Little update: A big thanks to those who are following this story so far! In case you are wondering, this is a self-written story (an amateur attempt I know) during the days when I was fascinated by the stuff about knights, castles, kingdoms and sorcery, you get what I mean. For those who wish to check out the previous chapters, here's the link! With that let the adventure continue!
Chapter 42
The path between the castle and Bresburg was not known to many. It was a long and narrow path flanked by two steep slopes. Located in the mountainous region, the paths were rocky and maneuvering through was always tricky.
This day, the sun had just risen above the horizon when Brad and his team spotted a group of skeletal warriors heading in their direction.
Inside their respective trenches, one of them shouted, "Looks like we have visitors today!"
"I don't see the Perisher!" said another.
"Maybe it's their scouts. Get ready, everyone!" commanded Brad.
As the skeletal warriors moved closer, the four of them got themselves ready and awaited Brad's signal. As the ambush team kept still on the elevated ground, the narrow path greeted the creatures in metal. Automatically, they shuffled through their formation and proceeded in a single file. The five of them held their breath as they watched the long stretch of skeletal warriors fill up the winding path beneath them.
When the time was ripe, Brad gave the command to start their attack. Immediately, the ropes were released and big boulders tumbled down the slopes, crushing the skeletal warriors that stood in their way. Caught by surprise, the dumbfounded skeletal warriors were next greeted by a series of arrows that were shot down by Brad's ambush team. When the arrows were exhausted, the men took aim and catapulted rocks and stones towards the skeletal warriors.
Despite their courageous efforts, only a small portion of the skeletal warriors had fallen. However, because of the huge boulders, the skeletal warriors were segregated into different parts and most of them were trapped within the path.
Just when Brad thought everything was going well, a spear happened to shoot past him. He looked down and saw that a few of the skeletal warriors had located their presence!
"Hide in your trenches! They have spotted us!" he shouted as he scrambled into his own.
The sky got darker as cumulonimbus storm clouds gathered in clusters. The first streak of lightning flashed, followed a roar of thunder, and a downpour ensued. Spears continued to fly past their trenches, as the rain started to seep in and accumulate in volume.
This continued for another ten minutes and it left Brad in a dilemma over whether to evacuate the trench or stay put. The muddy water in the trenches rose steadily and soon, Brad and the men found themselves submerged from waist down. The rain grew in intensity as the raindrops struck the ground in high frequency, prompting Brad to command the rest of the team to head out of their trenches.
Just as the five of them were climbing out of their hideout, there was a slight tremor. Following that, parts of the soil broke off from the main body, triggering a landslide. The lumps of soil hit down hard on the skeletal warriors, and that caused a great reduction in the number of spears that were launched at the ambush team.
More and more patches were detached and the ground was receding at an alarming rate. Brad turned around to sneak a peek and he saw that most of the skeletal soldiers were either buried by the soil or drowned by the waters. All of a sudden, he tripped over a stone. He tried to grab hold of something but there was nothing available. In quick motion, he lost his balance and slid down the slope.
Luck was not on either side as the collapse of the slope turned out to be too fast for the rest of the members. One by one, they fell off the precipice and were buried by the falling earth. By noon, the rain had stopped. The narrow path had been flattened into a meandering stream that was overlooked by two levees on its sides.