Chapter 109
Chapter 109 – Survivors (9)
“I’m worried, I’m worried. With 10,000 of them, we can’t escape unscathed.”
Complaints and sighs. After preparing everything from a neck pillow to food for himself, he felt the indigestion caused by tension and repeatedly clicked the mouse to operate the chainsaw and hammer.
It was a very rational and efficient decision. Before the enemies arrived, he would provide as much support as he could.
It was the same when fighting the bugs. Of course, the bugs were the type that would still fight even if their bodies were cut in half, so it’s not surprising they became numb to it.
“Again, again!!!”
“It’s wicked black magic!”
But his mouse clicks became a terrible disaster for others.
The elite expeditionary force that had triumphed over Garhan, marching grandly with a large number of conscripted soldiers, was stunned by the indiscriminate blows raining down from the sky.
Though it was brief, the massive chainsaw ground people into the earth while they were still alive.
Unlike the bugs, they were violently shaken by this horrific calamity.
“Damn it, stop the commotion! Didn’t you already know about this?”
Ghir, Luke’s trusted aide leading the expedition, gritted his teeth and shouted. Indeed, they had already been aware of this.
Garhan’s forces had firsthand experience facing the Arin Tribe before. But hearing about something and experiencing it in reality were entirely different. Those enormous hammers and chainsaws falling from the sky weren’t something to be brushed off casually.
In the first place, they were people who didn’t even know what a chainsaw was.
“Paulo! What is the meaning of this? Didn’t the shamans say they could sufficiently block this with their magic?”
“I-I never thought it would be this powerful…”
He scolded the Head Shaman leading the shamans. The head shaman had confidently claimed they could withstand the wicked sorcery with their spells.
However, the destructive power of desktop smashing was too overwhelming. The problem was the frequency. The shamans, who were not very numerous, faced more falling hammers than they could restore their stamina from.
“There’s no point in bringing punishment now that we’re this far in.”
“Then what should we do? At this rate, we’ll all be dead before we even see their faces. I’ve heard rumors that the Arin Tribe regards that wicked sorcery as a divine punishment from the gods.”
“Ha, that’s nonsense.”
As Ghir was filled with rage, a hooded mage approached him. When Ghir spoke to the mage about the hammers and chainsaws, the mage openly snickered.
“Divine power is imbued with divinity. In fact, paladins and priests are those who utilize that divinity. Those falling objects carry not a shred of divinity.”
The mage shook his head with near certainty. With such a bold statement, neither Ghir nor those around him could deny it.
“It seems there’s a certain downtime required after the attack. That doesn’t mean they possess infinite power; you should rather breach quickly. We will help with the defense.”
“If we rush and tire ourselves out, we’ll be at a disadvantage in the fight… But if you help, the story changes.”
Seeing the mage, who was growing impatient, saying they would assist, Ghir jumped at the opportunity. After all, this expedition was mutually beneficial; there was no reason for either side to lag behind.
“They’ve increased their pace. They’ll be visible here by tomorrow.”
“Everyone, prepare for combat!”
Before more hits from the hammers and chainsaws came down, the actions of the speeding enemies were swiftly conveyed to the Arin Tribe. Realizing it was time to unleash what they had been thoroughly preparing for over the past few days, Balun ordered his gathered troops to prepare for battle.
“Bring more arrows here!”
“Raise the walls just a bit higher…”
Even late at night, they moved busily. Having taken control of a hill worthy of being called a strategic point and turned it into a forward base, they thoroughly stocked supplies and prepared to face the incoming enemies.
Amidst this, Balun separately summoned Rasen, who was holding a staff.
“The elite warriors, including Riena, are positioned behind for a counterattack. As such, we must hold this place in a more weakened state. There are no defensive towers granted by the gods here.”
“Yes.”
“It has been confirmed that there are many shamans among the enemies. Your magic could be a trump card. So, no matter what happens, do not act until I give the order for the grand magic.”
Balun considered Rasen as a weapon to change the atmosphere of the battlefield. Rasen also realized the heavy responsibility placed upon him and nodded with a tense expression.
“They’re here!”
“Are they going to rush in without even sleeping? I guess they’re fearful of divine punishment.”
That morning, a scout standing on the lookout tower saw numerous humanoids approaching from afar with his keen eyesight and shouted out.
Balun, who had woken from a brief sleep, chuckled at the report.
“Everyone take your positions. It is time to launch the defense we learned from the dwarves.”
The Arin soldiers did not ride horses. They trusted the makeshift walls created by the transporters and planned to engage in a siege warfare.
The tribes of the grasslands are weak at siege and defensive warfare. However, the Arin Tribe had gained at least a superficial knowledge of siege and mobility tactics through the Dwarf Survivors.
“It has finally begun.”
Watching the two forces gradually draw closer, he was filled with tension as well, looking rather haggard. Now, to assist in case of emergency, he was holding back on the desktop smashing.
“Chieftain! It seems they have sent a messenger.”
As everyone’s tension peaked, just before the full-scale conflict began, Ghir’s troops halted their march and sent a few men to the forward base where the Arin Tribe was waiting. To determine what was being said, Balun left them unshot.
“We are the envoys sent by the great chieftain Luke, who will unify this land.”
“Pleasure to meet you. I am Balun, the chieftain of the Arin Tribe who governs this area.”
“…The chieftain has said that should you desire it, you can become part of the great Kingdom of the Grassland.”
The messenger, upon seeing Balun adorned with the Dracane skull helm, flinched slightly and recited the lines he had memorized.
The content naturally suggested that Balun should submit himself. Since it was what he expected, Balun feigned indifference.
‘They look surprised.’
Instead, observing the messenger’s wandering gaze, Balun noticed they were astonished by the forward base. What had been incomplete at the time of the spy’s visit had turned into some sort of mountain fortress over that short time.
“If the message is to get chieftains to become friendly, I would gladly consider it. However, there is no reason for one who serves the Guardian Deity to submit to another chieftain. Go and report that.”
‘Now, what will they do?’
Balun chased away the messenger, predicting how they would respond.
They could not have arrived without preparing for a siege. Through the spies, they were already aware that a massive wall had been erected.
Yet, the fact that they brought such force implied they had prepared significantly.
“General, what do we do now? Compared to their huge town, our meager walls seem pathetic.”
“Well, just execute the original plan and encircle their fields and livestock.”
As Balun predicted, opinions inside the expedition divided.
Originally, they didn’t come to properly attack the 10-meter walls built by the hardworking transporters. They intended to use their usual method of destroying and plundering fields and livestock outside the city when raiding settlers.
Yet, right in front of them stood what seemed like an easily conquerable forward base.
“Damn it, if they’re not careful, they might strike our rear.”
Ghir gritted his teeth as he realized why Balun had set up the forward base. He realized they were openly showing off their ineptitude at siege warfare.
“Speak honestly. If we put all our power into it, can we overcome that small wall on the hill?”
“Enough to breach such a small structure is certainly possible; they should start by making ladders.”
Ghir glanced at the mage beside him. Siege and defensive warfare were the specialty of settlers.
Seeing their hesitation against a mere wall and sighing, the mage advised attacking the forward base.
“Hmm, it seems they intend to crush us before advancing. Do they think they have the confidence or are they simply reckless?”
“Chieftain. We are preparing for battle.”
Watching the enemy slowly spread out to attack the base, Balun couldn’t help but chuckle. Their hurriedly made ladders were a sight to behold, and his smile only grew larger as they dismounted.
“The battle has already begun. When they charge forward, shoot without hesitation. There’s no reason to be afraid. They do not possess the sturdy carapaces of the Black Monsters, nor do they have strong legs for climbing walls.”
The Arin soldiers lined up along the castle wall loaded their arrows. This special arrow, capable of piercing bug armor, bore weak magical power and awaited the approaching enemies.
While the enemies began to advance, they prepared their shields for defense, but they intended to pierce even those.
“Charge!”
“They’re coming, shoot!”
At the exact moment when both sides thought it was time, the full-scale battle began.
The expeditionary force rushed forward with ladders and shields, desperately trying to shoot arrows to cover their allies. The Arin Tribe continued to unleash arrows, using the walls as shields.
Casualties began to arise on both sides, but the expeditionary force suffered overwhelmingly more. The arrows shot from the heights of the Arin Tribe flew farther and with more force.
“Cough, it’s time for the shamans to step up.”
Of course, the expeditionary force had considerable confidence as well. The first to step up were the shamans, who had lost significant face for not being able to adequately block the divine punishment falling from the sky.
‘Are they similar to me?’
While Balun had transformed into a bird and was soaring in the sky, observing the battlefield, he frowned as he took in the shamans’ actions.
The powerful winds summoned by the shamans caused their own arrows to veer off course. As a result, the enemies who quickly climbed the hill quickly began to position ladders against the walls.
“W-we’re going to get smashed!”
However, they didn’t just stand by and watch.
As a hammer fell from the sky, it crushed the shamans casting spells.
Some managed to evade or respond, but those who failed ended up crushed alongside several others, writhing on the ground.
‘Just a little longer, we can hold out.’
Balun recalled the tales he had learned from the dwarves. The battles fought around a castle ultimately came down to who could endure the longest. In a situation like this, merely holding on would benefit their side.
