The Tower in the Shadows

The horde continued to move.

Although it was not as vast as it used to be, it was still approaching the mountains. Several towns and numerous villages were lost as the horde moved. Most were evacuated, but some had those who were too stubborn to leave, and they were lost.

Military units engaged the horde wherever possible, employing hit-and-run tactics to thin their numbers. This was met with a mixture of results, including some successes and an equal number of failures.

The militant orders of the divine were the most aggressive in striking the horde, but the overzealous would quickly be culled, leaving the more tactically savvy to carry on the campaign.

The horde reached the mountains.

Here, they were slowed far more by nature than by any of the military forces ranged against them. The valleys were choke points that delayed them. The majority of the local wildlife and monster population quickly evacuated, sensing the arrival of the horde. As it went deeper into the mountains, the terrain took a toll on them, but not enough. Deep within the mountain, some of the most powerful monsters that resided there fought the void corrupted abominations that got too close. Even they knew that the horde was too mighty to take head-on.

The horde was following the natural Valley system, moving towards the location of a constant siren call.

In the city of Shadow Vale, the population knew that it was a matter of days before the horde arrived. Those who could escape had already left, and those remaining had decided to stand and fight for the city. They knew that they would not be the primary target of the assault, but the Dungeon itself. This gave them hope of surviving the storm that was coming.

But that did not mean they were facing it alone. Volunteers, both adventurers and military, flock to the city. They reinforce the already impressive Garrison that had been built up. They were integrated into the command structure as quickly as possible and informed of their deployment area.

Additional traps, both physical and magical, were assembled and placed onto the floodplain around the northern entry to the valley and the surface building of the Dungeon. The mountain was prepared with additional magical destination charges to cause a landslide. The plan was to bury as many members of the horde as possible, slowing their assault into the valley.

The preparations continued.

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The days seemed to drag and yet blurred past. Desperation fuelled frantic action.

The passage of time has disoriented many, as they struggle to complete their tasks.

The problem was that the hourglass was now empty. The horde had arrived.

Ranus stood on a specially constructed platform on the roof of a building behind the palisade. This construction was a recent addition to the building. This building was taller than the palisade, giving him a commanding view of the floodplain. From here, you can see his forces amassing. He looked up and out at the floodplain, picking out some of the places where they had made additions to the local environment.

Elian was with him. Everyone else was assigned to specific areas and duties and was busy preparing for the assault.

"Do you think we will survive this?" He asked absentmindedly.

"It's impossible to say." She answered him honestly. This had been the debate that had been raging for months, and they were about to find out the answer to it. She knew that they had done everything possible to prepare the city for what was to come. Ultimately, it was the Dungeon that would be the deciding factor.

In the distance, they could see that the sky was starting to darken unnaturally. It was concentrated past the northern entrance to the valley, and they knew that heralded the arrival of the horde.

From below, they heard the shouting of more orders as the last of the military forces were being put into place. A horn was blown, its notes enhanced with magic, carrying much farther than it should, alerting everyone to the arrival of the horde.

The air was thick with fear and tension, and he could even sense it from his vantage point on the streets below.

A strange silence settled over everyone and everything after the horn went quiet. Though there were still sounds of movement from below, they were somehow subdued. This was the calm before the storm.

Ranus said nothing, but his attention was focused far to the North. He knew it would be soon. He had organised the defenders' command structure in such a way that it did not rely on his orders. They knew what they needed to do, and he would not interfere unless it were an emergency.

The wind shifted and was coming from the North, bringing a strange and natural smell with it. They could see the top of the fog bank.

"It will start soon," Elian said, and he looked at her. She was dressed in armour and holding a bow. There were several quivers of arrows arranged around the platform. As soon as the assault started on the wall, she would begin firing down, supporting the defenders.

Ranus looked down at the palisade. The whole fortification was now covered with soldiers. His Watch was organised further back on the second offensive line. Adventurers and some military units have been organised into rapid reaction teams. If the wall was overrun anywhere, they counterattacked and recaptured it.

All of the military planners had agreed that the palisade could not fall. If it did, the two defensive lines behind them would be used to delay the abominations, giving the defenders time to retreat. They told him bluntly that if the palisade failed, the city would be lost in a matter of time that was depressingly short.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

He thought he should make a speech, say something to try to rally the defenders. He stood there thinking about it and realised that he had nothing to say.

As he considered attempting, there was a deafening blast from the North. With a terrible rumble, part of the mountain slid down, collapsing on the pass that led from the valley to the next. The Magic Guild had spent days preparing that trap.

They all knew what it meant. The horde was assaulting the valley. The thundering crash of the stone collapsing through a vast dust cloud, and everything was suddenly smothered in silence again.

"Get ready, Ranus." Elian pulled an arrow from a quiver. Ranus drew his sword.

On the wind, they heard the sound of screaming and moaning. It was getting louder. The fog was starting to roll in.

They could see the trees were moving at first from the shockwave of the stone collapsing, but now it was from something else moving among them. Here and there, trees started to collapse and fall, indicating that large things were smashing through them. Their ability to see the trees was slowly disappearing.

Additional flashes and explosions were seen from the forest as other traps were triggered. The colours from the flashes indicated that different elemental magic was being activated. Cries and roars were growing from the forest.

The horde erupted from the forest.

It was a wall of horror and twisted forms. It was impossible to describe and yet impossible to deny. Ranus knew that as it approached, he would get a better look at what was heading their way. Thankfully, he saw that most were angling towards the surface building of the Dungeon.

Below, he could hear the orders being yelled out as the defenders of the city prepared to engage. More flashes and bangs drew his attention back to the horde as more traps triggered. Gaps in their line suddenly appeared but were filled in as more monsters poured from the forest. The horde was moving faster than the fog, making them easier targets to hit.

The cold had reached them now.

The majority of the horde reached the surface building and began to attack it. They were trying to rip apart the walls, smashing through the windows and the single door. Some even attempted to climb the tower seeking entry. The whole structure was now covered with a mass of moving flesh. The main doors collapsed and….

Flash. Boom.

The hot shockwave of the blast hit him and almost knocked him from the platform. He was momentarily stunned by the flash in the shockwave. As soon as his vision cleared, he looked at where the surface building once stood. Everything was muffled. He couldn't see much as it was wrapped in a flaming cloud. The twisted were around where the building was as they burnt. Other parts and whole bodies began falling from the sky, carried up by the force of the blast. This was mixed in with stone roof tiles and wood. The cloud from the explosion was rising into the air, with a funnel still partly connected to the building. It reminded him of a mushroom for some reason.

The size and force of the blast had shocked everyone, even the monsters. The dust and smoke quickly cleared, and the surface building was almost destroyed. A few walls and part of the tower still stood, but the rest of the building was rubble.

Sound rushed back, and he heard calls for aid and exclamations of amazement.

"By the Gods! He made the blast bigger!" Elian exclaimed.

His ears were still ringing, but he heard her. He did look at it but kept his line aside, focusing on the floodplain. Other traps, both physical and magical, were detonating or triggering. The void corrupted abominations worse flooded back onto the rubble of the building, digging down. Others were now assaulting the city's palisade. Danrum ordered the defenders to engage.

Arrows, siege munitions and spells were projected from the wall into the approaching horrors. Most were still focused on digging into the ruins, but the wall was attracting many more.

The screaming horde approaching them absorbs the weapons thrown in their direction, many being wounded, others falling to the ground and being stampeded over by the other members of the horde. They were dying, but not fast enough.

Ranus could have sworn that the wall shook as the horde impacted upon it and began to climb. The defenders now were concentrating on keeping the monsters off the top of the wall. Behind them, units were forming up, ready to counterattack any breach. The gates were buckling under the assault. Additional wooden logs have been placed behind it to brace it for such an eventuality. So far, it was holding. Most of the response teams were located here, as well as an internal barricade set up in a U shape around the gates, creating a kill zone.

Elian was picking out targets and firing her arrows at them. Ranus felt useless again as he was forced to watch others defend the city. Part of him was glad that he was not down there, but he knew that if the walls were breached, he would be on the second line of defence.

He looked back at the ruin of the surface building and saw that the abominations had dug into the ground and were now moving into the Dungeon proper. They could not influence what was happening there, so he focused on what was happening before him. Before him, his breath was coming out in a fog, and he was shivering.

He looked to the forest, and monsters were still appearing. The blast had disrupted the fog, slowing its advance. Many of these were far larger than the ones assaulting the wall right now, and he knew that this was the centre of the horde. The city's siege weapons turned their fire and concentrated on them, and those powerful spells they possessed were sent to slay them. One or two collapsed, but the others pressed on, even though some were wounded.

He leaned over the railing of the platform, looking down. He turned his head and looked at the whole length of the wall. They were holding for now, but the monsters had reached the top of the battlements. Fierce hand-to-hand engagements were happening across the wall.

He spotted Doltum and Averance in the support teams, ready to go in when needed. Albrot was on the second line, coordinating the defence there with the lower-grade adventurers. The militant orders of the churches were present throughout the line and were fighting or preparing to join when required.

The sky above them darkened, causing Ranus to look up. The light clouds had thickened and darkened into a wall of angry grey. Strange patterns could just be made out in them.

There was suddenly a flash, followed by a boom.

A lightning bolt cracked from the sky, striking one of the larger abominations. It reeled back in pain from the power of the strike. As if this were a sign, the sky suddenly unleashed dozens more lightning strikes, falling onto the largest of the abominations.

"Whose triggered the lightning storm?" He asked Elian.

She paused and looked up at the site across the floodplain. "Hard to tell. With the amount of scrying spells focused on us, it could be anyone."

Most of the lightning bolts struck targets, but many more fell, hitting lesser ones or the ground. Any strike against the living target was considered a win in his books. Anything that thins the horrors pouring out of the woods. As he looked into the trees, he shivered, seeing they were still coming.

The spell above ended. As soon as it did, another triggered, causing more lightning to fall from the sky. I am very fearful that the spell used on Nygar will be used here. Nextom had assured him that as long as the Dungeon stood, those spells would not be used. But he was firm on that if the Dungeon did fall, every spell of that type would be sent here.

Ranus was under no illusion that such bombardment of magical energy would end all life in the valley. If anything survived, void corruption would be the least of its worries.

To the west, near the river, he saw that the wall was being pressed hard. The defenders were being pushed from the battlements. More void corrupted monsters were starting to push up, creating a foothold. They were soon counterattacked by teams coming up behind them. He could see the wounded being dragged back and wondered how many dead were still there.

The defenders were throwing everything they had at the abominations, and the abominations were giving the defenders back the same ferocity. So far, the wall is holding.