Chapter 149: The Horde Arrives

The guard looks directly into my eyes. "A horde." She swallows. "And they’re coming this way."

"EVERYONE TAKE DEFENSIVE POSITIONS!"

I shout.

People freeze for barely a second before everything erupts into motion.

"Guards! Apprentices! Get your armor and weapons! Everyone else get away from the north side!" I yelled.

Workers abandon the unfinished wall. Tools hit the ground as people run toward the tents. The guards already on duty start moving while the off-duty guards and their apprentices rush to get their equipment.

I pull my armor from my storage ring. "Help me."

Sarah is beside me immediately. Lucy, Amber, Lyra, and Hazel join her without wasting time.

I raise my arms while they work around me. Sarah and Lucy secure the pieces around my chest while Amber and Lyra work on my arms. Hazel crouches in front of me and starts fastening the armor around my legs. All around us, metal clatters and people shout. Off-duty guards emerge carrying pieces of armor. Apprentices help tighten straps and buckles before grabbing their own equipment. Shields are lifted, helmets pulled on, and weapons checked.

Sarah pulls the final strap tight. "Done."

I kiss her quickly. "Keep everyone together."

"We will."

Mari and Zari are already near the family tents with Riley. The three of them are helping move the children farther from the northern side of the settlement.

I turn toward the armored fighters gathering nearby. "NORTH SIDE! MOVE!"

I start running. Guards and apprentices follow. More join us as we cross the settlement.

We pass the unfinished wall. One day. We’ve been here for one fucking day, and now hundreds of orcs are coming straight at us.

I reach the northern side and turn toward everyone following me.

"Everyone with a shield form a wall with polearms behind them! Dual wielders on the flanks, drive them into the shield wall! Archers in the back on the wagons!" I ordered.

Everyone moves at once. Shield users rush forward and begin forming a line. Polearm fighters gather behind them while the dual wielders spread toward both sides. Wagons are moved into position behind us, and the archers climb onto them with their bows and quivers.

I point toward the second rank. "Polearms, stay mobile! If part of the wall needs help, move!"

Then I turn toward the flanks. "Don’t let them around you! Push them toward the shield wall!"

I move behind the polearm fighters. From here I can see most of the battlefield. The shield wall is the strongest part of our line. If the fighters on both sides can keep the orcs from surrounding us and force them toward the center, the horde’s numbers will work against them.

A bird bursts from the trees. Then another. Within seconds an entire flock erupts from the forest. Everyone goes quiet. Branches snap somewhere ahead of us. Then I hear the pounding. Hundreds of feet.

"Archers ready!" I shouted.

Bows rise behind me. The first orc charges through the trees. Another appears beside it. Then ten. Twenty. Fifty. The northern tree line fills with brown-skinned orcs until I can’t count them anymore. The guard wasn’t exaggerating.

There have to be seven or eight hundred in the first mass coming toward us, and I can still hear movement deeper in the forest. The horde roars when they see us. I wait until more of them clear the trees.

"ARCHERS! LOOSE!" I said.

Bowstrings snap behind me. Arrows whistle overhead and disappear into the charging mass. Orcs tumble to the ground. Others stumble over their bodies and are trampled by the ones behind.

"Again!"

Another volley rises over us. The orcs keep coming.

"Again!"

The third volley hits them before the first orcs reach us.

"Shield wall! Brace!" I snapped.

The fighters lean into their shields. The horde slams into the wall. The impact sounds like a wagon crashing into a building. The line shifts backward.

"Hold!" I demanded.

The shield fighters dig in and shove back. Orc weapons hammer against shields. Our weapons rise over the top. A sword thrusts into an orc’s throat. Another blade chops down into a shoulder. A warhammer flashes above the shields and disappears with a wet crunch. The polearms strike from behind them. Spears stab over shoulders. Glaives and halberds rise and fall wherever there is room. The orcs begin spreading toward both sides.

"Flanks! Drive them in!" I shouted.

Our fighters crashed into them. The orcs on the outside are forced inward instead of being allowed to wrap around us. More bodies crowd toward the shield wall. The orcs at the front are trapped against our shields by the ones pushing from behind. The ones farther back can’t reach us at all. The shield fighters keep stabbing and swinging over the tops of their shoulder-high shields. Polearms attack from behind. Arrows rain into the packed mass. Bodies begin piling up in front of the wall. An orc tries climbing over them and reaches across a shield. A spear punches through its mouth and jerks back out.

Another orc takes its place immediately. The shield wall is becoming a meat grinder. Three orcs squeeze through the confusion and break into the open ground behind the flank.

"Leave them!" I shout. "Hold your positions!"

The three orcs see me. They charge. I step out from behind the polearms. The first swings a sword at my head. I slip inside its reach and punch it in the face. Its head explodes. Blood and pieces of bone spray across the ground behind it.

[You have killed Orc(Level 8) 60xp Gained.]

The second orc is already swinging an axe. I catch its wrist, pull it toward me, and punch it with my other hand. Its head bursts apart.

[You have killed Orc(Level 7) 55xp Gained.]

The last one tries to run around me. I grab the back of its armor and yank it off balance. My fist hits the side of its face. Its head explodes like the others.

[You have killed Orc(Level 9) 65xp Gained.]

I turn back toward the left flank. They’ve already closed the opening. Good. I return to my place behind the polearms. A shield fighter stumbles backward but stays on his feet. The fighter beside him shifts over before a gap can open. A halberd chops into the orc pressing against him, giving him enough room to recover. The pile in front of the wall is becoming high enough that the next orcs have to climb over their own dead. That slows them, but it doesn’t stop them. Orcs scramble across the bodies only to meet blades and polearms waiting on the other side. Another wave of arrows falls into the mass. I glance toward the wagons. The archers are still firing steadily. Then I look back at the forest. Orcs are still coming out.

How many of these bastards are there?

The first mass alone is enormous, and nothing I’ve seen tells me this is all of them. A roar rises above the rest. Deeper. Louder. The orcs near the tree line begin shifting aside. A much larger orc pushes through them carrying a heavy axe.

Then another appears. And another.

I recognize the larger bodies immediately.

Orc Warriors.

"WARRIORS!" I shout.

The first one barrels through the ordinary orcs in front of it and charges toward the right flank.

"Hold your positions!" I shouted.

The fighters brace. The Orc Warrior slams into the flank and swings its axe. One of our fighters knocks the blow aside, but the impact forces him backward. Two ordinary orcs rush through the space it creates. Then three more.

"Close that gap!" I pointed.

The flank tries. The Orc Warrior swings again. The opening widens. Four orcs break through.

Then the Warrior follows them.

"Don’t chase!" I roar.

I run toward the breach. The ordinary orcs reach me first. The first comes at me with an axe held high. I step forward and punch it before it can swing. Its head explodes.

[You have killed Orc(Level 8) 60xp Gained.]

The next one thrusts a sword toward my stomach. I knock the blade aside and drive my fist into its face. Its head bursts apart.

[You have killed Orc(Level 9) 65xp Gained.]

The other two spread apart, trying to get around me while the Orc Warrior charges straight down the middle. I move toward the one on my left first. One punch drops it.

[You have killed Orc(Level 6) 50xp Gained.]

I turn and catch the fourth before it can get past me. Its head explodes when my fist connects.

[You have killed Orc(Level 7) 55xp Gained.]

The Orc Warrior is almost on top of me. It raises its axe with both hands. I step forward before it can bring the weapon down and drive my fist straight into its face. Its head doesn’t explode.

Instead, its face collapses inward. Bone caves beneath my fist with a sickening crunch. Its skull buckles from the impact before the huge body drops at my feet.

[You have killed Orc Warrior(Level 15) 95xp Gained.]

Another deep roar comes from the forest.

I look up. More Orc Warriors are pushing their way through the horde. Behind me, arrows continue flying. Ahead of me, the shield wall keeps grinding through the orcs being forced into it. I turn and run back toward my position behind the polearms.

"Hold the line!" I roar.

This fight is only getting started.