The Earl had conscripted both Earth mages and construction workers to work on the funneling walls. The guard captains had marked where the walls would go, and where each fortification would be placed. The construction workers were mainly used to educate the Earth mages on how ensure the fortifications were structurally sound and to do the fine detail work.
Shemona turned out to be the most talented for building the walls. Her Earthen Wall spell was perfect. She could also cast it 8 times before having to recharge. That was 8 hundred feet of walls. In a single day, with mana potions, she was able to complete the funneling walls. Four sets to divide the monsters into four groups. The walls were 5 feet high, 2 feet wide, and 800 feet long. The Earl also had created a series of structure in a reverse V shape to break up mob of monsters, so they would enter different funneling wells.
Traps were created in the funneling wells. Earth mages created deep pits with stone spikes at the bottom. Holes big enough for a monster’s foot would hopefully break their legs when the monsters came running through the well. Fire mages created fire traps, which would explode with a fireball when stepped on. Just like a landmine but with more fire. The funneling walls ended with a 10-foot opening. This was the choke point. Here the defenders would meet the horde.
The fortifications were 20 feet behind the choke point and 10 feet from the city wall. The walls were 30 feet high to support the ranged fighters. This would allow them to have firing lanes to thin out the monster horde attacking the tanks and melee combatants at the choke point. The fortifications also contained the healing stations. They contained be a recovery area for those needing to rest. This battle would not be short and being able to rest would be critical to its success. Supplies would also be stationed there. Besides food and water, potions, arrows, javelins, spear, anything that was needed for the defenders. Each fortification functioned as a mini command post. Communication crystals were installed to communicate with the Earl and his leadership team.
A last-minute improvement was made in case of disaster. Shemona created walls between each of the fortifications. If the order was given to retreat, the defenders would use the wall to protect them while they retreated to the main gate.
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It took three days to complete all the necessary improvements to the killing field. Each detail was checked and rechecked. Tensions were mounting and the defenders were becoming short-fused waiting on the fight. Well, most of the defenders were stressed. The adventurers not so much. They lived with death on every quest, every job, and every fight. They were used to it. Not to say, they weren’t scared. They just knew how to handle it better than most.
The Adventurer’s Guild was making its own preparations. Gorver was on the inside of the Earls plans. He knew this would not be a typical monster wave, and he made sure the guild leadership knew it also. He had been the driving force for the six mages to learn healing spells. In addition, he made sure the guild alchemists were making potions. Buffing potions, healing potions, mana potions. They also made sleep potions and even poison potions. None lacked ingredients, as these were supplied by the Earl at no cost. Accounting would come later. The guild armor specialist repaired leather and metal armor for free. Enchanters enchanted everything. Swords, knives, jewelry, armor. One even went so far as to enchant one hundred arrows with an extra damage enchantment.
Everyone in the guild worked together to ensure not only the success of the mission, but to reduce the number of losses. Zero loss was an impossible goal, and we all knew it. Mitigation was the key, and reduction in fatalities was our purpose. I let everyone know that I would be spending days with regrowing limbs and whatever I needed to fully heal all the adventurers that helped in the defense.
Captain Willop and his team had been outside in the forest targeting monsters, trying to delay the wave as long as possible. They couldn’t stop it, but even a single day’s delay would see us better prepared. The wave would start when a density of monster aura was achieved, then the monsters would transform and begin to head toward Forest Glen. The reports coming back indicated that it was indeed a bigger and stronger monster wave than we were used to. Up to level 10 were going to be in the first wave. At least a 50% increase in the number of beasts. The final boss wasn’t seen yet, but expectations were in the 40 – 45 level range.
Captain Willop and his team came running single file along the top of a funneling wall just after dawn. They used the wall to avoid the traps in the funnels. When they reached the end, they went into the fortification and contacted the Earl. The wave was coming. It would be here within the hour.
