Life of the Ancients (3)
Puuuung—
"Haeun!"
"Yes?"
"Come on, we have to go!"
It was the first time I'd ever heard a horn blown with such a mournful edge. What was going on?
Following Daka's tugging hand outside, I could see people pouring out of every house in the village. The settlement across the river was in an uproar too.
Their destination was the fortress.
Hand in hand with her, I entered the stronghold and found thousands of people gathered inside. Apparently the surrounding area was far more densely settled than I'd realized.
Scanning the scene to get my bearings, I estimated the walls at four to five meters high. Built smooth with hwanghoe mortar, they'd be difficult to scale.
The problem was the defenders. By which I mean, the men actually carrying weapons and armor numbered only a few hundred. This won't do. The walls are far too wide.
We needed every pair of hands we could get.
"Daka, stay here."
First things first — I needed to get up on that wall. And if it came to it, I'd sweep them all away myself.
"No! Haeun, even you shouldn't involve yourself in something like this!"
"Daka... there are too few soldiers. We can't cover every side. I have to help."
"Haeun!"
It would be enough if the men pitched in. Just men with spears keeping the enemy from closing in would do plenty.
"Everyone! We have to stop them from getting over the wall! Do you want to fight them once they're up here? All of you, get up!"
...
...
Cowards. Not a single person stood. Damn it.
"Daka, I'll be back."
"No. I'm coming with you."
She had no intention of letting me go alone, it seemed. Fine — one person I could keep safe.
"All right. Let's go together."
We hurried up the walls. From the height, I could see them coming, a black tide bleeding across the horizon.
This was not a good feeling. Nobody shows up in numbers like that just to talk.
The soldiers on the wall were running around in a panic with no idea what to do. I supposed I'd have to take charge.
"Everyone, snap out of it! The enemy is here! Get your bows out and ready your arrows! Draw your weapons!"
Had my voice always carried this far? Still, shouting like that did loosen some of the tightness in my chest.
"Huh?"
"Oh! Right! The bows!"
"Get it together!"
Only now were the soldiers coming to their senses, grabbing up arrows and crossbows.
Even with a small garrison, as long as the walls held, it didn't matter if they numbered in the thousands upon thousands. The best these savages had in the way of ranged weapons were throwing spears and hurled stones.
Watching the horde keep advancing, the soldiers rushed their preparations.
"I should see how far these things actually reach."
To test the range, I snatched the crossbow right out of the hands of the fool standing slack-jawed beside me.
"Huh? That's my—"
"What was that, huh?"
"N-nothing, ma'am."
Of all times to get fresh. One glare and he shut right up.
Keududuk.
No creaking of misaligned parts — whoever owned it had kept it in decent shape at least.
"Whoa!"
Oh? They drew it with one hand? Mine usually took a foot braced on the stirrup and both hands...
But there was no time to dwell on it. Things were far too urgent.
Tuk-konk!
I nocked a single bolt and fired. The arrow sliced through the air, and a commotion rippled through the enemy ranks. Looked like someone got hit.
Well then? If it hit, that means it's in range, doesn't it?
"Stop gawking! Shoot, you lot, SHOOT!"
Maybe it was the height, but the arrows were flying farther than I'd expected. We needed to pour out as many as possible.
"Fire! Now!"
"He says fire!"
What, you don't have a commander? They were standing around waiting for orders?
Tutututung! Tung!
In an instant, the twang of crossbow strings and bowstrings spread along the wall. With everyone firing at once, the enemy dropped in heaps. There we go!
The bows, though, were still falling short it seemed — a thick scatter of arrows landing well short of the enemy lines.
"Hey, you blockheads! The bows can't reach! Crossbows only!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
Do they not train at all? They can't manage anything on their own. I wasn't going to be able to expect much from them.
Ugh. This is hard. Commanding really isn't a job just anyone can do, huh?
Despite the hail of arrows, the advancing horde merely murmured for a moment — then, apparently not entirely composed of idiots, they started to run.
"Heads up! They're charging! Archers, fire the moment they're in range!"
"Understood!"
Thwip!
Thwip!
Thwip!
I kept working my crossbow myself, but there were so many of them that even sloppy shots connected. Dammit, just how many of them did they bring?
Forget my excuses — was there something else they were after?
Ping-ping-pipipng!
Oh, nice. The bows were in range now too. The number of enemies dropping was climbing fast.
Let's see. Arrows were still holding out fine.
"Ha! First time seeing a fortress, boys?"
Only when they'd run right up to the walls did they seem to grasp how high it actually was. Baffled idiots.
They hadn't even brought ladders. Morons.
"The enemy has no ladders! Keep firing!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
Good at answering, at least, this lot.
And what in the world was that now.
"Hey! You moron! Point a crossbow down at the ground like that and the bolt slides right out! Switch to a bow or shoot at something farther off!"
They had far too little battle experience. The frustration wrung a curse out of me before I could help it.
Heh heh... live a good life, Haeun. A good, clean life.
Swish — thud!
"Ugh!"
These useless fools!
"Hey! You! Duck, shoot, duck, repeat! You planning to stand up there like a scarecrow while they have weapons? Are you brain-dead?"
Wow. My blood was boiling. This one, that one — all exactly the same.
How long did the fighting last? By the time it lulled, the ground before the fortress was carpeted with corpses. A few of our own who'd been struck by the stone-tipped spears thrown at close range had wounds deep enough that they might not survive.
I told you idiots to keep your heads down...
Should I use my power now? But what if meddling in a fight between humans brought down some kind of punishment?
Kung! Kung! Kung!
Ugh, when did they get axes over there? They were trying to smash through the gate. Without a barbican, there was no good way to cover it.
No choice, then. This part I'd handle myself.
Whoosh. Whoosh.
I hurled stones guided by telekinesis and caved in their skulls. But wait — what's this? Metal axes? Looked like bronze, maybe...
After fighting for a long while, the enemy seemed to decide it was hopeless and began pulling back.
"Woo! They're retreating!"
"Shut up! You idiots, kill one more while you can!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
They still had that many men left, and here they were hollering like they'd already won.
The primitives must have finally figured out our range too — look how far back they'd withdrawn.
"All right, everyone gather round! Quickly!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
The soldiers crowded in a rush.
"No, not up here! Gather below — if you stand up here, only the men in front can hear me!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
It was like herding meerkats. Some five hundred people, big and small, staring up at me from the base of the wall.
"Now! You've all been through a battle today, haven't you?"
"Yes!"
"If we do our jobs, we can absolutely hold this place!"
There were a few situations that worried me, but I didn't think the enemy would be quite that clever.
"And remember — they're people too, and they can think. Anyone standing up there slack-jawed again, catching a stone or a spear and getting carried off that wall — I swear I'll come after you and finish you off myself!"
"...Yes?"
Was this kid talking back?
"What was that, huh?"
"N-nothing, ma'am!"
So this was the legendary fresh private. Hopelessly hapless.
"And one more thing! Tomorrow, they might bring ladders. What do we do then?"
"Shoot them dead!"
Bold words for a man volunteering to get beaten.
"That much is obvious! What else?"
"Push them off?"
"Exactly! Get long poles ready so we can shove the ladders sideways!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
Hmm. What else... Oh.
"The enemy may split up and attack from several sides, so we divide into four squads. Each squad will cover the direction the enemy comes from."
"Huh? Even if we're short on men, can we really hold them all?"
That was my biggest worry too. With their numbers, if they attacked from all four sides at once, holding every wall was simply impossible.
"If we can't hold them, what then? Want to just stand around watching until a spear finds you?"
"No, ma'am!"
"Set up watch shifts. Check whether the enemy moves at night, then hurry off and rest!"
Ahh, what a relief. A voice like steel, apparently. How did I bark out orders for hours without a single crack in it?
Naturally born for command, I suppose.
"Haeun, are you all right?"
"Yes. I'm fine."
Daka had been throwing stones from her side of the wall too, though honestly it hadn't amounted to much. I wondered if there were any weapons the women could use as well.
"Mm. Be careful, dear. I'll head down first."
"Okay. Get some rest. Once all that tension drains away, your whole body might ache."
I knew all too well how a body wound tight as a spring could ache like a fever once it let go. So my hospital days were good for something after all.
The soldiers would stand watch through the night, but I couldn't entrust everything to them. I'd be staying up myself.
Thankfully, the day passed without incident.
And that was only one day.
"Is there a captain of the scouts here?"
"A captain?"
"A leader. Someone in charge."
"Not exactly..."
I figured as much. They just muddled along, keeping order among themselves. Which meant nobody had ever gone to ask for help either.
"Whew. Is there anyone here who can ride a horse? Find me someone who's been to Sinsi."
"Yes, ma'am."
I needed to send Jorangi. It was urgent — surely she could carry another rider just this once.
"Hihihing!"
"Jorang, you've been well? Today was really something."
"Hihing."
"I have a favor to ask. Carry someone to Sinsi for me. It's important."
Kkeudeuk-kkeudeuk.
Hm? Is she — did she actually understand me?
If it was Jorangi, leaving tonight would still get there by morning.
I wrote out a letter on paper, describing Haseo's situation and requesting aid. Then, as proof of identity, my hairpin.
"I've brought him, ma'am!"
Ah, the messenger must have arrived.
"Hm? You?"
Of all people, it was that poor boy who'd made me his first love.
"Y-yes..."
"Here's the letter and the token. Take these to Sinsi and find someone of high rank. If you have trouble, go to the Temple. No matter what, you must get there."
He looked a little deflated. This is important, you brat!
"Yes, ma'am!"
One little pat on the head and his face went pink. Honestly.
If you make someone like me your ideal woman, you'll never get married!
"Hurry! Take my horse and go."
"I'll return before you know it!"
"Right. Off you go, quickly."
And so, in the dead of night, I sent off a messenger begging for reinforcements. Tonight would probably pass quietly — the enemy didn't seem inclined to lay siege yet.
Looking down from the walls at the aftermath of the day, the sight was utterly wretched.
Among the corpses, something still twitched. Farther out lay others who'd died mid-crawl.
So this is what war is.
The night passed in silence, but from dawn onward, an ominous sound rolled over the walls.
Doom! Doom! Doom! Doom!
What now? Drums? With all the animal hides around, I suppose they'd have some. But why did the sound feel so menacing?
Wow. The enemy dead already lay heaped in front of the fortress — and somehow they'd brought even more than that.
"Ah... shit."
I knew it. They were splitting apart! They meant to surround us.
"Everyone, run! The real work starts now!"
We had to move fast. If they closed the ring on all four sides, we'd be truly finished.
Reassuring the panicking villagers, we began hauling arrows and spare bows and crossbows to every direction of the wall.
Thankfully, while hands were few, the fortress held weapons in abundance for its size.
Damn it, they'd ringed us on all four sides! Hahaha. A fortress this formidable, on the brink of falling because of a manpower shortage?
Absolutely ridiculous. I couldn't even be angry.
"Move, move, FASTER!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
How were we supposed to hold this? There was no clever stratagem to be found. Numbers. No amount of wit could make up for a shortage of bodies.
"Huh?"
People were climbing onto the walls. Wrinkled middle-aged men, white-haired elders, men, women — all of them coming up.
Ha. This is going to make me cry.
"Haeun, I went and gathered the people."
"Daka..."
So that was why she'd left early yesterday.
"I explained it to everyone. If those savages come swarming like that and the fortress falls, what happens to us next? Our families, our neighbors — we have to protect them ourselves, don't we?"
She was right. Did anyone think the invaders would simply turn around and leave?
Never. Not in a thousand years. They would settle themselves here, or take everything down to the last blade of grass. People included.
"Thank you."
"Why are you crying? You were so fierce yesterday?"
"I was worried."
I had wanted them to understand, before it was too late, what a brutal end this invasion would meet. The good kind do not come knocking.
"Still, don't hate the villagers too much. They were only frightened."
"I know."
Come on, then, you savages. This place belongs to us now.
Do you know what total war is? You'd best ask your aprons.
And besides — we've got a nuclear bomb on our side.
That would be me.