"Caslow! How's the situation in the north?" Rynar asked, eyeing Caslow, who had just returned from reconnaissance.
"The orcs have set up camp about 100 kilometers north of Erebor. It looks like a semi-permanent camp," Caslow reported.
"They've set up camp?" Rynar asked, surprised.
"Yeah! Not sure about the exact numbers, but it's definitely over ten thousand. And this time, these orcs are well-equipped. Compared to them, the orcs from the wastelands are like beggars.
Oh, my lord, we should really get ourselves some wine," Caslow said, grabbing a cup of water and grimacing at its bland taste.
"Hahaha! Once we deal with these orcs, I'll treat you all to as much wine as you can drink," Rynar laughed heartily, amused by Caslow's antics.
"Alright, back to business. I think this group of orcs must be from the northern wastelands..." Rynar pondered over the map for a while before speaking.
"Why do you think that?" Caslow asked, munching on a roasted fish.
"You're really something, aren't you!" Rynar said helplessly as Caslow reached over to take food from his plate.
"Well, I haven't eaten all day!"
"Alright, let's talk about these orcs. Their encampment is strange," Rynar noted.
"What's strange about it? They must be tired and need to rest," Caslow replied.
"No, no, no. You said their camp is semi-permanent. Why would they bother building a semi-permanent camp?" Rynar questioned.
"My lord... do you think they're waiting for reinforcements?" Caslow's eyes widened in realization.
"Exactly. These orcs are planning to wipe us out. Loshanier City has already been discovered by Azog, and the only reason Riverguard hasn't been found yet is because of the River Running separating us.
The orcs must have learned of their comrades' defeat in the wastelands, and they won't attack unless they're fully confident," Rynar explained.
"So this group of orcs must be from the northern wastelands, waiting for reinforcements from Dol Guldur and Mount Gundabad to attack together," Rynar sneered.
"What should we do? Should we inform the others?" Caslow asked anxiously.
"What's the point of telling them?" Rynar countered.
"..." Caslow was left speechless.
"The orcs are playing an open strategy. We can only react. Instead of worrying about that, we should focus on training our soldiers," Rynar said calmly.
"Alright then, you keep eating. I'll go check on how Lance is doing," Rynar stood up and left the tent.
...
"This is the finished product?" Rynar curiously examined the massive ballista in front of him.
"Of course, Your Majesty. This is a heavy city-defense ballista!" Lance introduced the killing machine proudly.
"A heavy city-defense ballista! Its bow arms are five meters long, and it shoots three-meter standard ballista bolts, with an effective range of 2,000 meters.
And if we run out of bolts, we can use standard Zaltarion spears," Lance explained to Rynar, satisfied with the finished product.
"Zaltarion spears? You're using those?" Rynar was surprised.
"Yeah, the ballista bolts are designed based on the standard Zaltarion spears," Lance responded naturally, as they had planned to make the weapons compatible with the soldiers' gear from the start.
This lethal weapon was made possible thanks to twelve dragon sinew ballista strings Rynar had acquired.
These strings, made from dragon sinew, took years to craft, and even Smaug's sinews would be used to make more in the future.
"How many can we make?" Rynar patted the ballista, then turned to ask.
"Twelve! Your Majesty, you know we only have twelve suitable strings. The untreated dragon sinews can't be used," Lance said regretfully.
"That's true. I was being greedy... sigh~" Rynar sighed. He had hoped to fill Riverguard's walls with these weapons, but now it seemed they could only place three per wall.
"Get them built quickly. We'll mount three per wall. War is upon us," Rynar instructed.
"As you command, Your Majesty," Lance nodded. The situation was dire, and Riverguard desperately needed these defenses to strengthen its protection.
"Huh? Is that a heavy ballista? Since when did we get something like this?" Reynard, just back from patrol, spotted the monstrous weapon.
"Lance and his men just finished building it today," Rynar replied.
"Not bad! With this, we'll have more tactical options. But, forgive my boldness, Your Majesty—how many do we have?" Marcus appeared from behind Reynard, having just finished his training.
"At most, twelve, and we'll need the orcs to give us time to make them," Lance said as he adjusted his collar, stepping forward.
"Well, big machines do take time," Marcus said understandingly.
"Haha, with these, the orcs' higher-ranking warriors are in danger!" Marcus grinned, his smile slightly twisted.
"What are you thinking about?" Rynar asked curiously.
"Hehe~" Marcus glanced towards Radir's quarters.
"No way... you're planning to enchant the ballista bolts?" Lance immediately understood his intention.
"Tell me more," Rynar was intrigued.
"Your Majesty, it looks like you'll have to part with some dragon blood," Lance said, covering his face as if he couldn't bear to watch Marcus's shameless plan.
"Oh?" Rynar was puzzled.
"Dragon-blood tempered steel? Enchanted ballista bolts?" Reynard, who had seen a lot, quickly caught on.
"That's a waste, isn't it?" Caslow's eyes widened. Although they had a lot of Smaug's dragon blood, using it for tempering steel seemed excessive.
The best use for dragon blood was for alchemists to fuse it with rare metals, creating magical materials infused with draconic power. Using it for tempering was wasteful.
"But we don't have any alchemists, so the only way to make magical materials is through tempering, allowing Lord Radir to engrave magical runes and create enchanted ballista bolts."
Marcus said, spreading his hands helplessly. It was wasteful, but without magical materials, Radir couldn't create enchanted gear out of thin air.
"Don't we have a lava forge?" Rynar asked excitedly. A lava forge was specifically designed for making magical equipment.
"Your Majesty, we're not dwarves. We don't have any rare metals, unless we melt down our own weapons," Reynard splashed cold water on Rynar's excitement.
"..." Rynar was speechless.
"With war looming, we urgently need to enhance our strength. I believe this sacrifice is acceptable.
After all, if we can't protect Riverguard, any wealth we have is just drifting smoke," Marcus said solemnly.
Everyone fell silent. As painful as it was to use dragon blood in such a crude manner, if they couldn't even defend their territory, no amount of treasure would save them.
"You're right!" Rynar affirmed, more concerned with securing his crown than preserving wealth.
"Go ahead and do it. I'll fully support you," Rynar encouraged Marcus.
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