A Light in the Darkness

[DoS Archive]

From: novashayde@aol.com (NovaShayde)
Date: 27 Jul 1998 13:49:45 EDT

With the rise of the sun on the seventh day, the defenders of SuhnSong stood upon the ramparts of the Wall of Peace, the last and final wall before the Keep and passage through the mountain pass across which the city was built. The last line of defense before the entire Kingdom of ShadowSong was prone to the invading forces. Hadrian War Sabre stood atop one of the crenellations carved into the wall, his blade raised above his head,
the new sun shining down on his dented armor. Having given up their defense of the Wall of Renewed Hope under the cover of darkness, the defenders watched as the enemy climbed up to an empty wall, milling in confusion... they never expected to take the wall so easily. They certainly never expected the defenders to just up and walk away without further fighting.
The confusion was shortlived, however, and soon the call was sounded to gather. The order was given, and the enemy streamed over the wall. The defenders watched with grim fascination... the mass of bodies appearing as if it were merely a black wave from an angry sea as they ran across the ground, pushing forward toward the last wall. The charge slowed as it came closer, the siege ladders rising into position and grappeling hooks being readied
for tossing. At fifty yards, Hadrian's sword cut through the air, arrows were touched to torches and set ablaze and fired down into the masses...
The enemy was utterly sundered as the ground flared, the soil soaked with oil during the night, the flames urged on by globes of oil thrown from the ramparts and into the milling forces. From soldier to soldier flames spread, causing those untouched by the blaze to beat a hasty retreat. A great cheer went up from the defenders as they shouted curses and insults at the backs of the retreating enemy. The smell of burning flesh rose into the
morning air...

The next charge came close to noon after the flames had died and the oil had burned away. The enemy once again pouring over the Wall of Renewed Hope, this time meeting with more success, the ladders touching the walls and the grappeling hooks sailing up over the ramparts. As a young man rushed forward to slash his sword through a rope, he was immediately pulled aside by Nova Grey Shadow.
"Wait until the enemy is climbing. Kill men. Not ropes," the words were almost lost in the din as the first wave of enemy warriors got to the top of their ladders, but the young man learned well and began to cut ropes which were only carrying more than two men.
Grey Shadow turned to a few of the men waiting behind the lines to fill in any breaks in the defense, pointing to them he shouted:
"You and you! Grab some ropes! Loop them around the tops of the ladders and pull them to the side, don't push them out, they're too centered to topple that way! To the sides! Go!"
As the men rushed to action, Grey Shadow joined War Sabre at the center of the wall. Here, the fighting was heaviest, but in two short hours, the enemy was once again retreating. Close to a thousand enemy dead or severely wounded, legs shattered on the cobblestones below as they were tossed from ladders or cut from ropes and crushed beneath the weight of falling ladders and fellow soldiers. Only seventy-nine defenders were dead... seventeen
wounded so that they would not likely see another battle. The impossible was beginning to look possible, the spirits of the defenders were higher than they had ever been here on the last wall... the Wall of Peace. For the first time, it looked as if they might turn back the enemy forces that so horribly outnumbered them. Hadrian War Sabre, Nova Grey Shadow, and Nova Red Arrow walked among the men, swapping jests and heightening spirits.
Red Arrow walked among his fellow archers... they had been most severely hit during the attacks. Here on the last wall, the archers are all but useless once the enemy gets to the wall and they must take up blades against them. Most, if not all, of the remaining archers were not proficient with the blade and thus fell under the enemy swords and axes like so many deer to the slaughter. Red Arrow knew he had been lucky more than once during
the battle, blades coming just inches from ending his life, blind luck keeping the killing blow from striking him. His armor was light and now mostly unwearable thanks to the countless dents. He was down to a helm without a face guard, forearm guards, and a dented breastplate which was in danger of giving under the next solid hit, the metal had become so brittle. He was not an optimist about his chances of surviving. He would more than likely not
live to see the last attack of the day. And he wondered how many of his archers, in the backs of their minds, shared his sentiment.
Grey Shadow walked among the bladesmen with his head high, a genuine smile gracing his face for the first time since he arrived. Truth told, he felt better there on that wall than he ever did, especially in RhyDin. Here he was alive. Here, he had a purpose and a place. Here, he was beside his people... his friends some of them, others unknown to him... but he felt each one of them appreciated his being there. Each one of them wanted him
there, not just as another blade, but as a person. It was something he hadn't felt in a long time.
War Sabre left the company of the men to sit in the shadow of the wall, he looked at the stone plug blocking the gateway, admiring the craftsmanship as he ran his hand across the stones. Here he was alone with his thoughts. Thoughts of his wife and four children. Thoughts of his home. His parents. His brothers and sisters. He would never see them again. He knew this in his heart. For all the hope upon the walls, here, in the shadow
of the Wall of Peace, there was only despair. No, not despair, really... perhaps it was an overwhelming sense of reality. Not so much pessimism as realism. There was never any hope here to begin with. He realized the Wall of Peace was aptly named. He was no longer afraid to die... he had made his peace.
As he turned to look back at the Keep... the very last defense before the back gateway was raised and the enemy spilled out through the mountain pass and onto the Brennian Plains beyond... and the true slaughter begins. Unguarded villages. Children. Women. Unarmed men. He shuddered and pushed the thoughts from his mind. Perhaps the reinforcements will make it in time. Surely not to shore up their defenses... they could last another
couple days at most... reinforcements were at least a week away. But maybe, just maybe, they would catch the enemy still massing in the mountain pass and sunder them. Yeah, and perhaps the remaining defenders could turn back the enemy and then stop the wind from blowing while they're at it.
He sighed and replaced his helm upon his head, climbing the stairway back to the wall just in time. The attack commenced once again...