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After materializing on the altar, I silently thanked Forren for drying my clothes. I flopped onto the floor and hurried outside. The temple stood beside the Sea Gate, the castle’s westernmost tower. Noise from the battle overhead drowned the usual sound of our settlement’s original flag flapping proudly in the wind.

I spared only a glance at the capsized dreadnought. It turtled like a dead fish, giving its crew a temporary island to climb onto. A ring of flotsam obscured its form. Torn rigging, broken masts, barrels, and artifacts bobbed around it.

The swirling currents spun it around, and it looked further away from the cliffs than when I’d knocked it down. The longer the swimmers clung to their raft, the further their swim to shore. Orcs stripped down to their yellow skin. They reluctantly cast off their equipment and dove into the water. Each made their bid to reach land. The strongest would survive the currents and reach shore with a stack of Exhausted debuffs.

I mentally scratched off one cohort from my list of things to do.

I cast Heavenly Favor and ran three flights of stairs to the top of Sea Gate Tower. When I reached the parapets, one siege tower stretched over the moat and connected to the wall between Westower and Midtower. Hundreds of orcs pushed their way up the tower and poured out. The vanguard split our forces, establishing two fronts along the wall. The invaders had stripped the wooden hoardings off at the point of contact. Pieces of our defensive shelter, torn off by chains and grappling hooks, dangled from the siege tower.

A river of orcs had followed the mobile stairwell like a train on a wedding gown, and those not engaged in melee chanted at shouting levels. I might have compared it to a European football match, but the harsh consonants gave it a militarized aggression. It no doubt energized the vanguard, which fought ferociously. Invaders pushed the ranks in front of them forward, forcing them to gain ground.

The tower’s twin stood vacant at the edge of Hawkhurst Rock. The balloon’s canvas reminded me of the dreadnought’s fouled sails. It enshrouded the structure like a sheet over a piece of furniture. A thin veneer of quicklime powdered the area like a light snowfall trampled by hundreds of boots. Victims of the substance writhed in the tall grass or fled to the river. Some healed themselves with weak bursts of Restore or Rejuvenate.

I mentally counted the second cohort out of the battle.

Though congested with orcs, the operational tower smoldered with small fires inside. Defenders tossed pots of burning oil into it with great effect. Yet orcs lined up at its base, pressing those before them to ascend.

Up close, the sturdy engineering impressed me. It wasn’t a spindly shell of wood held together by a frame. I expected something light enough for warriors to push across the settlement. Instead, thick logs of thick timber supported the structure. It looked more substantial than a brick wall. And I’d underestimated the footprint of the spiral staircase. The siege tower spanned almost twenty feet across, about the size of my aunt’s house. Two holes three feet across punctured the structure. The Boulder Bullets had smashed through several floors, but their compact shape minimized the damage.

The tower had docked with the parapets at the time the watercraft would have landed, so only the initial waves of orcs spilled onto the battlements, splitting defending forces into two fronts.

After falling back from the initial rush, Thaxter’s Delta Company held its ground on the eastern front. The Alliance Pikes’ steady rate of jabs inflicted more damage than orc healers could sustain. Unable to retreat because of soldiers pushing from behind, the enemy’s front flanks fell into the moat, only to be replaced by fresh invaders.

Led by Yula, Charlie Company fought behind Delta, meting out ranged damage. Half used slings, and those using arrows received full quivers from defenders without clear shots. By feeding the soldiers with a view of the enemy, Charlie Company maintained a withering rate of fire. The crowded conditions almost ensured a hit rate of 100 percent. They aimed at orcs on the parapets and around the tower’s base. They likely inflicted as much damage than Delta, albeit in a less focused area.

Fighting with the stamina bonus of Protector, our ranks showed incredible survivability. Golden ribbons of healing supported Delta, but Merciful Touches became the difference-maker.

Ally stood at the rear of the eastern flank with a slate in her arms, tracking and queuing citizens to dash to the front to give the once-a-day power to those in need.

Between Charlie and Delta, the eastern front held its ground.

The western front fared worse. Taking out a siege tower minutes before the enemy reached the walls required switching defensive positions, and orders weren’t easy to relay over the cacophony of battle.

But Alpha carried no Alliance Pikes and only held their formation at the cost of yielding dozens of yards of space along the wall. Orcs quickly filled the vacuum.

Bravo served as Alpha Company’s ranged and support team. They could have inflicted as much ranged damage as Yula’s Charlie team, but Alpha Company’s constant withdrawal hampered their efforts. The continuous repositioning significantly decreased their rate of fire.

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Alpha’s faltering worsened after they retreated past Westower. The orcs split Alpha’s forces as some defenders backed into the tower and down its winding staircase.

If the invaders continued to drive back our western line, they’d spill onto the castle grounds, sack Forren’s temple, the manor, and the great hall.

Because we fought on Hawkhurst Rock, I couldn’t undermine the siege tower with Dig. It would make a perfect target for Whirl, but invoking Holy Smoke wiped all my cooldown abilities. I’d need to wait a full day for it to reset.

Besides, I couldn’t reach the siege tower with the western defenses yielding so much ground.

I pushed my way toward the front of the battle line.

Over the din, Captain Jourdain called to Corporal Turan. “Governor Apache reports for battle! Turan, set Merciful Touches on the governor!”

Turan’s voice echoed the order to her support team.

Voices called out ahead of me. “Make way for the guv!”

When I reached the front, I had minutes left before Slipstream became available. I fought without blessings, Transpose, and daily powers, including my Cassock of Rewind. I cast Restore and Rejuvenate on the most wounded defenders and drew Gladius Cognitus. Charge and Thrust served as my openers, nailing an orc beating on Corporal Lazaar. Judging by my target’s previous wounds, the Bleed would end its life if the orc didn’t receive significant healing.

Against armed opponents, Dino’s training more than compensated for the enemy’s furor. I stood immobile as a tree and quickly shored up the faltering front. My Helm of Peripheral Vision allowed me to defend myself whenever my allies fell back. I blocked and dodged attackers looking to score critical hits.

When Alpha’s fighters saw me holding my ground, they stopped falling back and joined me. As healing caught up, I rallied the beleaguered front. “Get ready to move. We need to retake Westower. Press forward, now!”

My health bar lowered and raised as multiple heals and attacks worked against one another, but it stayed near acceptable risk levels. I never fell below fifty percent of my health pool.

Spell effects flashed around me, but the only distinct voice I heard was Corporal Turan—who called out targets for focused fire. She used an ability called Broadcast, which augmented her commands.

Alpha Company’s legacy began as Hawkhurst’s first military unit. They distinguished themselves against Rezan and proved themselves on the wall once again. Though its members had changed, the Alphas overtook the battle-hardened orcs without the benefit of the Alliance Pikes.

On the other side of the wall, the seven pike wielders pushed to the siege tower, but their advantage buckled from the surge of fresh enemies. They could make no further headway.

Trusting my allies to keep me up, I drove forward. Militia on either side of me maintained their position two paces back, and we slowly clawed our way to Westower. Instead of going inside, I pressed toward the breach point, where the tower docked to our parapets.

Behind me, Captain Jourdain led a team inside the structure to exterminate the invaders. He’d already assigned individuals to clear its interior. The orcs inside had fought with elevation against the defenders, winding down the stairway. But Jourdain’s group attacked from behind, ending their advantage.

When my combat log stopped registering backstabs and critical hits, I knew they’d finished their job.

Rounding the corner at Westower exposed me to missile fire coming from the siege tower’s windows. Avoid Ammo reflected it.

Defenders sent Fireballs and handmade incendiary grenades into it, yet the orcs used a promotion called Extinguish to stamp out flames. It made sense for attackers to focus on protecting their siege weapons. Orcs inside incurred damage from the AOE blasts, but the siege tower never caught fire.

As we neared the breach, the enemy increased their resistance. My Thrusts and Charges no longer bought us ground.

Five minutes had passed since I awoke on the altar. My sword and I triggered Compression Spheres that dropped half a dozen orcs over the walls and into the moat. The splashing below told me they’d easily survive the fall and line up behind the siege tower again. I rushed forward to take the empty ground before locking back into another stalemate with the opposing force.

The orcs’ magic wasn’t as powerful. While they rained Ice Bolts on us and cast Scorches and occasional Fireballs, their spells struck for only minor damage. Mostly, they saved mana for heals, performing abilities like Quick Strike, Block, and Knockback.

Nearly every orc triggered Anticipate, but Stunning Blow and Shield Bash presented the most danger. The corporals trained us to recognize the distinctive rings that accompanied them, and we learned to support Stunned soldiers next to us until the effect wore off. We drilled these reactions into our reflexes and acted out of muscle memory.

When a Stun afflicted me, I escaped by triggering Slipstream, which I reserved for emergencies. My disappearance created a hole that both attackers and defenders rushed to fill.

Five minutes passed, and I got more Compression Spheres. This time, I warned the nearby melee fighters.

“Get ready to surge forward. I’m going to Stun a bunch of them and blow others off the wall!”

When Moonburn’s ten-minute cooldown ended, I activated a 100-point Mana Shield, plunged into the enemy, and channeled it while spinning in a 360-degree arc.

Alpha Company surged forward for free critical hits. While the orcs fell, I cast another set of Compression Spheres, clearing throngs of enemies ahead. Again, Alpha charged to fill the void.

Hundreds of orcs inside the tower at its base chanted, undeterred by our recovered ground.

We’d fought our way to the siege tower. Caught between Delta and Alpha, wounded orcs jumped into the moat. Their escape saved them from a finishing blow, but their departure left their allies questioning the survivability of fighting two fronts.

The situation hadn’t affected the orcs’ morale. No more of them fled. Instead, they shored up their lines by returning to the siege tower, where they enjoyed heavy cover from Bravo and Charlie Company’s missile fire.

Fin, who fought in Delta, saw me and shook his weapon—the hammer called Crater.

Rachel, also a Delta member, rushed over to join me. She carried the Spear of Breaking as the Alliance Pike wielders faced the siege tower. She shouted to Captain Jourdain. “Do you have anyone left with Merciful Touch? We ran out of MTs and fell back on regular healing. We’re nearly out of mana!”

I studied everyone’s nameplates. The militia stood with low mana reserves, yet columns of orcs queued up to test their mettle. Without Merciful Touches, I saw no way of holding the chokepoint.

Thaxter yelled over the din. “We can hold them for a while, but these pikes won’t do well inside!”

My mana pool had dropped to 10 percent, and without Refresh Mana, I saw no way to battle through the rest of the emperor’s forces. We’d maybe killed a couple hundred on the parapets, but many hundreds more awaited below.