Chapter 151: The Meat Grinder

-PoV: Ron-

"EVERYONE TAKE DEFENSIVE POSITIONS!"

Erik’s voice carries across the settlement.

I stop and look toward the family tents.

"Guards! Apprentices! Get your armor and weapons! Everyone else get away from the north side!"

I run.

People scatter around me as I race for my tent. My armor is where I left it, along with my sword, shield, and dagger. I start with the padded clothing beneath the steel, then pull the armor on as quickly as I can. One strap. Another.

My hands are moving faster than my thoughts.

I tighten the last strap, fasten my seven-inch dagger at my side, and pick up my sword.

The fist-shaped pommel settles into my gauntlet. Shield. Helmet. I pull the helmet over my head. The world immediately gets smaller.

Everything outside disappears except for the narrow strip I can see through the slit.

"Ron!"

I recognize Hakon’s voice.

"Here!"

I grab my shield and hurry outside. Hakon is waiting for me in full armor.

"NORTH SIDE! MOVE!" Erik shouts.

We run.

I can’t see much while running with the helmet on. I have to turn my entire head whenever I want to look anywhere except directly ahead.

Guards and apprentices rush north around us.

We reach the edge of the settlement.

"Everyone with a shield form a wall with polearms behind them! Dual wielders on the flanks, drive them into the shield wall! Archers in the back on the wagons!"

Hakon moves forward. I follow him. We take our places among the other shield users. I raise my shield to my shoulder. Through the slit in my helmet, I can see the northern forest. Then birds explode from the trees. Branches break. Something is coming. Something big.

"Archers ready!"

The first brown-skinned orc appears.

Then another. More pour through the trees until the narrow section of forest I can see is filled with them.

I hear someone swear nearby.

"ARCHERS! LOOSE!"

Arrows fly overhead.

"Again!"

Another volley.

"Again!"

Then the orcs are almost on us.

"Shield wall! Brace!"

I plant my feet. The horde hits. My shield slams backward into me. I grunt and shove against it.

"Hold!"

An axe crashes against the upper edge of my shield. The impact shoots through my arm. I thrust my sword over the top. The blade punches into something. I pull it back. An orc collapses and another immediately takes its place. There isn’t even a gap between them.

The new one snarls at me. Its face is inches away. I can see its teeth through my helmet slit.

Then I smell its breath. Hot. Rotten. Disgusting.

It claws at the top of my shield.

I thrust. My sword enters beneath its jaw.

I rip the blade free.

Another orc. An axe comes down. CLANG! My shield catches it. My arm goes numb for a second. I stab over the top again. The orc falls. Another replaces it.

Shield up. Thrust. Pull back. Shield up.

I can’t see what is happening anywhere else.

I know Hakon is nearby because I hear his sword striking something and occasionally hear his voice through all the screaming and metal.

That’s enough. I don’t need to see him. I need to watch what’s directly in front of me. An orc swings a sword toward my head. I duck slightly behind my shield. The weapon slams into the steel. I thrust underneath its arm. Blood sprays across my shield and helmet. The orc falls. Another takes its place.

How many are there? I can’t tell.

From inside this helmet, there could be fifty or five hundred. All I know is they don’t stop coming. Something pushes hard against my shield. My boots slide backward an inch. I shove forward. The fighter beside me presses against my shield edge, keeping the gap closed.

I stab again. My sword comes back wet. More blood runs down the blade. Another thrust.

More blood. It reaches the hilt. I tighten my grip. The steel gauntlet doesn’t help. The sword shifts slightly in my hand when I pull it free.

Shit.

I squeeze harder. An orc reaches over my shield with claws extended toward my helmet. I jerk my head backward. Its claws scrape across the steel.

I stab it in the chest. Once. Twice. It finally drops.

Another orc immediately fills the space. My shield arm is starting to burn.

Already?

I don’t know how long we’ve been fighting. It feels like forever. It could have been five minutes. An axe hits my shield. Then another weapon strikes it almost immediately afterward.

My shoulder screams. I keep the shield up.

If I lower it, even for a second, the next swing is coming at my head.

I thrust. Pull back. Thrust again.

The sword shifts inside my gauntlet. I nearly lose my grip.

"No."

I tighten my hand around the hilt. Blood coats the gauntlet now.

Mine? No. I don’t think so. I don’t feel injured.

Another brown face appears above my shield.

The orc snarls. Its breath rolls through the slit in my helmet

I almost gag. "You stink."

I stab it through the mouth. It disappears beneath the others. Another takes its place. My arm keeps moving.

Shield. Sword. Shield. Sword.

Something changes in front of me. For half a second, the pressure eases. I thrust at an orc and miss its throat, catching its shoulder instead. It jerks backward but doesn’t fall. The orc beside it surges forward.

Its axe rises. Too high. I see it clearly through the slit. The axe is above my shield. Coming down toward my head. I try to raise the shield farther.

Too slow.

The orc suddenly jerks. An arrow slams into its throat. Its eyes widen. The axe slips from its hands. The orc collapses against my shield before disappearing beneath the bodies. I stare for half a second.

"Thank you, Goddess."

Another orc replaces it. I stab it. No time to wonder where the arrow came from. The fighting keeps going. Bodies are piling in front of us now. The orcs have to climb over them to reach the wall. That should make this easier.

It doesn’t feel easier. Now they’re coming at us from slightly higher. A sword scrapes across the top of my shield.

I thrust upward. The blade sinks into an orc’s stomach. I pull. My sword almost stays behind.

My bloody gauntlet slides against the hilt. I catch the fist-shaped pommel before the sword can leave my hand. My heart jumps. I have a dagger. I know I have a dagger. I don’t want to find out what fighting this close with seven inches of blade feels like.

I adjust my grip. "Come on."

Another orc. Thrust. Another. Block. Another. Thrust. My shoulder burns. My sword arm aches. My legs are beginning to shake from pushing against the weight in front of me. I can’t see the archers. I can’t see Erik. I can’t see the flanks. The world is a narrow slit filled with brown skin, blood, steel, and teeth. An orc slams into my shield. I shove it back. My sword punches into its throat.

It falls.

Ding!

[You have reached Level 10.]

My eyes widen. Level Ten. Right now? An axe crashes into my shield. The impact nearly knocks it down. I shove it back up. Whatever the system wants to do can fucking wait. Another orc snarls at me. I stab it. Then I hear a deeper roar. Not directly in front of me. Somewhere beyond the wall. The ordinary orcs shift. Something larger pushes through them. I catch pieces of it through my helmet slit. A bigger body. A heavier weapon. An Orc Warrior.

"Warrior!" someone shouts.

The wall tightens. The Warrior forces its way toward us. I can’t tell exactly where it’s going until its face appears directly in front of me. Of course. It swings. The blow crashes into my shield. Pain shoots from my wrist to my shoulder. My knees bend. For one terrifying second, the shield dips. I see the Warrior’s weapon rise again.

I force my arm back up. The next impact almost knocks me into the fighter behind me. A polearm flashes over my shoulder. The blade cuts into the Warrior. It roars. Another polearm strikes from somewhere I can’t see. I thrust my sword over the shield and bury it in the Warrior’s chest. It doesn’t fall. I yank the blade free. My grip slips. The sword drops several inches inside my hand. The fist-shaped pommel catches against the bottom of my gauntlet.

I grab the hilt again. The Warrior swings. I brace.

CLANG!

My entire arm screams. Then another polearm strikes. The Warrior staggers. I thrust again. This time the sword sinks into its throat. The Warrior finally collapses. I suck in a breath inside my helmet. Something steps over it. Another orc. I raise my shield. My shoulder feels like it’s on fire. My sword is slippery. My legs are shaking. I can barely see anything beyond the next snarling face. But the wall is still standing.

So am I. I tighten my grip around my sword.

Keep the shield up.

Keep attacking.

Keep my footing.

Keep the sword in my hand.

The orc swings. I brace for the impact.

And the meat grinder keeps churning.