Chapter 2: The City is Done for…
Rihan made it to the gatehouse and inside to the city. When she walked in Guards were lined up a few hundred feet from the gate with their partisan spears, polished and shining, pointed at the gate of the city. Rihan almost ran into the spears, not noticing them because she was looking behind her at the advancing orcs, when a man grabbed her and pulled her aside. It was Halver. "Rihan? I need you to do me a favor. Take this crossbow, go west up those stairs then hang a right, go into the tower. Aid the men up there, escort this white mage there." He hands her a crossbow and a quiver of bolts.
A tall Elvaan man in a cloak walks up and says, "Whenever your ready…" Her and the White Mage walk into the tower and see 2 men lying on the floor, dead. Four others lay around wounded badly, and immediately the white mage nods to Rihan as he begins to heal the ones he can save. A soldier looks at Rihan and shouts, "Get up here mate! We need the help!"
"Rrright, I'm coming." Rihan replies.
Rihan leans out of the window and sees a few strong men standing around with bloody swords fending off the orcs, but they are outnumbered nearly 50 to 1. The men fall like twigs off a tree in a windstorm. Rihan begins to aim the crossbow into the massing crowd of orcs. FFFT! THUNK! "Rrrrargh!" It's a hit. Again and again she and the archers hit their marks. Unfortunately they weren't enough to hold off the orcs. The orcs killed off the last fighter, and moved at the gate. Several Orcish archers started to shoot into the tower. Arrows whizzed by Rihan's head, 2 archers near her were hit dead on, "Raaah..." "GAH!" Both died instantly. The white mage behind her was hit too, and died a few seconds later. The 3 surviving guards shouted, "RETREAT! Hold the gate!"
"Lets go!" Rihan rushed off with the others.
At the gate, two bulky men were holding the gate shut as the knights held their spears at the gate. Halver was standing at the back of the courtyard. The 3 archers stood behind the spear knights with their bows drawn ready to fire. Rihan ran over to Halver. "Mr. Halverrr, what can I do to help here?" Rihan panted out.
Halver looked at her and replied, "If they get through here you will most surely be killed…I can't afford to loose anyone else. Get back to the civilian line. Its at the gate leading into the Port."
"Sir!" Shouted Rihan. As she began to run back, the gates flew open, and the doors crushed the 2 soldiers holding the gate. The spear knights killed off the front line of orcs then started to scrap with the orcs coming in after the front line. A couple of soldiers ran by Rihan to join the battle. As Rihan looked back one last time, a man grabbed her and dragged her to the ground. Three seconds later an arrow flew by right where she was standing. She looked at him, it was the scruffy Elvaan from before, "Who…Who arrre you?"
"Names Tilliean…Run now; talk later." Said the Elvaan.
"Okay…" Then they ran off into the gate that leads into Port San d'Oria. Once they walked in, a few scraggly soldiers were standing around; they almost wet themselves when Rihan and Tilliean barged in. "HALT…ehh! WHO GOES THERE?"
"Calm down, man" said Tilliean calmly, "We're the good guys."
Tilliean looked at Rihan and said, "Well, you belong to the militia, being an adventurer. And being an adventurer your damn good at killing these Orc bastards. So, Why don't you tell these guys how to hold this area, maybe even get the orcs?"
"Me? Lead a defence…even an attack?" Rihan asked quizzically.
"Let me teach you something…all that people want is a good leader. I see in you desire to push through. Come, I'll give you some advice…and new armor. That stuff you have on is crap"
"Uhh…o-okay." They walked off.