Through the Drakwald (part 2 of 3)

No matter where the residents of Untergard lived, on that morning they all woke to see that the storm that was pouring down had finally broken, and that Watch Captain Gerhard Schiller had asked everyone to unite at the badly damaged Ackerplatz, the town square to the western side of the bridge, where most of the heavy fighting occurred. As Chades, Magnus and Thorne found each other, they looked at the inhabitants of Untergard and saw a ragged, pale and hungry people, some still tending wounds from the siege. There were around 75 survivors total, and all were present.

Everyone was muttering restlessly to one another, and soon the three foreigners heard that Captain Schiller had an announcement, as he had received a message from the Graf Boris Todbringer himself, lord of the great city of Middenheim and Elector Count of all Middenland. People were obviously excited, all expecting to be good news the new day brought. A lot of rumours were being discussed, as the ongoing presence of Beastmen in the woods, a bounty offered by the Graf for the head of Khazrak One-eye, the insistence of Granny Moescher in keeping from moving into town, still living at her place outside the city walls, to the west, with the orphans she cared for (and how all of them were lucky not being killed in the battle). Some said that Captain Schiller had commanded his own mercenary company, while others were claimed that Woodsman Hans Baumer had been gone for a week and was probably dead.

Finally, Captain Schiller appeared with a group of his Watchmen and Father Dietrich. As a box was set for him to be seen, the man in charge of the town cleared his throat. Silence was already there. And, as the old soldier began to speak, his lips betrayed a smile, and his eyes showed relief.

Soon, people were cheering with him. The news were good indeed! Count Todbringer sent a message saying that Middenheim’s siege had been broken and that the great city still standed strong. Also, he thanked and congratulated the good people of Untergard, stating that the Battle of Untergard Bridge would be remembered as one of the most glorious in Middenland’s history. The Graf had sent the townspeople thirty loaves of bread and a dozen bottles of wine! As the Captain raised a bottle, people chanted “Long live the Count!”, the mood raising higher than ever in more than a month.

But that wasn’t to last long. Suddenly, a loud crack was heard, and the bottle in the Captain’s left hand exploded, showering him with glass and wine. People screamed and looked for shelter. Young Thorne pointed to the other side of the bridge, indicating where the shot had come from. But everyone saw the three Mutants that were running to cross the bridge…

Chades and Magnus made their way to the bridge as best as they could with everyone running. Thorne chose a different path, trying to get a good distance and line of sight to shoot his longbow. One Mutant had tentacles instead of arms, other had horns and thick fur, the third had a pig-like snout, and the last of the four had a third eye in the middle of his forehead.

The fighting was resumed where the bridge ended. Between Chades and Magnus’ blows, Thorne’s arrows and the help of two other Watchmen that arrived first, the Mutants were killed with just minor wounds taken on the part of the townsfolk. Anxiety and worrisome were on the air, tough. The group that took care of the four Mutants crossed the bridge carefully but quickly, but no one managed to find anything on the other side. Judging for the distance the shot that hit the Captain’s bottle was fired, whoever pressed the trigger had something like a long rifle in his hands. And that was very uncommon on this area, and almost unseen with Mutants and their kind…

When they came back to the Ackerplatz, Captain Schiller thanked all for their effort, and Granny Moescher, the town’s healer and orphan caregiver, proceeded to take care of the injured. The townspeople were all afraid and excited, talking loud about what happened, and a lot of different (and sometimes absurd) claims were being made. In the midst of the confusion, a breathless Watchman came running to report to the Captain, and the reason behind the seemingly suicidal attack of the Mutants became apparent: the town’s main gates, to the west, were heavily attacked by a group of Mutants and Beastmen.

Luckily, the Watchmen that were on duty hadn’t leaved their posts, and managed to held back the attackers. But several of the good protectors had been slain, though the casualties on the other side were so great that the Chaos creatures runned away.

Suddenly, a shout came from the gates. Fearing another attack, several of the townsfolk picked their weapons, the outsiders among them. But it turned out to be Woodsman Hans Baumer coming back! And he hadn’t come alone. There were a dozen forming a ragtag band, with fears in their eyes and their possessions on their backs.

As everyone gathers round to hear the Woodsman tale, while both Granny Moescher and Father Dietrich helped care for the outsiders he brought, the mood goes from excitement to a despaired silence. It had a reason: Hans Baumer had been scouting in the woods, gathering survivors from all over Middenland, when he found fresh Beastmen tracks. But it were not the tracks of just a couple, for they had found a quantity pointing to a warherd of 200 or more! And worse: the direction they were moving made obvious that they were going to pass through Untergard. Worse: Grimminhagen, the nearest and larger city around, had been sacked and was a wreck. No help should be expected to arrive in time.

A furious debate begun, Hans Baumer leading the faction that wanted to leave town, with the argument that they had no strength left to hold against such large enemy. Father Dietrich, on the other hand, lead those that wanted to stay and fight, not wanting to leave their houses and lands to be disacrated by the Chaos minions. Chades, Magnus and Thorne just watched, feeling confused, while Captain Schiller thought deeply.

At last, the Captain came to a conclusion. He announced, with regrets, that they didn’t believe the forces that were left to them could stand a warherd of 200 Beastmen. So, as much as it pained him, everyone should prepare to leave town with the next sunrise. They would feast, with moderation, on the bounty that the Graf had sent. And then they would go seek the protection of the Graf himself in the great city of Middenheim.

Before everyone disbanded, Captain Schiller approached the three outsiders and asked them to help him get the townsfolk safely to the capital. The Drakwald Forest was one of the most dangerous places of the Empire. In this troubled times, there was not a clue about what they could find along the way – or worse, what could find them. With the casualties they had on this recent and unexpected attack, there were very fez Watchmen left, and even if the common folk had learned how to manage simple weapons, many were still hurt and they were no soldiers.

That left the three outsiders without a choice. Though hardened men all of them, their hearts were good. And it seemed that they would have to prove, again, if their sword arms were even better…