by Pdmac
“How large do you think Cyril’s army is?”
“Who can say?” She turned her head to gaze out the window. “We are being defeated piecemeal. I fear once they arrive here, we are doomed.” She turned to face him, her eyes filled with a great sadness. “I realize now that it is unfair of me to ask you to stay. You have no stake in the war. I release you from your obligation.”
“That’s very noble of you, m’Lady,” he replied, fixing her with a firm stare, “but we’re staying here to see this through. As far as we’re concerned, it’s like King Leonidas of Sparta said, you want Westhaven, Μολών λαβέ.”
“Mo-lone lah-beh?”
“Yes,” his visage hardened. “Come and take it.”
Her eyes misted and she blinked the wetness away. “I am neither a warrior nor a military strategist. I do best amidst the swirls of political intrigue.”
“Who is your commander?”
“His name is Manas. He was a valiant fighter in his younger years. He is older now, but still very wise.”
“Then I need to speak with him,” he said, standing. “You need to rethink your decision to send warriors to your brother-in-law. If we assume Cyril’s army will overrun Lord Martin’s forces, then sending your forces to support the king is a total loss of manpower, forces we could better use here.”
“I’m afraid it doesn’t work like that,” she replied with a half-smile. “I am under obligation to send forces when the king demands.”
“Even if it means the destruction of the entire kingdom?” he countered. “If we can hold them here and whittle them down, perhaps those remnant forces of the king could sway the balance to our favor. Simply sending forces to battle without an overall plan is foolish.”
“We are not the ones being overrun at present,” she reminded him. “They have been suffering ever since this war began.”
“We can’t change that,” he said then had an idea. “If you want to save this domain and the kingdom, you’re going to have to break some rules.”
“I’ll think about it,” she stubbornly replied.
Leaning on the table, he narrowed his stare at her. “When Westhaven is surrounded, you’ll wish you had those 500 warriors.”
Lady Gwen stiffened, not liking his tone and what seemed like a reprimand, yet she knew he was right. “Let me discuss this with Manas.”
“In the meantime, my team and I need access to any and all shops and persons that specialize in potions, spells, weapons, scrolls and the like, the more then better.”
“Many of those items are beyond your team’s abilities, skills, and levels,” she pointed out.
“I know that. I’m looking for anything we can use. Where do I find Manas?”
“I’ll send for him,” she said, holding her hand up. Taking his hand, she stood then hung onto his arm as he escorted her to the bed.
“Does it always take this long,” he quietly intoned.
“She was almost dead, remember? And the poison of the spiders is worse than most. Another day or two and I should be back to normal.”
“It would not do for the people to see you like this when the enemy comes, even if they do understand why,” he counseled.
“I know,” she replied, sitting on the edge of the bed.
“When Manas arrives, I’d like for the rest of my team to be here.”
Lady Gwen looked around the bedroom then into the anteroom, seeing no guards or waiting ladies. “Of course. This decision affects them as well. Where is everyone?”
“I believe they’re outside waiting for us to let them in,” he said with a smile.
“Give me an hour,” she said. “We’ll meet with Manas then.”
An hour later, Karl stood in Lady Gwen’s anteroom, the rest of the company lounging on the divans and additional chairs. The door to the bedroom was closed, but he could hear the tittering of Lady Gwen’s ladies- in-waiting.
“So what’s the prognosis, Boss?” Dieter said, more to break the monotony of waiting than actual interest.
“Doesn’t look good,” he answered, folding his arms. “Cyril’s armies are marching. The prognosis is that the king’s forces will fold like a house of cards, which means we’re the last bastion remaining. Cyril’s got trolls and gnolls fighting with him. Pull up the troll info and you can see what we’re up against.”
He flicked on his stat screen and hit the INFO button then scrolled down to MONSTERS then to TROLLS.
Trolls are humanoid in appearance, though rather ugly and loathsome. They tend to be large, usually over ten feet tall. The Trolls of Stonefell are unusual in that they tend to be smaller than normal trolls – averaging 8 feet in height. Like all trolls, they appear shorter due to their hunched postures. While they can be a variety of colors, the most frequent are shades of brown and green. They are quite strong with thick heavy bones and muscles. Their strength allows them to rip apart flesh and bone and they have been known to crush stone with their bare hands. A troll’s motivation is his stomach. Trolls live to eat. It is not unusual for a troll, or even a group of trolls, to be in the thick of battle only to discover an available meal close by and to lose complete interest in the battle. What a troll eats is rather varied, the most common being the latest combatant, whether human, goblin, elf, or even another troll. Trolls eat everything raw.
Trolls possess an incredibly strong grip and are capable of wielding two weapons with equal skill. The one fear they have is fire. Even the mountain trolls, though they have been known to use torches in caves, give fire a wide berth. Trolls are known for their cruelty in battle and will not negotiate a surrender, believing it is better to die in battle than to lose face and slink home in defeat.
Male trolls tend to be solitary creatures, though it is not uncommon for two to three to work together for a joint effort. Trolls will follow orders if they believe the troll issuing the order is stronger. Getting five or more trolls to work together takes effort and requires a strong leader. The stronger the leader, the more trolls can be assembled as a unit.
The preferred weapons for trolls are battle axes and falchions. Armor, if worn is usually leather, covering the shoulder of the non-weapon arm.
Trolls are not known for their intelligence and can be easily confused given instructions or directions beyond their understanding. Most trolls have lost the ability to speak Trollsprach when the common tongue became prevalent. Most now speak common tongue, though poorly.
Karl continued reading, occasionally thinking of ways to defeat the brutish beasts. Yet trolls were only one part of the equation. There was still the tyrannical ambition of Cyril.
The door to the anteroom opened and a fit older man walked in. His once black hair now heavily salted, was long, despite a receding hairline, and tied in a ponytail. His close cropped beard hid a leather tanned face. Black bushy eyebrows, a sharp contrast to the grey in his hair, perched over dark brown eyes that darted around the room. He wore a sleeveless leather jerkin, revealing taut and strong arms. Resting his hand on the pommel of the sword at his hip, he narrowed his gaze at Karl.
“You the leader of this motley crew?” he asked, his voice a gravel baritone.
“Guilty as charged,” Karl answered. “You must be Manas.”
“That I am,” he said, striding in then looking at the closed bedroom door. “She coming?”
“She’ll be here in a moment,” he said, though he had no idea when she would come out.
“We got ourselves a real problem,” Manas said, once again looking at each of the team members. He paused when he sized up Dieter. “I could use a hundred more like you.”
“You’ll have to be satisfied with just one of me for the time being,” Dieter replied.
“I’ll take it.”
“Before she comes out,” Karl said, “I want to get one thing settled between us. We operate independently. We are not part of your army for you to command or piecemeal as you see fit. We are a fighting team that fights together. We will do more than is asked and give
back more than is expected.”
Manas stroked his chin and cocked his head. “I see you take me for either a dotard or a new recruit. I figured as much when I heard about you and the spiders and orcs. But I’m neither a dotard nor a young novice. I’ve fought trolls and orcs and all sorts of beasts. Even fought against Cyril when I was younger.”
“You did?” Karl said, caught off guard.
“That surprises you, does it? It might surprise you that I also defeated him.”
“When?”
“Back in the days when the old King still ruled. We had contests back then. Life was simpler and noble then. I kicked his ass in hand-to-hand combat. Never forgave me for that. That’s why I’m here. Decided to get as far away from him as possible. Looks like this time he finally caught up with me.”
The bedroom door opened and Lady Gwen emerged, causing Karl to suck in his breath. She was dressed in a long flowing silk gown of emerald green. Her hair was done up in Josephine curls revealing bare perfect shoulders. He thought to himself that she had been beautiful even when she was recovering. Now she was stunning. She held her hand out to Karl who crossed the floor in quick strides.
“I see you two have met,” she smiled to Manas as Karl escorted her to a chair.
Karl pretended not to notice a scowl flash across the old man’s face as this newcomer took his place.
“Now that we’re all here,” she spoke. “Let’s get down to business. I believe we all know why we are here?” Receiving a collective nodding of heads, she continued. “The king’s messenger arrived today with the king’s request for us to send one thousand warriors –”
“One thousand,” Manas exclaimed. “That’s insane, m’Lady. He knows that would leave us completely defenseless. There would be no one left to man the walls except for farmers and merchants.”
“Pretty much what I said,” Karl said, giving Gwen an ‘I-told-you-so’ look.
“You both made your point,” Lady Gwen nodded. “I had initially thought to send five hundred –”
“Even that’s too many,” Manas interrupted.
Karl said nothing but merely smiled at her.
“Let me finish, Manas.”
“I apologize, my Lady,” he said, dipping his head in respect.
“After talking with my favorite Viking here,” she reached up and gently touched Karl’s arm, much to Annabeth’s and Raquel’s irritation, “he’s convinced me that our soldiers are needed here, so I’ve decided to send no troops at this time.”
“Good,” Manas grumped.
“But that means we need a stout defense, one that will not just hold the enemy in place, but defeat them.” She leaned forward, emerald eyes blazing. “We need to end this once and for all. What that means is that whatever time we have between now and their arrival, we need to be ready. In fact,” she added looking at Manas, “incorporate that messenger into our forces. We can use another warrior.”
“Yes, m’Lady,” Manas grinned.
She looked at each of them in turn and solemnly intoned, “We do not have the option of defeat or surrender. Know this. My brother-in-law is ruthless. I will be the first one he tortures and kills. Then he will systematically eliminate anyone he views as a threat to his throne.”
“We understand, my Lady,” Dieter replied, answering for the group.
Redirecting her gaze at Manas and Karl, she said, “Then I leave you to it. Keep me informed.”
“Of course, m’Lady,” Manas crisply answered.
She again touched Karl on the arm. “I know you must be about the business of defending my domain, but I would like for you to return here as often as you are able.”
“With pleasure, my Lady,” he smiled in reply, placing a hand over hers. He then turned to address his team, purposely ignoring the sour looks on Annabeth’s and Raquel’s faces. “I don’t know how many days we have, but you need to go into the city and find any and every one who can help you in any way: spells, potions, scrolls, better weapons, things like that. Lady Gwen has charged the people to provide us anything we want. That doesn’t mean we take whatever we want. Take only what you can use and pay for it if you can. If you find a better weapon or stronger potion, return the lesser back to the original owner. While you’re doing that, Manas and I will work out a strategy. If you think of an idea or come across something we can use, be sure to let us know, no matter how insignificant you might think it. Questions?”
When no one replied, he briskly nodded. “Let’s do it.”
At that moment the door burst open and the Administrator bustled in then jerked to a stop midway between the door and the group, his jaw set. “Did my Lady forget she has a city Administrator?”
“No, Regnan, I have not forgotten,” she calmly answered, “but as you see, these are warriors strategizing the battle to save this domain. Are you telling me that you wish to don a sword and fight alongside them?”
The Administrator’s lips tightened at the not so subtle taunt. “You know my abilities, my Lady,” he countered. “I have been in charge of running this city since you were just a child. I believe you will agree that the city has flourished under my direction.”
Lady Gwen held up a placating hand. “No one is questioning your talents, Regnan. But from this time forward, Manas and Karl will be my leaders. This city and this domain will yield to their commands, including you. Whatever they need or ask, you will ensure it is swiftly delivered. I expect you to place yourself at their disposal.”
The Administrator’s nostrils flared at his overt demotion. He was about to retort when Karl interrupted.
“My Lord Administrator,” he soothed. “General Manas and I have no intention of pretending to know how to manage a city like this, something you have done so effectively all these years. It would greatly reduce our own distractions if you would assert your talents as you have always done. While we will be planning for battle, we will need and value your insight.”
“Well spoken,” Lady Gwen complimented before turning to the Administrator. “Perhaps my words were poorly chosen. My Viking friend has put it as I should have said it.”
The Administrator clicked his heels and dipped his head. “My apologies, my Lady, for misunderstanding.” Turning his attention to Karl only, he said, “I will be available whenever you wish, most likely in my offices here in the castle.”
“Thank you,” Karl answered with a warm smile, wondering why Manas and Gwen didn’t seem to care much for the man.
With that, the Administrator bowed out of the room.
Once he was gone, Lady Gwen yet again touched Karl’s arm, gazing affectionately into his eyes. “That was tactfully done.”
When neither he nor Lady Gwen said anything more but continued to gaze at each other, Annabeth broke the silence with a curt, “Don’t we have a war to plan or something?”
“Yes, we do,” Karl answered, breaking away from Lady Gwen’s captivating eyes, yet patting her hand with a quiet, “I’ll be back.”
“Please do,” she answered. “I’ve gotten used to having you close by.”
Karl gave her another intimate smile then turned to Manas. “I think we need to walk the far outer walls so I can get a layout of the land. I have a couple of ideas I’d like to share with you.”
“I’ll meet you at the gate. I need to issue a warning order first.” Manas bowed to Lady Gwen and walked out.
It was as Karl and the rest of the team walked down the hallways of the castle that Annabeth and Raquel sidled up to Karl.
“She seems rather friendly,” Annabeth acidly observed.
“Yes, she is,” Karl cheerily responded.
“A little touchy-feely don’t you think?”
“I hadn’t noticed,” he blandly said.
“Hadn’t noticed? I’ve gotten used to having you close by,” she mimicked with more than a hint of sarcasm. “I’m surprised she didn’t jump your bones right there.”
“Oh, I don’t think she’s into exhibitionism,” he smirked.
> “So what’s going on between you two?” Raquel asked. “We haven’t had time with you since we got here.”
“If you remember,” he said as they turned a corner, “not only did she heal Carole, there was an assassin sent to kill her. She’s been a little busy lately. She felt safe with Dieter and I there.”
“I don’t think that’s all she feels,” Annabeth sourly stated.
“So what if there was more?” Karl said. “So what if she and I jump in the sack together? Why are you so concerned?”
“Because you belong to us,” Annabeth flatly stated. “We’re willing to share with each other but not with anyone else… at least not yet.”
“She’s going to want you to stay after this is all over,” Raquel said. “If you play your cards right, you could co-rule with her.”
“Huh,” Karl mused. “I never thought about that. I suppose I could.”
“What then?”
“What then nothing,” he answered as they emerged into the courtyard. He stopped, causing the two women to stop with him. As the rest of the team wandered off, he folded his arms and said, “I know where you’re going with this so let’s clear things up. First, if she and I jump in the sack together, it’ll be for what it is, an evening of pleasure. Second, I’m not Dieter. I know she’s an NPC, which means that even if the sex is great, she’s still not real in the sense that you two are. It’s like having sex with an android. It may be awesome, but there will always be something missing, the human part of it. Third, why would I stay here? We’ve got a bridge to cross. Staying here would be the same thing as staying in Marbeck. Fourth, you two are pretty much more than I can handle, so why would I want to replace you two? Fifth,” he paused for effect, “you two are far more important to me than you realize. Does that answer your concerns?”