Chapter 8: Battles for the War
Nunemund, 3rd day, 217th known year.
Just as the man was about to charge at Draego, a guttural roar resounded across the clearing. Turning to the source of the sound, both Draego and the mage were surprised to see a man in full-plate armor charging at them while covered in a blue glow. Of course, the man in question was Luke.
It was a nice surprise attack, even slightly faster than the one he had performed in the forest. But the terrain was not to his disadvantage. The ground had been shattered by the spells and attacks between Draego and the mage. Furthermore, the distance between Luke and the mage was several times greater than the time in the forest.
The mage unconcernedly and easily stopped the reckless charge with a single blow into the ground. Draego could only watch as mana flowed smoothly from the man into blade, and then into the ground before exploding. Luke, who had been charging straight at the mage, sank knee deep into the ground as cracks spread on the ground around his trapped right leg.
At the same time, a slender, armored figure with crimson hair stepped out of the shade of the forest before sprinting in to join the fight. The soldiers, having overcome their initial shock, rushed back at her, knowing who she was. The mage, too, took a step towards her before he sensed Draego charge at him. Immediately, he turned back to his former opponent.
Draego let loose a barrage of stabs at the mage, keeping him from joining his subordinates at any cost. However, the mage, now using his Body Reinforcement spell, was far faster and stronger than before. He easily blocked the stabs before launching a lightning fast counter towards Draego’s neck.
Draego ducked in the nick of time, and a couple of strands of his hair floated mid-air as they were cut off. At the same time, he released a few mana threads and let it dig into the mage’s body. This was a particularly dangerous act by Draego, but also the only method by which he could keep the mage in check, mana theft.
The mage’s greatsword, now held in just his right hand, sailed well past Draego’s head. He stood, giving Draego a mocking look for a moment, before readying himself to launch another attack. Just then, the mana threads Draego had sent into him wrapped around the mana streams within his body, and soaked themselves into them.
The odd sensation spread across the mage’s body, stiffening him for a brief moment as he realized what was happening. He swung his greatsword down with great force as he tried to smash Draego down. However, Draego lithely hopped away from the mage, several clearly visible blue strings following him.
Mana once again surged through Draego’s body as his threads stole a massive amount of mana from his opponent. Already, he found himself working towards his next spell, even as the mana he had increased to the point of being able to cast ten spells again. The mage glared at Draego with an enraged expression, just as a scream echoed across the clearing.
The two turned their gazes to see crimson hair flutter along with the blood of a soldier. The soldier himself had a massive, deep cut on his chest. As they watched, another soldier swung at her with his mace. However, the slender figure danced around it expertly before lodging her sword into his neck.
The mage took a step towards her, when he noticed movement from Draego once again. The mage clicked his tongue before spreading out a net of mana and turning back to face Draego. Once again, Draego let loose a thrust at his opponent’s chest. This time, however, his body was clad in a blue glow.
The blow sent the man staggering backwards for half a step. As expected, it wasn’t possible for him to easily block Draego’s full-forced blow without being in a proper stance. Draego pushed his advantage, using his speed to launch several more slashes at the mage. The mage, in retaliation, made a great swing with his own weapon, forcing Draego to leap back to withdraw.
At the same time, the mage’s mana net picked up footsteps right behind him. A hand gripped his hair and yanked his head back. Immediately, one of his hands let go of his greatsword and shot towards his neck, just time to grab a hand holding a dagger, about to slit his throat. Letting go of his greatsword completely, the man grabbed the figure behind him with it, and threw it onto the ground in front of him.
More screams resounded as the last of his soldiers died. At the same time, Stephanie let out a muffled shout as her back crashed onto the ground a couple of meters in front of the mage. The mage quickly picked up his greatsword again and stepped forward to kill the intruder, when a full-plate clad figure engaged him with his own greatsword.
The two locked swords as Stephanie squirmed on the ground. The mage tried to push Luke back, but Luke held on, despite skidding an inch or so backwards. Draego tossed his sword well into the air before charging towards Stephanie. It was important to take down the enemy before them, but taking casualties was not acceptable to him at this point in time.
Draego flitted past behind Luke, picking Stephanie up in a princess carry as he raced through and laid her down a good twenty meters away. Just as he did, he reached up and grabbed his sword from mid-air.
“Hello.” Draego muttered impassively as Cessa approached him.
“Looks like you were almost done.” Cessa replied with a smile as she kept her gaze on Luke and the mage, still locking swords. Truth be told, she was shocked out of her wits when she saw the fighting grounds as they came here.
Draego was standing his ground evenly against an Amateur mage and several soldiers. That part alone was awe-inspiring. What turned it truly shocking was the presence of fourteen dead bodies. This proved that Draego wasn’t just holding his ground, he was actually somewhat winning the fight too, or at least slowly edging out an advantage.
“Sorry, but we’ll be stealing the spotlight here.” She said, her smile fading slightly as she prepared to launch an attack at the mage. She could also tell that although Draego was slowly edging out an advantage, he was losing his mana far too quickly to ever be able to capitalize on it.
“Thank you.” Draego’s reply was frighteningly honest.
Without another word, the two shot in two different directions. Cessa went around Luke and the mage in the center, while Draego charged right into the fray. The mage tried to push Luke off, but Luke held on, albeit barely. At the same time, the mage could tell pulling back here will only allow Luke to press him down even further.
So, he chose neither. With a burst of mana, Luke’s foothold crumbled under him. Suddenly, he was pushed back, but Draego reached the mage at the same time. Draego slashed at the mage from behind him, while the mage rolled diagonally to his right front to dodge. With a quick snap, the armor he was wearing came even looser than before.
The mage picked himself up and took his stance to deal with the two mages when he felt Cessa approach him from the side. With a light swing of his sword, he forced her to cancel her attack and move back. However, that was enough. Luke charged in to lock swords with the mage once again. The mage tried to avoid him, but several mana threads pulled at his limbs, delaying his movement.
As a result, Luke and the mage locked blades again. However, this time, Draego’s mana threads moved freely and entered the mage’s body. They grasped onto the streams of mana powering his Body Reinforcement spell and started sapping mana away enmasse. Draego closed his eyes and breathed deeply as an immense amount of mana coursed through him.
At the same time, Cessa got to work, slashing away the straps and lines holding the armor in place. Draego kept breathing in the mage’s mana in large amounts, expanding his own mana at an incredible speed. Neither Cessa nor Luke minded his luxurious act. He had done enough to deserve such treasurable spoils.
The mage watched in helpless frustration as Luke released one hand from his greatsword to grasp one of the mage’s wrists. There was absolutely no way for him to escape anymore. He felt more mana threads pierce into him just as the chestplate of his armor fell off. These belonged to Cessa. She gave him a bright smile as she too devoured his mana.
That said, she made sure to give way to Draego whenever possible. As for Luke, he no longer needed to steal mana, being an Amateur mage. He held down his opponent attentively, watching his every move, and ensuring that his companions were perfectly safe in their venture.
After a while, the blue glow around the mage faded. Draego walked up to Luke, as did Cessa. Luke pushed the mage down, sending him crashing to the ground. With a casual glance, he could tell Draego was already almost a Class 6 Novice mage, while his ladyship had finally become a Class 2 Novice.
“Congratulations, my lady.” He said with a bow. Cessa nodded with a slight smile, and beheaded the defeated mage. The last sight he saw was of the most beautiful crimson hair he had ever seen in his life, which was probably not all that bad a way for him to die. Then, Cessa turned to Draego.
“Let’s return back to the village.” She said, “I’ll send someone to collect the armor and weapons from here later, if they’re still here. Don’t worry, I’ll reward you properly for any of the loot. For now, we should prioritize our safety, some rest and plans for the future.”
Draego nodded in consent. Cessa smiled.
“There are four more bodies in the forest, around there.” Draego pointed to the forest. “I lured them in before I was forced into direct confrontation.”
Cessa’s smile froze. Although this was something that took place before the true battle started, this still meant Draego took on twenty two soldiers by himself. Draego turned to see Stephanie struggling back to her feet. Her movements were stiff and painful, but it looked like she could walk. Draego walked up to her and wordlessly strung her over his shoulder. The four turned around to return to Gerud immediately afterwards.
They reached Gerud another five hours later, leaving pretty much no time for anything other than a dinner, some chat and then sleep. Stephanie urged Draego to take her directly to her bed, and refused to get up for the rest of the day. Draego, in light of her intentions, brilliantly ignored her and laid her down in Cessa’s office.
The other Dragonhand mercenaries had long since returned, and immediately brought the four some food to the office. Cessa, Draego and Luke sat around the coffee table in Cessa’s office. Stephanie laid herself down on the long sofa, while Luke and Cessa sat on the sofas opposite to each other. Finally, Draego dragged up a chair to sit on for himself.
Cessa spread the war map on the coffee table, and placed the basket of bread in between. The four held their soup bowls in their hands as they discussed war strategy while eating. Since they were all very young and cheerful, it seemed more like a game of make-pretend than an actual war conference.
“That takes care of a full platoon of soldiers.” Cessa said. “That ought to leave about four hundred men with the attacking forces. We have a hundred and twenty, so defending is no problem. Thanks to the resources we looted from their camp, we’ve extended all deadlines too.”
“I want to hurry and get back home, though.” Stephanie said as she bit off a piece of bread.
“Anyone with ideas for our next move?” Cessa asked, ignoring Stephanie.
“Frankly,” Luke started. “I feel there’s merit in letting the enemy wear themselves out and just holing up here.”
“Yes, but they’ll just outlast us.” Draego replied crisply. Truthfully, sieges were rarely unsuccessful. Cutting off a city’s supply lines while maintaining one’s own, was difficult to establish, but easy to execute. Once one’s supply lines were in place, taking a city became a matter of time. Thus, they had to take the initiative to drive the invaders away.
“We could try capturing the fort to drive them off.” Stephanie suggested.
“Yes, but we don’t have enough soldiers.” Draego replied again. Taking a fort would inflict considerable losses upon their own military force. Add to that the fact that they’d now have to defend both their village and the fort, and the number of troops they had was truly insufficient. If the invaders took over either of the places again, the entire effort would be rendered useless.
“There should be a way.” Cessa said softly as she bit her lower lip. They simply didn’t seem to have enough numbers to put their plans into effect. Add to that the fact that supplies were dwindling as the days passed, and the fact that the fortress they had built housed the enemy commander, and she found herself helpless.
Draego looked at her impassively. Cessa dipped a piece of bread into the soup in front of her before putting the piece in her mouth. Draego, on the other hand, just started passively expanding his mana pool once again. Luke was taken aback by the immense number of mana threads that emerged from Draego.
“Ah!” Cessa let out a weird voice while she chewed the piece of bread in her mouth. She quickly swallowed down the food and turned to Stephanie.
“What makes you think you can get into the fort?” She asked.
“From what I heard this morning,” Stephanie started. “The fort to the west is built right next to the river, overlooking the bridge, with two gates acting as its entrances. It has an armory near the wall on its North-eastern corner, a granary directly opposite it, the barracks in the South-eastern corner and a mess opposite the barracks. Finally, there is a keep in the center which acts as the administrative hub.”
She turned to Cessa. Cessa nodded. This was exactly how the fort had been planned.
“If we’re talking about its defenses, it relies on its eight meter tall walls and constantly rotating guards.” Stephanie added, and Cessa nodded in confirmation. “Since there is no sensory magic installed, I feel I’ll be able to sneak in just fine. Furthermore, with no ballistas or catapults, dealing with the castle’s guards should be easy as long as a group of elites can make their way inside.”
Cessa raised her eyebrows. Then, she smiled.
“And then, we can assassinate their commander, forcing them to retreat, or at least reform ranks.” Cessa added. Stephanie nodded. Killing a commander played a large role in winning a battle. Not just because the troops lost their will to fight when their strongest warrior was slain, but also because the leadership often fell into ruin when a general was killed.
Of course, there would be a second-in-command, and an entire line-up of leaders. However, most of them would be within the fort. A good surprise attack managing to catch them off guard and killing them would turn the tides of the battle completely in their favor.
“We need to get in first, though.” Cessa looked at Stephanie, considering her idea. Stephanie returned a mischievous grin.
“Leave that to me, my lady.” She replied evenly. “No walls can stop me. Especially when I already know how those walls were built.”
Stephanie’s confidence left Cessa with little doubts. This girl had yet to see the fort, but had evidently researched it. Besides, since they were talking about a small team of elites, they could always withdraw even if she couldn’t find a way through.
Cessa turned to look at Draego, apparently seeking his opinion.
“How many mages do we have?” Draego asked. His intended meaning was clear. Only mages can be counted as ‘elites’.
“Twenty four, including the three here.” Luke was the one to respond. “However, we only have three Amateur mages, including me. On the other hand, the enemy has at least seven more Amateur mages and over thirty Novice mages.”
Cessa, Luke and Stephanie all gave Draego an expectant look.
“How would they be spread?” Draego asked.
“Umm, every platoon has at least one Amateur mage and two Novice mages.” Luke responded. “They used to use four platoons to monitor each of our gates and keep two resting at their base, along with a unit of twenty mages to protect their commander.”
“However, we erased one of the enemy platoons, so they should have only one platoon back at the fort.” Stephanie added. Draego shook his head upon hearing that. Trying to sneak in all of their mages was probably not feasible. To top it off, they would also have to deal with at least three Amateur mages.
The chances are too slim. Killing a commander was never easy, even when they were on the frontlines. They were chosen as commanders because they were strong fighters to begin with. Even if they managed to sneak all their mages in, the chances of victory seemed 5-5 even at best, and below 3-7 in their opponent’s favor at worst.
“I’d suggest not to go through with this idea just yet.” Draego replied perfectly impassively. “It might be a better idea to simply keep a strict check on the four camps for now. Since the Western squad has to keep watch over the bridge as well as the village, we might be able to eke out a few more skirmishes and build up a larger advantage.”
Cessa nodded.
“We must wait for Stephanie’s back to recover one way or another,” She said. “So let’s wait and keep watch over the enemy’s movements. If they split up to defend the bridge again, we might be able to launch yet another attack and take down more enemy soldiers.”
Luke and Stephanie nodded. The distance between the camp and the bridge was slightly less than five hours of running. There was no doubt the group present here could deal with twenty or so fighters within five hours. If the enemy positioned more troops there, that was also fine. A simple hit-and-run strategy could still be used to whittle enemies down.
Having decided on their current stance, Draego carried Stephanie back to the inn and called it a day. He spent the night expanding his mana pool instead of sleeping, and managed to complete well over five hundred cycles, edging towards his thirteenth spell.