Year 213 of Germion Kingdom.
As the first month of the year, Mars, ended, the month of Bilf came. When Bilf was nearing its end,the soldiers assigned to patrol the forest in the night felt a change occur.
The forest was stirring.
They couldn’t tell exactly what was different, but there was something different. In the past, the forest felt harmless, but now, it was like a beast holding its breath.
The soldiers watched the forest for a while, but seeing that nothing was happening, they ended their patrols.
“We should probably report this just to be safe,” one of the soldiers said.
The patrols were being done in shift. After the soldiers on patrol informed the next patrol their finding, they went down the city walls and headed for a small shed where they would await new orders.
It has been roughly 2 months since the colonial city has been built. At first, no one could sleep in fear of the monsters attacking at any moment, but humans were never one to worry for long.
In time, their anxiety loosened, and they got used to living in a fortress right next to the forest.
Around the watch fires, atop the castle walls, the soldiers sternly did their rounds. The night was the hour of the monsters.
With the favor of the god of fire did the humans try to see though the depths of Verna’s (goddess of darkness) wings, but even the flames themselves weakened within the depths of the night god’s bosom.
“Finally, we can sleep,” a soldier said.
The soldier sprawled himself over his bed to sleep, but as soon as he did, the sound of alarms and people screaming reached his ears.
“Monsters! Hordes of them!”
The battering sound of alarm jolted the soldiers off their beds, prompting them to immediately head for the castle walls.
Their swift response was thanks to their daily drills.
Upon climbing the walls, what greeted them were hordes of monsters that extended as far as the eye could see.
Giant continental turtles that even adventurers would need several men to subjugate, monkeys that kidnapped people, foxes with thorn-like fur that hunted livestocks. Various beasts of all sorts filled their eyes, but what was worse was that there were hordes of them.
That scene unfolding before their eyes was enough to break their common sense.
Within that great horde of beasts were goblins, most conspicuous of which were those equipped with bows.
The soldiers yelled. “Goblins! There are goblins among them!”
Gowen’s subordinates have become extremely wary of goblins since the last battle. Part of that was because of Gowen’s orders, but an even bigger reason was the stories told by the survivors of the previous battle.
Despite the darkness the soldiers managed to see the archer goblins and beast tamers.
“There are archers and beast tamers!” One of the soldiers cried.
Such a sight instilled fear into the soldiers, causing them to be panicked, but someone yelled at them from behind.
“Calm down! Follow the orders of your platoon commander and prepare to fight back! Those monsters can’t cross the moat or climb the walls!” Yuan, who had been made responsible for the colonial city, said. “This is still within Master Gowen’s predictions! Reinforcements are coming from the capital! Our duty is to lure the enemy and exhaust them!”
Yuan’s voice reminded the soldiers of their roles. They looked at each other, and after realizing how foolish they were being, laughed, then they immediately carried out their jobs.
“This won’t be like last year. This time we’ll beat these monsters down!”
As the soldiers cheered, Yuan turned heel.
“Or, at least, I hope we do…” Yuan quietly muttered to himself before taking command.
◆◆◇
Ra Gilmi Fishiga, who was given the order to surround the colonial city, groaned.
“The humans truly are powerful,” he said.
The well lit moat was not a distance they could leap across. The depth was not something to scoff at either, being as deep as three goblins put atop each other with their arms stretched up.
“Doesn’t seem like we can dig our way in either,” Gilmi said.
He had considered having the killer ants and the Gi goblins dig a path, but with a moat this deep, it wasn’t feasible.
There was no other way to enter the colonial city other than the drawbridges, but there were only two of those. It was too dangerous an option while attacking.
In this operation, their current forces included the Ganra Tribe, Gi Gi Orudo’s Beast Army, the araneae, the minotaurs, the tarpidae, the papirsag, the rizalat, and the orcs.
The Goblin King ordered them to take it easy and just threaten the enemy, but he didn’t say not to attack either.
“The enemy will probably draw their bows…” The timid Bui said.
After the papirsag promised to make shields for them, Bui and his orcs took on the duty of carrying of the shield bearers.
“A fight between bows is exactly what I want,” Gilmi bravely said.
He did not believe that the Ganra Tribe would lose out to the human archers in archery.
“Lord Gi Gi, please send the quicker ones of your horde to surround the fortress. Once we’ve put them on guard, send the beasts to the plains,” Gilmi said.
“Very well. I wonder if there are any prey in the plains,” Gi Gi said.
“Can the rizalat search for a water source nearby? We might be able to fill that dry moat with water,” Gilmi said.
Tanita of the rizalat nodded. “So long as there’s water, we can send my brethren.”
“Exactly. I’ll leave it in your hands,” Gilmi said.
There’s a lake inhabited by lizardmen not too far, so Gilmi figured he might be able to attack the fortress via water. The fact that Tanita was able to quickly deduce his thoughts showed that he too was an excellent commander.
“Understood,” Tanita said.
“Lord Fanfan of the Tarpidae,” Gilmi said.
“Fanfan is currently talking with someone,” Fanfan said.
She was currently talking via an unknown tongue with an ant.
Gilmi gave her a job.
“Tell the ants to fill up that moat,” Gilmi said.
Fanfan was currently the only one who could talk with the killer ants.
“Sure, as long as they get food. Oh, Fanfan too,” Fanfan said.
Gilmi nodded with a wry smile.
It was a mystery how well the killer ants who lived in the desert could live here, but their numbers and working force was certainly something to be prized. And while it wasn’t possible to dig their way into the fortress, it was certainly possible to fill that moat with dirt.
Gilmi had the minotaurs and the other slow beasts wait at a designated location, then he decided to wait and see how things developed.
“This isn’t like me. My heart is beating so fast,” Gilmi muttered.
Even he couldn’t help his excitement.
He looked up at the night sky.
