24 0444Z JUL 295
Grenwin
"Brace for contact! Repel all climbers, burn-teams prioritize incapacitation over elimination! Ready yourselves!" Grenwin shouted from the command post.
First Fork and the swarming clearing beyond the defensive line were bathed in an eerie half-light, casting stark shadows yet barely illuminating anything.
The sound of ice cracking echoed across the landscape, loud enough to overpower the voices of the organized defenders. Grenwin winced as she saw a portion of the blue-eyed wights break off from the group and sprint at First Squad's section of the southern-facing barrier.
"First Squad!" Grenwin bellowed out, "Brace!"
Not quite working as a single unit, they frantically poked at the wights trying to climb up and over the berm. Grenwin watched just long enough to determine that the squad leader had things in hand and that the wights wouldn't breach their lines there.
She squinted, focusing on the entirety of the mass. The way it was moving made it all but impossible to predict their motion, forcing them onto the defensive. It rankled her, she should be attacking them, taking the initiative!
As she watched, a group of similar size to the first suddenly ran towards the North gate, only to be immediately engaged by Seventh Squad. They were holding much more strongly than the First had and seemed in no danger of being overwhelmed.
"They're just poking us!" She growled.
"Probing attacks," Maia whispered, obviously focusing on keeping the light from fading entirely.
Grenwin watched as the last of the wights from the first attack fell burning to the ground below the berm. "Fire seems to work well on those they're sending at us first. Why?"
Why attack at all? The Others could have just left, again.
A chill ran down her spine.
"They never left!" She punched the wooden wall, hard.
"Gren!" Ygdis called from where she was leaning out over the railing. "Those wights, they're different from the rest!"
"What?" Grenwin joined her second, following the pointed finger.
The wights Ygdis pointed at, those attacking the gate, were all emaciated and thin, like parchment-dry skin hanging off desiccated muscle and sinew. With a glance, she confirmed that the first attack wave had been similar, and in the shifting light she watched the mass of the Enemy closely.
There!
Hidden behind the frontal force of these emaciated wights, the rest of the wights looked, for lack of a better word, fresh. Bodies that looked normal aside from the eyes, the hoarfrost, and the clearly mortal injuries.
"Third Squad," She shouted to a messenger waiting below, "Target the center of their force. Single loose, use the spicy arrows."
Maia giggled from where she was sitting, and Grenwin kicked her in the shin with much less force than the girl deserved.
The messenger departed, and a moment later Gren heard the three distinctive twangs of the pulley-bows. She counted up from one, knowing she'd not be able to visually see the arrows in this lighting.
When her count hit fifteen, three conflagrations erupted in the enemy forces, bright enough to make Grenwin blink. Oddly, the light of Maia's sun brightened as the wildfires sputtered, then simply died. Staring gormlessly at the scene, she tried desperately to get a good look at the effects from the strike as Maia's sun began to dim once more.
The damage to the fresh wights hadn't been nearly as great as Symon's 'engineers' had hoped. They'd made some heavy arrows and monstrous bows in the past three subjective months, but that had been the focus of their efforts in arming them. Maia's wooden weaponry worked amazingly in melee, but these were the Others.
"Symon, make a note, the Others can quench the fire from your spicy arrows." Grenwin told the man, ignoring the quiet chuckle from the girl.
"Noted," the man shakily replied.
"We've got two kinds of wights, I think. Dry ones that are set aflame easily, and fresh ones that fire won't work as well against. Looks like while They're dealing with the spicy arrows, they can't stop the light. How do we use that?"
As she spoke, another small horde broke off from the pack. This one came around from the rear, hiding a dozen fresh wights behind a line of dry. Now that she was watching, within those groups, the wights acted in concert. In the larger group, they ambled, milled, but didn't directly take action. What did that mean?
As for the wights struck by the arrows, they had been completely obliterated. The Others had stopped the blaze from consuming more than a few wights, regardless of their freshness, but overall the three arrows had done a minor bit of damage.
She ran the head-math, given the limited nature of the spicy arrows. Symon had said they'd made as many as they could given the resources at hand, and that translated to crate of thirty arrows per squad. She'd used nine of three hundred so far, and while the damage was significant, it wasn't going to be enough to win.
The group of fresh wights slammed up against the berm near Third Squad. Some of the wights went up in flames, momentarily walking pyres. The others, mostly the fresh wights, were having to be forced physically back by the infantry. One man almost tumbled over the fortification as his spear was grabbed by several wights, nearly pulling him over before his squadmates saved him.
One more arrow, to test.
"Ygdis, can you hit one of those shadows by the trees?" It was a fair distance, but Ygdis was very skilled in archery for her youth. At least, Grenwin hadn't met many who could best her, and those that could were older than Grenwin was.
Ygdis shouted to the squaddies below them, and soon had a bow with a quiver of the spicy arrows readied. With none of her usual grandstanding, she nocked, sighted, depressed the trigger on the arrow, and loosed in a single motion.
Grenwin couldn't see the arrow itself, but she certainly watched the shadow pluck it from the air.
Grenwin and Ygdis both gaped, watching as the arrow was held up for inspection.
"…fourteen, fif-" Ygdis' counting was interrupted as the arrow burst alight, an unearthly purple glow surrounding a corona of impossibly-hot fire. The sound of ice cracking intensified, and the entire mass of the wights shuddered.
When the light had faded, there stood the pale shadow, lacking a right hand and wrist, but otherwise whole.
"What the fuck." Maia stood, stepping next to them. "No, what the actual fuck is that!" The short woman was just as shocked as the rest of them, a dispassionate part of Gren noted.
"What else do we have?" Grenwin asked after wetting her suddenly too-dry mouth.
Ygdis looked at the bow in her hand, then perked up. "I'm taking Eighth Squad. We still have the Maulers, we just have to move them!"
Grenwin nodded, "Take them, get it done."
Ygdis scrambled down the ladder, sprinting towards where the Eighth were waiting, furthest from the active combat lines.
"I should go out there," Maia said, with a white-knuckled grip on the hilt of her monster of a blade. "If nothing else, I have this."
Grenwin swallowed her first response of, "No, stay, you don't have to!" Maia was, at this moment, an indispensable asset. Yet, she wasn't part of the command structure officially, had abilities beyond anything Grenwin had ever imagined, and…
"Sing!" Grenwin grabbed the short woman by the shoulders. "You said you can project emotions! Give us confidence!"
Maia's face screwed up momentarily, then she nodded. "I can do that."
Their short-lived peace was interrupted by a large group of wights heading right at them. At their head was the pale shadow, missing a hand, pointing up at them with its other, making a constant cracking sound that boomed constantly.
Maia grinned at her suddenly, "I can multitask!"
Gren had just turned to ask what she meant when the short woman leapt down from the tower, landing adroitly in the snow. With a little wave to her, Maia joined the defenders with her long blade, chopping away at the wights with great overhanded swings.
A moment later, her voice could be heard clearly through the scrum.
We'll drink the wine till the cup is dry,
And kiss the girls so they'll not cry,
And toss the dice until we fly,
To dance with Jak o' the Shadows.
Grenwin listened, feeling decidedly odd. She couldn't say it was better, but it was different. She kept an eye on the situation, surprised to see that Maia's sun hadn't gone completely dim yet. How had she gone from focusing completely on that, to doing three things at once?
Didn't matter, if she was able to keep it up.
We'll dance all night til the moon runs free,
And dandle the lasses upon our knee,
And then you'll ride along with me
To dance with Jak o' the Shadows.
Standing atop the tower and watching the battlefield, Grenwin did her best to counter whatever the Others sent their way next. Nothing about the situation made sense, why the attack was so…
We'll sing all night, and drink all day,
And on the girls we'll spend our pay
And when it's gone, then we'll away,
To dance with Jak o' the Shadows.
That was the word! It was like the Others were hesitant to attack! Why?
Grenwin was certain that if she found the answer to that question, they'd make it out of this alive. They were holding well enough for the moment, but she knew how quickly things could change. Her tactical focus was solely on maintaining morale, making sure none of her men and women broke and ran. Right now, they could hold, but these weren't people they were fighting against.
She watched as the Other shoved its way through the wights, as though the dead couldn't move fast enough to get out of its way. Under the dim lighting, she could make out only a few features. A sharp humanoid face, two eyes that seemed alight with blue flares, and armor that shifted. No, it wasn't the armor shifting, it was the way it reflected the things around it. Or, was that not a reflection? Grenwin thought she saw one of the wights behind it through the Other, but that didn't make any sense to her.
There's some delight in ale and wine,
And some in girls with ankles fine,
But my delight, yes, always mine,
Is to dance with Jak o' the Shadows.
The Other was standing just out of range of the defender's weapons, who were all too focused on stopping the wights from breaking through. Long poles pushed wights back down, spears stabbing the fresh ones and pinning them in place long enough for the bowmen to hack the limbs off before the torsos were pushed back over the berm.
We drink all night and dance all day,
and on the girls we spend our pay,
and when we're done, then we'll away,
to dance with Jak o' the Shadows.
Despite the presence of the Other, Grenwin was deeply satisfied to see the defenders holding. They swore, grumbled, shouted, screamed, but none of them were breaking.
The rest of the Enemy force seemed to begin to move, not quite at them, but something about the shuffling of bodies made her uneasy. It was almost hypnotic, and the more she watched them the more she wanted to watch.
Maia shouted something at the Other, interrupting her song. To Grenwin's absolute horror, the young woman jumped over the berm, and beyond Grenwin's sight.
Then, somehow, the very air itself began to hum, and music began.
From below the berm, Maia's voice resonated across the field.
I've come here from nowhere
Across the unforgiving sea
Drifting further and further
It's all becoming clear to me
This felt… Different, aggressive. Grenwin nodded to the beat, watching her forces solidify themselves. She frowned momentarily, concerned that the combative music might make them lose cohesion.
But violent winds are upon us and I can't sleep
Internal temperatures rising
And all the voices won't recede
She eased, feeling far more confident in their position. The soldiers had formed a solid defense now, each squad finding it's rythm and operating smoothly to keep the wights at bay.
***
24 0448Z JUL 295
Ygdis
"Come on! Move!" Ygdis shouted at Eighth Squad, the ten soldiers split neatly in half carrying two of the Maulers. Long metal tubes that they were, they were heavy, and they were making their best time back out of the Lodge.
From beyond the doors protecting the children and elderly, the excited beat of music resonated, muffled words impossible to make out.
A group of helpful kids, Wynt leading them, pulled open the doors for them. As they opened, the music cleared, emboldening Ygdis and her stolen squad.
But violent winds are upon us and I can't sleep
Internal temperatures rising
And all the voices won't recede
Yeah, that was Maia. From the battlefield, Ygdis saw sudden actinic flares of light, rhythmic and each resounding with a sharp and high-pitched clashing.
"Almost there!" Ygdis shouted at her teams.
I've finally found what I was looking for
A place where I can be without remorse
Maybe she shouldn't take words so seriously, but that… Well, that sounded heartfelt, and she needed to talk to Maia after this was all through.
They made their way to the front, feet pounding in the slush. Ygdis directed them a short distance from the berm, an elevated position with good sighting along the enemy forces. They'd be firing over the heads of Sixth and Seventh squads, but they should be high enough that they'll be clear of danger.
Because I am a stranger who has found
An even stranger war
I've finally found what I was looking for
"Let's get these maulers set up!" Ygdis ordered, "Here, along the ground. We need to aim the round glassy end at the wights!"
If she was being honest with herself, and she usually was, she didn't actually know if the Maulers were even working. Still, they were distinctly Maia in a way that Ygdis accepted implicitly, so they would work.
Her faith was unshakeable. They would work. If they didn't, they would all die, or worse.
Here I come
La chaleur me dérange
Mais c'est le grincement du bateau qui m'a réveillé
The Maulers were set, resting on the cold earth and aimed by four pairs of hands each, with another pair to hold them steady.
Ygdis did everything she could remember Maia doing. Her memory was exceptional, Maia had said, and so she just needed to focus. Exterior utility panel removed with a bit more force than necessary, she flicked the tiny switches and pushed the buttons the way Maia had during that demonstration.
I sharpen the knife
And look down upon the bay
For all of my life
A stranger I remain
A stranger I remain
A stranger I remain
The Mauler began humming, a low steady tone that beat in time to the song in the air.
Ygdis knew this would work. With her hand on the final switch, the last trigger, she looked down the barrel once again, checked the aim.
Square in her vision were the four pale shadows standing at the treeline. If an arrow disrupted their control over the wights, well, maybe the Maulers would do something helpful. No, they would do something helpful.
"Eyes closed in three! Two! One! Close!" She shouted, slamming her eyes closed as she flicked the switch.
The humming intensified, building to a crescendo that thrummed through her bones. She felt a great heat on her face, like she'd sat too close to a fire for hours, and steam billowed up around them.
***
24 0448Z JUL 295
Maia
I brought my blade down on the Other again, the creature easily deflecting with its own short blade, seemed entirely composed of ice. When our blades clashed, an eye-searing blue flash filled the battlefield. With contemptuous ease, the Other kicked me in the sternum, sending me rolling. The wights around us gave us both room, and I figured the Other was using them so our soldiers couldn't help me directly.
Getting back to my feet, I reviewed my injuries so far. That last kick would have killed a normal human outright, crushing the sternum back into the heart. I, thankfully, had billions of tiny workers to make sure nothing like that sticks.
The words of my song burbled past my lips, less thought given to the words and more to the tone I wanted to convey.
I sharpen the knife
And look down upon the bay
For all of my life
A stranger I remain
A stranger I remain
A stranger I remain
My sword was raised, poised to strike again in a pose I barely recalled seeing a young man perform. My sun was burning more strongly now that I'd anchored it to the earth itself, using flows of fire and earth and spirit in ways I didn't understand to feed it something from deep within the land.
The Others were still siphoning energy, but-
The world flickered, my nanites screaming warnings of extreme retina damage that was repaired, then again, over and over. I was blind until it stopped, my song fading away without my conscious control keeping it going.
Blinking rapidly, my vision cleared. My opponent, the Other, had dropped its sword, holding its hand over an eye, stumbling away. The other eye was a ruined mess, the blue flare completely gone. Similarly, the wights were in disarray, fully half the horde slumped to the ground unmoving.
Of the Others standing near the treeline, there was no sign- Of them, or the treeline. Indeed, it looked like several trees had exploded in a familiar way.
My own people weren't faring better, screams of pain coming from our ranks. The whole battle was… Over, I thought, looking at everything. I looked at the Other, stumbling away, noted how the majority of the still-standing wights began dispersing into the woods
I could, should, pursue that Other, but I needed to check on Gren and Ygdis first. If I had been blinded by whatever-that-was, everyone unlucky enough to be looking in that direction had been as well. My priority was to get everyone combat ready before the Others could reorganize.
I couldn't touch it with thread of the Power, but that didn't stop me from picking up a rock and throwing it at the head of the Other, knocking it down with a keening wail.
Healing the men closest to me, I worked my way over to the command post. Grenwin was there, swearing colorfully and rubbing at her eyes. Symon, by contrast, looked confused. Apparently, he'd been spared the whatever-that-was.
"Come on, just work!" She growled.
"Gren?" I reached over, taking her arm and healing her eyes. "It's over, I think."
She blinked, wiping tears from her eyes, looking over the battlefield.
"What did you do?" She asked, surveying the ruin where the Others had been standing.
"I didn't do anything, this time. I was busy with the one to do anything about the rest." I said completely honestly.
The look she gave me was anything but believing. "Right. Well…" She listened for a minute, looking out across our line carefully. "Please go heal our people, will you? I'll keep an eye out from here."
I nodded, slipping down the ladder and making my way down the line. Somehow, we'd not lost a single person. There were a lot of casualties, the majority being severe eye damage from the whatever-it-was, and otherwise a few broken bones and bruises. From what I saw, I reckoned the wights had been trying to disable over killing, and that just raised more questions.
Finally, I found Ygdis and the Eighth towards far end of the lines, far from the fighting proper.
"There you are!" She leapt over, grabbing my arm and dragging me over to the fucking Maulers laying on the steaming earth. "Couple of my boys went blind because they didn't listen. Help them?"
I shook her off, kneeling to heal the two blinded men. "The debrief is going to be interesting, I think. You lot blinded three out of every four of our defenders, something that would have immediately killed us all had you missed. Seriously, Ygdis, how the hell did you even fire it?" I waved at it, feeling positively buoyant. "You left the power supply back in the hangar!"
The young woman blinked, looked at the weapon, looked at me. She smiled and shrugged. "I knew it would, is all."
Wrapping me up in a hug, she spoke for my ears only. "I didn't know it would. I hoped, because it was something of yours, and that you would want us to live, that it would…" She let me go, shaking her head. "No, nevermind, we can talk about it later. I need to go talk to Gren."
I watched her for a moment, wondering why she was hesitating. I gave her a little nod, and she set off. Tiredly, I sat down atop the used Mauler, turning it off safely and replacing the slightly-bent utility panel cover. Eighth Squad dispersed, lacking orders or direction, leaving me alone with a mysterious weapon that absolutely should not have worked, let alone ended things single-handedly. Heh, funny.
Of the Others and the wights, at least any still active, there was no sign. The surviving Other had vanished into the forest at some point, and the individual wights were easily being put down by some forces Gren had probably ordered to handle them.
Was that it? Was that really all there was? I thought, had thought, that the Others were something so terrifying that these people would rather flee their homes than be caught, and yet…
I felt like we had made a mistake, somehow. While that Other had been toying with me, it hadn't actually looked at me like something to be concerned over. After, in the moment it had uncovered its still-working eye and seen its companions missing and army dispersing, it had almost seemed like it registered that I was a threat for the first time and blamed me for everything that had gone wrong for it.
Maybe I was just anthropomorphizing.
End of the day, we were alive, and they weren't. They didn't have to attack us, but they did anyway. Self-defense, yadda yadda, but I couldn't drum up the energy to turn it over in my brain anymore. Oh, this was the post-battle shock, right?
I didn't even feel it as I slipped into a light nap.