"Rank formation! Stick with your man!"

"Blocks, everyone! Follow Princess Weiss!"

We were before the before the castle walls, the area before the heat of the battle. The experienced guards that were below me, they were taking care of the newly-formed militia as they organized themselves in front of me. I made an accurate count of who we had. We were seventy strong. Hopefully, we could hold out until Camilla arrives.

As they finished organizing themselves into a block, they all looked to me.

"These are my orders! Rush towards the walls so the stones do not get you! Get up the stairs and hide yourselves behind the parapets! Archers and Spearmen-on my command, you will rain down whatever you can throw!"

All the archers and spearmen had a full stock of their weapons.

"Aim true! Defend well! For Nohr!"

[For Nohr!]

My back turned to them. A sword overhead and pointed towards the danger. "Go! Go!"

"To the walls! To the walls!"

The safest part was closest to the base of the walls. No formations here-it was a matter of avoiding the incoming rocks. As soon as I made it to the wall, "Up the stairs!"

"Stairs!" "Up! Up! UP!"

I could also join the archers, since I had the ninja's weapons belt.

From behind the parapet, I could see rocks being throw at the fortress, and more of those monsters. They had legs, and they were making their way up the mountain!

Some of the archers were getting ready to fire.

I held my hand out. "No! Wait till they get close!"

"Hold fire!" "Do not fire!"

I would rather have the monsters take all our arrows and javelins.

Looking over the parapets. It doesn't seem that Camilla would be able to assist us soon. We would be on our own, and for how long depends on our aim.

That sentiment was enough time to breathe; the monsters, they were close enough. "Archers! Spearmen! Ready!"

Archers nocking their first arrow. Spearmen gripping their javelins.

"Aim!"

Rocks were still hitting the walls and going over our heads.

"Fire! Volley!"

"Fire!" "Fire all!"

A volley of arrows and javelins, from the fortress to the monsters below. As they came in contact with the monsters, we were preparing another volley.

"Fire!"

More arrows and javelins. We were still hitting the monsters, and some of them were dying off due to the sheer number of our volleys.

"Fire!"

We were holding them back. Our force of seventy was repulsing the enemy.

"Sergeant! They're diverting!"

A quick glance to confirm-looks like the forces attacking us are spreading out. "Then do the same! Loosen up your formations! Fire freely!"

Morale would be dampened by this, but the arrows and javelins were in good supply, per Captain's mantra of over preparedness. We can still hold out!

"Princess Weiss! Princess Weiss!"

Not from the soldiers or the militia. Trouble?

I got to safety and looked back. It was some of the older children. They were holding bundles of arrows-what were they doing here!?

"No! Get back! It's too dangerous!"

One of the kids showed an arrow from her bundle while running. "We want to help! He-!"

slam* *crumblerumblerrumble*

A rock landed way too close to them! They all scattered!

I turned to the militia. "Keep firing!" To the kids. "Run to me! Run to the wall!"

I ran down from the stairs to rescue them. They were closest to the wall, so I moved them there.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes! We want to help!"

One of the kids showed me an arrow. It was different from the ones the army was firing. "Where did you get these arrows?"

"We made them! If you light them up, you can shoot it at those monsters!"

"Sergeant Weiss!"

As I was given an arms' worth of "fire arrows", one of the guards noticed that I was down here with the kids. He went down the stairs. "Sergeant! Are you okay?"

"Yes, guardsman. Get these kids back into the fortress!"

"Yes, ma'am!" The guardsman motioned to the kids to have them follow him, while I returned to see the battle up top.

SMASH*

"AUGH!"

A rock must have hit the wall. One of the guards fell from the wall. Eugh.

"No! Frederick!"

"You! No looking back! Keep fighting forwards!"

Up the wall. We were doing well, but losing people was the bigger worry. The one that fell from the wall, his bow was still in use.

A bow in the hand, and one of the kids' fire arrows. There was a brazier next to me. Light the tip of the arrow.

Fssssssss*

A bomb!?

Quickly fire it!

*FWEEEEEEEEFWOOOOM* *WROOOOAOAAAAaaaaaaarRRRRrrrrrr*

Whoa. Even a blind shot could ignite the ground as much as it did a monster.

We could fight on, and fight stronger.

"Sergeant, what was that?"

"Our new teeth, guardsman! Bring a bundle to the best of our archers!"

The fire arrows will work better in the hands that know where to aim well; my commands were needed on a level that had the view of the battle below, and I could only throw ninja weapons so far.

FWEEEEEEEEFWOOOOM* *FWEEEEEEEEFWOOOOM*

Looks like the archers are having fun. And the flames are making good work. But our arrows were starting to miss. "Hold fire! Don't shoot until they're in range!"

"Hold!" "Cease firing!"

Those kids were coming back with more arrows, and this time, they brought some of the guard with them.

"Sergeant Weiss! More arrows!"

I nodded back to them, and then had eyes back at the battle.

THUMP* *THUMP* *THUMP* *THUMP* *THUMP* *THUMP* *THUMP*

They were throwing smaller versions of their own! And they were getting close to the walls!

"Fire! Fire all!"

"Keep firing!" "Resume firing!"

Here was a range I could use the shuriken and kunai against these monsters. It wasn't fire, but a ninja's poison should prove effective against them.

FWEEEEEEEEFWOOOOM* FWEEEEEEEEFWOOOOM

WROOROooaaarrr* *WrooaaaarrrrRRRrR* *WrooaaAAAarrrrRRRrrr*

Our new fire arrows were still effective. We were holding them off.

This was enough time for Iago to cast, knowing his bigger spells. Did something happen to him?

*CRUMBLE*

"AUGH!"

We were still losing men despite all of this. Even worse, the heat of battle was making me lose the sight of the men we had lost. We were nearing fifty strong. And now, now they were really destroying the wall that we were standing on!

"Sergeant Weiss! We're truly outnumbered!"

"Keep holding your positions! Fire at the base of the wall!"

Fire was still effective against these horrors!

"Look out!"

Something finally landed on the wall and onto the soldiers. It was…burning? But it wasn't a-!

"Sergeant-!"

I was suddenly shoved out of the way.

SMASH*

I was saved. Fire was also effective against us. The monsters were now throwing their damaged, flaming brethren at us!

There's no choice. I stood up. "Fall back! Grab everything and fall back towards the castle!"

"Get off the walls! Get off the walls!"

Our forces were under attack. The castle was under siege.

"Muster up and prepare to fight!"

We were at the front of the castle's main entrance. Everyone was scared. Only thirty of us, and damn near an endless horde before us!

No more ninja weapons. Bring out the club and sword.

The monsters broke through-gate, walls-we were beset by monsters on all three fronts.

GONG* *GONG* *GONG*

A warning bell? Was there a bell in our castle?

GONG* *GONG* *GONG*

A ray of harsh sunlight started breaking through the clouds. It was starting to get warmer without the strain of battle, but it was comforting, as if I was being revitalized.

"CHARGE!"

It also stopped the monsters, but that voi-soldiers not of our guard or militia were pouring out of the castle's main entrance being led to fight them off.

A sword towards the enemy. "Soldiers! Militia! To the Crown Prince! Charge!"

A renewed force, and strange revitalization, and our force of thirty was now renewed twice fold with Prince Xander and his forces.

This battle will be ours.