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Chapter 185- Chaos at the Dusk and Dawn forts
🕑 Added 2019-04-16 02:54:30 +0000 UTCChaos at the Dusk and Dawn Forts
A long line of caravans snaked along on the well-trodden road that connected the northern battlements to the Dawn and Dusk Forts at the south.
A towering man outfitted in iron gauntlets and thick breastplate armor rode alongside the leading wagon. A rounded fatty occupied the space beside the driver, jiggling on the worn stone and gravel road.
"Captain Reid, I'll need your men to help unload the supplies when we arrive at the battlements. This accounts for my last load for the year. Hopefully, we can leave the Pass before the onset of winter."
"Merchant Fong needs not fear. Master Fong has always supported the Darkvalley Mercenary company during his journeys. The men would gladly help in expediting the delivery to leave the Pass before winter."
"Good, good, remind me when we return to the Dawn Mage fort to hand you a little extra for your services. I'll even be a little generous and purchase a few slave girls for your men."
"Haha, Master Fong has always been generous. I beg Master Fong not to purchase any more of those little girls. They are superb but they quickly become broken. Winter is after all, long and cold in the northlands."
Master Fong glanced at the Captain and burst out in laughter. As a merchant for over thirty years, he knew what the man wanted.
"Hmm, enough to satisfy fifty men...."
"Captain!"
A scout interrupted them with a shout as he rode his horse scattering stones in its wake.
"Captain look!"
The man breathlessly pointed at an incline to the side.
A pack of blood-red beasts stalked from behind the large stones. The sight caused Merchant Fong to issue a yelp and scramble while Captain Reid threw back his head in a burst of loud laughter.
"Ahaha, a pack of demon beasts? What a stroke of luck, today the Darkvalley Mercenary group will finally gain a Sersen. To arms men! Saul, fetch the talisman kit."
Like wasps leaving the nest to chase a provoker, mercenaries charged forward on their horses. Captain Reid galloped and then remained at the rear of the charge with his vice-captains. Only an idiot would lead the charge against demon beasts.
The model plan used by experienced fellows in the Pass would be to allow the hired enthusiastic pawns to lose their lives by heavily injuring the beast before stepping in and delivering the final blow. Ideally, the best scenario occurred when they killed each other.
Half of the members recruited on this journey consisted of rookie adventurers venturing north for fortune, a standard practice by mercenaries and clans.
"By the heavens, those look like Bitzers..."
"What rotten luck!"
Captain Reid cursed on hearing the words at his side. Bitzers not only roamed in troublesome packs of a baker's dozen but their lifestones were practically useless.
"Holy..."
"..."
Halfway through issuing curses, Captain Reid heard and saw his loyal vice-captain swivel his horse and gallop away like a maniac.
"What the hell is wrong with him? If you wanted to take a dump, then just say it, we're all big boys here."
Captain Reid muttered while staring at the retreating rear of the horse. He turned around only to hear the terrifying screams of the attacking mercenaries. His eyes bulged open on witnessing the sight while his hands dropped the reins.
On both sides of the valley, hundreds of ravenous eyes stared down at him.
"Bloody hell..."
The weeks that followed the Bitzer invasion practically saw the decimation of a large number of scouts and patrolling parties.
For the hundreds of Bitzers killed, so to bands of mercenaries, adventurers, and patrolling soldiers fell.
Within this thousand-mile-long Pass, scouts and teams comprising of fighters from the Military, Adventurers, large Clans and Mercenaries patrolled this land of stone and scree to snuff out little bands of demon beasts who found new passages south.
Their mission lay in discovering any open entrances and sealing them to prevent further use from the endless valleys leading into the Pass.
Nobody expected that over a thousand Bitzers comprising packs of ten or more would stream into the Pass. The south entrance to the Pass opens like the mouth of a funnel, split by valleys and mountains to create endless openings, thus making it difficult to construct a wall.
Only the two forts assisted by the Tower stood between the Pass and the open Empire.
The Dusk Mage Fort in the west, and the Dawn Mage Fort located in the east both within a week or two ride of each other.
"There are about six entrances to the pass from the Dusk fort alone. This will take us days to investigate while those missing adventurers probably laugh the tavern."
"This is the second party of adventurers who have disappeared while out scouting inside the pass. Maybe a rock slide blocked the main road within the Pass?"
"The pass is too wide for a rock slide to barricade it completely. Most likely they found a trail of a solitary demon beast and decided to track it."
The Captain of the Military patrol replied while they rode slowly under the evening sun. The words to find a place to set up camp hadn't left his mouth when he saw a scout running out from one of the side valleys.
The Military employed hundreds of these individuals who tracked and monitored the pass in isolation.
This scout, however, looked worse for wear in the distance. Only when the man tumbled down the incline, did it click that the body lacked an arm.
On the heels of the injured man, a score of Bitzers bolted out, as they jumped on the injured man. A dying lament filled the air.
"Jang, Cole, ride to the Dusk fort, the Commander is there at the moment. Hurry and... by the heavens."
The Captain paused, overcome by the shock from fear. Behind them on the very road they traveled, scores of Bitzers rushed from over the hills and behind the large boulders. His large patrol of fifty soldiers paled at the sight.
"Charge, we have to break the siege and send a message to the fort..."
A short time later, the bloodied figure of a soldier crept into a hidden cave. Finding a narrow passage in the darkness, he squeezed inside thanking the gods. Even if someone used a torch, they couldn't find this concealed niche.
Barely an hour later, two Bitzers entered. Raising their heads in the darkness, a tinge of blue sparks illuminated the darkness for a second. With a howl, they scampered directly to the niche, trading blows and howls with the injured man. Once the soldier used his dagger to stab them, however, the fight was lost.
By the time the word spread of a large horde of Blitzers rampaging in the Pass, the majority migrated south like an unstoppable tide.
They filed through one of the smaller valleys that exited to the west of Frost City. Swinging to the edge of the Western Forest, they overran the two walled northern villages before turning south to the Dawn Fort.
The horde made one attempt at assailing the walls of the Dawn Fort, before scattering into the countryside. For the demon beast that literally hungered for human heads, this action shocked them completely.
Could these beasts know what lay beyond the forts?
The open grasslands and meadows to the south and the east were littered with countless farms and villages.
Defenseless humans.
One of these wolf-sized Bitzers could wreak havoc on a farming household. The mages on the battlement looked on in horror as the horde scattered into packs of ten or so demon beasts.
In a large stone room located atop the Dusk Fort, a scene similar to the chaos of a beehive played out under the oil lamps and burning torches.
"Send a message to Frost City. Has the south garrison been notified? Commander Fredijack has his work cut out. he will have to sweep the countryside and save as many villages as possible."
"Commander, the messenger on horseback never made it last night. A military patrol found his remains and the chewed bones of his horse a few miles from the Dawn fort. I'm afraid the garrison of Woodcarving didn't receive the report."
"Bloody hell! Bring the map, bring the map for heaven's sake!"
The commander passed his hands over his bald head as a subordinate opened the large map on the table. A thick callused hand poked the parchment threatening to tear it open. Bitzers had a habit of staging ambushes when you least expected it.
"Woodcarving is the only town south of us with an oversized garrison. Without them receiving a warning, all the villages north of it are in danger. Send a falcon to Limerock to mobilize its soldiers. We need to prepare a counterattack from the south."
Commander Pratt grunted while his face tinged in worry. When he heard the report of a horde of a thousand or so Blitzers, Commander Pratt expected it to scatter and lose itself in the Pass.
With numerous valleys and miles of caves, such a horde would disappear, simply increasing the work for the Military and hiring adventurers.
Instead, this horde had constantly kept advancing south and finally broken out of the Pass, steamrolling over the platoons of hastily gathered defenders.
Worse yet, unlike the other demon beast which spent time assailing the fort, this horde scattered into the grasslands. By the time the five thousand cavalry soldiers arrived from the Dusk fort, the Bitzers had long disappeared.
"Commander, the report from our Dusk fort. The adventurers and mercenaries have refused to form another platoon. Should we enact Military law?"
"Damn, no need. After the scout ran screaming to the fort while hollering about all that remained of the platoon had been torn pieces of leather, shields, and twisted metal. I think nobody would want to face certain death."
Commander Pratt shook his head. Bitzers operated like grazing sheep. Handed the opportunity, they would even grind a Sersen's bones to dust. he did recall something from this conversation.
"Find the scout and hang him. We should die knowing what we face than for an unassuming farmer to open his front door to this horror tomorrow. The Military is supposed to defend the Empire."
The fatigued figure of an elderly mage approached him.
"Mage Rawls, what have you found?"
"Terrible news I'm afraid. Pratt, I received reports from more than four of the younger mages who cast spells on the battlements that night. They spotted at least six second-tier Demon beasts running around under one larger one."
"By the North Pass, Rawls. Are you telling me this horde might have a high-tier leader?"
With a couple of hundred Bitzers swarming and pillaging, not even the towns remained safe. Under a high-tier leader, the small packs would have no problem gathering to breach major settlements before scattering again.
Bitzer might rank as a common demon beast but a second-tier Bitzer possessed cunning and insight to lead more than one pack.
The report coming from the Dawn Fort shocked him.
"Crud! These halfstones demons are the worst. They don't even have a worthy lifestone to attract the greedy Sersen hopefuls. We lost over three thousand soldiers when they pierced through our defenses. I have five thousand cavalries from the Dusk fort patrolling the Pass while the other five have split to re-enforce the surrounding villages and farms."
His eyes fell on the map below him. The Dusk and Dawn Forts were located to the southwest of Frost City. Their purpose lay in mopping up demon beast stragglers who escaped the strong arm of the city.
A president where demon beasts found side valleys and routes within the Pass to venture far west of the City was unprecedented.
Three towns lay between Frost City and Limerock to the east, with villages and farms scattered on the open grassland plains. South of the Forts, only villages dotted the North-South Road which skirted close to the Western Forest.
His finger roamed over the closest town to the south of Woodcarving.
"Send a falcon to Karst. Have them evacuate the nearby farms and villages before it's too late. Remember to prioritize the ones in the north!"
"And send one to Woodcarving also, hopefully, the town is still standing by the time the cavalry from the Dusk fort arrives..."
Comments
ForestRage
lol, when I read it after, that also popped into my mind...haha
Deinos
Winter has come.
