Balada: When death did not exist, nor yet Eternity Part I 023

Extract from the diary of Corporal D’hrain Jeran.

In a battle, the strength and weaknesses of the each element went like this:

Fire beats air, air beats earth, earth beats water and water beats fire; situations outside of that like water fighting earth and wind fighting water or fire against earth depend more on the warriors wielding them, but the aforementioned strengths and weaknesses is generally how you want to use your troops in an orderly manner.

But during that black morning on Volunia 4 there was no order of battle, only one big schoolyard brawl.

The day had started with a rather lovely early morning darkness, but as the minutes went by, clouds gathered over the hot plain we were all stationed.

When the first bolt of lightning was heard in the distance our officers told us to relax and stand down, since it was unlikely that the enemy to attack during a thunderstorm, after all your fist instinct when a storm starts is to get inside as quick as you can and wait for it to pa.s.s, which was good and sound advice and we where fools for listening to it that day!

The thunderstorm booming in the distance was raging out so loud that it helped mask the enemies movements and eventual attack, what made matters even worse was the fact that by the time the attack had commenced the storm not only had intensified, but had also reached our position as well.

For the first few minutes of the attack you could not have guessed we had been ambushed due to the weather, but when you saw a squad of infantrymen, followed by a company and then a battalion all running as fast as they could away from the rear position it was clear what was happening.

So my battalion quickly formed up for battle and took up a position to face the enemy, our regimental Colonel was yelling, shouting and sometimes even shooting at our comrades to get them to rally behind us to meet the enemy.

And it was starting to work, as more and more soldiers began to join our ranks and started to form up, but by then it was too late; I somehow managed to survive that day and also stay alive long enough to get a discharge from the army and get back home and spend the rest of the war safe, and although I fought 20 more battle after that, each of them more fiercer than Volun 4, but I will never forget what I saw during the first few hours of the battle.

The enemy had attacked with such speed and ferocity that any manner of formation or discipline was lost, only raw power and momentum was used for their attacks.

Normally that’s not what you do in a battle, but at that point it didn’t matter, they had ambushed us so fast and in so great numbers that it was impossible to get any formation up, and those that did where quickly swallowed whole by the Imperial tidal wave.

I saw ranks of air soldiers shot at by so many earth warriors that the formation was reduced to nothing but  a pile or ruble and mangled flesh, I saw whole companies of fire troopers. .h.i.t so hard  and in so great numbers by water soldiers that they hardly stood a chance,  and when they finely got to us they where a mixture of fire, water, earth and wind, a nightmare to any commander to try and lead, but that did not matter, the image of so many of our own troops being cut down and breaking ranks greatly boosted the enemy’s morale and subsequent Creed Magic.

Thus we saw and felt its effects, their fire blazed like an inferno, the wind and water attacks grew in size and shape into vortexes around their weapons, that spun so fast they could cut through our ranks like they were paper, the earth troops weapons grew so much  in size and sharpness that they seemed more like the claws and teeth of some ancient monster, than that of mere mortals.

As what lay before us closed in for the kill, we all felt that we where now hopelessly outmatched and even before the enemy reached our line I saw men break ranks, making our formation becoming even thinner.

And as the enemy struck us, a whole wall of men and weaponry and least 50 long and ten ranks deep was pushed back!

Somehow  we did not break at contact, but as they continued to push, we felt the ground beneath our feet running away from us as the whole column was pushed back; ‘everything was lost and nothing short of divine intervention could save us’ was the thought going through my head as our formation was starting to fall apart and from one of the gaps the enemy poured trough, but just as that happened a figure ran past me and straight into that herd of xenos monsters and divine help had arrived in the not so surprising form of a priest.

Corporal D’hrain Jeran.

Volunian army.