19 Stench of Blood

The news of an incoming enemy attack spread quickly. All those who had been fast asleep in the Autumnvale were now all wide awake. Their eyes might have still looked somewhat drowsy, but underneath that drowsiness was full readiness to fight.

They all hoped for a satisfying victory to prove their valiance.

The troops and villagers never feared war.

The 30 barbarians, 10 archers, 5 wizards, 10 lumberjacks and 50 villagers all stood ready with their weapons as they gathered in the Town hall.

Everyone awaited Leons orders.

"Stay quiet."

He did not give the order for them to emerge out of their buildings or houses.

He wanted them all to keep waiting.

He squatted on the Town Hall's roof, narrowing his eyes as he peered at the forest s far away. He wore a sarcastic smirk as he quipped, "Maybe those green skins know of only one such tactic, eh."

Scattered shadows were seen moving on the forest.

The bright moonlight shone all over the ground, which enabled them to vaguely see the ugly green heads and bodies of their would-be invaders.

Those were goblins.

"My Lord, we shall get to our positions at the top roof of the other houses."

Kael and ten archers were squatting right behind Leon.

The 10 of them wore harsh expressions as they eyed the approaching goblinss.

"Be careful, and don't alert anyone and also provide support for the barbarians and be ready to rain down arrows upon the goblins." Leon said, permitting them to leave.

He looked just as focused as everyone else. His eyes had nothing but seriousness in them. Not even he had expected just how tough the battle that night would be.

As he stayed on guard, Leon calmed his breathing and kept his eyes focused on the faraway forest.

While moonlight did not give them visibility like that of sunlight, everyone was still able to see what was over 300 feet away. Leon assessed that there were more than 300 goblins ready to attack them. He was even able to detect that there might be more goblins waiting to strike from behind those trees.

At this point, things were not looking good. There were simply too many of them.

The situation had taken a turn for the worse.

Kael behind him seriously asked, "My Lord, what should we do?"

"We wait."

Leon answered in a straightforward, affirmative manner.

He estimated that at least 300 goblins were sneaking up on them in the dark of night. The greenskins outnumbered them at least five to one.

He only had 107 people at his side, and 50 of them were villagers who did not specialize in combat. If he were to win this battle, he could not afford to rely on conventional strategies.

If all of his people took formations and fought the invaders head-on, he might have as well asked to be mowed down in a single charge.

Leon was not a fool.

He then called out to Cid, his faithful eagle companion, who perched on his shoulder. "Cid, scout the village and assess the situation. Report back to me immediately," he commanded.

Caww~

With a shrill cry, Cid took flight, disappearing into the gathering dusk as he set out on his reconnaissance mission.

Meanwhile, the wizards stationed themselves inside the barracks, their magical abilities at the ready, awaiting Leon's signal to unleash their powers upon the enemy.

With the preparations in motion, Leon retreated and left the roof for the first floor of the Town Hall.

Leon then purposefully strode out of the town hall, reaching into his inventory to retrieve a card. With a deft flick of his wrist, he tossed it to the ground, summoning forth a mighty cannon to bolster the village's defenses.

As the cannon materialized before him, Leon marveled at its formidable presence.

Caw~

However, his moment of admiration was interrupted by the return of Cid, who landed gracefully on his arm.

He asked, "How are things out there?"

Through their telepathic connection, Cid conveyed urgent news to Leon. { Over 400 goblins are massing to the west master, preparing to ambush the village } Cid informed him.

Leon's expression darkened as he absorbed the information. "Thank you, Cid," he replied silently.

The reported information was just as he expected, yet the weight on his shoulders felt even heavier than before.

There were over 400 goblins. That was a number much more to that of the previous tribe that took over the Ruins.

"How could there be so many of them?"

Leon was feeling doubtful.

When 15 knights ambushed the tribe with 30 Barbarians in tow, they had done severe damage to the Goblin Tribe that had taken over the Ruin castle. There were about 140 Goblins killed back then, and less than 60 had been able to escape.

However, the number of goblins appearing at the moment had reached 400.

That surprised Leon quite a bit. It also greatly angered him.

This meant that there was another goblin Tribe somewhere out there.

Leon licked his lips. His eyes were filled with exasperation.

Haah~

Leon sighed and with a resolute nod he ushered the troops into the town hall, where they awaited the goblins' arrival, poised to defend Autumnvale with all their might.

He made it seem as if none of them had discovered anything.

"Get ready."

The 30 Barbarians and 10 Lumberjacks were waiting with their swords and axes in hand. These people consisted of his main force. They were one of the key to winning the battle.

"My Lord."

The troops looked determined. They were ready to die in battle if need be.

"Very well." Leon nodded, finding the morale to be impressively high.

"They are attacking!"

A barbarian at the door made the announcement. His words made the air in the Town hall instantly feel heavier.

Sounds of gulping and teeth gnashing were heard.

All of the Troops held onto their swords and axes and took deep breaths, awaiting Leon's orders. They were willing to charge outside the hall and form tight formations to take on the enemies outside at a moment's notice.

"Quiet! Stay quiet!"

However, Leon remained quiet. In a severe tone, he eventually said, "Don't rush. Victory will be ours."

He walked briskly to the wooden door.

Through the cracks of the door, Leon was able to clearly see the dark silhouettes of the goblins on the bushes bearing of the forest.

It was apparent that the goblins were unaware that the target of their ambush had discovered them.

The goblins continued to slowly sneak up on them.

It was just like how wolf packs snuck up on their prey. They laid low for a while before suddenly charging when they got close enough, attempting to kill their prey and reaping a tasty meal within the shortest amount of time possible.

However, if said prey were to discover them and retaliate, things turned out differently.

The troops in the Town Hall, the villagers inside the houses, the archers in the roofs, and the wizards in the barracks were all waiting to strike.

The stalkers were discovered.

The ambush was no longer an ambush. It was now a quick retaliation.

Precisely put, it was a counter-ambush.

As the goblins drew nearer to the village, tension hung thick in the air atop the rooftops where the archers lay in wait. The leader of the archers, her voice barely above a whisper, issued a command: "Pull."

With practiced precision, the archers simultaneously drew back their bowstrings, arrows poised and ready for release. "Hold," the leader instructed, her gaze fixed on the approaching threat.

As the goblins reached a distance of 40 meters from the cannon, the massive weapon suddenly pivoted and aimed directly at the enemy ranks.

Bang!!

With a thunderous roar, it unleashed a devastating projectile, shattering bones and sending the goblins reeling in disarray.

Boom!!

The 400 goblins, who were still laying low and approaching, looked very startled since they had gotten within 40 feet from the cannon. None of them expected something who'd attack them.

Witnessing the cannon's deadly accuracy, Leon seized the moment, he kicked the wooden door and charged outside the Town hall doors with a fierce battle cry. "Now!" he bellowed, his troops surging forward to meet the enemy head-on.

On the rooftops, the archers sprang into action at Leon's command. "Fire!" the leader called out, and a volley of arrows streaked through the air, finding their marks amidst the chaos below.

10 sharp arrows shot through the air, appearing within the ranks of the goblins

One of the arrows tore through the skin of a goblin and lodged in its abdomen, splitting up the internal organs within and causing massive internal bleeding. That goblin fell to the ground with its hands covering its abdominal wound while its eyes became bloodshot.

While the other goblins faltered under the onslaught, impaled by the deadly rain of arrows that descended upon them. Yet the archers showed no mercy, swiftly reloading their bows as their leader barked out the next set of orders. "Reload! Aim! Fire!"

Once again, the air was filled with the deadly whistle of arrows as the archers unleashed another barrage upon the enemy ranks, decimating their numbers with each deadly volley.

"For the Horde, charge!"

Leon's voice was then heard roaring throughout the Village. While he was not being overly loud, his voice still sounded thunderous.

"All hail the Horde!"

Massive responses were heard. The 30 Barbarians and Lumberjacks with swords and axes in their hands quickly emerged from the town hall.

There were also all of the 50 villagers.

All of them raised their spiked clubs and followed at the flanks of the 40 infantry units.

The steps they took suggested that they were jogging. They turned into the ones initiating an ambush, slaughtering the Goblins sneaking on them.

"Kill them all!"

The stench of blood instantly thickened.