by Galen Wolf
After five more blows from the battering ram our gates shattered in a splinter of broken wood. The ogres grunted and advanced below the gatehouse to beat down the portcullis. Ajora ordered the unit of spearmen behind the gates to stand ready. Militia poured oil onto the ogres below them, but beastmen had shields above their heads.
"Brace for attack," Ajora commanded. She herself transformed into bear form.
Under the battering of the ogres, the heavy iron grille of the portcullis sheared off it mountings with a squeal. The ogres dropped the battering ram and rushed through to attack our shield wall. The spearmen stood ready for them. And the great polar bear launched its assault on ogres, ripping into them with claw and tooth. I summoned Tiger and Wolf and sent them into the fray. I didn't go myself because I needed to coordinate the assault. My hands shook.
It was carnage by the gates. Our spearmen held up well and Ajora caused mayhem among the ogres and beastmen, sending them broken and defeated reeling backwards. Wolf and Tiger followed them snapping at their heels, but a rain of Horrabian arrows sent my predators stumbling back. I pulled them back to safety. So many Horrabians. I looked out and saw that Attila himself had appeared and commanded their forces. By him was Samwise – not in charge, presumably demoted for his role in the humiliating defeat of the Horrabian vanguard at our hands.
Attila sent unit after unit through the gates. But our spearmen, blocking the entrance with a wall of shields threw them back. I only hoped our desperate defense would buy enough time for reinforcements to arrive.
One of the mangonels threw a boulder against our battered walls. It hit the section by the Corn Mill that I always knew was the weak spot. As the huge boulder impacted against the rock, the wall came crashing to the ground. Masonry fell all around and left a huge breach. Attila committed troops to the assault. With a scream, Horrabian infantry came pouring through the breach their artillery had created. I ordered in another unit of skirmishers but they were no match for the heavily armored Horrabians. I diverted archers to support them. Terrible fighting clashed and clanged around the breach and corpses piled high. More ours, than theirs.
The Horrabians broke through our line and ran into the town, slaughtering NPCs and setting fire to our houses. The troops at the gate with Ajora were still holding.
I asked Griffin to go to the aid of the skirmishers trying to hold the hole in the wall by the Corn Mill. The two young rangers Gearhart and Sinuviel made their way over to join the fight. I saw Samwise was now among the Horrabian troops and it looked like there was a stealthy figure fighting there who I guessed was Loki.
I saw Loki slaughter Sinuviel. Gearhart attempted to defend her but the thief slew him too. Griffin now in bear form turned and took on Loki, but my attention was dragged away by the sight of centaur cavalry lancers emerging from the western woods. I sighed in relief and gripped the stone walls as the centaurs encountered then swept away the Horrabian troops on Ermine Street.
At last we had a chance.
The Horrabians were completely unprepared for this flank attack. The centaurs drove into them like a hurricane wind. The Horrabians fell back stumbling and fleeing. Attila turned and fired bolts of dark energy at the advancing centaurs. Elfhair was with them and she cast bless spells and heal spells over the centaur ranks. Ixion the Centaur leader peeled off to do battle with Attila. Too late, Attila danced his rituals but Ixion was upon him before he could complete them, spearing him with his long lance. Attila had to depend on his non-locational spells as he stumbled back, impaled by Ixion's lance.
When I looked inside the village walls, it seemed Griffin had rallied our troops and we were holding the breach by the Corn Mill. The spearmen in the entrance with Ajora were holding, and the centaurs ripped through the Horrabians on the ground outside.
The tide was turning in our favor.
I commanded the archers on the walls to fire down on the Horrabian rear as they turned to face the centaurs. Already I saw wavering amongst Horrabian artillery. They had stopped firing and looked to themselves considering whether they should run.
Then I heard the bone horns of the goblins sound out. The green skinned host advanced rapidly down Ermine Street at the back of the Horrabians. This was it. My heart soared. We had done it again. We had snatched victory from defeat.
I saw Ixion go down under a bolt of black energy, but with Elfhair's healing, he rose again. Attila was looking round taking in what was happening. Samwise was dead at Griffin's hands. Loki was somewhere, but I didn't know where. Elrick was nowhere to be seen.
Then the warg riders of the goblin host broke into a charge with wild cries. I watched as they closed with the rear of the Horrabian army. The centaurs were there among the Horrabians cutting them down.
Then, instead of victory I saw massacre.
The goblins had betrayed us. Instead of charging the Horrabians, they were attacking the centaurs.
After that we crumbled.
I got a message on my HUD and felt a sickening drain of XP. The message said War Against Horrabia Subquest Failed: Seek Allies. 10,000 xp subtracted.
At the sight of the goblins' betrayal, our soldiers' morale crumbled. They turned and threw down their weapons. The centaurs wavered at the goblin assault and I heard their silver trumpets calling them to retreat. Elfhair helped the wounded Ixion away into the woods.
Ajora: the spears at the gate are about to break. We should consider an orderly retreat.
I looked down and saw the Skirmishers with Griffin reeling back under a reinvigorated Horrabian attack.
Me: Griffin, we can't hold them. Withdraw. Save as many men as you can.
I ordered the southern gate opened, and we retreated in the best order we could, our militia and spearmen shepherding the NPCs out onto Ermine Street hoping to get away. Archers gave us covering fire from the walls but we had to pull back. Ajora gave the order and the unit of spearmen withdrew from the gate.
I saw Griffin go down to Loki's dagger. We had lost too many people. Pennred was theirs. I tried to give confidence to our retreating soldiers, so they didn't break into a rout to be slaughtered. The Horrabian troops were all over the town now. We fled through the Southgate and retreated down Ermine Street planning to escape into the Old Forest—the trees and nature would give us shelter as it always had.
Ajora was by my side with Wolf and Tiger. Via HUD Elfhair told me she was with the centaurs and Ixion and they were retreating south through Avalon.
Bile filled my mouth. The day was lost. I looked back at my beloved Pennred and saw the Horrabian flag, a black bat on a red background, fluttering over the town walls.
20
Ahn's Garden
The bulk of the Horrabian army was busy looting Pennred but Attila had sent warg riders from Uzug's goblin forces to harry us as we retreated down Ermine Street towards the Old Stone Cross.
They'd hit our guys hard. The militia regiment was completely destroyed. Of the two spear regiments Ahn had raised in Woodheart, one had seventeen troops left and the other twenty-two. The archers fared slightly better; one of the archer regiment still had thirty-three troops left but the only other only had twenty-five.
Looking back, I saw the warg riders approaching down Ermine Street. If they hit us in the back, they'd go through us like a hot knife through butter. I ordered the troops to stop. I could see they were weary and morale was very shaky, but we had to put up a defense. What remained of the spearmen I put into the front line and ordered the archers to stand behind them. As the warg riders approached, I ordered the archers to fire, and a cloud of arrows flew high in the sky before descending to pepper the oncoming goblins. I heard the cries of pain and howls from the beasts and saw many of them fall. They halted in disarray and we hit them with the second volley. That was enough for them, and they turned and ran.
Ajora marched beside me, her high cheekbones smeared with dirt. I could see fatigue in her eyes. She still smiled. A resurrected Griffin was with the troops at the back.
I said, "We need to get off the road. Let's strike due east through the Old Forest to Woodheart."
"It's a day's march. Maybe more in this state." She gestured to the flagging soldiers.
"I know. But we've got to keep going."
Ajora nodded and ordered the spearmen east off the road. We followed them with the archers and what was left of the skirmishers and cut our way east through the trees of the Old Forest. Here amongst the woodland we had an advantage—we knew the terrain and our lighter armed troops would perform better than theirs here, but I could see our men had little stomach for the fight. We pushed east through the trees using what paths existed, and it took us a full day to get halfway to Woodheart.
Night fell. We made camp but did without fires because we didn't wish to draw the enemy on top of us. I looked around the dim glade and heard owls hooting from the trees above. Small creatures rustled in the undergrowth and our men let them be. We were deep in the woods. I guessed that we would have become invisible to the enemy now. This wasn't their territory and none of their troops had any skills at reconnaissance in the woodland.
I needed to get some sleep but I could see Ajora needed it more. We did a shift system. Ajora went and got three hours sleep, then Griffin logged off to sleep, when Ajora came back, then I took guard duty, standing watching the west. No threat came, just owls and flitting bats. It was cold. When Ajora came back, she let me log off for a while.
"It's all quiet," I said.
"Get some shut-eye. You're not the only one who can command an army. Griffin and I will be fine while you're gone."
"Of course..." I began to protest, I hoped they didn't think I was being a dick taking command like I had. Ajora slapped my arm. "I'm joking. Go."
When I logged back on it was dawn in the Old Forest. Different animals rustled in the trees and the day's birds woke and began to sing. Despite the birdsong, I sensed sadness in the forest – as if the creatures themselves mourned our loss. We were their friends after all, something that could not be said for the Horrabians. Once again, I had to remind myself that these were computer-generated artificial intelligence creatures. The squirrels and the birds surely had no capacity for empathy. But then again, perhaps they were becoming sentient? The Pennred NPCs' behavior almost persuaded me of that.
Ajora and Griffin were dead beat. I let them go, saying I'd meet them back at Woodheart.
On my own, I led the remnants of our forces east until we found the old Dwarf Road. The Dwarf Road led from the trading post of Vinab up to the long-abandoned iron mines in the Midland Hills. The mines were now worked out, and the death of that trade was why the road was abandoned and covered by ferns and briars.
But because of the remains of the road, the going was easier. It was around noon when I saw the wooden stockade that surrounded the ranger village of Woodheart. NPC guards blew horns to announce our arrival. My spirits lifted as they allowed us passage through the wooden gates and I marched our troops into the village and billeted them at the village barracks. I was glad to be there back among friends, but a look around at the wooden stockade showed it wasn't as well defended as Pennred with its stone walls. The Guild had never foreseen a time when Woodheart would be attacked but maybe that time would soon come.
Ahn came to meet me looking more rested than when I'd last seen him. Ajora was still logged off and there was no sign of Griffin either.
"Do you need to get some more sleep? I can look after the troops from here," Ahn said.
I shook my head. "No, I'll be fine. But thanks."
Ahn patted me on the back. "Excellent job, man."
I rubbed my face. "Doesn't feel like an excellent job. We lost." I glanced round. "And look at the state of these troops. They're in tatters."
"You're bound to be disheartened, but there's someone here who'll cheer you up." He led me through the pretty streets of the village until we reached his house. His house was a log cabin built right up against the wooden stockade on the eastern edge of Woodheart. I entered his garden to see it in full bloom. The heady smells of flowers lifted my spirits at once. Bees buzzed and dragonflies flitted around the garden. In the middle was a pond the arrangement of which resembled a Japanese Zen garden, and from the pond I heard the croaking of frogs.
We sat at the back of his cabin on canvas chairs. The back door of the cabin was open and I could hear someone whistling happily. I turned to see Rohan the antlered fey emerging carrying three glasses of ginger beer on a tray. He placed the tray on the wooden table then gave me a hug.
"I'm so pleased to see you, Barcud, and I am so sorry for the loss of your village."
I clasped his hand. "And I'm sorry for the loss of Avalon." I still meant it. The emotion wasn't feigned. Something about Rohan inspired sincerity. I couldn't imagine anyone being able to lie under his gentle gaze.
Ahn said, "Rohan has done tremendous things since coming to live with me." He gestured to the garden. "Can you see the strawberries – they're enormous, and the sweetest I ever tasted. They're due to Rohan's blessing, and the bees are producing three times as much honey – and it's the best honey I've ever had." He grinned. "It promises to make luscious mead."
Rohan blushed and waved away the compliments. "It's the least I could do. I'm so grateful for you giving me a new home."
"A temporary home," I said.
Ahn nodded. "We'll get Avalon back for you."
Ahn gestured at the ginger beer. "Drink." It fizzed green and cool in the glasses and the bubbles went up my nose. It was fiery. "Good stuff," I said.
Ahn said, "Rohan made it. He's gone crazy with the home-produced fare."
We three sat there in the sunshine, nodding slightly in the warmth, as if forgetting what had just happened.
Then, shaking myself awake, remembering the advancing Horrabian armies, I said, "So what now?"
Ahn said, "We're waiting for Astral Bob, then we'll try to think our way out of this mess."
It was around an hour before Astral Bob arrived but I must admit I enjoyed the rest. When he entered the garden, he looked as disheveled as normal, his blue satin astrologer's robes stained with what looked like grilled cheese. Astral Bob lit a cigarette after asking whether anyone minded.
Ahn didn't mind. Neither did I. Rohan smiled politely. "Whatever makes you happy."
Astral Bob blew out a cloud of smoke, the roll-up gripped between two of his stained brown fingers. "I needed that. It's been tense."
The four of us sat on the canvas chairs in Ahn's garden as if nothing particularly bad just happened, but I felt tension building in me. Everyone seemed to be ignoring the issue. Finally, I said, "Astral Bob, what's the news from Pennred?"
Astral Bob frowned. "The whole thing's going to shit," he said. "The Horrabians have taken over Pennred and their flag is flying there now. They're adding its production to their own production which of course will strengthen them."
Acid flooded my mouth.
He went on. "They've sent out riders down as far as the Stone Cross. No one's there to resist them and they're flying their flag from the city gates right down to the Stone Cross, within a mile or two of the walls of Vinab."
Ahn looked troubled. "And what does Vinab now say about this?"
Astral Bob extended his hands in a gesture of despair. "Nothing. Parzifal and I have been working on them. If they cannot now see the threat from Horrabia, I despair. I wouldn't be surprised now if they thought they could buy off Horrabia and offer them gold not to attack them."
"As if that would work," Ahn said. "The Horrabians scent blood in Vinab's weakness. They're like hungry dogs; they won't rest until they've razed Vinab to the ground. That was their whole motivation for starting this war."
"And what of the Horrabian eastern army at Keld?" I said.
Astral Bob nodded. "The eastern army under Gandalph has begun to move south. There's still resistance in Keld from the player characters there who haven't just crumbled, but it's only a minor irritant to Horrabia. There is no Keld army now to spe
ak of and without ground troops, you can't hold ground. And if you don't have ground, you don't have production. The Horrabians are striking south and gobbling up everything in their path. They'll cross the river and get onto the old Dwarf Road near the mines in the Midland Hills. Then it's plain sailing to Woodheart."
Ahn's face hardened.
"Sorry, man," Astral Bob said, glancing at him. "But it's true."
"And we don't have the forces here to resist them. Without Vinab we have no hope," Ahn said.
The despair in his voice shocked me. It was the first time I'd ever seen him like this.
"How long do we have?" I asked.
"A matter of days," Astral Bob said.
"Then we need to use those days wisely."
Ahn raised an eyebrow. "You have a plan?" With hope on his face, he said, "You always have a plan, Barcud."
I laughed then hesitated. I had a plan, but it was a wild one. Then I thought - what did we have to lose? What was the point staying of even staying in the game when Horrabia ruled the whole of the Greenwood? I leaned forward. "Okay, I'll need you to trust me on this one. First, we need to build up our forces using what time we have. The units we've recovered from Pennred - we need to get them up to full strength. The benefit of them having been in combat is that they'll have gained experience."
Ahn said, "So that's two units of elite spearmen, two units of archers—two of skirmishers?"
I shook my head. "Only one regiment of skirmishers – one was completely destroyed. But," I said. "We still have time to raise new units."
Ahn nodded. "It'll take resources – but if the Horrabians arrive and destroy Woodheart, we won't have any resources left, anyway. I'd rather spend whatever comms we have on raising troops to defend ourselves than leave it all to them when they knock down our walls."
