The soldiers and warriors on the wall moved into action and picked up their weapons. They didn't start shooting quite yet though. Instead, they moved the big clay pots, that they had delivered earlier, closer to the machicolations and waited.
The girls steadied their resolve, though Elly was still severely shaken and still had tears still rolling down her face, and went to take a look.
The black goo inside the pots was sticky and smelly and stained everything it touched. It was like rotten animal fat mixed with decayed plant oils and sewage. Absolutely revolting to smell, or even look at.
"What is this, it looks disgusting!" Sera frowned.
"It's called Earthen Blood," a warrior beside them said. "It's an extremely flammable liquid that sticks to absolutely everything!"
"Earthen Blood? Does that mean it comes from the ground like that?"
"Yup! It originates from the deserts across the sea to the south, but it was then further enhanced by our alchemists to burn even hotter." The warrior spoke with confidence as if he knew everything about the stuff.
He was quite good-looking and appeared to be in his early thirties. A badge adorned his chest, showing he was Iron Rank-7, quite an achievement for an average human. He proudly displayed it as he moved, however, the girls didn't seem to show much interest over simple surface curiosity.
The monsters below already gathered into a wave that washed over the slums. Screams of people long since stopped as the beasts feasted on their flesh.
"Okay, let's go." The soldier moved and pushed the clay pot closer to the edge. The warrior helped him.
They tilted it so that the Earthen Blood flowed through the machicolations and onto the monsters below. The Goblins screeched as the black liquid covered their fur and tried to get away. However, the monsters behind kept pushing forward, not giving them a chance to retreat.
The same thing was happening every ten meters or so, and soon the first few meters of soil under the walls were covered in this black goo.
The empty clay pots were then tossed over the wall and cracked a few skulls as they landed.
"Step back!" A soldier shouted and took a lit torch, waiting for the order. A few minutes later, a horn was heard, first a short one, followed by a long and deep signal.
Many torches were simultaneously tossed down, and immediately after, a powerful 'Woosh!' was heard as the flames rose to the sky.
The animalistic screams of pain resounded in their ears and Elly covered them and closed her eyes to cut herself off from the sounds of suffering. It didn't matter if they were merely monsters, they were living beings too!
"Why fire?" Sera asked after losing another chance to shoot her bow. "And why did we wait for them to kill all those people? Were they simply used as bait and fodder?"
The male warrior beside them shrugged. "If you want to shoot, be my guest. However, recognize that your actions will make little difference."
"This is simply the appetizer before the real fight begins. It's simple, cruel, and absolutely safe. Both sides will first send forth the expendables, they will send Goblins, and we will consume our supplies of Earthen Blood and arrows," he explained in a calm and rational manner.
"Then, when the corpses pile meters high, and when our resources diminish and we become tired, they will send the real fighters. Those monsters will tear you limb from limb if given the chance, so save your arrows for them!"
He stopped talking and went to get another pot of Earthen Blood and dragged it towards the edge. Still, he remained far enough so the flames wouldn't be able to reach it and double-checked if the lid was tightly sealed. A single stray spark could lead to a disaster if he was careless.
The girls realized how mistaken they were about this war. The strategy being used was good, however, the fire would eventually extinguish, and the corpses would form a nice ramp over the wall. That's when the real battle would start.
They were just delaying the inevitable.
The monsters weren't stupid and didn't simply mindlessly rushed into the fire to die. Though some did stand too close and burned anyway as those behind them pushed them forward.
No, the Goblins soon started digging into the soil and started tossing stones and dirt into the fire. It did nothing to stop the flames, but it did make the ground slightly more angular.
That was the plan, though. Making a way up into the capital. The stone walls were smooth, but not completely. The little monsters, with their claws, could easily climb a vertical rocky surface if given the opportunity. Too bad they didn't get one. Humans learned not to let that happen a long, long time ago.
The battle, if you could even call it that, dragged into the night. The attack started on the northern side, however soon the area spread and now almost half the city was surrounded by a sea of monsters.
"It seems like there are even more Goblins than expected," one of the soldiers commented tiredly. They already emptied more than ten Earthen Blood clay pots where he stood, and the raging fires were gradually calming down, letting the darkness of the night blanket them.
At least a hundred thousand Goblins perished in the assault already, but it seemed like the horde became even more numerous. Corpses piled up beside the walls and soon they would be able to invade unimpeded.
First shots were fired about an hour ago, mowing down Goblins left and right. Thousands of human fighters on the walls shot volley after volley of arrows at them until their hands became sore.
The monsters killed with fire didn't count towards the final reward, which was obvious since the Earthen Blood was provided by the city. However, those that helped deploy it would receive a small bonus at the end.
But now, it was time for the warriors to show what they were made of. The gear and weapons they had were procured by themselves so they had to make every shot count, unlike the soldiers who were just doing their job for a fixed payment no matter how good they were.
High up on the guard towers were a few observers who oversaw the fight and recorded the kills of warriors to the best of their abilities. The records would then be handed to the Guild and then to the Royal Treasury for the appropriate rewards.
There were bound to be some mistakes, but what could you do, nobody was perfect, and this was war.
The three girls were doing their best to shoot down the advancing horde, however, the most useful spells, those of the Earth variety, were unable to be used on top of the wall. The stone itself was somehow protected from magic manipulation.
At least that's what they felt. Some stronger mage might be able to ignore the restriction and use the wall as a store of ammo. But luckily they had plenty of water barrels up there, so using Water or Ice magic wasn't a problem. Fire and Wind were also at their disposal, however, that wasn't as effective at long-range.