It was less then an hour until Balin and Dilan should have been replaced on the watchtower. Dilan was taking a nap while Balin was on lookout when Balin spotted something. It was far way but rapidly approaching. The main reason Balin even realized that something was there was because the forest trees upstream was shaking unusually strong for the weather.

“Wake up! I need you to confirm if it is what I fear it is.”

He gently kicked his lying cousin. Who quickly stud up and after taking a moment to orientate looked at the same direction as Balin.

“This is clearly the horde. We should go and warn the village. If they keep that tempo up they will be here at the watchtower in less, then a half hour. And in another half hour they are at the village. Move!”

The two climbed the tower and mounted their horses who were nearby and rode of as fast as their mounts allowed. So that after only a few minutes they arrived at the fort where they met a messenger who went to ring the bells to warn the village. While the bells rang the two changed their outfits. They took of the lighter clothing they where wearing and replaced them with heavy hardened leather armor. Since none of them where knights yet they didn’t have a full set of metal plate armor. So, they only wore a full body leather outfit. One of the main benefits of that get up is that they could get on their horses without help. Since in full plate armor they could hardly even mount them due to the weight. Next, they grabbed their weapons. A short sword, a knife and a shield. Balin also took a war ax as his primary weapon while Dilan opted for a mace with a spike at the top. In less then forty minutes they were prepared and remounted their horses.

There was almost no time left when they met up with the volunteers who were going to accompany them and split up to do their units job.

Balin’s group was stationed a short distance away from west entrance. The idea was to let the beasts come at them while forcing them to come in smaller waves since they will have to squish between the houses. The groups will be in an arrow like formation pointing from the town center outwards towards to where the rivers converge since that is where the horde will come from. Balin left his horse go. It would be to narrow for combat on horseback. Balin’s father would be in a house about 20 meters away from where the collision was expected to happen where he would tend wounds with his wife’s help. Balin’s younger sister was in the town hall where her godmother would be caring for her. Balin looked at the 27 people that were under his direct command for this fight all of them were people Balin knew and grew up with. The tailor, the smith-twins and others. Balin knew that a lot of them wouldn’t make it. So, he decided to do one speech for his people to motivate them and ease their fears.

“Today is the day. The day that we were all preparing for. We will be probably outnumbered, and we probably will lose some of our own. But we will make those beasts curse the day they decided to attack us. We will slaughter every single one that dares to even come close to the city. I am Balin of the Rivervally the squire of Sir Egbert the swift. And I promise you we will send those things to the mortem. Who’s with me?”

His allies started yelling out their battle cries. At the beginning only half heartedly but as time progressed they became louder and louder as they convinced themselves that everything will be good. They screamed for minutes and as the last of their cries died down they heard the monsters and the ground started shaking. When the first of their foes made an appearance.

It was a Lesorse a lizard like creature that was known for its ability to run for long distances. It had something akin to fur on some areas and was brown. It was as big as a horse indicating that it was a grown male. Balin made a signal with his left hand. Ordering the four archers on the surrounding houses to shoot it. The creature quickly fell but there was not time for celebration. Because as soon after it fell all hell broke loose. One Lesorse after another came running at the men. Most of them were just bigger then a big dog and the archers couldn’t keep up with the masses and Balin prepared for impact. As the commander of the group he stood behind his men. Trying to give them orders to stay together and to not let go. Until he heard a scream of one of his men. One of the smith-twins at the vanguard got bitten in the shoulder and was losing blood quickly. Balin ordered his friends to replace him and to shove him back so that one of the volunteers could carry him to be treated. But as soon as the man was taken away from the fight one of the bigger monsters crashed into the men in front making them fall and incapacitating two of them. Only fifteen minutes into the fight and they were already losing ground. Balin already started to realize that they wouldn’t be able to hold his street. Sure, further back where the mercenaries who could hold the monsters back for a while but at the rate that they were coming it would only be a matter of time until they would fall as well. But for now, it was important for this unit to hold this ground for as long as possible. But while in thought more lizards started to appear and by the 14th one they already lost nine men, at least four of them were already dead rest heavily wounded or near death. Now there was a hole in their defenses that had to be filed. Balin immediately jumped at the hole in the vanguard and hit a wolf-sized in the leg with his ax to cripple it so that one of the others could stab it. The next thing he knew was that the man at his right was knocked over and was being bitten in the head by another monster quickly Balin chopped his weapon into the monster’s head where it got stuck killing it instantly. Now they have lost ten fighters to the horde. This could only end badly.

“Fall back! Everyone retreat!”

Balin ordered in the heat of the fight.

“And bring the wounded with you!”

Balin bashed a Lesor with his shield to stun it while his allies tried to fall into the area protected by the mercenaries. He saw some people carry the wounded and another one fell while running only to fall prey to the monsters’ hunger. For half a minute he just ran, looking occasionally back to ensure his distance to the monsters. They weren’t following yet. Probably they were too busy feasting on the corpses of his fallen comrades. He was the fastest and first to reach the safer zone so that when he turned back he saw many of his comrades stumbling and running towards him. His mother was one of the last once to arrive. Her crying face was enough information for him to figure out what happened. His father was a cripple and he wasn’t seen anywhere near the survivors. His crying mother looked him into the eyes and opened her eyes wide. She took a small flask out of her robe and pulled his left leather gauntlet off. It was bloody. Due to the painkilling adrenalin Balin didn’t even realize that he severely hurt his arm when he shield bashed one of his foes. His grieving mother just spread the cream over him without saying a word. But there wasn’t time for a break. One of the magicians on the roof just blew the way behind him up. Leaving it in rubbles and temporarily stopping the monsters from passing through it. But even that barely gave him time to breathe. One Thel of the heavy armored mercenaries approached him with a big hammer in one hand and a shield in the other. Looking at the man’s shield made Balin realize that he lost his one on the way.

“Balin! Everything is going wrong. Sir Egbert didn’t show up to lead his group. There were only four survivors of that group. They are a taking a second to breath in this house. We already have blown up that way here. We haven’t heard of Dilans group yet. But no monsters have come through there yet, so they should still hold. You are the only local with any authority here. What should he do?”

“What! Where is he?”

“No one knows. He wasn’t seen for hours.”

Balin counted how many people where here. The six mercenaries, the four survivors of Sir Egberts group and the eleven of his men that he was able to count, including himself.

“We need to support Dilan. Rick, who is the fasted your men? I need to check up on Dilan.”

“I can help you! Anne you are in command!”

He climbed a ladder down to reach Balin while Balin gave his orders.

“This will be our last stance. If this post falls they will reach and attack everyone in the town hall. So, I need everyone here do stay and fight until they die. You will all listen to the Mercenaries since they have more experience then you do! Alrick and I will go and support Dilan’s group. And if necessary bring them here. Magicians, prepare to blow the last way here up! Now fight!”

Balin turned around and he and Alrick started to run. They were both tired and Balin started to feel the pain of a possibly broken arm. So, without slowing down he opened one of his pockets. He fished out a pill. It was one of Madame Mine’s last presents to him before the fight. It’s called a lionheart pill. Expensive and difficult to make but in a life or death situation it could numb all pain and let the person consuming it become a fighting machine. The plan was that every villager would have some. But they where one of the many unusable medicines that they purchased. Madame Mine only had to resources for four of these. On for Sir Egbert one for Dilan and one for Balin and a fourth one that he didn’t know where it was. Balin swallowed it dry. Since there wasn’t time to stop and open the wine pouch.

“A lionheart?”

Asked Alrick.

“Yes.”

Gasped Balin as they ran. There wasn’t much more time for a deeper conversation since they arrived Dilan’s battlefield. It looked better for them when compared to the other groups. They were able to mostly hold their formation and the monster-corpses made for a small wall and slowed the attackers down.

“Are you guys ok?”

Asked Balin. One of the villagers who was taking a breather in the back.

“Mostly. But we lost seven until now. I don’t know how long we can hold out. Wait you probably wane talk to Dilan.”

Tired he stood up and switched places with a man drenched in red. Dilan was now standing in front of the two.

“You two are here. That isn’t good. Did they pierce throw your way already?”

“Yes, and Sir Egberts as well. Look there is no time. Tell your men to retreat we need to strengthen our hold around the mercenaries or they will swarm through the other ways!”

“Ok. But we must evacuate the wounded ones first or this will go haywire. Can you two help defending while I help them to evacuate?”

The duo nodded and took battle ready stances. Since he Alrick was carrying a bow he couldn’t bethe vanguard. So, he stood a few meters behind the line and tried to snipe between his allies. While Balin prepared to replace two of the vanguards at the same time.

“Go!”

Yelled Dilan and everyone moved like a flash. The men in the back grabbed the wounded three and carried them of while Balin ran towards the monsters and crushed the skull of a Lesorse that tried to bite one of the villagers. The next few minutes went by in a flash. Left and right the villagers evacuated, Alrick shoot a monster in the neck and Dilan took place next to Balin. They single handedly fought off four beasts at the same time. Balin’s ax broke in two, so the quickly drew his short sword and cut the same monster that broke his ax in the tail. Dilan had lost his even before Balin arrived and replaced it with a heavy hammer that one of his fallen comrades brought with him. They fought until it was only them two at the front and Alrick ordered.

“We have to move now!”

Dilan bashed the monster that he and Balin were holding of with his shield then the tow squires turned around and ran closely behind the last of the retreating villagers. Balin didn’t feel anything. His body couldn’t feel the pain from his broken hand or any of his numerous wounds due to the medicine and the adrenalin. He didn’t even feel tired or was afraid. He just ran and ran. But despite not being able to feel anything his wounds were slowing him down. He was the last one or arrive to the area secured by the mercenaries but just as he was about to leave the street leading to the place he fell. He turned around to see a especially ugly beast jump towards him with his foul smelling mouth open, ready for the kill. When an explosion erupted burying him and the monster under the rubble.