10hrs.15mins.19sec.
Half way there. Boss Awesome, smiled, wiping the sweat from his brow as he jogged alongside a column of pack animals, porters, and brigade soldiers. They were making good time.
“Mortemer!” He called out to the Fallen Brigade's brown and white battle corgi, running at his side. “Speed em up!” Mortemer began racing around biting at the heals of the porters and horses. “Show them that you mean it!” Mortemer lept into the air, tearing apart the throat of one unfortunately slow equipment porter. The rest of the column significantly increased their speed.
10hrs.16mins.10sec.
“Someone's heading toward the castle!” A lookout yelled, from the New Tadsamesh watch tower. Shik shot to her feet, running through the muddy streets to the edge of the village. A caravan was heading toward the besieged castle. The Chaos troops were oblivious to it, so intent on their building their siege engines and preparing for the coming attack. They were foolish. New Tibault Castle was a mountain fortress, perhaps the strongest fortification ever built. This wouldn't be a standard waving glory siege. Trumpeters wouldn't play for this fight. It was a fight that would have to be won over time. But that wouldn't work if they simply let the enemy resupply.
“Hero Party soldiers!” Shik yelled, raising her bow above her head. “Get your shit and lets get moving. We are gonna catch those fucks!”
10hrs.19mins.10sec.
Boss Awesome felt fear. He also felt exhaustion, and pain, and a lot of other things. But fear foremost. A large force of heavily armed Hero Party soldiers had charged out of New Tadsamesh and were moving to intercept. He noticed looks of despair on the men and women around him.
“We can make still make it!” Boss Awesome yelled, pushing his body to the limit. “Fifteen minutes to arrow cover!” He watched the enemy formation to his left with dread. They were coming in at an angle to cut him off from the castle. Boss Awesome identified the features of Shik running at the front of pursuing army. She looked fucking insane, screaming her head off. It was going to be close.
10hrs.32mins.11sec.
Rage. Shik felt rage. It encompassed every fiber of her being, except her judgment. She knew what she had to do. “Halt!” Shik screamed, her command echoed by the army's drums and bugles. The army drew to a halt with expert discipline.
“What is it, mi'lady?” A nearby lieutenant questioned. “We do we stop? We almost had them.” Shik raised her hand to silence him and stood still, waiting. A massive cloud of arrows peppered the ground, thirty feet in front of Shik, with the sound of a thousand snare drummers going mad on deep forest mushrooms.
“Maximum arrow range in thirty feet.” Shik replied.
