"I admit, what you have done is impressive, but it's a tremendous issue." Rohlant told me as I idly looked down at the downed airship. An uneasy situation existed down there since it crashed. An army was on board, but we Valkinvar simply did not have the strength at the moment. And that battle had left us in a dire situation.
Many, too many of those orbs had gotten through and had just devoured chunks of the fortress. Clerics and medical staff were doing what they could but we had lost many men because of it. Not to mention guns and munitions had not been spared either. Much had been lost and nothing but more problems had been gained.
Whilst the ryphurgoks I helped fight off had been a problem. They paled in comparison to our efforts dropping an invulnerable battery right on the plains. We could've reclaimed what we had just lost were it not for it. But with those guns pointing right at our backs if we advanced and our path out of here...
We had trapped ourselves through the very act of trying to save ourselves. It was a cruel contradiction that made me miserable. Though I could take some heart in that I was exhausted to the bone right now. So some rest would at least make me more appreciative of the good I had managed to do.
"We should've been able to do more..." I tell him as moved my gaze towards the lower fortress. We had practically lost it all because of my failure. We... I did not take the ryphurgoks seriously until it was too late and lost both gatehouses because of it.
"What you lot did out there was more than enough. Remember, Valkinvar, I was also there with you during that disastrous campaign. Pestering as it might sound, I heard and saw the results of what only one of you could do." he explained before he became oddly careful at the end.
"I won't strike you down, Battcomm, for something like that." I tell him with a huff before he smirked back at me.
"Certainly wouldn't take you more than a breath to do so, even now." he chuckled as he went about his work. And I couldn't help but be impressed. I don't think I had ever seen him not working. But, I suppose I had been emulating him.
Even with the loss of the officer's tower, it's not like I used it much anyway. With all the raids, patrols and excursions I have been obligated and asked to make. There just wasn't time to rest. However, now, despite the army at our doorstep, was a good time to rest.
The unrelenting nature of this army was not being exploited. So we enjoyed the fact that all we had to do was watch them. Though, I was likely correct in assuming this applied to few. As watching something of that size took a lot of men, lots of uneasy, shaken men.
"If we were able to, would you be able to man that machine?" I decided to ask after thinking about how grateful I was that the guns had been nullified.
"Probably not, I don't know how any of that stuff works."
"Hm, so no second battery, then." I let out with a shrug.
"Much as I'd love to have that many guns of that calibre, no. No, unfortunately."
"We have lost many of them, but, we may be able to at least recover some from our lost position at the end of the plains."
"It wouldn't be worth the effort, Valkinvar. Do not worry." he tells me before he tosses aside a tablet to the ground.
"Battcomm?"
"Don't worry about that either, they're just lists for guns we have lost."
"A lot..." I repeated as I looked down at the pile his actions had created. A fairly thick stack if one addressed them neatly.
"Think about it more positively, it now means our munitions stores are far greater than what they used to be."
"Less guns." I sigh as I stand up. And when someone came in, it almost seemed as if I had anticipated it.
"Wing-Head Allyoceer wants to speak with us, Wing-Tip Vapooliar." Osses told me as she moved forward to hold open the door for me.
"You don't have to." I tell her as she closes it as we leave.
"I believe I owe you many subtle favours for what you did for me." she comments.
"I did what any of us should do for their sisters or brothers." I dismissively tell her out of embarrassment.
"Bringing down such a terrible weapon is more glorious than you realise."
"I didn't do it on my own. Valkinvar-Staguiffmani Dannatili lent me her power at great risk to herself. And Valkinvar-Ammimpaurst Lavauroas was the one who dealt that decisive blow." I try to explain to her before she knocks at my weapon.
"But it was the sword of a Valkinvar-Imdvarce that broke it." she tells me with a smile as I looked down at my broken sword with uncertainty. This blade had been with me for so long. And once, it was all I had left of my Valkinvar identity. As my armour had been broken and shattered.
And now, so too had my sword been broken completely. But, I was at least glad that I lost my blade in the manner I did. Even if I was now worried about what I would do in the event of further battles. I had my strength, sure, but I was at my best with a sword.
Some shattered steel would not do, even if it was what remained of a work of art.
"I know this might sound strange... Wing-Tip Vapooliar, but I am glad that no more names are carved on your amour." she then tells me just before we reached Allyoceer's new office.
"I am, too, and I will not tempt fate by wondering how we all made it through." I say to her as I try to open the door. Only to be stopped by a smirking sister as she used a slight amount of magic to get around me.
"After you, Wing-Tip." she says with pride as I pass on by. Shaking my head as I did so.
"Wing-Head Allyoceer, everyone." I greet as I walk into the room with Osses coming in from behind. Though while I did not make a point of doing so, I quickly found myself crowded by my group. Osses had been left on the outskirts. But she was still able to join Cetrepe and Bsess in this little act of theirs.
Yet, despite this display of affection from those three, the tone was off. It did not fit in well with everyone else's expressions. Thankfully, they calmed down before anything could happen. But looking at all of this made me anxious.
"So... Now that everyone is here, Valkinvar-Staguiffmani Dannatili." Allyoceer said and her voice was just drowning in exhaustion. She had, had enough and now she was clearly being forced to tell us something we all did not want to hear.
"I have picked up a disturbance in the way magic flows. There is reason to believe a chapter of war-witches is headed straight for us."
"The army is on the return?" I ask as I start to consider how they'd have no trouble in setting up batteries to finish us off with.
"No, the disturbance is strong... But I can figure out that the quantity of people behind it is not that many."
"So we fight them off." Uala comments as she keeps her hands on her sword's pommel.
"It won't be that easy, Imdvarce." Lavauroas tells her as he gets up, "Being on my own in the monastery did not give me much to do, so I made a habit of just, listening to the world around me."
"The Ammimpaurst has a hobby." someone scoffed in the corner from Uala's side.
"I have learned to recognise what this land should sound like, how it should feel. For some time, I have been blinded and deafened by all these guns. But, recent circumstances have allowed me the clarity I need for it once more."
"Something more is on its way..." I begin to say as I look up at him.
"I believe it is honest for me to say that we may be facing a mobile fortress..." Dannatili uncomfortably admits as murmurs instantly spread about the lightly-packed room.
"Then, Lavauroas, please, tell me, are you ready to at least give the mountain cracker something?" Allyoceer asks him as she walks up to him in a stiff manner. It was clear that she was getting stressed out.
"No... But I can guarantee that I will be ready by the time that thing gets here."
"We're not going to try and retreat? We just spent our magic bringing down that machine!" one of Uala's let out fearfully as she suddenly stood up.
"We'd be running with cannon right behind us." Uala points out to her as she carefully puts her back down onto a seat.
"We will be fighting, all of us. Every soldier within these walls will see Wainor before the orbital-halo sets by the next day at the latest." Allyoceer tells us as she trembles before us.
But I did not like it, so I stood up before them, hoping that I could at least encourage some pride... Anything really.
"There might still be a chance for us to win this. We still have the fortress, its shields still work, guns can still be manned and we have time to think of a plan."
"All of that is well and good, but without us, the men will be slaughtered." Uala reminds me as she leans back with a disapproving look.
"No, let me finish. I do not bring up the shields because they'll protect us. I am on about how we can use them. They rely on wind magic, they store it up. If we use them now, we can refresh ourselves at least with its power. It will be no use against a mobile fortress' fist anyway."
"They'll be coming at us with a rested force while we come at them with scraps!"
"IT'S BETTER THAN FLYING OUT TO MEET THEM WITH NOTHING AT ALL, UALA!" I roar down at her as I jab her off of the bench and down to the floor.
"Vapooliar!" Allyoceer snaps as she quickly comes between us.
"I agree with my Wing-Tip, we should at least try to face them as Valkinvar!" Bsess declares as she bangs her chest plate in support of my suggestion.
"But how do we break this to the army? The guns won't be of any use against war-witches. And they'll only irritate something as big as a mobile fortress."
"If we coordinate them, they might at least be able to exploit wounds we might be able to inflict."
"There won't be room to do anything of the sort! We'll have our hands full with their numbers! To say nothing of their elder members likely being able to match us!"
"Our size may be an advantage, actually." Cetrepe comments as she finishes doing something with her hands.
"How so?" Lavauroas asks, though his own curiosity became our collective representative.
"Their main concern will be us, naturally. So they'll come bearing down at us with all they have. A mass of bodies and spells. Either we'll face them head on or they'll keep their distance to use their spells."
"There's a lot of variation in the magic of outsiders, remember..." Dannatili cautioned as she used herself as an example. A small breeze went past her before it rolled back up along the back of her head.
Cetrepe then looks down, "I know... I know... I'm just saying, we can use their numbers against them so long as we stay close."
"We'll be a bigger target." someone on the other side of Allyoceer pointed out.
"A larger mass of magic, where we'd all share the burden of defence."
"It's not that simple, Imdvarce." Dannatili dismissively tells her as she paces around the table. Clearly, though, Cetrepe's words were making her consider something.
"Feel free to give ideas, then." she scoffs in response before she slams back down onto her seat.
"We cycle and rotate our position, then." I say as I stop myself from bringing out my sword.
"Go on." Allyoceer tells me as she leaves Uala alone and returns to her prior spot.
"We go out as normal to face them, but, we make sure to weave ahead and back so the burden of defence is spread equally. Mobile fortresses are walking castles. They have a responsibility to defend that as much as we do this fortress."
"We can force them to come to us to save their honour and their home."
"Or, they'll go after the fortress to force us back out." Bsess contradicts.
"Not if we head straight for their vile, unholy pit." Uala points out as she brings out a symbol of Waionr. An amulet depicting the Beast of Pride.
"The shame brought unto their vile god would make sure that they chased after us..." Osses realises as she looks around at everyone else.
"Then we are in agreement, Valkinvar?" Allyoceer asks with a sudden smirk as she brought out some of her own holy jewellery.
"They've defiled our land long enough, I am all for defiling their own works myself." Lavauroas says as he cracks his knuckles.
"Showing them a true witch is motivation enough for me." Dannatili explains as she casually opens up her arms.
"We keep them occupied, save the army and this fortress. And we pray that our deeds bring us relief." I say, trying to keep it as hopeful as possible so that they too would hold it in their hearts. The idea of us being left alone out here sickened me. To keep fighting until we fell over exhausted was no way for a Valkinvar to go.
"It is agreed, then, we'll all head up and turn on that shield generator." Allyoceer nods at first before she orders us up with aggressive gestures.
"Should we go to the Battcomm? Get him to understand?"
"I'll handle that, you go up with everyone else." Allyoceer tells me as she gently pushes me out of the room with everyone else.
"See you lot in good time, then." Lavauroas tells us as he breaks off to fulfil his promise regarding the mountain cracker. And, I had to admit, I was excited to finally see it in use. Something like a mobile fortress... That gun was made for beasts like that.
"Soldier, have the shield turned on." I tell one of the men as we pass by them on the way outside.
"Well, look at that, it's closer than expected." one of my sister's say as she steps up onto one of her legs. And, true to her word, in the distance was a colossal beast on the approach. It matched the mountains in size and made the ones it climbed over all the bigger for it. This thing was big, but, thankfully, for the moment, it was a long way away.
Yet... "It won't take long for it to come to us."
"With jumps that vast, I'm surprised it isn't here now."
"Be thankful for it." I mutter as I turn back towards the way we came. Allyoceer had not yet arrived and I was anxious to hear how the others would handle this upcoming battle.