War Chief POV
Fannar has been at the forge for the last two weeks non stop, likely he will finish by in the next week at this rate. The giants have been acting more normally, both sides send out a couple teams each to fight non stop. The death rate on both sides has dropped to around 10 percent each skirmish. These numbers are perfectly in line with the norm and would usually be no cause for alarm. The big problems here is that the main enemy encampment is usually to the north, but at the moment they have circled around to the our rear in the south.
No messages have passed through coming or going as far as I can tell. Hildr managed to scout some of their movements and it appears they are slowly building a barrier wall almost like they came to conquer territory. This method of restricting information and constructing fortifications, trying to box us in is very unlike the enemy we know. Not only do I have to deal with them, once the hammer swinging madman has rested from his most recent work he will try to bull his way home.
I just hope we get some kind of resolution to this mess soon. Continually going over the war maps following the movements of the giants and trying to distinguish their purpose maybe I could then make some sense of it all.
It is almost like they are trying to focus the attention of the clans on the north, but why would they do that. Its not like they can…. My mind freezes. They are working with one of the other realms, instant clarity. Which realm would be capable of this, and why. I ponder for a while longer, unable to come up with an answer. I guess we will have to use a distractions and retract the front, likely this training war is about to turn into a real one.
Another ten days pass by, with the strain due to lack of communications and no way to head back to their clans many of the men and women here are getting restless. Its just like a powder keg ready to blow with the slightest spark. And that spark is about to walk in any minute.
"Fannar, Thank you for all your efforts over the last two months, without you it would have been hard maintaining this long." I say
"You can thank me by approving our trip back south. Honestly I'm leaving with my men one way or the other, I'm just being nice." Fannar replies.
Inwardly cringing at having to deal with this now of all times I ask him to sit for a moment and pass over a horn of mead. I guess its time to make a decision. I didn't want to abandon the fort here but if what I think is truly happening and the clans are unprepared it could be far worse. Our numbers could be reduced enough that the other realms may group up and try to deal with us.
"Irons-bane there is something I need to tell you. As of now I'm 60 percent certain the giants have made an agreement with one or more of the other realms. I believe based on their behavior we will soon be facing an invasion attempt. Why they want to invade and who I have no idea but after considering everything that's happened since you came it's the only thing that makes since." Its time to go all in, I think to myself. What's one fort over so many clans.
"I see." Fannar says with a serious look on his face.
"Also, the giants have fortified the south. It will be the same as storming a fort, blasting it to pieces and then bulldozing through another before we can have a shot to go back. I'm open to suggestions at this point. I see no way heading back without loosing all those below the seventh rank."
"Let me see the map, and I need a recording of the fortifications before I give you an answer." Fanner replies beginning to focus on the war map.
I call Hildr, as she is the only one capable of getting close enough to get a recording and make it back. After giving her the instructions and compiling the reports, I give the condensed version to Fannar. He Begins by complaining that I know nothing of the actual structure and have no skills in discerning the weakness and best approach to construction. We spend another three days going over the details. After he watched the recording, he started smiling like a kid on yule.
"I need a couple days to prepare everything, get the men ready this is going to be fun." Fanner says as he rushes back to the forge. I just hope he doesn't accidentally blow up half the place.
A day passes as everyone is quickly prepping to fight their way out when Hildr walks in shouting for me. "Chief hurry we should rush through now the giants are in chaos."
"What is going on, tell me the details." I replied worrying about what could cause such a change.
"Something big happened back in the frost kingdom, no idea what but all the giants are going crazy, they are running around like chickens with their heads cut off. We should go now, they revealed that they have close to 6000 giants now gathered to our south. If they rush at us now while were unprepared we are done."
"Get everyone ready for my signal I'll make the final preparations now." I commanded while heading to catch Irons-bane. It seams like the best laid plans may fall at a moments notice.
Catching Irons-bane at a good time as he just finished whatever he was working on I tell him what is happening and let him know we are heading out. He tosses over two bags the size of a coin purse to me, catching them and looking inside I realize they are spatial bags half full of large black balls. I start sweating bullets. Each one of these are hard contact, runic Giants bane Bone steel bombs. Each one could easily maim 5th rank giants and severely injure 6th rank giant, he casually tosses me 200.
"so this was your plan." I say sighing g
"not what your thinking but it will do I just needed a bit more time." He says making me truly worried about what he would be cooking up.
We proceed to the rear of the fort, where I distribute bombs to the men in the back lines to slow the enemies pursuit once we break through. Setting up an arrow formation with the highest ranks in front to breach the line we proceed at break neck pace.
The fortifications are right at a major choke point to the south right between frost fang mountains. These mountains are basically sheer all the way up which make it a naturally defensible position. Why is the fort not there you think, well that's because its in a grey area where the frost waste has little effect on us and naturally wouldn't be as good for tempering combat strength.
The Giants still in chaos didn't even see us coming. Still a few kilometers away Irons-bane does a running javalen toss of a spear covered in those contact bombs straight to the hinge side of the gate. After the boom the gate just fell straight down like it was just waiting for a good breeze. The giants instantly alarmed further devolve into chaos.
Focusing all our strength right at the front we move through the gate and start Bulldozing our way through everything in front of us causing the ground to run red. Reaching the other side of the encampment blasting the last obstacle from our escape. All the top commanders and strongest combat potential take up positions on either side of our exit. We keep fighting protecting the path of retreat as our men keep rushing through to freedom.
Then as it always seems to another challenge finds its way over. Five 8th rank giants instantly assault us overwhelming our defense. With only another hundred and fifty clansmen left to reach the opening it feels like finally getting to the front door only to find you have no keys. Realizing we need to go all out all of us at the 7th rank and up active out ki arts, the body release is different for everyone and it's not something that can be maintained indefinitely. The one advantage is were outside the frost waste restriction zone, and that means we can fight for three times as long, as well as take no backlash.
While outnumbering them three to one would normally work, they are at a higher rank making the likelihood of defeating them is zero. while our likelihood of escape is at seventy percent, that's before we throw in the rank seven giants that are almost here. As the rank seven file in we start losing rank seven fighters to severe injury. As the ones helping me and irons-bane rush to save the others they leave us man to man with two top rank giants.
As I focus on dodging to save stamina and drag things out, Fanner is doing the opposite by meeting fist with hammer over an over again as if he is tempering iron through sheer pressure. We are still fighting and working our way out as we do so when suddenly one of the giants clears his defenders and begins double-teaming Irons-bane.
Appearing in a flash right behind him and punching out, he is now sandwiched between their fists. Falling to the ground he coughs out a mouthful of blood. Rolling and dodging a fatal spear thrust but failing to dodge completely as the giants spear severs his right leg at the calf.
A howl like that of a wounded peak level demon beast sounds out. The blood curdling sound drawing all attention to the scene. Heart wrenching as it was for the clansman, they could do nothing about it.
While appearing to be on his last wind sputtering and about to fall, he grabs two objects at his waist that look like the same bags he tossed to me earlier. Everyone on the battlefield receives an instinctual reaction to turn and run. As though a rabbits sixth sense finding a wolf right behind him a primal fear erupts from within.
Putting all his strength into it, he throws the bags one each at the two peak 8th rank giants. The giants thinking to defend by punching the object away, find themselves faces with a spatial rift sucking them in due to the implosion of a sealed space. While they seem to be fighting against it and about to win, he sends out a ki shockwave causing all the balls in the fissure to erupt.
With two giant sized rifts in space increasing further, many are sucked in unable to fight it. With the reprieve granted I rush to pick up Fannar and drag all I can out of the canyon immediately rushing to find a place to set a first aid camp.
Just as things get better, they spiral again.