//------------------------------// // Chapter 16: The Battle for Tomorrow // Story: Guardians of Harmony: Rise of the Knights // by Postwarmonkey50 //------------------------------// “You are failing!!” Lord Dainn, who had heard all his prisons were raided and prisoners were freed, was not happy. Many of his High Guards were searching the wreckage for more of their survivors, while many dead guards were all over the place. He walked down the broken pathway of the prison with his generals behind as he said, “We are this close to trying to obtain the last keys to help us break the barrier and invade the rest of the world, yet despite everything at your disposal, you cannot outwit a handful of monkeys, an heir that should’ve been dead and a rabble of rebels with feeble-minded morons!!” “We are doing everything we can, my lord.” Said Poe. “Indeed,” said Azog, “We have underestimated their resolve ever since the Knights of Harmony came to play.” “And many thought they have been extinct for a millennium.” Said Smaug. “Which means we must find and destroy them.” “No,” said Mor’du. “We must focus on our defense, build them up, and ensure that our territories do not fall.” “In case you haven’t noticed, bear,” said the Crow. “Our territories are already falling since the Houses have been freed, and all of them are under their control now.” “SILENCE!!” shouted Dainn as he glowed red energy. “Mor’du is right; we need to focus on our defenses. There’s nothing we can do with our fallen territories. But it matters not. I will find a way to crack the secrets to breaking the barrier, even if I have to burn half of Caribouria to do it.” Dainn turned to Poe and said, “General Crow. Send every one of your messengers to our Commanders and Colonels out in the Kingdom. Tell them to return to Carinthia. Have them restore the walls so they can fortify them to keep them from breaching the walls. And make two more walls around it so that no one would penetrate them so easily.” “At once.” Said Poe as he flew away to gather his messengers. “Azog,” said Dainn to his Warg general, “Have the forces prepare their weapons and armor. Tell them to make them ready once they arrive.” “Yes, my liege.” Said Azog as he went to his steed and rode off to the Capitol. “As for you two,” said Dainn while he looked at both Smaug and Mor’du, “I want you two to make sure that every one of our troops is there as soon as possible.” “Yes, my liege.” Said Smaug and Mor’du. Then suddenly, two Wargs brought in a wounded Crow while holding his wounds. “I’m sorry, my liege.” Said the Crow. “We did the best we could. We fought till the last warrior.” Dainn, however, was less pleased to hear this. He walked over to the crow, pulled out his axe, and struck him down, hard. He pulled out his bloodied axe and said, “Evidently not.” ***************************************************************************************************** At the same time, at the far corner of the kingdom, within the center of the remaining five Houses, each leader representing Each house stood around the large table, looking over where Dainn might reside, while at the same time, thousands upon thousands were gathering as they all had their weapons and armor ready, with many of the commanding officers directing them. “Attacking the old capitol will not be easy.” Said Borealis. “He’s right.” Said Princess Cyprus. “My scouts had just come back and told us that Dainn has already sent his messengers to gather his armies and place them all over the fallen capital. Plus, they’ve already restored the walls and placed two more around them, along with trenches. Which means that going there would be impossible.” “And what’s troubling is, he has already placed plenty of archers and catapults all over the walls, too.” said Hera while she looked over the map “The moment we get close enough to the first walls, half of all of our forces would be dead, and we’d lose more soldiers into a slaughter.” “There has to be a way to get inside,” said Sitting Bull. “Some way we can catch them off guard.” Beau then remembered something his grandmother had told him. “There might be another way.” He said, gaining their attention. “What do you mean?” asked Felix. “During the days after the capitol was constructed,” said Beau, “There were many secret passageways that led to any part of Caribouria in case it got invaded. What if there was another way that could help give us an advantage.” Thorin remembered and said, “That’s it. The Passageway thirteen. Thirteen different passageways leading to different locations all over Caribouria.” “But wouldn’t those entrances be destroyed after Dainn took over?” asked Kili. “Not all of them were in the same spot.” Said Balin. “All of them are separate and lead to different parts of the capital. The question is, which one of them is open?” “How about this.” said Beau, “We each divert into small groups and scout out the tunnels. Once we get there, we’ll see which ones of them are safe and which ones of them aren’t. That way, we can determine if they’re safe or not.” “That would be a sound plan.” Said Click, agreeing with the human. “That way, we don’t have to worry about casualties.” “And if we find a way in, then what?” asked Orpheus. “When we find a way inside, we’ll take about a hundred elite Troops from each House.” Said Thorin. “If we do that, we’ll be able to catch all of them off guard. Then we’ll use their own defenses against them, and we will be able to signal the rest of our troops to attack once the walls have been breached.” “But where will we find them?” asked Beau. Thorin took out a map and showed them what appeared to be the layout of Carinthia, along with thirteen different systems of tunnels that lead outward and in different locations, while saying, “I was lucky that my uncle was able to map the entire area with it and remember it my memory. Each tunnel from different locations leads straight towards Carinthia.” “Then we shall split up and try to find the way.” Said Balin. “Lizzie, Balin, and I will check the first tunnel.” Said Thorin. “I’ll take Dwalin and Glóin with me to the second.” Said Beau. “I’ll take Daisy, Fili, and Kili to the third tunnel.” Said Bucky. “Oni and Ori are with me to the fourth tunnel,” said Silver. “Dori and Nori will be with me to the fifth tunnel.” Said Genus. “Emily and I will check the sixth tunnel.” Said Frosty. “Bifur and Bofur, and I will check the seventh.” Said Nori. “How come I never get paired up with anyone?” complained Bombur. “Uh, no offense, Bombur,” said Bucky, “But you’d be too fat to fit into any of the tunnels.” “Hey!!” exclaimed Bombur. “I hate to say it, lad,” said Bofur, “But I’m afraid he does have a point.” “So, who will be searching for the other six?” asked Kili. “Once the current group is done searching,” said Thorin, “Anyone closest to the other tunnels will immediately go there and see what they can find.” “Alright then,” said Dwalin. “We have our heading. Let’s go.” ***************************************************************************************************** Soon enough, during half the day, the teams began to go to the different tunnel entrances from different locations, trying to discover a way in. In the first tunnel, Thorin knew this one, for Dainn had used it when he launched his coup and invasion. From each tunnel, they began to search. Unfortunately, most of them were in a stalemate. The groups already searched the place had searched through the other tunnels. Later that day, when the sun was close to setting, everyone began to regroup. “Any luck?” asked Beau. “No luck.” Said Thorin, “The tunnel Dainn used has collapsed. Like they wanted to make sure no one would use it.” “Same with the third and ninth tunnels.” Said Bucky. “The two tunnels we went to was too flooded to get through, so that’s a no-go.” Said Beau. “Same with the fourth and tenth tunnel,” said Silver. “The fifth and eleventh tunnels are filled with poison gas.” Said Genus, “No doubt ever since Dainn came to power, his dark craft has been corrupting the Caribourian lands.” “The seventh and twelfth tunnels were also filled with dangerous creatures,” said Bolt. “No doubt they have led astray and nested there.” “Our tunnel’s a no go either.” Said Emily. “That just leaves the thirteenth.” Said Beau; then he looked at Thorin and asked, “Any ideas?” Thorin was deep in thought, then he looked up in surprise. “I know where it is.” “You do?” asked Balin. Thorin turned around and looked at them, saying, “The Lake of Kings.” ************************************************************************************************** Within a short moment, Beau and the rest of the husbands and Emily, along with Thorin, Lizzie, and their entire company, stood in front of a large lake, which was the shape of the Oakenshield family crest. “Whoa, this is the lake?” asked Bolt. “Why is this shaped like your family crest?” “Believe it or not,” said Thorin, “The Oakenshields were the first ones to become rulers of Caribouria, but our clans were once divided, and all of them had different ideals of leading them. And back then, this was where we buried our families when they passed from the world. When Dorian’s family united the Caribou clans and other kingdoms, the Oakenshields were joined with theirs; thus, royalty continued. But by the time when Dorian’s father became immortal, and then him, there was no need to bury any member of the Royal family, so this place was left behind, forgotten. Though the Royal families continued to be buried when they passed.” Thorin crouched and looked at the lake. Then he said, “My father and the rest of my family were buried here. Through some miracle, my father’s and the rest of my family’s bodies were recovered and placed here so they could be buried. However, Dorian and his family’s bodies were mutilated, burnt, and eaten for all to see. Though it was a great shame that Dorian and his family were shown no acts of respect after their passing, I was thankful that my family’s bodies had not suffered the same fate.” “Do you think the entrance is somewhere around here?” asked Dwalin. “I know where it is.” Said Thorin as he slowly pulled out his sword and raised it in the air. “I just need to remember.” He closed his eyes and remembered the day his family was buried. It was very painful for him to remember, but he remembered how to open the way. He sharply opened his eyes as they glowed blue. He held his sword in front of him, while at the same time, the runes on the sword began to glow while he spun his sword around. With a great thrust, he plunged the sword into the ground, and within a split second, the sword’s energy began to split in two different directions and then connect halfway. Within mere moments, the light, shaped like a door, began to open while clearing the lake along the way, revealing a long underground staircase and surprising the group. “Incredible.” Said Balin. “I had no idea such a place even existed.” “Neither did any of us.” Said Dwalin. “Come,” said Thorin when he partially looked at them. “Let us enter.” He looked ahead and was the first to descend the stairs, with everyone else following suit. Everybody soon arrives at a tunnel of sorts and continues to march downwards, while at the same time, the entrance behind them closes, making some of them look. “Don’t worry,” said Thorin. “We’ll be able to open them again once we head back.” They continued to walk further and further down until they reached a type of lantern and torch, allowing Thorin to light their fire, while others found a handful of those and used them to light their way. They then reached the end of the tunnel, and when they got there, they saw the biggest underground cavern they’d ever seen stretching for miles. “Incredible.” Said Balin. “How long did it take them to build something like this?” “No one knows,” replied Thorin. “The knowledge of this place existing has been lost even to my people.” They continued to walk down and followed the path until Thorin could light one of the torches filled with oil. The moment when one lantern was active, many more followed suit. Everyone continued to follow the path, but along the way, they found a tomb with ancient words written on it. Beau walked towards it and read out loud, “Here lies Thorium the Brave. He who stood up to a thousand enemies during the Battle of Great Springs.” “Wait, you can read that?” asked Bifur. “I have a habit of deciphering any scripture.” Said Beau, “I studied this on a root dialogue from the Tower of Babel.” “So this is where he was buried.” Said Thorin. “They said his body was never found after defending his position for a month.” They continued down the path and discovered many more graves of the Oakenshield line and Dorian’s line before he was killed in the coup attempt. Then finally, Thorin stumbled upon the grave of his family. His parents and siblings. He stood there for a moment, then felt Beau’s hand, making him look at the human. “Take your time.” Said Beau. “We’ll continue to explore up ahead.” As the group left, Thorin stood there, watching the graves of his family. He walked over to them and bowed before them with his head lowered. “I failed you once long ago, my family. Forgive me.” Said Thorin as he kept his head lowered. “I didn’t receive the blessings in time, but even if I did, I wouldn’t be a match against Dainn.” He looked at them and said, “But then the humans, descendants of the Knights of Harmony, came here and helped me uncover the Sacred Flames, the original that had been resting in Caribouria for many centuries. It chose me, even after I failed my heritage.” He stood up straight while still on his knees. “But I promise, I will not let our families’ sacrifice be in vain. I will find you justice. And when I do, I promise I will make things right.” He stood and said, “I’ll make you proud. And I promise you…I’ll never forget.” He turned around and walked a few steps. But then he stopped and partially looked at them. “I love you, mom and dad.” Said Thorin. “I will one day see you in Vakala.” Thorin faced ahead and walked away from the graves of his family, determined to finish the fight once and for all. They continued to follow the path that led them to more walkways. “You know,” said Genus as he looked at the place, “With the roads and everything else this wide and strong, it’s enough troops to move in a square formation.” “Indeed,” said Glóin, “We’ll also have to plan how many we’ll bring along. We don’t know how many are currently inside the city.” ********************************************************************************************************* Half an hour later, after walking for so long, some were getting tired. That was until Frosty said, “I spy with my little eye…an exit ahead.” Everyone looked ahead and saw a large flight of stairs. Thorin blocked them with one arm and said, “Let me lead the way.” Thorin walked up the stairs, with the others following suit. Once they reached the top, Thorin placed his hand against the door. Once he did, the doors gave a bright light, allowing them to slowly open. “The tomb where Dorian’s grandfather was buried after the Great War on our lands.” Said Thorin, “Long before the Knights of Harmony came.” Thorin, Balin, Lizzie, and Beau took a peek out of it. Thorin immediately recognized the place. “This is the Courtyard of kings.” Said Thorin. “I know this place anywhere.” They then saw a few ruined buildings all around them, with Beau saying, “Looks like not even conquerors like Dainn bother to fix the place up to maintain their rule.” “Folks like him never are.” Said Balin. “But how are we going to find out how many of his forces are in this city or going to map this place?” asked Lizzie. Genus then heard a few squeaking sounds, causing him to look down, and to his surprise, they were rats and mice, all going toward him with curiosity. “Hey there, little ones,” said Genus as he stood on one knee. “How did you get here?” The rats and mice spoke to him in their squeaks, with Genus saying, “Well, it’s nice to….” Genus blinked in surprise, then looked at the animals and said, “Wait, did you just talk? And I can understand you?” Even the rats and mice were surprised by this as they looked at one another, then at Genus. They spoke to him, with Genus saying, “We’re currently trying to find a way to map this city. It was taken over by a tyrant many years ago, and now we’re trying to find a way to attack to free the kingdom from his wrath.” The rats and mice looked at one another, then at Genus, and spoke to him. He listened and said, “You’ll help? How?” ****************************************************************************************************** Within a while, while many of Dainn’s forces were on patrol, many mice began to scatter and walk all over the place, trying to hide from pain sight and looking around. When one of the mice looked at the horizon, its eyes were glowing. While from within the catacombs, everyone saw many holographic screens revealing Carinthia from behind the rat’s and mice’s eyes. At the same time, a handful made a map and marked them down while also writing down how many troops were stationed from within the city and outside. “I can’t believe we’re getting help from the…” said Bofur before Genus cut him off. “Don’t finish that sentence,” said Genus sternly, “They don’t like it when they’re called that. It’s exactly why they eat everyone’s food storages, to teach them a lesson about insulting them.” They were a little surprised by the stern reply, but they weren’t going to respond. But while most of the Caribou were mapping the place, Genus had told the rest of the husbands and Emily about what he discovered, which meant the others had discovered their own abilities. For Beau, being the Knight of Magic, it was magic and Telekinesis. For Bucky, being the Knight of Honesty, it was superstrength (Once he discovered that it depends on his honest resolve). Silver, being the Knight of Generosity, creates diamond- like force fields to be more defensive on the offensive. For Bolt, being the Knight of Loyalty, superspeed, which depended on the strength of his loyalty. Being the Knight of Laughter, Frosty can do cartoon physics, kind of like his wife. And Emily, the Knight of Compassion, can breathe and shoot fire and a power called Dracokinesis. “These abilities are amazing.” Said Emily in excitement, “Spike’s going to have a new challenger.” “I’m glad I’m fast,” said Bolt, but then said, “Wish I could fly like my wife, though.” “But don’t you already have a cloud?” said Bucky. “I’d feel better if I flew alongside her.” Said Bolt. “Besides, I also like to keep up with her.” “She’d definitely enjoy that.” Said Bucky. Genus then went back over and used his magic to see how far the rats and mice were. “How are we doing?” asked Genus. “And…done.” Said Balin as he looked over the map. Everyone gathered around it and looked it over. “So now every nook and cranny to the entire capitol.” Said Oni. “As well as where the troops are.” Said Ori. “Over twenty thousand.” Said Dori in disbelief. “Dainn really has that many troops in the capitol?” “Not to mention the hundred thousand stationed all over the capitol.” Said Nori. “A straight assault won’t work.” Said Dwalin, “Our forces would be slaughtered the moment we get close enough to those walls.” “From my observation, we still number over a hundred thousand.” Said Fili. “But we’d never make it close enough to the capital.” Said Kili. “And our catapults won’t be able to reach their distance.” Said Glóin. Beau then thought of something. During war times, there were many they used for long distances. Catapults, Trebuchets, cannons and… That’s when it hit him. There was one type of weapon that could be used for that kind of distance, the 240 mm Howitzer M1, a cannon that could fire from a greater distance. It would be a miracle to make even one, but if possible… “I figured out how,” said Beau, gaining their attention. “What if we could construct something that could fire from a distance but also deliver some damage?” “Like what?” asked Dwalin. “Back in our world, we had the Great War.” Said Beau, “They had constructed something called a 240 MM Howitzer M1, a cannon that can be fired from a great distance.” The Caribou was surprised to learn of such a weapon. “Is that even possible to make?” asked Glóin. “It can, with the right materials.” Said Beau, “Once we get back, I’ll make a list and show you what needs to be made, then we’ll make a list of what you currently have, and I’ll find a way to adapt it and make it together.” “It’s a start.” Said Balin. “Very well, we’ve lingered here long enough.” Said Thorin as he rolled up the map and made his way back. “Let’s go. We have work to do.” ********************************************************************************************************* The next day, as everyone continued to prepare for the battle ahead, Beau had written down the things they needed to make this cannon while they gave him a list of what they did have. He looks at the comparisons between them and lists alternatives of what could be effective. On some hours, he felt frustrated, and sometimes he’d kick a chair away for thinking none of those tactics would work. But then he was able to figure out what would work, and within three days, he found a way to make their cannon. The next day, they began to construct the cannons, which they could only make about up to five. During construction, Beau explained to the people how to use the weapon, especially adjusting it whenever facing it in a specific direction, as well as turning to certain degrees and knowing the wind conditions that would allow them to fire on a target. The ones who were assigned to learn how to use them began to take notes for them to remember, while at the same time, Thorin had shown them the strategy of what needed to be done and what they needed to do to win the battle. Shortly enough, the cannons were all set, and the plans were drawn. The troops were all set for tomorrow. Thorin stood on the large hill, overlooking the entire place, and watched everyone slumber. At the same time, Beau arrived and stood next to him. “Tomorrow’s going to be the hardest.” Said Beau. “It will be.” Said Thorin. “So what’s the plan of attack.” Beau said, “Sorry if I wasn’t present, but I was overseeing the cannon construction and teaching them how to use them.” “Tomorrow is when the battle will begin. We got word Dainn was preparing to stop us from taking the city. Every leader will be facing the enemy at the frontlines. Before the attack starts, we’ll use the Cannons to clear the way. Once they do their job, we’ll be able to send them to a full attack.” “And where does that leave us?” asked Beau. “Myself, the company, and your friends will lead a hundred elites from each House.” Said Thorin, “We’ll be able to get inside from the entrance and attack from within. Half of them will focus on the lower parts of the capitol to take over the defenses and do some damage from behind, while the other half will be trying to take the other half, with us leading it.” Beau sighed and said, “There will be casualties.” “I know.” Said Thorin. “But for the sake of the kingdom, we can’t fail. Otherwise, everything we worked for will be for nothing.” Beau held his shoulder and said, “I know. And you can count on us to stand by your side.” Thorin smiled and held his shoulder, saying, “Thank you for what you did for my people.” “Thank us when we win the fight.” Said Beau, causing the two to chuckle. The two walked off to their sleeping quarters, for tomorrow, the great battle shall begin.