Lawrie took hold of his main cart, while Tasya was given the reins to the second cart. Mellany was brought over to drive Ben and Ylva's cart, as Ylva unhitched one of the Thunderers. Once it was free, the mutant woman guided the animal away from the cart and soothed it as best as she could. Once it was moving placidly, Ylva then slowly clambered onto its back.
The Thunderer made no sudden movements, which was good as Ylva didn't want to be thrown off its back today. Ben climbed down as well, handing the woman her spear. She took the weapon and guided the Thunderer behind their cart. The plan was for her to come out of the rear and surprise any raiders who got out of the way of the carts and end them quickly.
"OK, we all know what the plan is, then?" Ben asked, making sure that everyone understood it.
"We charge in, driving the carts straight for the town gates, shouting and screaming like we're there to take them to the hells," Lawrie told him.
"Run over as many of the raiders as we can, no matter how big they are," Tasya replied.
"While you are perched on your cart, shooting anyone who thinks to attack us," Mellany stated.
"And I come up from behind, killing any raiders left," Ylva finished.
"Good. All right, let's do this!" Ben told them.
He hopped up on the cart with Mellany as Lawrie snapped the reins for his cart and it started trundling off. It ambled at first, but soon picked up speed. Tasya snapped the reins for her cart and they moved quickly, picking up speed to where it was right behind Lawrie. Mellany hit the reins on the cart and in seconds, they were charging down the road, gaining speed as they went.
Ben stood in the back, on top of all the gear, with his feet planted. He kept his legs loose so he could keep his balance. It was also important so he could line up precise shots, instead of bad ones that could hurt innocents. The trees rushed by them and he saw the smoke get closer and closer. Ben steeled himself, as this fight would be something very different from what he'd gone through a few days ago.
They finally broke cover and saw the town walls and gates, with smoke pouring from within the walls and men screaming as they attacked. Men and women like Lawrie and Ylva, dressed in matching leather armor, stood against these men, fighting hard. Ben guessed they were the town's militia and searched for other targets.
He saw the attackers were dressed much like slavers were, attacking two militiawomen, fighting back to back. They sneered at the women, as they had them at their mercy. Ben drew an arrow, sighted in his closest target, and loosed an arrow.
The brute he had in his sights was taunting the women and laughing. But that was before the arrow Ben had fired punched through the back of his head, the tip of it coming out of his mouth. The other men who surrounded the militiawomen were shocked and turned to find the source of the shot. Ben then howled a harrowing warcry as the carts charged in, with the others screaming with him.
Many of the raiders stopped their attack to gawk at the vehicles coming at them. Those who kept their heads got out of the way quickly. They scrambled to avoid the hooves and wheels that would be their death. The men who stood there in disbelief weren't so lucky. The Thunderers pulling the carts trampled nearly one quarter of the attacking force in the initial charge.
The militia were just as surprised as the raiders were, but upon seeing the traders were there to help, a cheer went up. The militia rallied, many of the downed fighters getting to their feet and fighting back against the larger raiders. Ben unleashed a volley of arrows, claiming a raider's life with each shot. Ylva charged in from behind the cart, scattering the party of raiders that had surrounded the militiawomen.
Her spear whirling, Ylva cut down two raiders, before wheeling the Thunderer to turn around and head back for the other three. The militiawomen then turned to face the men, ready to put them down like the dogs they were. Two of them stood fast, ready to die if necessary. The third, however, dropped his weapons and ran, not liking the odds arrayed against him.
He cried out as he ran, before falling to his face, a steel shaft sprouting from his back. Ben hollered like a madman, charging in to assist Ylva, drawing the raiders' attention. This lapse cost one of them his life as one of the militiawomen ran him through. The other turned to fight but was knocked off his feet by Ylva's flying spear, skewered through the heart.
Ylva rode up and snatched her weapons, before herding the militiawomen to join the main force that was using the carts as cover. Ben picked what arrows he could recover and fired them at the raiders, dropping more with each shot. The raiders didn't understand what was happening, but they didn't care, as Ben and his friends showing up turned the tide of battle against them.
Their leader called a retreat, and the raiders that were still fighting disengaged from the militia. They ran as fast as they could, intent on keeping their lives, hoping they'd make it out. The militia wasn't about to let them escape that easily and charged, looking to make the raiders pay for the attack on their home.
Even Lawrie, Mellany, and Tasya joined the fray, each one picking up a dropped weapon and brandishing them like they were possessed. More raiders fell to the counterattack, but nearly half of them made it to the treeline, disappearing into the woods to the north. A cry went up among the militia, cheering that they repelled the raiders. Others took up the cry, happy to have beaten back such a vicious attack.
Ben moved about the battlefield, collecting his arrows as he went. Ylva moved with him, making sure no one took them or bothered Ben as he did this. Several members of the militia walked up and thanked Ylva for her help. Many others also went to Mellany, Tasya and Lawrie, thanking them for helping turn the tide.
They took the thanks in stride, happy to have helped in sending the raiders packing. One member of the militia approached Lawrie and, when standing next to the others, he stood out. His manner and how smartly he was dressed made him stand out from everyone else there.
"Lawrie! Didn't expect to see you here for a while yet! What brings you back so soon?" the man asked.
"The tales of the cache of raw materials from the Before were just that, Denys. Tall tales meant to lure unwary merchants and adventurers away from safety. We spotted the bastards and avoided their trap but were set upon by a pack of Clackers on our way back," Lawrie told the man.
"And you escaped?" Denys asked.
"No, we were surrounded. If it hadn't been for Ylva and Ben there coming to our aid, we would have become that pack's lunch," Lawrie recalled with a shudder.
"The Pinkskin? He doesn't look like much, but damn if he can shoot!" Denys replied.
"This Pinkskin also helped me with claiming this man's life," Ylva stated, sauntering up and holding Unktar's massive battle axe for display.
"Is that..." Denys asked, almost awed to see the weapon out of its owner's hands.
"The axe of Unktar, the Bloodthirster. Broke the fucker's jaw, arms and legs, before Ylva cut his nuts off. That's all before she cut his throat," Ben explained, coming to stand beside his lover, having recovered all his arrows.
Several of the militia stared at them in disbelief, but they all recognized the axe. If these two were holding such a weapon, then the pair of them must have been telling the truth about how they got it. Much innocent blood had been spilled by Unktar and his men, and they were happy to hear of the savage's demise.
"You... broke his jaw? How is that even possible, when you're so small?" Denys scoffed. Ben sighed and handed Ylva his bow and quiver, and she smirked as Ben walked up to the man.
"Like this."
Before Denys even knew what was going on, a stunningly quick sequence of punches hit him in his gut. The punches themselves had more power behind them than he'd expected. What shocked Denys the most is when he'd swung his fists to fight back, Ben deftly blocked them. Seconds later, he was thrown to the ground, his armor clattering and clinking with the impact.
Ben stood over him, standing in a fighting stance, ready to move at a moment's notice. Some of the militia closed in with him, but halted the second they saw Ben wasn't going to kill their captain. Denys stared up at the Pinkskin, bewildered, but also in utter awe of how he'd taken him down so handily.
"Where did you learn to do that?" Denys asked, taking Ben's offered hand and pulling himself up.
