Chapter 10 Cliffside
Neigh*
The horses neighed loudly while Vikings trailed inside the cliff where they saw a huge chasm ahead. They knew it was a dangerous place but they didn't have any other choice.
" Hold your reigns tightly. If you see anything suspicious shout out loudly to the front."
Horton who was leading the caravan warned his people to be careful, knowing they would be ambushed soon. His palms were sweaty due to anxiety, yet he didn't turn back because it was either them or his people and the choice was obvious here.
Kya*
The eagle cried out loudly while looking down at them with its sharp eyes. His cry seemed to wake up the sleeping beast known as war as they heard loud horns from the top of the cliff where they saw women and men standing there with cold faces.
" Push them down!"
Magnus roared with rage, ordering his people to push down the boulders to his enemies.
Boom*
The rocks fell to the Vikings who were caught off guard, crushing them in the process but this wasn't the end. It was just the beginning of the bloody war.
" Archers, shoot them down! Climb the cliffs and kill them!"
Horton orders his men to climb from the side as he grabs one of the dead men's bows to shoot them down.
" They have longbows! Raise your shields!"
Magnus knew longbows were deadly weapons despite their distance. A good archer could easily kill someone from 100 meters and Vikings were good at archery like isle people. Hence, just having a height advantage wasn't enough to do the job.
" Pour the water down!"
The women poured boiling water down on the climbing warriors as men protected them with their shields but the number of enemies was too much compared to a measly 200.
" They don't have enough resources to continue forever. Push them and kill them!"
Horton believed it was impossible to maintain this battle for that long because they had 3000 people and had much superior equipment and resources.
" Give me a bow!"
Magnus took a bow from Ingrid while aiming at the incoming warriors with a cold face. With a single movement, a powerful arrow left the bow, piercing through the iron plate armor like it was made from leather.
" That bow!"
Horton realized why Magnus was still maintaining his location despite their status. He somehow obtained bows from the Isles people who were famous for their longbows that shot entire legions down. Fortunately, they had only a few bows in their hands, so he didn't hesitate anymore to push.
" Don't stop! They only have a few bows and arrows!"
Horton shouted, boosting his people's morale, but Magnus wasn't someone to be trifled in the first place. Even without his archery skills, he was one of the strongest warriors in whole Vikings.
He simply handed his bow to Freyja who was commanding her people and ran to the front side where he pulled out his axes from his back.
He saw a place where he could move around freely in the middle of the cliff as he slid down there without a second thought.
This might be a foolish move for others but he was Magnus. The hostile warrior who climbed up there, looked at him with horror while trying to slash him with his sword but Magnus just grabbed his hand and threw him off the cliff.
" Agh!"
The man screamed with horror, falling to death in front of his comrades whose faces turned white.
" Come on, I dare you!"
Magnus let out his war cry, looking down at them with a cold face that sent chills to their spines.
Meanwhile in the northern side of the mountain range.
Whoo*
White steam escaped from Bjorn's mouth as he climbed through the snow with his thick coat. Around 20 or 30 men followed him from behind, making their way to the village where they would catch them off guard.
" Chief, the battle has been started in the front. We have to hasten ourselves."
The scout said calmly, sending his hawk away with a whistle. It was extremely rare to find a scout in Vikings who had extensive knowledge about warfare like those in Roma and Persia. Thankfully, Bjorn was able to recruit him during his travel to Roma and he trusted him deeply since he was his life savior.