The final minutes before dawn were the longest. The silence was broken only by the nervous shuffling of the Oakhaven militia at the North Gate.
Deacon was positioned at the Hold's central command tower, the highest point in Oakhaven, giving him visual command over the entire defense. His only companion was Elara, holding a sputtering lantern.
Commander Harl, stripped of his tactical command but performing his Quartermaster duty, reported: "All weapons deployed, My Lord. Renna's Trios are in position. The rooftop teams are ready. The gate is barred."
Deacon nodded, his eyes fixed on the distant outline of the Blackwood. He was seeing the battlefield not as a noble, but as a logistics chief preparing for the worst-case scenario.
The Tripwire Triggers
Just as the sky began to bleed a cold, weak gray, the first signs of the enemy appeared—not Goblins, but the tripwire signals.
A single, small plume of smoke curled up from the nearest peasant village five miles out—the home of the woodcutters, Jones and Davis. It was a pre-arranged signal.
"Signal from the perimeter, My Lord," Deacon stated calmly. "The Goblins have crossed the perimeter villages. They are inside the final defense zone."
Moments later, a terrible, drawn-out howl split the silence—the sound of a beast, or a terrified animal.
"Wargs," Deacon whispered. "They are leading the charge. They are running fast."
Command Deployment: Fire Orders
The howling confirmed Major Kiley's intelligence and the immediate threat. Deacon issued his final fire orders, his voice carrying the calm authority of an NCO in the middle of a complex firefight.
He first addressed Staff Sergeant Rodriguez (Renna) via a quick runner, now weaving through the deserted streets. "S-3. Prepare for shock cavalry. No engagement. Hold the line until the Wargs hit the caltrops. Then, controlled withdrawal to the second perimeter."
Next, he deployed his only long-range capability—the crude Heavy Artillery.
"Harl!" Deacon barked. "Send a runner to the rooftop teams. Order them to prepare for saturation fire. The moment the Wargs are slowed by the caltrops, I want a saturation drop on the center mass of the enemy column. Empty the first stockpile. Break their morale before they reach the gate!"
The Heavy Artillery—the large stones and debris—would be the only thing capable of slowing the main Goblin infantry column behind the Wargs. .
The First Sight
The sound intensified from a howl to a massed, guttural roar. Then, Deacon saw them.
They spilled out of the distant morning mist: the Wargs, massive, dark, armored shapes tearing across the fields. They were far larger than any horse, ridden by hunched, spiked Goblin riders. They were a force of pure, shock momentum aimed directly at the weakest point: the North Gate.
Seconds later, the main Goblin infantry column followed: hundreds of small, vicious figures carrying crude weapons, surging forward, relying on the fear and speed of their vanguard.
Deacon's eyes scanned the tops of the North Gate, looking for the crucial final defensive asset. He could just make out the figures of Pyper and Elan, the Pepper Twins, positioned for a perfect, final deployment. They were unnervingly still.
He grabbed the runner sent by Harl. "Go! Run to the North Gate! Tell the Pepper Twins: Execute Project Grog now! Wait for the gate to splinter, then collapse the attack!"
The runner flew down the stairs.
Deacon took a deep breath, his knuckles white against the stone sill. He had deployed every asset, spent every resource, and committed to the high-risk shock defense.
The Goblins were fifty yards from the gate. The Wargs were accelerating.
The Battle of Oakhaven had begun.