The Unknown God

Chapter 35 - Ambush

They marched on through the day and gathering night and sunset. When at last they halted and dismounted, even the captain of the guards, Captain Arya Morningfall was stiff and weary. Simply only allowed them a few hours' rests. The artisans and workers slept and Yngol lay flat, stretched upon his back; but Simply stood, leaning on a boulder, gazing into the surrounding darkness. All was silent, and there was no sign nor sound of a living thing. Under the cold moon, they broke camp and departed once more.

Hours passed and still, they marched on. Captain Morningfall and Yngol, weary but proud, followed their tireless leader, a shadow before them hardly to be seen. Kilometers went by. The waxing moon sank into the background as they marched on.

A bitter chill came into the air. Slowly in the East, the darkness faded to a cold grey. Red beams of light illuminated the hillside. Dawn had arrived. Suddenly Simply's mount stood still and neighed. Simply felt his 'spider sense' tingling.

"Halt!" he cried.

They lifted their tired eyes. Before them, the hills gave way to a green canvas of grasslands.

"Scouts, report!" ordered Simply.

They did not see anything out of the ordinary. They scratched their chins, tired of the unending march. They had been brief of the supposedly short distance escort duty. Yet, the hundred and thirty strong workforce had caused the painfully slow march. By their estimate, their destination laid in another three hours.

Two scouts ride to the front of the column. Captain Morningfall standing a small distance away beside Simply, scans the surroundings.

"What is it? Hema?"

Their restless horses make it harder for the two forward scouts to control them.

"I'm not sure," replied the struggling Hema.

Suddenly, a wolf-like beast with grey fur appears above them and leaps upon them. It swipes at Hema, decapitating him instantly. His headless corpse slump from his horse. The worg's rider thrust his spear at the paralysed scout. The blurred spear tip missed its intended target, instead, it buried itself into the eye of the horse, killing it instantly. An arrow sailed through the air, finding its way past the shocked scout. It pierced in between the helmet and the c.h.e.s.t plate, into the goblin's throat. At once a fountain of red came from the wound, as the goblin choked to his death the dazed scout received warm splashes of blood. The worg attempted to finish what its rider had attempted. But, the collapsing horse saved the scout from meeting his maker. A second arrow ended the fight. The bloodied scout retreated back to the main host. His hearth rushing.

"A scout!" shouted Captain Morningfall.

"Worgs! We are under attack! " commanded Simply, turning his horse around, facing the column. "All soldiers to the head of the column!"

Panic ensued in the civilians, Yngol Forgefire attempts to calm them down, and instructs them to form defensive formations. They form a circle, with the wooden sledges acting as barriers.

Captain Morningfall sighted a warg pack running towards them.

"Form defending lines! Spearmen take up the first two rows, kneel on one knee. Archers form the remaining two. Wait for my command to fire!" roared Simply. He dismounted, and face the charging bloodthirsty horde a few feets away from his men.

Five hundred meters.

The men scramble into positions. Some trip, and some bump into each other due to the mounting pressure of the incoming charge. It was not because of the goblins themselves but the fear. The thunder of the approaching swarm.

Four hundred meters.

The rows began taking shape. A solid line of hideous faced humanoids clad in leather armour sitting high on murderous worgs approached.

Three hundred meters.

The men wiped the sweat of their hands and brows. The thundering sound became increasingly loud.

Two hundred meters.

Simply gave the archers the order to draw their bows. Many had unconsciously stopped breathing.

One hundred meters.

An archer loosed an arrow out of panic. It flew true, and killed a charging worg, causing its rider to tumble into the hard ground cracking his skull on a particularly sharp rock. He tried to stand back up, only to be stampeded by his fellow goblins.

"Stand strong!" boomed Simply.

Fifty meters.

"Target the worgs, hold fire."

Twenty meters.

"First row, loose!"

Twenty-five shafts instantly reached the charging horde. First came the satisfying crunch sound of a successful hit, then came the screeching halt of the first few rows of worgs, lastly, came the painful howls of the enemy mounts.

As the hit worgs abruptly came to stop, their riders were catapulted into the waiting lines of spearmen. The first row drove the tip of their spears straight into the disorientated goblins.

Ten meters.

"Second row, loose!"

A second wave of arrows devastated the broken charge. Further halting the momentum. Simply flicked his right hand, and a short spear appeared in his hands. Crouching, he roared a battle cry that would, in time, become legendary.

"Make me taste my first defeat!"

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Level 22 (87%)

Name Simply Umbra

Class Imperial Dragon Knight

Bloodline Golden Dragon Ancestry

Race Human | Golden Dragon

Health 479 (420) (+14%) { [(vitality-10)/10 x 2.5] +bonus = X% }

Mana 248 (220) (+12.75%) { [(Intelligence-10)/10 x 2.5] +bonus = X% }

Stamina 462 (420) (+10%)

Intelligence 61 (55) (+10%)

Wisdom 55 (50) (+10%)