The Mechanical Era

Danial, sitting on the top of his horse, looks at the layout of the enemy army. They appear to be formed in a half-circle pattern. There were hemp bags of sand, pilled up to form a sort of wall that the enemy troops could use to take cover, with those metal cannons residing behind them.

As for defenses, he saw that soldiers were putting up barricades, and pikes all over, forcing his troops to move a certain way. There were also some knights on horseback present, ready to charge.

With the arrangement of their army figured out, he now has to find a way to counter it. He reminds himself of the previous battle that took place with the strange soldiers with their stranger weapons. Memories visualizing the battle with a few inaccuracies present. Such is the fragility of human memory.

'If I remember correctly, they fired their weapons in a tight group, close together. It fired fast metal ball projectiles that dealt damage at high speeds. There were also metal barrels. They fired a larger ball of metal at high speeds.

Although it was inaccurate, it was certainly powerful. Add to that, once my knights get close enough, they would put down their pikes to chase them off.' he thought to himself. With that information in mind, Danial came up with a new plan.

pαndα,noνɐ1,сoМ Danial dropped off his horse and called out for some people. Many knights and peasant infantry leaders came up to King Danial, eager to listen to what he had to say.

"Alright everyone, listen up. Considering that they fire those metal projectiles, instead of going in tight packs, we all spread out and attacked. That way, their projectiles will have a less likelihood of hitting. If say a knight cavalry charge occurs, reform back into a tight position, and handle them.

"Got that? Are there any objections?"

"I do, your highness." one said.

"What is it?"

"It would be difficult to reform into tight packs once a cavalry charge is in place. For us peasants at least. I am not sure whether we have the discipline, training, or communication skills to pull it off." the man voiced.

"That is a good point, however in our current situation, this is the only viable option we have to deal with their wicked weapons. Is that clear to you?"

"Yes, your highness."

"Good. Now, as for the knights. I advise you to use your shields only when you see a spark coming over from the enemy. That is an indication that he had fired their weapons. Got it?"

"Got it, your highness."

"Now, once you get close enough, I want you all to cast a magical spell to make a kill. Whether it be a fireball, an ice pillar, or an explosion, it doesn't matter. Alright?"

"Alright, your highness."

"Good. Now go tell the troops to be ready for battle. We have a long day coming up." The commanders did as they were told.

...

Rose Valine looked through her spyglass. She can see the enemy approaching her position. However, instead of coming in with tight formations, they appear to have made the decision to spread out. She assumed that this was Danial's doing, who had learned from his past mistakes.

"Ready the cannons! Fire on my command! Rifleman! Prepare your rifles!" she shouted. The men loaded in a battery and placed a fuse, ready to fire at a given notice. Rose waited till they came closer. She had the cannons aligned in a peculiar way so that it hits a certain spot.

"Rifleman Line A, fire!" she shouted. The men pulled the trigger and fired their bullets. At that moment, the enemy put up their shields. Some managed to successfully block it, while others failed miserably. Some hit their horses, while most of them missed.

The next line of musketeers come into position, as a procedure of their volley fire system. With her orders, they fired on the incoming soldiers. This continued on for a good minute, where only the rifleman fired on their position.

Suddenly, Rose held out her hand. Without uttering a word, she cast a spell. The flat ground on the battlefield, started to make tall, thick dirt walls, forcing the enemy to pass through narrow halls where they were susceptible to gunfire.

"Cannonmen! Fire!" she commanded. With that, the fuse lit up. As many men started to pour in, the cannon fired, turning hundreds into swiss cheese. The riflemen, seeing their opportunity, fired upon them in an instant. They then switched back with the others, who fired a few more shots.

In the distance, Rose can see Danial approaching on horseback, covered in a powerful magical shield. He did not appear to be stopping. She smirked at the view and turned to a knight.

"You... Bring me my special weapon," she said. The knight went over to grab a wooden box and handed it over to the queen.

...

Seeing the massive amounts of Danial knew who he was facing. It was her; Rose Tipe Valine the I. No other monarch has this much magical power to move tons of dirt in an instant. Even before losing a good chunk of his mana reserves, Danial was no match for Rose Valine, by himself that is.

Yet, this was his only chance. If his army were to have the slightest chance of winning, he would have to face this heretic. After chugging a potion of strength and endurance from his bottle, the man charged ahead, straight at his enemy. He had a few strong knights behind him, all helping Danial maintain his shield.

Rose appears to start casting dozens of spells, as the ground around him started to explode in fury. Dirt spewed everywhere, forming a large cloud, while little cracks on his shield formed. She appears to be using an explosion spell, a draining spell that one could not perform without a runic suit of armor to amplify its magic.

Followed by the explosions, came bolts of thunder sent his way. Yet, his shield did not yield. The further he went, the more intense the attacks became. His surroundings start to get obstructed with a gray cloud of dirt, ash, and fire thanks to her attacks.

His shields were about to reach their breaking point, yet he still held on. He remembers his children, his wife, his friends, and his family. Mana started to flow into his right arm, where he held his spear. Once he gets close, he was to throw it straight at her face.

Soon the explosions, thunder, and fire stopped, and the smoke cleared out. He lifted his hand to throw his spear. He was ready to throw it toward Rose's face.

*Bang*

A bullet went straight towards him, aimed at his head. The bullet once again broke his shield and hit his forehead. This time, it was a lethal hit. The man was pushed straight out of his horse, onto the ground. The sudden stopping of acceleration broke every bone in his body and ruptured his organs.

The man lay on the ground, nearly unconscious with blood going out of his brain. The sun that hovered on top of the sky, blinded his eye. As the great king lay there, dying, his life flashed before his eyes. From the day he was born, when he met Malinda, the day his parents died, to his children's birth

"I... I am so sorry my children. I have failed you. I have failed you all..." he muttered with the last of his strength. It all slowly faded into black. The beautiful world around him, the one that he spent 43 years lives, started to slip from his grasp.

...

The sound of Rose's special gun, made of silver, firing echoed throughout the entire battlefield. The same gun was gifted to her by the smiths when they arrived. The soldiers, seeing their king dead on the ground, surrendered to the enemy, after losing all their morale.

A large hole was dug by the soldiers, where the bodies of the dead were to be tossed, especially Danial, who got to rest with his soldiers.

With the army defeated, Rose marched on the city of Browntown, where the 3rd brigade was sieging the city.

"Soldiers of Hoverdam! Your king has perished! There is nobody left for you to fight for! Surrender now or Perish under our might!x she proclaimed.

A few minutes of silence went by, without anything remotely noteworthy occurring. Then, behind the walls, clouds of smoke formed.

Rose immediately understood what it, was and quickly shot up a stream of water into the air, creating an artificial rain. She then blew open the front gates, allowing them to enter. A fierce, yet short fight occurred within the city, resulting in the total victory of Rose Valine.