"Enemy attack!"
"Enemy attack!"
Clang! Clang, clang!
Atop Aya Outpost's tallest watchtower, a guard shouted as he rang the great alarm bell.
The loud tolling echoed throughout the outpost, and everyone sprang into action.
Ballistae were pushed up to the firing ports in the walls, while guards pulled the covers off the catapults atop the highest inner wall.
A cover sewn entirely from several cowhides fell heavily at Aitelinna's feet.
Thud!
The dull sound jolted Aitelinna out of her daze.
She stared in disbelief at the black monsters surging toward them like waves.
At last, a bitter smile touched her lips.
Was this my punishment?
Aitelinna wondered silently.
But that did not make the Thorn Temple priestess give up everything.
Until the very last moment...
She would never give up!
"Archers, divide into three squads!"
"Spearmen, divide into two squads!"
"Shields!"
"Soldiers, raise your shields and stand in front of your comrades!"
Aitelinna turned and shouted to the soldiers in the outpost.
To her relief, the already well-trained outpost soldiers and the elite temple knights left behind moved even faster and more steadily once she joined them.
"Aya Outpost has a standing garrison of a hundred and fifty soldiers, with four hundred reserves and auxiliaries. Add the hundred elite knights the temple left behind, and we have six hundred and fifty fighters. What's more, Aya Outpost is fully equipped, with both ballistae and catapults. We can establish a solid defensive line."
Aitelinna made a rough calculation.
She did not subtract the militia, cooks, and others who should not have been included.
At a time like this, only greater numbers could reassure her.
Of course, what gave Aitelinna the greatest sense of security was the outpost beneath her feet.
Though called an outpost, Aya Outpost could easily have been considered a