When they got close to the town, John saw people running frantically into the village from the fields. He saw plows and other implements strewn about, left where they were being used.

Drew, Katelyn, Ivan, and Willis were waiting near the entrance for John and Vee.

The duo rode through the gate and stopped in front of them. “We fought with Ogres, and they followed us. We don’t know how many,” John spat out as he dismounted. The others stood motionless, shock on their faces.

He continued, “they attacked us near the mountains on the other side of the Forest. We killed three, but one snuck back into the woods while we fought. It howled and screamed drawing the attention of more of them.” John took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. “I don’t really know if they’re headed this way, but we couldn’t risk it.” The others nodded.

He looked at Drew. “Get anyone who isn’t fighting into the warehouse and cellar. Willis, gather up all the bows and spears and swords we have and head to the training area. We’ll hand them out to everyone there. We’ll repel them at the walls if they show up.”

John took another deep breath. “Vee, go with Katelyn and get bandaged up properly. We’re going to need you. Help her set up an area in the hall to take care of any injured. Get back here when you hear the horn.” She nodded, and they took off running.

“Ivan, my friend, it’s time to defend our home. Get everyone on the southern and western walls. Anyone good with a bow in the towers and everyone else on the wall. We’ll fire so many arrows at them they won’t be able to get close. They will not take this from us,” growled John,his hands balled into fists.

Ivan put his hand on John’s shoulder. “No, they won’t.” He smiled, turned, and ran to get his gear.

As people showed up to fight, John pointed them to the training area to gather and wait for weapons. John knew they were scared, but he was surprised by their resilient looks. He knew they would defend their home, their families, and their friends. He just hoped no one died if the Ogres made it to the walls. If they even came.

After about thirty minutes, nearly 60 of the near 100 villagers had gathered and were arming themselves. Several sported leather armor and chainmail of their own. The guards were helping the other villagers put on what armor the village had bought and made. It seemed to calm their nerves somewhat that trained fighters were among them.

John walked through them, putting his hand on their shoulder, and thanking them. He knew he’d have to talk to them, but he wanted to give them a moment to calm from the initial news.

He waited for the frenzy in the training area to lessen. He climbed on top of the wall to talk to the villagers.

“Villagers!” he yelled, causing a few to look his way. He shook his head to himself. “No, that’s not right. My friends!” he shouted louder to garner their attention. They all looked over to him on the wall at the second shout.

“As you’ve no doubt heard, Vee and I were attacked again by Ogres. Unfortunately, one was able to get the attention of others. They chased us north through the Forest. I can’t say for certain if they are coming here, but we have to prepare nevertheless. I would rather we be ready than go about as if nothing happened and we pay for it in the end.”

His hands were sweaty, but he put on a confident face. “So here is my plan. Initially, everyone will use a bow. We will hopefully keep them at a distance by using them. We will make it so costly for them that they retreat. If we are unsuccessful, we will switch to spears and swords. The wall is about 15 feet tall, and the tallest Ogre we’ve seen hasn’t been over six feet. We will use that to our advantage. We will spear them from above.”

He took yet another deep breath. “Several of the ones we encountered had slings and slung rocks at us. And while they hurt, I don’t think any injury will be life-threatening. If they attack with those, duck behind the walls. We will have those who are strong with bows in the towers to deal with that threat.” He looked around at the people’s faces. He knew they were scared. He had to calm them.

“My friends. We will survive this threat and come out stronger in spite of it. We will --”

Carried by the wind, three successive horn blasts came from the south. The hair on John’s neck stood up; he wasn’t immune to the fear. People began to panic, their fear bubbly up now that they actually approached.

“Calm! Calm down!” John yelled, trying to quell the villagers emotions. “We will defeat them. Be strong for your friends and family! Remember why we are here!” His words seemed to help a little, but he noticed more than one villager had tears in their eyes.

He commanded the people, putting forth an air of confidence. “Willis, you take the south wall. Ivan and Vee,” who had just arrived, “you take the western wall. I will be between. We will repel them. They will not take this from us! They will--”

Two horn blasts, from the north.

John paled. So did many of the villagers as their heads snapped north.

“What in the...” He hopped down from the wall. He caught Ivan looking at him. He knew just what he would say, ‘Be strong John, for them.’

So he was. He stood straighter and repeated his instructions. “You heard me. Get them on the walls. I will see what is coming from the north.” Shakily, he watched as people, guided by Ivan and others, took their places along the wall.

His horse was still nearby. He rode it as quickly as he could to the northern wall.

The guard who was stationed in the tower yelled down. “It’s a Goblin. Just one. It’s waiting about a hundred meters away!”

What the hell. Why now?

“I need to get back over the wall. Tie this rope to the tower and throw it over so I can get back up.” He tossed the end of the rope to the guard who did as he was told.

John thought to himself as he jumped over the wall. Shit, what if they have ropes or something to get over the wall. Worry in a minute. One thing at a time. Gotta find out what it wants.

He jogged up to the Goblin who still just stood there.

“Not a good time Goblin. What do you want?” asked John impatiently.

“What noise. Vrichik know,” it asked, its big eyes shining in the sunlight.

“What? The horns? You just want to know what they are? Can you even understand me?” John was annoyed that he’d come here for no reason.

“Not dumb. What noise,” it grumbled out. The Goblin still just stood there; then it asked a new question. “Why fight? Vrichik know.”

So they do watch us, he thought to himself angering him further.

John replied through gritted teeth. “There are Ogres headed toward the village! That’s why! We are in danger and so are you. Do you know that word? Danger? Get to your cave and hide. Tell Vrichik that!” John huffed and turned and bolted towards the town. He looked back, but the Goblin was already far in the distance.

“Damnit, we don’t have time for this!” He climbed up the rope. He yelled up at the guard. “Stay here and sound twice if you see them coming. I don’t know what they’ll do.” The guard nodded and took his position.

He mounted the horse and went south. “Damnit. They better not try to take advantage of this!”

As he rode, he could see people on the southern wall. Everyone held a bow. He dismounted at the stable. He saw the same on the western wall. Everyone held a bow and an arrow ready to be drawn. Spears, swords, and sporadic shields laid at their feet. Quivers of arrows sat everywhere in between.

John ran up to Ivan and caught his breath. “Goblin,” he said, breathing hard, “just wanted to know what the damn horns were. As if we have time to deal with that right now. But now we know they watch us. It asked why we are fighting.”

Ivan smiled. “It’s ok John. One thing at a time. They could just be curious.” John took a deep breath. “Calm down. We have prepared the best we can. We won’t fail here.” His look changed taking on a serious tone. “You must be prepared to lose people though. It’s part of this world. And just as we did with those two guards, we will move on and be better because of it. People know the danger here. They may be scared. They may be nervous. But they will fight with their all. I guarantee you that.” He smiled again and slapped John on the shoulder.

“Thank you Ivan. You always know what to say,” replied John, smiling. “Let’s defend our home.”

They shook hands. John stood at the wall by the southwest tower. Monty was above him in the tower.

“Good luck John,” he shouted down. John looked up seeing him leaning over and smiling. John held up his sword in salute and faced out into the grassland.

John heard someone coming up behind him. He turned to see Virgil walking up to him. He stopped when he got the wall and put his hands on it.

“Not exactly what I had planned today, John,” the old man said with a half smile. He looked over to the south. “Saul is on the wall over there. I will be here. I will do what I can to aid you.”

John put his hand on Virgil’s shoulder. “Thanks Virgil. I don’t know what we would have done without you, without Saul. You’ve already helped us so much. I didn’t want to ask again, but somehow I knew you’d be here.”

Virgil smiled and turned back to the wall. So did John.

The villagers and guards stood. No one said a word for what seemed an eternity. The only noise came from the rattle of armor and the occasional snap of a bow.

Then, the silence was broken. Three horns from the tower above him. They gave John pause. He looked around one more time. They were as ready as they could be.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The silence was deafening and seemed to last even longer than before.

Everyone watched. Everyone was tense. Once, an arrow was even released, someone so nervous they’d fired prematurely. If it had been any other day, any other time, laughter would have rang out. But now, it was barely even acknowledged.

“I think I hear something,” said someone near John. The woman pointed. John followed with his eyes and strained to see anything, to hear something.

“I hear it now too,” came another. Then another. John strained his ears and eyes for any sound, any sight of the Ogres.

And then it pierced his ears faintly. The sound of shouting, yelling, screaming, far in the distance. A wildness he’d never heard before.

The hills obscured their sight, as did the tall grass. For all John knew, they ran on all fours. They could be completely hidden in their approach.

He shouted out for all to hear. “Watch the grass! Watch for any movement, anything that can’t be explained by the wind! Be brave! Be strong!”

Seconds passed, then minutes. The sound became louder, a constant chorus of high pitched screams and guttural roars.

And then they came into view from over a hill.

Dozens at first. Then a hundred. Then more. Far more than John had realized.

“My god,” he whispered to himself. Real fear. He felt it. He looked around at the villagers and guards. No one said anything. No one had to. They all had the same expression as him. Shock. Fear. Several vomited.

He stood there, speechless. Knowing he needed to say something but not knowing what to say. But then a shout rang out, from near him.

“Alright folks! Buck up! They may out number us, but they’re brainless, mindless beasts! We’ll make ‘em regret ever comin’ to our land! This is our home, and they will not take it! Who’s with me!” Ivan put his bow in the air. “I said who is with me!” He shouted even louder.

John closed his eyes, rolled his shoulders, and took a deep breath. “I am! For River’s End!”

“For River’s End!” came a shout from the other wall, from Willis.

“For River’s End!” came a resounding shout from more. It soon turned into a chorus of their own.

“For River’s End! For River’s End!” people yelled.

It worked. People no longer looked so frightened. They looked resolute, reinvigorated.

John shouted again. “Villagers, Friends! Nock an arrow and hold! Wait for my signal! Don’t worry about aiming for a specific Ogre. There’s enough of ‘em that you won’t miss!” He heard Willis repeat his orders on the south wall.

The Ogres approached. They ran full speed towards the village. Some did run on all fours like an animal, but most stood upright.

Let them come. We’ll hold. The walls will hold, he thought to himself. I don’t see any ropes. They’re probably too dumb. Of course, they can use slings. The thought worried him again. He strained his eyes looking for any clue, any indication that they had tools. He saw none, but they were still quite a distance away.

John guessed that they were now two hundred meters away or so. They would wait until they were with a hundred before firing. Even at that range, the chance that they would kill a few was good.

There has to be 200, he again thought to himself. They’ll die all the same. He grinned.

The Ogres were nearing a hundred meters.

“Hold! Wait for my signal!” shouted John as he nocked his own arrow. When he looked, he saw several of the villagers and guards running to the southwestern wall from the southern one. Good thinking Willis. They’ll hit hardest here.

They crossed what he guessed to be a hundred meters.

“Steady! Take aim!” he shouted and waited. After a few seconds, “Release!” he screamed at the top of his lungs.

Nearly 60 arrows shot through the sky toward the Ogres, quite a few of which slowed at the sight of the projectiles headed at them.

While nearly every arrow hit a target, quite a few simply bounced off their thick skin; not everyone had the power needed to pierce them at that distance. But while several had failed, more had succeeded. Ogres collapsed to the ground into the tall grass, perhaps not fatal injuries, but at least down for the count.

“Reload! Fire at will!” he again shouted.

Soon arrows were filling the sky. The Ogres were so numerous that almost every arrow hit one, but some did no damage as the person firing it was just too weak. They did at least give the Ogres pause.

Even though they died by the dozens, they still came. They were a mere 50 meters away. Arrows continued to fly from the wall. More died as they got closer.

And still they came. Twenty meters. Ten meters.

John noticed a group of them stop as others continued on. He stopped to watch them. “Shit. They do have slings,” he said to himself when he noticed the weapons.

John yelled over the screams of the Ogres and hoped that people heard him and took warning. “Slings! Be ready to duck!” He couldn’t tell if anyone had heard him over the din.

It soon didn’t matter if they did. Thwack! Twang! Stones began pelting the wall and the villagers causing them to duck down. Only the guards stayed up right and continued to fire arrows.

John knew it was a distraction, like before, to create an opening that the Ogres could get to the wall. He knew they weren’t as dumb as they seemed.

“Stone Spear,” came a voice. John looked at Virgil who had his hands out. He sported a bruise on his forehead, no doubt from a stone.

John watched in the distance. Spikes shot up from the ground impaling several of the Ogres who had been sending the stones.

Virgil looked at John and grinned. “A few stones won’t hurt me, but a spear through the gut will hurt them. The range is just too short though. It’s a shame.” He put his hand back out. “Stone Spear,” he repeated several times causing more spears to shoot up from the ground killing and maiming more Ogres.

The rocks stopped hitting them, but the damage was done as close to a hundred Ogres reached the wall.

John chanced a peak over the wall. It was too smooth for them to climb, but that didn’t stop them from trying to climb over each other.

“Spears! Kill them from above! Towers, shoot those bastards that are throwing rocks at us!” ordered John, trying to be heard above the screams.

People began switching to spears as soon as they saw others near John doing so.

He watched as the Ogres died all along the wall and gained no headway. They were quickly killed even as they tried to climb onto already dead Ogres.

John had worried about the other areas around the village, but Willis had informed all the towers to sound one horn if they noticed an Ogre sneaking around the wall. None had sounded as of yet. Not that smart after all, John chuckled to himself as he removed the tip of his spear from the head of an Ogre below him. Brains dripped from it.

The Ogres were dwindling in number from what he could tell, having unsuccessfully gotten over the wall. They wouldn’t last much longer.

But as he thought about their victory, his fears came to life. He looked to his right and watched in horror as one of the villagers was pulled over the wall by the spear he held. He hadn’t let go when an Ogre grabbed it.

“Nooo!!” screamed John as he ran to where he’d been pulled over. He looked over and saw the man surrounded by the Ogres. He had his hand in the air. John reached for it and took hold. He yanked as hard as he could to no avail. He was nearly pulled over himself as the man was overcome with a crowd of the beasts.

John yelled as he reached over with his spear trying to kill as many as he could, but it was too late. He saw the man’s lifeless eyes as the Ogres tore into his flesh and knew it was over.

He understood that some may pay the price for defending their home, but he had hoped it wouldn’t happen. He also knew that if he faltered now, more could die.

With a deep breath, he continued to spear the Ogres below not giving them any purchase. He’d kill them all for the man who he hadn’t even known.

Only minutes passed, yet it felt like hours. His arms tired, but he fought on. Up and down the wall he could see that his people were exhausted.

The Ogres had fallen in droves before them, but still they came. They had failed to get over the wall, but the bodies were piling up below. There had been far more than John had estimated.

He soon noticed that Ogres were able to reach up to the top of the wall only to be cut down. Then he watched as a head peaked above the wall only to get stabbed through the face. They were climbing on the dead.

Then he froze as an Ogre hopped over the wall. Then another behind it. John panicked.

“Ivan!” he shouted at his friend, drawing his attention. “They’re over the wall over there!” He took off at a sprint and was followed by the big man.

John didn’t stop as he impaled one Ogre through the neck, dropping it, and shoved another off the top of the wall. He looked at the man nearby who had been injured. He had several deep gashes along his face and arms.

“Can you fight?” he asked. The man nodded. “Then continue ‘til you can’t and then go to the hall and get bandaged.” John put his hand on his shoulder. “Good job here. You’ve done good,” he added reassuringly.

Up and down the wall, Ogres were attempting to climb over. While most failed, being cut down, several succeeded.

John’s anger seethed inside him as he saw another villager collapse, blood pouring from her neck as an Ogre tore into her flesh.

The same Ogre was speared through the stomach by a nearby guard, ending its life.

Mourn later John, he said to himself as he looked at the woman who laid lifelessly on the ground.

Villagers were now fighting hand to hand with Ogres up and down the wall. He saw Virgil being helped up into the tower by Monty. He ran to the next fight, skewering the Ogre in its arm as the guard pierced it through its neck. The guard was injured but fought on.

Mourn later John.

He fought the Ogres around him, killing each as it came over the wall.

Two horn sounds from the north.

John slowly turned. “No,” he whispered to himself as his shoulders drooped.