Chapter 274 IF it Bleeds, IT DIES!
"Shit, I don't know if I should take this as a good or bad sign. It's good that the war is about to end soon, but increase in difficulty? Man, that's gonna suck." Dave mumbled to himself as he was going back to the throne room.
"Samael," Dave called. The man in black leather showed up right next to him. He was not a ghoul or able to use any magic but it still surprised Dave at how this man could appear out of nowhere.
"Yes, your majesty."
"I want you to further fortify the city, inside out. Put more traps, plants kegs inside the houses and on the streets, and fortify the palace walls with archers. I have a feeling that tomorrow, the Vinlandians will be able to break through our gates."
Samael went silent for a moment. He felt Dave's nervousness and said, "Worry not your majesty, we shall do our best to save Arotsa."
"Thanks, Samael. Now go, do as I told."
"Yes, your majesty." Samael disappeared.
Dave sat on his throne, both hands supporting his chin. He was thinking about what else he could do to prevent losing tomorrow's fight. He had done well so far, repelled the enemy forces with minimal casualties every time. But if the enemy decides on a full assault abandoning the thought of retreat, he might lose his legacy class advancement quest.
"Gaahhh, shit, can't think of anything to use in the fight tomorrow. I don't even know what they're up to. Shit, there is no point in overthinking, I'll just have to adapt." Dave sighed as he relaxed on the throne, waiting for morning to come.
The Vinlandians must be really pissed now. He drowned them, poisoned them, blew them up and caused the plague in their ranks. And now, their base was destroyed. No wonder they hated Dave's guts to the extent that the system increased the difficulty of the raid.
When dawn came, Dave left his throne and walked through the city. Today was probably the last time he will ever see this place again. His soldiers were sharpening their weapons and preparing for the fight. Dave didn't think of them as mere ones and zeros. But they all had feelings that they portrayed and expressed like real living people. They laughed in victory and cried when their loved ones died.
These were the traits that the undead legion had carried along with them from before their death. These traits were the things that made him feel not among computer programs but a real family. Something he never had. Dave's feelings toward the Undead Legion were genuine, even if the Undead King no longer remembers him. The rest of the legion still knows the legend of Kis'Shtiengbrah.
Dave encouraged anyone he came across, lifting their morals in preparation for the last battle. Patting the shoulder of the workers doing the trap and even went underground to calm the civilians.
After making a whole tour of the city, Samael appeared next to Dave.
"Your majesty, they are here. But we have a problem."
Dave nodded. His expression was serious. Dave followed after Samael's hurried steps. He was going toward the city gate. Orn and Gale joined and followed behind Dave.
Arotsa soldiers that were stationed inside the city gave way to the four of them. Dave didn't station soldiers outside the city. He had to gain time; the city walls were enough to hold off the enemy wasting a lot of their time.
Samael led Dave to the top of the city walls.
Dave looked at the stationed enemy and asked "What is the problem you are talking about-" but he suddenly quieted down.
"I see," Dave, said. cold sweat dripped down his back. His eyes were fixed at monsters leading the Vinlandians army.
This is the first time Dave saw anything aside humans in this legacy quest. The Legacy quest was a simulation of the past. Even magic was scares and useless. Dagla was a fine example.
The legacy quest was set in a time, thousands of years before the development of powerful magic. Thanks to the legion becoming undead, Dagla had enough time to learn magic and become the strongest magician of the legion and a legend in the book of every wizard and scholar of magic.
But now, Dave was facing monsters, something that obviously was not a part of the original setting of the legacy quest.
The monsters in front of the Vinlandians army were oversized four legged creatures. They had a skin as green as a goblin, and their back was an armored carapace. They had horns like a ram but the jaws of a crocodile. There were hundreds of these creatures all standing outside the range of Dave's trebuchets.
"What the hell is that!" An archer said in fright.
"Calm down soldier!" Dave shouted. But his words fell on deaf ears. Fear had already spread through the archer ranks. Gripping tightly at their courage.
Dave had to deal with this situation before it got any worse. He shouted from atop the walls.
"People of Arotsa! The Vinlandians are trying to scare us with monsters, but they don't know that we are the true monsters! If it bleeds! IT DIES!"
Dave's speech calmed the people down a bit. But there was still fear in their eyes.
A notification appeared in front of Dave.
***
Your Maestro of War title has been disabled due to the increased legacy quest's difficulty.
You cannot increase the troops' morals with mere words. (You gotta put some effort into it mate.)
***
Dave cursed inwardly, both at the snarky comment in his notification screen and due to the failure of his title activating. How was he supposed to lift the troops' morals with action?
He still understood what he had to do to boost the troop's morals. He had to show them that the monsters can be killed, otherwise, the crippling fear will lower their performance in the war.
A horn blew from the backline of the Vinlandian army, sounding the start of the assault on the capital of Arotsa, Muliner.
The hundreds of green monsters ran like a herd of enraged rhinoceroses at the city gate. The ground trembled with every step the several ton heavy creatures made.
"Dementi, take command!" Dave ordered.
"Yes, your majesty." Dementi turned to one of her underlings and ordered, "Shoot the trebuchets! Archers! Use fire arrows and fire at will!"
A volley of enflamed arrows rained down on the incoming monsters. The arrows bounced off the hides of the green monsters, some even pierced through their green skin but it didn't slow any of these monsters. One boulder from a trebuchet smashed into the head of one of these monsters caving it in. Another monster that was running behind it, agilely jumped above the dying green ram.
One of these green monsters was much faster than the rest, it arrived first and jumped toward the wall of the city. It attached itself to the wall like a locust on a wall and used its sword sized claws to climb up the wall. The archers shot fire arrows at it but most of the arrows bounced off its armored carapace.
The rest of the monsters latched into the city walls and started their climb. The soldiers poured hot oil on the masters, melting their skin and causing many to fall to the ground, screaming unwholesomely in pain. But the oil and burning liquids wasn't enough to kill them so they climbed back up, with more wrath and rage at the soldiers who just hurt them.
One monster managed to set foot on the wall, it began swatting away the archers that were surrounding it killing every archer with a swing. When no more archers had the will to attack it, the monster jumped into the city. The creature however, was unlucky as it fell right into a pitfall trap, it got skewered and died instantly.
Dave was standing on the wall right next to the gate. He was desperately trying to calm the archers who were afraid of the monsters. A green monster just managed to set foot on the wall Dave was on.
"Your majesty, back away!" Orn said and slashed down at the monster's head with his sword.
Orn's sword bounced off the monster's head. Enraged, the monster clawed down at Orn who blocked with his sword but was still forced to his knees from the strength behind the monster's arm.
Dave didn't like how this was going, so he had to intervene.
He went past Orn and grabbed at the monster's extended arm, piercing through its eye with his black sword. The creature covered its face, screeching from the unsupportable pain it was going through. Dave took the opportunity as the monster was distracted and shoved his black sword into its throat and slashed out. Ripping the monster's gorge out.
Blood gushed out like a fountain as the monster fell outside the city walls, dead.
The archers atop the wall were surprised by Dave's action. He killed the monster that they all feared alone. It was shameful that they feared what their king didn't.
***
Your actions increased the troop's morals. They can now fight at full power.
(That's my boy!)
***
Dave ignored the notification, there were many other monsters climbing the walls. He swung his sword sideways splattering the blood on the sword into the stone floor. More monsters climbed the walls, but now the soldiers were braver in fighting against them. And when they killed their first, it encouraged them to kill more.
Samael shouted, "Fight for your country, Fight for your king!"
"Huraaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
The soldiers laid down their lives holding off the monsters from climbing. But the monsters were agile and fast. A few managed to land inside the city and spread through the streets. But there were thousands of soldiers waiting for them with ballistae at the ready.
Dementi ran to Dave who just finished off another monster and said, "Your majesty, someone is mounting one of these monsters."
Dementi pointed at a monster, there was a man leading the monster toward the gate. Strapped to the monster were dozens of black barrels. Dave's eyes widened in realization.
Dave shouted at the top of his lungs, "ARCHERS! SHOOT IT DOWN WITH FIRE ARROWS!"
Archers shot volleys of arrows at the monster, but most of them bounced off and the ones that landed on the barrels bounced off.
"KEEP SHOOTING!"
But it was too late, the monster arrived under the city gate. A moment later, a thundering explosion blasted the portcullises and the archers on top of them. Dave was standing on the wall right next to it, so he was affected by the explosion and was knocked off the walls and into one of the city streets.
Everything went dark for Dave.
Somehow, the fall didn't kill him, he still felt a numbing pain assaulting his back. His vision was distorted, and his ears were ringing. When his vision cleared, Dave, down on his back was looking right into the eyes of one of those green monsters. The creature reared back, lifting its clawed arm, then slashed down at Dave…