Return to Jorgaldur Volume V: Reunion (2)

Fortress (III)

"Attack!" Menxolor ordered.

The corrupted enemies were beginning to pile up, so they were an easier target. In addition, the damage would be greater, and they would make better use of their mana.

The different spells fell on their enemies, which caused numerous casualties. However, the damage wasn't as massive as they had expected.

Cahldor had had enough time and boredom to organize a possible assault. The fortress had no interest for him, but it could serve as a trap. If his enemies returned, it was quite reasonable to think that they would enter. If his army attacked from that side, they would have no chance.

Therefore, he had placed some corrupted beings of great defensive power and high level in the vanguard. Their job was simply to hold out, to cause the attacks of his enemies to inflict fewer casualties, to empty their mana reserves. Unlike the shadows, he didn't want to lose troops if it wasn't needed, no matter how many he had.

He observed the assault from afar, while supervising the forces attacking the entrance to the city. On the gate, which had been imperturbable until a few years ago, signs of wear could now be seen. It was evident that the gate was losing power, that it could no longer repair itself as before. If they kept up the offensive, it might only be a matter of months before he could re-enter. Once he did, his sleeping enemies would be defenseless.

Without a doubt, by then, the enemies sheltered in the fortress would have long since been buried. His forces were too superior.

"How!? That shouldn't be possible!" he frowned.

The first troops to arrive had been stopped by a powerful mana shield. The fortress had one to protect itself from behind, but it was much weaker. In addition, it should be closer to its stone walls. It was designed more to prevent incursions than to face a frontal attack.

However, the evidence was before his eyes. Mana screens, which were similar to those found in the fortress's command post, showed him the mana irradiations. Somehow, they had moved the front shield to the rear, something that shouldn't be possible. Very few knew about the incident with the commander's brother. They had thought it was best to avoid suspicion, and take preventive measures discreetly.

"It's not like it's going to save them, but it'll cost more. I didn't want to sacrifice so many troops," Cahldor regretted.

However, there wasn't much he could do. There was the option of simply besieging them, but he feared that, if he gave them enough time, they might move some of the fortress's weapons. If they did, it would cost him even more casualties.

So, he could only continue with the attack. Although it could be improved a little.

"Take two thousand of the ranged ones to attack the fortress. Have them aim for the top," he ordered.

A reluctant shadow got up to carry out the orders. It resented being ordered, but father had dictated that it had to follow the vampire's orders. Therefore, it went to choose two thousand of the losts which were attacking the gate to send them towards the fortress. It would take some time.

"I hope I can at least corrupt some of the living," it said to itself as it went.

The commander watched with concern the troops approaching from the city. Without a doubt, they were losts with powerful ranged attacks, which would hit the mana shield to its full extent.

The current ones attacked in melee, which meant they were limited to attacking what was in front of them. Because of this, they were easier to defend. No matter how many there were, only those on the front line could attack. Of course, in the long run, they would end up emptying the fortress's mana reserves, but they could hold out for quite a while.

However, that changed with the approaching troops of corrupted beings. Not only would the number of concurrent attacks increase, which would drain their reserves more quickly, but it would also complicate the control of the shield.

Turning the shield around wasn't easy, and neither was handling it under these conditions. If the attacks increased, they might not be able to keep it operational.

"How're the catapults going?" the commander asked, somewhat anxiously.

"One is ready. Two minutes, and we'll have the second. When both are ready, we'll attack. Those which are coming are bad news, right?" Menxolor answered through the communicator.

The fortress had those devices. It was easy to talk from any place inside it, which made it easier to coordinate defenses. It was an essential piece of equipment in a structure like that.

"Very bad. I don't know how long we can hold out when they start attacking. It's already hard enough to control the shield now. Can you hit them?" she asked without much hope.

"No. It's very difficult to calibrate the catapults for that distance. You know how they're designed. For now, they're too far away for our spells. Also, I would say that they are coming with defensive losts on their side," he confirmed her fears. "Wait... What's that?"

Some guardians of the group had just returned from inspecting the fortress's arsenal. They were carrying large pieces of wood, on which parts of magic circles could be seen.

"Menxolor? What's going on?" she worried.

"I don't know. They brought something from the armory. I'll go to check..."

"Boss! We've found a couple of dismantled ballistas! It seems that they were in need of repair. We don't know how they'll be, but it's worth trying them. Let's set them up," one of the guardians revealed as soon as he saw Menxolor.

"Did you hear that? Do you know anything?" he asked the commander.

"I've heard. I don't know anything. The problem might be something minor like a lack of stability. It might also be that they can't be fired at all. It might even be that they were already repaired. Besides, even if they're fine, they won't be enough, but at least we'll be able to hit them. I agree that it's worth trying to set them up, although it'll take some time. They'll have arrived by then. I hope we can hold out until then to cause some casualties," she hoped.

Disassembling and reassembling them was difficult, but those had already been carefully disassembled. It was only necessary to fit them together, screw them, and reconnect the magic circles. At least, they weren't broken, which could easily happen if amateurs dismantled them.

They knew they couldn't escape. The defenders just hoped they could cause as much trouble as possible. If the catapult attack met their expectations, they could even disrupt their enemies' plans for a time, and force them to divert more forces. If they did so, their allies would have a better chance of success.

As for survival, they were aware that it was difficult, and that it wasn't up to them. At least, the guardians had taken precautions to avoid being corrupted. They all carried purification bombs on them, which would activate if their protection was corroded. Those bombs were harmless against living beings, but would annihilate them if they had become losts.