Chapter 3:First of Many Battles

With the break of dawn, Xenahort awakes in his royal chamber, eagerly anticipating his breakfast prepared by the royal cook. The old king was by no means aware of the struggles happening some 50 miles away.

Back at Laccnia, blades were flying everywhere as Spartans clashed with barbarians.Raphael had initiated the command to battle, and so now every soldier were fighting with all their might, if not to bring glory to Sparta then to avoid being killed. The barbarians fought using huge war axes which would break the Spartans' swords the moment it made contact at full impact. At the very back of the enemy frontlines stood the enemy commander, Zroma. He was a huge man wearing a horned helmet. He had grizzly hair and his eyes were red with bloodlust. Zroma stood at a menacing 7 feet tall.He held a huge pole axe in his right palm.He was big-boned and wore very little armor. In fact, all of the barbarians wore little to no armor at all. All they did was wrap some fur cloth around their bodies.The cold weather seems to have no effect on them. They swiped the Spartan soldiers away as thought they were flies.

The situation looked beyond repair. Parts of the city walls were broken down and the barbarians were trying to get in. Inside, women and children were running for their lives. The atmosphere was chaotic. The little soldiers remaining of Kratos' unit were doing their best to fend off the barbarians within the city. The Spartans' line of defense was declining at an alarming rate. Their frontlines were thinning with every heartbeat. They suffered many casualties. Bodies lay strewn everywhere. Cracked skulls and severed limbs could be seen all over the battlefield.Raphael and Mikel fought very hard. Although barbarian after barbarian fell to the two friends, the seemingly endless wave of the barbarian frontlines has taken its toll on the two friends as they started to tire.

Axel and Tristan were still nowhere to be found. The soldiers' morale dropped dramatically. Even Raphael and Mikel had started to lose hope.

"Do what you must, but don't get overconfident"Axel told him.Does this include the ability to command a retreat?Raphael seriously considered commanding a retreat.The thought of losing his first battle in war, where he was commander was not something Raphael liked.However, his soldiers, fine young Spartan brothers were falling like flies before him. The city was about to fall! What more could a 23 year old soldier with limited experience do? Just as he was about to give the order, cheers erupted from the city. Raphael and Mikel turned to look and saw Axel bursting through the gates on his horse, followed closely by Tristan and a number of soldiers.

Axel raised his sword.

"FOR SPARTA!"

Axel impaled a nearby barbarian and forcefully drew his sword out, ripping out the barbarian's heart. Seeing this made the barbarians shudder a bit. A problem Zroma quickly adressed.He charged through the army like a mad man and soon was at the heart of the battle. Zroma hacked down Axel's horse, forcing him to battle on foot.However, it was not a problem for Axel, who continued to fell more barbarians. There was no wonder that he was a general in the Spartan army, he was an inspiration to all the soldiers. He showed extraordinary leadership. His valor was elevated when he moved to challenge Zroma to a duel. Tristan had fought his way to Raphael and Mikel's side. The three of them were now slashing away at every barbarian that got in their way. They were so strong, it was as though Ares himself had come down to battle for them.

Axel and Zroma were involved in a heated battle with each other. Axel was quite the swordsman. Zroma was finding Axel to be a very hard opponent. Everytime he tried to smash or slash Axel, Axel would evade perfectly and attack. Zroma had been slit a few times already as he was bleeding. But the smell and taste of his own blood only infuriated Zroma more as he started to attack with more venom. Once or twice, Axel came perilously close to having his head severed. With a strong swing, Zroma knocked Axel off balance to the ground. Zroma towered over Axel and raised his pole axe high above his head.

What happened next was instinct. Raphael grabbed a hand axe from a nearby barbarian and threw it, not at Zroma, but at the handle of the pole axe he was holding, the handle made of wood.The hand axe hit it perfectly.By the time he realised what had happened, the pole axe came crashing down upon his head, splitting his skull. Zroma fell backwards unto the ground, his eyes expressionless, dead.

Axel looked over at Raphael who nodded. To his bewilderment, Axel got up and charged full speed at him. Axel leaped high into the air and jabbed his sword deep into the barbarian who had sneaked up on Raphael.

"Thanks, commander."

"No, we are even."

The four warriors were like a light on the battlefield, inspiring all those who saw them. Despite losing their commander, the barbarians pressed the attack and soon had the upper hand again.

Axel slayed the last of the barbarians attacking the group, looked around and shouted.

"RETREAT INTO THE FOREST!RETREAT!"

He knocked a nearby barbarian off his horse, took it and rode towards the forest, screaming "RETREAT" all the more louder.

The soldiers slowly stopped fighting and followed suit. Raphael refused to accept defeat and was about to launch himself deep into the battlefield when Tristan pulled him back.

"Get to the forest, Raphael!"

"No, Tristan, I'm not a coward! I don't run!"

"No one says you're a coward, Raphael, but you are an idiot!"

Enlisting the help of Mikel, Tristan hauled Raphael into the forest. Upon entering the forest, Raphael felt something wrong. They haven't gone far and the city was still in sight. Why then, was Axel holding his sword gazing at the city behind a tree on his horse? All the other soldiers held their swords too.

"It's a feigned retreat, Raphael."explained Tristan."Axel's military command is not just limited to his fighting abilities. He is well versed in the art of strategic warfare as well. Numerous holes have been dug in the city, each filled with long spears that will kill its victim."

Sure enough, as the barbarians entered the city, they started to scream. Axel turned his head.

"NOW, LAUNCH THE COUNTER ATTACK!"

The Spartans rushed out of the forest and quickly killed off many of the stunned barbarians. Inside, Raphael saw the barbarians in the ground, pierced by spears the length of men.

Suddenly, a horn sounded from the northern forest, from Hispanic. The barbarians stopped fighting and immediately retreated.It was now evening, and the moon had already revealed itself.

The soldiers rejoiced at the sight and started to celebrate when Axel turned around to greet them with a very dark face.

"It's too early to celebrate. That was Beowoulf. He's calling them back to prepare for a full scale assault."

"Full scale assault, what was THAT then?A welcoming party?"

"Aye, Raphael. I'm afraid Beowoulf's army is much larger than what we've seen so far."

Raphael's expression darkened. Mikel spoke,

"Then, what do we do, commander?"

"We attack them before they reach us. I will personally lead an elite cavalry unit including you, Raphael and Tristan through the mountain pass and strike the rear of their vanguard. Hopefully, we will be able to find Beowoulf's son, Heracles, and capture him. We can exchange him for Beowoulf's surrender."

"Sounds like a plan, when do we act?"

"Before the break of a new dawn."