NOVEL WEB Chapter 44: Relief!
Under the verdant forest that was illuminated by the dark sky was a red smudge; that red smudge that seemed to ever destroy the peaceful unity of colors under the sky was a city. Particularly, that city is of important note, important to the people of this world, as it presents a unique variable: it was a red smudge; that red smudge that seemed to ever destroy the peaceful unity of colors, a strategic location for military and civilian matters.
Unfortunately, the reason it became a smudge was because of the fact that it was under siege; it was not under siege by any living being, but rather by the undead ghouls. The once-living people of this world that has now since returned from death, all the while maintaining their intelligence with the ever-lusting desire for blood and flesh of the living, also seek to expand their numbers and eventually dominate this world.
Explosions rocked the battlefield, screams of agony and pain reverberated the surroundings, and the once tranquil state of the night had now turned into that of horror and despair. Botches of blood that were scattered all over the streets and houses kept on increasing, and eventually, it turned into a lake of blood and rivers.
Bodies float of all kinds, from pieces of bones that have pieces of flesh, evidently evidenced by the fact that it was recently eaten and discarded. To entire torsos, pieces of limbs and chunks of flesh fill the streets. The once dull and boring walls are now splashed with the art of roses and all its tranquil crimson beauty seems to ever transcend time itself. It was a work of art, as thought by the ghouls who pass by the location.
It was on this side of the battlefield that had gone silent; the defenders lay dead all around, whilst the citizens and its inhabitants hid in fear, while squads of ghouls raided each and every house they could find. If they find a house that is opened or has no sign of being opened, they will smile with glee, as that would mean there is a high possibility of livestock being present behind the door.
Unfortunately, for them and all the inhabitants of this world, the ghouls are not honorable warriors, preferring to be ruthless and sadistic predators. Ghouls would place their hearing on the doors of their target, trying to listen to the people that were breathing inside, and once they found what they liked, a smile of sadism would form in their mouths.
With a smile, they would raid the houses and homes of their targets; they would not go for the kill immediately, opting instead for sadistic torture from mental to physical. They would crawl like a madman to the targets and scare the living spirits out of their target; not only that, they would sometimes physically torture their target.
Once those are all done, and the prey are all now submissive, they would not go for the kill still and instead opt for them to become livestock; after all, would they even attempt to escape? They cannot fight back after all; their spirits are already broken and down, so what is even the point? They would just be eaten slowly but surely under the smiling ghoul of the verdant dark sky of the night.
With that in mind, the ghouls stalk the night, with glee under their faces, raiding each and every house they could find; this was the only situation of the city on this side, as all the defenders have lost and laid down their lives. It was a complete city of horror and despair that no other thing could hope to ever beat.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, there was still some semblance of fighting and defenders as the remaining people defended with all their minds, and all the while, behind them were civilians. They could not run nor go anywhere because if they did, who would go and protect this innocent person from being turned into livestock and be tortured for eternity as pieces of their bodies are slowly torn and eaten by the ghouls? They cannot and will not abandon them, so they will fight until the end of time.
After all, dying while protecting is much better than dying without even doing anything. So they fought with all the fierceness they ever knew in life.
Soldiers with shields in the front, swordsmen in the back, bowmen at the further back, and mages at the very end. Ghouls, despite being numerous, were not able to do much against such formations, as they only had sharp claws and extreme strength, agility, and endurance. They do not even get tired, but they would definitely get tired if they got their limbs sliced off. That is a definitive answer; after all, how would they protect themselves if they did not have the limbs and more of a capability to fight and protect themselves if they did not have properly functioning limbs they could control?
With that in mind, the soldiers stuck close to each other, making sure that each of their sides was defended against potential ghouls suddenly attacking and taking their hearts or any organs out of them. Mages, on the other hand, were launching fireballs, an area of attack kind of scale, to prevent ghouls from clumping together and thus preventing a potentially overwhelming enemy number from charging at them.
They were resisting valiantly, grunting in pain, but eventually refusing to surrender no matter what; after all, what is the point of surrendering just to be eaten violently by some kind of unknown thing? Fortunately, soon enough, reinforcements would arrive, and they would eventually be relieved of their duty until the day of the counterattack began.
They believe that day is when they would reclaim a lost land for the first time in their history. Nevertheless, they cannot dream about those things for any time now, as the most current important thing they have to do in the meantime is to survive and see the future and etch it into their memories.
Meanwhile, on the far side of the city, a few kilometers outside, columns of heavily armed soldiers were moving forward, along with numerous torches present, seemingly being used to drive out the darkness. The columns form like a sharp blade, with the torches providing the shadow of the end of things. This is the one being plunged into the heart of darkness in order to reach the dwindling embers of the city.
They marched and hummed in unison, faces filled with anxiety but with confidence; they proudly raised their colors as they marched into the open battlefield. The sound of metal boots hitting the damp ground provides eerie music. It was not soothing; rather, it seemed like a weird rhythm sound that they could not reach, whether in this world or anywhere else.
Moving back at the battle for the city, the defenders were now dwindling, fortunately, no matter how much they were battered, all over. They still fought with vigilance; every time a soldier would attack, he would be pushed back by his squadmates and pushed back inside the base. All the while, they bait the ghouls into rushing for them, which means they baited the enemy into attacking, and when it attacked, it would be wide open and ready to be attacked. Which worked wonders.
The ghouls, seeing this, could not help but be impressed by the resourcefulness and improvisation of their prey. Unfortunately, the ghouls seemed to have had enough, as numerous other groups of ghouls had now arrived, and with it, they attacked with full force, never minding if any of them got killed; all they knew was that if they were able to overwhelm their prey, then they would be safe.
The ghouls rushed forward, and the soldiers were surprised but still took swift action, forming a proper barrier. The swordsman attacked those who got past through, while the shield men, albeit now isolated, still fought those who arrived first, but with little less help from the swordsman and other people.
The sound of steel being struck reverberates through the surroundings, and soon enough, the entire world suddenly goes silent for just a few seconds. Thunderous explosions rocked through the surroundings. The soldiers glanced from left to right and saw, despite all the smoke and fire coming from everywhere, that the site of the explosion was the gate where the supposed reinforcements were coming from.
Happiness swelled up in their hearts, and so they fought enthusiastically. Despite their enthusiasm, they fought a little more conservatively so that they would not have a slip of judgment. With that in mind, they brandished their blades, knowing full well that relief would soon come over.
The ghouls, meanwhile realizing their strategic blunder, looked over into the oncoming army and decided that fighting disorganized in the city would put them at a disadvantage and so they decided to retreat for the meantime outside of the city and launch another attack at an opportune time that would benefit them more than their adversaries.