The Barford family turned into a giant war machine in an instant. Dormant policies awakened and readied the army in just 3 days to a combat ready state.
Battle began!
Ortus led his elite armies whilst his third best general blocked Adir. His massive advancement lasted 2 days before a new army intercepted him.
Although, stopped. Ortus managed to breakthrough 2 tribe's worth of distance and if the newly formed army lost.
He'd be knocking on the enemy capital in no time. Due to his rapid and aggressive advancement, Athánatos had to send one of his army from the western front.
Meanwhile, Adir managed to defeat temporarily Ortus' general and led his army to intercept Ortus from both sides.
Then, the second general of the Barford family showed himself on the western battlefield. And even with the mess of an army he had to deal with.
The sheer numbers proved to be a headache for Athánatos. He believed that Adir did the right thing.
But the incredible ferociousness of the Barford family came too soon. Athánatos himself used Halvar quite a bit, nonetheless they soon found out he lacked many qualities.
To produce such incredible scientific breakthroughs seemed impossible. In the end, Halvar was the whole key to the puzzle Athánatos had to complete in order to deal with the Barford family.
After he finished off the western alliance, he would meet the so-called genius himself. Then, no amount of tricks would be able to fool him.
"We are taking the fort tomorrow! Prepare for fake night raid and tire out the enemy!" Athánatos ordered his men as the Sun came down.
Their camp was just a few kilometers away from a crucial fort leading to many important economic tribes. Their fate is in the hands of the fort.
At first, he wanted to starve them out. The Barford family changed everything. He didn't mind too much, though.
Something like this would never be able to stop him.
...
"Sir Halvar, you are truly an incredible mind to even think of something like this!" said a man, looking at the construct before him.
Ever since he came to the new camp. The researchers wanted to be 'taught' and 'revered' him in a way where he had to spit out everything he knew.
At some point, he realised the truth. A pawn at best and sacrifice for politics at worst. Once Athánatos took everything Halvar had and he wouldn't be able to provide.
He would most likely find himself in the Barford family territory in no time. This time, it would be different.
Halvar never wished to reside within the border of those crazy lunatics, and his plan to escape seemed to be unnoticed.
He 'relished' in their praise. Every day he would drink, feast and enjoy women and everyone around him knew who he was.
"Just three more days..." He said to himself under his breath.
"Did you say something, sir?" One of the researchers asked. Halvar smiled and pointed at the incomplete machine.
"This, this will give your lord the power to fight the Barford family on the seas." He said and told them more about the complete product.
...
Ortus and his army stood face to face with Adir's army. Even from such a distance, Ortus could clearly see who Adir was.
As much as he liked to be at the frontlines. Fighting such a mountain would be a suicide. Ortus readied his troops with a passionate speech.
"Fight! Fight! Fight!" chanted the soldiers after they heard him as he commanded them to the battle.
Like a tide, they swept through and crashed into the iron wall. Soon enough, screams, roars and weapons colliding were heard everywhere.
With the fight being on a pretty even ground. Ortus only had his cavalry to break Adir's army before the second army arrived.
Thanks to pigeons, he received the news early and decided to head back a couple hundred kilometers to meet Adir first.
On his way, he burned and plundered the fastest path the second army would have to go through.
The nature howled in agony as black ash filled the surroundings. Farms, lives everything reaped by Barford family's wrath.
Soldiers believed that everyone in Athánatos' soil adhered to the lunatic religion and thus didn't see them as real humans.
If it weren't for Ortus. Many women would have been part of the 'plunder'. Nevertheless, he refused to cross the last boundary.
Good? Evil? Almost everything's fair in war. He knew that an experienced general couldn't lead the newly created army and thus would have a problem with the food.
Waiting for resupplies would be a death sentence for Adir. After all, his general pursued Adir like a hungry wolf.
The month of the first war was about to reach the apex. The Western Alliance didn't do that well.
Their armies, although now equipped with a better general. Had to withstand Athánatos' full might.
After 2 days of his mind games, and a sudden full siege broke through the city at the cost of 1000 men.
One of the priciest victories for Athánatos yet. The fort fell and now he had access to the port tribe, one of the main trading partners of the Barford family.
Moreover, his deep eyes now once again returned to the place of his first 'defeat'. He led a thousand or so of his men to conquer the port.
Rest remained and repaired the fort as another batch would soon return on foot. Athánatos himself would see what Barford family could do on the sea.
After all, Halvar provided them with necessary weapons. And the first batch of 5 large ships was ready.
Not to mention that his people planned to make the largest ship in history. A beast equipped with 150 cannons would soon rule the sea.
"Give that general a good burial. He proved to be a worthy challenge..." Athánatos as he walked up to a corpse of the Barford family general.
Such losses wouldn't exist if it weren't for him. His white hair proved as a sign of his accumulated wisdom through battles.
The oldest general and the one who witnessed the birth and rise of Ortus had fallen. News spread like wildfire.
And with the help of Athánatos' army, it proved to be an effective weapon against the enemy's morale.
The Western Alliance found itself on the brink of a collapse.
...
"Hahaha! I win again!" Halvar said as he chugged down a bottle of wine.
"Congratulations sir! As brilliant as always!" A man beside him said with a flattering look.
"Since I am in a good mood. Everyone will get drinks for free tonight!" Halvar said and resumed his playing.
Once the night hit its peak. Halvar reluctantly left the casino and wobbled back to his home.
Though if anyone were to see him. They would see a sharp look. He wobbled through the streets and accidentally walked into the wrong alley.
His 'guards' got dead drunk as well, thanks to his persuasion from the past few days. And with a little of help, they were now asleep with the filth in the pub.
Sure enough, at the end of the alley. He could see a blocked entrance to the sewers.
They were new and still halfway under construction. Because it wasn't anything more than an imitation of the Barford family's infrastructure.
The progress crawled at a snail like speed. He knocked into one of the crates as a saw and hammer appeared under it.
Carefully, he sawed through the parts of the iron bars before he broke them with his hammer.
After, he confirmed that no one was around. He lit up his torch and soon disappeared into the sewers.
The complicated tunnels didn't pose a problem to him as he had the map in order to help them design the rest better.
After walking for an hour. He saw a wall. A few meters before it, he struck a few times with his hammer to find a hole.
In it hid a wooden box. And as he carefully opened it, he found explosives inside. In fact, he broke into the sewers a few times to prepare everything.
Right now, the tunnel before him would be expanded in an ideal future. But, with the frequent wars, it would be a fatal weakness and more than two canals weren't acceptable.
So, they simply blocked it off. A hundred or so meters away from the walls and more than 2 meters below.
The commotion would surely provoke a reaction from the guards. Sadly for them, there would be more 'fireworks' waiting in other parts of the sewers.
Under his 'guidance' the entire workforce building the sewers concentrated on the other side of the city.
If someone appeared on this side. They'd be lunatics, or they managed to find his traces.
BOOOOM
The explosion rattled the ground as the ground above began to sink. Soon, the moonlight could be seen as Halvar cautiously climbed up.
A few minutes afterwards, a sizzling cable found its end as five more explosions woke up the entire city...
Halvar smiled as he watched the lit up walls and disappeared into the shadows of the night.
He'd just wait for those two lunatics to battle it out with each other. And he'll strike from the shadows once they are at their weakest.
"Just you wait, you bastard Ortus, and especially you Athánatos. Don't think I'll ever forget..." He said with a murderous voice.
"The days will soon come..."