There were no surprises. The goblins crashed into our defenses like a wave crashing into a sand castle... Robert had about three days to organize the defenses, but I assume that the baron's escape somewhat disrupted any strategy he might have planned.
I summon my little familiar and a small creature made of smoke appears in front of me, it looks a bit like a crow, or a sparrow... maybe a swallow? Well, it's a small bird with gray feathers and a curious look. I send it to observe the battlefield, shared vision leaves me blind to my surroundings, but I made sure to stay away from the battlefront. What I see through the bird scares me a little.
The goblins number in the thousands, with a good hundred of them mounted on wolves, and beyond them there is another variant. Taller than the rest, thin and animalistic, wearing heavy fur coats and carrying skulls and bones attached to chains, each of them is surrounded by a dozen smaller goblins, apparently blind and suffering various degrees of mutilation... Some have no arms, others have no jaws, still others have their legs and arms cut off, being dragged by chains...
One of them looks up, and I feel as if he's looking directly at me. I feel a twinge of pain that persists for long seconds, leaving my vision blurred and my legs weak.
[Your family has been destroyed]
What the fuck is that? Some kind of shaman or witch, maybe...?
The difficulty has just increased by a few degrees.
The attack took place at the south gate, with hundreds of goblins throwing themselves against the wall and the gate. Robert took a hundred men to defend this position, while more and more goblins climbed the walls almost unopposed, since the soldiers who were supposed to defend this place were fleeing or moving away.
If the city's militia is a sand castle, Robert is a rock. He and his men position themselves in front of the gate, with a few dozen climbing onto the platforms to reclaim the walls. The first wave of goblins to cross the gate is met with steel and death. Even from my position, I can hear the shouts and curses of these soldiers, a desperate attempt to raise the militia's courage.
The green wave can't get past the rock, so they simply turn around. While Robert faces hundreds of goblins, hundreds more climb the wall at other points, with some of them attacking the soldiers' flanks, but the majority simply spread out across the village.
In a few minutes, Robert and his men become a small island in the middle of a raging ocean, waves and more waves crash against these soldiers, who remain motionless, and then spread out over the village.
[Ding!]
[You've been given a mission!]
[First Task: Defend the village of Terhi.
Main objective: Prevent the goblins from conquering the village (reward: 1 silver coin for every ten survivors).
Secondary objective: Annihilate the enemy force (reward: battle banner)
Bonus objective: Personally kill the shamans of Nargoth (reward: depends on the number of enemies killed)
'The mission has finally arrived, but what about those objectives? The main objective is already difficult, the secondary one is impossible, as for the third one... a word hasn't yet been created to express that level of difficulty'
…
…
"Defend this place, Tom!" I say, as I begin to summon a creature slightly larger than the sparrow. A circle of pure darkness cuts across the land in front of me, smoke emanating from the circle, creating strange patterns that dissolve into the air. The smoke solidifies, taking the form of an imposing black steed, clad in a shining suit of armor.
The sudden appearance frightens some people, but their fear disappears when I get on my horse.
Robert, in his extreme wisdom, divided the 400 or so defenders into three groups, 100 of them were positioned around the wall, the 100 strongest and most experienced were positioned near the gate, and the other two hundreds were positioned in the center of the village, where the non-combatants should seek refuge. Those on the wall were in the middle of a desperate escape and those at the gate were surrounded, and the remaining 200 watched in astonishment as the green tide approached them.
I get on my steed and walk in front of the soldiers, drawing their attention to me.
"A few days ago, my family was attacked by goblins! My father, my uncle and everyone I knew are dead, and I had to watch them being torn apart and devoured... My mother suffocated my sisters and then killed herself, so as not to suffer a fate worse than death... That is the fate that befalls this village now. That is the fate that awaits each one of you!"
I stop in front of a man with terrified eyes. A sword as dark as the sky appears in my hand, and I point the blade at him.
"What's your name?"
The man shudders, and for a moment I think he's going to faint. His reply is weak, almost inaudible.
"You'll be dead in a few minutes, soldier. Use what little courage you have left and let the gods know your name. NOW ANSWER, WHAT IS YOUR NAME!!!"
"DIEGO, SIR!"
"Do you have a family, Diego?"
"Wife and two children, sir."
"Would you die if it meant they survived?"
"YES, SIR!"
"There are thousands of goblins approaching. They wish to devour your children and rape your wife. How many of them are you willing to kill to prevent this from happening?"
"ALL OF THEM, SIR! All of them!"
I approached the man and touched his shoulder with the sword. He raised his head, his terror replaced by sheer disbelief.
[You added a soldier to your army 02/10]
"Goblins attacked my family, and I couldn't do anything to protect them. Yet, I didn't give up! I didn't run away! Even though I was outnumbered, I fought, even though I was wounded, I kept on killing. In the end, my cousin and I stood our ground, and the cowardly scum fled. As a reward for my refusal to give up, the gods gave me the power I needed to prevent my family's tragedy from happening again. The gods gave me power, and today I share that power with each one of you! Today, you will have the ability to protect your families. Today you will have the ability to instill fear in these hateful creatures"
I ride along the line, choosing more people to add to my army. The last one chosen is Igor, who commands these 200 men. I exchange a brief glance with him and turn to face the wave crashing over us. I raise my sword as high as I can and activate my heroic ability.
"THE GAZE OF THE GODS FALLS UPON TERHI TONIGHT! LET THEY WITNESS OUR BRAVERY!!! LET THEY WITNESS OUR VICTORY!!!"
Hundreds of weapons are raised to the sky. Hundreds of weapons are engulfed in black flames. The ensuing scream drowns out the sound of battle, the approaching goblins hesitate.
My steed neighs and prances, crushing the first enemies with the weight of its hooves, I unleash a downward blow, slicing through the mass of goblins without any effort, leaving behind charred pieces of half a dozen enemies.
The steed forces its way through the goblins, trampling and gouging those who don't move. I, on the other hand, unleash broad strokes, my sword passing through the enemies as if they were made of air.
I continue advancing through the sea of enemies, leaving a trail of bodies in my wake. My goal is to reach Robert, who is still surrounded. Luckily, my heroic ability also catches up with them, which gives the tired soldiers a slight advantage.
Before I can reach them, I am intercepted by three wolf riders, who circle around me, attacking and retreating with surprising skill. Only one of them is armed with a whip, yet he has proved to be the most troublesome of them. The fight comes to a standstill as I'm forced to defend myself, until the system kicks in.
[Foundation increased from level 00 ⇾ 01, army limit increased by 10 ⇾ 100]
I've been ignoring the system messages during the fight, trying not to get distracted and end up dead, but this is one I can't avoid. With a quick thought, I recruit all the soldiers fighting with Robert, receiving 18 elites, 22 superiors and 1 champion...
[You have added soldiers to your army 51/100]
In that instant of distraction, I was pierced in the thigh and my steed received a long cut from the whip.
[Health: 35%. You are bleeding, your health will continue to decrease until the wound is treated]
…
…
Robert starts walking towards me, while I try to get away from these wolves.
That's why none of us notice the abnormal way the goblins are acting until it's too late.
A blinding flash emerges from the south gate, followed by a scorching wind. I turn and look at the cause of this light, watching a fire flower blossom between Robert's soles. Screams of agony echo from within the fire, men and goblins running aimlessly as they try to put an end to the flames that are devouring them.
Amidst the smoke emerges a strange creature wrapped in heavy furs. Bones rattle with every step, and mutilated goblins are pulled by chains.