“I left over a hundred dead and wounded back there.” Moira began “They were forming up in a tight formation on the road. I tried to spread the oil out over as big an area as I could. Instead of one big splash, I did a few drops here and there from up above so as there was no alarm they probably thought it was rain or something. Just as they started to march I opened up the lantern and started to rain down the fire arrows. There was immediate chaos with rats getting set alight and burning each other. The splashes of oil igniting everywhere. After I ran out of fire arrows I hung around to watch. It took them about an hour to put out all the flames. Leaving a lot of dead and a lot with severe burns. Even then there are still a few hundred of them left. I also saw them send out runners in a few directions. I was able to take down one of them, but the rest got away.”

Catching her breath and taking a few swigs of the water skin Grim had handed to her. “They are moving down the road at a fast pace now. The runners went for reinforcements as more and more are pouring out of the woods to join them. At the pace they and we are going it will be about 3 hours before they reach us.”

Being scared out of my mind, but trying to keep a brave face for the rest of the group. “Ok new plan then. Looking at it the closest bridge is about an hour away. Let's hurry on to that, I’ll think of the rest of my plan on the way. Moira hopped onto the cart to take a rest. You will need it.”

We made it to the bridge and saw the scouts of the horde behind us getting out of the forest. “Ok, we have a bit of time before they get here. The plan is this. The firewood we have collected put that at the start of the bridge. Aura do you have any oil left or anything else that flammable?” I asked.

“Yeah, I have some more grease that will burn for a while. We used up all the oil we had earlier though. What do you want me to do with it.” She asked.

“In that case make a few lines on the road from the bridge heading back the way we came. Make sure you start it at the woodpile. We will set it on fire just as they get to it and hopefully burn a lot of them behind it when the grease catches fire.” With that Aura and the skeletons went off to get the firewood and grease trap ready.

“Now for the rest of the plan.” Looking over to see if Aura was out of earshot. “We will overturn the cart on the other side of the bridge. That way we can bunch them up on the bridge and only have to deal with a few at a time. Moira, the skeletons, and I will hold behind the cart with a spear-wall. Sissy Missy Grim I want you guys to make a bunch of caltrops and scatter them on the bridge.”

I looked each of them in the eye before stopping my gaze and looking straight at Grim “Now for the hardest part of the plan. In about half an hour I want the rest of you to run. Use Aura's cart and Ivy to carry you as fast as you can down the road. I will buy you guys time. When I think that I have delayed them enough I will follow on with Tobias.”

Missy and Sissy then moved over to Aura’s cart to start making the caltrops. Grim hanging back just a bit “You won't be able to outrun them on Tobias you know that right?”

“Yes, I do.” And with that, I moved over to help Tobias overturn the cart. I then spent the time taking out some of the longer pieces of firewood and sharpening them into point to affix them to the cart as some extra deterrent.

At the end of the half-hour, I gathered everyone around Aura, having heard the plan from the twins came to stand in front of me with her arms crossed. “I’m not leaving you here.”

“I knew you would say that.” Then looking at Grim “You know what to do.”

At that Grim came up behind her and slung him over his shoulder. Then walked over to Ethel and mounted up. Shouting at Missy and Sissy “You two grab two pups each and get on Ivy. Freki, follow us with the cart. Let's go.” And with that the group moving down the road. Aura spitting curses all the way. Apparently having grown up in a blacksmith shop, she knew a couple that made even Grim’s ears go pink.

Chuckling to myself at the sight I turned back to Moira, Tobias, and the skeletons. “We are going to buy our friends as much time as we can. Keep sharpening as many sticks as you can and keep adding them to the cart. I want that thing to look like a hedgehog before they get here. Moira, I need you to scout again from up above. Come back when they are half an hour out from our position.”

I could see them forming up now on the side of the valley. It was a lot harder to judge how long it would take them to get to us though as the road winds a lot through the swamps.

I saw them cower back into the tree cover as soon as they saw Moira above them again. But after about ten minutes without fire raining on them again, they moved back out and started to move fast towards our position. By now it looked to be at least 500 of the creatures moving our way.

Just around midday, Moira came back to us. “I tried to harry them a bit, but it seems that I’m not so scary when I'm not firing arrows at them. Thirty minutes out from us right now. I did see a huge Were-rat that is probably leading them.”

“Okay skeletons and Moira get back behind the cart and hit any that come over the top, Moira takes the far left spot. Tobias use your bulk to stop the cart from being pushed back. As soon as they come in range ill start with shooting arrows at them from the right side. When they crest the woodpile, ill ignite it.” And with that everyone got into position. I put Missy and Sissy's leftover stockpile of arrows in easy reach. A lantern and a greased-up arrow at the ready.

We heard and smelt them before they came around the bend in the road about 100 feet away from the bridge. A smell of unwashed rancid rat with a hint of barbecue. Screaming in high-pitched voices.

As soon as they came around the bend it was just one big mash of bodies coming our way I started firing my bow. Each one I took down being trampled by the ones behind as soon as it fell. It didn't do too much but whip them up in even more of a frenzy. They didn't seem to notice the ground covered in grease. As soon as the first couple started to cross the woodpile I fired my burning arrow. At first, only the wood caught fire charring the ones coming over. I almost thought the plan failed when the tendrils of grease caught fire all at once. I couldn't see much through the fire. But saw a few try and stumble and jump into the river to put out the flames and getting swept away by the rushing waters. After the initial fireball, the flames kept going but only about a foot or so high.

The horde was stopped in its tracks and I kept firing arrow after arrow into it, hardly needing to aim they were so packed on the road. They tried to put out the flames first by gathering water from the marsh and throwing that on. As anyone knows you don't throw water onto a grease fire. And the resulting fireball and steam took out a few more. They then tried to beat it out with clubs and branches not having much luck either.

After I took out a few more with my bow while they were trying this they retreated past the bend and waited until the fires died down. It gave us a bit of time to breathe. Moira had another quick scout and estimated that close to 150 rats had been killed between the fires, my arrows, and their own stupidity.

The fires burned a lot longer than I expected lasting for over an hour. Moira speculated that there might be some marsh gas close to the ground helping fuel the fire. When it died down they moved up more cautiously, having been burned twice now. I took out a couple more with the arrows again which made them pick up speed and start the charge again to get into melee range. Leaping over the charred remains of the woodpile they were slowed down a bit by the caltrops, I fired one last arrow. Then picked up my spear. They charged straight at the now spiked cart. Hurting themselves to try and get over it. Some getting pushed in fully and getting killed by the ones behind.

When they poked up over the cart we all started to stab at those ones. Most dying with a single stab. The one or two that did make it over getting swatted by Tobias. This wave lasted for about ten minutes until the big one at the back gave a screech and they all fell back again to regroup. Quickly dropping my spear I fired another couple of rounds at them. I again sent Moira up to have a look. The initial horde of 500 was now down to roughly half. But from her high vantage point, she could see more and more pouring out of the woods.

Two more assaults were pushed back over the next hour. By this time the bridge was slick with rat blood with some slipping and falling off the sides in each assault. After the second one was pushed back I saw that there was now almost a ramp of corpses leading to the top edge of the cart wall. I decided to pull back about ten feet, not wanting them to have the high ground. I had the skeletons form a shield wall with Moira in the middle, me and Tobias on the sides.

“This is it. I know that we will fall here. But as soon as I respawn back at the guildhall ill get you all back as soon as I can as well. That being said, we need to hold as long as we can for our friends. So repeat after me. For Grim”

The rest all shouting unison “FOR GRIM”

“For aura”

“FOR AURA”

“For Missy”

“FOR MISSY”

“For Sissy”

“FOR SISSY”

I heard the charge of the rats coming over the bridge

“Moira’s wolves get ready.”

They came over the top of the cart and then the real up close and personal fight started. At first, we held, and then just by the sheer press of numbers we started to get pushed back. I can't remember how long we held that road, Moira later telling me it was close to two hours the skeletons taking up the chant, GRIM AURA MISSY SISSY each time they drove their spears into something. All I can remember apart from dropping my spear and then just hacking away with my sword are flashes here and there.

One by one the skeletons falling. At one point Tobias ran back behind us, I thought he was fleeing, but after thirty or so feet he turned around, charged straight at us, and leaped off, straight into the press of bodies. Crushing over a dozen rats just by his bulk he started to massacre them. But even a 500-pound bear can't hold out and he was quickly overwhelmed and buried under a sea of rats.

Moira at one point squared off with their leader. Last I saw of her she was trading blows back and forth with him. I later learned that he retreated after she stabbed him in the eye.

The last thing I remember is getting swarmed and then blackness, before waking up in a now familiar room back at the guildhall in Storm’s Cove.