I’d come a long way from when I was first snatched up in a summoning. From a guy in a work polo and khakis, I was now armored and armed with powerful weapons and magic. Despite how far I’d come, there was no way I was going to stop an army on my own.
“I’m sorry, I can fight and summon a few minions to assist me, but I don’t think I can take on an army by myself,” I replied.
“I don’t expect you to do this alone. You’ll have help in defending the village, but if you can summon minions, that will help out greatly. What kind of things can you summon?” Hamish asked.
“Currently, I can summon a powerful orc warrior, an elvish militia member, a dwarf commoner, and a hound. In addition, I can cast a few spells to improve their fighting ability and heal nearby allies,” I offered.
“Good, that is perfect for what we need. Follow me Rico, let me show you around,” Hamish said, walking me toward the wooden palisade that surrounded the village. The palisade was made from large tree trunks and was around twelve feet tall. Whoever had made it knew what they were doing, and the structure was solid enough and featured a narrow parapet for people to fight on.
A couple of armored men were walking the parapet, their eyes trained outward for signs of the enemy. There was a gate at each end of the village, and both were currently open. In the streets, groups of people were preparing wagons, loading them with valuables and passengers.
“Hamish, you said there was no way your people could outrun the reavers and that was why you had to stand and fight,” I asked, a bit confused based on the activity I was seeing in the village.
“That’s right, if we all cut and run, we’d be caught within a couple days. What we’re planning to do is leave a strong force here to keep the enemy busy. Reavers lust for battle, as the death and destruction they sow is considered an offering to their foul gods. If they see a force defending the village, they will turn all their focus here, where they can engage in immediate battle. While they’re fighting us, the others can escape,” Hamish said.
“How much time do we need to buy them? If a huge army overruns us, we’re just going to buy them a few hours,” I asked.
“We’ll hold them for longer than that, especially with your help. If we can tie them up for at least a day, our people can make it to the main road where legion patrols will help protect them. It may take time for the army to muster, but there are some units on the frontier that will at least slow down the reavers even further. Our people just need to make it out of the borderlands here,” Hamish said.
“One other question, what is a reaver? Where I’m from that’s just like some kind of barbarian that’s looking for pillage,” I asked.
“Similar, but instead of pillage, the prize they’re looking for is death for their gods. Most of them started out as men, but the blighted lands changed them. They are more monster than man now, both in appearance and action. Still, they die just as easily as you or I,” Hamish explained.
“So, creepy mutant looking guys, got it. What role am I going to play in this? I asked.
“That’s easy, you were supposed to be bait for a trap, but since you can summon other creatures, they can fill in for you. If your creatures are destroyed, can you summon them back?” Hamish asked. I didn’t like the idea of being bait, but I also didn’t want these villagers to be slaughtered.
“I can, but it takes time for them to regenerate. How is this trap supposed to work?” I asked.
“Let’s head out the gate, I’ll show you what we’ve got planned,” Hamish said.
As we descended from the walls, the first wagons were starting to roll out. Families and a few bedridden elderly people were packed inside the wagons and as they passed me and Hamish, they saluted the old man. “Hail Optio!” one of the young men driving the wagon shouted out as they passed. The chant continued as each wagon passed.
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Hamish returned their salute, which consisted of holding his right arm across his chest with hand made into a fist. There was a look of pride in his eyes, and I caught a glimpse of the confident young soldier he must have been years ago. Whatever Hamish was taking me to see was put on hold as we waited for the last of the wagons to roll past.
All told, just over thirty wagons left the village, and I would estimate only a third of the inhabitants remained. Of those that remained, all were elderly, and all wore at least some bit of armor or pieces of their old military uniforms. With quiet determination, Hamish waved me forward, remaining silent as we walked in the opposite direction the wagons were taking.
Outside the village were several fields with crops that looked to have been left in the middle of being harvested. A dozen old men and women worked in the fields, but we passed too far away to see how the harvest was going. It seemed a waste to me unless their plan was to burn or somehow destroy the crops so their enemies wouldn’t be able to sustain themselves on it.
Past the fields, a light forest grew, and from the old stumps I could see that this was where the logs for the palisade had been sourced. The forest was only a mile or so thick and on the other side, I could see the ground begin to change. Just past the forest, the ground was barren, it was like life had been cut off in a line. I could see why these were called the blighted lands.
We followed a small rocky path that Hamish advised me to keep upon. Wandering into the blight wasn’t normally a problem, but sometimes, people that strayed from the rocky path came back changed, and not in a good way. Not far into the blight, low hills rose. These were jagged and steep hills that would make crossing with an army almost impossible.
In the distance, I could see a handful of men working on erecting a barricade between a narrow gap in two of the hills. A wooden wall was about shoulder high and ran for nearly fifty yards, cutting off the gap. The wall wouldn’t stop an army, but maybe it would make a good defensive position.
“Here we are, this is where the fun begins,” Hamish said, greeting the men working on the wall.
“Optio, the barricade is almost ready, as well as the other surprises. Are our people on their way to safety?” an old man with a jagged scar on his face where an old war wound had taken his eye some time ago said.
“Yes, they’re on their way to safety. Well done with the barricade. I know we can’t work like we once did, but you got this ready in record time,” Hamish replied. I kind of figured that the Optio they kept calling him must have been his old military rank, but while the Linguistic Adaptation Interface translated what Hamish was saying into something I could understand, military ranks weren’t my forte.
“This is Rico, when the enemy arrives, he’s going to summon something to help you to defend this position,” Hamish said.
“Understood, welcome Rico, I’m Saul,” the one-eyed man said, giving my hand a vigorous shake.
“Good to meet you Saul,” I replied, giving the man a rundown of what I could summon.
“Saul, Rico won’t be making his stand here. When the time comes, he’ll summon his minions and then fall back to the forest with the second line,” Hamish said.
“What second line?” I asked, a bit confused about Hamish’s overall plan of defense.
“It’s easy. We bleed them here, in the forest, and then in the fields before they ever reach the walls. Once on the walls, we hold them for as long as we can before falling back to the great hall and a few other buildings where we’ll make our final stand. Saul and his boys volunteered to be the first line of defense. Now that you can bolster their numbers a bit, things should go a bit easier for them,” Hamish explained.
“We’ll bleed them good,” Saul said with a bloodthirsty gleam in his one good eye.
“Bleed them, but don’t forget to fall back when the time comes. I expect you to be at my side at the great hall,” Hamish warned.
“I’ll be there, Optio,” Saul said, but if the dozen or so men stationed here, along with my summons, were the only things holding back an army, I was a bit concerned that any of them would make it out alive.
This was going to be a difficult fight, and while I wanted to be thrifty, I was getting the feeling that more than a few of my consumables would be needed if the enemy was as powerful as they seemed to think. While a consumable might save my life back home, I didn’t think I could live with myself if I let innocent people die because I was too selfish to summon a few extra defenders.
“Don’t worry, Rico, we’ve known this was coming for some time, and we’ve prepared things accordingly. Take a look,” Hamish said, pointing up as he noted my look of concern. Where he pointed, up near the top of the hill, was a cluster of large stones. They looked like they could fall at any time, and only an old log jammed under the mess was holding them back.
Saul moved over to where their supply of lumber to construct the barricade was piled and pulled out a thick rope. It led to the log that was holding the stones back. You wouldn’t want to be anywhere near the valley when the rope was pulled, and half the hillside crashed down. These old soldiers were crazy, but they had a lifetime of war experience to draw upon. I had a feeling that the invaders were going to be in for a much more difficult time than they had planned on.