"I suggest we wait, We currently have the upper hand but we shouldn't let that get to our heads. Constructing the bridge  should be our priority." Elder Aviva, the ex-shield maiden and now lord carpenter of the company suggested. She was in charge of the bridge fortress construction that bridged over the island's lagoon serving as a vital stronghold against frontal navy assaults.

"I agree with Elder Aviva, launching a strike now would require us to salvage warriors and thereby delay the bridge's completion." Em Zion, the 74-year-old mother of the company in charge of domestic and judicial matters, second only to the Judge Khan said.

"Hmm.." Dow pondered on the matter for a while before having his thoughts interrupted by Lars, the only youth to have ever been on the war council.

"May I speak, my ruler?" Lars requested respectfully.

"Go ahead." Dow permitted.

"As we are all aware, the campaign activities of Lord Rothild are being restricted due to the presence of Thophel, the advisor to the Emperor and We have also shown our might by ambushing the herald(messenger) of the enemy thereby lowering their  troop's morale, I say this and ask, what better time to strike than now?"

"Have you forgotten of the existence of a Miracle Worker? Surely, the enemy commander would risk it all when he is on  the very brink of destruction." Geda, a veteran captain of the tribe countered.

"Yes, the best offense for us now would be defense, engaging with the enemy on a siege front and slowly chipping away at their forces, unable to risk his home(Itzler) for a simple rich farmland,  Lord Rothild would be forced to withdraw." Elder Aviva seconded Geda.

"But what of tomorrow?" Oz finally spoke up as he tried to back up the young Lars.

"What do you mean?" Geda asked.

"They would surely come back and try to once again claim our grounds as the war they are readying for isn't a minor one. Starved and impoverished by their poverty, they would surely be back." Oz stated.

"Wouldn't it be the same even if we win now?" Dow questioned.

"It wouldn't. Lord Rothild brought with him more than half the troops of his house. Completely decapitating such a force would make them reconsider if it is truly worth waging another war against us." Lars pitched.

"Hmm...it is a valid point but still I disagree." Dow stated.

"...."

"We shall cast our minds on this. Those who are for us standing our ground should speak." Dow said.

"I am for." Elder Aviva and Em Zion supported.

"Those who are for us advancing toward the enemy should also speak."

"I am for." Oz, Lars, and Geda supported. The voting came to a tie. It came as quite a shock to Dow as he had already had a word with Geda who guaranteed him his support behind the scenes.

'I see. So it is you, Lars. Are they already moving?' Dow thought to himself. It seemed that Lars had been gathering the Captains around Oz, it was now only a matter of time before the company was divided into two factions.

"Did you guys forget about me?" Sir Nathe, the oldest captain under Dow said.

"Sir Nathe." Lars muttered. Nathe was someone who served under the Late Judge Khan and his son whom Dow murdered, yet Natge still sailed under Dow's banner making Lars unsure of where he stood.

Fortunately, Nathe didn't have any intention of aiding dow as he said...

"I am for advancing."

With Nathe's words, it was now four to two finalizing their next course of action. The meeting concluded as they decided to gather the warriors to make a plan regarding their upcoming battle.

.....

Temporary mane encampment...

"We are going to use the terrain to our advantage." Lars said. He was briefing the Captains who decided to partake in the battle.

"How so?" Little thunder inquired.

"The cliffs, they are the only barrier preventing Lord Rothild from marching toward us on land, and seeing as how he has remained couped up on the shores, he seems to have no intention of draining his troops by going around them." Lars said.

"To properly make use of this opportunity we would have to divide our troops in half; Sis, Khumun, Akehn, Rmen, and Geda's crew will march on foot gaining higher ground on the cliffs while we, Little Thunder, L'clua, Fa'r, Cas, and Hawk's crew engage the enemy's fleet at sea."

"We attack 6000 men with only 800?" Akehn asked with a doubtful expression. He had only gathered with the others out of respect for the gallant Oz so he naturally wasn't very trusting in Lars.

"Yes, that's why the order in which we do this is vital. With us, the naval forces striking first and drawing them out, you guys can hit them from the rear, disrupting their formation and orders succession." Lars explained.

"What if this 'Thophel' guy somehow escapes?" L'clua questioned.

"Wise question teacher. You see, there are two parts to winning this war, one is making sure Advisor Thophel remains on the battlefield as his presence is the only thing forcing Lord Rothild not to call on his Miracle Worker and two is killing as many enemies as we can and achieving overwhelming victory." Lars answered.

"Isn't this too much of a reckless plan?" Little thunder jumped in.

"It certainly is, but we all gathered here because we believed in one man and one man only to lead us to victory right?" Lars asked with a smile.

Replying simultaneously, everyone in the room said

"Oz, the gallant." Even with his absence in this crucial meeting, his name alone was enough to subdue any hesitation in the 9 captains.

.....

At moonlight(10pm), when the usual thick fog formed around the island...

With the cheering crowds of the mane settlers, the warriors departed for battle, 467 soldiers took to the seas in three galley-type ships with Oz's crew at its spearhead while the ground troops marched with 327 troops; the cavalry at the forefront acting as the sword and shield of the rangers in the middle, the infantrymen by the flanks and finally Dowwyydd, the Judge Khan IV himself by the rear with his guardsmen.

This army comprised of the strongest in the company left to make history and embed an unforgettable sense of fear in their enemies.

"Do you trust her to handle it?" L'clua said while having his torso exposed revealing his precise and intricate blue tattoos of various mane gods and deities as he dusted and readied his brigandine armor on the upper deck.

"She gave me her word, No need to worry, teacher." Lars replied.

"What are we talking about?" Oz who had just come up from the lower deck asked.

"Nothing for you to worry about." Lars replied.

"....if you say so." Oz said and climbed atop the raised area on the main deck where he could directly view all three ships as he began his blaring speech;

"Mighty men of Dow, we who have battled in small wars and won small victories throughout our lives are faced with yet another battle but I tell you...tonight is like no other as we battle against the tempered and well-equipped forces of the West, outnumbered and entrapped in our own home. Win we might and lose we also might...."

Oz paused expecting to see the demoralized warriors but surprisingly, they all had bright smiles on their faces like they were certain of a bright future.

'These bastards.' Oz smirked and once again resumed his speech, only two times louder.

"BUT I SAY UNTO YOU, VICTORY IS OURS!!! OUTNUMBERED OR ENTRAPPED, IT MEANS NOTHING TO US!!! WE SHALL TAKE OUR ENEMIES BY STORM, UNPREPARED AND LOOSE, RAGING LIKE BEASTS WE WILL MAKE THEM GRAVEL AT OUR FEET FOR WE ARE MANES AND THAT IS WHAT WE DO!!!!!" Oz screamed.

"YAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!" The waters quivered at the cries and chants of the manes.

"ROW, ROW, ROW!!!" They began to chant as they rowed the light galley ships with their explosive thigh strength at insane speeds.

....

"Haha, like she would let you fuck her." a soldier of House Rothild laughed along with his fellow soldiers who had been placed on night duty at the docks.

"It would be better to look for a well-mannered girl, raise her, and take her in as a-" the soldier suddenly paused.

"What's wrong?" his mate asked.

"Don't you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"Listen closely."

"..I do kind of hear som-"

*Drop* Without warning, the soldier suddenly dropped dead to the ground as an arrow pierced right through his ears.

"..?! En..e...my...Enemy fire!!!!!!" the soldiers alerted as they tried to take cover but it was already too late for them.

"ROW!! ROW!! ROW!!" Still chanting, the three ships came into view raining down arrows at the docked enemy ships.

"Shit! Enemy Fire!!! Enemy Fire!!!" a soldier kept shouting trying to alert the rest of the docile soldiers but...

"Ahhhhhh!!!!! It burns!!!!!!" He abruptly caught fire as he got pierced by an arrow.

"The arrows have black water(oil) on their tips!! They are mixing in fire arrows!!" 

Hit, hit, hit, hit, hit...The soldiers kept dropping like flies as the arrows struck their bare bodies or pierced through their armor gaps. Chaos and blood soon filled the night skies until...

"Guard up with your shields, pack up the bodies, and throw them off. Don't allow the black water to spread over the ships!!." Lord Rothild ordered trying to take control of the situation. 

"Seamen Jada and Noa, take command of your ships and push the enemy further away. High Seaman Ord, I leave you in command!"  Lord Rothild ordered as he grabbed his sword and mounted his war horse.

"Where are you headed, sir?" High Seaman Ord asked.

"To advisor Thophel, this attack might just be an opportunity for us." Lord Rothild responded. He then squeezed his calves around the horse's sides telling it to move forward, his destination was Advisor Thophel's tent.

On Oz's side...

"Halt!!!" Oz ordered the warriors to seize their arrow rain.

"This will all be useless if we don't draw their main force to the sea." Oz pointed out as he saw only two ships approaching while the rest stood back.

"Do they think they can contain us with just two ships?" Oz snorted.

"Teacher, please assist Lars and keep the formation, we can't be pushed back." Oz politely asked of L'clua.

"Ohh, you want to keep all the fun to yourself now, do you?" L'clua responded.

"Haha, I dare not."

"Cherry, Donovan, and Little Thunder, with me." Oz ordered them to stand by his side.

"That there, we sink it." Oz said with his sword aimed at one of the fast-sailing enemy ships.

*Phuuu* Out of the blue, a fast-approaching arrow came flying right toward Oz's face. Little Thunder, reacted with god-like speed and grabbed the arrow mid-air with his bare hands.

"I thought you didn't like me?" Oz asked with a smile.

"I don't." Little thunder replied.

"Come on, loosen up a bit. This is war, isn't it? The one you like so much." Oz jested.

Donovan laughed at the two as he took up his grappling hook, twirled it up in the high, and flung it towards the enemy ship, knotting it around its prow. The two ships were now connected via the hook's rope.

"They are trying to board!!" the soldiers shouted and began firing arrows.

Cherry moved first as he put up his shield and dashed forward along the thin rope whilst avoiding the incoming arrows. He threw the already damaged shield at one of the archers, completely knocking him out, and propelled himself forward, successfully boarding the ship.

"Enemy on board!" the soldiers cried out as they slowly began to group, trying not to take on this monster alone referencing their previous experience with the brown demon.

Seaman Noa who captained the shield stepped forward from the crowd of soldiers as he said...

"It isn't even the brown demon." Noa scoffed completely demeaning Cherry, a top member of Oz's crew.

"Do not be swayed, it is just a lowly heretic. Praise God as you watch me take his head." Noa declared as he drew his 'striking sword' the east-themed curved, single-edged blade.

"I will cut you wit-" Noa didn't even get to let out the name of his sword as his severed head dropped to the ground. It was a clean cherry cut.

"I will keep this." Cherry said as he grabbed the now-late Noa's sword.

"I will name it...Cherry's sword." Cherry as his name implied had a bad naming sense.

...

Meanwhile, back on land, Lord Rothild, Advisor Thophel, and a man in a cloak were hurrying on horseback as they rode around the cliffs trying to get Advisor Thophel to safety.

'This is good, getting Thophel away from the battlefield will finally allow me to win this war.' Lord Rothild thought to himself.

"Stop!" the man in a cloak cried out.

"What is it?!" Lord Rothild demanded as he pulled in his horse's reigns.

"They are here."

"Who?"

"The MANES."

*Thack Thud* Multiple Footsteps and horse hooves sounds emanated throughout the area, they were the marching sounds of an army.

"Seems like your luck has run out, Lord Rothild." Thophel said with a smile even in such a situation.

With nowhere to run to, the odd group of three were faced with the 327 detached troops of the manes.

"To think you would come up here willingly, your God has really failed you." Sis, a gorgeous lady warrior leading the cavalry uttered upon stopping the match. She was a highly celebrated female warrior, and also wife to Little Thunder, being 12 years older than he was.

"Take me to your ruler." Thophel abruptly demanded.

"Better yet, he's right here." Sis said as she and the other warriors moved to the side, making way for the large and intimidating Dowwydd, Judge Khan IV.

"It's about time." the man in the cloak muttered to Lord Rothild.

"No, don't do anything, leave this to me." Lord Rothild responded and rode up to Thophel and the Judge Khan.

"I greet Judge Khan IV..you win, I will redraw my forces and turn back. Promise us safety." Lord Rothild let out absurd words.

"I didn't expect this. You do know what it is you are doing right?" the dumbfounded Thophel asked.

"...." Thophel kept his words.

"And why should I?" Dow asked rudely. He had no intention of showing any respect to these surreal leaders.

"Because I ask in good faith." Lord Rothild responded.

"...." a brief silence covered the area until...

"Buhaahahahaha!!!!" Dow's army busted out in laughter. Lord Rothild's response was nothing less than the words of a proud and delusional madman to them.

"Seize them, seems like this war is over." Dow ordered with a wide smile.

Just as the warriors were about to seize them, the man in the cloak rode forward next to Thophel, punched him in the guts, and knocked him out.