Things started out normally, at least as far as sieges were concerned. We situated ourselves, dug in, prepared our equipment, and started construction on the siege engines. We would need significantly more power to break through these walls, and I really didn’t like the look of the things they were moving around atop the wall. I couldn’t make out exactly what they were doing from the distance we were at, but whatever it was it couldn’t be good.
The wisps that I had sent into the city to scout had returned with what information they could convey. Many of them felt nervous, and I could sense a great amount of danger being transmitted in their thoughts. I had worked out a system of drawing numbers in the dirt and allowing the wisps to use them to tell me the enemies’ numbers. After I had collected a fair number of responses from all the scouts, I could safely conclude an estimate of their total strength. It made my heart sink in my chest as the average seemed to be around four thousand armed individuals, give a hundred bodies or so.
That was a number that I would have preferred to be much lower. The next closest situation to this one was the first siege, and that was about a third of the force that we were dealing with right now. We still had a numbers advantage, but facing a battle that could most accurately be described as uphill would strain that advantage to its limits.
Only one other thing I needed to confirm with the wisps. “Is the champion of light here?” The answer was given after I drew a simple yes and no response in the dirt. A few of them moved over to the yes. “Good.” I had him, he was right there, just beyond those walls. After dismissing the wisps, I decided to see how things were going around the camp and get my mind off the bastard.
I walked through the camp and watched as the soldiers were preparing themselves for the fight ahead in whatever way was most comfortable for them. There were a series of trends that were attached to different categories of people. The veteran soldiers that had served and died hundreds of years ago were calm, either ritualistically tending to their equipment or doing their best to have a casual conversation with their fellows. The living recruits, at least those with no background in military service, were much more reserved. Their groups were quiet, contemplative, and sometimes nervous as the pacing individuals worked off their anxiety through the physical action. Then there were the undead recruits who gave off either a largely indifferent feel or were pissed and eager to get some revenge for their deaths.
It was reassuring in a way, knowing that I wasn’t alone in this maelstrom of emotions that crowded my head. I had hoped to come up with some sort of plan or idea that would be able to make capturing the city easy, and thus eliminate much of the worry of both myself and my soldiers. No such luck as it turned out. We would simply have to put every resource at our disposal to use, and I would have to pull out every trick in my book of spells.
This calm before the storm was sometimes unbearable. There was little for me to do as a leader in terms of physical labor. The soldiers were responsible for setting up their own tents and we had plenty of hands available to move supplies around to where they were needed, not that I thought the soldiers would even let me assist with something so menial in the first place. I didn’t have any knowledge of engineering, so helping the dwarves in any way other than signing off on their requests for additional tools or materials wasn’t likely to happen. For someone in my position, the only option for a task was to join the strategy meeting.
These meetings weren’t exactly my favorite, mostly because I didn’t understand exactly how putting troops in a specific formation to match the actions of the enemy affected the outcome. Concepts like surrounding, flanks, and surprise attacks were easy enough to grasp in their effectiveness, but it was the finer details that apparently could make or break a battle. Still, despite my lack of knowledge, I figured I should at least be present for it so I could weigh in on the parts that I did understand.
The command tent was large, and afforded some color compared to the blander fabrics the general soldiers used. I pushed the heavy flap aside and entered the low lit and slightly smoky inside. Around the large table in the middle of the tent stood several commanding officers and a few dwarves who oversaw the engineers. They had a large map of the city laid out in front of them and were currently discussing the best possible path to take in order to do the most damage and avoid getting caught in pincer attacks should we find ourselves in the streets.
My presence was noticed by the officers, and they loudly relayed this to everyone else. “Commander present!” The room came to attention and looked to me with backs straight.
“Carry on.” It was still strange to be referred to as such, but oddly enough, I was starting to get used to it. Everyone returned to their discussion once I had dismissed them, and I moved around them so I could keep out of their way but still see what they were doing.
I watched them as they talked about the various streets and alleyways that crisscrossed around the city. Conversations on troop movements and strategies for advancing in a safe manner were brought forth, debated, refuted, and revised as was needed. Some of the finer points were lost on me, but they just didn’t want to end up in a situation where they became cut off from the main force and picked apart while moving through the city.
Regarding the walls and actually getting into the city, it was decided that the construction of additional catapults, and even a trebuchet, would be called for if we were to make it inside. The gate was extremely heavy with large metal bands reinforcing it, so your average battering ram would barely be able to dent it. It seemed that a protracted siege with the intent of bringing down or taking over the walls was considered the easiest course of action, though the difficulty was relative to the alternative and not a statement of how quickly we would be through with this.
While watching them plan in silence, I was contemplating what I could do to support their plans or aid them in some way. Nothing new came to mind, which was a shame, but I had to come to terms with the fact that I couldn’t do everything no matter how much I desperately wanted to. The spells that I had at my disposal in the book just weren’t meant for siege breaking.
My contemplations were interrupted when a living soldier entered the tent with a noticeable amount of energy. Everyone turned to this new arrival with various levels of either surprise or curiosity. He stopped a few feet into the tent and threw up a salute to everyone before launching into his message.
“Reporting with a message from a runner. Reinforcements are on their way and are less than an hour from our position.”
At first the news of the support came as a surprise, but then I remembered that Malery had been hard at work while we were on the campaign trail.
“Do we know exactly how many are coming?” I asked.
He turned slightly to answer me head on. “Report claims several hundred are on their way.”
Several hundred, less than I would have desired, more than I thought I would receive. Malery was certainly working hard to get that many equipped and to us in this time. I wasn’t one to turn my nose up at assistance when we needed everything we could get.
“I will go and receive them.” I turned to the rest of the officers. “You all should continue planning. Finding a way to get through this quickly is more important right now. Keep at it.”
“Yes sir!” They answered as one.
I left them to continue their deliberations while I followed the messenger. He led me to the area where the reinforcements would be arriving. I got comfortable and waited for them to arrive, spending some of my time making sure that I looked at least presentable to these new arrivals.
True to their word, they arrived in just under an hour as the marching column of soldiers made their way down the road. Something new that caught my eye though was a banner, one that I had never seen before. It was a simplified skull with an intricate pattern of roots that were growing out of it until they coalesced into the shape of a tree, like it was sprouting from it.
The formation came to a stop just outside the camp, and one person stepped forward and made their way towards us. He was as decayed as any of the veterans I already had in my retinue and was wearing a full set of metal armor. In fact, I noticed that many in the front rows were wearing rather expensive armor.
This soldier stopped before me, gave a salute, and fell back to an at attention stance before speaking in his ethereal voice. “My lord, we are here to assist at the behest of Lady Malery. I hope that our presence is welcome and our service desired.”
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So, I'm a ‘lord’ now. Is that just a natural progression, or a result of having found victory in war. I suppose if I thought about it, a lord was only such because either he or his ancestors had laid claim to the name by force. Such a title was not one that I longed for, or even had the slightest yearning for, but people would call me that now whether I wished for it or not, so I would let it be for now.
“Your presence is indeed a very welcome one. We would never turn away those who give up the peace of death to save the living.”
“That is wonderful to hear. We are at your disposal.”
They were certainly professional and conducted themselves with an air or experience. I was happy to have them, but I also had a question I wanted answered. “There will be a lot of work to come, but before we get into that, might I ask a question of you?”
“Anything, sir.”
“Where did that banner come from, and what does it mean?”
“Oh, yes, Lady Malery had it created. She thought that an official army should have a banner to fly, and since you did not create one yourself, she took it upon herself to make it. The idea behind it, according to her, was that death feeds life, nurtures it, whether through the knowledge left by generations long gone or the act of our bodies returning to the earth. It is inescapable, and necessary.”
It was bizarre, and somewhat on the nose as far as design was concerned, but I found myself appreciating it. “Well, it is well made, and I'll have to thank her one day for it. Now what about you? You’re rather well equipped even for soldiers holding a rank.”
“Well sir, we were the first Lady Malery asked to return to service due to our skills that we honed in life. The last dwarven champion was eccentric, at least in the eyes of her countrymen. She made a point to hire and train members of different races as personal escorts and guards. Many thought she was doing this for more personal reasons, but it was purely practical on her part. She simply wished to use all the best aspects of each of the races to produce the greatest results while promoting cooperation. She was a fantastic champion in my opinion, and the current one sought to honor her memory by providing us with similar gear to what we used back then. I hope we can provide you with the same protection.”
Personal guards for champions, huh. I didn’t really consider that might have been a job someone would have, but when I looked back on what I'd seen it made sense. Velena had an escort of around a hundred well-armed individuals, and even the bastard I had currently trapped like a rat had his retinue following him around. Maybe it was inevitable that I would eventually end up with my own as well.
The group was introduced to the camp, shown where they could find supplies for their equipment, and where they could set up tents for themselves. After they were situated, I introduced them to an officer who would assign the more rank and file tasks. Meanwhile, I, not being one to deny those men the role they trained for, had to get used to being followed around by some very attentive soldiers. They even talked it out and managed to convince some of the soldiers who had their tents next to me to swap with them so they could stay close even in the dead of night. I was sure that they would have stood vigil inside my own tent if they thought I would have let them do it.
New arrivals aside, the construction of the siege engines continued over the next few days. Several catapults accompanied by some ballistae were finally ready to start the first wave of bombardments. The trebuchet was almost finished as well, but it needed just a little more time.
The defenders atop the walls weren’t sitting on their hands during all of this. Atop the large stone towers and wide walls were their own equipment that would be used in the counterattack. We would be targeting the general locations of these engines with the hope of disabling them. Undoubtedly the strategy of both sides would be more or less the same as without the equipment each of us would be effectively a target with no means of retaliation.
We had to make the first move, pushing the catapults into range of the walls, and the enemies. Another downside of being the attacker is that the walls provide their equipment with extra range, so while the troops were moving things into place, stones and bolts were falling all around them. The infantry did their best to distract and suppress the enemy, firing arrows and filling in ditches around the walls.
One of our catapults took a direct hit from a boulder before it could get in range. The resulting damage rendered it inoperable and even injured a few of the dwarves that were trying to move it. I ordered the injured dwarves to be evacuated and sent to the medical tents.
After that unfortunate loss, the catapults were in range and the first of the volleys were soon sent towards the walls. Boulders bounced off the face of the walls, taking small chunks out of the perfect surface, probably the first flaw it had seen in centuries. That was only the first of the attacks to be exchanged in what would be multiple hours of combat.
At the end of the day the order to fall back was given. We had lost all but one catapult while only managing to destroy a handful of their own. The damage we did to the walls was mostly superficial, but every little bit would eventually add up.
The good news was that a trebuchet was finished, and with its superior range we could bombard them from a safe distance. My soldiers did not need sleep, and a few of them were being instructed by the dwarves on how to operate the trebuchet in order to keep it firing throughout the night. Rocks covered in oil and set ablaze were the chosen ammunition for this siege engine as the fires that would be started would keep the enemy awake and exhausted.
So far everything seemed to be rather normal as far as sieging was concerned. This made me feel uneasy, like a trap was about to be sprung that I knew existed yet could not see. I hated feeling like that, but there was nothing to do but carry on.
This was but the first day of a long siege, and as we entered the second, we had done significant damage over the night. Fires still burned in the city as a result of our bombardment, and the second trebuchet was already under construction. Our catapults were being rebuilt and there was a relative lull in the fighting other than an occasional boulder flying towards the city until we could field more.
The ballistae were stringed again now that there was light enough to aim, and they did their best to hit either the defender of the enemy or their equipment. We weren’t the only ones with this idea, and it seemed that our foes were quite tired of the fire that had been thrown at them and decided to share some of it with us. Large flaming bolts were suddenly falling around us. Somehow, they were able to extend their reach beyond what we thought possible. This was the first sign of the advanced weaponry they had at their disposal.
While we had to take measures against this, it seemed that they did not have a lot of accuracy. They could achieve range, but they could not consistently hit a target as a great many of the bolts only hit dirt and were quickly extinguished. Those that did hit their mark were pounced on by the soldiers to prevent any fires from spreading, so we managed to keep damage to a minimal while we feverishly moved further away.
In order to facilitate this retreat, it was decided that we would launch an assault on the walls. Troops were quickly organized and prepared for the attack. Ladders, hooks, ropes, everything we would need was gathered by the infantry while I started to command the monsters. Battle formations were assumed, and shortly after, the order to charge was given.
The monsters would go first, keep the enemy's attention, and absorb fire during the approach. I expected that we would not find success this first time given the circumstances, but it seemed that it would go far worse than that as the defenders revealed one of their new weapons. Four gleaming spots on the walls caught my attention, and even once I was able to see past the glare, I could not readily identify what I was looking at.
It appeared to be circular, but convex and supported by a sturdy but flexible frame. They were made of reflective material, and upon closer inspection it was clear that they were mirrors currently reflecting the rising sun. The amount of money that must have gone into their creation would have been insane, and I could only imagine just how difficult it was to get them in that shape without breaking.
I didn’t understand what their purpose was until in noticed a white robed individual walk up to it. The priest who just showed up on the walls stood directly behind the strange construction. Watching them closely, they dangled their hands over the top of the mirror, and then a glow started to build from the center of the mirror, and my stomach sunk.
The light began to grow in intensity before bursting into a painful shine. I could no longer look directly at it, but considering what it was doing to my forces, I wasn’t focused on it anyway. The light was being reflected and amplified by the mirrors as it was projected out onto the field down below, increasing the range and devastation of that horrid magic.
It swept through the ranks of our forces, eradicating the monsters before they were turned and tilted to target the second wave. The power of that reflected light was so intense that any undead that got caught in its path were almost instantly reduced to ash. It was horrible, and I could only stand there, mouth agape as I watched the rays of light sweep through the crowd, doing unimaginable damage that I doubted they even comprehended.
This was untenable, and we could not continue if it meant suffering so many losses just for a chance to get atop the walls. I immediately ordered a retreat before we experienced an unforgivable tragedy. Again, the monsters were sacrificed first to preserve the minds of the soldiers who had yet to be hit. Living soldiers did their best to shield their undead comrades who they had grown close to during the course of this campaign.
I felt helpless just watching everything play out in front of me. A part of me just wanted to rush out there and start dragging people back from the walls, but I knew that a single person would not be able to do much, and risking my control over the monsters was not worth it. Sometimes being in a position of leadership meant sending others to suffer in your place. Lately I had been wishing for those days when I was a carefree adventurer able to travel wherever I wished with no concern for how others went about their lives.
Now, though, I was responsible for an army of people who were disappearing one at a time before my very eyes. By the time they had made it outside the range of those light amplifying inventions the field was littered with the remains of monsters and the armor of those who were turned to dust. Cheers and jeers came from the walls as the enemy mocked our retreat. I could only scowl at them from a distance as I imagined all the broken minds they had left in the wake of that attack. We needed to find a way to get rid of those mirrors before anything could be done, but that posed a question of significant importance. How?