The search proved fruitless both for Hawk and the Hill Giants, as they returned every day for the next week, stopping before they could get in range of the artillery, and searching different sections of the line every day.
One day, while sitting on the line, watching the empty horizon, Tessa looked down at Karl from her spot on Thor’s back.
“Do you think that it’s actually possible to interrogate a Hill Giant? I really want to know what in the world they’ve been looking for this past week.
There has hardly even been an attack, they’re so busy looking for whatever they’re looking for.” She asked.
The teacher closest to them burst into laughter. “Well, they are capable of speaking human common, but the odds of getting them to talk are pretty low. Hill Giants don’t feel pain the same way a human does, so you can’t really torture them for information, even if you have a way to restrain them.”
Karl sighed. “Well, that is unfortunate. I really do want to know what is driving them to search this whole area like that. But if they’re doing it just to troll us and drive us insane, I’m not certain that I could take the truth.”
Tessa chuckled. “I don’t think that Hill Giants would do that, but I can definitely see you doing it just to mess with them.”
She had a point. They could all see Karl doing it if he got bored, and the nature priests would help him.
It was two more days of waiting before they would find out what the Hill Giants had actually been up to.
Karl was sitting in a history lesson with Morgana when the attack alarm blared, along with a secondary tone that indicated this was an urgent incoming attack. If they had failed to detect it at the usual distance, that would be extremely odd, given that they hadn’t been distracted by anything, so that more likely meant that they were already charging, and would be here sooner than anticipated.
Karl switched from his more comfortable uniform suit to his armour as he rose from his chair, and the mages in the class began to scatter to their various assigned locations.
Karl let Hawk loose as soon as they were out of the classroom, and immediately, excited chatter filled his mind.
[It’s a buffet! A mobile buffet coming our way. There are huge mice, and angry Thors and meat with horns, and even pigs.]
[Angry Thor? There are Lightning Cerro in the stampede?] Karl asked.
[No, scaly, but on two legs and angry, they keep attacking things that get near them.]
So, some form of giant reptile.
When Karl arrived at his spot on the flank, the true terror of the advance became clear.
The Hill Giants pretending to search the area yesterday had dropped bait bags all over the place, and the monsters were racing from one to another, trying to get to them.
But once they were close enough, they would smell the humans, and that would be the final bait bag of the lure that had caused the monsters to stampede.
How they had managed to wrangle so many into one place was a mystery, but it most likely involved a lot of work, given how few Giants they had seen recently.
There were thousands of monsters, perhaps tens of thousands. As far as Hawk could see, there were monsters on the horizon, charging toward the human lines.
It wouldn’t just be the Academy portion that was hit today, but everyone within fifty kilometres of them. Compared to this influx, every one of the previous attacks looked like child’s play. But worse than that, once they were done with the monsters and exhausted, they were very likely to see a full offensive from the Hill Giants.
The artillery corps was firing furiously, taking out many of the weaker monsters and inadvertently creating more bait to draw the monsters forward.
But Hawk had more bad news for them. There was an enormous swarm of flying monsters at the back of the ground-based influx, picking off the weaker ones. They were enraged as well, and acting much more aggressively than Hawk thought should be natural.
“Morgana, tell them to make sure they save ammunition for the anti-aircraft guns. There is a massive swarm of flying monsters at the back of the stampede.” Karl whispered as they took their positions.
All of the teachers had radios with them, and served as the unit leaders, as they were stationed within earshot of each other along the line for an attack like this.
She nodded silently before sending her message, and Karl considered what sort of tactic might be effective against this sort of enemy.
[Remi, time to try your new skills. Can you cast it all the way back where the monsters are?] Karl asked.
Remi exited her space and crawled up Tessa, who had the best view from the back of Thor.
[Maybe. I’ll make it big and far.]
The storm cloud began to grow, and the first few bolts of lightning hit the ground as the rain fell on the leading edge of the monsters.
[Perfect, we want them all to have to run through it, so if you can keep it there the whole fight, as wide as you can, that is all you need to do.] Karl instructed.
[Got it. I will be on Morgana. She brings snacks to battle.]
Hawk was definitely a bad influence on the no longer small snake. But she would soon realize that tiny pocket snacks were not enough to sate the hunger of a grown Spirit Snake, and the appeal would likely be lost.
But Morgana was prepared for Remi’s arrival, and she had her staff already planted in the dirt, ready for Remi to crawl up so she could get an even better view, and not put all her weight on the Witch Doctor for the battle.
The monsters were getting close now, past the point where the Giants had placed bait, and they had noticed the massive number of humans who could sate their magically stimulated appetites.
They were ravenous from the bait bags, and enraged. The perfect combination for overcoming their common sense and getting them to charge at the Elites.
