Pantheon Online

188  Vjern (Part 1)

 "Sire!" A dwarf with a grey beard said as he approached King Bargrux. "This city is called Vjern. It seems to be under the rule of a Jarl loyal to Lord Exile's enemies. Our scouts have confirmed a newly built temple near the castle. What are your orders?"

 "Hmph," Bargrux grunted as he gazed upon his mighty army. "What else? We attack! Sound the horns!"

 A few minutes passed before the sound of the dwarven war horns filled the mountains and forest. 'This should be entertaining.' Bargrux thought as he patted the head of his Vledrin Mountain Goat steed. The beast was as large as a pony and outfitted in the finest dwarven armour. 'Let's go, Bdrum!'

 Bargrux led the charge of the goat cavalry as the infantry surged like a raging tidal wave from the treelines. The Skardian soldiers on the walls of the city flew into a panic at the sudden appearance of an army right on their doorstep! Flames erupted from the watchtowers along the walls as they sent the warning of an imminent attack.

 "Calm down! Archers! Prepare to fire! We have nothing to fear! They have no siege weapons!" The Captain on duty roared as he stared at the strange army. 'Where did they come from?'

 It was only when the dwarven army drew closer that he realised it was no human army laying siege to his beloved home. His mind raced as he placed their appearance to old folk tales. An incredulous expression swept his face like a stiff breeze in winter as he mouthed the word 'impossible'!

 The dwarven host let out a great roar as the ground trembled beneath their feet. Arrows flew overhead as the dwarves tilted their shields and helms to absorb the impacts. The Skardians could only look on in disbelief as the arrows bounced off the dwarven metal helplessly.

 'They're moving as many troops as they can to defend the gate.' Bargrux thought as he watched the men on the walls. 'They clearly know nothing of dwarven warfare!' A soft chuckle escaped his throat as he altered the course of the cavalry and aimed for the wall to the left of the gate!

 The sudden change in the dwarven army's direction sent the captain on the wall into a panic. Although he had faith in the walls of the city, he had no experience or knowledge of how dwarves fight! That alone made him fearful of what they could be capable of.

 Bargrux sighed as he watched his infantry form ranks before the wall without suffering a single injury. 'You can hardly call this a war.' He grumbled to himself as he watched the humans flailing around like lost children. 'It seems they really have sent their best warriors to the war with Sommerdan.'

 The dwarves chanted their war cries to unsettle their enemies as King Bargrux charged through the formation until he was right next to the great stone wall. 'This should do.' He thought as he nodded his head. With a mighty swing, he struck it with his hammer!

 The soldiers atop the wall fell over as the entire structure shook. Cries of outrage and shock filled the air as they struggled back to their feet. Meanwhile, Bargrux was studying the deep cracks in the wall from his blow. 'One more should do it!' Another mighty blow of his hammer shook the wall as he urged his mount to run back to the infantry formations.

 "What the hell is he doing?" The Captain in charge of the defence of Vjern shouted as stared with wide eyes at the dwarven king.

 "Sir!" a soldier said as he pointed to the section of wall where Bargrux had attacked. "There're cracks appearing under our men's footing! We should evacuate that area!"

 "What? That's impossible!"

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 However, the soldier had spoken the truth. Cracks spread across the stonework like the roots of a mighty tree. 'No! It's going to fall!'

 "Quick! Have our men evacuate!" The Captain roared, but it was too little too late.

 He could only watch in horror as the wall collapsed in on itself. His men were crushed as they fell to their deaths amid screams of fear and agony. A great cheer rose from the dwarven army as the fortified wall collapsed into ruins. Which left them with a clear path to invade the city!

 "Onwards!" Bargrux cried as the dwarven cavalry surged forth.

 Arrows rained down on them as their nimble goats leapt up the pile of debris without difficulty. After all, they had bred the Vledrin mountain goats as war steeds for mountainous terrain. A bit of rubble was nowhere near enough to prevent their charge.

 A panicked cry came from a Skardian soldier who had been on the other side of the wall at the moment it collapsed. He was only a young man who had never seen an actual battle. However, he mustered the courage to draw his blade and dash toward King Bargrux as his steed landed on the soft ground inside the city walls!

 Bargrux let out a snort as he stared at the man with disdain. He jerked the reins of his steed, making it swing its head and impale the man with its horns! The goat tossed its head from side to side until the corpse flew through the air and smashed helplessly against the wall of a house.

 Moments later, the rest of the dwarven cavalry joined him. Bargrux barked orders to make them fan out and secure their footing inside the city. Arrows continued to rain down on them, but there were no weaknesses in the dwarven armour for them to exploit. Instead, the ground looked like something akin to a pincushion at that point.

 Soon, Bargrux heard the sounds of battle ahead as he awaited his infantry. 'It seems the cavalry has engaged with the soldiers. There will be no problems. These humans are nothing to be afraid of. We have the numerical advantage.' His gaze went to the sky above them as he searched for the sun's position.

 'At this rate, the city will be in our hands in less than an hour.' Bargrux frowned as he thought about that. 'Now, where's my damn infantry?'