Earlier yesterday, while the Lupresian forces were packing up to depart and try to reach the invaders, Amadeus, the spy chosen by River, walks down a street in the Avantasian capital. He wears his nobleman disguise, set to have an audience with the queen herself to try and get an in, and he overhears a couple of people talking near him. Two women who stand off to the side, wearing fancy dresses and adorned with nice jewelry and makeup, chat about all sorts of things.

One thing in particular catches Amadeus' ear, causing him to stop in his tracks however. One says something that is a large shock to him. "That so? Oh, did you hear that the military is setting out to teach Lupresia a lesson?" One woman says to the other, smirking as she does. And this does cause Amadeus to stop and continuing to listen in. "They left the navy base earlier this morning apparently." She says with a vague hint of egotism. She seems so sure that Avantasia will manage to win already.

"What? No way." The other responds with a laugh, as if it's surefire that they'll win no matter what. The amount of sheer egotism and narcissism that this conversation radiates is infectious. Not like it makes others be that way or anything, rather that it is like a plague that causes splash damage in a ten meter radius. "Well, there's no chance for such a weak nation to win anyhow. So it's really useless to resist." She snickers, continuing to be annoying.

These two women are not the first supremely annoying or downright infuriating people he has ran into since coming here, as all around the people of Avantasia seem to have a superiority complex. As far as he can tell, what this country could really use is a good defeat to make them understand that they are not impervious. As he continues listening, this convo ends as the two women notice him standing near them while everyone else is still walking. "Uhm, excuse me. What are you doing, exactly? Creep." One says as they both turn and start walking away in a huff.

Amadeus also notices how he did seem a bit creepy listening in, but he did learn something he had not known previously. If what they were talking of is to be true, then that means that while he is here trying to gather information on their enemies, those same enemies are off to invade his homeland. "So, it's here then?" He thinks to himself as he starts to walk forward again, sliding his hands into his pockets. "Please win. Please..." Essentially pleading for his allies to win, he looks up into the sky as he walks on to continue his own mission behind enemy lines.

The following morning after the forces of General Knox set up camp to ride out the night in semi-comfort, the troop awakens at the crack of dawn and gather up the camp as quickly as possible. Hopefully their enemy has also waited the night, so that they can meet them in a clash of monumental proportions in the midst of the morning light. Once everything is gathered, Knox orders his men to match forward and they retake their previous formation, hoping that it can work.

Walking alongside his fellow soldier, Elias looks around to see if he can see Damien, who is still a member of the cavalry unit. He unfortunately doesn't even know which flank he is assigned to, as that information was no fully disclosed to every soldier in the regiment. But he does know one thing, that Damien is sure to be brilliant as a cavalryman, as his horseback riding skills are sure to allow him to rise above his station and distinguish himself.

As they march through the countryside with bated breath, the soldiers anxious about how their enemy could be coming from any direction and be around any forest or over any hilltop, Knox leads ahead, surrounded by some of his officers that stand at either side. They are serving as his guard in a sense, as although he is more than willing to fight any soldier one on one, as he has done plenty of times before, but at any cost they must keep their leader, since losing the one giving directions can cause the threads of a well-knitted army to unwind.

It doesn't take long walking beneath the bright morning light before they ascend a hill and look over it towards their adversaries, which march along an open field. It looks as if they had just disbanded their own camp. Knox holds his soldiers back behind the other side of the hill, as this provides opportunity for a surprise attack. They are a large army, a very large one that is much larger in size than their own, probably by a couple more hundred soldiers. But they seem to have no cavalry, and there is a decently sized open field with hardly any obstructions around them. As such, a battle is soon to begin.

Unsheathing his sword and its gusto, he points it forward, aiming it at their foes. "Soldiers! Charge!" He yells with his grizzly voice, which catches the attention of their enemies, though definitely shocks them as they hadn't thought they had been spotted upon arrival. The Avantasian army consists of spearman mostly, as that is their primary arms choice when it comes to melee weaponry, bowmen, and a few wielding swords.

The cavalry charges ahead first and foremost, leading the way as the soldiers run past their superior and listen to his orders. Staying in their intended positions, the hope is that the cavalry can hit their enemy a few times and force flight, entailing minimal casualties. If not, then the foot soldiers with attack. The only soldiers staying back with General Knox are the thirty bowman, who aim and fire, some landing close to their foes as others hit a couple of targets.

The Avantasian forces turn and prepare themselves for the frontward assault as their foe charge down the heal towards them, cavalry leading the way. As the cavalry reaches the bottom of the hill, they split and proceed to go through with the plan that Knox had formulated, Avantasia's army trying to reform their defensive formation to adapt. Fortunately for the cavalry though, they had not expected them to take a sharp turn and charge them at both sides. Ten horsemen on both sides, charging at them full throttle.

They are struck with the cavalry running through their ranks from one side to the other, taking out a few of the soldiers by themselves. Nearly twenty fall, but they can more than make up for that loss. Once they reach the other side, they run back around and go again. In the first time 'round, one horse was stabbed and its rider gored with the spears after they had fallen from their deceased mount. This has made it real for Damien though, as he knows that on the next charge is could be him stricken down and brutalized by spears.

This war also has an extra way to be killed, which is that the Avantasian weapons are tipped with hardened lead, allowing for potential poisoning with enough times being cut by it. Meaning that even if you were to survive the initial stabs, you could die months or even mere weeks later if you are cut enough times. Coming back around, this time they fire some arrows at the cavalry while hardening their lines for defense on the front and the flanks simultaneously.

Launching the arrows, Damien's horse is struck in the neck while running towards them, making him tumble to the ground with a painful thud as it falls. Despite his armor, he can still feel some level of pain, and falling hurts a lot given the tight straps holding the armor pieces together. He starts to raise up before another arrow whizzes by overhead, making him put his head back down and covering it with his hands. He already thinks he knows what will happen. He may have landed a good distance from his enemies, but he can absolutely imagine a warrior running to him, flipping him to his back, and stabbing him repeatedly with a sharp weapon.

As the rest of the cavalry manages to evade the bombardment of arrows, a rapid banging of metal is heard as the Lupresian army clashes with the Avantasian militant forces. The fight is tough, as the extra reach that the Avantasian spears contain and the lead tips adorning them make them extra dangerous. Many are gored on both sides as the fighting is intense. The cavalry loops back around and comes in from the back at either side, running through their lines and ensuring not to hit their own forces. Luckily, the differing colors of their uniforms and armor helps set both armies apart. A very needed distinction in wars to avoid friendly fire as best they can.

Among the intense close combat, Elias joins late as he was a bit behind some of his comrades along with others. Joining into the fray, he readies to bloody his blade, determined to not perish here today. "This is it... Survive, at all costs..." He says to himself, everything else seeming to move in slow motion around him. This slow motion vision comes to an abrupt end, however, as from the right side, an enemy with a spear attacks him. He manages to jolt back and avoid being struck by the blade, it barely missing him by a hair.

"Die, heathen!" The enemy screams in a gruff tone, recoiling his spear back and jabbing again. This time though, Elias moves to the side and grabs the spear's pole. "What?! You dare to-" Before he gets to finish his enraged speech, he feels a stab through the gut as Elias has done so with haste. One thing that is advantageous to Lupresia is that Avantasian armor, though being tough, is not covering their average soldier's entire bodies to allow easy movement. It may provide extra agility, but the downside is obvious, that it provides weak spots.

The soldier falls back as he removes his sword and releases his spear, Elias now possessing it since he still was holding onto it. And he has had an idea. Elias may be adept in only swordplay, but he has toyed with spears in the past. He may not perform as good with one, but what if he dual-wields both a sword and spear? "I can make this work..." He says, turning the spear to point the other way in his hand, the blade facing forward from him.

As he looks around the battlefield to see what fights are transpiring to try and find the best place to provide his skills, he sees someone standing out of the bounds of this battle, none other than Damien. He knows that Damien is meant to be cavalry, but he's not doing it, which must mean something happened to his horse as far as he can tell. He knows that this makes Damien at risk, as if he is spotted some soldiers still in reserve may go after him, and as such he wants to go to him.

Running across an open stretch of the battlefield with his right hand wielding his sword and the left wielding the newly acquired spear, he desperately wants to reach him. The only issue is that after this opening is more combat, so he may have to fight his way out in the end. And fight he does, as once he starts an enemy comes for him. Using the spear he has obtained, he deflects this man's own thrust, uses its reach to stab him in the shoulder, and spinning as he pulls it out of his shoulder, slicing him across the side and making him fall, defeated.

He's finding that the extra reach that can be given through a spear is quite handy, and looks down at his new weapon with a smile. Needless to say, he'll absolutely be making it a part of his usual armory. After he's done admiring his new bestie, he remembers that he was running to try and get to Damien before anything happened to him, and looks over towards where he saw him to see he is still standing in the open field, looking around in a worried fashion. After spying this, he starts running again to try and reach him before a chance for the worst can happen.

From Damien's perspective, he looks over at his deceased horse lying on the ground with an arrow in its side, blood rolling down to the ground from the wound. It upsets him to see his horse dead, as he is an animal lover. Though now is not the time, as there are more pressing matters. This fight is a major one, as after their lines are broken the war may be lost if no other forces can stop their advancement. It's quite pressing, and the pressure it places upon every Lupresian soldier's shoulders is immense.

As the cavalry goes back around for another swing at their foes, at least one horse or horseman falling with each pass, Elias manages to break out of the bounds of the battle with minimal injuries, only a single cut across the cheek that isn't that deep since he managed to evade in time to avoid tragedy. "Elias!" Damien yells as he sees him break out of the mold running towards him, which Damien also does once he sees him. Once they reach one another, they hug.

While their hug releases, the worry on Elias' face is clear. He's had it on his mind this entire battle, wondering if Elias is alright or not. But now he sees that he is and the relief is immeasurable. "I'm just glad you're okay!" He exclaims, looking back at the battlefield, waving his arm outwards as he does. "I-I mean, look at this. It's horrible, isn't it? It's a wonder that any of us are still alive. We're so outnumbered..." He says, bringing the unfortunate truth that their chance of winning could slip away at any moment to Damien's mind.

"Gee, thanks for reminding me of how we could fail." Damien says in a monotonous tone, the sarcasm in it hitting hard. He laughs afterwards, but that laugh is sort of halfhearted. It's just a way to help stress, by making light of it. He looks down at Elias' hands and sees the spear he's holding. "Wow, you got a spear?" He asks as he looks back towards his face. "How useful is it?" He asks Elias.

Also looking down at his hand, Elias smiles as he looks back up from it. "Pretty useful. Helped me get through a couple of enemies on my way here. Saved me." He smirks, "I think I'm gonna hold onto this, even after today's battle ends." Pulling the spear up to his side and looking over towards it, he's being genuine in saying this. He never pictured that a spear could be so useful, and these spears are so lightweight that he can use it with one hand. The dual-wielding capabilities, a spear for reach and sword for close quarters combat, is very handy. Not to mention the lead tip causing potential damage down the line.

The clashing of weapons behind them stops quite a bit as they both look back to see their enemies lines have finally broken. As hoped, the foot soldiers, cavalry, and bowmen have made a killer combination. "Wait, they're fleeing already? It's just been about... Twenty minutes, right?" Damien asks, stepping past Elias as he watches their enemy scramble. Looking back at Elias, he asks a question that is on many peoples minds. "Did we... Did we win?" He asks.

Elias is uncertain of what their fleeing may entail, just as anyone else is. It may seem that they are running in fear, but for all they know their enemy has a plan on mind. All they can do is await their superiors orders, whether it be to pursue or withhold. Either way, this battle is won, with a lot of the day left to go. This day could be longer than most others, but whatever happens, it is their job to meet it with a determined gusto.

To Be Continued...