The sentry of the city camp shuddered when a wolf howl sounded from the direction of the forest. The howls came directly from the edge of the forest. And suddenly the wolf howl was joined by a huge multitude of voices. Then wild cries and eerie screams rang out. Panic erupted in the camp. For the past two nights, everyone had been expecting an attack similar to the one that destroyed their vanguard outpost.
By evening, however, there was hope that the unknown enemy simply hadn't dared to attack such a large camp. And now that hope had collapsed. The mages immediately cast offensive spells and struck into the darkness. "Fire arrows" illuminated their opponents.
Naked people in large numbers, with sticks and makeshift shields, stood at the edge of the forest. It seemed like there was nothing frightening about this, but one could remember that the neighboring camp and its inhabitants had already ceased to exist. Memories surfaced of soldiers coming from there with reports of naked and invincible creatures resembling humans. It was getting eerie. Apparently, the local mountains had become the habitat of yet another evil.
Count Rur, taking off his helmet, stared into the darkness. The darkness responded with screams and howls. Unfortunately, there was no fog in the sky, and it was impossible to see the enemy outside the line of campfires. What an unsuccessful campaign. First, damn goblins killed most of the horses, so the soldiers had to push the carts themselves.
Then rains in the pass, which caused the main army to get stuck there. And now this. One could almost believe the stories of that cursed monk who had been imposed on the detachment as a spiritual mentor. Not a day went by when this worthless man didn't start lamenting the foolishness of human kings, waging war against each other and shedding holy blood.
Nobody argued with the monk about the main thing—yes, human blood was holy, but one had to understand the political moment as well. If the blood of all people is holy, unlike the blood of other unclean creatures, it means that all people are equal. And all kings are equal.
And that just couldn't be. So the earthly rulers had to figure out who among them was worthy to lead the heavenly army of the Most Bright Father and lead it into battle—against the unclean and inhuman. But this son of a bitch wouldn't give up. There are such fanatics...
"Mages! Disperse this crowd!"
The four combat mages easily inclined their heads, indicating that the order was heard. And soon "fire arrows" flew into the forest. The mages cast their spells one by one, creating the impression of continuous bombardment.
The thick, almost five-centimeter boards making up the shields served as sufficient barriers for such weak spells that the mages in the camp were using. True, one hit from a "fire arrow" was enough to destroy the shield, but the person holding it practically didn't suffer. Minor burns on the hands healed quickly.
Leonid deliberately placed only naked soldiers in the front line. He created the image of an unknown and unfamiliar enemy. His "horde's" rear ranks didn't even come out of the forest; they were far from the edge—busy hunting. They were ordered to bring back as much live game as possible.
The first line stood under continuous magical attacks for more than ten minutes. The supply of shields was rapidly dwindling. When half of the shields were destroyed, the commander finally ordered everyone to retreat into the forest and hide behind the trees. Then an unexpected idea came to him.
"Everyone, strike the trees or the shields. Evenly. I'll set the pace."
Soon, a dull "boom" emanated from the forest. Boom. Boom. Boom. Once every two seconds, more than a hundred people synchronously struck the trees.
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