Chapter 59: The Last Stand
The Viridian soldiers did not rush down the slopes after surrounding the depression.
They remained among the trees and along the ridges, steadily filling every visible route until the surviving Caldris soldiers could no longer convince themselves that there might be an unnoticed opening somewhere beyond the brush. Alaric watched them from the center of the shrinking human position while an infantryman supported most of his weight.
His wounded side had begun bleeding again during the attempted climb toward the western ridge, and every breath pulled painfully beneath his ribs.
Around him, the remnants of the counteroffensive gathered into whatever formation could still be made from men who had fought through an afternoon battle, survived a midnight assault, fled through a rout, and then crossed miles of countryside.
Infantrymen without shields stood beside cavalrymen without horses, crossbowmen clutched their remaining bolts, and wounded soldiers who should have been resting prepared themselves for another fight because there was nowhere else left to go.
Joren moved quickly through the survivors, counting weapons and judging who could still fight.
When he returned, his expression was grim. "Thirty-nine men can still hold something. That includes several who probably should not be standing. Seven crossbows remain, but there may be only twenty bolts between them. Fourteen spears are usable, although three have broken shafts. Everyone else has swords, axes, or whatever they managed to keep during the retreat."
Alaric looked toward the western ridge, where Viridian infantry had already taken position among the trees, and asked how many goblins surrounded them. Joren glanced around before answering that there were enough that counting them would change nothing.
These were fresh troops, not the exhausted formations that had fought during the day and attacked the Caldris camp after midnight.
Their shields were intact, their weapons were ready, and their ranged troops remained calmly positioned behind the infantry. The goblins knew the humans were trapped, so there was no reason for them to hurry.
Alaric studied the slopes while forcing himself to remain upright.
Staying at the bottom of the depression would only allow the Viridian troops to tighten the circle and fire down on them from higher ground.
The terrain offered some protection from distant fire, but that advantage meant little when the enemy controlled every ridge.
The only possibility was to concentrate everything against one section and break through before the encirclement became even tighter.
"We should not stay here," Alaric said.
Joren asked which direction he preferred, and Alaric pointed northwest rather than directly west.
The western ridge was the obvious route toward Caldris territory and therefore the place where the goblins would expect them to attempt an escape.
The northwestern slope was steeper and covered in thicker vegetation, but that same vegetation prevented the Viridian soldiers from forming an uninterrupted shield line. If the humans could force a gap there, even a narrow one, the survivors might scatter beyond the ridge.
Joren studied the terrain for several moments before agreeing.
"It is not much of a chance, but it is better than waiting for them to finish closing the circle."
He immediately began reorganizing the survivors. The remaining men with shields were placed at the front, while the surviving spearmen formed behind them and were instructed to thrust over the shoulders of the first rank rather than attempt a complete spear wall on the slope.
Crossbowmen gathered near the center and were told to preserve their few bolts until the distance became short enough that missing would be difficult.
Two soldiers moved beside Alaric and prepared to support him during the charge, which immediately drew an objection from him.
He told Joren that carrying him would slow the entire group and ordered the two men to leave him if he became impossible to move.
Joren gave the soldiers a hard look and told them to keep him moving as long as possible, adding that they could debate the meaning of Alaric’s order after they had actually reached the other side of the ridge.
Movement appeared along the surrounding slopes before the survivors could make further preparations.
Viridian infantry began descending through the trees in controlled groups while their ranged troops remained higher, taking positions with clear lines into the depression.
The goblins were deliberately reducing the space available to the humans rather than immediately charging into close combat. Joren recognized the danger and ordered the remaining Caldris soldiers toward the northwestern slope.
Exhaustion showed in every movement, but having a direction briefly restored some discipline. Men adjusted their grips on swords, raised dented shields, and lowered spears while the crossbowmen moved behind them.
Nobody offered a speech. Everyone already knew what would happen if the breakout failed.
Joren raised his sword toward the slope and told the crossbowmen to wait until the goblins were close enough that they could see exactly where they were aiming.
The Viridian line continued descending, and the goblins noticed the concentration of humans moving toward the northwest. Soldiers farther along the ridge immediately began shifting toward the threatened position, but the thick trees and uneven ground prevented them from reinforcing it quickly.
Joren waited until the distance had narrowed considerably before ordering the crossbowmen to fire. Several bolts struck at close range, dropping goblins along the front and briefly creating confusion among the soldiers behind them.
The humans had no ammunition to waste on another careful exchange, so Joren immediately ordered the entire group forward.
The Caldris survivors charged uphill behind their shields. Their sudden concentration struck the Viridian position before enough reinforcements could arrive.
Human shields crashed against the smaller goblin shields, and the greater size and weight of the Caldris soldiers pushed several defenders backward.
Spears stabbed over shoulders and through temporary openings. One goblin fell with a spear driven through his chest, while another was knocked from his feet when a human infantryman smashed the edge of his shield into him. Joren fought at the front, forcing aside one Viridian shield and driving his sword into the opening before pushing forward again.
For several precious moments, the breakout seemed possible. The human group gained ground, reached the upper half of the slope, and forced a visible gap between two Viridian formations.
Alaric was dragged upward between the two soldiers assigned to him. His boots barely contributed to the movement because every step sent fresh pain through his side, but he could still see the opening forming ahead.
A cavalryman near the front shouted that they were almost through, and several men surged toward the first row of trees.
The Viridian soldiers responded before the humans could widen the breach. Fresh infantry moved inward from both flanks, reinforcing the threatened section while ranged troops repositioned above the melee.
The goblins did not attempt to overpower the larger humans individually. Instead, they attacked the edges of the formation, forcing the survivors closer together while replacement troops filled every space created by the initial charge.
Projectiles began descending into the rear of the human group. One soldier beside Alaric collapsed without warning, and moments later one of the men supporting him jerked forward when an arrow entered beneath his shoulder blade. His grip vanished, causing Alaric to fall heavily onto one knee.
The impact reopened the wound in his side and nearly sent him back into unconsciousness.
The remaining soldier grabbed beneath his arm and tried to pull him upright, but Alaric ordered him to leave and continue toward the ridge. The man refused, insisting that he could still carry him, even as the formation moved farther away.
Joren saw what had happened and hesitated near the front.
Alaric shouted for him to keep moving, knowing that turning back would sacrifice the momentum of the breakout, but Joren ignored him.
He fought his way several paces down the slope with three other soldiers and intercepted a goblin that had entered the side of the human formation. By the time Joren reached Alaric, the narrow opening at the top was already closing.
Viridian shields filled the gap while fresh infantry entered from the northern side. Several Caldris soldiers who had reached the trees found themselves isolated. One tried to continue forward alone and disappeared beneath multiple goblins, while another stumbled downhill with blood pouring from his shoulder.
Joren looked at the closing line and understood that the breakout had failed. Continuing uphill would no longer force an opening; it would simply feed exhausted humans into fresh Viridian formations one group at a time.
He shouted for the survivors to disengage and return to the depression. Some heard him immediately and began withdrawing while facing the enemy, but others were too deeply engaged to escape. Several disappeared behind the Viridian line as Joren gathered whoever could still retreat.
The goblins followed far enough to ensure the humans could not immediately turn and charge again, but they did not abandon their own organization to pursue the retreating survivors.
When the Caldris group reached the bottom, there were noticeably fewer men around Alaric.
Joren counted them quickly and reported that twenty-eight had made it back, although only around two dozen appeared capable of continuing the fight.
One crossbowman opened his ammunition case, found it empty, and threw the useless container aside before drawing his sword.
Another had only a single bolt remaining.
Several shields were cracked, one spear had snapped during the charge, and almost every survivor carried another wound.
A frightened infantryman looked toward the southern slope and suggested they try another breakout before the goblins finished closing in.
Alaric studied the Viridian soldiers already shifting to cover the approach and refused.
They had spent lives forcing one opening and failed. Attempting the same thing against another prepared line with even fewer soldiers would only spread their deaths across another slope.
"We stop running," he told them.
The words did not inspire relief, but nobody argued. They had retreated from the battlefield, fled the camp, abandoned the road, crossed the countryside, and attempted one final escape from the encirclement. There was nowhere else to go.
Joren organized what remained into the smallest defensive position possible.
The surviving spearmen formed outward while the men with usable shields took the most exposed places. Sword-bearing soldiers stood behind them to replace anyone who fell. The wounded who could no longer fight were placed in the center beside Alaric and the exhausted healer.
The formation was crude and desperately small, but it was the closest thing to a Caldris battle line that still existed.
Joren returned to Alaric after arranging the men and wiped blood from his sword. He asked whether Alaric regretted marching east in the first place.
Alaric looked at him with disbelief and asked whether this was really the moment he had chosen for the question.
Joren answered that there might not be a more convenient opportunity. After a moment, Alaric admitted that he did not regret responding to the invasion because the province could not simply allow villages and patrols to disappear unanswered.
Their mistake had been believing they understood the enemy and still underestimated it before they had truly fought it.
Joren glanced toward the surrounding Viridian troops and remarked that they understood them considerably better now, although the knowledge had arrived too late to help the men standing in the depression.
The Viridian soldiers began descending again. This time there was no open route for the humans to attack and no expectation that another charge might carry them through.
Fresh infantry approached from several directions while ranged troops remained higher on the slopes, prepared to punish any attempt to break formation.
Joren moved back to the front and ordered the survivors not to waste their remaining strength by rushing uphill. The spears would strike first, shields would remain together, and every man would hold his place for as long as the line existed.
Alaric forced himself upright with the healer’s assistance. He could no longer swing a sword with any real strength, but he refused to meet the approaching enemy lying against a tree while the men around him remained standing.
The remaining Caldris soldiers tightened shoulder to shoulder as the circle narrowed.
They had no cavalry, no wagons, no ammunition reserve, no reinforcements, and no road waiting behind them.
The only ground that remained under Caldris control was the small patch of earth beneath their boots.
Joren lowered his sword toward the approaching Viridian soldiers and told everyone to hold together.
Spears came forward across the human line as the nearest goblins entered striking distance, and the last surviving formation of the eastern counteroffensive prepared to receive the final assault.
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