System Break

It was an awful thing to do to the farmers, but the scorched earth tactic was effective for a reason. Deny your enemy supplies. Deny them food and materials. They obviously needed them, or they wouldn't have sent out four patrols.

I now had eighty feral cores. Quite a haul.

There was food inside the fort, and they would go after it soon. It was a pity because picking them off twenty at a time was a walk in the park.

I ran towards the fort before it became fully dark, tonight would be pitch black because there would be no light from the moon or stars. The fort would have torchlight and firepits. If I was the enemy I would attack an hour before dawn and ladders be damned. I wasn't sure how smart orks were but Gisael had said they lie and play tricks. So they were much smarter than ferals at least.

Dark Bear was on his way and eager for a fight. I figured I had to hold out for two or three more days until reinforcements arrived.

The thousand ferals and fifty orks surrounded three quarters of the fort in a semi-circle. One corner of the fort was built along the lake. It had a wall but at some sections it was over the water with pillars reaching down through the water and driven into the ground below.

It was smart, because even under siege they had fresh water. It was safe from orks and ferals because they weren't navy seals. They didn't need to be. They had the numbers and although I killed four patrols it looked more ferals arrived during the day.

I stood on a hill overlooking the feral army which stood between me and the fort. The sun was setting at my back and its rays streaked across the land for the first time today as it peaked beneath the clouds before it could disappear below the horizon.

A few ferals noticed me as I worked qi into my muscles and wooden endoskeleton. I bit into a qi core and sucked it down; I had plenty on hand.

Lightning streaked across the dark sky and I took that as my cue to move. In my mind I drew a straight line between me and the wooden walls of the fort and anything in the way was about to be steamrolled.

Dust rose behind me as my toes ripped into the earth. I leaned forward and allowed my qi to flow over my antlers. It was like holding my head under a tap and the qi flowed like water over and through my wooden helmet. The only difference was it didn't spill, it cycled back through my body and to my core.

The ferals who watched me began to shout and wave their arms before pointing when they got another's attention. The nervous energy swept through them like a wave and I wondered if they'd heard of me from the friends. Oh, wait, those friends were dead so probably not.

Like a bull in a china shop I crashed through them. One caught on my antlers and I flicked it off. My legs pumped on grass, equipment, and bodies equally. I ran with a stiff right arm and pushed them aside with a jerk of my elbow. Then I dipped my left shoulder and slammed through another.

Many jumped out of my way while I trampled the rest. I dipped my head and charged an Ork, but it backed away hurriedly to the left. When I broke through their front line I'd injured or killed twenty of the bastards.

They kept their distance from the wooden walls which were packed with men and women holding crossbows. One bolt flew at me and the culprit had impressive aim because it hit the centre of my forehead. It bounced harmlessly away. There was no way an ordinary blow would penetrate my sacred helmet.

The city folk gawked as I ran straight up the wall and onto the ramparts.

I spread my arms wide and said, "Hi, I'm here to save your arse."

They just stared; I think they were too stunned to speak. A little piece of feral flesh fell off my antlers onto the walkway and I kicked it off. "Sorry," I said sheepishly.

I was a seven foot tall, bare chested monster with a wooden antler mask. My leathers were a vast improvement because at least my balls weren't hanging out for everyone to see.

"Did any of the farmers make it back alive?" I asked no one in particular.

A red haired green eyed woman approached me. She looked like a washer woman holding a crossbow. "What are you?"

"Oh you can speak. Take me to your leader." I chuckled.

Their eyes left me and looked out towards the ork and feral army. I turned and saw fires being lit. Ten, then twenty and they kept sprouting to life until there were thirty. They were either cold or planning something.

The red haired washer woman said, "I will take you. Follow."

I followed her along the wall where men and women sat working with handheld tools. They were shaping bolts for their crossbows before dropping them into a bucket. There was barely room to step between them and the junk strewn about the ramparts.

I noticed many different shields, some round and made of wood, others were rectangular and metal. What passed for weapons ranged from axes, hammers, and sickles. Swords were rare.

She had to push her way through the throng of people down the stairs. Some protested until they saw me following her and then their mouths snapped shut.

Inside the walls of the fort were forty odd buildings, a couple of gardens and a cemetery. Some of the buildings were four stories tall and others were tiny shacks. The main keep was one of the only stone buildings. It was much larger than the mountainfolk fort and more cramped.

I recognised the saffron tabards with the black lion immediately.

She pointed. "That's the captain and his sergeants. And that's the mayor, he represents the Duke."

"I know the one. I met him," I said, and she gawked at me.

"I am Carney," she said out of the blue.

"Stay with me," I said and approached the men in charge. She followed behind. If she was unafraid to talk to me and lead me to the town's leaders then she was someone who could work for us. She had chutzpah and I guessed it was probably better than her current gig.

The soldiers surrounding the captain drew their swords as I approached.

I held up my hands with my palms facing them. "I'm unarmed," I said. "And I'm here to help."

"Who are you?" the captain said.

"My name is Benzhi and I am a protector," I pointed west, "from the forest. We recently signed a treaty with your duke. We own the mine and have been granted a warehouse here. Oh and you bastards are in luck, part of our agreement was to make this area safe."

"How many men do you have?" the captain asked.

I held up a single finger.