IDWTBTHQ Chapter 112 - The Battle of Treval part 2

The western wall of Treval was the scene of a desperate fight.

Though the defenders there had reacted to the assault of the frog-like ogres as promptly as they had done everywhere else, they were still getting badly overwhelmed. This was mostly because of the presence of an ogre that was much stronger than the rest of its kin, to the point that none of the Aura Users present was able to stop it or even slow it down as it.

Unbeknownst to the defenders, there was a simple reason for this: that ogre was actually Blueskin, who had assumed the shape of one of his minions.

The Oni smirked as he slammed his fists against one knight in full plate armor, sending him flying away from the walls and into the moat below. His smile did wither a bit as it noticed that the man had somehow managed to retaliate, leaving his sword stabbed into its arm, but then he simply took the sword out and threw it away as his wound closed almost immediately.

He grinned again as he turned to face his next opponent, another knight in heavy armor, and pummeled him into the ground with a single punch before he could react. There was something immensely satisfying in easily defeating these so-called elite soldiers and he really needed it after the humiliation he had suffered at the hands of Yasen Harp.

Speaking of which, he thought he'd probably better hurry up before the Captain came to stop him. As fun as it was to kill these people, the actual reason he had gone through all the effort of hiding his presence was so that he could eat an Aura User alive before his next confrontation with Yasen Harp. That way he would learn the secrets of the Aura Arts himself, and use them against the flying knight. And considering that a normal human was able to fight on par with an ogre using those techniques, Blueskin believed that if he managed to learn them then he'd become virtually unstoppable.

Looking around, the oni finally found what he was looking for. A robust man wearing the colors of the Royal Knights was fighting against an ogre, using an ornate halberd to hack away at the humanoid with incredibly fast blows. The ogre tried to pounce at the man to crush him with its weight, but the knight simply stabbed at him with his weapon, impaling his foe in mid-air. The ogre screamed and kicked, but before it could do anything to free itself the knight swung his halberd and sent the humanoid flying down the walls and into the moat.

Blueskin smirked. Considering the ogre's weight had to be at least four hundred pounds, lifting it and throwing it around like that was a clearly superhuman feat. Which meant the man had to be a decently gifted Aura User.

The perfect prey.

Not losing time in useless finesse, the oni charged the knight head on. The man seemed to sense the danger and immediately turned to face this new enemy, gracefully swinging his halberd directly towards Blueskin's neck. Sadly for the Royal Knight, it wasn't a mere ogre the one he was facing. Blueskin parried the attack with his forearm, feeling the blade bite deeply despite his thick scales, but that didn't slow him down. He instead used his other arm to grab the man's helmet and then, before he could react, slammed his head to the ground with enough strength to crack the stones. He proceeded to repeat this attack a couple more times just to be sure before lifting his prey, who had gone completely limp. He used his clawed hands to remove the helmet of the man, revealing a bloody and swollen face, but the man's eyes were still twitching, so he had to be just unconscious and not completely dead.

Blueskin took a sigh of relief, as he had feared he might have actually killed the knight for a moment. He then opened his maw and took his head off with a single bite.

As soon as he swallowed, the knight's memories started flowing into him. The first ones to appear were those about the life of the man, about his childhood, his family and his friends, but Blueskin quickly skipped over those, since they were useless and for some reason made him feel uncomfortable. Instead, he probed for any information regarding Aura Arts and how to use them.

Luckily that wasn't hard, as the knight's training had been a crucial part of his life. More than thirty years of practice flashed quickly in the oni's head, until he finally found what he had been searching for: the man's apprenticeship, when he had learned the basics of Aura Arts. Many months spent training, meditating and doing miscellaneous exercises to hone his willpower and achieve the proper mental configuration to make use of his aura... all that effort that now would serve Blueskin instead!

Having learned the trick to unlock Aura Arts, the oni wasted no time in trying to summon his own aura. He focused, trying to match the mental state the man had used to use his powers, and then tried to perform a simple enhancing technique. To his delight, he actually felt a mysterious strength swell inside of his chest as his aura started affecting his body, and to put this to the test he punched one of the stones of the battlement. Despite not having used much physical strength in that blow the stone cracked anyway, as if Blueskin had hit with all of his might, and the oni felt himself smiling at that demonstration of power.

“I've finally obtained a skill befitting of a main character.” He thought with satisfaction. “Now not even that flying human knight will be able to stop me!”

And almost as if summoned by those thoughts, Yasen Harp made his appearance.

Dropping from the sky like a lightning bolt, the Captain came to his soldiers' aid, immediately cutting down two ogres before raising his halberd high to rally his men.

“To me, soldiers of Medelan!” He cried. “Let's send these beasts to the Darkness where they belong!”

The defenders, who just a moment before had been on the verge of breaking, suddenly gained a second wind and charged back at the ogres, pushing them back. Yasen, however, didn't lead them. Instead he rose in the air, floating about three meters above the battlements, and looked around with a focused expression on his face. A moment later, Blueskin suddenly felt the faint touch of the man's aura on his own and the captain turned to stare directly at him.

The oni felt a hint of a shiver running down his spine in response to that cold, murderous gaze, but he forced himself to ignore it. He then proceeded to quickly take his combat form before the knight could attack him and overwhelm him as he had done the last time they thought. Ditching his ogre disguise, Blueskin quickly grew two sizes bigger as his flesh and bones twisted and changed shape as if they were made of clay. He also grew back his silver hair while dark blue scales covered his skin like armor.

“Greetings, Captain Harp!” He then bellowed, loud enough to be heard over the noise of the battle. “How nice of you to come and join us!”

The man didn't reply. Instead, he simply stared down the oni, gripping his halbeard tightly as he noticed the half eaten body of the Royal Knight the humanoid still held in his hands.

Picking up this reaction, Blueskin quickly decided to try and use it to taunt the knight a bit, hoping to anger him and make him act rashly.

“Oh, I'm sorry... I fear you came right in the middle of my meal.” He said in a mocking tone, waving the headless body towards the Aura Master. “Was he someone you knew?”

Much to Blueskin's chagrin, the knight didn't answer to that provocation. There was clearly anger in his eyes, but it was cold and controlled, and if anything it seemed to make the knight even more focused as he started carefully approaching his enemy, floating a few meters above the men and ogres fighting on the walls.

“Tsk!” The oni thought, feeling a tad disappointed. “Why am I always the only one who tries to make some dialogue? He could have told me that was my last meal, or something like that, a typical heroic rebuttal, but no, he just gives me the silent treatment!” He sighed. “Reality really is disappointing. Even now that I've been Isekai'd, I can't have classic fantasy exchanges like those in the novels.” He stared at Yasen, who was approaching, and decided to start preparing himself for battle. “Well, he's just one enemy. Hopefully the next one I will face will be more entertaining!”

Blueskin felt pretty confident in his chances to defeat the Aura Master this time. After all it was only thanks to Aura techniques that the human had managed to defeat him before, and now that he knew them too the playing field was evened in his favor.

Then, without warning, Yasen swung his glaive, sending out a blade of wind aimed at his opponent's neck. Blueskin responded by lifting his arm to parry it and called out to his aura to perform a defensive technique.

The oni felt his aura surging and concentrating in his forearm's skin, turning his already tough skin into an impenetrable armor, and when the wind blade collided with his arm it broke without even denting his scales. Blueskin rejoiced at that success, but sadly he was so focused on using that technique that he was taken completely by surprise by Yasen's following attack.

As soon as he had launched his wind blade, the Captain had immediately darted to the right, flying at high speed while circling around the oni clockwise, before attacking him from the left. Blueskin tried to summon his aura again to parry that blow as well, but he was too slow and the blade of the glaive cut through his scales as if they weren't there, severing his left arm. Then, before the oni could even process the pain of that wound, another slash was aimed at his head, forcing him to duck in order to not be decapitated, though the blade still managed to open a bloody gash on his forehead.

The oni tried to counterattack, but he quickly found out that fighting on a relatively narrow battlement while surrounded by other people wasn't exactly easy. Though most of the ones near him were his allies, no one seemed very eager to help him and those who tried were quickly dispatched by the Captain. And to make things even worse, now that the oni had revealed himself some humans were actually aiming at him, so he was also hit from bullets and crossbow darts, something which, though thankfully not fatal thanks to his thick scales, was rather painful and distracting.  Meanwhile the Aura Master simply flew above the walls, using hit and run tactics and circling around his opponent like a vulture, trying to find an opening to deliver a killing blow. In short, it was nearly as bad as the first time Blueskin had fought him.

The absolute worst thing, though, was that the Aura Arts that the oni had gone through so much trouble to learn were proving to be completely useless. While they seemed extremely good on paper, it was simply impossible to focus enough to use them in the heat of battle.

“But how do the knights use them then?” He wondered desperately. “There must be a trick! Why can’t I find one!?!”

If the situation hadn't been quite as serious —and if he had been able to spare the time and focus to do so— Yasen would have probably sneered with contempt at the oni's foolishness.

Knowing about the monster's ability to absorb the memories of those he ate, it was quite easy to deduce that his plan had been to devour an Aura User and steal their techniques from them in order to use them against the Captain.

The sheer ignorance of such a scheme would have made Yasen chuckle if he hadn’t been so angry. Simply knowing how to perform aura techniques wasn’t nearly enough to make someone an Aura User. One needed to spend years hammering each technique into their subconscious, so that they could use them effectively in the heat of battle… but clearly no one had told that to the oni, and the captain was going to make sure he would pay the price of his mistake.

However, on a more serious note, now more than ever it was crucial that the oni wouldn’t get away. If he survived, he could have time to actually train himself and learn how to properly use the techniques he had stolen, and Yasen had no intention to let him do that.

However, even without Aura Arts, killing the oni was easier said than done. He was on his guard now, and unlike their previous encounter Yasen couldn’t afford to concentrate solely on him because there was a battle going on, and there were many enemies besides the Blue Terror. So, for now, all he could do was hit and run attacks, launching quick offensives and feints and then retreating in the air, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

And for a moment, it seemed like this strategy would work. The ogres’ assault had lost its momentum, and now the monsters were pressured by the numerically superior soldiers and the Aura Users who had rushed to the walls. In these conditions, it wouldn’t be long before the oni would be swarmed by enemies, and Yasen intended to use that moment to put an end to the fight once and for all.

However, just as he prepared himself for the final assault, he heard a noise of machinery being broken, followed after a few seconds by a loud thud below the walls.

The Captain rose to the air and tried to see what had happened, and immediately he felt a shiver running down his spine. Apparently, one of the ogres had managed to reach the drawbridge mechanism and had smashed it, resulting in the drawbridge being lowered.

Now the orcs could reach the walls there as well, and there were hundreds of them waiting on the other side of the moat.

Of course, the gates were well defended, with portcullis and double gates of solid wood reinforced with iron that would have kept most attackers at bay. However, they hadn’t been built to resist against inhuman enemies like the orcs, and this weakness became apparent a few seconds later, when some humongous ogres covered head to toe in heavy armor charged at the gates like bulls, smashing right through the gates and tumbling down right on the plaza behind the gates.

The Blue Terror also noticed this, and sent a wicked smile towards Yasen, clearly expecting him to pause his attacks to go and deal with that problem.

He seemed quite surprised when the Captain simply ignored that and tried to decapitate him with a swing of his glaive, missing only by a hair breadth and cutting half of the oni’s neck.

“Gluck! Glub!” The monster gurgled as blood clotted his throat. However, he immediately regenerated the damage and then cried, using more discernible words this time. “What is wrong with you!?! Can’t you see that my ogres have breached your gates? Why won’t you go stop them!?!”

Yasen ignored him and kept attacking. If he had been willing to dignify the oni with an answer, however, he would have told him that he didn’t need to do anything, since he had given his men specific orders in the evenience the orcs would break through the gates, as unlikely as it had seemed before the battle.

As the ogres and the orcs charged through the broken gates, a group of figures dressed in weird clothes made their appearance from the city, marching right against the humanoids. A few of them, dressed in gray and blue tunics, started chanting something, raising their arms to the sky, and all of a sudden a lighting fell down from nowhere, hitting the armored ogres in front of them with a deafening thunder. Three ogres fell dead, smoke rising from their flesh while their eyes had been liquefied, and the rest of the monster army hesitated for a moment, unsure about what to do. Then the men in the tunics moved aside and a group of knights on horseback emerged from the roads of Treval, charging at the confused orcs with long jousting lances. The first few lines of humanoids died, either stabbed or trampled to death, and the rest panicked and ran away, hitting against the ones who were trying to charge in and causing an incredible confusion. The knights, however, didn’t pursue them outside the walls and instead retreated back into the city while foot soldiers pushed a few empty carts into the gates, creating a line of improvised barricades.

This time, Yasen couldn’t help but grin after seeing his precautions pay off. Keeping the clerics of Toa and the cavalry in reserve, in case the orcs had managed to get past the gates, had worked perfectly. His satisfaction only grew when he saw the dumbfounded look on the Blue Terror’s face. Still, he tried not to get distracted, and prepared to try another attack against the oni.

The oni sent out an angry growl, and while still dodging and trying to counter Yasen's attacks he started crying with fury towards his army.

“Stop playing around you fucking cowards!” He shouted so loudly that he could be perfectly heard from far away even over the sound of the battle. “Charge now! Kill these humans and eat their flesh! Do it now! Now!” 

A few orcs and ogres heard him and looked up, and some even attempted to charge, but there was such a confusion among their rank that any proper maneuver was almost impossible, and a salvo of projectiles from the defenders on the barricades was more than enough to take care of that. 

Yasen's grin grew wider as the oni's frustration became even more manifest, but what happened next wiped the smile from his face. 

"Blue Dragons!" The monster cried. "Charge! Break through those gates! Kill these damned humans!"

In response to the Blue Terror's order, there was a stirring in the orc army below. A group of a dozen or so ogres started making a beeline for the gates, shoving away or even just trampling anyone who was on their way. These humanoids, as Yasen noticed, not only seemed bigger than average even for their kind, but they were also wore peculiar armor, a well-made looking plate with some huge green scales strapped over it, protecting the vital areas. 

Their skin also had a bluish hue to it. 

These  ogres charged over the drawbridge, ignoring the fire from the attackers, and charged straight at the barricades. The defenders, among which were several Aura Users, braced themselves, pointing their pole weapons against them, like they had done so at the breach.

This time, however, that strategy didn't work as well. 

The ogres charged straight through the spears, and those, even the aura-infused ones, broke or bounced off harmlessly when hitting their scale-covered armor. It didn't completely went the ogres' way, as a few of them fell when hit in places not protected by those weird scales, but it was enough for them to wipe out the barricades and overwhelm the defenders. And, as the tides of battle changed, the orcs regained their spirits and followed those armored ogres, making their assault's momentum grow even more. 

This time, it was Yasen's turn to silently curse, while the Blue Terror opened his lips in a shit-eating grin.

"These are my best soldiers, the Blue Dragons." He announced smugly. "They are those among my sons who managed to become ogres themselves. Not only are they stronger than the average ogre since they are actually sons, but they are also equipped with dragonscale armor, which makes them virtually invulnerable... even to your Aura Arts!" He laughed. "I'd have liked to keep them safe for later battles, but it couldn't be helped! You did well to force me to deploy them, but now that they're fighting your defeat is inevitable!"

Once again, the Captain didn't reply with words, sending instead a fast stab aimed at the oni's head, which almost took out one of his eyes. He was, however, quite worried, as stopping these orcs covered by what seemed like dragon scales would prove difficult. He could have done it himself, of course, but that would have meant leaving the Blue Terror to his own devices, something which he absolutely couldn't afford to do. 

Which meant that he was forced to reveal his full hand as well.

“Send all the reserves in! Now!” He cried, waving his glaive. “We need to stop the orcs! All forces charge!”

In response to this order, a nearby soldier grabbed a horn from his belt and started playing it. Three sharp notes echoed in the air, and in response to this signal soldiers from all over the city rushed in to help. A few hundred soldiers and several Aura Users, led by Yasen’s lieutenants, charge back at the orcs, meeting them just after the gates. With the armored ogres leading the charge, however, the invaders seemed all but unstoppable, charging more and more deeply into the human lines. 

Then, as all seemed lost, another group of clerics made their appearance from within the cities. Unlike the previous group, which only wore loose gray and blue tunics, these ones wore what looked like ornate bronze armor over red tunics, and carried several weapons also made of bronze. They chanted as they marched, and their leaders also carried a censer, swinging it left and right rhythmically, sending puffs of smoke all around him. All of the soldiers who smelled those fumes somehow started fighting much better, throwing themselves against the enemy with unnatural fury and determination, though even this wasn't enough to stop the invaders. But then the clerics raised their weapons, and howling the name of their goddess of war, Qierra, they threw themselves against the ogres. As they charged, crimson flames appeared on their weapons, and when their leader hit one of the ogres with his huge bronze broadaxe the blade managed to penetrate through the scale of the humanoid's armor, felling the monster in one fell swoop. Meanwhile the other clerics weren't quite as powerful but still matched the ogres blow for blow and their holy frenzy seemed almost contagious, making the soldiers all around them fight like maniacs, to the point that they actually managed to stop the invader's advance and even press them back a bit. 

However, many men were falling every second, and Yasen quickly realized that stopping the orcs’ assault would be only possible at a steep cost in lives. However, he couldn’t see any other option, since they could only hope to resist a few hours if they retreated into the citadel, where more than twenty thousand civilians had also taken refuge. It was imperative to protect them, no matter the cost, for if the orcs managed to reach them and devour them, then they would truly become unstoppable.

Also, the Captain thought with grim determination, he couldn’t let the oni get away. So he braced himself, gathering his determination to slaughter the monster or die trying… and then stopped, as he noticed something that changed all of his plans.

“Fall back!” He cried, flying away from the walls. “Fall back into the citadel!”

He then threw himself into the fight in the plaza below, a literal living hurricane that sweeped away all those who tried to stand against him. Even in their berserk state the orcs hesitated in front of such strength, and the defenders took advantage of this to retreat in an orderly manner, taking their wounded with them. Signals passed through the soldiers, and in a few minutes all of the soldiers abandoned the walls, falling back to the citadel and leaving the rest of the city to the orcs.

Still standing on the walls, Blueskin stared at the defenders abandoning the walls with a mix of relief and confusion. He was certainly happy to see the Captain of the Royal Knights getting away from him, especially because he really had him on the ropes for a moment, but at the same time he didn’t understand why he had done so.

“He was probably feeling bad about his soldiers being killed.” He thought after a moment. He smiled with contempt. “Typical sheeple behavior. He may be strong, but he’s too stupid and weak willed to be a true threat! A strong leader must be ready to sacrifice everything to achieve what he wants!”

He watched his orcs enter the city, which sadly was completely empty. But the oni wasn’t too worried, as from the memories he had absorbed from the enemy soldiers the population had taken refuge into the citadel, which wouldn’t be too hard to conquer now that he controlled the rest of the city.

Then, inexplicably, he froze as a faint but clear sensation of danger fell over him, making him feel as if a line of ants were crawling up his spine. He turned around and saw something that made his blood run cold.

A huge army was clearly visible in the fields in front of Treval, stretching into the horizon like a dark river.