103 Onset of battle 1

Large groups of predatory birds swarmed around the walled city where the expeditionary forces were defending against a mighty horde of barbarians. The birds were large beasts of prey, with huge sharp beaks and a wingspan of eighteen feet. They could easily carry off a human adult male and were dangerous creatures when in groups. These birds were attracted by the corpses of the dead outside the walls of the city. Each night, the barbarians would test the defense of the walls and would launch attacks alongside summoned beasts.

There were many corpses outside the walls and the barbarians didn't even bother recovering them. As for the birds, they feasted and gorged themselves which was an extremely unpleasant and disgusting sight. Due to their numbers, there were too many birds to easily scare off and as long as the defenders didn't attack them, they were happy to focus on the dead and not the living. There were certainly enough of the dead to keep them well fed and happy and so they generally avoided the soldiers on the walls as long as they weren't attacked.

Despite the deaths of thousands of barbarian warriors over the past few weeks of the siege, their numbers continued to grow with each passing day as more tribes arrived. The horde had already swelled well beyond one million and there seemed to be no sign of it ending. Those within the walled city were like a small raft lost at sea with no land in sight. It was a truly frightening experience to be trapped at the center of a sea of savage people. The attacks were only the barbarians testing the defense however and no major battle had yet to be fought. Only weaker members of their tribes, and not elites, had launched a series of attacks.

The more frightening foe the defenders faced were the summoned beasts. These beasts had climbed up the walls alongside the barbarians and had fought fiercely, injuring or killing a number of elites. Nonetheless, the elites of the expeditionary army were much stronger than their barbarian enemies. With the help of their clerics and magic casters, they were able to survive weeks of fighting and hadn't been weakened too much.

On top of the eastern wall one middle aged man and one young woman stood among the fierce elite soldiers looking out at the swarm of enemy not far in the distance. They were very much out of place among the soldiers defending the walls, but no one bothered them or asked them to leave.

\"Their numbers grow daily, should we be concerned?\"

\"Don't worry lady Shelise, even if there were more, it would be a simple thing for us to leave this place. I also heard that we would soon receive reinforcements from the Dragonmen and their dragon overlords. It has been some time so they should be arriving soon. Remember, numbers mean little to true power.\"

The beautiful young lady pushed a strand of hair out of her face. She was a sight of true beauty and many soldiers had already been mesmerized by her, but they dared not have their eyes linger too long. Any who did would quickly be put in their place by the man beside her.

\"I wasn't concerned about this rabble. I was only worried about our mission. It has been weeks now and I am beginning to grow impatient. Will it truly come here?\"

Shelise turned to look at the older man with some uncertainty.

\"Hmm, I don't know why Tihr is so hell bent on this one young man, even if you say he is a devil or a demon. There are plenty of devils and demons walking on the surface or hiding in the shadows, why does this one matter so much? Well, whatever your reasons, I am sure that he will come. Although my divination abilities are poor, as a servant of my goddess Mythras, mysteries and magic are certainly our specialty. This includes some ability to peer into the future or into the mysteries of the world. He will come.\"

\"Then it is fine. Do you think the savages will attack again tonight?\"

Eneran rubbed his chin in thought before suddenly saying, \"Hmm. Ah! It appears that today will have quite a surprise!\"

\"What surprise?\" asked Shelise.

Eneran chuckled, \"The army of the Dragonmen will be arriving today along with Dragons. We should go and report this to the commanders of the expeditionary army.\"

\"Fine, but remember that no matter what happens, preserve your strength. We do not know exactly when it will arrive and we will need to be certain of victory.\"

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Rumble! Rumble!

The ground began to shake and in the distance a large cloud of dust rose up into the sky. Several barbarian scouts were surprised by the sudden rumbling of the earth and their horses were startled almost knocking them off the saddle.

\"What is that?\"

One of the group pointed towards the cloud of dust in surprise.

\"Dammit, it's an enemy army. How did they get so close without being detected?\"

\"We have to report this immediately!\"

The group of several scouts turned their horses and sped towards the north at their fastest speed. These were Ligerian horses which were one of the unique breeds of horses on the Steppes and they were well known for their speed and strength. They kicked off and galloped at a speed well beyond most other horses. The scouts were completely shocked that an enemy force had been able to come so close to their army without being spotted. There were at least several lines of scouts and the barbarians had been extremely cautious.

They were very well aware that the Dragonmen may come to reinforce the expeditionary army and had sent out many of their best scouts including shamans. These shamans could summon various scouting animals so how had the enemy gone undetected for so long? They couldn't answer this question and at that point it didn't matter. They needed to report this as soon as possible and prepare their defenses. It wasn't as if they were completely unprepared, but they were unsure of which direction the enemy would strike from or how great their numbers would be. The barbarians weren't fools, preparation was key and a lack of information could lead to disaster.

The horses which had kept calm despite the rumbling and approaching danger was suddenly startled by loud roars. The scouts, who were unprepared for this, were thrown from their horses who were now feeling extreme terror. The roars continued and soon two large and immense shadows rapidly drew close to their location. These shadows were soon accompanied by roaring flames which scorched the area, killing all the scouts and their horses.

The light of a new day had come.

A warm and pleasant morning breeze blew through the Steppes. For the barbarians sieging the expeditionary settlement, it was a pleasant feeling. There were no signs of the stress of battle or pressure from the feeling of possible extinction.

For the defenders along the walls of the settlement who were surrounded by an ocean of people, you would imagine that they would be filled with nervousness or perhaps fear. There was none however, their eyes were clear and their hearts firm. They looked out on the savages with disdain and were comforted with the realization that soon their allies would arrive.

The previous night saw fierce fighting as the barbarians launched another night attack on the city walls. The barbarians at the southern section of the wall were preparing for another day of the siege. They were a chaotic and rambunctious group as they laughed uproariously and ate and drank with abundance. Not all the barbarians were like this of course. The majority may be considered warriors, but they were not soldiers. They lacked the discipline of a formal army, but the elites were different. They were much more disciplined.

In the distance, four figures soon appeared atop a hill. These four were Aleks and his companions. They rode to the very top of the hill on their mounts and surveyed the scene before them. In their sight was a large and well fortified settlement which was surrounded by an endless tide of people. It was quite the sight, but even more surprising was the number of herding animals which accompanied them. As far as the eye could see, were a seemingly endless amount of beasts grazing aside a sea of people.