Send a spelling or grammar correction to: Tracy Johnson
This is Part XIII & XIV of a story set in the World of Greyhawk.
It's based on my own campaign, so some persons, places and things are not
in line with the published setting. Any helpful comments or suggestions
are welcome.
Thanks
Jason Zavoda
The second rank of men reached the wall. Behind them, a boulder
mowed down an entire fist, all five men flung to the ground. Crushed were
some, others broken. One by his comrade's head striking hard against his
shoulder, breaking bone, and the rest wounded by flying rock. The arrows
began to slacken as goblins put down their bows and picked up swords and
short thrusting-spears.
A trooper with a spear deep in his upper thigh, and another in his
arm, pushed both goblins away. Back and over, off the wall they fell. He
rolled over the top and dragged down another goblin as he fell to the
other side. A giant stepped on both man and goblin, bones crunching
beneath the massive foot.
The goblins were being swept aside, but the giants put down their
boulders and began to knock men from the top of the wall. Huge clubs broke
heads and bones, or brushed the troops away before they could do more than
take a futile swing at a tree sized arm.
Once on the wall, there was no easy way down to the other side.
The giants would lift up the goblins and set them at the top. No stair or
ladder had been made, just a drop straight down to the hard stones of the
bridge. The third rank was placing scaling poles against the wall and
still no living, human soldier stood upon the other side.
The captain had been standing near the base, urging his men on,
despite the arrows and stones which took their heavy toll in blood. As a
ladder was set, he grabbed a rung and pulled himself aloft. Fintan rolled
beneath a swinging club. It shattered the stone where he had stood and
splintered apart, leaving a broken stump in the giants hand. Fintan's
sword danced out and took a finger off and laid open a palm bigger than a
human head.
The giant howled and backed away, while Fintan lunged, but barely
pricked the monster's arm. The captain turned and helped another trooper
to a place along the wall.
"Draw up a scaling pole." the captain yelled, but all the poles
were filled with troopers racing up to reach the top. As he spoke, a sword
stabbed out and Fintan dived aside just in time. The soldier next to him
did not move so quick. Impaled, the giant lifted him into the air, the
trooper's body jerking, feet kicking, then deathly still. The body slid
off the sword and down onto the troops below.
Fintan sprang to his feet and brought his own sword down. He cut
the giant's arm, but drew little blood. His blade struck a leather forearm
brace, he cut through, but the force of the blow was not enough to do more
than score the giant's flesh.
A backhand stroke of the massive blade, forced Fintan from the
wall. He ducked under the scything blow and dropped from the edge, hanging
by his fingertips. The captain let himself fall. He landed on the body of
a goblin and tumbled back, then for a moment lay stunned upon the ground.
The giants did not notice him, distracted by a rush of troops who
gained the top. Another trooper jumped down, landing hard. The soldier's
ankle gave, and falling forward, broke his knee upon the stones. He rolled
in pain for a moment, but a giant brained him with a staff, as a man might
kill an injured rat.
* * *
The slingers sent their bullets whizzing at the giants behind the
wall. They aimed high above the heads of the men who climbed up, but these
troopers were still being swept aside despite the shot of stone and lead.
Kyle stood behind the last rank of Waddard's men. The wall loomed
high above his head. More scaling poles went up and others were being
pulled over the top to drop down on the farther side. Something bounced
near to Kyle's feet. He glanced down and looked into a soldiers face,
the features contorted, unrecognizable. He turned his face away. His
signalman, Dediulin, grabbed Kyle by the shoulders and pulled him back. A
body came crashing down. A headless trunk still spraying blood, it landed
where Kyle had just been standing.
The world was a swirling blur. Fintan rolled to one side, he lay
along the edge of the wall. The giants' feet had stomped a goblin flat
just inches from his head. He reached to his waist, but his sword was
gone, the sheath empty at his side.
Five giants were on the far side of the wall. A quick glance told
Fintan that none of his men had made it across alive. He needed a weapon.
Severed goblin arm held a short spear, not much use against the giants,
but he could do nothing with bare hands. Fintan scooped it up. He had to
use its haft to help raise himself to his feet. The world went black
around the edges, and he swayed, then it cleared. Knees buckling, Fintan
leaned back, and as a ponderous leg went past, he jammed the spear deep
into the giant's thigh.
A stone struck Hraesveglur's head near to his eye. The giant's
hand went to his face, and as he staggered back, a burning pain shot
through his leg. He roared with shock and outrage. The giant stumbled into
the path of a swinging club and was knocked from off his feet. His fall
shook the bridge and sent old mortar in a dusty cloud, down into the
stream.
The span of wall that Hraesveglur had guarded was undefended.
The troopers took advantage of his absence, and ladders came down
upon the giants' side of the bridge. Men died with every stroke of club or
staff, but kept on coming. New troopers climbed up to take the place of
those who'd been brushed aside.
Kyle was the first of his command to reach the top. The last of
Waddard's men had thrown themselves at the giants. Broken bodies and
lifeless corpses were scattered about both sides of the wall. A dozen men
had been thrown or knocked over into the waters below.
A giant stood before Kyle using a long tree trunk like a spear,
trying to prod him back over the wall. Its smiling face was shattered by a
lead sling bullet. Two teeth, like clay dinner plates, splintered. The
giant choked, then spat out the deformed leaden ball with a spray of
yellow, broken teeth and a large gobbet of blood.
Kyle grabbed the tree trunk and tried to stab his sword into the
giant's throat, but his blade went along its chin and cut free a
hand-sized chunk of ear instead. The giant pulled back and dragged Kyle,
still holding on tight, from off the wall. The extra, unexpected weight
pulled the staff from the giant's hand. The tree trunk landed on the
ground with Kyle following after.
The shock of impact bounced broke his grip on the staff and sent
him rolling across the ground. He passed through a giant's legs, beneath
an upraised foot, and ended up against the side of Hraesveglur. The giant
chief thrashed about, still half blinded from the slingers well placed
shot and the unlucky blow from another giant's club.
* * *
(To Be Continued...)