The Land Below our Feet COMPLETE

DEFENSE

Finjël, the large Cahenean soldier, stood quietly watching as a group of his men worked diligently under the sun, carrying sacks of grain from one of the warehouses and into the large cellar, where they were going to be used later to prepare the necessary meals and feed both: The large crowd of civilians, and the warriors under his charge.

He was about to head back inside when he saw one of his guards running towards him with a worried expression in his eyes. The long distance he had evidently just covered, and his clear exhaustion were no obstacle for him to start voicing out his concerns as soon as he got close enough to be heard by the grave veteran fighter.

-Sergeant! We have an issue! – The young recruit shouted, almost out of breath and leaning his hands on his knees – There is a group of invaders dangerously approaching our gates.

-How many? – The expert warrior calmly asked, his hand reaching out mechanically and resting on his saber.

-About a hundred – The subordinate replied, taking a deep breath, and straightening himself up – They are all armed with guns and coming our way hurriedly. The gates have been secured, and our shooters are in position along with our infantry. We await your orders, Sir!

-Well done! – The bearded man nodded at him – Stay calm. We own the protection of the city walls and the means to resist their attack. Get your ass back there… Keep them out and give them hell!

-Yes Sergeant! – The Cahenean soldier exclaimed, saluting him respectfully before returning hurriedly toward his post.

-Delhan! – Finjël yelled out loudly, with his eyes still fixated on the receding man’s figure, and yet sensing the presence of the alluded warrior immediately moving forward at the edge of his sight – I want eyes on every inch of the perimeter. They are going to try everything in their power to get themselves inside these walls again. We can't let those bastards find a single weak spot.

-At your commands! – The wry-faced man howled before turning around and urging the squads forward with a severe voice – You all know your places! Let's give these assholes a warm Cahenean welcome to make them feel at home!

A brief racket was audible as everyone rushed to their positions in an outstanding display of discipline. The agile men soon perched on the walls and pointed at the incoming troops.

-Get the civilians inside the hall and keep them there, Pharik – The warrior roared towards one of the youngest privates – We were tasked with these people’s safety, so I will have your head if anyone gets hit by a stray bullet, kid.

The invaders had not taken much longer to reach their doors, the hairy uplanders looking down at them with mockery as they approached the heavily guarded gates this time. Their pride severely damaged because of the size of their now more modest ranks.

It was a bright and humid day, the ever-present saltiness of the coastal land floating in the air as the conservative troop of golden-haired, tall men appeared before them, their guns raised up in the air exhibiting a menacing attitude, as they intended to repeat the success of their first assault, with very different results in this occasion... As they would soon discover for themselves.

To begin with, unlike the last time, their attack was now expected, and the Yahurian Commander had made sure to provide his Cahenean task-force with some very useful tactics that would prove to be quite handy when it came to repelling the invaders´ advance.

So, when the first group of oblivious attackers reached the reinforced gates of the retaken city, they had found themselves instantly bathed by a rain of boiling sewage, and an alluvium of rocks pouring down on them as they uselessly tried to position their ladders and climb up the high fences.

Additionally, the initial cavalry that had first arrived at the site hadn't met a much better demise, as a hidden trap of huge lances was activated immediately, their sharp edges elevating from the ground abruptly, puncturing forcefully through them as they were suddenly raised against their charging horses, impaling their guts with them.

Their weapons were powerful, but their effectiveness was progressively lessened now that they weren’t fighting at a closer range. Besides, they were being counterattacked with gunshots equally fired at them from an elevated position. Which had rendered them at a clear disadvantage when they tried to shoot back.

With these deterrents in motion, the earliest fiercer attempts to penetrate the city’s defense soon devolved into weaker and less frequent intents. The assailants clearly intimidated by the aggressive response of these new enemies that they were faced with this time.

By sunset, it was clear that if they were going to make a dent in the fortification at all, it would take them more than a few bullets and their menacing appearance. Things were not looking as bright for them as they had in their previous strike.

They would have to up their game in some manner if they wanted to last more than a day and stop losing men left and right.

On the other hand, there was also the fact that they weren’t even sure of how many men were really waiting for them inside the city walls. They could be hundreds, or they could be thousands. But for now, they were charging blindly towards an unknown army, and that kept them on their toes.

This was nothing like attacking unaware people by surprise at all! And it was starting to be evident that maybe they were not as powerful as they had originally thought.

To Vjorhl, leading officer of the combating Argantean expedition, this was starting to become a major concern. He had expected to be done with it easily, and instead they were finding stronger resistance than they could have ever expected at first.

When their direct approach had proved unsuccessful, he had turned to the next most logical strategy: scouting the premises and trying to find another way in. But so far, they had come up empty-handed, each spot of the fortification heavily guarded by fierce warriors that did not hesitate to fire at his men with their very own guns.

Vjorhl knew that he could not risk losing his soldiers in a desperate attack, and he was also worried about the general defeated mood that lingered around his troops. So, he decided to hold back and work out a strategy instead.

He had made his men chop down a few large trees and assigned a small group of former carpenters to the construction of a battering ram.

For days, they had worked nonstop, building an improvised shed to protect themselves from the projectiles that would surely be thrown at them once they started trying to breach the gates.

They had suspended a big log attached to it, using ropes to give it momentum and a stronger impact force. Then they mounted their creation on a makeshift raft and used a series of primitive wooden wheels, that were nothing more than simple pieces of logs placed perpendicularly below its surface to help them roll their weapon on the ground with the aid of more strings... All the way to the elusive city doors.

Finjël for his part, had been watching their enemy's actions with rising apprehension. Even when he had initially been more worried about this becoming a prolonged siege, and therefore running out of food to sustain the population inside the city, he also knew that they did not outnumber their attackers by much, and that, if they managed to break through their barriers, they would no longer hold the upper hand.

His fears were confirmed when they saw the group of assailants advancing towards their gates with their impressive invention, the massive log propelling forcefully onto them and soon sending splinters flying around, the wooden panel dangerously trembling at the relentless pounding.

-I want that door barricaded immediately! - He ordered loudly, urging his men to act – Use everything and anything you can find!

The heavy trunk swinging mercilessly against their primary defense. His face frowning with anxiety with every cracking blow.