Shock

 The first volley of the mercenaries' arrows obviously took the lives of some of their allies, but that didn't stop them from firing another. As if worrying about the enemies on his front and on the sides wasn't enough, Zaos had to keep his ears wide open in order to avoid being hit by arrows. He already suffered quite a lot thanks to a single one, and he didn't need to be hit by another.

 Despite the odds, the defenders managed not only to stop the mercenaries but even pierce through their battalions of infantrymen and cavalry. Now they just had to fight the archers, and they would have succeeded in decimating one-fifth of the remaining enemy forces. However, before they could do that, hundreds of other riders showed blocking their way.