Chapter 343: Rampart

[The Second Wave has begun.]

The goblin army surged forward. Hundreds of thousands of small bodies poured across the open plains in a shrieking tide, flowing around the corpses left behind by the hobgoblins. Some climbed over the dead without slowing, while others slipped between enormous green limbs and used the fallen giants as cover as they raced toward the fortress.

The noise was unbearable. The hobgoblins had roared deeply enough to shake the walls, but the goblins produced something sharper. Screams, laughter, horns, scraping metal, and thousands of overlapping voices blended into a constant shrill pressure.

Kael watched the endless ranks advance. There were too many to count, and the first formations had already entered the range of the tower ballistae.

"Fire!"

The elevated weapons answered. Multiple bow arms snapped forward at once, launching volleys of enormous bolts over the smaller turrets obstructing Kael’s section. Each projectile struck the goblin army like a battering ram. Bodies burst apart beneath the iron heads, while those standing behind the first victims were pierced or thrown backward.

The tower ballistae did not stop after one shot. Their loading belts moved, fresh bolts slid onto the firing rails, and the upper arms released while the lower mechanisms drew back, creating a constant rhythm of destruction. Bolts descended into the enemy formation one after another, tearing long, bloody gaps through the advancing goblins.

Their smaller bodies offered almost no resistance. A single projectile could pass through several of them before burying itself in the ground, scattering metal and splintered wood through everyone nearby. The ordinary ballistae joined them wherever their firing lines allowed, while the fortress archers raised their bows and released dark clouds of arrows over the battlements. The volleys fell across the approaching wave, and goblins collapsed by the dozens, pierced through their heads, shoulders, backs, and exposed stomachs.

The army did not slow. The dead simply vanished beneath the feet of those behind them.

Some goblins stopped long enough to throw crude spears toward the fortress. They drew their arms back and launched the weapons like javelins, screaming as though they expected the strikes to bring down the walls. Most failed even to reach the top. The spears climbed partway up the towering stone face before losing momentum and falling backward. Several struck goblins still rushing toward the fortress, while others clattered uselessly against the lower wall.

A soldier near Kael laughed. "That’s it?"

Another man leaned over the battlement and watched a spear fall dozens of meters short. "They can’t even reach us!"

Several soldiers began mocking the creatures below. The sight of goblins being obliterated by ballista bolts and arrow volleys eased some of the fear left behind by the first wave, but Kael did not share their confidence. The first wave had already taught him that the Tower would never send an enemy without giving it some way to threaten the defenders.

"Keep your attention on the field!" Kael shouted. "And keep your guard up!"

The first soldier turned toward him, and a wooden arrow struck the man through the neck. The projectile punched between the edge of his helmet and the top of his breastplate. Blood sprayed across the battlement as the soldier staggered backward, both hands rising toward the shaft. His laughter became a wet choking sound, and he collapsed before anyone could reach him.

The other soldiers froze.

"Shields!" the officer shouted.

Bucklers rose around the siege crews just as another volley reached the wall. Unlike the spears, the arrows made it.

Hundreds of goblin archers had moved closer while the front ranks absorbed the fortress fire. Their small bows lacked the strength of the ballistae, but they understood range. Groups planted their feet, raised their weapons together, and filled the sky with wooden shafts.

Most of the arrows bounced from stone or shattered against shields, but enough found flesh to matter. One soldier screamed when a shaft buried itself in his thigh, while another fell after an arrow struck the side of his face. The crews operating the Leonard’s poorly positioned ballistae suffered even more. Their weapons stood too close to the outer edge of the wall, leaving almost no room for the soldiers to work behind them.

The loaders were exposed. Every time they lifted a bolt onto the firing rail, arrows and sling stones struck around their hands. Other soldiers had to crowd beside the turrets with shields raised, narrowing the already limited space.

Kael looked toward the approaching army. The goblins were weak, but they were also intelligent. They used tools, formations, ranged weapons, and the bodies of those ahead of them. Individually, none could compare to a hobgoblin. Together, they were far more troublesome.

The first ranks reached the wall, and the goblins immediately began climbing.

Kael had expected them to struggle more than the hobgoblins, yet the opposite happened. Their smaller bodies were lighter and easier to support. Thin fingers found the seams between the massive stones, while narrow feet pressed into cracks a hobgoblin could barely have used. Some carried short hooks attached to ropes, throwing them toward the battlements and pulling themselves upward.

They rose quickly.

Hot sand poured from the wall, and goblins screamed as the grains entered their armor and burned against their skin. Several lost their grip and fell, dragging others down with them. Buckets of boiling water followed, sending steam rolling along the fortress exterior as more climbers released the stone and dropped into the packed ranks below.

Still, they continued ascending. There were simply too many. Whenever one fell, two more moved into the space it left behind.

The tower ballistae kept firing into the goblin army, but the weapons could not target creatures pressed directly against the fortress. Archers leaned over the walls and shot downward while soldiers stabbed with spears, yet the climbing goblins had already spread across nearly every section of stone.

Kael looked toward the neighboring walls and saw that the other climbers were holding well. The mage had cast a shimmering barrier over her siege crews, protecting them from arrows and sling stones. Her magic rolled down the wall in waves, knocking climbers loose before they reached the top.

The spear wielder moved along her battlements and stabbed downward with rapid, precise thrusts. Whenever a goblin’s hand appeared over the edge, her weapon followed. The burly man stood above his gate, crushing anything that reached him with broad swings of his enormous sword.

Kael’s section was already overrun.

Several goblins had reached the top, and the Leonard’s obstructing ballistae made the problem worse. Their forward position gave the climbing creatures structures to grab once they approached the battlements. Goblins seized the supporting beams, pulled themselves onto the firing platforms, and attacked the exposed crews. Soldiers fought around the weapons, but there was barely enough room to swing their swords properly.

The Leonard was there as well. He had chosen to remain on the wall this time instead of jumping into the army below. Goblins were reaching him in a constant stream, allowing him to earn contribution without risking being surrounded by hundreds of enemies outside the fortress.

His weapon was a long battle-axe. The blade flashed as he swung it around himself, cleaving through every goblin that entered his reach. One creature leapt toward his back, only for the axe to reverse direction and split it from shoulder to hip. Another tried to crawl beneath the weapon, but the Leonard kicked it over the battlement before driving the spike on the end of the shaft through a second goblin’s chest.

He was skilled. Kael could admit that much, even if he was also benefiting from the exact problem he had created.

A goblin hauled itself over the wall directly in front of Kael, its mouth opening in a shriek. Kael drove his fist downward and struck the top of the creature’s skull, crushing its head against the stone rampart. Bone and blood spread beneath his hand while the rest of the body went limp.

Kael pulled his fist free and immediately raised his right arm. Several more goblins had reached the wall farther ahead, attacking the soldiers protecting one of the ballista crews. Small spheres of fire formed around his gauntlet, and the moment Kael pointed, the fireballs shot forward.

They crossed the battlement in rapid succession and struck among the goblins. Explosions rolled along the wall, scattering bodies and filling the air with the stench of burning cloth and flesh. One creature stumbled away covered in fire, struck the battlement, and fell screaming into the army below.

Kael controlled the output carefully and did not pour everything into the attacks. The golem cannon waited behind him, and the next wave could begin without giving him any time to recover. He needed to preserve as much internal energy as possible, which meant using only what each situation required.

A goblin rushing him did not need a massive fireball. A short blast to the face worked just as well.

Kael ran along the rampart. He struck one creature through the jaw and sent it spinning from the wall. A second tried to stab him with a rusted sword, but he caught the weapon between his gauntlets, snapped the blade, and drove the broken half back through the goblin’s throat.

More climbed over behind it, forcing Kael to release another spread of fire. Explosions raced across the battlement. Soldiers ducked behind shields while the goblins were thrown from their feet, and Kael rushed through the smoke to crush the survivors before they could recover.

The wall was too long. By the time he cleared one section, shouts rose from another. He ran back, killed the new arrivals, and then heard fighting coming from where he had just left.

There was no telling when the wave would end. The plains remained completely covered, and even after the ballistae, cannons, archers, and mages had killed thousands, the horizon looked no emptier than before. Goblins continued flooding toward the fortress in numbers that made every victory feel temporary.