued to unleash waves of arrows, and though the ballistae and catapults were used multiple times, they soon ran out of items to fire, and were abandoned. Duke Charlot had fled the scene, along with several hundred compatriots, leaving behind the dead. The peasants had emerged from the inner walls of the castle, and began to bury the dead and help in the hospital.

DB strolled through the stone walls of the hospital, grimacing at the screams of his soldiers, and of the gore he found. He had chosen to remain without medical attention, and instead was preparing a speech for his people. Once the entire population of his fortress had completed the funerals, they would assemble in the courtyard and hear the words of their Lord.

[DaBomb]

Erm, the plan is lame, and I don't explain it well, but it kinda works.
---

Outside his private courtyard and quarters was the town square, where a mass of peasants and knights had assembled as they waited for their Lord. DB stepped up to a small podium, and all fell silent. He began to read the handwriting scrawled on a yellow sheet of paper by the feather of a bird. DB remembered to put on an expression of flase confidence before he began.

"Our encounters with Duke Charlot Eduard have been devastating, and cannot continue," Lord DB told, "The constant attacks on our trade partners and continuous murdering of our farmers has resulted in our kingdom becoming...weak," he continued, trying to choose his words correctly, and ignored what he had written down, "That is why we will remove this threat, and be done with him once and for all."

There were cheers from all around, though nervous and far from generous. His people were obviously very concerned.

"I will not conscript your sons, fathers or brothers," DB finally spoke, "But I ask of you to consider joining my ranks, where you will enjoy the heat of battle, and my veneration when you rid this great land of our enemy."

More cheers were heard, this time louder and more intense. Several youths in their very late teens stepped forward, intending to join the ranks.

"A plan is being formulated, and until then I ask of you to begin preparing for one last battle."

DB stepped from the podium, accompanied by Thierry, Marcel and Matthieu, then made his way to the dining hall, where they would plan.

***

DB sipped from a goblet of wine, listening to the prposals of his men.

Marcel: Ask for help. I am sure Charlot will surrender, or lose in battle, if we have two qrmies fighting on our side.

Matthieu: They won't join in goodwill. They'll want money, and land, and when they realize how desperate we are, they'll be making unreasonable demands. Our wealth is already far too low.

Thierry: And it may take a while to assemble enough forces.

DaBomb: And we would still need to find friendly forces. When we challenged the Crown of France, we lost many friends.

Matthieu: Could we stand another attack on our keep? Perhaps if we pull some of our forces from Normandy?

DaBomb: I don't own Normandy. The people there are loyal to me, and may fight for me in certain circumstances, but asking them to move here in Nantes is unreasonable.

Marcel: And most of the population of Normandy is made of peasants and serfs.

DaBomb: We need money, and manpower. There is a training camp not far from here where we can purchase assassins.

Thierry: La Prison sur la rivière? Only thieves live there!

Marcel: And their guards don't let them go for nothing, either.

DaBomb: Very well. Fortunately, I have a second plan, dealing with Charlot's gold mine.

Matthieu: I am confused. Charlot?

DaBomb: Yes. 12 miles east there is a large mine, inside Charlot's territory. But, after Lord Henry II attacked just recently, the area became a simple graveyard, and no peasants live near, in fear of facing another attack from Henry. We can move there, and begin mining Charlot's gold.

Marcel: The area may be deserted, but Charlot may stumble upon your plan.

DaBomb: Charlot will only move to that area if he wishes to begin an incursion into Henry's territory. After our battles, I doubt he has sufficient forces to begin such an incursion. Anyway, we begin mining Charlot's gold, and begin selling it to the Duke.

Matthieu: What?

DaBomb: Basically, we mine his gold, and use my ally Antoine to sell it back to Charlot. When we exchange gold for...lumber, cloth, metals or perhaps workers, we send the gold using a convoy of carts. We intercept the carts, take back the gold, and wait for Charlot to retaliate.

Marcel: Retaliate?

DaBomb: Hopefully. Charlot will attack us near the mine, but as Henry and Antoine will be in the area, he won't stand a chance. Now, begin sending our armed riders to the mine, to secure the area, then send in our miners. Matthieu, I want you check on the situation with that Fuedal Lord in Greater Rome.

[Kid Game]

Kid had received word that Duke Chralot had been brutally attacked by DaBomb. Dukes armies had been basically crushed and dominated by this fool named DaBomb. Luckily though kid had several spies in DB's army who periodically contacted kid game giving him information about DaBomb's plans. Duke Charlot was a great friend of Kidgame and it ticked him off that some fool would attack the Duke. Kid had some other stuff to do at the moment but he gathered up an attack force and told Manfred, one of his generals, to go attack DaBomb's base. After all kid knew the coordinates since his spies wrote them on paper and sent them to kid. Kid sent Manfred off along with 500 Militiamen, 250 Axemen, 300 crossbow soldiers, 200 archers, 200 swordsmen, and 50 mounted knights to go attack DaBomb.

It disgusted kid that this filthy punk DaBomb would even think of attacking Duke Charlot let alone even attacking them. Kid smiled and laughed as the small army marched off towards DaBombs base. Within an hour or two they would arrive and begin attacking everything in sight- buildings, peasants, DaBomb's army- anything they saw would be destroyed.

Meanwhile though kid knew of the secret gold mine in Duke Charlot's territory but it was now situated in a graveyard of dead soldiers. Kid somehow knew that DaBomb would try to mine the gold for his own evil uses. After attacking Duke Charlot, that was something that kid wouldn't let happen. Kid gathered up a group of 100 carts, and 100 militiamen as well as 25 axemen and 25 archers for protection. Kid got on a horse and led his team of carts and soldiers to the gold mine. Kid knew of the goldmine's whereabouts and had permission to mine the gold if necessary and now was the time. Kid was going to mine the gold for himself and give it to Charlot later but of course kid would keep some for himself. Kid just hoped that DaBomb didn't get to the mine first but luckily that was near impossible- Kid's base was only around 1 hour or so away and at full speed ahead they would get there first.

[DaBomb]

I thought you lived in Britain.