Pangea Online: The Complete Trilogy

by S. L. Rowland

“Yep.”

  “Ha! Sounds like your typical meddling god to me.”

  “And you have what, three, maybe four days to prepare for this attack?” asks Grayson.

  “If we’re lucky.”

  “How can we help?”

  I call in Carter and Kindra first, telling them that Buzz and Grayson are like me, adventurers from another world. They are quick to accept and grateful to have more people with knowledge of battle on our side.

  Next, we meet with the council and inform them that Buzz and Grayson will be helping to train the villagers while the rest of us work on defenses.

  “When do we get magic?” asks Buzz, and I can’t help but laugh.

  “How about once this is over?”

  Jacob just shakes his head. “First magic, then goblins, now we have adventurers from other worlds. When does it end?”

  We go down into the courtyard, where Jacob introduces Buzz and Grayson to the town.

  Buzz immediately picks up a sword and starts swinging.

  “Alright, chumps, who’s up first?”

  I leave them to their training, content in knowing that with the enchantment, Buzz won’t be able to wound more than their spirits. Grayson will be there to make sure he doesn’t get too out of hand.

  Kindra meets with her archers in the field, drilling them on reload times. With her ability to guide the arrows, the faster they can nock and fire, the more damage she can do. The key is for everyone to load and fire at the same speed. Judging by what I saw yesterday, she has her work cut out for her.

  I meet with Tarence to pick up the caltrops he made yesterday so that I can start placing them between the mines and other defenses.

  With a small wagon loaded with caltrops, I make my way outside. I can see the top branches of Florian’s head just around the other side of the wall. I pass the outer defense of the giant flytraps to a stretch of field several hundred feet between them and the mines. Jacob has already stationed several rows of abatis on this side of town, their sharpened points ready to rip goblins to shreds.

  Reaching into the wagon, I pull the first caltrop out. Its heavy, solid metal feels formidable. The sharp points on the ends are even more dangerous. I toss it to the ground and it lands with three prongs facing the ground and the fourth stabbing into the air.

  I pick the caltrop back up, this time focusing my mana into its sharp, jagged points. I imagine it filled with electricity, a powerful current jolting anyone or anything that steps upon it.

  Congratulations! You have created Lighting Caltrop. A powerful burst of electricity shocks anyone who touches this item. One-time use. Cost: 100 mana per item.

  In quick succession, I make three more and wait for my mana to regenerate. In the distance, Jacob and his men travel along the safe route with more abatis.

  I spend hours enchanting the caltrops and spreading them around the battlefield. By the time I’m finished, my vision is filled with red dots showing me the locations of all my items. Far off in the distance, Thunder Mountain looms. The occasional crack of lightning reinforces what’s coming, a reminder of the chaos where the goblin army was forged. The people of Carolton live a tough life of manual labor, but it is not brutal. It doesn’t forge monsters.

  I break for dinner and find Buzz and Grayson drilling with some of the townspeople, this time with spears. We don’t have enough swords for everyone, so it’s best to keep them in the hands of our best fighters. The rest of our ragtag army will be using spears.

  Jacob finds me as I’m taking a seat at a long wooden table.

  “How are the abatis coming?” I ask.

  “Good. We have close to ninety percent of the town defended. The rest should be finished tomorrow.”

  “Good to hear. Once everything is set, I’d like to take our army out into the field and run over some formations. It would be smart to let them have an idea of how the battle might unfold.”

  We drill for the rest of the evening, giving all of the fighting men an opportunity with both the spear and sword. By the night’s end, we have fifteen men as designated swordsmen, myself included, a dozen archers, and the rest are given spears. The children and elderly, along with the women who are unable to fight, will remain safe behind the walls during the battle, leaving us with just over a hundred and fifty fighters against three hundred goblins.

  Priscilla’s cottage is more crowded than ever with Buzz and Grayson staying there. Without enough beds, Buzz and I end up sleeping on the floor and Grayson takes the chair I had the previous night.

  “The townspeople show a lot of promise.” Grayson looks down at us from the chair. “Their hearts are in it, that’s for sure. It’s almost like they are real people.”

  “Yeah.” Buzz props himself up on his elbows. “No wonder you’ve been so out of it. This is almost like living a second life, it really takes it out of you. I’m ready to hit the hay.”

  It’s nice to finally have someone here who knows exactly how I feel. As much as I’ve tried to explain to Aleesia and Benjamin, they won’t be able to truly understand unless they log in.

  A hand squeezes my shoulder, forcing me awake. Buzz stares at me, eyes wide. It’s still dark outside. What could he possibly want at this hour?

  “Do you dream like this every night?” he asks.

  “What do you mean?” I feel like I already know what he is going to say.

  “It’s like I could see my brain. I watched as something traveled across it, replaying my memories. Things I didn’t even remember until it happened.”

  “Yeah, it’s happened to me too. I think there are other reasons we’re playing this game,” I whisper. “I think they are testing something.”

  “What could it be?”

  “I don’t know.”

  We sit in silence until the rooster crows, bringing the town to life.

  We’re some of the first to arrive in the courtyard. I begin sectioning people off based on their weapons—separating the swordsmen, the archers, and those with spears. Tarence was able to smith enough weapons so that no one is using farm tools.

  When the council arrives, Jacob and Clinton both carry spears. Tarence holds a massive warhammer in both hands.

  They must notice my shocked expression because Jacob speaks up. “What? You didn’t think we would stay behind the walls while everyone else fights to save the town, did you?”

  “I had to make something special for myself. I hope you understand,” says Tarence, brandishing his warhammer.

  “Absolutely.” I smile. It will be good to have them on the front lines. I think it will help to further inspire the townspeople, knowing that their leaders are just as invested in the battle.

  “Lead the way,” says Jacob. “I’m entrusting the battle to you, Esil.”

  “What? Are you sure?” I ask. The memories of Craftwar come back into my mind. I don’t think I have it in me to lead these people. Certainly there is someone better.

  “You and your friends are the only reason we even have a chance of survival. I trust you. We all do.”

  I don’t know what to say. I felt it was my responsibility to help prepare the town. To help fight even, but to lead them, how can I do that? It’s too much. I’m not qualified. This isn’t just a game anymore.

  “Maybe Carter or Kindra—” I start.

  “No,” says Kindra. “It has to be you.”

  Carter nods in agreement.

  “We will fight together, but you will lead us,” he says.

  Standing in the midst of the town, I look them over. Men, women, fathers, mothers, sons, and daughters all looking to me for salvation.

  I can’t let them down.

  The gates open and the fragrant aroma of the hundreds of giant plants that now surround Carolton wafts through the city. If this were any other time, Carolton would be an attraction of the kingdom where people would travel from far and wide to gaze upon it. Instead, we prepare for war. For survival.

  I lead our small army past the garden of doom into the space b
etween it and the abatis.

  “This is where we will make our stand. The abatis that Jacob has placed around the city will serve to funnel their forces and offer us protection from a cavalry attack. Beyond them, I have placed hundreds of mines and caltrops, to hopefully weaken their army before we ever do battle. Our archers will pick them off from a distance, and the rest of you will protect the gaps as they try to push through.”

  Everyone watches me intently, hanging on every word I say. They’re scared. I can feel it in the air.

  “We will be outnumbered. If they somehow push through and overwhelm us, then we will fall back behind the plants and make them fight their way through. As a last resort, we retreat into the city and make them storm the walls.”

  I separate them into groups of six and spread them around the town. They don’t go very far and leave too much ground uncovered. I can only hope that the goblins attack in a massive force and don’t have the wherewithal to spread themselves out.

  We drill them on formations, using their spears to keep the enemy at bay while they attempt to push through the spaces between the abatis. Only the swordsmen have shields, since we simply didn’t have enough.

  I can already tell, this battle is going to be brutal.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  A blaring horn cuts through the night, waking me from my electric dreams.

  The long, deep trumpet of the horn resonates in perpetuity through the town. A call to arms. Something is wrong.

  “What’s going on?” Buzz stirs, tossing his blanket to the floor.

  “Are we under attack?” Carter rushes into the room, Kindra right behind him.

  “How is that possible? I thought we had two more days?” I give Kindra a questioning look.

  “I don’t know. I thought we did too.”

  “To the courtyard,” I order.

  Villagers rush through the streets with hushed voices, mild panic saturating the air.

  Jacob is atop one of the guard towers. He motions for me to join him when he sees me standing among the crowd.

  I climb in earnest, nearly slipping as I move my feet rapidly through the rungs of the ladder.

  My heart sinks when I make it up and finally have a view.

  In the distance, hundreds of torches move like fireflies through the night sky. They’ll be here by morning.

  “How is this possible?” Jacob echoes my own thoughts. “We’re not ready for battle. We need more time to train.” His voice is filled with exasperation.

  “We could use more time to train, I agree, but we are ready. All of the defenses are set. We’ve gone over the formations.” I place both my hands on his shoulders and stare into his eyes. The torchlight below casts eerie shadows in the recesses of his face. “We can do this. They need to believe that we can do this.”

  Jacob sets his face. “You’re right.”

  If he gives up hope, the battle is already lost.

  Jacob calls one of the women to the tower and gives her orders to find us immediately if anything changes. Following his lead, I climb down and start our call to arms.

  The entire town has joined us in the courtyard. Whispers carry across the group like snakes. They’re all worried. They were expecting more time. It’s my job to lead them. To inspire them.

  That will come later. First, I have to arm them.

  “Okay, everyone. I want you all to grab your weapons, equip whatever armor you may have, and form ranks.”

  It takes several minutes for our fighting men to gather their weapons and group up. The women sit around with worried looks and several children cry, their screams cutting through the night.

  For myself, I take my sword, shield, and slingshot. All enchantments they once possessed are gone. I will wait until the battle is closer before I decide on what to use.

  Once everyone is in formation, we open the gates and march out into the darkness. Far away, the goblin torches continue to flicker.

  Florian and Carter take the lead. Carter holds his trident at the ready and Florian’s massive feet quake the earth with each step.

  Myself, Buzz, Grayson, Jacob, and Tarence each command a battalion of men. When the fighting starts, it will be up to each of us to hold our ground.

  Kindra takes the rear with her archers. She will move around as needed, offering support where it is most beneficial.

  The gate closes behind us. Atop above the wall, in the guard towers, several women wait with rocks to throw down on any goblins who may make it that far.

  I take my place at the head of my battalion and all eyes fall on me once again. I breathe in the smell of wildflower and honeysuckle, knowing good and well that in a few hours, it will be replaced by the stench of blood.

  “We thought we would have more time. Isn’t that how it always goes, though? We think we will have more time with our loved ones, more time to do all the things we ever wanted. More time to prepare. But time is not promised. We only have control over what we do with the time we are given. For me, I’m grateful to be here with you. I am humbled to be chosen to lead this battle in what might be your finest moment as a city. The force that you see in the distance with their glowing torches, they aim to take everything you have. They want your town, your families, your very lives. And once they have those, they’ll move on and do the same thing to someone else. But we aren’t going to let that happen! We’ve set our defenses. We’ve prepared for war. And when those goblin forces come marching on our turf, we’re going to give them a hell that Thunder Mountain could only dream of!”

  Cheers ring out and weapons clash against each other and I think that for the moment, I’ve raised their morale enough for what comes next. When blood starts to shed and they feel the pain of battle, I don’t know what will happen.

  We take our positions and for the next few hours, the sun creeps towards the horizon, turning the black night sky gray around the edges. There is nothing to do but wait. I continuously hear the shuffle of feet and spears being rearranged in the ground. They are nervous.

  Most of these people have never been in a fight, let alone a battle, and now they are faced with the task of defending their town from monsters far tougher and stronger.

  “They approach!” someone shouts to my right.

  The first rays of sun cross the tree line, exposing the goblin army that is now only a couple of miles away.

  A dull beat echoes from their direction. It pounds repeatedly, growing in intensity the closer they come.

  The drums of war.

  The townspeople falter at the grandness of the goblins’ approach. As day breaks, I can begin to make out more details of the army. Several goblins ride large animals ranging from wolves to warthogs. Clad in fur and bone clothing, their weapons are crudely-forged iron, dull and heavy, but deadly. The majority of their forces march on foot, carrying swords or spears.

  They move without order. Complete chaos. They’ll fight with brute force. That is the one area where we will have the advantage, our tactics.

  Taking my sword in hand, it’s time to focus on my enchantments for the battle. I try to think of what will be most beneficial to my battalion. What can I do to make their job easier?

  With that in mind, I focus my mana into my sword.

  You have created Frosted Blade. Enemies will be slowed by 25% upon being hit. Cost: 150 mana

  Perfect! Once the goblins are slowed, my battalion can move in. It’ll also keep us from being overrun and prevent any goblins from escaping.

  Due to all of the caltrops I enchanted, my mana pool has now grown to five hundred, leaving me with three hundred and fifty remaining. What I really need is armor, but I don’t want heavy mail or plates weighing me down. Focusing on my tunic and pants, I attempt to make them stronger.

  You have created Hearty Pants and Tunic. These items have the same durability as plate mail, but wear like regular clothing. Cost: 200 mana.

  With my remaining mana, I use it to enchant the pebbles for my slingshot.

  The first
wave of goblins is nearly in range of the mines.

  I hold my breath, hoping that everything works as well as we have planned.

  The goblin forces come to a halt. Drumbeats boom through the silence, their bass rumbling in our chests. They beat the drums more rapidly until the beats are nothing more than a constant hum.

  There is one final beat, then silence.

  It seems to hang in the air for an eternity as we all wait for what’s next.

  The roar of hundreds of charging goblins breaks the quiet.

  “Defensive positions!” I yell, and the men fall into place.

  Explosions ring out across the battlefield as the goblins hit the mines. Screams of anger coincide with the goblins’ push. Several of their ranks are unlucky, hitting mine after mine, and I witness them falling to the ground. Dead or wounded, it doesn’t matter, they are out of the fight.

  The cavalry of animal riders quickly pass the warriors. A bear steps on a caltrop and its leg gives way, falling to the ground and crushing its rider under its massive weight. Many of the mounted warriors are tossed to the ground and continue on foot.

  The riders that make it through unscathed attempt to rush through the abatis, unaware of their purpose. The sharpened limbs rip through their flesh, coating the ground with blood.

  “Fire!” Kindra’s voice carries through the chaos and a dozen arrows soar through the sky. Mid-flight, she takes control of them with her mind, guiding the arrows into the hearts of a dozen goblins.

  Using my slingshot, I start launching exploding pebbles into the fray. They burst upon the tough skin of our goblin foes, dealing damage, but not enough to kill. Some slow the goblin forces, others stun them momentarily. I switch to frozen pebbles and their icy impact slows several of the goblins momentarily.

  To the far right, some of the goblins are pushing the gaps between the abatis. Florian steps in between, crushing goblins under his massive tree trunk legs. I watch in awe as he lifts a goblin off the ground and uses its body as a mace to bludgeon other goblins.

  All around us, battle reigns. I take the forefront of my battalion and engage with the nearest goblin. My blade connects with his shoulder and icy tendrils creep out from the impact, slowing his movement. This allows the man to my left to land a nicely placed spear to the goblin’s throat.