‘DING DING DING’

The sound of the large bells echoed throughout the place, awaking Barry from his sleep. Barry opened his eyes, seeing his fellow soldiers already up and awake. He snapped his eyes open and quickly got up and out of the bed. Immediately, he rushed out of the barracks and headed toward the armory. On the way, he heard what was currently happening.

The Federation arrived and laid siege to the fortress.

“Quickly! To the walls!”

“Captain! The fifth battalions arriving!”

“Men! Man the ballista!”

As he ran, he took a good look at the situation. He was in the third layer of the fortress and had a slightly better angle over the field since the fortress was built near hills.

He laid eyes on the plains just on the outskirts of the walled fortress.

Thousands upon thousands of Federation troops were standing in the field. With hundreds of large figures standing out of the horde like a sore thumb. Barry widened his eyes in shock. He had never seen an army that large in all of his life. Suddenly, his heart beat faster due to the fear of facing the horde.

A hand landed on his shoulder, startling him. He looked behind him to see his friend, Kyle. Kyle was the same age as him but he was taller. He also had messy black hair, contrasting with Barry’s messy blonde hair. He had two guns with him.

“Come on, we need to hurry down.” Kyle said, giving one of the guns he had to Barry. Then, he proceeded to go down the gate leading to the second layer. Barry gripped the gun he received from Kyle and went down as well.

The gun he had in his hand was a musket-type one. It had a long wooden barrel which was useful for a longer range. The muzzle was made of metal and there was a ramrod under the barrel.

All in all, it was just like a regular musket. On the way down, he saw soldiers holding spears, bows, crossbows, and swords. They were all rushing down to the first layer like him.

He looked at one soldier whose weapon was much more different.

Instead of the usual spear, sword, bow, and musket, he had a staff. And instead of wearing leather armor, he was wearing a robe that was grey.

It was a mage. Mages were an important part of an army, with their defensive and offensive capabilities, they’d often be the backbone of the army because of their range of spells. But even with all of those, they still have their weaknesses like their hand-to-hand combat.

‘BANG’

The loud sound of an explosion echoed through the place.

‘BANG’

Another was heard. Barry looked at one of the towers and saw a huge cannon being reloaded by its crewmen. One of the most important pieces of equipment in the army was the cannon. Its range is astonishing and it packed quite a punch. Developed to counter large numbers of creatures and large beasts. It saw its first taste of battle about a hundred years ago.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

The crewmen finished before lighting the fuse and bending and covering their ears.

‘BANG’

The cannon recoiled back violently but it didn’t break as the support beams holding it in place shook. The crewmen then went to reload it again.

Once Barry reached the foot of the walls, he saw wounded soldiers being taken out of the perimeter and into buildings. Barry went up the stairs leading to the top of the wall. There, he saw others firing upon the incoming enemy soldiers. He went and grab a pouch filled with packs of gunpowder and another filled with musket balls from a nearby ammunition box.

There, he went and positioned himself, readying his musket and aiming at one of the incoming enemies.

An Ork.

Orks were brutes, large and muscly. They were known for being battle born and deadly in melee combat. They come in many types, from Green Orks to Black Orks. From Blood Orks and to Death Orks.

What he was aiming at was a Green Ork. They mostly live inside forests with some being nomads.

His iron sight was following the Ork. The Ork he was aiming at, had ragged clothing and some armor located in random vital places. The Ork was running toward the gate, so he had to predict where the Ork was going to be next. Next, he aimed it higher. Knowing the bullet’s arc, he aimed it that way. When he was sure, he pressed the trigger, firing out a small steel ball.

Barry put the musket down and looked at the Ork. It was still alive as the bullet hit the ground near it.

Barry then dropped to his knees and into a crouching position and quickly got a small packet of gunpowder from one of the pouches. There, he ripped it open and put the grains of powder inside the barrel of the gun. After it was all emptied, he got the steel ball and quickly put it inside before pulling out the ramrod and ramming it in the barrel.

He then stood up and aimed at his next target after finishing. But before he could do anything, an arrow almost hit him but it didn’t as it hit something midway in the air and bounced off.

It was a mage’s barrier defending them.

Barry continued to aim at his target, another Green Ork. He predicted its movement and aimed higher. His finger was pressing the trigger but not enough force to push it all in yet. But before he could press the trigger, a gunshot rang to his right. Some liquid splattered onto his face.

It was hot.

Barry lowered his gun and used his right hand to feel his cheek that was hit by the liquid. Once he felt the liquid in his hand, he took a good look at it.

Blood.

Barry quickly turned to his right and saw the body of a fellow soldier laying on the ground. Their hands were near the musket that was on the ground. There was a hole in his head as blood spewed out of it and to the ground.

Barry’s heartbeat spiked again. This time it was too much and he dropped to his knees. He seemed to disassociate himself from his surroundings as he looked at the corpse.

That could happen to him.

‘That could happen to me anytime…’ Barry thought to himself. He started to sweat and panic. His breathing fastened. ‘To my friend…’

“Boy, Get Up!” Barry snapped out of his stupor and stood back up. He looked to where the source was and saw a captain. He quickly recomposed himself and readied his gun.

‘Wait, did I reload my musket?’ Barry asked himself, forgetting if he did or did not. He stood there silently as he tried to remember if he did. But not long after, the others seemed to stop firing. He looked to his left and right, seeing that the others were not firing but were prepared to fire. The cannons seemed to stop as well. He looked in front of him and saw that they were too far away for archers, crossbowmen, and musketeers to attack.

The enemy archers seemed to stop firing as well. Though, it wasn’t over yet.

In the distance, there were a group of small creatures wearing ragged cloaks and skulls that covered their faces and staffs in hand. They were behind the numerous ranks of Orks and Goblins.

They proceeded to walk and chant in a circle. Their steps were synchronized with each other.

“Ichi Ju, Ocha Ni, Miko Ju, Ha Na Ki Nu! ” Those words were muttered with a raspy voice by the small creatures. As they did, a small patch of clouds above them started to descend and darken. Magic was amidst.

They were Goblin Shamans.