61 Chapter 61 - Facing Annihilation

"More arrows!" screamed an archer, the bowmen beside him lossening as quickly as they could.

Arrowheads slamned through gangly Satyr heads and starved goblin alike, the tidal wave of monster like an endless swarm as they assaulted the walls.

"Conserve your ammunition! Focus on aiming, make every shot count!" said Lord Swan, marching along the walls with all his shining knights in tow.

So far the pure numbered of the enemy had only managed to test Tariak's defences, dozens of simultaneous ladder attacks scaling the walls. Yet once above the starved and tired enemy were butchered by even the lowest militiamen, until the land ran red with blood.

"I said conserve your ammunition damnit!" Lord Swan roared, having to pull away a lot of arrows before a group of hunters could get their hands on them.

"Follow your Lord's orders," Kenji yelled out, "these are just to find weakness. The true threat will come in the next wave. Lord Swan, with your permission might I raise us some allies?"

"You may, but direct them to protect the main gate. Messengers, order the remainder of our militiamen to defend those areas that suffered through that last assault with the most difficulty," Lord Swan said, horns blowing soon after and a great rush of feet filled the streets behind.

Huge columns of farmers, townsfolk, loggers and their soldier supervisors spread throughout Tariak's parameter to reinforce several points along it's walls.

"Are you sure my dead are best used defending the main gate? That seems to be our most defended area already," Kenji said as Dana the Damned. As he arose dozens of the dead below and contorted them into Dana's special Ghoul hounds, he frowned.

Ranks of soldiers stood behind the gate, with dozens of archers above flanked by knight's and adventurers. The streets and houses behind had been fortified, the direct area beyond the gate entrance turned into a massive killing field even if the enemy managed to break through.

"It is our greatest weakness," Lord Swan said as he saluted the ranks below. Farm boys grinned just as goofily as their fathers as they saluted back, too many still naive enough to think this all a grand game.

Those who fought on the walls during the initial waves seemed espect eager, their pitchforks and scythes drenched in the blood of easy kills. None would be prepared when the real enemy army attacked, and Kenji worried their overconfidence would prove crushing in the face of a real foe.

"Should the enemy breach a wall, they will only be able to trickle through. But the gate? If they get through there they can pour through the greatest arteries of Tariak. Their forces would unpin our entire defensive line and being about an utter collapse of our forces. That is why it is important to defend it as heavily as possible."

With dozens of slack jawed ghouls sent howling to patrol outside the gate, Kenji couldn't see anyone getting through. Using one of Dana's tricks, Kenji continued to raise ghouls only to let his control of them slip. This way the feral ghouls went set free across the battlefield, were they ate corpses and quickly grew in strength, whilst Kenji could continue to raise more and more dead without the restriction of needing to control them.

"Where are those inquistors?" said Lord Swan, surveying the walls to only find the silver and grey clothed war priests of the Silver Swan Knights and the patchwork groups of adventurer priests in attendance.

"They would prefer to hide, Lord. But rest assured Warden Company stands ready," Jack said as he arrived at the head of his warriors. Without the smothering presence of the inquisitors symbols the Warden Company seemed instead a unified force of warriors. Every man and woman in their ranks looked at Jack with sparkling eyes, the man himself having a powerful presence currently that made him feel a walking force of nature.

Kenji noticed more differences in the Captain. His eyes were too wide, his grin too shining and his body frantically twitching as if he literally could not bare the wait to fight.

Striding up with too much speed, he leaned in to whisper in Kenji's ear.

"If you meet Phillip, my High Priest of the Inquisition, consider him an enemy. This is your only warning," Jack nodded gravely, then gestured to his warriors to flood the walls.

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With Warden Company's arrival, the walls were finally fully manned. Kenji continued to raise ghouls below while the distant land became drenched in dark squares. Monsters, Fauns and Satyr marches in vast numbers, and of a callibre completely different to the fodder sent previously. Their banners of skinned creatures fluttered like a moving Forrest, several teams of goblins needed to pull each siege tower forward while ogres lumbered afterward with slingshots in hand.

Against their entrenched positions Kenji had fooled himself into thinking his plan really possible, but as the sheer quantity of the enemy bloated out the grass from the land he was no longer so certain. Worried, he realised this could be it, Kenji had a very strong chance here of dying for good.

"Knights of the Silver Swan, activate your [Fortified aura]!" shouted Lord Swan, pressing his greatsword into the ground and enjoying a brilliant aura of strength. Across the walls each Silver Knight became a beacon of strength, their auras overlapping as the entire human army became enveloped.

Armour shined brighter, rusted antiques became good as new and new steel felt lighter and stronger across every body. Leather hardened, skin stiffened and shields were doubly sturdy as the aura fortified all allied bodies in range.

Seeing the shining weaponry of humanity rattle and their warriors roar, the enemy general responded in time. Dark magicians sent ploums of dark blue smoke to choke the skies, while rank after rank of the enemy lines bathed their spears in hellfire.

Then came the scream. In unison the entire enemy army roared, so loud the ground trembled and the people quaked. As the lines of enemy warriors marched forward flaming weapons in hand, Kenji feared the defenders of Tariak would buckle from the sheer terror of the sight .

"Fear not men, we fight with the Three's protection!" Jack roared, casting [Golden Heart] to stiffen the resolve of those closest warriors. Along the line priests cast lessor blessings to boost morale back up, yet the lack of the inquisitors priests blessings made a serious blow to the plan, several areas of wall left dangerously vulnerable to the enemy aura of fear.

But as the great battle for Tariak was about to begin Kenji forced such thoughts aside and turned to his companions.

"Tenko, Violet. All ready?" he said, Tenko having spent the day coordinating with the Headless Hunters Guild while Violet remained largely hidden with a great many layers of cloth.

"Ready Kenji! Goldbeans and Grey are safe for now too, they are going to help with the Headless Hunters!" Tenko said, her roguish friends sticking their tongues out when Kenji looked.

"I'm a bit nervouse...," Violet admitted, stepping forward to hold Kenji's hand. She didn't seem to mind it was that of Dana the Damned, Kenji's touch enough to calm her racing heart.

"It's ok, just stay out of the fighting while you can. Focus on your task," Kenji said trying to reassure her. But he could emphasize with her fear, Violet's role the arguably most important of any. And not just the people of Tariak, but the whole Sun Elf species might depend on her success too.

"But what if I mess up? I got captured last time even though all my friends helped me escape, what if that happens again?"

She was trembling now, lilac eyes filled with wet and worry beneath her layers. Turning her to face him, Kenji wrapped his army around her and held Violet tight.

"You'll do great, and soon you'll have a family again. Focus on that, ok? Focus on that happy bright place in your future."

Her head nestled into Kenji's neck, her hair brushing his nose and her sniffles coming to their end. After a few more moments she pulled away.

"Don't die Kenji, ok? Don't do it," she whispered before speeding away to where she would wait for her part in the plan.

"Tenko you too! Don't just-"

"Tenko knows Kenji! Tenko is going with her friends now, see you later!" as if she didn't even realise the fire situation they were in, Tenko bound away in her beast form with the orphan child soldiers in her back .

"They grow up so fast," Kenji muttered, and received a knowing nod from Lord Swan. Before both turned their attention fully back to the battle.