Lycanthropes had the countenances of beasts. It was rare to see confusion on such faces, but they were nonetheless confounded. They had brought all their strength to bear against what was, to all appearances, a simple wooden wall, but for some reason, it held strong.
In their bewildered state, the monsters were easy targets for stones lobbed down from atop the walls. Some were incapacitated, while others perished. As they were attacked, one Lycanthrope ripped off one of the wooden planks and discovered why the wall seemed so impervious.
The fort’s walls weren’t simply made of planks. Between two layers of wood was a layer of Alligator Warrior hide, which the Wein forces had gathered in great volumes during the battle of Finoy.
Alligator Warrior hide was strong enough that it took all the effort of an average soldier equipped with an iron sword to simply leave a scratch. Since it was surrounded by two layers of wood, it made the walls appear unremarkable, while the hide absorbed the shock of any blows strong enough to snap a normal plank. While it wasn’t as resilient as stone, the fort’s walls were much stronger than thin sheets of iron.
The Demons that had attempted to jump over the walls were attacked by a squad of bowmen led by Schünzel. Despite their best efforts, they couldn’t break down the strong walls. If they stood idly by the bulwark, they were met with a rain of stones and even sullied by waste that was thrown down with it. Ironically, Lycanthropes had superior senses of smell, meaning that getting showered with waste was more effective than any unskilled attacks with a weapon. Some monsters were so unable to stand the stench that they ran away from the walls and toward the river.
A few lycanthropes managed to launch themselves over the walls, just barely landing within the fort’s confines. The knights were waiting for them, however, with weapons at the ready. So each monster that got in found itself badly outnumbered, which was precisely how Werner had trained to fight. It only led to more casualties on the side of the Demon army.
The Demons were divided between those stuck in their tracks and those at the walls. The predicament had Gezarius’s lion face contorted with anger. However, he couldn’t deny that they had been outmaneuvered. He loosed a roar thick with frustration, and the Demons, like well-trained soldiers, fell back from the walls.
“Lord Werner, our enemies are retreating.”
“They’ll regroup and get over the walls in an instant. Prepare to retreat immediately.”
“Yessir.”
As Werner watched, he found something odd about his enemies. And I thought I could push them a little harder, he thought. Then, a possibility dawned in his mind, and a sardonic grin spread across his face. Man, he thought, already reworking his plans in his head, I was stupid to not realize this till now.
Gezarius’s next roar came immediately after the demons had crossed the river and regrouped. He had spotted the Zehrfeld flag flying above the fortress. All the advantages had been stacked on his side, and he was still reeling at having been forced to retreat. Perhaps that idea had just been inherited from the memories and wisdom he had stolen from Mangold and Pückler.
At Gezarius’s signal, the Demon army rushed across the river and toward the fortress. It would take time to surround it. Gezarius led the charge, this time ignoring the embankment. He checked his footing and tensed his legs, gathering his strength.
Then, with an easy leap, he soared over the wall which had been insurmountable when soldiers had still been around to protect it. The sound of footsteps echoed through the fort, and an odd, black mist filled the halls. It was like smoke, and the moment the Demon army jumped in, it left them blinded and befuddled. Inside the fortress, a dozen or so pigs wildly dashed throughout the halls, kicking up a black powder that littered the floor, filling the air with clouds of it.
Those with powder in their eyes screamed out in pain, and those with powder in their noses sneezed, further spreading it in the air. Foolishly, the monsters first to jump into the fortress stopped in their tracks upon landing, resulting in the next wave landing on top of them.
The fortress’s doors were still sealed shut, and thus, the only place the powder could go was up. The air grew thicker and thicker with the stuff. Before long, the walls couldn’t even be seen.
The next moment, fiery arrows whizzed into the hall, and the yard the Demons were in burst into flames.