My planet is infested with Goblins

Chapter 84: The West Ceded Ground

The western front had become a battle fought in two directions. Caldris troops still faced outward toward the siege towers pressed against their walls, where Viridian soldiers continued crossing the wooden bridges and expanding their footholds along the battlements.

At the same time, horns and shouting came from the streets behind them as the goblin force sent from the captured northern gate pushed deeper into the western district.

The western commander stood near the base of a fortified wall tower and watched runners arrive from both sides of the battlefield. Every report demanded the same thing from him: more men.

The commanding offices wanted reinforcements to contain the goblins already rushing on the battlements, while the streets behind needs more men to stop the northern force from reaching the defenses from inside Eastwatch. He had enough troops to keep both threats from overwhelming him immediately, but not enough to defeat either one.

"Split the reserve," he ordered. "Half to the wall, half to the inner streets. Crossbowmen divide with them. Militia fills everything between."

One of his captains hesitated. "That leaves both lines thin."

"They are already thin. If we abandon either, we will lose this battle faster."

The order spread through the western sector. Professional infantry climbed the wall stairs while another group turned away from the battlements and moved deeper into the district.

Militia who had expected to carry ammunition or replace exhausted defenders suddenly found themselves forming shield lines at intersections. Crossbowmen were divided between upper wall positions and windows overlooking the streets.

The arrangement was ugly, but for several minutes it worked. The goblins on the wall did not break free, and the northern Viridian force did not immediately reach the rear of the western defenses.

Inside the district, Caldris soldiers hurriedly built a barricade across one of the wider roads leading toward the wall. Two carts were overturned and tied together with rope, then reinforced with timber pulled from nearby workshops.

Furniture from abandoned homes was piled into the gaps. Spearmen formed behind the obstruction while crossbowmen climbed into upper windows on either side. By the time the first northern goblin ranks appeared at the far end of the street, the position looked strong enough to force them into a direct attack.

The Viridian commander leading the northern reinforcement studied the barricade and slowed his formation. His soldiers had already fought through several streets since entering from the north, and he had no intention of wasting them against every obstruction Eastwatch placed in front of him.

"Main formation holds here," he ordered. "Crossbows forward. Find another road around their left."

Shield-bearing goblins moved into range but did not charge. Human crossbow bolts began striking their shields while Viridian shooters answered from behind. The exchange forced both sides to remain occupied without producing a decisive result. To the Caldris soldiers behind the barricade, it looked like the goblins were preparing for another direct assault.

They did not see the smaller Viridian detachment turn into a narrow side street two intersections away.

On the western battlement, the effect of the divided Caldris defense was becoming apparent. Fewer reinforcements were reaching the wall from below. Viridian soldiers who had been confined around their siege-tower bridge for hours began pressing outward in disciplined ranks. Shield-bearers gained several yards of battlement before human spearmen managed to form another line. Goblin crossbowmen followed them onto the captured stone, taking positions behind crenellations that had belonged to Caldris only minutes earlier.

The western commander saw the foothold growing and immediately called for another company from below.

A runner returned with the answer he had expected but still dreaded.

"The interior line says they cannot spare them. Goblins are threatening the barricade."

He clenched his jaw. "Pull one platoon from the southern end of the wall."

"That section is already militia-heavy."

"I know."

The southern stretch weakened.

The wall foothold slowed but did not shrink.

Inside the city, the northern Viridian commander noticed Caldris movement through the streets and understood that men were being transferred again. He ordered his main formation forward just enough to make the humans believe a serious attack was beginning. Shield-bearers advanced toward the barricade while axe troops gathered behind them.

The Caldris defenders responded exactly as expected.

More soldiers were moved toward the central obstruction.

Then the Viridian side detachment appeared at the mouth of a connecting street on the human left.

The defenders there shouted warnings. Militia were pulled from behind the barricade to face the new threat. The line stretched wider. Crossbowmen who had been firing straight down the main road turned toward the side street instead.

The northern commander raised his hand.

"Axe crews forward."

Viridian soldiers rushed the main barricade under shields. Axes struck wheels and timber braces. Hooks caught the front cart. Human spears stabbed over the obstruction and killed several goblins before they could strike again, but the defenders no longer possessed enough concentrated strength to throw them back immediately.

The western commander received word of the new pressure just as another crisis erupted on the wall.

Viridian soldiers had begun advancing toward the fortified western wall tower. The stone structure remained one of the strongest positions still under Caldris control, providing protected firing positions and an internal stairway between the battlement and the district below. If the goblins captured it, the western defenses would lose their best anchor.

He made his decision quickly.

"Counterattack on the wall. Professional infantry only. Drive them back to the siege tower."

The captain beside him looked toward the streets. "And the inner line?"

"They hold without us."

For the moment, they did.

The Caldris counterattack struck the Viridian foothold hard. Professional infantry advanced behind overlapping shields, using their greater height and strength to push the goblins backward along the narrow battlement. Spears stabbed over the front rank while crossbowmen fired from the wall tower. Several Viridian soldiers were forced over the outer edge. Others retreated toward the siege-tower bridge.

The human soldiers recovered several yards.

Then several more.

For the first time in some time, the western commander saw movement going in the direction he wanted.

"Keep pushing!"

Fresh goblins began crossing from the siege tower.

The first ranks were exhausted from hours of fighting, but the new soldiers were not. They moved directly into the front line, replacing wounded shield-bearers and reinforcing the formation before the Caldris troops could reach the bridge.

The human push slowed down.

Viridian spearmen attacked low beneath shields. Axes hooked at shield rims. Fresh goblin crossbowmen fired from the bridge and the tower opening behind them.

The counterattack stopped several yards from its objective.

The western commander stared at the stalled line and understood that he needed another company of reinforcements to finish the job.

There are no more reinforcement to come.

A runner came from the interior barricade.

"They are breaking the carts apart. Another goblin group is threatening the side street. We need men now."

The commander looked back toward the foothold. His professional infantry had nearly reached the siege tower, but they were getting tired. Without reinforcement, they would not finish the attack. If he kept them there much longer, the interior line might collapse behind them.

"Withdraw to the wall tower," he said.

The captain stared at him. "We almost had them."

"Almost is not good enough. Pull them back before the streets are lost."

The Caldris infantry withdrew in controlled steps.

Viridian immediately followed.

The ground recovered during the counterattack disappeared almost as quickly as it had been gained.

Inside the district, the barricade finally failed. Goblin axe troops shattered one of the main supports, while ropes dragged the damaged cart sideways. A gap opened wide enough for shield-bearing troops to force themselves through. Caldris soldiers tried to close it, but the Viridian detachment in the side street advanced at the same time.

The human commander at the barricade saw the danger of being surrounded and ordered withdrawal before the route behind him was cut.

The position was abandoned.

Northern goblins crossed the ruined barricade and secured the intersection beyond it. They did not scatter into buildings or chase every retreating soldier. Shield-bearers occupied the road, crossbowmen moved into useful windows, and more troops advanced toward the western wall.

The distance between the northern reinforcement force and the original siege-tower troops was shrinking.

The western commander could feel the trap closing.

His soldiers still occupied a meaningful stretch of battlement, the fortified wall tower, and several streets below, but the outer defense no longer functioned as one line. Viridian soldiers pressed from the wall while another goblin force approached from inside. Any Caldris unit left too far forward risked being surrounded.

He finally gave the order he had resisted for most of the battle.

"Abandon the exposed wall sections. Withdraw toward the inner western streets. Keep the tower occupied long enough to cover the movement."

The officers around him fell silent.

One asked, "How far should we retreat?"

"All of it that cannot be held without being cut off."

The withdrawal began.

Crossbowmen fired from the wall tower while professional infantry descended through stairways in small groups.

Several battlement positions that had been defended since dawn were abandoned in minutes. Viridian soldiers advanced into them cautiously, expecting traps or counterattacks, but none came.

Goblin banners began appearing above sections of the western wall.

Below, the northern reinforcement force moved into streets the Caldris defenders had just vacated.

The two Viridian forces still did not fully join, but they were close enough now that the humans between them had no reason to remain.

The fortified wall tower became the rear guard. A small Caldris force stayed inside, firing from protected openings and controlling the stairway while the rest of the western troops withdrew deeper into Eastwatch.

Viridian troops surrounded its battlement approaches but did not storm the structure immediately. The stone structure could wait. The larger objective was already being achieved.

Farther inside the district, the western commander selected a new defensive position across several connected streets. Wagons were overturned. Timber was dragged into place. Crossbowmen occupied upper floors. Professional infantry reformed behind the barricades while militia gathered around them.

The outer wall had become secondary.

The city itself had to be defended now.

As the new line took shape, distant horns sounded from the south. Several soldiers looked toward the noise, and rumors began spreading that the southern siege had also broken onto the walls.

The western commander did not ask whether the reports were true. He already had enough problems in front of him.

Behind them, Viridian flags were spreading along the western battlement while northern goblin troops secured the streets below. The western Caldris force had not routed, and it had not been destroyed, but it had been pushed away from the wall it had spent the entire day defending. The siege outside was becoming a battle inside, and every position Eastwatch surrendered made the remaining city smaller.

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