The defense, part two

Had it been daytime, anyone looking down from the sky would have witnessed a scene of terrible carnage.

In front of a camp covering roughly two thousand square meters, a vast, seething mass of Half-orcs besieged a thin shield wall. Scores died on the spears thrusting out from between the shields, but every so often, a shield-bearing soldier fell and was dragged into the horde, screaming in agony. The shield wall drew ever closer to the camp walls and grew ever shorter.

An empty space roughly two meters across moved constantly in front of the shield wall. Any orc who entered it had his life cut short in an instant by a whirling greatsword.

Five heavily armored Nord Royal Guards wielding Greataxes guarded each flank of the shield wall, moving with it. Any Half-orc who came close was inevitably hacked apart. In that brief span alone, they had already killed more than a hundred Half-orcs. Of course, the Half-orc officers could see that these burly men were swinging their Greataxes more and more slowly, drawing ever closer to exhaustion.

Around a hundred crossbowmen gathered along the camp walls, firing in successive sections at the Half-orcs besieging the shield wall to ease the pressure on it and the Nord Royal Guards. Farther away, over a hundred Half-orcs used crude bows to suppress the crossbowmen on the walls. Every so often, a crossbowman was struck and fell, then villagers carrying shields dragged him into the wooden houses at the center of camp for treatment. Many Half-orcs also died beneath their own side's arrows.

Unless something changed, at the rate both sides were dying in this battle of attrition, the shield wall would be wiped out first, by the time the Half-orcs had lost a third of their force. Next would come the five heavily armored infantrymen on each flank, and finally the man wielding the greatsword.

Just then, several streaks of fire flashed from the walls and shot into the ditch surrounding the camp. Flames rose in the ditch, spreading rapidly around the camp to form a ring of fire one to two meters high. The rear gate slowly opened, and fifteen fully armed cavalrymen charged out on warhorses clad in iron armor, circling clockwise around the camp.

Alayen rode at the very front, leading Allen's warhorse with his right hand. Beside him were Firentis, Ymira, Klethi, and eleven Swadia Knights. They kept their mounts moving at a swift, synchronized pace as they charged toward the orc force.

By this stage of the battle, more than half the Half-orc force had crossed the ring of fire, and many more had been squeezed into the ditch. Those trapped there could only watch as flames sprang up from the oil-soaked grass beneath their feet and ignited the oil clinging to their bodies. Searing pain drew piercing screams from the burning Half-orcs. Driven by a fierce desire to survive, they scrambled out of the ditch, half a meter deep and a meter wide, and ran in every direction, rolling on the ground in the hope of smothering the flames and saving their lives.

This plunged the already chaotic Half-orc force into even greater disorder. Before, their confusion had at least flowed in one direction. Now, as the burning Half-orcs fled and rolled about, they collided with more oil-covered Half-orcs and set them alight. Those not yet burning desperately shoved aside their companions and fled farther away, hoping to put as much distance as possible between themselves and anyone who might ignite them. The entire force began spreading across the open ground between the ring of fire and the camp. No Half-orc paid any attention to the shield wall, which had already shrunk by a third, or the panting Nord Emperors. None could deliberately evade Allen's greatsword anymore.

The Half-orcs who had not entered the ring of fire stopped in their tracks, shrinking back rather than advancing. The Half-orc officer lurking at the rear stared wide-eyed, flames reflected in his eyes, and stood frozen.

Meanwhile, the Half-orcs fleeing south to avoid their burning companions collided with the oncoming heavy cavalry. They were knocked flying like dust by the charging riders. Some Half-orcs who managed to react ran in the opposite direction in panic, only to be overtaken and killed or struck down. Others leaped straight through the ring of fire, either burning to death or vanishing into the boundless night.

Soon, the heavy cavalry crushed every orc who dared stand in their path and reached Allen. They did not slow down, merely swerving around him and leaving his warhorse behind. Before the horse could stop, Allen grabbed its armor and vaulted onto its back. But he did not join the heavy cavalry's formation and charge alongside them. Instead, he controlled his mount's pace and swung his greatsword, working with the Rhodoks Veteran Spearmen and Nord Royal Guards to kill the stragglers fleeing in terror.

By the firelight, most of the Half-orcs inside the ring had noticed the cavalry charging toward them. At that moment, the chaos finally reached its peak.

Many Half-orcs threatened by the approaching cavalry tried to leap onto the walls to save their lives. Most were blocked by the branches along the walls and fell to the ground, where the cavalry crushed them. The few fortunate enough to make it up were killed by the crossbowmen, either shot dead or cut down.

Even more Half-orcs leaped straight through the ring of fire and charged into the force outside. Fear and the agony of burning sent some of them rampaging through their own ranks.

Many of the Half-orcs who had not entered the ring began slowly backing away. The piercing screams of those leaping out through the fire and the thunder of galloping warhorses within it battered their nerves, filling them with fear. Finally, one Half-orc could bear it no longer. He pushed aside those around him and fled toward the rear, only to be lashed to the ground by a whip.

The Half-orc officer forced down his own fear. He knew he could not let them run. These Half-orcs could flee without facing any terrible consequences, but if he returned in defeat, his fate would be utterly miserable. Being fed to the wolves might be the mildest punishment.

He brandished his whip, lashing the Half-orcs around him as he shouted, "Why are you running? Don't panic! We still have plenty of troops, far more than the humans! Once the flames die down, charge-urk... urk... urk..." Before he could finish, a crossbow bolt pierced his neck. Many Half-orcs witnessed his death. No one remained to stop them from fleeing, and in moments, nearly a thousand Half-orcs scattered, racing back the way they had come.

On the wall, Bunduk coldly watched the orc officer still twitching on the ground. He spat viciously, then cocked his Siege Crossbow again, ready to kill his next enemy.

By now, the battle had entered its final stage.

The ring of fire gradually dwindled. Allen stopped slaughtering Half-orcs from horseback and surveyed the battlefield. He knew he had won this battle. Although something felt slightly wrong, his troops had killed somewhat less than half of the nearly two thousand Half-orcs, and close to half were fleeing toward Carl Rock. For those who remained, death was only a matter of time. Allen lifted his helmet and let out a heavy breath.

"Awooo!"

The Half-orc king's second contingency, over a hundred Warg Riders, finally came racing from the direction of Old Ford. They had intended to leave the dirty, exhausting work to the Half-orc infantry. Once the infantry broke through the camp gate, they would charge straight in, slaughter the civilians, and plunder whatever they wanted. For that reason, they had deliberately slowed their pace a little along the way. They had never expected the force of nearly two thousand Half-orcs to have already been routed by the time they arrived.

The Warg Riders' leader bitterly cursed the officer commanding the orc force as he surveyed the wreckage of the battlefield. Then he led all the Warg Riders in a faster charge toward Allen's troops.

Meanwhile, Allen's heavy cavalry was still pursuing the fleeing orcs. Almost every Rhodoks Veteran Spearman was wounded. The Rhodoks crossbowmen swiftly repositioned to defend against the approaching Warg Riders, while Gondin, noticing their rapid advance, struggled to gather all the Nord Royal Guards together. They stood in front of the Rhodoks Veteran Spearmen and raised their Greataxes, preparing to meet the charge.

A glint of grim resolve flashed in Allen's eyes. He knew he had celebrated too soon, and he finally understood what had felt slightly wrong. But the situation gave him little time to think. He could only do everything in his power to face the crisis before him.

Allen jerked the reins and urged his stubborn warhorse over the ditch, where the flames were gradually dying out, then charged at full speed toward the Warg Riders.

No one noticed the dozen or so dark specks flying swiftly toward them from the west beneath the bright moonlight. Before Allen could clash with the Warg Riders, their forms appeared before his eyes.

"Kreee-aaah!"

They arrived with cries that rang through the heavens. These were the great eagles dwelling in the Misty Mountains. Two days earlier, they had noticed the Half-orcs gathering in unusual numbers. Today, following the Half-orcs' trail, they had discovered Allen and his people. After repeated observation, they finally confirmed that these humans were not the ones who had attacked them with Yew Longbows. Now, led by the Eagle King, they once again helped the people of Order thwart the evil deeds of darkness.

With just a few diving passes, a dozen or so great eagles, each with a wingspan several meters across, wiped out over a hundred Warg Riders. They snatched up the riders and dropped them onto their companions. Few of those struck could get back up. Only a handful slipped past the eagles' attacks and reached Allen.

Allen readily dispatched the remaining Warg Riders, put away his weapon, and steadied himself. Dismounting, he called to the great eagles circling overhead, "Thank you for saving our village in its hour of peril. If you ever need anything of us, we will do everything in our power to help."

Allen knew what these great eagles were. Some said they were all Maiar, while others claimed only the Eagle King was one. But whatever they truly were, these great eagles were alive before his eyes, and they had helped him.

An especially enormous eagle landed in front of Allen. The warhorse behind him grew restless, pulled its reins from his loose grip, and ran toward the camp.

Allen looked up at the great eagle and knew this was their leader. Whether it was the Eagle King, he could not be certain. He bowed deeply and said, "Thank you again for your help."

Allen's figure was reflected in the great eagle's eyes as it spoke:

"There is no need for thanks, young human. We are quite happy to spoil the Half-orcs' plans. It has simply been a long time since any humans were willing to settle in this dangerous wilderness. Can you tell me why you chose to settle here?"

Allen collected himself, realizing that the great eagle wanted to learn more about its new neighbors. "My people and I migrated from a distant land to escape a human civil war," he said. "We hoped to find a new life here. A few days ago, we also rescued more than a hundred of our fellow humans who had been captured by orcs. If possible, I would also like to offer protection to our northern kin living under the orcs' shadow."

The great eagle pondered Allen's words for a long time before speaking again. "Young human leader, I hope you can find a new life here. If you wish, I can have my followers bring you information about the orcs in the Misty Mountains. But you must not attack my followers."

For Allen, this was naturally more than he could have hoped for. "Of course," he said. "If you ever need our help, please tell me. We will do everything we can to repay your aid."

"Then farewell, young human leader."

As it spoke, the great eagle before him spread its wings and soared into the sky amid a blast of wind.

Allen waved at their departing forms, then turned and walked toward the camp. There was no helping it. With his horse gone, he could only walk.

The fighting at the camp had ended as well. Bunduk was leading all the uninjured crossbowmen in finishing off the surviving Half-orcs outside the camp to end their suffering. Jeremus and some of the villagers were treating the wounded soldiers. Under Carl's direction, the other villagers began gathering the bodies from the ground. The Half-orcs were piled together far away. Apart from a few bodies reserved for Jeremus to study, they would all be burned shortly. Their own dead were laid out neatly together, to be buried when time allowed.

Meanwhile, Alayen, Firentis, Klethi, and the Swadia Knights had shed their heavy gear and gone after the fleeing Half-orcs.

Only now did Allen notice the aching throughout his body. He dropped to the ground beside the wall and leaned against it to rest.

Then he noticed the simulator frantically displaying notifications in the corner of his vision.

[You have gained nine points of soul energy. Fractions are not counted.]

[Soul energy is used to unlock new worlds.]