Scootaloo glanced upwards, looking for the sun.
Surely it hasn’t been THAT long has it? She thought to herself.
But the distant Bruce was correct, the sun was beginning to kiss the horizon, bathing everything in a bright orange light.
Rookies also started to panic, and things went from calm and orderly to frantic and wild. The oil gatherers filled one last bucket and sprinted as best as they could towards the wall. While a crowd of the unarmored poured into the courtyard, clamoring for a suit.
Scootaloo decided to help a little by grabbing an abandoned bucket and pour some of the oil into an empty mold. After moving the mold to the drying area, Scootaloo joined the exodus towards the wall.
The wall was expectedly teeming with life. The soldiers had formed a magnificent wall, at least 20 meters thick in places, with the occasional stairway carved into it so people could traverse up and down. Arrow slits were formed on the outer lip, in some places someone especially clever had somehow managed to pour the gravel and oil mix so that it hardened to form a roof over the battlement!
Scootaloo dashed up the nearest stairs just as the final third of the sun began its descent into the treeline.
The day must’ve been sped up somehow. Scootaloo thought to herself as she pulled out her bow and notched an arrow, crouching under one of the clever roofs.
Far away in the already dark treeline, Scootaloo could see things moving in the shadows. Shambling half rotten masses that looked eerily like former rookies, and crouched masses of furred muscle.
The final sliver of daylight faded, and darkness descended. Wolf howls pierced the stillness, and the shambling masses lurched forwards with surprising speed.
Scootaloo joined the others in barraging arrows towards the zombies, not really sighting her shots, but more just to get a feel of the bow. All too soon however, the horde reached the foot of the wall, trying to claw their way up. A particular zombie frothed at the mouth and tried to climb the wall directly below Scootaloo. She nocked an arrow and pointed it at the thing’s face.
THWUMP!
Scootaloo’s bow was suddenly without an arrow and the zombie suddenly wasn’t moving and had it’s head pinned to the ground behind it.
Horrified and wide eyed, Scootaloo stopped.
What have I done? she asked herself. A howl interrupted her introspection, and a pack of wolves decided they had had enough waiting and broke from the tree line.
No. These are monsters, and I’m not only protecting myself, but others. she reasoned, remembering her earlier encounter with the wolf. Gritting her teeth, she readied another arrow, took aim, and let go. A charging wolf yelped and violently tumbled, taking several zombies out with it’s crash. Another arrow was readied, shot, and another monster stopped moving. Scootaloo shot arrow after arrow, knowing that if she didn’t, other rookies would die.
Scootaloo’s repetition was ended when an arrow thunked into the wall beside her arrow slit.
“Whoa!” she yelped as she ducked in suprise. Peeking out ever so slightly, she discovered the source of the new danger. Monsters made of bone who held dilapidated versions of the bow Scootaloo held in her hand.
A now practiced movement and the skeleton who had taken a shot at her suddenly had it’s skull shattered as an arrow met ancient bone.
“AIEEEEEE!” a scream broke out. Horrified, Scootaloo turned to see a wolf haul itself onto another part of the wall, a soldier already in its jaws.
“NOOOO!” Scootaloo shouted, nocking an arrow and shooting at the offending wolf.
It was too late… The arrow impacted just above the wolves ribs, and the wolf fell back, taking the doomed soldier with it. The zombies in turn swarmed the wolf’s corpse and mauled the still living rookie.
“xxJimmyxx was slain by a zombie.”
More arrows whizzed by Scootaloo, tearing her focus back to the field. A group of skeletons had decided that she needed to go, and were focusing their arrows on her. Enraged, Scootaloo returned fire.
The sniper duel raged for several minutes because the skeletons were clever and took turns moving and firing. The only reason Scootaloo stood a chance was her armor, and the stone barricade she could hide behind. It was only ended when a group of soldiers took out a skeleton that wasn’t paying attention and Scootaloo took the opportunity to nail the skeleton that was getting ready.
That was when a blob of green filth splattered all over Scootaloo’s cover.
“Huh?” she grunted as a shadow loomed. Looking up, Scootaloo’s ears folded as a giant spider that would look perfectly at home in the deep areas of the Everfree pulled itself over the battlements.
“SKREEEEEEEEEEE!!” it screeched, spraying a foul smelling liquid at the defenders, including Scootaloo.
“Woah!” she exclaimed as she dove to the side. Another defender jumped forward with her sword and stabbed the spider in its abdomen. It screamed in pain as the soldier used her sword as a handle and flipped the spider, towards soldiers who had their swords ready. As the others handled it, Scootaloo returned to firing at the horde that remained strong and steady.
The siege continued for hours. Countless monsters fell, their bodies trampled to mush by their fellows. The only respite seemed to be the wall the rookies defended, but that idea was dashed when;
“THEY’VE GOT SEIGE MONSTERS.” Bruce’s voice cried from another part of the wall.
A metallic groan echoed over the ichor soaked field as a massive hulk tore it’s way out of the jungle. Moonlight reflected off thick armor plating as the beast revealed itself. With almost comically short legs, but absurdly long arms that ended in hammeresque knuckles that scrapped the ground, it’s domed head was a scant meter taller then the wall. But there was no flesh to be seen, and everything was made of metal plating. It didn’t roar, or even move all that fast, but it still moved forward with such force that Scootaloo swore she could feel her teeth vibrate in her gums. Arrows from other soldiers pinged off it’s steel hide, its armor all but ignoring them.
Seeing nothing doing the new threat any harm, Scootaloo focused on shooting the monsters that used the metal giant as cover. Closer and closer it got, swarms of lesser monsters running from under its feet.
“OLD MAAAN WILLLLLLLLAKERS!” came a surprise warcry.
Startled, Scootaloo looked to her left to see Bruce launch himself off the wall, pickaxe and sword in hand. At first thought Scootaloo thought she was about to see Bruce miss and get swarmed. But then Bruce landed on the golem’s chest, using his pickaxe as a climbing tool to climb to it’s head.
“What the hay?” Scootaloo asked herself.
“YEEEEEEEEEEEAH!” Bruce screamed as he climbed on top of the golem’s head, jamming his sword into the neck joint, and begin wailing on it’s head with the picaxe.
The golem didn’t react to Bruce, but it did extend it’s arm as it wound up to hit the wall itself. With agonising slowness, the golem swung forward, punching the wall, sending stone and rookies flying.
Conversely, Bruce’s stunt had inspired a few soldiers who pulled out their swords and jumped over the wall into the field. Several of the soldiers went to slice at the golem’s shins, but most met the horde that rushed towards the sudden appearance of easy prey.
The battle “ended” suddenly however when Bruce finally damaged the golem’s head enough to the point he pulled it off and out, shutting the golem down. With the construct teetering, Bruce jumped back onto the wall and resumed firing at the horde.
“You stupid Jimmies! Stay on the wall!” he exclaimed.
Scootaloo rolled her eyes but kept shooting arrows.