Harbingers Part 3
"Hold 'em, he says, like we're bloody going to ask them to dance with us," muttered the young dwarf.
The young dwarf had been on the wall for days with no sight of the enemy. Along with the rest of the hundred-odd defenders, he was anxious for something, anything, to happen.
Word of an invasion had come from the Vulmani, who were fleeing their former lands en masse, and then confirmed by several human trappers. The frontier town of Southwatch, nestled at the base of the Beranid Hills, was directly in the path of the invading force as it moved steadily north.
It looked like the dwarf would be granted his wish soon. The enemy had finally made an appearance
Blight me if there aren't a cursed lot of them, thought the young dwarf.
Shambling, crawling, limping, or striding, scores of corpses had flowed out of the forest below Southwatch before arraying themselves in a semblance of a battle line. Attired in remnants of clothing and armor, and equipped with a variety of weapons, they looked quite motley.
Some of the defenders began to jest about the invaders, making sport of their appearance.
"Oi, Valum, is that your wife out there?" shouted one boisterous human.
"Willi, that's not my wife, looks more like your mother, but I thought she was working the docks this week," Valum shouted in reply.
The entire line laughed at Valum and Willi. The dire nature of the invaders was forgotten for a moment. The young dwarf even managed a grin despite his anxiety.
The moment of levity passed as the invaders began their slow advance towards Southwatch.
"Horsemen...ready up!" came a shout from the human captain on the wall. As the ranking military officer in Southwatch, he was in charge of the hasty defense that had been set up over the last few days.
"Horsemen ready!" came the reply from the leader of twenty heavy horse below. The heavy horsemen were all confident veterans, having honed their skills guarding caravans from frequent Vulmani raiding parties.
"Archers...ready up!"
"Archers ready!" was the reply from the walls and the sergeant placed in charge of thirty human archers and ten dwarven crossbowmen.
The captain had decided to meet the enemy in the open ground below Southwatch. Here he could best employ the horsemen and give the archers on the walls more time to thin out the enemy ranks.
"Archers....loose!" commanded the captain.
Thirty arrows arced towards the enemy, most finding home in the bodies of the invaders. One corpse stumbled as an arrow penetrated its leg, but none fell.
The young dwarf watched as flight after flight of feathered shafts flew into the invaders with no real effect. Perhaps the heavier bolts of his kinsmen would be more telling once the enemy drew within range.
"Horsemen.....charge!"
Shouting fierce battle cries, the twenty mounted warriors covered the ground between Southwatch and the invaders in moments, meeting with a crash. Dozens of the animated corpses were flung away by the impact. The horsemen hacked at the invaders with a vengeance, sword arms fueled by rage and disgust.
Dozens more of the undead fell under this onslaught, as the horsemen drove deeper into the enemy line. Intent on their furious drive, the horsemen paid little heed to what was occurring behind them. All but a handful of the fallen corpses were rising to their feet, and the entire mass of undead was contracting inward towards the horsemen.
As the advance of the cavalry began to slow, the horsemen finally saw the danger they had placed themselves in. The dead crowded around the living as they made a desperate attempt to carve a path to freedom. The attempt was futile; as quickly as one corpse fell, another pushed forward to take its place.
The defenders watched in horror as one by one the horsemen were pulled screaming from their mounts, disappearing into the mass of invaders.
Once the horsemen were dealt with, the undead resumed their advance on Southwatch. The dwarven crossbowmen began firing as the invaders came in range. The heavy bolts from the powerful dwarven weapon would stagger their targets, but did not halt the advance.
So much for that idea, thought the young dwarf. They're already blightin' corpses; poking holes in them won't do much.
"Everyone inside!" screamed the captain.
The defenders that were arrayed outside the wooden walls scrambled through the gate. Once all were inside, the gate was closed and secured with heavy timbers.
In short order, the invaders reached the wooden palisades of Southwatch, milling around outside.
It would have been nice to have some good, solid stone around us instead of wood, thought the young dwarf. Using goblin fire on the invaders had been discussed, but the wooden construction of Southwatch made fire too dangerous.
While the young dwarf was dreaming about stone, the invaders were becoming more purposeful. A slow, steady pounding of the gate was occurring, while more and more of the undead moved to assist.
Archers and crossbowmen were still raining arrows down on the undead, but their effect was minimal. Warriors and townspeople gripped their weapons tightly, knowing what was soon to come. The gate was showing signs of weakness, as expected from such a quickly constructed barrier.
Very little time passed until the planks in the gate were down allowing the invaders access to the interior of Southwatch. They poured into the outpost to be met by sword, axe, staff, and club.
The defenders fought with a passion, with no path of escape and expecting no quarter from the invaders. Scores, then hundreds of the undead were mowed down by the defenders.
The undead did not attempt to defend themselves, intent only in killing. Some fought with weapons, but most were unarmed.
After seeing what had happened to the horsemen, the defenders were taking no chances with the fallen. Invader bodies were separated from their limbs, and in some cases, their heads.
The young dwarf fought well in this confusing melee, using his axe to great effect and growing quite adept at amputating limbs in a single stroke. After what seemed like hours, the last invader fell.
Numb and exhausted, the survivors counted the cost. Over half the defenders inside the walls were dead, and many of the living were seriously wounded.
The captain was among the dead, along with most of the other professional soldiers, dwarves and humans alike. The young dwarf, who had somehow managed to survive the battle unscathed, found himself in charge of the ragged survivors, by simple fact of attrition.
"Oh gods, no, no!" came a cry from the walls.
The young dwarf saw one of the archers pointing down towards the forest. Scrambling to the ruined gate, his heart sank at what greeted his eyes.
Another, larger contingent of undead was emerging from the forest.
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