"Show me."
Those two words ignited the fighting spirit in the Grey Peak Sect fighters.
***
Domonos finished talking to Blaze and passed command of Vuzgal to one of his junior Lieutenant Colonels.
"Are you sure that a combat company will be enough?" Erik asked.
"If it isn't then I didn't train them well enough," Domonos said.
Rugrat reached out a hand, Domonos took it, being pulled by the large man into a bear hug.
"Bring them back safe."
"Yes sir."
Erik reached out his hand and hugged Domonos.
"Tear them apart, but make sure that the rage doesn't cloud your judgement."
"I serve the army first, my soldiers second and myself last."
Erik patted him on the shoulder, his expression worth more than a hundred words.
Domonos felt as if he had taken in an extra breath but he couldn't breathe anymore or let it back out.
Gong Jin cleared his throat.
"I'll let you get back to it. When I see you next, Meokar will be under new management," Domonos promised.
He snapped off a salute.
Erik and Rugrat pulled themselves up and saluted back at Domonos.
He about faced and marched out of the command center. His guards fell in around him, guiding him through the battle arena and toward their mounts.
Domonos pulled out a map of the situation reported by Lieutenant Colonel Zukal.
The group marched through the halls, people moving out of the way.
There was a startled yell as they turned a corner and nearly ran over a young woman who was walking.
"Sorry miss," One of the soldiers said. Domonos glanced up, his eyes locked with Mistress Mercy's.
He clenched his jaw and felt the hot rage running through his body.
"Colonel Silaz, what a surprise.”
"I am sorry, Mistress Mercy, I have things to do." Domonos held himself back from spitting out the words as he felt that darkness that was always a half step away calling to him. "I hope we can meet up later."
He shot a look to his guards and they kept on moving.
Next time will be when I take your head from your neck. In his mind the image of her whipping him with a hysterical smile on her face overlaid the young pure-looking woman. He heard the screams of others that had somehow drawn her ire. He felt the burning pain on his back, on his limbs. He unconsciously shifted his armor, feeling as if his back was itchy where the old healed wounds had once been.
Domonos looked at the map again and reviewed the information from Zukal again.
***
The Willful Institute had entered into the plateaus, spreading out and laying out their weapons of war.
"I heard that they sent over a messenger letter to the branch leader," Mister Yi said to Jasper.
"What was the result?"
"It looks like they were willing to turn back; if the Grey Peak Sect agreed to pay back the resources they took plus interest. Storgaard didn't take too kindly to their demands."
"What if it was not the Grey Peak sect but another sect that got the message?"
"Depends, though in this area, most of them would have given in. They don't want a war, they want to hold onto their lands, send up resources to the Fourth Realm and get support in the Third. This is the start of negotiations, if they could just return the supplies or a little less than what they took, then the other sects would give in."
"Without your information we might have allied with one of the other sects. Feels bad that we dragged them into this."
"They will get a new city out of it and we can see what they're made of. You said that the sects in the higher realm want to cooperate with us as well now.
"Still."
"Yes, we are tricking them in one way, but are we not taking on the risks with them?"
Jasper sighed.
When did it all become so complicated?
The totem flashed with light and a group of 'adventurers’ walked out. Their marching fell in step as they walked out. They wore different gear but still they looked like a single entity in different armor.
The groups marched past Jasper and Mister Yi, their officers nodded to them as they passed.
With the third group Domonos came out, he walked over to Jasper and Mister Yi.
"Good to see you Domonos, Zukal gave me this for you," Jasper held out an information book.
Domonos opened it, the pages flipped and burnt out as light drifted through his eyes.
"Looks like he has everything in hand. Shall we head to the wall? I want to see it myself."
Jasper's guards led the way.
***
Domonos stood at the top of the wall. There were guards and people in the different towers and heating huts, ready to rush up onto the wall at a moment's notice.
Walls are good and thick, though they're all over the place, creating their own small bastions on the mountain instead of one continuous wall around the area.
"Our ranged forces are going to have the enemy in range at different times. With the height advantage we can get better range, though that cross-wind coming off the surrounding mountains will make it harder to aim What do we have for ranged weapons?"
"Trebuchets, catapults, javelin throwers, spell scrolls, formation spell caster platforms, Ten Realms standard, not our own brand, some mana cannons, and then the Grey Peak Sect has to have some trump cards they're holding onto," Jasper said.
"Have the mages work with the catapult and trebuchet teams, spell up the ammunition, they're going to hit like a mother with our extra height, explosive shot with remote ignition will turn one stone ball into raining shrapnel. Are the Willful Institute still using the lightning attenuating mana barriers?"
"Current information points to it," Mister Yi replied.
"Good, we have plenty of Fire based spell scrolls. With it being a metal element array, the fire element suppresses it and does greater damage." Domonos pulled out his map, it was automatically updating through formations in the command center that Zukal was operating.
He checked the unit type deployment again.
"Everything looks like it is in place. We will need to draw in the Willful Institute, during the attack we will slowly leach fighters to gather at the northern passes. When we break the Institute's lines and they start to pull back we'll rush their lines, creating disorder. Mister Yi, will you be able to get us the elder targets?"
"Once they attack us, then I will be able to find where the different elders are. I have researched them all; I would be able to do it with a telescope."
"Good," Domonos said, he looked at the mush on the walls. "Send out orders to clear the walls and to lay down powder to make sure that the water doesn't turn to ice. One misplaced foot and people are going to slip and fall."
An aide braced and then started to transmit the information via his sound transmission device. "Are the medic stations set up?"
"Yes, and we are serving warm apprentice-level food to give the soldiers minor boosts and calm their nerves."
"Good, we don't know how long the battle will be or how long it will be before we can get another warm meal," Domonos looked at the walls, seeing the different banners from the other sects.
"How are they?"
"I would only rely on the Grey Peak Sect until we have the enemy on the run," Mister Yi said.
Domonos nodded.
I never put much faith in them.
He rested his hands on the rocks, feeling them cooling his hands. He looked at the dark snake that was spreading out over the plateau, setting up their long range weapons.
They didn't put out tents or supplies for more than a short battle. Looks like they are confident about winning this battle. If it was just the Grey Peak Sect and the other sect's token forces, they might be able to take the city. Their confidence comes from their reinforcements.
"Information leaks?"
"A few people have tried, but we have restrict
ive formations and the Grey Peak Sect are not letting anyone leave."
"And those that sent messages?"
"They were dealt with," Niemm said walking up to the group. "Just handled another leak, good to see you Domonos."
"Niemm," Domonos tilted his head to Niemm who stretched out his hand.
"You feel it yet?"
"Feel what?"
"The thrill?"
"My guts turning over right now, don't have time for the thrill."
"Wait. When it starts, no one has felt more alive than when their life is on the line." Niemm said as they released one another's hands.
"How are things in Meokar?"
"Everything went to plan, went radio silent a few hours ago to avoid detection. We won't know what's happening until we reach the city."
"So many pieces moving at once," Jasper said.
"Today we start putting them to use," Domonos said. He felt a power looking at the men and women on the wall, seeing them standing there he felt as if they were the true wall, not the one under their feet.
Meokar will fall, slow and steady. Who will die to do so?
Domonos felt as if a cold hand reached into his body and clamped onto his organs. This was what he had trained for. I can't fuck up, I've trained for this for years. There are too many people relying on me. I can't fuck up.
He pulled out his map, reviewing it once again and pulled out his sound transmission device to check with Lieutenant Colonel Zukal.
I didn't understand when Erik and Rugrat said that the worst thing when commanding is to be left with your thoughts. I hate this waiting shit.
***
Elder Xiao looked at the messenger as a reply came back from the Grey Peak Sect.
The messenger coughed and cleared their throat, looking angry.
"They disagree with the terms set forward."
"Is there anymore?" Elder Xiao asked.
"They called us dishonorable dogs, using weak excuses to try and bully them. They were not scared of flea covered dogs before, and they are not now. They suggest that they will chase us back to Meokar and out of the region."
Elder Xiao was calm while others in the tent pressed their lips together, swallowing their words.
"Who the real dogs are is still to be seen. The Grey Peak Sect are as dull as the bears that they ride on. Ready our people, in an hour we will give them a response with our blades! Whoever kills a member of the Grey Peak Sect or the Adventurer's Guild will get an extra five contribution points!"
The Elders and aides let out excited yells.
Let’s see how many of you survive with a bounty of five contribution points on your heads.
***
"Here they come," Gudrikksson said as extra mana barriers flared to life over the Willful Institute's army.
The lead forces started to march forward, a screen for the ranged siege weapons that rolled behind them.
"What do you think of the proposed battle plan?" Storgaard asked. She was wearing her complete armor, checking the strap holding the shield to her arm.
"Playing the pig to eat the tiger? It will weaken our defenses and we will need to lose a few bastions, though if we can draw out the Institute and are really able to pin them in with the Adventurer's Guild, we can tear out their throat, leaving only dregs to flee."
"What do you think about Jasper's stipulation to not let the other sects to communicate with others?"
"We'll take some flack, but with the forces they brought, it is clear they are only token forces, wanting to see how things play out."
"They shouldn't blame us for being cold." Gudrikksson said, lifting his battle axe and resting it on his shoulder.
"Send word to Jasper, I agree with his plan," She said to an aide.
Time went slowly as the Willful Institute rolled across the plains, their troops marching on ingredient growing beds while their wheels left divots in the ground, crushing anything that had once been there.
"They are in the range of the outer walls," Gudrikksson reported.
"Hold steady, I want the middle walls to be in range first."
“The commanders of the middle walls are in-range.”
"Send the command."
"Fire all weapons!" Gudrikksson yelled into his sound transmission device.
The walls rumbled as the waiting heavy siege weapons fired.
Magical payloads were hurled from the walls, enchanted stones and mana cannons left trails of light before they crashed into the mana barriers. The interconnected lightning arcs took the impact of the attacks that went off like grenades, exploding and creating shockwaves that bounced off the flashing barriers.
The younger members of the Willful Institute paused, as the attacks landed just tens of meters above them, massive boulders the size of a man turning to dust.
The Willful Institute trudged forward under the shadows of the attacks.
"Inner walls are in range," Gudrikksson said as a catapult near them was released, with the sound of wood shooting back and slamming into a stop and the whir of the arm flipping forward, the catapault's payload was released, arcing over the middle and inner walls.
The walls are all over the place, but with them at different heights going out, we can fire three times the amount of weapons compared to having a regular defensive castle.
Another catapult fired down the line, and then the next, jumping as the arms reached their full extension. Teams of beasts were hooked up to the catapults and trebuchets, pulling them back into place while mages cast spells on the payloads.
"Mages are in range."
Mages standing on casting formations were lit up with spell formations, backed with the power of the formations, they used large scale attack spells, lightning, ice and rain descended from the heavens. The launched boulders started to show red spells that made them look like meteors descending from the heavens as they pierced the low-lying cloud cover.
Plant, earth and stone golems rose up from the ground and charged the Willful Institute.
Storgaard watched some of them get cut down by friendly fire. She was unmoved as the golems closed in on the mana barriers. Willful Institute members unleashed their attacks, cutting the golems down with ranged weapons such as bows, arrows, spells and spell scrolls.
As expected of a force that has been able to reach into the Fifth Realm. They work well together and aren't moved by the attacks falling upon them.
Storgaard frowned.
"We heard that they were getting reinforcements from other groups in the Third Realm right?"
"Yes, branch leader."
"Where did that information come from, because those soldiers look too steady for a group from the Third Realm. They look more like a veteran troop from the Fourth Realm."
***
Hidden behind the walls the Adventurer's guilds siege weaponry remained silent, covered in protective tarps waiting and ready. Most of the guild were waiting beneath the walls so the defenders looked sparse across the city.
Hidden out of sight, it’ll be one hell of a shock when they join in. Domonos looked out at the organized chaos of the defenders.
Crews worked together seamlessly, cranking back catapults and trebuchets, loading massive boulders enhanced with quick spells and formations.
Mana cannons were recharged and rolled forwards before being fired again, sending out lances of destructive power.
Trebuchets and catapults creaked and groaned, releasing their massive payloads into the heavens, passing over Reynir and dropping down on the Willful Institute’s Mana barriers, creating ripples like a god smashing their fist into a calm pond. Those that missed hit the ground, throwing up great waves of dirt as they exploded and released their destructive magics.
With the height advantage we can hit them earlier, it won’t be long until they’re in range. I wonder what they’ll do. Domonos thought to himself.
"So what are we waiting for?" Jasper asked, looking at the silent reserves of people and weapons behind the walls.
"We're waiting for them to commit," Domonos said. "If we keep our numbers and ranged abilities hidden, they will start to assume that what is hitting them already is all that we have. They're probing right now and looking for openings. Once they are comfortable and they commit to an attack to enter the city, then we show our hand. Use it to shock them. They're using their veteran units in the vanguard to show the younger and less experienced members how it is done. They'll have more confidence and even if they're scared shitless because others did it, they'll push themselves to do it as well. We want their morale to be high and bring it crashing down."
"What if we hit them now?" Jasper asked out of curiosity.
"Then they can pull back in an orderly retreat, say that there are too many people here and get reinforcements, or they pull back to Meokar, securing their rear as they do so."
"How long will it take?"
"However long it needs to take. Looks like they're in range of the gates."
The Institute stopped their advance, people quickly started to deploy the siege weapons, securing them to the ground, manipulating it to create hardened surfaces. Walls grew from the ground to create an ad-hoc camp.
Formations were deployed to cover the camp. Mages set up amplification formations.
A mana barrier failed and exploding debris tore apart a newly formed wall and people working on it. A new mana barrier was thrown out and people kept on working.
A massive mana barrier covered the area, much brighter than the others, impacts slammed against its solid golden surface.
"They're well trained, which will make this harder. They are building four support camps and then two forward camps. With that they can retreat from their forward camps, having a clean line of retreat. We'll have to take care of those."
"How?"
“Kinetic penetrators. Three Spell scrolls overlaying one another.”
“That sounds a little terrifying.”
“Yeah, it’s said to be a peak level six spell, touching on a level seven spell formation.”
Jasper nodded, accepting it. “How long might it be before they commit?"
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