Chương 164: Chapter 163 [The Calm Before The Storm]

Three days had passed since the weapons came back from Stonehall, and the town had got a lot done in that time. Mike knew the attack would come any day now; it was just a case of waiting, and he hated that. He was awake before the notification came, papers from the night before still spread across the table where he'd left them. The chime went off in his head, and the message unrolled in front of him. [Jeff] Scout report just came in. Main horde's split.

Confirmed groups heading for Stonehall, others pushing further west. Main body's still headed your way, biggest group by a long way. [Mike] How far out. And how fast are they moving. [Jeff] Scout put them at maybe six, seven hours back when he turned round to report. Moving quick though, faster than walking pace. Yara reckons three hours to get the report to me, so. Mike did the maths anyway, same as he'd done a dozen times since the first sighting came in.

Speed of the horde, distance from the last confirmed marker, how long the report had taken to reach him. He didn't like any of the numbers, but none of them changed no matter how many times he ran them. [Mike] So a few hours. Maybe less. [Jeff] That's Yara's read as well. Wanted you to have it as early as we could get it to you. [Mike] Appreciated. Tell her good luck. [Jeff] Will do. You too.

Mike closed the message and stood there a moment, looking at the maps he wasn't going to need again until this was over one way or another. He brought the Comms tab back up and sent a town-wide message before he called for people nearby.

"I need runners! Now! Get out there and get people moving, families won't all be thinking straight, make sure they know where they're going!" The message would tell people what to do. It wouldn't stop them freezing on their own doorstep.

Leo stood in the leather armour he'd been given for training, same as the other trainees. Good, basic work, boiled and treated until it held its shape. It was a clear step down from the iron and steel some of the guards wore, built up over years of actual service, but three days hadn't been enough to make or find anything better. He looked left. Phil was in sight, already talking, hands moving, Shai shaking her head at him.

Further past them, barely visible, Sam stood with Nessa, pointing out towards the boggy area in front of them. He looked right. Luka's group took up more ground than anyone else's, shields catching the early light. He noticed Parmo and Rika stood behind the other groups with some of the archers. They were doing something that was making a few of the others laugh. Then he looked out ahead of him. The field wasn't what it had been a few days ago.

The treeline had three large gaps cut into it now, wide enough to look inviting. On either side of those openings stood massive stacks of logs, sharpened stakes poking out from the wood, with random, foot-deep holes gouged into the earth around them. Ankle-breakers. He knew there were more of those scattered all over the fields. Behind each gap, the cars sat in their chevrons, wide near the trees and tightening the closer they got to town.

Stakes bristled off every surface that could hold one, and the chassis were weighed down by huge rocks pulled up from the ground by the earth mages. Two lines of trench were cut across the width of the whole field; one hugged the treeline, while the other ran just in front of the car lines closer to town. Between the two, the earth was a mess of pit traps and boggy stretches that hadn't been there a week ago, more of both than Leo could count from here, scattered wherever the terrain allowed.

Off to the west, past where Sam's group was standing, a third trench connected the other two. It was deep, spiked, and too wide to jump. Planks and markers were stacked along the near edge to stop any of the defenders from tumbling in by accident, but the far side was left wide open, smooth and clear with nothing to slow a charging enemy down. Nothing was getting around that flank without forcing its way through the bog first.

"Strange, isn't it," said Kai, coming up beside him.

"I'm used to walls keeping everything out. This mix of obstacles and traps is smart; the way we plan to funnel the enemy into smaller areas is even smarter. We've used tricks like this in the past but never in such an organised, defensive way before. There's more to learn from Earth than just technology." This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"Yeah, we have stories going back thousands of years of great battles and tactics. Some of this is a mix of that. The trenches are similar to what was used in our first great war. I know about this one defence where an army dammed up a river and then broke the dam as the enemy army was crossing the river bed. Wiped them all out in one go. I don't know how true that is, but it's the sort of thing our people have been doing since we started fighting wars."

"Interesting. I imagine much of this is in the library?"

"Yeah. I'm not sure how much of it, loads of books needed to be ordered in when they weren't on the shelves, but I know we have a large section on history."

"That's good to know. I know Torren has been talking about learning to read your language. I might join him." Behind them, the last of the archers were climbing the stairs to the platform. They hadn't managed to finish it fully, but there was enough room up there to get around sixty percent of the archers in place, while the remainder would stay on the ground and act as a mobile backup led by Rika. Kai's eyes tracked them a moment before coming back to the field.

"You look knackered. Leo keep you up later or something?" Phil said with a smirk. Shai didn't look at him.

"You're an idiot. You look like you got loads of sleep. Sasha already bored of you?" Phil grinned at the trainees around them, who looked like they were trying not to laugh and failing.

"You guys hearing the slander from the captain? Bit unprofessional, isn't it?"

"I wouldn't say that. Now, if I were to show everyone here that picture of you slow dancing at the festival, that probably would be."

"Oh damn. Did you really, Phil? That doesn't sound like you," asked one of the trainees from their group.

"Lies. Don't believe anything she tells you."

"After this, I'll go find Leo. I'm sure he'll be happy enough to prove it." Shai finally looked at him, and one of the trainees laughed at the look now resting on Phil's face.

"Why so quiet, Phillip?" she asked.

"Woah, full name and everything. I guess Leo didn't do much of a good job." Shai sighed.

"You're an idiot."

"Yeah, but I'm an idiot who's about to burn this whole field down."

"Nothing's getting through here," Sam said, pointing out at the field in front of him. A few of the defenders near him exchanged looks.

"My fog will keep them stuck in the bog long enough for the archers to pick them off. If that fails, Nessa here will make short work of them." He looked at her.

"Keep us all safe and I'll tell Mars about how good a job you did. I'm sure that'll be a good incentive, right?" Nessa glared at him.

"How many times do I need to tell you? There's nothing between me and that idiot!"

"So you're telling me if he got with Victoria, you wouldn't be just the tiniest bit upset?" He held his finger and thumb together in front of her face.

"No. Now can you please focus."

"See that, guys? A clear example of changing the subject. Don't worry, Ness, I'll let him know for you." He winked.

"I swear, I'm going to ram my dagger up your arse after this is done."

"Woah, kinky. I wonder if Mars knows about that side of you."

"Sam. Please fuck off." He laughed and then looked at the faces of the people around him before turning back to the field.

"You're all in the safest spot on this whole field right now. Don't look so scared. This will be one hell of a story to tell the folks back home when your mana gets high enough." Nobody quite laughed, but a couple of shoulders relaxed a little more than a minute ago.

"You alright?" Luka asked. The lad next to him was maybe nineteen, spear held too tight, eyes fixed on the treeline like it might do something on its own.

"Yeah. Fine."

"You don't have to lie, this is a pretty weird situation." The lad's grip loosened, just slightly.

"Just... never done anything like this. You see all those movies where people die even when they do everything right. I can't get that thought out of my head."

"Yeah, that's fair. We're not going to be facing the whole horde in one go, though. The traps will slow them down, and our shields will keep them at bay. Plus we have him." Luka nodded towards Torren, who was busy telling one of the others about his favourite type of pie.

"This is what we trained for, though. You know what you're doing. Trust that." The lad nodded, and some of the tension went out of his shoulders.

"Right," Parmo said, nocking an arrow he wasn't planning to fire yet.

"I'm going to keep count. Anyone want to compete with me for score?"

"Like Legolas," someone said, one of the archers a few feet along.

"Exactly like Legolas." Parmo grinned.

"Anyone reckons they can beat me, keep your own count. We'll tally up after." Rika's wings flared.

"If I win, you have to treat me."

"Fine." He didn't even pretend to think about it.

"If I win, you sit and listen to me explain League of Legends properly. All of it."

"Deal." She said it far too quickly, and Parmo realised he was probably going to have to take her out or something. A couple of the archers glanced between them, probably wondering if they were together. He was getting used to those looks, even if he still wasn't sure how he felt about the whole thing.

Leo looked back out at the field once everyone had settled. The gaps in the trees stayed empty and silent, but it wouldn't be for much longer.

"You good?" Kai asked.

"Yeah. Just hate the waiting. I know you've heard that before." He nodded.

"I think every person who's ever waited to defend something has said much the same." Kai's hand landed on his shoulder, brief.

"You've got this. Just remember the plan, trust your people, and don't do anything daft trying to be a hero."

"Yeah, I know. If the plan works like I think it will, we should be fine."

"Good man." The words hadn't fully settled before the noise started. A low rumble at first, barely there, easy to mistake for wind through the trees. It grew. Footsteps, dozens of them, hundreds, the crack of undergrowth being trampled flat, something that might have been a snarl carried on top of it all. The whole line went quiet. Then, from the nearest gap in the treeline, the first shapes started to move.