Chapter 136: Chapter 135 - The Battle Between the South and the North 02.
[Chapter Size: 1900 Words.]
Third Person POV
Northern kingdoms.
...
...
Once again, the sun shone against the damp grass from the light drizzle that had fallen during the night, but there was no dawn this time, as it was already mid-morning. The short grass seemed to sway suddenly, but not due to the morning breeze—it was from the pounding footsteps approaching it with each moment. On the field, large hooves could be seen advancing, trampling the grass with hollow sounds as cries echoed above the grass from thousands of men charging toward a battle about to unfold there.
All the horse hooves beat against the grass, advancing toward their enemies on the opposite side, who were coming in the other direction with the same determination and will to defeat them.
Soon, the distance between the two groups closed, with men pointing their spears at the adversaries, and both armies rapidly met. This resulted in the cavalry clashing, creating a natural barrier between the two groups as the front lines were pushed up by the soldiers behind them and their enemies resisted being pushed.
As they tried to thrust at each enemy with the spears in their hands, the battlefield quickly turned into a tremendous mess. Men and horses screamed, while the sounds of pain and the cries of wounded horses filled the air, with each group attempting to push past the other as blood spread across the field.
"Aim!!!" Behind each of these groups were archers who, with quick orders from their commanders, prepared their bows.
"Fire!" the commander shouted, and all the archers released their arrows.
An avalanche of arrows surged into the midst of the fight, hitting both horses and men clad in armor. Even allies were struck by their own arrows, but that was common—after all, it was war.
This continued for some time as the Northern and Nilfgaardian cavalry tried to kill one another, with arrows constantly raining down upon them.
This, of course, was only an initial wave of soldiers facing the battle. It was not the full force, merely ten thousand men on each side fighting one another.
Both armies had decided to begin with a simple skirmish, a test of morale. The army that was most shaken might even surrender without fighting—a tactic to avoid a full-scale battle right at the start, thus preventing tens of thousands of deaths.
Meanwhile, both Thorne and the Nilfgaardian general, who had already met for a brief negotiation, watched the outcome from each side of the battlefield. But the battle leaned toward neither side, with both armies evenly matched and pushing against each other.
This continued until both white flags were raised, and a trumpet sounded, announcing the end of the fight. Both sides began to retreat, leaving the battlefield behind, with a few thousand dead and fallen horses on the ground.
The men returned and regrouped, exhausted on that side of the battlefield, while the wounded quickly left to be tended to, as there were more injured than dead.
"Looks like we'll have a lot of work with this, won't we?" the Temerian general commented beside Thorne. They had discussed how the King of Sodden wanted to delay the real battle, while the general wanted something different.
"I couldn't agree more," Thorne replied with a hint of mockery; he needed to wait for Madara to appear, which is why he delayed the armies.
"In any case, let's regroup and decide what to do," Thorne continued, turning his horse around, while the general nodded, though visibly dissatisfied. They returned to the camp, as Nilfgaard seemed to make the same move.
In the end, another meeting began with the army leaders. On the first day of battle, no one emerged victorious, and the decision for a full-scale battle was yet to be made. They would have to wait for that.
Thorne was quite insistent on maintaining a low-profile fight, but he had to listen to the war council. The meeting concluded around noon, and both leaders began preparing once more for the next battle.
There would be no more battles that day; perhaps another would start the following day, but it depended on how the commanders of both armies would negotiate with each other.
As the camp bustled with activity in the early afternoon, a portal appeared in the area where the mages were stationed. Yennefer emerged from the portal, heading toward Tissaia, who was already at the entrance waiting as soon as she noticed her.
"You finally arrived. I see you managed to capture one," Tissaia said, glancing at the body of the witcher from the School of the Cat, lying beside her, suspended by telekinesis.
"I'd say dead. But yes, you could say we did. It was hard to find them, but we managed without any trouble," Yennefer replied, pleased.
"Good. You did well, but we still have two more to capture. Anyway, come along; I have something to tell you," Tissaia said, with Yennefer leaving the body lying on the ground and moving toward her tent.
"I smell death... The battle has already begun, hasn't it?" Yennefer commented, revealing to Tissaia a rare hint of eagerness. She wanted the fight to end soon. After all, she had met two interesting children and hoped Madara would arrive shortly.
"Yes... anyway... Did you know, I met someone yesterday..." Tissaia began.
"Who?" Yennefer narrowed her eyes.
"It's hard to say, but he had two red eyes... When I realized, that boy was here after invading my tent. His name—you know it—Madara Uchiha." She spoke, leaving Yennefer surprised, and continued. "He mentioned having encountered Nilfgaardian soldiers and mages on Sodden's Hill, and that six of the mages in the mountains are now dead, while the other seven are advancing south, still trying to complete their mission," Tissaia explained.
When Yennefer heard this, her eyes widened. "Madara was here?" she exclaimed, wanting more information.
"Yes, he was here and said that you told him about our operation on the mountain. Anyway, he mentioned encountering enemies and that someone betrayed us, leaking information to the emperor," Tissaia replied with a serious tone.
Yennefer sighed before responding, "Yes, it's true. I spoke about the operation, as I had sent another witcher from the School of the Wolf to help them. However... Madara seemed to know about it somehow and planned to go to the mountains regardless... He knew something was about to happen there... I just didn't imagine there could be a traitor. Madara told me who it is," she said carefully.
"Who?" Tissaia asked immediately, visibly surprised.
"Vilgefortz," Yennefer murmured.
"Him? Why?" Tissaia demanded, incredulous.
"I don't know. It's what Madara believes, and after everything I've seen, I don't think I should doubt his words," Yennefer replied, feeling a growing anger toward the mage.
"So be it. We'll investigate him. If it's true, he'll pay dearly for this betrayal," Tissaia declared with a dangerous tone, still reflecting on Madara's words.
Yennefer raised a new question. "Triss... She's not among those six dead, is she?"
"No, she's not among the dead, but she was the only one gravely injured. According to Madara, she was taken north by a witcher from the School of the Wolf, possibly the one you sent... We need to get her to receive treatment," Tissaia explained.
"Let me do it, then," Yennefer offered, a bit surprised by her friend's situation, but determined to act.
Tissaia shook her head. "I need you here, Yennefer. You are one of the most skilled mages, and the North needs your help. As for Triss, I've sent another sorceress to aid her. She'll be fine, don't worry. After all, she's my student as well..." Tissaia said with determination, though still cautious.
"Anyway, where is Madara?" Yennefer demanded.
"As for the boy... Honestly, I don't know. He left and vanished... I have no idea where he is... Even with the battle happening, he was silent," Tissaia replied, pausing.
"I see... he could be anywhere then..." Yennefer murmured, feeling a bit lost, after all, Madara always acted mysteriously. Perhaps it was just a clone, and he was still at Sodden's Hill, helping the mages.
"Well, in any case, Yennefer, you're dismissed. Thank you for your cooperation. I'll send another mage to replace you tomorrow for the witcher hunt. You'll be assisting me on the battlefield," Tissaia said.
Yennefer nodded. "Yes, I can go," she said, leaving the tent at that moment. She headed to her own tent to rest, lying down on the bed in her luxurious tent while her eyes drifted to the ceiling, thinking about the things that had happened lately, but mostly about the words Ciri, consumed by power, had spoken to her—words that echoed in her mind unsettlingly.
"You must prove your worth. He will never trust you with your current intentions..." Yennefer heard it again, pondering what she should do.
Meanwhile, in another place far from the battlefield between the two kingdoms, night had fallen, and a group was gathered at the edge of a forest around a campfire, eating quietly, with most of them maintaining a calm and silent gaze.
This silence was broken when they sensed someone approaching, and though they remained calm, someone appeared, stepping into their midst.
"Kenzu! Man, what were you doing up north? You took too long!" one of the men said, teasing.
"What was I doing? I nearly died, you bastard!" Kenzu exclaimed, causing the others to raise their eyebrows at him, not understanding his words.
"What do you mean by that?" another asked in a serious tone.
"What I mean is, I ran into a damn Uchiha kid, and we fought. He destroyed four of my hearts! You know, I've been trying to recover them since then, destroying several villages in the region," Kenzu said, frustrated.
"An Uchiha kid?! The very target we stopped pursuing to watch the war? You've got to be kidding!" another exclaimed, looking at Kenzu, wondering if he was lying.
"That bastard seemed to be mocking me, as if he left me alive on purpose. I want to find him again! I swear I'll kill him! I want that kid all to myself! I'll use all my hearts to end him!" he ranted, leaving the group visibly surprised by his anger.
"Wait, are you serious? You actually saw the Uchiha kid?" an older man asked, hoping he was telling the truth.
"Not only did I see him, but we fought. I've never seen anything like it. He... he was just a kid, but he knew how to use multiple jutsus, and I have no idea how he learned everything here. What's more, he possesses two elements and a Kekkei Genkai. I've never faced anything like it; he's worse than any enemy I've ever encountered, worse than those Uchihas of the past... And besides... he uses his jutsus in a way I've never seen... We can't let him grow stronger!" he said, while everyone exchanged glances, perplexed.
The older man then approached Kenzu, looking him in the eye as he spoke. "Please, tell us everything that happened," he demanded, as Kenzu prepared to reveal all the secrets he had discovered about Madara.
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