Our arrival at Westfort was quite subdued. It was late morning when we were met with scouts on the path. Upon realizing there was royalty among us. They moved quickly to pass on the message and disrupted enemy movements. They were very efficient. They kept our arrival under wraps for a few days after our initial encounter.
Our presence was eventually unveiled by the enemy. The intelligence and counter-intelligence operations were in full swing. Both sides were using every bit of their resources to thwart the other. The Aglarians wanted a foothold at Westfort. It was the gateway to two elven cities. Whereas the elves were doing everything in their power to lay down traps and prevent a flanking maneuver. The invasion was a few months old at this point. The stalemate had not quite reached a status quo. The struggles and tussles were still common. Now with smaller units and more probing tactics rather than spearhead assaults followed by large formations.
My work was cut out for me. The invaders had taken over a few of the foothills. The others were constantly contested. I knew Asfi would request to go and take over one of those hills. Catherine would undoubtedly accompany her. Westfort was built on one of the larger hills. Taller hills were behind us, in our occupied territory. The struggle wasn't for Westfort it was for the hills close to it. The enemy force was basically holding us hostage in the fort as they tried to take the hills. A hill to the north of the fortress was heavily contested. Called the Altar by both sides for completely different reasons. It was heavily defended by the elves from the city of Rati. The Zoryans were to man Westfort while the Ratians were to defend the Dewar's Woods.
The arrangement was working, but I foresaw a crack appearing and dividing the two forces. That will allow the Aglarians to press the advantage. The main reason for the divide will be limited communication and lack of rotation of troops. The ones fighting on the hills, will stay in the Dewar's Woods while those in Westfort will stay in the fortress. It has already created a subconscious divide. A few more months of siege and there will be internal struggles between the two cities. This will have a effect on their relations for generations. I have to talk to Catherine and the commanders to sort this out before it becomes a major issue.
Cypher was eating his snack. An enemy scout using a spell to hide in the woods. He was outside the gates. The elves were hesitant to let him enter. I was resting in a hammock nearby. The area was warded. The first priority is the enemy camp. Due to the hilly terrain that will be difficult. The enemy forces were organized into regiments and given individual command. The Field Marshal has Generals under him supervising different aspects of the operation. This is forward thinking for the time period. The blame is never with the Field Marshal, if the General fucked up. The rewards are distributed equally for any success.
A meeting with the war council would take place tomorrow. In the mean time I would map out the area and plan out my operations.
*****20:00*****
It took some time but I was able to set up several hides and safe points around Westfort. The current outposts were hastily constructed by the elves and it was through sheer tenacity and home ground advantage that they managed to hold out. I used some on my learned engineering knowledge to reconstruct the outposts. I did it more for myself than the elves. I needed secure bases where I can draw in enemy forces and use LMGs to destroy them.
'I need artillery.' I though to myself. 'Maybe I can create a similar effect with runes and alchemy.'
I selected several positions where I had clear line of sight to enemy camps. I rebuilt and fortified several bunkers and pillboxes late into the night. Mostly at request of the elves. I'll mine and trap the grounds later.
*****11:00 War Council*****
The war council was in session. The commanders laid out the situation and asked us to intervene in specific spots. Asfi and the rest of the familia were happy to help. Thane and Suicia would take a few amazons to raid supply lines. Asfi and Catherine would have the honour of launching direct attacks with the remaining amazons. It was general consensus that Cypher and I be left to out own devices. We would be called in case of emergency wherever needed.
I brought up the topic of troop rotation. The commanders were not open to the idea. I explained the benefits of all involved parties gaining experience and rest. A fresh set of troops manning the outposts would keep the invaders at bay. As all troops had different abilities and would most likely hamper any planned assaults. The enemy scouts wouldn't be able to stay and observe for long periods of time and our own counter-intelligence operations would be more successful. I also laid out the demerits as well. That due to no standard training, the force rotation would initially have us on the defensive for the initial weeks or months. I also laid out the fact that the forces would begin to fracture the longer the siege went on. It was in our best interest to keep the forces unified.
The commanders were hesitant but Asfi and Catherine talked them into implementing my plan. The downside was, I had to do the required paperwork for it. 'Me and my big mouth.'
*****A few days later*****
I have newfound respect for the clerks and officers I have served with. The amount of mind numbing paperwork they had to do was insane. As a mid to high level commander, the unit composition and capabilities was paramount. It helped develop standardized tactics and doctrines. Simply using past experience and knowledge I was able to create a framework for interoperability. This would also allow the cities to maintain a harmonious relationship due to the blend of people from both cities in each unit. Other cities were also sending their reinforcements so I had left the unit composition vague and easily changeable based on mission requirements and new troop integration.
The unit rotation would be partial. The senior soldiers would remain to train and help the new troops before being given a longer rotation to the fortress of the rear lines.
I submitted by plan before the war council. It was reluctantly adopted by the elven commanders. It will take some time for the benefits to be realized. The commanders were hoping for a quick resolution due to adventurers taking up the job. Well we don't always get what we want.
Embrace the suck. (A saying quite popular in the military. translates to 'the situation sucks, tough shit, live with it, however long that may be.')
*****22:00*****
I awoke late at night. I'm pulling the night shifts. It's too bad we don't have a defensible position towards the enemies' rear echelon. The entire thing could be over with in a few weeks. Cypher was hunger especially since I stopped overfeeding him. Today would be our first proper hunt. I would make my way over to the enemies' left flank and start my operations. It's basically all about having the enemy commander constantly shift his troops to counteract an unseen threat. A few large explosions would also help.
Asfi had been going all out with her raids. She would launch her raids at random times. Dropping in blowing shit up. Taking out important looking tents and if possible supplies, drop smoke and disappear. The rest of her party would cast magic and hold of assailants. Catherine requested a weapon capable of suppressing charging enemies. Her enchanted swords were working properly, but she 'didn't want vermin getting close to her Asfi.' The only reservation I had was that she was not a member of the familia yet and was also royalty. I needed to keep the firearms exclusive to my familia. I told her so and to talk to Asfi about it. I was more than happy to help, but I won't just hand guns out willy-nilly. Thane literally had to beg me to make him a rifle like mine. I gave him a suppressed M40 after getting him to sign the same documents as Asfi and Hermes. Suicia got a suppressed M110A1 after a proper request made through Asfi. Asfi also recommended her for a firearm. I trained both of them on use and safety. Thane was a bit disappointed that he got a slower rifle. I explained the pros and cons of each and how they would operate in different environments.
The two elves with their party of amazons were terrorizing the supply lines and scouts. The amazons were mostly there to gain experience fighting in a unit. They held up pretty well. The only problem I saw was the lack of archers and spear wielders in their ranks.
Internally Asfi and I decided that only level 4 and higher in our familia would get a chance to request firearms. This was spread out among the amazons and prospects. A bit of encouragement would go a long way.
Little did I know at the time how that policy would change Orario and make more work for Hermes.
Breaking out of my thoughts, I went and got a light meal. I stocked up on a lot of water and coffee. The elves had something similar a root that tasted similar to coffee. It reminded me of Madras coffee I had while we docked in Chennai for supplies and repairs. It needed a lot of milk to prepare though. No matter. A few enchanted flasks would keep it nice and warm.
I went to go look for Cypher. He was on the rear wall napping. I approached him. I pet him to wake him up. He was already aware of my presence, I just had to get him more active. "Wanna go hunting my boy?" I asked him. The sudden jot that went through him made me chuckle. He slowly got up and yawned. The sheer size of him always amazed me. He can swallow a grown man whole. The fangs were a long as my arm and sharp as a spear. Done with his stretches he looked at me. 'Where to?' he asked through our mental connection. I replied with a thought of where on a map. All excited and hungry Cypher was raring to go. He also enjoyed flying alongside me. I had enchanted the collar to allow him to fly on his own but he didn't like it.
*****01:00*****
We were in position to take down a small contingent of enemy soldiers. They were broken off from the main force. Most likely a raiding party preparing for a dawn raid. The forces stationed on the hills had seen them, but were unable to engage at that range. A watch rotation had been setup over the last 2 days and the pressure was building on the defenders. It might just be a tactic to wear down the elves and it was working. I asked for their opinion and observation reports. Activity who seemed to be giving orders and what their unit composition was. A few hundred men led by a Captain and a few lieutenants. So basically a company's worth of troops.
No worries. Time to get to work.
I sent Cypher close to the camp. The moment one of the guards dropped he went to work.