Cliknik, First Scout of the Greenblood tribe, was not prone to anxiety. But today he felt his guts twist, and his bladder shrink. He grunted and pissed where he stood, then pulled along his human slave and clicked to the other scouts. He had to watch everything, to be perfect. The attack would begin soon.

A High Wizard of the Order had come, along with his Nightblade bodyguard, and a Captain in charge of a massive raiding party. They had come all on the words of Cliknik that the human settlement could be taken. And they were not pleased when they arrived.

Of course the disaster was not Cliknik's fault. But none of the raiding party had seen it that way. A single human slave had been out gathering plants, and managed to spot the raider's camp about a mile from the settlement.

He had fled, and the incompetent or lazy raiders had either failed to catch him or didn't bother because they figured he couldn't go back to the settlement without being caught by Cliknik's scouts.

But the slave had been clever, or else terrified, and in either case didn't go back. And so they had lost him entirely.

Stupid brutes and raider fools!

Whether he'd run off or died made no difference. Cliknik knew humans were cunning. They were also greatly attached to their slaves. No doubt the escaped slave had a master, even a name like this 'ma-tay-o' now roped at Cliknik's side. He was probably well fed. He probably slept by his master's feet like a pet. You didn't underestimate a human's sentiment for his animals and slaves. Everyone knew that!

Cliknik had expected a rescue party, and was intending to ambush it, but none ever came. Instead the humans placed more guards on their walls. Then several hours before the raiders intended to attack, the outside of the settlement had transformed.

Specifically: the walls had gained height, and become covered in vines.

To the untrained eye these vines might be welcome. Good, could say the foolish raiders. Why not use them to climb?

But Cliknik did not become a Scout First Class by being a fool. Oh no. He knew tree witch magic when he saw it. The Creeper vines would snatch you and snap you quick as pan. They weaved like cobras. They crushed like pythons.

But the attackers had not brought the Engineering Guild to help them. The raiders hated them and wouldn’t share glory, the damn fools. Now they'd have to burn the vines, or dig under the walls, or use ladders and take their chances. Cliknik told the Captain as much. All he'd gotten for his trouble was angry shouts and blame and stupidity.

"We've come at much price!" the Captain shouted with bulging eyes, spittle flying free. "You said it would be easy! No problem, didn't say clever Cliknik, 'easy'?"

Cliknik knew you didn't argue with Captains, so he said nothing. The wizard saved him.

"I can burn your fearsome vines, First Scout. But we must wait three more hours. Then the moon will be in its zenith, and our attack will please the gods of blood and gold."

"As you say, great wizard," Cliknik had bowed and tried not to sweat as the eyes of the silent Nightblade inspected him. Then he left the command tent as quickly as possible. He still thought to delay was very foolish, but there was no arguing with wizards, either.

Now the raiding party was finally rustling through the trees. The wizard was preparing his magic, the raiders were drinking their mushroom brew and working themselves into a frenzy.

At last, the moment had arrived. Cliknik allowed himself a smile because the other human warriors had not yet returned. If Cliknik's human slave was correct, that meant they were missing their chief, and almost all of their most powerful warriors.

If the attack succeeded, when the attack succeeded, Cliknik would gain his reward. He could live fat and comfortable for years, if he wished, in the pleasure caves, no more captains, no more wizards or their killers.

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"Good day today, hmm?" Cliknik shook his slave's shoulder and grinned.

The human nodded, mostly silent now unless directly called upon. Human slaves were very spoiled, and this one was no different. Cliknik had been trying to train him properly, which meant not quite enough food and just the right amount of beatings. But he proved very stubborn.

No matter, Cliknik thought, I'll break him in yet. And maybe get some more! Because after today, a day of days, he would have all the time in the world.

* * *

Carl slipped back into the settlement, dropped his Stealth, and wiped the sweat from his brow.

"How many, then?" said the new Scotsman player John, and all the waiting players stared. Carl had no idea what to tell them. He couldn't be sure, but he'd seen enough to get an idea, and the truth was terrifying.

"Maybe a hundred," he said, downplaying it a little. Even so the others practically sagged in unison.

"Any sign of Mason and the others?" asked Tommaso. Carl just shook his head.

"What the hell do we do?" Garet said, walking back and forth with his hands twisting. "Can't you spend more points? Buy more defences? We can't fight a hundred on our own!"

Carl shook his head. "It only let me spend a small per cent, I can't do anything else. We're going to have to just defend the walls as long as we can. Maybe they give up. Maybe the others come back."

"OK," said Alex, the only one not panicking. "We get bows. Spears. From civilians. Maybe they help. We shoot, we throw. We do our best."

Carl nodded, giving the man a tight lipped smile. "You're right, the civilians can help. You don't need magic powers to stab someone climbing a wall. I'd better go gather them and explain. If these things start attacking, sound the alarm, OK?"

The others nodded, still looking mostly terrified. Annie in particular was white as a sheet. She was leaning against the wall, looking down and muttering to herself.

"You OK, Annie?" Carl said, getting closer but not too close. The petite but terrifying redhead looked up and sort of spasmed at being addressed.

"Uh huh," she said, glancing around as if worried Carl might be trying to ambush her. "Why wouldn't I be? Why ask me? I'm just as OK as anyone else."

Then she turned and ran towards her house, scrambling inside before slamming the door.

"I think maybe Little Red is not doing so OK," Alex said, with his usual lack of expression and tone. Carl gave the man a look, then walked towards Sylvie with a sigh.

* * *

Carl found Sylvie with Rosa and a few of the other girls. Things were still awkward between them, and Carl had gone to the second bedroom ever since Mateo and the aborted civilian uprising.

"Things are pretty bad," he said, not wanting to sugar coat it. He explained about the size of the raid, the plan, and how they wanted every able civilian to take a spear from the crafters and get ready to help on the wall. When he'd finished talking, they all stood in stunned silence.

"I can make some explosives," Rosa said, a delicate hand to her chin. "Nothing too fancy, mind you. But I wouldn't want it to go off anywhere near me."

Carl smiled, feeling very grateful for the girl, and maybe even a little hope.

"That would be amazing. Get to it. Can you handle the civilians, Syl?"

The woman who would be the mother of his child met his eyes with a hard to process look.

"Yes," she said. "We'll be ready as soon as possible."

Carl nodded and turned to leave, but Sylvie stopped him. She waved the others off, then closed her eyes and looked at the floor.

"I hate this." She was clearly fighting tears but Carl wasn't sure what to say or do about it. Truth was, she'd been wrong, dead wrong, and he was still angry about it.

Finally Sylvie stepped towards him and met his eyes.

"Mateo was a selfish idiot. But he had a point, and I got so caught up in perfect and trying to make a good future for our...girls. I wasn't thinking straight. I'm sorry. I've made such a mess of things."

Carl resisted a moment, then practically sagged with relief. If there wasn't a couple hundred goblins trying to murder them all, he might have drawn it out and had a longer conversation, but this was the bloody apocalypse.

"Apology accepted."

Sylvie slammed into his chest as he wrapped his arms around her.

"God I wish we had more time," he said, breathing in her scent, remembering the almost endless nights with her in the other bed.

"Go save the day, and we'll have plenty of time," she said, kissing him passionately before breaking away. "Now we've both got jobs to do. I'll see you at the walls."

He watched her walk away, still not believing sometimes that a woman like that was his. That she was pregnant with his child, and miserable when he was mad at her. He took a deep breath and scrolled through his profile, letting the nonsense start to fade.

Sylvie was right. He had a job to do. For her, for the girls of Sanctuary, and all the other people he'd grown to love. He was going to hold this place, this last little paradise for all the survivors who'd made it.

"I won't let you down, kid," he whispered, grinning when he wasn’t sure if he meant Mason or his child on the way. Then he walked out towards the gate, flicking down the list of his powers.