Return to Jorgaldur Volume V: Reunion (2)

Pitched Battle (II)

The strategy of the Guardians of the North was clear and difficult to counter. Their defense was strong, their advance seamless, their attacks precise. Even enemies who had been warned had suffered a hard time dealing with them. Not to mention that it wasn't their only tactical disposition.

It was hard to notice, but in the second line, there were scouts who were constantly monitoring the terrain. Traps or underground attacks wouldn't catch them by surprise.

When the shields opened, they would retreat to let the crossbowmen through, and would switch back when they closed.

The attacking mages and archers were by no means all of them. They would take turns, so that everyone had ample amounts of mana and energy available. In case of emergency, they had to be prepared.

They preferred a slow and controlled advance, although they could be more aggressive if necessary. However, there were too many enemies to overcome them by a full attack, which could leave them defenseless. Therefore, they had opted for the Northern Rock formation.

Their goal was to eliminate the enemies little by little, to advance and gain ground. Above all, they couldn't allow them to exercise their advantage in numbers.

Everyone rotated, even the shield bearers. Sometimes, when they turned their shields to let the warriors pass, they also took advantage to retreat. The bearers let their replacements pass, and went to rest. Their ironclad defense had a high cost in mana and energy.

A corrupted worm emerged under their feet. Normally it would have swallowed a couple or three as it rose, thus digesting them with the soil. However, they were waiting for it, as they had located it a while ago.

The ground had been hardened to receive it, except for a circle they had left, so it could get out. It found sharp swords in its path, which took advantage of the momentum of the lost to cut it from side to side.

The mages who were waiting didn't need to act. From the swords, which were Sharpen, emerged tongues of fire and electricity that attacked the cut flesh. It had no time to try to defend itself. The worm was facing an ambush that the guardians were already getting used to. It was the fifth worm. In total, it was the twenty-second losts that had tried.

In the basement of the fortress, Menxolor attacked with his half-spear. It had broken a couple of hours ago, from having forced it too much. When the mana had run out, they had no choice but to rely on the resistance of their weapons. In the end, even these had a limit.

"Urgh!"

The corrupted lizard, which was more than two meters long, lashed with its tail, and sent him several meters backwards. He crashed into a piece of wall that was still standing.

That had perhaps broken another rib. The pain was already unbearable, in addition to being exhausted. He was barely able to kneel, while trying to lean on one hand. The other arm was broken.

He wanted to get up, but his body refused to obey him, it had enough. He could only gasp for air, each time in pain, while trying to regain even a little of his strength for one last effort. Menxolor could barely raise his head to look at his enemy.

His half-spear was still stuck in the lost, as well as an axe half sunk in its head. A guardian was trying to deepen the wound, but it was obvious that she didn't have much strength either.

The reptile tried to attack her, but a rock hit it in the torso. The commander had grabbed the rock for lack of anything better. Her hammer, with its handle broken and its head cracked, was already unusable. Taking advantage of her enemy's distraction after pushing Menxolor, she had managed to throw the rock at it.

That broke its spine, immobilized it, and it disappeared shortly after. With that, the axe fell to the ground, and the guardian who was holding it was forced to kneel to keep wielding it. She had used her last energies to activate the skill Axe Blow. She could no longer stand.

The commander was no better either. After throwing the rock, the movement itself had sent her to the ground. She was still there, unable to get up. Those three were perhaps the ones who were better.

The others were too injured or exhausted. A couple stood up, as they dragged their weapons, or what was left of them. They had just regained strength enough to stand up, to try to face those which were coming. They were a corrupted raven, a grasshopper and a puma. At least, the first one was weak fighting on the ground, but the guardians were on their last legs. A paw was peeking out of a crack in the wall. A beak was doing so from a hole in the ceiling.

It was a miracle that they had lasted so long. For hours, they had defended their position against the corrupted beings until exhaustion. Luckily, the miasma, for some reason unknown to them, had weakened. That, in turn, had weakened the losts, thus making them slower and their attacks weaker.

Another factor in their favor had been that many of the losts were winged and fighting on the ground, in a closed place. That had given the guardians an advantage, at least for a while. The disadvantage in numbers had proven insurmountable.

Little by little, their mana reserves had been depleted. They couldn't recharge in the midst of the miasma, except with mana crystals. Unfortunately, the number they had been able to take with them had been limited.

When the guardians had run out, they had no choice but to fight with what they had at their disposal. With their weapons, hitting with their staffs, even with their fists when there had been no other choice, or throwing rocks.

The healers had done their best not to let anyone die, but healing them completely was a very different matter. Their mana had also run out.

"It's the end," one sighed.

He was watching the raven approach, and waiting to use his last card. By burning their vitality, they could explode to take as many enemies as possible with them.

They had decided so. Not only would there be a few less losts, but they wouldn't be corrupted. They preferred to die than to become their own enemies.

Although exhausted, they all prepared to sacrifice themselves, for a final outburst. Everybody had fought to the end, and that made them proud.

Besides, they knew they had succeeded, their people had awakened. They couldn't see them from there, in the underground of the fortress, but had heard the trumpets in the distance. It had been heavenly music to their ears.

They had wanted to believe that they would come to rescue them, but they knew the truth. The number of corrupted beings was immense.

They knew the power of their people, and they were confident that they would win in the end. Unfortunately, it was impossible for them to do it quickly enough.