Around two hundred trained soldiers and a handful of mages just died in an instant, never in my life have I wanted to know and say a cuss more than in this moment.

Just what sort of spell was that?

One moment they’re a threatening army warding off arrows and standing their ground, all while flinging spells up at us, the next they’re just dead.

Well not quite, they’re still all spasming and rolling around but since the surrounding archers have stopped firing down at them and have written them off as dead or disabled, so I am too.

Now that this west side of the keep is completely clear of any Rovers I’m going to head over to where the largest cluster of archers are to see what’s going on over there.

Not a lot else I can do since there’s no Rover summons racing over here to fight me and kill the archers.

Maybe I’ll get lucky and be able to do something useful by dropping a few boulders on any Rovers that get too close to the wall.

Since the south looks like it has the most archers by far, I think that will be where I’m needed, so leaving the now kneeling and panting male battlemage behind and his female comrade who’s comforting him, I head towards the south side.

Reaching it I find a ranged battle ongoing between the Empire archers and a mixed group of Rover crossbowmen and archers, who’re using large wooden shields as cover.

They’re also spread out to prevent any single large attack such as that fire stream from wiping them out.

There’s nothing I can do on this side but I still feel like I might just stay and watch the ongoing battle, this is where the gate is so it should be the main target of any summons, I think.

But the sudden increase in shouting and screaming over on the east side attracts my attention and makes me consider leaving my post here to go and see what’s happening.

The sudden swarm of nearly half the archers near me and a full third from the north side running over as well as most of the remaining ones on the west side is what compels me to make my decision and leave.

I can’t understand what they’re yelling about but I can clearly tell they’re panicked.

When I reach them all I can understand why, there’s a giant jagged wound in the bottom of the keep which the Rovers are pouring into.

They’ve set up some sort of protective roof using their shields and the ones on the end of the formation form the walls.

I feel almost excited by the fact I’m now going to be able to take on a more active role than a living shield in this ongoing siege battle.

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Walking over to the nearby boulder pile I help myself to half a dozen and begin lugging them back towards where the Rovers are.

Lifting them up high I throw them down at the protective formation, they leave hefty dents in the shields and I imagine I’ve cracked a bone or two but still the Rovers hold them up high.

I’ve thrown a literal short hail of giant rocks at them and I’ve accomplished nothing.

Walking back to the rapidly diminishing boulder pile I grab a couple more and then turn back around just in time to see an Empire soldier pouring a massive cauldron of dusty hot sand onto the formation.

But no screams erupt from the formation, it’s eerily silent despite what just happened.

Carefully I set down all but on the boulders I have, making sure not to drop them on anyone's feet.

Then I lift the single one I have up and high and firmly grab ahold of it with all my limbs, before throwing it as hard as I can at the centre of the formation.

A giant bang echoes out and the boulder I’ve thrown shatters into a bunch of different parts that go flying in every direction.

And yet the only thing that’s changed is now there’s a giant dent in the shield, I haven’t managed to knock the holder over or disrupt the formation in any way.

Just what’s going on?

There’s another shield wall of Rovers approaching as well so if we can’t get this whole awful situation rectified soon then there's going to be a horde of them within the keep.

My concerns fade once I notice the grim faced battlemage standing next to one of the knight squires.

How he’s still able to stand and move about mere minutes after getting hit by that sharpshooter is beyond me, the miracles of magic or sheer determination I suppose.

Stretching out his hand he begins murmuring, and once again, the air contorts around his palm and he unleashes his flame steam attack.

Dousing the formation below in a rain of wrathful flame.

After just a few seconds he’s out of breath and coughing, evidently still badly wounded from before.

But he’s delivered a mortal blow to this Rover offensive, or at least he should have.

I don’t hear any screams or cries, I don’t even really hear any burning sounds as the flames quickly fade away without anything to fuel them.

I’m naturally not the only one feeling confused, he also radiates pure confusion and all the Empire troops around us look like they feel the same way, even the squire looks bewildered, not that I can really tell with all the armour they’re wearing.

Sadly I realise I’m not going to have the opportunity to fulfil my order or to repel this wave, since with a plop a tendril falls off me and disintegrates.

My time is up and I don’t know how to feel about that.

I feel a bit sad that I haven’t really accomplished anything of note beyond just being a shield for that battlemage, I’ve sort of just been barely fulfilling a support role for this summoning.

Which is also a bit nice, I haven’t been the focal point of anything so there’s been no pressure, I’ve just been sort of watching everything happen and helping out a little bit.

My last action before I fade away is to grab all the boulders I’ve got and just throw them over the edge of the battlements down at the Rovers.

I don’t even last long enough to see the results as my eye dissolves and I start deteriorating.

I guess this summoning hasn’t been entirely for nothing but I would have preferred it if my creator didn’t summon me, it hasn’t been worth the price she has to pay.