Escape from an Ancient Civilization Ch 173

Chapter 173

Thud! Thud!

Whiz!

“Argh!”

If our forces break formation any further here, it will be truly dangerous. Is there no way?

Suddenly, the middle of the enemy’s formation swayed as one. Their arms moved unnaturally as if flailing, and they staggered.

What’s happening?

“Here! Over here!”

Simultaneously, a familiar voice came from behind. The soothsayer was waving both hands from the stairs below and shouting loudly.

“I’ve fully opened the sluice gates! Look at the center!”

Looking again at the front, the situation became clear: the dead bodies of soldiers filling the swamp started sinking into the muddy water. The water level was rising. Nataek quickly turned around and, seeing the still-waving soothsayer, shouted at Gumutahn:

“We’ve enlarged the swamp at the center! Concentrate fire there!”

Gumutahn, upon receiving the message, hurled his sword like a boomerang while shouting,

“Archers! Concentrated fire on the center!”

Flocks of arrows flew above the struggling enemy mass.

[Hittite] ■■■■■■■■□□□□

[Kish Gates] ■■■■□□□□□□□□

Among the shower of arrows piercing like porcupine quills, the red gauge bar was visible.

Thanks to the newly released sluice water, the enemy soldiers could not easily advance. Nataek was busy confirming the gate and watching Medeus.

Thud!

Even amid this, the gate trembled once more. As Nataek drew his bowstring again, the soothsayer climbed the stairs. Though an allied watchtower, Nataek had not expected the soothsayer to be so actively engaged in the battle.

Startled, Nataek lowered his bow and approached the soothsayer who held a large jar.

“What’s that?”

“A cedar powder pouch! We’ll shoot flaming arrows with this!”

Nataek frowned.

“That may injure our soldiers below.”

“If we only aim at the gates, damage will be minimal! The gate is almost open—look, the gauge bar is dropping!”

The soothsayer pointed to the gate and shouted.

“What? You see the gauge bar too?”

“It popped up when I opened the sluice; I saw it here too!”

Nataek chuckled. Though he had told the soothsayer to participate in any way, he hadn’t expected the system to assist them. Apparently, the Hittite battle became a joint quest due to the soothsayer’s involvement. That explained why the quest difficulty would be impacted by the soothsayer.

Taking the jar, Nataek went to Gumutahn. Offering the jar, he said,

“Shoot flaming arrows! The gate is about to open!”

Gumutahn paused briefly, eyeing Nataek with suspicion for his quick grasp of the situation. But there was no time for fault-finding.

“Fire at the gates!”

Flaming arrows, some with cedar powder pouches, fell on the enemy. The arrows were lit by a forge. Enemy clothes caught fire, and fire spread higher in front of the gate.

“Argh!”

[Hittite] ■■■■■■■■□□□□

[Kish Gates] ■■■■□□□□□□□□

Nevertheless, despite attacking enemies at the gate relentlessly, the red gauge bar did not decrease. Nataek was certain: as with monsters and bosses, this battle worked the same way. Holding the gate was meaningless. We must take down the enemy leader.

Nataek filled his quiver and looked at the battlefield far away. Medeus was struggling fiercely. One of Medeus’s arms was bloodied red.

When did that happen? Was he injured?

Medeus’s luck points, which had not been properly charged, were already depleted. Enemy strikes would fully connect to his body.

How badly is he hurt?

Growing anxious, Nataek approached the soothsayer struggling indecisively and grabbed his collar.

“I must go down. You cover the gate.”

“What?! I-I, how can I cover it?!”

“Use the sluice, throw stones, do anything!”

“How could I?”

“Not ‘how’ but ‘do’! No matter how many we kill here, it won’t end. To defeat the Hittites, we must strike their general directly. See the gauge bar won’t drop! If I stay here, it’s just pouring water into a leaky jar.”

The soothsayer stomped.

“No… this is maddening!”

Nataek gripped the soothsayer’s arm firmly.

“It’s your third conquest, you can handle it.”

He didn’t honestly believe that. He half-feared the soothsayer might panic.

“You call that handling it? Impossible in this situation!”

But their quarrel soon wrapped up.

[Hittite] ■■■■■■■■□□□□

[Kish Gates] ■■■□□□□□□□□□

“Gah!”

Seeing the dropping gauge bar, the soothsayer was startled. Nataek pushed him onward,

“No time to dawdle. Go!”

Without hesitation, Nataek ran left along the watchtower.

“No, hey! This is crazy!”

The soothsayer stomped his feet but descended once more.

The ranks fanned out in semicircles left and right hovered precariously but had not collapsed. Nataek climbed down a rope ladder along the left wall and joined the line of archers below.

Whiz! Whiz!

Nataek dashed between the archers firing continuously to reach the front lines. Suddenly, his foot caught on metal.

Clang!

Struggling to keep his balance, Nataek looked down. It was a wounded soldier moaning with an amputated arm.

Nataek squeezed his eyes shut and moved forward. At the front of the line, the battlefield was laid bare. Soldiers missing legs, pierced bodies, faces buried in mud unmoving—heaving a sigh amid the horror, Nataek searched for Medeus.

There!

Medeus was swinging a spear ahead, helmet thrown off. His hair and face were soaked in blood. Earlier, only one arm was bloodied, but now the red had spread wider.

Damn it, how badly is he hurt?

Biting his teeth, Nataek drew his bow taut. He targeted enemies threatening Medeus, picking off archers and spearmen one by one to shield him. His thoughts returned to Medeus’s wounds.

Was he stabbed? Or struck by a blunt weapon?

He wanted to check up close but couldn’t.

Just as he shot another enemy down,

Whiz!

“Ugh.”

An archer by Nataek fell. From behind the central Hittite ranks, two or three arrows flew. Looking up, the red bar had shifted toward the right flank.

Why suddenly there? Did they shift targets because the left flank was held?

Then more arrows rained down.

Whiz!

Arrows multiplied from four to ten to a hundred, then poured like rain.

That was why they retreated!

“Defend!”

Medeus shouted, raising his shield to block. Nataek swiftly grabbed a fallen soldier’s shield and ducked beneath it.

Pitter-patter! Whiz! Whiz!

“Ugh.”

Those without shields fell brutally. The sight as he ducked was vivid. Seeing that, Nataek recalled the bloodied Medeus. Just as Medeus was precious to him, the enemy soldiers were precious to someone else. They wouldn’t want their loved ones perishing on the battlefield.

At that thought, foolish regrets filled him. Should he have stayed out of this battle? He resolved to remain in the ancient times with Medeus anyway. Then Medeus wouldn’t be hurt.

As the arrow storm abated, Nataek laughed bitterly at his foolish thoughts.

Ridiculous thoughts. Foolish thoughts.

When the arrow storm ceased, Nataek peeked out from behind his shield. Their eyes met with Medeus, who looked surprised to see him there.

“Teresi! Why are you here!”

At that moment, the red bar dashed onward from behind. Nataek aimed at an enemy and shouted,

“Look ahead!”

Whiz!

“Ugh!”

Nataek shot at a soldier raising a sword at Medeus.

Clang!

Quickly turning, Medeus blocked the sword and shouted,

“Danger! Retreat to the watchtower!”

Nataek fired rapidly, shouting,

“We must kill the Hittite commander! Only then will this end!”

Screams echoed everywhere as Medeus’s spear struck fiercely. Their eyes met again.

“Don’t look at me, focus on the enemy!”

Nataek signaled Medeus with his gaze.

Then a shout in the distance.

“Break through the left line!”

Accompanied by the command, charioteers charged recklessly. With a spear raised, one charged toward Medeus from behind the central rear, traversing the flat land to the left flank. The soldier threw a spear forcefully at Medeus.

Medeus quickly raised his shield.

Thunk!

The spear pierced the shield. Medeus pulled the shield from his arm and slammed it at the chariot wheel. The chariot clattered and toppled.

Then the red gauge bar started moving closer. A Hittite general was approaching.

Tensing, Nataek drew his bowstring. Though intimidated by the red bar rushing forward, he couldn’t afford to lose.

Continuing to attack, Nataek watched Medeus. The enemy commander, wielding spear and sword, charged at high speed.

Clang!

Medeus’s spear clashed with the sword in a muddy battle, Nataek’s gaze fixed on only these two.

Whiz!

Medeus thrust his spear toward the enemy’s abdomen, but the soldier dodged deftly. Medeus swiftly changed hands, stabbing the enemy’s side.

[Hittite] ■■■■■■■□□□□□

[Kish Gate] ■■■□□□□□□□□□

The gauge dropped simultaneously. Medeus fought to avoid swords clashing directly, attacking.

Nataek also aimed at the commander, shifting focus as the enemy moved, waiting for an opening.

Just then, the enemy’s sword grazed Medeus’s arm. Grimacing, Medeus pulled back his wounded arm. His injured arm now fully in Nataek’s view, who bit his lip, holding back rising anger.

From the right, he sensed a hostile gaze. Quickly turning, he shot another arrow.

Whiz!

The enemy fell, targeting Medeus. Blood surrounded Medeus, staining the ground.

[Hittite] ■■■■■■□□□□□□

[Kish Gate] ■■□□□□□□□□□□

Is Medeus alright? Is this tactic alright? Is Medeus badly hurt?

Clang! Whiz!

Nataek’s hand shook as he nocked a new arrow. He felt guilty making Medeus bear such a heavy burden alone.

“Argh!”

Corpses piled at his feet and wounded soldiers moaned, covered with mud. Amid the horror, only one person stood out.

Clang!

Nataek’s repeatedly firing eyes reddened. To him, only a battered Medeus appeared: arm cut, leg wounded, never ceasing attack.

This war isn’t yours to fight.

‘If you hadn’t caught the scouts, there might still have been a chance for dialogue!’

Those who don’t trust you.

‘How can a barbarian-born even be our lord?!’

Those who do not cherish you.

Clang!

There was no reason to risk his life protecting them. A grinding of teeth was heard from Nataek.

I can’t let you be broken here.

Nataek shot at the Hittite general.

Clack-clack-clack!

Just as the enemy’s sword pierced Medeus, Nataek lowered his hand.

Whiz!

“Ugh.”

[Hittite] ■■■■□□□□□□□□

[Kish Gate] ■■□□□□□□□□□□

The arrow planted in the enemy’s shoulder. Medeus tried to stab the soldier’s abdomen, but the enemy moved faster, smashing Medeus’s spear in half with his sword with a crack.

With a shortened spear, broken shield, the waist knife was all Medeus had left. Nataek watched slow-motion movements: heavy breaths, wiping blood from his eyes, battered state.

His heart began pounding.

[Hittite] ■■■■□□□□□□□□

[Kish Gate] ■□□□□□□□□□□□

More than the desperation of defeat, the thought of Medeus’s life at stake overwhelmed Nataek.

Clack-clack-rumble-rumble!

Suddenly, the loud chariot sound came from behind. A charioteer, spear raised, charged Medeus. The enemy drew back his sword arm. Medeus still held the broken spear.

No… no…!