We took a little time to eat a meal from one of the vendors who had set up shop around the fighting pit. It was some pretty well spiced, mashed ashroot with a little perfectly steamed and thinly sliced meat as well as some equally well steamed vegetables. It all was served in a bowl that was actually made from two layers of crispy flat bread. The inner layer soaked up the juices from the meal while the outer kept our fingers clean and in the end we could eat them both. Well, at least in theory.

I might have just taken a little too much time eating as I watched some of the sparring matches that took place in the fighting pit once I vacated it since we made ourselves comfortable nearby. In general I liked what I saw, even if some might have tried a little too hard to show off. I turned to Kaele and Tero as I licked my fingers clean. “Maybe we should have a little contest or some kind of competition while we are still here. What do you think?”

My brother just shrugged but Kaele gave it a little more thought. In the end she nodded. “It might help if we ever end up in another chaotic melee like last time. You shouldn't neglect formation exercises though. Not every battle can be won by superior individual fighters.”

She fell silent for a moment but spoke up again before I or Tero could comment though. “Maybe you should wait a little though. The banners and companies present right now already are pretty well acquainted with each other after the recent campaign. A friendly competition in addition to other exercises might just be what is needed to build a similar team spirit with any newly hired companies and individuals.”

She wasn't wrong of course. Tero seemed to think so as well, as he nodded along with me. He was the first to rise after brushing off his hands as well. “Well, we will leave you to your business then.” He nodded in the direction of Yath'zur, who was approaching us just then. He pulled Kaele to her feet as well. Before they left for good though my sister cast a quick Regeneration spell on me to help me through the rest of the day.

I barely noticed her casting. I certainly wasn't the only one getting a lot of practice these days. Finally I rose as well as the young giant reached me. I flashed him a grin. “I take it that you are not here to ask for a rematch, right?”

He absentmindedly rubbed the center of his chest as he shook his head. “No, lets save that for another day. I have been making inquiries with the carpenters and engineers of the town about siege engines and the likes. I'd like to talk with you about our options. We can take a look at some as well if you can make some time for it.”

I nodded and started following him as he led me to the location he had in mind. He wasn't wrong to inquire about such engines as well. Sure, giants and trolls could sling stones like no one else but against dwarven fortifications built into an actual mountain we would need something beyond their capabilities. We would need siege engines that could lob heavier stones as well as payloads much more deadly than mere stones.

We walked in silence for a little while until we reached a quarry pretty much on the other side of the town. It was framed by forests and thick underbrush. And only as we entered the quarry did the siege engine that had been set up here become obvious. I could understand why this location had been chosen. For one it was out of sight. On the other hand it could be test fired here without harm to anyone else as well.

What greeted my eyes was a decent sized trebuchet. It wasn't as big as it probably could be but it certainly was big enough to be quite impressive. A small crowd was sitting on logs and rocks amidst a number of carts arranged in a semicircle not far away. Most of them were dark elves. They rose as we approached.

Yath'zur introduced them as we closed in on them. “Master carpenter Anur and his crew. They agreed to set up one of their weapons for a little demonstration.”

The master bowed, but only slightly, and nodded. “It is the same type of weapon we use on our wall. We have one on every bastion.” He paused briefly. “Except the one with the windmill, obviously.” His assembled crew chuckled at his little joke.

I smiled as well. Neither the weapons nor the mill were anything anyone could miss unless they were blind. I was a little surprised anyway. “You took one of the weapons down from the wall?”

That earned me a laugh from the master craftsman and some more chuckles from his crew. He shook his head. “No. The ones on the walls don't go anywhere. We had more than enough spare parts to build another one though. We keep them in stock just in case, you know.”

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“I see.” That was certainly understandable. This close to the gap preparedness was a necessary virtue.

The man clapped his hands, prompting his crew to get moving. “Let's give the lady of Caer'zoth a presentation.” He didn't need to say anything else. Everyone of his men and women knew exactly what they had to do. They were obviously used to working as a team. They probably had regular weapon drills pretty similar to this demonstration.

It was as if they themselves were part of a well oiled machine. Only moments later the trebuchet fired its first shot. A stone probably half the weight of any of the dark elves, crashed into the rock face of the abandoned quarry, cracking the rock, even if just a little. They didn't stop there though. They reloaded and fired again and again until the pile of rocks they had prepared was used up.

Only then did the master allow his crew to relax as he returned to me. “We could keep going like that pretty much all day with only a few short breaks to rest and check the machine, at least as long as we have rocks to send flying.” He was visibly proud. “Thanks to the counterweight you can even keep firing in the dark once you have it ranged properly, as long as the stones are roughly the same weight.”

Yath'zur took over there. “They can scale them up for use by trolls and giants as well.” Then he pointed at the carts. “We will need those to transport these monstrosities though. That will limit our mobility to some degree.”

He was right. We wouldn't be able to take cross country shortcuts or move through forests with heavily loaded carts like these. The young giant wasn't too worried though. I quickly understood why as he continued. “We will need a proper supply train anyway, which means a lot more carts, among other things for wood suited for construction.”

I nodded. “Trenches, tunnels and the whole works?”

He smiled in return. “Yes. Among other things. Unless we somehow manage to take the outer dwarven fortifications within hours or days at worst we will need to build proper shelters as well. Tents alone won't be an option in the long run, especially if the siege stretches into winter.”

I nodded one more and turned to address the master carpenter once more. “What about other ammunition, like barrels?”

Now the man started grinning like a child that had just received a sweet treat. “Okay crew, time for the second part of the demonstration!” And as he spoke everyone got moving once again. They were even more well coordinated this time as they moved the first of several barrels from one cart to the sling of the siege weapon.

Everyone's movements were measured and careful and when they were done they called out obviously predetermined keywords. More than that, they used hand signals as well, whenever one step was done, until the barrel was launched after a fuse on it had been lit.

And once again they repeated this well practiced choreography until the ammunition cart was empty. By that time the rock face of the quarry was on fire, burning oil slowly spreading from where the barrels had hit.

The heat of the fire would weaken the rock. Afterwards simple rock projectiles would do even more damage. I came to an important realization though. “We will need more than just the siege engines. We will need to train crews to work just like yours, master Anur.” I took a deep breath. “Especially if the idea with the alchemists works out and we get payloads even more dangerous than barrels of oil.”

Both Anur and Yath'zur nodded before the dark elf answered. “For sure. Wouldn't want any accidents to happen with things like that.”