"Do not worry, Tenko is here!" Tenko shouted, and tried not to cough as dust filled the air. Around her assembled a hasty collection of militiamen led by the Headless hunter Guildmembers.
Far away Kenji continued to roar, each blow sending frozen goat boys blasting off the walls.
"As we practiced, form ranks!" ordered the Headless Hunter Guildmaster. The pig man waved his mace at the militiamen, who formed a three rank deep formation bristling with spears, upturned scythes, and pitchforks.
Behind, on various rooftops, were a great number of ranged units, with the better melee fighters waiting behind the ranks of militiamen. Two Silver Swan Knights arrived and activated their [fortification aura] while several Headless Hunter Guildmembers activated their [Hunter aura].
Tenko howled and summoned her moon into the mix, but refrained from turning it into the agility boost version quite yet. That might be important later, but for now the magic resistant bubble would be useful enough.
Howling through the dust came the first few satyr, having to scramble over the rubble only to be filled with arrows. But they continued to charge, and in greater numbers, until some at last made it to the defender's lines.
Trained to hold the enemy in place, the militamen didn't take many satyr down themselves. But pressed tightly against the human formation, the satyrs became easy targets for rocks thrown by children and arrows fired at point blank range.
"Take this you bastards!" Jed roared, his single eye flaring with dark light as his spell book whispered with an evil voice. In the next moment the ground the enemy charged through turned twisted and became filled with black and blue barbed bushes. When attached to the enemies fur, the barbs grew swiftly while draining the Satyrs of their strength.
Weakened, they became were cut as easily as butter before the allied Tariak force, their numbers becoming meaningless. Yet victory was short lived as a satyr beserker broke through the line, followed by another, and a third.
A whole squad of seven appeared in all, although one was quickly shot to pieces and a second bathed in dark flame. Jed in turn was shot through his remaining eye by a sharp eyed Faun, and fell back behind his barricade screaming, "I can't see! I'm bloody blind!"
"Get out of the way, run!" Tenko screamed, having remembered what Captain Jack had told them of these enemies. Activating her silver moon, the militamens speed increased dramatically, allowing those able to move to retreat quickly.
Yet far too many stood frozen as the crackling red bodies of the bezerkers were thrown into their ranks. The resulting explosions tore at their bodies, reduced them to atoms and sucked them to a point.
From the explosions emerged five crimson skinned goat demons, their many arms and fiery blades wreaking immediate carnage amongst the survivors.
"No, stop!" Tenko screamed, overcome with anger as so many innocent people were slaughtered like lambs. Amidst it all was bucktoothed boy, spear in hand despite the fact he was supposed to be with the wizards in the back lines.
"BUCKY!" Tenko moved forward faster than she ever had before, and was forced to watch a demon's blade descend in slow motion. Bucky gave Tenko one last look, and made a goofy bucktoothed smile as he was cut down the middle and his corpse crumpled along with the mound of townsfolk around him.
Tenko froze, the sound of the battlefield drowning out as the adventurers and knight's charged to join the battle all around her.
Tenko twitched, and she felt something snap within her. As blood and fire fell like rain, she slowly picked up buckies body and held it tight.
"I'm sorry," she whispered
[You are ready, little one], said the moon.
Tenko couldn't see the moon at day time, but she didn't need to. She never did, they were connected and the moon had always come when called.
"Please, bring him back," Tenko whispered.
[Necromancy makes no one happy. Better to fight for those that still live], the moon said, so warm like an old granny.
Somewhere screamed the girl with a thing for knives, her face streaking with tears as she was held back by a sturdy farmer. Tenko held bucky's body tight and brought it back to her, where the wicked girl could grieve.
"Then give me the power to protect. Please, I don't want to lose everyone, not again," Tenko whispered.
[Granted. Happy hunting, little one], with that the moon receded from Tenko's mind. Focusing, Tenko lifted her head high and howled a perfect note.
The brilliant blue sky vanished into the darkness of night, a gigantic golden moon now hanging over all of Tariak. In bursts of light the defenders grew golden tails, and could spend it instinctually to become temporarily empowered.
Across the battlefield simple farmers became strong as knight's for three swings, while archers fired their arrows with the power of a ballista and adventurers swung with the strength of trolls. Only a few moments did the moon last before it faded and day returned, but across the entire defensive line Tariak's defenders had regained the upper hand.
Breathing raggedy Tenko staggered away, the current waves of demons having been turned to heap of demonic flesh through the bravery of the Headless Hunter guild.
Yet the enemy simply sent another wave, the heroics of the defenders overshadowed by the constant assault. Meanwhile Tenko found a quite place to recover, barely noticing how she now have two white tails as she brooded over bucky's body.
Then a bright horn sounded, and the closest Silver Swan Knights pulled back from the fighting and mounted their war horses.
"Where are you going? We need you!" the Guildmaster roared as he shattered a satyr's skull like an egg.
"The main gate has been breached, we are ordered to reinforce that position. Use fire on the spiders!" the knight yelled back, turned, and rode away.
Confused the Guildmaster noted that indeed giant spiders ridden by Jackal humanoids were pouring now through the gap in the walls. Groaning he shouted up at Jed.
"Jed, we need fire!"
"On it!" Jed relied, gold Beans directing the blind man's hands. Even with two eyepatches now and quite blind, Jed looked an impressive figure as he bathed the front ranks of Spider riding Jackals in black flame.
Meanwhile Tenko looked concerned past Kenji fighting in the walls to the main gate. Just what could the enemy have done to break through there?