As the ssenger spread the news of the victory celebration throughout the entire army, those soldiers far from ho, expanding the territory of the Kingdom, plunged into a frenzy of excitent.
The army’s celebration began right after the cheering.
The soldiers practically snatched the food and fodder from the arriving supply wagons, the Stone Slaves responsible for transport being pushed aside by the tide of troops. As night fell, campfires sparked up across the encampnt, the soldiers drinking and feasting all night, reveling without end.
General Beck also indulged in this rare feast, the longstanding suppression driving him to drink until drunk, unleashing a passion even greater than the other generals.
On either side of the encampnt, weeds and large trees blurred into the surroundings.
As dawn approached and the soldiers tired in the midst of celebration, starlight and sparse flas flickered below.
A small group of Stone Slaves slowly climbed up to the encampnt, whispering amongst themselves, then reciting Scripture to each other, praying for God’s blessing.
One agile and nimble Stone Slave climbed up the hill, sneaking into the announcer’s tent under cover of darkness, and with exceptional vision, stole a finely made horn.
That was the horn used to command the Stone Slaves.
The Stone Slave looked up, his eyes filled with loathing as he gazed at the resting soldiers.
Endless warfare, lash upon lash of whip marks, the corpses of those who had died from exhaustion—these had finally pushed the Stone Slaves carrying the supplies to their breaking point.
The True Believers ford a society; they seized the scant daily opportunities to rally fellow slaves, and tonight, they intended to overthrow the burdens forced upon them.
The Stone Slave slid down the hill and quickly sounded the horn to direct the others.
The resonant sound of the horn burst forth instantly, one call after another, unceasing, startling the sleeping birds into flight.
Awakened from their slumber, the Stone Slaves, after a mont of chaos, saw the prepared True Believers shoulder the responsibility to charge ahead.
Under cover of night, they killed the overseers who had whipped them.
...
General Beck was jolted awake by the clamor. He burst from his tent and looked around to see chaos everywhere, torches scattered on the ground, and soldiers scrambling in disarray, as screams of "attack, attack" filled every corner.
General Beck reacted swiftly, his face turning pale, and he shouted out loud:
"Announcer! Announcer! Blow the horn! Everyone, take up arms!"
The entire camp erupted in pandemonium, with heart-wrenching screams echoing throughout the valley, tents catching fire.
The Three-eyed Ape People plunged into the confusion of friend vs. foe, countless soldiers mistaking the Stone Slaves for fugitive slaves at first glance, approaching to stop them only to be suddenly stabbed through the throat.
Beck hastily donned his armor, gathered a small band of n, and climbed up to a higher position, only then realizing that it was not enemies attacking them, but the Stone Slaves.
"Rebellion... it’s a rebellion..."
General Beck said in shock.
All his previous prophecies had been about the Beastn; never had he imagined that one day, the Stone Slaves, who had always been submissive as cattle and sheep, would rise in a rebellion.
The rioting Stone Slaves rampaged through the military camp set ablaze, driven by boundless anger stemming from every blood-stained lash mark, from every dead slave, and even more so from the silent prayers of the True Believers.
Beck scrambled to gather more forces amidst the chaos.
Years of military service had made it very clear to him that even though the Stone Slaves had launched a large-scale rebellion, at the end of the day, they were still an undisciplined rabble.
If only one-tenth, no, one-twentieth of the soldiers could regroup, they would be able to completely suppress the Stone Slaves.
However, just then, a crude horn sound ca from afar, the noise coarse and expansive.
General Beck’s eyes flickered, and he turned to look. On the distant horizon, torches were lit everywhere, forming a long trail of fire.
"It’s the Beastn, the Golan King!"
The soldiers shouted in trembling voices.
Figures bustled restlessly amid the woodland positions, chaos filling the entire camp and escalating wails rose and fell like a fierce wind toppling dead trees.
As the Beastn hastened their approach, General Beck felt as though he could hear the barbarians’ heavy breathing.
He suddenly realized the previous skirmishes with the enemy were nothing but feigned defeats orchestrated by the Golan King.
"Despicable Stone Slaves!"
General Beck cursed bitterly, knowing that if not for the Stone Slaves’ rebellion, they would never have ended up in such a plight.
He mounted his horse and imdiately organized the remaining manpower to gather up the rest of the troops and several generals,
"Retreat! Retreat quickly!"
He issued commands, and several Scouts hurriedly mounted their horses, rushing to convey General Beck’s orders.
Flas still burned and the Stone Slaves’ riot continued,
Suddenly, several sharp sounds of objects cutting through the air rang out, arrows tore across the night sky, falling within the woods, followed by a dense and overwhelming barrage of arrows flying relentlessly, almost covering the sky and ground.
Two arrows sliced the air, embedding in General Beck’s armor; one flew past his ear, instantly tearing off a piece of it in a shower of blood and flesh that fell onto the muddy ground churned up by horse hooves.
One by one, arrows kept spinning through the air, ensuring there was no chance for the position to recover from the panic.
General Beck’s original plan to suppress the rebellion with his troops shattered, as both the Three-eyed Ape People and the Stone Slaves were continually stricken by the Beastn’s arrows, screaming painfully and collapsing to the ground.
Countless mules and horses were tied in place, unable to dodge the arrows, and after crazed neighing, their legs gave way, collapsing and dying with a loud thud.
"Retreat! Retreat!"
General Beck roared until he was hoarse, doing his utmost to preserve the living forces, constantly slapping the rump of his horse, charging through the positions with the troops he had organized.
His shouting awoke the Stone Slaves, and the revolting slaves surrounded them, hurling sharp stones and thrusting spears at the galloping Cavalry.
Under the heavy encirclent, the troops that General Beck had organized also left behind a trail of bodies.
General Beck’s eyes kept twitching anxiously as he shouted loudly.
His shouts soon showed effect, as many disoriented soldiers converged, following the forces regrouped to break out of the Stone Slaves’ encirclent.
Whoosh!
Another burst of arrow storm ca flying through the gaps in the forest, so hitting tree trunks, others passing over the heads of General Beck and his n, and so striking the Three-eyed Ape People and Stone Slaves, eliciting agonized screams.
"Go! Go! Follow !"
General Beck realized the Beastn were nearing.
Two or three dozen Stone Slaves ca swarming in, backing each other with pilfered shields and wielding bronze swords and Bronze Curved Sabers, erging from the chaos of the position and pouncing forward.
The soldiers beside General Beck t them with spears, and instantly, four or five were pierced on the spot and spurted fresh blood.
As General Beck had thought before, no matter how formidable the Stone Slaves appeared, they were but a disorganized mob; given ti, he could surely suppress the rebellion.
But now, that was no longer possible.
After repelling the assault of the Stone Slaves, General Beck looked fiercely behind him to see the Beastn’s torches had closed a considerable distance; if they did not retreat now, it would be too late.
The Stone Slaves, irresistible, surged forward to attempt to crush General Beck’s troops, to bring the General down from his horse. Along with the rising wails, after a fierce and rapid fight, dozens quickly fell into pools of blood.
Facing the heavy encirclent, General Beck fought desperately to break out, of the several generals who had set out with him, now only two remained. The army of thirty thousand was no longer able to regroup; they could only retreat with the few thousand n they had left.
This army, which had once set out to expand the borders and build enduring achievents for King Anuket, now t with a crushing defeat amidst the rebellion of the Stone Slaves and attacks of the Beastn, a defeat that would certainly shake the kingdom from top to bottom.
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