Weeks had passed now, the defense of Teutagon's village became ever more desperate with every few days. The easterlings had finally decided to charge the walls, thinking the defenders to be sufficiently weakened by hunger and desease or they themselves. Uhruz had not made a great impression on her from the start, but she had to admit that his tactics were starting to show their merits. With lacking food, water, weapons and what have you to keep their army in one piece their eagerness had all but dissipated. Hjelten had been looking on from a distance and her eyes were truly sharp. She could see five separate groups of the besiegers use ladders and climb their way up. Sluggishly dragging their tired bodies up only to be met with spears and axes that sent them falling back from the trench they had come. Her heart skipped a beat at the sight of her own father and her brothers standing shoulder to shoulder behind a battlement and an unwanted yelp rose from her mouth when she saw one of her brothers about to slash at a foe, but instead his stirred bowls forced him to vomit that way.. She slipped from the branches and landed between the tree's roots.. The camouflaged camp of Uhruz' men impressed her greatly, she had gotten lost in it not for it's size, but how well it was hidden from the naked eye. "Best use your nose instead.", one of the fighters said with a smile while pointing at their leader.. everyone chuckled. Oblivious of the nearby fighting that may have been twohundred footsteps away only.
Uhruz slapped his belly as he appeared from behind a bush, Hjelten noticed the ripple of fat on impact as the large brute patted his belly contently. He had taken it upon himself to have an eating contest with two other warriors of his, none were particularly slim. "Is it wise to waste? At some point they may stop sending supplies altogether.. how many has it been since the start.. seven.. eight?" "Hohoh woman, little ugly Dark men are not smart. They lie to their chieftains and hoh.. they say all is going well. So chieftain keeps sending food and drink, thinking Teutagon's village is already in their hands." It made sense, Hjtelten had noticed that these easterling armies had no less rivalries than their own would, but they were seemingly prepared to lose every single man they had if it meant saving face for their commanders.", she was not sure if that was cause for relief or concern. She looked up at him with a shrug, "Fine, so what do we do next?" And she was beckoned to come with up into the tree she had slid from.
They looked on from the branches at the battlefield.. "We will watch now.. soon hunger and illness drives them mad. Then they will throw all they have.. and we come from behind. Jam our axes up their arses.. hoh!" "How will we get over the outer trench?" Uhruz rubbed his thick beard.., "We push carts we have in there.. make them bridges. Some of us clean outer pitt.. the rest charges in. Hit hard!", his meaty fist bumping into his palm. "You make it sound so... simple.", she smiled for the first time since they had arrived. "Joah.. simple. Life is not hard. Kill wargs, kill urks, kill Dark men.. Eat, drink, laugh, listen to brodr because he is always right." Hjelten nods, "Right, I do not know much of your brodr, but I believe Uhruz is right once in a while aswell actually." He glanced at her before grinning widely.
It all went as expected.. they had formed up in large blocks of hundreds of men around the walls. Such were their numbers that the defenders were forced to split themselves thin to less than a quarter of what they were to face. Surely the walls prevented an all out defeat, but the situation looked bleak nonetheless. Uhruz' eyes were glistening.. his chest was bare and a bloody symbol he had carved there over a series of scars from previous cuts. Many of his warriors seemed to favor this little ritual. They brought forth the carts.. "Now wait till they are getting on ladders.." "But, they may envelop the villagers before we get a chance to free them! We don't have the numbers to be everywhere at once." "No.. but we fight with what we have woman. Hit hard, fight hard.. and quick!", he brought forth his axe and started to polish it with a rock..
"Kurza will have us hanging by our feet over a fire if we do not take this nest of northmen!! Remember well my soldiers that inside is the meat, the cheese, the beer and all the beds and women you could long for!!", Breda shouted while his hunchback servant limped behind. The easterlings looked miserable, they were doing their best to stay upright and fight their malnourishment aswell as some trying to hold back the fever that had made it's way in the camp. "What do you have muck in your ears? Cheer you sorry lot!!" A ragtag reply came out of their mouths, "Good! All this misery will be over by the end of the day. So just climb on these walls and fight your way inside! The man that manages to bring me their chieftain's head will want not for food and drink later this night!! Now to your positions!!"
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Then it began, "Rog! The horn!" The hunchback set it to his lips and it let out a blaring wail that announced the death of many to come. Ladders were brought to bare once more, but this time archers too attempted to pick off defenders.. Hjelten her throat went dry as she could see projectiles sniping at people she had known her whole life. The entire world seemed to vanish.. till she was snapped out of it by an axehandle that was pushed against her back, "What are you waiting for impatient one? Hohoh.."
Teutagon held his sword close, "Hanskar, Margrete!", he shouted at two siblings, "Fetch the cooking pot, we'll treat them on a hot bath!" "That is going to be the last one chief!", the sister cried! "So be it! The rest will be spearwork, now get to it!" "By all the gods, if I live through this I will never drink again.., but not seriously!", he shouted, rousing weak laughter from his men and women! The man's sword went slashed into the throat of the first man trying to get inside, he fell back with a spray of red as his body toppled up and over his comrades.., "Harghn, take that you filthy piggart!" Then from the corner of his eye he saw something, "More of them?", he thought with a quizzical brow.. then it dawned on him, "Those look like Tunaraz' skadugangers.. interesting."
Uhruz ran with the momentum of a wild bull, pulling a cart along with such haste that those meant to push it barely needed to make any effort, "Bravery now!! Brutality now!!", he shouted deafeningly! His men repeating those words as if they were a mantra to follow! "Bravery now!! Brutality now!!", with those words filling Hjelten's mind she found her thoughts of self-preservation to take a second place only to find a target to hew her weapon at!! "Bravery now!!" A dozen or so arrows flew their way, cries of alarm and panic rose from the outer trench and men ran sideways to save their lives as the carts crashed into them.. some splintering, others forming perfect bridges.. Uhruz had moved with such speed that in spite if his weight he had hopped over! "Brutality now!!" With each man and woman knowing what to do several jumped in the outer trench, cries and the sound of fighting coming out from there.. Uhruz spared no moment and rushed with those who could keep up straight into the backs of a fighting unit.. three necks hewn before any of them even knew they were under attack!
Breda heard a horn blare in alarm or rather, hear it's sound being cut short by half and turned to see the sneaks that had been stealing their food all along. Rog grinned, his long and thin teeth like needles, "Next step of the plan conquering commander?" "Yes Rog, hurry up." Another blare came up and several of the blocks of men near to Uhruz turned from the walls, with intent to encircle Uhruz' his men.
"I will dangle your innards from your ladder!!", Uhruz roared at an uncomprehending easterling before disemboweling him! The defenders above let out a cheer, not believing what they had witnessed, but soon they were pointing and yelling at the Woodmen.. "Watch out to your right.. no left.. no!!" Uhruz' men stood on a pile of dead attackers, panting and ululating warcries erupted from their throats! They were swept up in a tantrum of primal savagery, encouraged by their leader with such a glorious start! Hjelten felt herself barely able to control her conscious thought, these men fought like the berserkers from legend and she had been atleast partially enthralled by their spell! She looked around herself, cheering and sweating bodies were everywhere.
Her eyes gleamed , she managed to get to a ladder, "No wait!" Her words fell on deaf ears as the defenders pulled it up to prevent it being useful to anyone. "They want us dead?", one of Uhruz men yelled angrily now that they were trapped. Uhruz patted him on the shoulder, "Joah.. these Dark men are trapped here with us, hohohoh!" With their cruelly curved swords they came ever closer, they looked frightened despite their good position. Every now and then a man got picked off by a javelin or an arrow from the walls, but it was too little too late. This section of the wall was quickly being abandoned in favor of helping other spots while Uhruz men at the bottom were now forced to combat the easterlings that had enveloped them from behind on both sides..
Breda stretched his back, "Hrmm.. what I wouldn't do for a soft bed now.." Rog looked up with wonder, "Commander?" "A jest, it can not be long before the men are getting inside atleast somewhere at this point." He made a gesture to his personal bodyguard and off they marched to stroll inside the village as conquering heroes!
"Fall back, fall back! Second layer of defense, get behind the barricades go!!" Everyone still alive or capable to started to flee into the inner courtyard. There, around a large standing stone they had made a makeshift wall of all things possible.. Hanskar and Margrete dumped the contents of the pot on the men below before they made their escape. The scalding contents making men scream as it burned into skin and eyes, "Leave the pot we won't need it anymore!" The siblings dropped it over the wall and fled, .. "So these are the final days of Teutagon, .. atleast Hjelten had gotten out to live on."
Hjelten felt a tug on her hair, her eyes going wide when a sweeping scimitar nearly split her cheeks sideways. Her assailant didn't have a second chance as Uhruz himself balled his free hand and crushed the man's face with it.. His men had made a circle, spears and axes jutting out from all directions that kept the many swordsmen at a distance for most part, but for how long till the walls were emptied and those archers could pepper them? "What do we do?! They are too many to overcome!", one of the woodmen yelled! The large man laughed, overcome by frenzy, "Bwhaha! We fight till we die!!" His vitality was something to behold, his every swing sent a foe's bodypart flying and it looked like no iron could hurt him! For the briefest of moments she thought the man to be able to simply slaughter his way through, yet from further she could see yet another flag of the easterlings approaching.. meaning more of them yet..
Uhruz had not felt this alive in a long while, blood lay on his torso some his own, most not. He paid no heed to the fear of his enemies, the ones in front pushed back while those behind kept those in place by pushing forth.. perfect for a man with a long-axe. Several of his bravest warriors had joined with their spears. This formation of theirs couldn't be of use much longer if the archers would arrive.. he gasped for air and stepped back letting the younger men take over for a moment and create a circle around him. His eyes narrowed when he had spotted that which he meant to hit in the first place, "Their chief, let's go kill him!!" He took in a few more deep breathes and launched himself in the fray anew!
The defenders were losing hope, for every easterling killed two more were popping their heads. Teutagon turned to see Margrete tenderly holding her brother's face as the boy lay felled by some hit, all fighting spirit left out of her and it resembled the look of the villagers. They wanted it to be gotten over with. "Come on, just a little bit longer and they run back to their hidingholes!!" With the courage of desperation they found their second wind and cried out in anguish and anger!
Breda should've known better, but his ego had gotten the better of him. 'Conquering heroes, pfah!" Now he had all but needed to risk his own person against these madmen that were trying to pass through the line of defense from his personal guard. Where they got such fighting spirit and skill was beyond him to know, these lands sure bred a special breed of savage. Yet they were prone to fall soon.. just .. needed.. "Rog!" The hunchback looked up, raising his horn in an attempt to defend himself.. He managed to live by sheer luck, however .. "Forgive me commander!" Breda just couldn't believe his bad luck as he glanced at the horn being cut and crumpled..
Hjelten rushed in behind Uhruz, whomever didn't die from his onslaught she made sure stayed down with skill of arms. His men were tiring, but the easterlings looked on the verge of collapse and that encouraged them to keep it up! She could swear they were all trying to outdo Uhruz as if this was some form of competition. The big man himself hooked a shield away and a spearman was quick to create a gap in the foe's formation by stabbing the holder in the groin! The soldier didn't have time to slowly collapse, clenching his manhood or Uhruz would step on him and deepened the hole while the spearmen stabbed to keep his flank safe as possible. Another of these better armed men rose up his sword in defense, but under the powerful swing of the axe his own blade got driven into his face.. with a blind sideswing Uhruz widened the gap in the easterlinglines and all his eyes were looking for was the leader of this horde..
Breda had to force down a cry of panic as the axe swept in and cut the decorative horsetail from his helmet, sweat was pouring from his face and his heart bounced in his dried out throat. "So close!", he thought to himself.. but he had enough of this. He was not going to die in this mudhole far away from home! "Follow me!", he shouted in his bravest tone, all the while pulling with him whom he could along the way as he fled the fight.. and the siegecamp altogether to vanish over the northeastern hills with a speed only men throwing their armor away could muster..
The beerhall's door was bouncing with each impact of the ram.. the defenders were all huddled together inside, most elders, children, women and the few surviving men. Teutagon stood there with the other men, "There's nothing for it now my friends, even if all you've left is your teeth, you bite their ankles as long as you can to keep them from our wives and daughters!" The men seemed afraid, but determined to sacrifice themselves if that is what it took. Several of the elder men even, weren't denied a weapon as they had been before, "Ah I remember when you were still sitting on your mother's lap chieftain. Time to show you sops how it's done!", one of the elders joked with a hoarse laugh.. Yet for some reason, they heard shouts of dismay outside and the ramming on the door had ceased. "Chieftain!" "Hjelten..? Is that you?" "It is, the easterlings are on the run! All of them!" A general sigh of relief came out of everyone.. "What of Tunaraz' men?"
Uhruz shoved a man down on his belly and before he got up clove him in the neck.. the gurgles of the dying man still resounding. "Do we let the rest flee? There is still several hundred of them, they'll plunder the outlying farms." Uhruz glanced over his shoulder, "Joah.. villagers can wait. Let us collect more heads first." A merry cheer went in the air!..
