Fortress Al-Mir

“Brace. Three. Two. On—”

The floor of the Walking Fortress Al-Lavik shook as a boulder slammed into its side. The slight rocking made Arkk take a step to the side. Beyond that, he barely felt anything. Closing his eyes, he focused on the tower, examining it through the link to its [HEART].

Some of the reinforced stone bricks had taken a slight beating. He could see where the boulder had impacted it. Conjured dirt and stone from the boulder scraped off against the wall, leaving an ugly scar on its side without causing significant structural harm. By the time the boulder fell the rest of the way to the ground, sending up a small column of dirt and dust, Arkk decided that there was no appreciable damage.

As expected. This wasn’t the first boulder he had launched at the Walking Fortress. Just the first he had launched while it was occupied.

“Test c-complete,” Luthor said, almost avoiding his stutter entirely. The chameleon had been rather nervous about meeting with Savren—a sentiment Arkk hadn’t exactly felt different about—but the sessions with the mind mage seemed to have paid off. Given Savren’s extensive research into his own speech issue, it wasn’t a surprise that he could help others. “No damage.”

“That’s… terrifying,” Hawkwood said, gripping the railing that overlooked Al-Lavik’s scrying chamber.

There were two pits on either side of a raised central platform. A large table had been set up. Thanks to John the Carpenter’s efforts, little wooden pegs of varying colors could fit into little holes in the table, allowing Arkk to easily set up a map and pin down important locations. The scrying team, occupying the two pits, would ideally spot points of interest and inform whoever was in charge of the map.

Now that Arkk had the Protector among his ranks, he wasn’t sure that it was necessary to bring the scrying team along with the tower. One Protector could sit back at Fortress Al-Mir while the other was here, either informing those in charge of the map or manipulating it on its own. A slight delay causing reactions to slow too much, communication issues, or someone managing to interfere with the Protector’s linked minds were all potential problems. Arkk hadn’t quite decided whether or not to keep the pits occupied.

For now, they were.

“Everything held up well in the previous tests,” Arkk said, smiling. There was a lot of uncertainty still but Al-Lavik—named after one of the few ancient phrases Vezta could remember which translated to roughly ‘Of the Stars’—was not really a part of that. It felt like everything Vezta had advertised. A device of ultimate offense. “I wouldn’t be inside here if I thought it was a danger. I just wanted to see what it felt like for the tower to get hit.” He paused, then added, “It’s also getting the bombardment team some practice.”

Two levels below, Morvin headed the small squad of spellcasters. Two humans, an orc, and an elf made up the primary bombardment team. The best spellcasters Arkk had available. Not wanting to deplete the glowstones on simple tests, they were using their own magic to conjure the boulders. That was good practice on its own, as was getting used to the ritual and its targeting mechanics.

The large ritual chamber had space for six of the massive boulder-drop ritual circles. Only two had the ritual inscribed on them. Three were blank, awaiting components from the smithy. The last wasn’t a boulder-drop ritual, but rather a newly forged ritual circle whose design had come from the Duchy’s siege magic records. With Katja effectively in charge, Arkk hadn’t run into any trouble digging through the archives for less-publicized magics.

The other three slots would go toward other siege magics. He might even swap one of the two boulder-drop slots for a unique spell. Unfortunately, the Duchy’s siege magics weren’t quite as advanced as Evestani’s. They lacked the modular targeting component, thus requiring them to undergo a bit of reverse engineering to break them down and build them back up. Savren was working on that task.

“It isn’t terrifying,” Richter Porter said, gripping the railing much as Hawkwood was. The captain of the deserters looked more excited, contrasting with Hawkwood’s wariness. “It’s brilliant! Military doctrine states that a counter-siege ritual must be erected as soon as possible anytime a capable company comes to a halt. Non-magically capable companies are too spread out to make for a less appealing target. But all that takes time and severely harms the ability to begin launching our siege magic.

“If the building can take the punishment, spellcasters can begin bombardment as soon as a target comes within range. Whether that be an opposing army or a city.”

“Yes,” Hawkwood said, staring down into the pit where Luthor held his hands above a crystal ball. “Terrifying for anyone opposing.”

“That’s rather the point,” Olatt’an said. The older orc stood at the far end of the room, peering out the large windows—which were reinforced with the same magic that kept the stone of the structure from harm. “Any army who sees this tower on the horizon would do well to surrender.”

“It isn’t quite that easy,” Arkk said with a small sigh. “Unfortunately, rituals don’t like to work while being moved.” The cooling ritual Zullie had designed for the Underworld wouldn’t work here. It relied on the overabundance of magic in the Underworld’s air. “The tower has to plant itself before any bombardment begins. It is surprisingly fast for its size but still visible enough that everyone will have plenty of time to set up defenses or even countermeasures. I’m still not sure if the reinforced stone will hold up against those rays of gold…”

They had no way of testing that short of inviting the avatar over for tea. Somehow, Arkk didn’t think that would go over so well.

“We’re working on countermeasures for that,” Arkk finished firmly. “In any case, the test is finished for now. We’ll perform another few as we finish the siege magic components, which you both will be invited to. Luthor, I’ll send you and the crystal ball back to the usual scrying room for now.”

Richter nodded eagerly, barely taking note as the chameleon vanished from the room. “We’ll finally be in a position to strike back at the invaders. The men will be cheering all night.”

While the young captain looked positively ecstatic as he headed toward the tower’s stairs, Hawkwood didn’t look quite so certain. Neither did Olatt’an.

One would have been concerning enough. Both looking like that? Arkk felt he was missing something. That something started gnawing at his stomach as he followed the three down the stairs. It grew as he dismissed the spellcasting team and grew more as Richter kept extolling the virtues of a massive tower marching across the terrain.

Fortress Al-Mir was divided into roughly four sections at the moment. The core of Fortress Al-Mir, where Arkk and all his direct employees lived and worked. The refugee section, which Arkk was hoping to diminish now that winter was ending—large numbers of people had already started leaving, following an effort set up by Katja to create a new burg not far from Cliff for those displaced by the war. The mass barracks where the deserters stayed and the even larger barracks where Hawkwood and his army were housed—none of whom were actually linked to the [HEART] and were therefore kept at a distance. The latter two groups were by and large the most sizable factions in Fortress Al-Mir. Especially Hawkwood’s army of nearly four thousand.

When Richter split off to his section of the fortress, Arkk held Hawkwood and Olatt’an back. Leading them off toward a smaller less-used room, Arkk teleported in some chairs, a table, and a few drinks.

“So,” Arkk said, taking a seat and propping his elbow up on the table. “What’s the problem?”

Olatt’an and Hawkwood glanced at one another. They didn’t say a word but Arkk got the impression that neither wanted to speak in front of the other. Olatt’an was understandable in that regard, not wanting to question Arkk in front of an outsider. Hawkwood… perhaps recalled that Arkk’s original orc force came from a bunch of barely-reformed raiders.

Whatever their reasons, Arkk didn’t much care for it. “Just spit it out. If there is an issue, especially with the tower, we need to know now so we can work it out.”

Hawkwood opened his mouth only for Olatt’an to beat him to speaking.

“First, let me ask what your is plan when this tower is finished?” the old orc said.

“March it on Elmshadow. That’s Evestani’s largest stronghold at the moment. We force them back, keep following and, once we reach Moonshine Burg, plant the tower there to keep more Evestani from entering the Duchy.” Arkk held up a hand, forestalling the objections he was sure were coming. “That is an oversimplification. I was planning on gathering everyone together for a proper meeting on the topic later. I know it isn’t likely to work out so nicely once we make contact with the enemy, but planting an insurmountable object in the main pass to enter the Duchy seems like the best bet at ending the war now before it drags on for another few decades like the last war.”

A long silence followed Arkk’s explanation. He well knew there were flaws with it. The most glaring of which was the Golden Order. Their war was against him. They wouldn’t give up so easily as long as they still existed. It wasn’t the only flaw, just the biggest of them. For that one, he was hoping that Inquisitrix Astra would come through with countermeasures for the golden magics. There were going to be meetings and discussions about how to fix those other flaws.

The way Olatt’an and Hawkwood glanced at each other again, like they thought his brief summary was the full stop of his plan, had Arkk’s eye twitching.

“I imagine things won’t go well even before Moonshine,” Olatt’an said. “The army holding at Elmshadow has no local loyalty or reason to remain at the burg. It is a strategic location, yes, but not one worth fighting against something like the tower.”

“That’s… part of the plan,” Arkk said, not quite sure what point Olatt’an was aiming for. “Make them retreat.”

“The army there can split in half,” Hawkwood said, smoothing down his trimmed beard. “Some go north and some go south, making their way around the Elm mountains. You can only chase one of them. They might not even need to split up if they’re fast enough.”

Arkk nodded his head. “That works to our advantage as well. If they maneuver around us then the tower will be between them and their supply line. Even if Evestani deploys that golden armored soldier to protect them, the supplies themselves won’t hold up to bombardment magic.”

“It still leaves the rest of the duchy—and us here—vulnerable to that army. They raid and pillage,” Olatt’an said with a small smile. “They’ll keep doing that to support themselves.”

“At that point, it is a problem for the Duke’s Grand… or… Katja’s Grand Guard?” Arkk paused a moment, wondering if the Duchy of Mystakeen was even a Duchy now that they no longer had a duke. He shook his head. The name didn’t matter. “We just need to make it impossible for them to continue their campaign. Even if that means taking the fight all the way to Evestani.”

“That would change things,” Hawkwood said slowly. “No books have been written on fighting with or against one of these towers, so I cannot say with any resolute authority, but the tower isn’t frightening to an army that can move easily.

“Put it up against villages and burgs that cannot simply get up and walk away… Once people become aware of the level of siege magic you can unleash and the futile effects of siege magic on the tower…” Hawkwood pressed his lips into a thin line. “When I first saw that tower, I mentioned that it would get people worried. That was before I realized the true scope of its capabilities.”

“It is a siege weapon unlike any other,” Olatt’an agreed. “It is not a weapon to fight an army with. That’s all we’re trying to say.”

Arkk folded his arms and, for the first time since taking a seat, drank a little of the alcohol that he had poured at the start. It wasn’t the really strong stuff but it did leave a small burn at the back of his throat.

“First of all,” Arkk said, looking to Hawkwood. “I’m not interested in sieging villages and even most burgs. Military targets, yes. Regular people? Absolutely not.”

“Of course. It was just an example.”

“As for fighting an army with the tower… It isn’t impossible, exactly. Even if they split up. Only mounted troops can move faster than the tower. The Walking Fortress can soften any hard target.” Arkk had thought long and hard about the best way to use the tower in combat. He doubted he had the best use of it possible and he was sure he would learn once he engaged the enemy. But from talking with Priscilla and Vezta, he had a fairly good idea of how to use it effectively.

“But don’t forget that it is capable of carrying a small army,” Arkk continued. “There is no line of logistics to protect. The tower acts as a supply point that cannot be depleted, so even at a distance from anywhere, the army can carry on. The same cannot be said for the enemy. The tower’s mere existence shuts down any attempt at resupply. They cannot stop to rest. They cannot raid villages and loot supplies without the tower catching up to them. They will wear out and either surrender or, exhausted and harried, try to fight.

“If an army splits up, they, by definition, become less of a problem. Assuming our estimates are correct regarding the occupiers of Elmshadow, there are ten thousand there. If they split evenly, we chase five thousand and leave the other five alone. If they carry on together, they suffer the problem I just stated. If they split again, then White Company alone—even with the losses you sustained—outnumbers them by almost double. You handle one group, we take the other. Then we can figure out where the other five thousand went and do the same thing to them or leave them for the Duke’s Grand Guard.”

“How long will that take?” Hawkwood asked.

Arkk shrugged. It didn’t matter, in his mind. If it took too long, he could simply leave and head toward Moonshine Burg. A routed and split army, exhausted and without supplies, should be easy to handle even for a lesser force. He could leave Richter and his men to handle that while the Walking Fortress marched.

“Alternatively… we could make it impossible for the enemy to run. Sabotage routes away from Elmshadow. Lay traps and alchemical explosives in their path.”

“Dangerous,” Hawkwood said. “A force that cannot flee will fight to the end.”

Arkk hummed. That was something to consider. He still wasn’t sure that they would flee. Not with the avatar at their backs.

The old orc scowled at his empty glass on the table. After a glance, seeing that Arkk and Hawkwood weren’t drinking, he simply grabbed the whole bottle. “When do we begin our campaign?”

That was another question. Between the avatar and that gold soldier, Arkk didn’t want to send his employees into a fight that they couldn’t win even with the Walking Fortress at their backs. Savren was still updating the siege rituals for relational targeting and pieces of the siege rituals were still under construction at the smithy. Then there was the Shadow Forge to consider.

Agnete was trying to get it working along with one of the Protectors.

Priscilla was going out in the Underworld for another scouting trip in the morning. This time with directions provided by the Protectors that might lead to more useful artifacts and equipment. Those additions might change how he fought entirely if they were powerful enough.

He could sit around forever, constantly waiting until he and his men were just a little stronger.

But Evestani were getting reinforcements from their homeland. After the gold knight fended off the supply line strike team, more and more were headed over. Not just supplies either, but men and equipment. A day ago, Evestani had deployed their scrying fog once again, presumably to transport something that they didn’t want everyone to know about.

Evestani was building up just as he was. They would eventually launch an attack and, when they did, Arkk had no doubt that they would believe in their victory. Whether or not they could actually achieve it was another question. No matter what, he doubted it would be a battle he would enjoy fighting.

Then again, perhaps he should allow them to attack first. With Walking Fortress Al-Lavik and Fortress Al-Mir here, he felt his position was relatively unassailable. If he allowed Evestani to throw themselves upon his blade and then launched the counter-attack, he could sweep across the Duchy all the way to the border without sizeable resistance.

“There is another thing,” Hawkwood said, interrupting Arkk’s thoughts.

There was a reason he had a whole host of advisors. He would put the topic of when to attack on the table. Until then, he neglected to answer Olatt’an’s question in favor of Hawkwood’s interruption.

“A Swiftwing harpy delivered a letter to Stone Hearth Burg yesterday evening.”

“Another of Lady Katja’s attempts at buying your loyalty?”

“No,” Hawkwood started, only to pause and nod. “Well, yes. There was one of those. But no, the letter I’m concerned about bore the stamped seal of King Abe Lafoar. A follow-up to the message I received earlier, if you remember. This one is, however, signed by the King himself.”

Arkk grimaced. He had almost forgotten that there was another faction he had to worry about. One that, in all likelihood, wouldn’t exactly be on friendly terms with him. The Abbey of the Light had pushed the Duke against him. He did not doubt that they were pushing the King as well.

He didn’t know much about the King. Was he a despot as the Duke had been? Corrupt and fat on the people? Or was he just ignorant of how the Duke handled his domain?

“Good news?” Arkk asked. “I’m a little surprised that he sent a direct letter to you.”

“With Lady Katja sitting on the Duke’s chair and many prominent commanders of the Grand Guard missing, dead, or bought out by Katja, I don’t think he has many options. White Company has, through our contract with the Duke, served the Kingdom well for decades.” Hawkwood paused with a frown on his face. “As for what he had to say… Nothing we didn’t already know. He is displeased with the state of affairs. Evestani has ransacked half the land. The Abbey of the Light is arguing for collusion with Evestani to focus on capturing and containing some nobody that has been stirring up trouble in spite of the Abbey’s historical hostility with the Golden Order. His Duke is dead with some upstart in his place. The Grand Guard are scattered and have conflicting loyalties. Etcetera, etcetera. The letter went on for a good three rolls complaining about every little thing.”

Arkk pressed his lips together at the reference to him as a nobody. He thought he had been making a fairly prominent name for himself. Though, maybe it was better that the King saw him as a nobody. “What is he planning on doing about it?” Arkk asked after a moment of pause.

“Prince Cedric Valorian Lafoar, as we know, is on his way to ascertain the truth of what is going on in all this chaos. Prince Cedric will have full authority to act as he sees fit with regard to you, Lady Katja, and Evestani. That means allying with or fighting against any or all of you.”

“So… potentially good if we can ally with him. What are the chances of that, do you think?”

“I would lean more toward unlikely,” Hawkwood said. “King Abe sent his son to Vaales ten years ago to crush a rebellion. I have looked into it a little bit more since we last spoke on the matter. He arrived with an elite guard and dozens of powerful spellcasters on loan from his father and crushed the entire region before rebuilding it as his private fiefdom.” Hawkwood paused, shifting in discomfort. “Utterly crushed it. Practically wiped the realm clean of anyone who would dare put on a look of defiance.”

Olatt’an broke in. “It isn’t said to be a pleasant place to live,” the old orc said. “Doubly so if you’re a demihuman or beastman. Most fled the land for Lockloch, from what I understand.”

“It didn’t used to be like that,” Hawkwood said despite nodding along. “Something happened to his wife many years ago, leaving him with… less than a pleasant demeanor toward non-humans.”

“Let us not mince words,” Olatt’an said with a scoff. “He would hang us all if he got the chance.”

“But,” Hawkwood said. “He won’t be able to do the same thing here. Crushing a few peasants and fighting a war are two vastly different things. It doesn’t matter how elite his guard is or how capable his spellcasters are.”

“A man like that…” Olatt’an trailed off with a frown. “I would have spent the last ten years raising an army loyal to me.”

Hawkwood considered and shrugged. “Whatever the case, the King sent the letter to me personally to ask that I cooperate fully with him, giving him whatever he needs as he takes in the state of the land.”

Arkk waited a moment, taking in all their words. After it all, he couldn’t help but let out a small laugh. At Olatt’an and Hawkwood raising their eyebrows, he could only laugh a little harder.

“You know,” Arkk said as the chuckles died down. “I would really appreciate the chance to solve one problem before another reared up. Just one.”