We woke up about two hours before dawn. We shared breakfast together in peaceful bliss, each enjoying the company and normalcy provided by the other before the reality of the day would need to be faced.
I had deposited the spoils of war in the spare room upstairs, but upon review, I decided to write up a work order for the arcanium powder and the related shot that went with it. The shot was like a hollow sphere, the exterior made of six rings welded together, where the arcanium powder would be magically suspended in the center. I knew not how to do that, but simply lobbing them at magical barriers once they were prepared would be well within my means.
Chooka and I made our goodbyes before we each headed our separate ways for the day. I had The Boys tag along, for their martial prowess may be needed to defend the city. I stopped by a munitions workshop in the city and put in a high priority work order to have my siege bombs prepared. I had enough supplies to make a little more than a thousand of them, and I planned to keep them handy as a contingency if the war fared poorly. I didn’t get backtalk or even a raised eyebrow for my request, just a mischievous grin from the miccen artisan who took off with a gleam in his eye to see to it that my order would be processed.
With that well in order, The Boys and I headed for the Gate of Friendship. I had been told that the name harkened back to some ancient feud when the city was still a town, where some elves and dwarves were having a tiff before they needed to join forces against a common threat. So the story goes, they got along well enough by the end of it that all was water under the bridge, and so their descendants built the gate to commemorate their friendship forged in battle. The gates themselves had a mosaic on the outside of an elf and a dwarf, one on each door, shaking hands. The inside was more scenic, with three panels of them breaking bread together, mourning their fallen together, and building the city together. Most likely it was all rather romanticized, for several other races were certainly present when building the city, so it was not like the dwarves and the elves did all that unaided.
To be fair, elves and dwarves get along swimmingly these days. Elves tend to live on the surface and ensure a community lives in balance with nature, providing food and textiles. The dwarves live underground in such settlements, in charge of city maintenance and mining operations. Such a pairing has made a large number of towns across the world very lucrative and desirable to live in, for they tend to marry aesthetics and natural beauty with the practicality of quality infrastructure and public utilities in a manner that is sustainable. Perhaps then, the story surrounding the Gate of Friendship is just a parable to comment on that relationship that predates the city, but such ponderings would have to wait until after the war.
Directly inside the gate, what had once been a large open area full of various stalls and carts selling everything under the sun was now bereft of any such mercantile endeavors. Infirmaries, cafeterias, portable privies, small shrines to a few gods, arcane rituals, and a command center filled the plaza. The place was quite lively, with people coming and going at presumably all hours, as if this had become a small town within a city to tend to the needs of those stationed upon the wall.
The strangest arcane ritual of them all was operated by [Cooks], [Chefs], and other individuals of the culinary persuasion. They had three rings of cooking stations that surrounded a massive cauldron that bubbled away from the hearty fire beneath it. Of all things, a goblin stood on the brim of the cauldron, stirring it and tossing in spices occasionally as he danced rhythmically around the edge. There was only one goblin in town as far as I had heard, so it must be Alterez, the cook from the Exterminator guildhall. This was my first time seeing him in person, but he deftly dodged incoming food that landed within the cauldron as the cooks went about their ritual. They danced from station to station as they prepared all manner of dishes, each person in step, spending no more than a minute at any given location, such that everyone would have a hand in making every dish. I knew not what they were cooking up, but it seemed to not be the food that people would be eating.
I decided to put a pin in that, opting instead to find the other members of my party and report to our section of the wall, which was directly on top of the gate, our bad luck be damned. Surprisingly, Garro and Rarro were the first to show up. I had expected them to be last and doing their best to malinger, but they each seemed chipper. The others made their way eventually, with Bellwright being last on account of his short stature making it difficult for him to find us. It was more accurate to say that I found him with my sensory Skills and then had the group join up with him, for he had started to wander in the wrong direction. Either way, we were certainly assembled ahead of schedule, and so we would make a proper first impression becoming of Platinum Adventurers.
I don’t know if anyone had ever witnessed a hydra climbing stairs before, least of all the stairs that led to the battlements above the city gates. The Boys struggled with it at first, for said stairs were not designed with hydras in mind, or perhaps, the stubby legs of hydras were not well designed for stairs. They finally opted to go up the stairs backwards, using their snouts to push off stairs below as they backpedaled their way up. It was a slow and arduous process, but somehow no one waiting to use the stairs decided to voice any complaints about the holdup. Either everyone was minding their manners or no one wanted to agitate a hydra that was clearly irritated by its ordeal with the stairs.
Such a scene somehow was not the talk of the town at that moment, for most people were chatting away about how there were no stars in the sky all night. Many theories were postulated concerning why and how that came about, anywhere from divine intervention to some arcane ritual. Given all the rituals going on in the plaza, my money was on the latter.
With a triumphant roar, The Boys announced their victory over the accursed stairs, and together we made our way to the section of the walls directly over the gate. We were met with equal measures of surprise and gratitude from the tired individuals we relieved. The empty remnants of the sleep-in-a-bottle concoctions littering the area suggested that they had been here for a while. We cleaned the place up and set up a rotation for watch as we went over provided dossiers of all the enemy heavy hitters, formulating strategies for how to deal with each one. We set out what supplies and consumables we would need, and all gave thanks that Gulfore’s little hut could fit on the battlements without blocking anything. With the defenders being stretched thin, we would be here for the next week at least, so we made ourselves at home.
The most challenging part would be keeping The Boys entertained, for they were not used to working like this. In the guildhall with Chooka, something was always happening for them to watch, but up here on the walls, little of note occurred. The sun rose to our right, which is to say, the east, and it illuminated the enemy army oozing their way across the desolate plain before us. Each of us eyed the giants in the distance, knowing full well we were an attractive target for their assault and well within smashing range if they approached, given their tall stature. The enemy set about building their camp, a considerably slow process on account of the dearth of building supplies available nearby. Fortunately, between the cornucopia of activities behind us, the army in front of us, and everyone sharing stories, The Boys remained content for now.
Defenders occasionally sallied forth to harass the enemy, and likewise the enemy would launch a few probing offensives against our wall to feel out what we were capable of; however, no belligerents committed overly to any offensive. It was mildly entertaining to watch, for no one was revealing the full extent of their capabilities or Skills. Night fell without incident, only for the pattern to repeat again and again until about noon on the fourth day of the siege.
It seemed that the enemy had finally finished making camp, and I could see an assault party forming in the distance. It seemed that the giants would be taking the field, for they stood at the vanguard. I ensured everyone was awake and ready, but it was still the better part of an hour before the enemy started their trek across the muddy field to approach us.
As they came into range, the city’s artillery opened up on them. The wood golem’s arms sprouted giant vines that twisted together to form great shields to intercept incoming missiles. The stone golem generated a similar effect out of stone to form his own shields, and together they formed a shieldwall, marching forward as our siege projectiles bounced off them impotently. The four-armed giant was clad head to toe in some sort of armor made of wood and stone, mostly likely as a result of a Skill. He did not try to block or dodge whatever got through to him, but rather he let it bounce harmlessly off his armor as he strode forward, club at the ready over his shoulder.
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As he approached within range of [Lesser Appraise - Skills], I detected that most of his Skills were related to [Golems], [Illusions], [Combat], and [Earth Magic]. The [Illusions] gave me the most concern, so I immediately spent the entirety of my emergency reserve of Experience Points on Skills related to detecting and resisting illusions. Sadly, I did not know what his specific Skills were or what they did, just the general categories they belonged to and how many he had relative to the others.
Garro and Rarro were channeling some big badda-boom spell to blast the troop formation behind the giants. We hoped to rout them or at least get them to break formation so they would scatter. Bellwright had the task of messing with the terrain to throw the two [Golem] giants off balance and to hopefully split them apart so as to break their shieldwall. Gulfore provided various boosts and precision shielding for anyone about to take a hit. That left Skull and I to deal with the giants with The Boys as backup.
The Boys let loose their breath attacks. Sadly, Golems are not susceptible to the poison from Socrates, and the giant leader was too tough to be phased by it. Likewise, the blasts of water from Plato only pushed them slightly, for they were too massive to be knocked flat by them, much less damaged. Fortunately, Aristotle’s fire breath did seem to damage the plant [Golem], which promptly dropped to the ground and rolled to smother the flame, quite unsuccessfully.
With that opening, Skull and I leapt from the wall at the stone [Golem]. Its massive form rendered no aid in averting our attacks, for we swarmed it like pestering insects as it feebly tried to swat us down. Skull seemed to have some difficulty, for a sword does not fare well against stone and a [Golem] has no morale for her to damper with her fear Skills. However, she did provide a distraction, and so I laid down explosive traps along its body, specifically targeting the joints of its limbs.
We leapt off towards the four-armed giant as I detonated the explosive runes on the stone [Golem]. It did not fall apart, but it stopped moving. Great cracks appeared in its form, and either such cracks rendered it incapable of locomotion, or it risked falling apart if it tried. We used its still body as a place to retreat when needed, leaping between it and the four-armed giant as we dodged incoming attacks.
Where it once held a single club, now it held four, one in each hand. I knew three of them to be illusions, but knowing that and having the discipline to let it hit you when it can do no damage are two different things. My mind still screamed danger and prompted me to avoid such hits even though I knew them to not be real. Just as I became comfortable with dealing with them, I made a mistake. The illusion became real as everything slowed down. No, not slowed, but the giant had used some form of haste Skill in that moment.
The four-armed giant had teleported his real club to the hand that was swinging the illusory club at me. With my body midair after jumping at him, I had no way to dodge. I readied what shields and defenses I could, but I did not like my odds one bit at surviving such a massive weapon smashing into me. Then suddenly, I was back on the wall and stumbling to maintain my footing. In horror, I watched as Bellwright occupied the location where I had just been. He had used some Skill to instantly switch places with me, and I could do naught but behold his grim fate as a furious yell escaped my throat in protest.
Just before the club obliterated Bellwright, I observed his entire body take on a metallic and dull gray sheen. The club, in an upward swing, smashed into him, but his body did not become pulp. Rather, it seemed as if he had turned to a statue of iron, and seemingly unharmed, the club launched him up and away. With my sensory Skills, I observed his profile growing smaller in the distance, with one last twinkle of the light denoting his departure before he disappeared from my sight entirely.
Enraged at the loss of a snack-giver, The Boys leapt off the battlements and thumped down on the ground below.
“Release us, that we may strike down those who dare raise a hand against you!”
They screamed in my mind for release, that I remove the seal on their size, such that they may fight at full strength. I obliged promptly, and I moved into position to support them. Skull quickly disengaged the four-armed giant, her attacks proving futile against his thick armor. She had floundered in her attempts to hamstring him, and so now the two of us backed up The Boys as they grew to their full size.
The last time I had released them to wreak havoc, they had been perhaps six stories tall. After their last upgrade from my Skills, they were approximately half that height now. They roared as they faced off against the giant, only for a club to come swinging at them in return.
One head of the hydra moved to intercept, latching onto the arm swinging the club, but the giant teleported the club to another arm. The process repeated twice more, but the hydra would be outnumbered on heads to arms by the time of the fourth swing.
“Help us, lazy bones!”
“Yeah, tarry not, we need you.”
“Less dilly-dally, more battlefield finale.”
I heard the Boys call to me in my mind with our shared communication from my Skill. While they were a little disrespectful, I chalked that up to the heat of the moment. I had been making traps underground and sliding them underneath the giant’s feet to throw off his balance, so it was not like I was standing around gawking. I moved to assist, but I was too late. The club in the last arm of the giant came down at The Boys.
Like a boil rupturing, the fleshy blob on the side of The Boys exploded as another head and associated neck lunged upwards to intercept the incoming club.
“I bet you were expecting Papa to help, but it was me, Diogenes!”
I needed a Skill to facepalm in combat without exposing myself to an attack. The new head of The Boys, Diogenes, had pronounced his name completely wrong. I heard him say “Dee-oh-jeans” instead of “Dai-aa-juh-neez”. However, given that it is his name, I guess he can dictate how to pronounce it.
I am sure everyone else just heard a roar of some kind, perhaps even singing, whenever they talked, but I could understand them clearly. Diogenes growled something to the giant, but I knew his heart on the matter.
“Move a little to the right; you are blocking my sun.”
The Boys, now firmly latched onto the four-armed giant, lifted him bodily off the ground and shook him violently like a ragdoll in the mouth of an aggressively playful dog. The giant’s armor held for the most part, and The Boys flung the giant away from them. The sky around The Boys darkened, as if all the sunlight were being sucked into Diogenes. The rest of The Boys peppered the giant with breath attacks to keep him at bay while small wisps of condensed sunlight coalesced in Diogenes mouth.
I moved traps into the path of the giant as Skull launched waves of shadows at him, each of us trying to buy time for whatever was to happen next. The giant had regained his footing, but he currently found himself preoccupied with blocking the incoming attacks, his arms raised in front of his chest to fend off our assault.
Darkness enveloped The Boys as if they were wrapped in night. The vortex that redirected all sunlight to Diogenes faded away as he faced the giant. His mouth opened, and the world shone with the radiance of a thousand suns.
A solid beam of condensed sunlight hit the giant center mass. His entire body slid backwards, leaving great gouges in the earth as he tried to withstand the attack. My traps, at first designed to undermine his footing, had shifted to ensnare him, and with his feet so entangled, he could not move out of the way. The beam melted through his arms and chest alike, punching a gaping hole in his torso. As the beam fizzled out, the giant fell over dead.
The mooks that had been following behind the giants looked on at the devastation, each man and woman frozen in awe at such raw destructive power. I had mostly forgotten about them, but apparently, the twins had not. The troop formation had not dared to enter the fray, perhaps preferring to wait for the giant to win before advancing. It mattered little, for much like how the first bridge had been destroyed, so too did the sky open up as death rained down from above. Instead of a giant beam of energy, small meteors of all colors of the rainbow smashed down on them and exploded, wrecking their defenses and obliterating their formation. What few survivors remained quickly routed.
And just like that, the assault ended. The Boys dragged the corpse of the four-armed giant back to the Gate of Friendship where they dined upon their latest prey. Many looked on with a mix of awe and horror, unable to look away, as if they had seen a carriage full of orphans catch fire and crash into another carriage transporting beehives, also on fire. They took turns munching away, one head on watch, two holding down the corpse, and one ripping a bite out of said corpse. Surprisingly, no more assaults were launched on our position that day while the hydra went about feeding, their eyes gazing hungrily at the enemy yet in the distance.