Sideways Relations I

3rd, December

Selene awoke to an urgent request by both King Weren and her security emplaced near the Underdark cave entrance verified the previous day. It was a little after 3 am, with roughly five hours under her belt of sleep. The call kept ringing, with the dark elf ruler hoping she'd pick up. "Hello?" she finally said, waiting for the reply. The woman rolled over onto her back and brought her hand up to her face, slightly annoyed that she was woken up.

"Empress Selene! The… t-the Drow! They're-"

"I understand Weren, I've got it under control."

"Please your majesty… they have… they have… a…"

"Easy. I have forces already tasked. I'll-"

"They have a deep dragon at the forefront!" Selene simply lay there in her bed.

I can't fucking get away from dragons! Grrrr…

"And we'll take care of it, I promise you. There's nothing to fear." Weren did his best to calm down as the empress checked on the status of her sentries groggily. All operational, no combat reported just yet. The request to speak was from a "Lieutenant" Medium in the temporary CIC nearby.

"Ma'am, sorry to wake you but we have an urgent matter to report."

"Drow invading?"

"Hostile Drow were detected heading up the tunnel, just beyond our kill zone. On top of that, a raiding party was sent up from the southwest towards Olva'lore Forest and slightly towards Seong Neow Republic by the Be'arkeln Grand Tribe" The dev got footage beamed to her Hud involving a Deep Dragon just inside, waiting for the counterstrike teams to prepare to head out. The second footage link was of a warband of orcs and goblins heading out with paint on their faces, spears and other jagged looking weapons held in hand.

Deep Dragons hate sunlight, so I can understand why they're attacking at night. The Drow allied with one in hopes of getting a hell of a haul to bring back to their city state, at least that's what it looks like.

"Send in spider mines for after they assault, keep position otherwise. Once they are in range, open up. I want the deep dragon especially to be mulched. I'd rather not take on the raid group until I've had a chance to talk with the tribe, but… do what you have to do to defend the dark elves."

"Copy that ma'am. The warband won't arrive until the end of the day, ETA is approximately 7 pm. They don't look to be carrying anything that could be substituted as temporary shelter." Selene relinked with Weren who was doing his best to breathe slowly.

"Weren, the deep dragon will be handled promptly. I urge you to inform your people they may hear combat in the distance. That's my forces engaging, do not head towards those sounds. Beyond that, keep them calm and let them know they have nothing to fear, understood?"

"I… I understand… we'll…" Silara grabbed the communication stone from her father and immediately started to shout into it. An automatic volume control kicked in to lower the decibels being beamed into her head.

"Hey! Empress! Your army better protect us! Drow kidnap not just for slaves, but for sacrifices!" she snapped. There was a long pause before she suddenly spoke again, hesitation in her voice. "Please… they hate traitors…"

"I know about that; I know you're afraid, don't worry Silara." The princess seemed to make a sound as if to speak again, then handed the stone back to her father. He hung up with a sigh, hoping her military was as strong as he had seen against a human slave city. The dev rubbed her eyes and got up, realizing she wasn't going to get anymore sleep tonight despite her security dealing with the two threats. Her hand grabbed her robe and put it on, the lights slowly coming back up as she headed to her bathroom to brush her teeth.

It's possible they didn't yet know about the orcs coming around the bend to capture any of their soon to be repaired villages. If we weren't around, the elves would be captured for drudgery or food. Let's hope I can sway them into casting aside those notions and being more open to nonhostile agreements.

(Recommended Song: Vitaliy Zavadsky – Long Time)

She checked on 12th Brigade in the area, verified that they had digging equipment, then opened up her design lab to set up some quick templates for CQC and underground demolitions loadouts. The Faerzress, or Underdark radiation if it even existed, would have no effect on her soldiers given they were not organic or cast any significant amount of magic.

Let's see, deep dragon, ropers, Drow, Drider, what else… slaves… sorry guys, but I'm not about to tell my autos to spare your lives when you rush at them with a sword.

The brigade was sent to back up the security there, though it wasn't really needed. The whole thought process was to counter the Drow army, little more than a large skirmish force to raid and pillage, then perform their own incursion below to find the city state. Once found, a weapon of mass destruction would be used to destroy the entire location, as she already knew the elven cousins that lived under all of that rock would either have an evil alignment or negative karma. To the outliers that did their best to hide amongst all of that cruelty, this would be a merciful end to them.

"Hostile force at rim. Defenders still cold." Selene peeked in on the engaging force. Her security hadn't fired just yet, all aiming at the cave with dug in turrets and heavily reinforced bunkers latched to the ground, with artillery and tanks all waiting for the dragon to show its head. In the far distance, Olva'lore Forest could be seen, a few hours walk from that position. The night was quiet and peaceful as the Drow slowly crept up the tunnel to head out. The sight of the automatons all still and waiting must have looked like effigies to scare them off, to keep them at bay without even having any real army. How wrong they were about to be.

"Tangos in the box, confirm action."

"Action confirmed, movement of tangos in box verified." The deep dragon walked forward, carefully stepping around the smaller elves as it surveyed what was before the cave. The lithe creature seemed incredibly serpent like with slight aquatic features, the neck making it look almost like a snake mixed with a grey hound, scales lining the back that looked like shark's fins. The dragon seemed to be tip toeing around not to keep from killing any of the elves, but to make sure it didn't get any guts stuck between its claws from the supposed friendlies around him. "Greyhound fired. Contact in three… two… one…"

A ground attack missile slammed into the dragon from high above, a drone fighter just at BRV. "Lights on, go loud." Spotlights throughout the area activated, turning night into day around the cave, with some of them set to pulsating to disorient. The night erupted in rapid fire sounds from Vulcan cannons and lasers, tesla rifles and railguns, an occasional warped sound of a plasma stream rifle firing in the mix. The dragon had a split second to realize it had fucked up badly allying with the Drow before its body was turned into chunky confetti. The Drow had no idea what was attacking them as the mechanized soldiers engaged, tearing them to pieces before they could even turn around and try to run. A Drider tried to charge forward instead, promptly launching into the air from a mine detonating.

"Sending in advanced welcome party." The remainder of the spider mine field popped out of the ground and headed inside, speeding along after those that cut and ran then head off to the deep Underdark. 12th Brigade picked up from its set up point to slowly move down into the tunnel, hunting for more Drow to extinguish. The Clockwork Empire was about to ruin their whole existence.

"Tangos wiped. Threat level zero in the area." The empress sighed in relief. The sounds that had been heard by the dark elves for those few short minutes must have been terrifying, given they weren't used to seeing or hearing advanced military weapons being fired. She kept track of all the reports sent in by 12th, making sure there was the 19th Support Brigade right behind them to allow temporary FOBs to be built along the way. Exploration might be a good thing for her to get going underground now, as she was already getting some exceptional finds from the science submarines in the oceans and her satellites got incredible views of comets flying through, the composition being verified for further research.

With the threat neutralized, at least for now, she could turn towards dealing with Silvinholm finally and getting Morlan on track. The empress got dressed in a simple T-shirt and black pull up leggings, threw on some sneakers, then headed downstairs for a very early light breakfast while pulling her hair back in a scrunchy. Just as she sat down, with Jeeves preparing some coffee, Morlan was at the doorframe in an instant. She gawked at him in surprise.

"Someone obviously couldn't sleep" she questioned him, wondering why he was awake so early as she cocked an eyebrow and stirred her cup.

"I could ask the same question, your majesty. Is everything alright?"

"Don't worry about it. Just dealing with some important issues, nothing to be concerned with." The warrior sat down next to her beaming as the dev tapped the spoon on the side. He didn't need to know everything that was happening in her empire.

"If you say so, your majesty. It just seems like you should be in bed to get a good night's rest." Coffee was placed in front of her as Morlan requested a cup as well.

"My job isn't exactly a nine to five, Morlan. Things crop up at all times, even when I don't want them to."

"I see. It must take its toll on you often." Selene avoided getting into a discussion about why she was awake, about why her self-imposed duties didn't let up for even a minute. She also didn't want to worry him about what was trying to sneak through their borders. Middle Ages kingdoms couldn't possibly catch what her ornithopters, satellites, security and soon to be spy network saw on a daily basis.

"So… I take it you're awake early because of…?" the man chuckled and put his hands on the table, rubbing his thumbs against his pinky fingers. An anxious excitement could be felt pulsating through him from where she was sitting.

"I'm… looking forward to whenever you decide to start my training." He looked like he was the happiest man in the world right now, as if a child was going to get the birthday present he always dreamed of. Elsei would come back and see an improvement, if the dev acknowledged today was the day to start. She opened her mouth to speak, then let out a short chortle and smiled.

"Alright… alright. Have you spoken to your father about this?" she asked.

"I have. He's awaiting the waivers when you can give them. My parents came back, albeit just for a little while, something about an offer to see something, an invitation from the royal family."

Shit. I haven't made them yet.

As he talked about what he knew about already, she multitasked and checked on the personality cores. Two of them were set to be science leaders, one which she would name Nikola and the other Robert, a homage to Nikola Tesla and Robert J. Van de Graaff. Given she was using steampunk and tesla weapons, it seemed fitting to honor these two incredible men. The dev then made sure both of them had ample drone teams to work on different experiments, activated an inventory hopper remotely at the research labs, then let them loose. The dev expected to get another three science leaders going by the end of the week if everything went well. Orlo and Turnie had a short summary on Wild Magic, a simple update that stated dragons did not create it, simply harnessing it to great effect. The information was given by Erina at the Dragon Eyrie.

Tier 7 magic immunity was fully functional, with tier 8 already in the works and expected to be ready far too quickly now, with three days being scheduled before becoming the main production date for the modules. It meant creating the new improvement right now would be a pointless waste of time adding the modules to the fabrication units. Class V shields were just about finished, with them mainly to be used in space or large vehicles due to the power requirements. Even she was restricted by how much miniaturization could be done on her tech. There was practically no weapon on the planet that could break through them right now, with a higher chance of destroying a small country than even mission killing one of her military with it installed.

"I'll have the waivers written up after breakfast then." Selene decided to use the orb right after, though for the time being it was just time for sitting with a very loyal friend. The palace was quiet aside from the occasional movement of a maid cleaning somewhere, with snow falling down outside the windows. A small notice popped up, not flagged as urgent and even doing its best to be ignored. The title was Present for you, your majesty.

As she opened up the notice, her jaw dropped, incredibly happy to see what was inside. Juliet's team had finished the first mass driver as of five minutes ago, all operational tests were accomplished successfully. They still had to launch the first team into space to acknowledge the first attempt, then get a memorial stone etched to remember them. The empress was excited, really excited, even though she would be soon doing things to push Morlan for training. The only way things could get any better was seeing the towns and cities she had in the empire now ready for Renaissance Era. The dev almost hesitated as she brought up census reports and looked at the fashions, tools, choice of weapons and jobs that were cropping up.

They're ready! They're fucking ready! YES!

Sales of new dresses and clothes were increasing while older styles were going away. Coin banks were becoming a thing now, with the empire's support and very strict control. There would be no hedge funds, no extreme mortgages or loan payments allowed. Everything had to be reviewed carefully per year, with constant oversight. Rapiers were now the new in weapon to carry around, being lighter and faster to swing. Even the music was changing now.

The dev's feet were almost twitching under the table, even though she didn't get a full eight hours of rest. Her body wanted to get things done, telling her it was ready to go early. "Morlan, we don't necessarily need your father to review training regimens, let's start with that today. My doctors are going to also take blood samples from you to make sure any experiments don't harm your body, to ensure you are compatible."

"Uh, of course, your majesty. Sure." She nodded at him with a grin and finished her coffee with a small Danish, with the man eating a light breakfast with high protein. The woman made sure there was an assortment of special nutrient bars, electrolyte drinks and light painkillers to help him. She also finally had a reason to use Assistance Packs, aka 'Cheese Packs.' The empress wondered what they would do to him. Holding back on the packs for the time being seemed to be a safe call, she figured, at least until she received a report card stating he had a clean bill of health.

Once they were finished, Morlan headed out to an enclosed gym, it being too cold for him to train outside. Selene, on the other hand, headed for the treasury again, gaining another 10 levels, but not the actions required for Late Intersolar Era. The dev wanted to enjoy at least for a little bit seeing her first astronauts get into space, land, and report. It was like NASA trying to get to the moon on ancient computers, even if she would soon have the capability to use a space elevator. It was almost a nostalgic effect for her, a last little connection to Earth, even with using a mass driver. Jumping through Eras would defeat this odd little hobby of hers getting a chance to test some of the tech. Flying right by seemed like such a waste and could prove useful in the future. Some old schematics were still tried and true for what needed to be done. Plus, there was a feeling unlike anything else of that accomplishment, showing humanity could create incredible things with amazing ingenuity.

I'm going to have to send an astronaut team to the moon too, just so I can have them spout that special line from Neil Armstrong at least.

While she felt a little weary from the extra 10 levels already, boosting herself to 220, she was going to power through them as the day was still very young. "Ok. To do list… get an extensive report on Morlan's full capabilities… launch first astronaut team from mass driver… see about getting Silvinholm surrounded, take out Artinian army, talk to rebels…" She checked on how the mole brigade was doing with its support brigade behind. They were powering through, already obliterated a roper and what seemed to be an armed group of civilians. The amount of Drow being encountered thinned immensely after the first few miles underground, even some which she could have sworn would be considered priests or noncombatants. Something was off. They weren't attacking, even if they were evil… they were escaping something.

"12th, keep a look out for anything that might be driving them towards you. I am not putting a restriction on hostile actions; lethal force is still authorized."

"Copy that ma'am." Even if they were civilians, the Drow themselves were a race that were still very much against everyone. The only group that wasn't, which amounted to about 15% of their population, was already integrated into her empire. As she walked back out of the treasury, now level 220, a chime went off in her inventory. Legendary quality tier was ready to replace Epic. Today was just going to be a whirlwind of improvements. The dev did a little dance on the top of the stairs, with Jeeves seeing her enjoying the day. It would still take time to get new armor crafted, so the Epic quality was still her go to.

"I'm happy to see you are having a momentous day right off the bat, madam."

"Oh, I am Jeeves. This is awesome." Without even saying another word, she hugged him and walked off.

In the gym, there was a group of autodocs all sitting nearby Morlan, taking his temperature, removing blood samples, giving him better workout clothing. He wore a tight white jogging shirt with shorts, some sneakers with high end insoles and some thin gloves. "Ok, so. Let's get this going."

(Recommended Song: Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes)

Morlan was put through harsh basic training, pushups, squats, boxing and jogging. His body was carefully monitored as autodocs tracked every movement he had, every drink, every protein bar, every course he took. The man had almost no fat on his body to speak of, built like an Olympic athlete, almost like a bodybuilder. Each time he got tired, she immediately cast [Greater Rejuvenate] on him, bringing him back to the pinnacle of energy. His ruler taught him basic forms of her idea of martial arts, able to grapple and tackle, pin and flip without a weapon. The autodocs cleared him for hypno training, at least things such as karate and newer weapons beyond the era he was used to. He sparred with a padded auto trainer, keeping pace with his speed and movements.

Knife throwing, crossbows, different armor types, basic survival training, kickboxing, navigation and even repair of his own equipment in the field. He had to swim and stay afloat in a cold pool for an hour, doing his best to stay conscious and still make it back to the side, with constant surveillance to make sure he was healthy. High end weightlifting wasn't a problem for him as he was spotted by a Medium, tracking his reps. He was grinning the entire time.

At one point, she saw him charge across the gym with a chain wrapped around his hands, pulling a large box weighted down, then ran to a tire circuit on the floor and hopped through them, making his way through a gauntlet. He was pushing himself, doing everything she asked with a laugh, with the empress almost feeling his aura, his desire to do this. In four hours, he had rested four times to test his body's capability to recuperate, used the restroom once, and felt amazing. "This is what you were explaining, when you said we would be changing my training up" he commented, panting as she didn't cast any spells on him, done for the day.

"Yep. How do you like it so far?"

"We're doing this tomorrow, right?"

"Yup."

"I can't wait." She laughed and patted him on the shoulder. She noticed his experience bar had gone up by half, almost reaching level 36. This was the way to go, he'd become a super soldier of the Clockwork Empire, a beacon of hope when police couldn't do anything, and her military was too busy outside the walls of the municipalities they would operate in. This warrior was begging to continue, however the empress had other things to do today. Morlan looked almost sad that she wouldn't let him go for another four hours.

"Let the doctors go through the data, they can push you even more tomorrow. Besides, I don't actually have to be here to keep track of you. They'll send a progress summary each time and keep you going. Just accept that this was a good start." He nodded in agreement, sweat dripping from his hair and beard.

Unlike any of the schools for soldiers back on Earth, he wasn't going to be starved for carbs at any point, though in the future she was going to make sure he could survive with very little, if any, sleep. He knew this… and welcomed it. There was a fire that had been ignited because of her giving him this opportunity, one that couldn't be quenched.

As they stopped and Morlan headed off to shower, now knowing more about what she was expecting, Selene met up with Hrist now eating breakfast… with Donovan and Melsia. "Hey you guys, I thought you were with… uh… Elsei?" she asked as she patted them both on the back while they sat. The empress then remembered Morlan had said something about them coming back for a little bit.

"We'll be going back tonight, apparently they were very happy we decided to show up and lightly assist with a grievance some shop keeps had with the economic inclusion" Donovan replied.

"The queen invited us, surprisingly. Prince Ralyf wants to bring us to a poetry reading" Melsia told her.

"That's wonderful! See, we aren't the scary monsters that Artinia is." Both of them nodded their heads softly in agreement with a smirk. The autodocs were already hard at work testing Morlan's DNA for compatibility with the experiments she had in mind. "Hey, uh… Donovan, has Morlan talked to you yet? About… about some waivers?" There was a plus ticked next to allowing the Rikter's eldest son to use Assistance Packs, acknowledged by the first blood test.

"He… has… what he does with his body is up to him, I just would like to see these waivers to make sure he knows what he is agreeing to allow done."

"I'll have them written up in a little bit. Also, one last thing… how's Elsei?" The parents both looked at each other.

"She's absolutely fine after what had happened."

"Wait, what happened?"

"Supposedly she wants us to not tell you until after she comes back. It's something very important that she wants to share, something that she is very happy with" Donovan chuckled out. Selene seemed a little confused. She was their ruler, she needed to be briefed.

Oh well, if it's personal, then I guess I won't pry.

"Alright… well… I'll go get those waivers written up then…" The empress slowly walked out of the tearoom and was about to turn the corner when Donovan asked a question. She stopped with her hand holding the doorframe.

"Your majesty, I wonder. Has Morlan decided on a name to offer up for this specialized task group you are building?" he questioned, folding over the official brand-new newspaper that came to the castle, courtesy of Delfie.

"Um… not yet. I… I dunno, I had an idea for it, maybe."

"Hmm, what would that be? It should inspire and show everyone that such and such is there to respond to a situation in a professional manner" Melsia commented. Hrist looked at Selene for a moment, wondering what she thought would be a good name for that division to be called.

I… I dunno, this all happened yesterday. Spartans? No, copyright… wait, not copyright, what the hell am I saying, brand new world. I don't want to call them that… space marines? Yeah, generic. Hmm… aveng- no no, don't even go there…

"I'll think about it; he can provide any recommendations a little later, it's still in its infancy stages." The empress strode to her office and sat down, ready to hash out the requirements and technicalities of the experiments. Morlan's training wouldn't be complete for at least a week, even with hypnosis and sleep courses; it was a little closer to a month or more with previous scheduling. They were going to cram as much as they could into his brain while he wasn't pushing his body to remember all the moves and counters they would teach him, then expand after the first waiver was signed.

Ash trotted in, the guards at the door letting her walk inside easily. While her alpha sat and typed out all the details, the wolf simply laid her head down on her feet. Luna and Blue were playing outside in the snow, jumping around and catching snowflakes. A notice popped up telling her that a scheduled dissection was set for the faith eater body parts to determine how they worked and what their function was as she gave her a scratch behind the ears. Orlo and Turnie were not a part of it, just Robert.

Nikola was working already on teleportation gates using steampunk technology, wormholes that were very short range. They would be installed in towns and cities, with villages still using the train system. It was just in the preliminary stages of design, not even being tested just yet, but everything was pointing to the tech being very promising, at least within her empire.

Today was going to be one hell of a productive day for her, with many more in the future. Although she was going to secure Silvinholm today, her final decision was to simply push an attempt at diplomacy to tomorrow morning.

Meanwhile

"Watch out!" Alfred shouted as a trebuchet launched a boulder straight at the walls of the city again, and again, and again. Thankfully, the design was well reinforced, with maintenance kept up and paid for… now long gone due to the Rikter family no longer controlling Silvinholm. They were the prime sponsors for everything that kept the place safe and secure, though not the main driving force for the mercenary police.

"Return fire!" The sergeant yelled, their own trebuchets engaging as well. The gates were sealed tightly shut, with spare barricades latched in place. The rebels numbered thirty thousand strong, with General Galdin's army triple in size. Even though they were outnumbered, they had a wall that was keeping the enemy at bay, whittling down the enemy force slowly. They had clashed twice already today, with a third expected in the afternoon. The king wanted the city. Now. Galdin was rotating his men in to allow the previous lot to rest back at camp, keeping the rebels constantly on guard, at least until the evening. No one fought at night, it was just too damn cold.

"Archers!" The lieutenant commanded; a volley let loose on the opposing force. There were shouts and screams as shields came up to protect themselves, a battering ram slowly being reeled into place. Firebombs were dropped on to the canopy, setting it ablaze. Alfred was thankful that the citizens of the city now realized they were doing everything they could to save their lives and brought what they could to help even the odds. There were magicians that did what they could to help repair damaged equipment, blacksmiths who sharpened blades, and merchants offering up food where needed.

Despite Galdin's army being three times theirs, he was only attacking from one entrance, focusing everything on a single side of the walls. If they breached, they could just funnel in right there. There were other Generals that tried to surround in an attempt to intimidate, which actually did very little to such a large fortress that this trade city had become. If they attempted to open a rear gate, there were scouts hiding nearby that would alert cavalry to charge in that direction to stop any traders from escaping or coming in, any farmers from trying to reach their livestock. "Gryphons!" someone yelled as they looked up. There were gryphon bombers coming in to attack their catapults.

"Scorpions! Fire!" multiple large bolts were launched into the skies, hitting half of the riders to impale into the ground below. The remainder came in for their run, taking out two catapults and a trebuchet. "Wheel up the spares! Get that wreckage out of here! Tend to the wounded!"

Most of the city had the citizens squished as far away from the battle as possible, taking up confined residence on the other half to the west. There were small strike teams attempting to break into the noble house's estates, though how anyone was going to get into the bunkers they had made for themselves was beyond the Commander. There was no resistance inside, it was just surprisingly tedious to smash through the magically reinforced doors and locks of the homes.

"We have a breach!" A soldier yelled as Artinian swordsman came rushing in to meet steel with steel. The rebels were now clashing in the streets, with a ballista aiming straight down at the opening created. A wizard was ready to help seal the entrance as soon as the attacking force was repelled, though it took a good ten minutes of careful footwork and one ballista bolt rocketing a loyalist back through from where he came to push them back. "They're retreating for the time being!" A loud cheer erupted throughout the ranks as men and women threw their arms into the air with their swords held high, the breach sealed. The toll, however, was a little high. This siege was only just beginning.

"One hundred twelve dead, two hundred thirty wounded… in the first morning, sir" the lieutenant said as his brown bob cut bounced a little while they walked up a flight of stairs, Alfred heading to a pintle tower to check where Galdin's forces were regrouping at. While that didn't seem like much with a force of thirty thousand, they wouldn't receive reinforcements. Galdin would. They'd just whittle them down.

"How many do you think he's lost?" Dalonas asked, thanking a soldier for handing him a crude spyglass.

"Too early to tell, sieges like this don't usually end with one side losing enough to surrender. He'll just wait us out, easier on supplies for him." Alfred looked down the scope, the haphazard glass inside giving him enough range to see where the camp had set up subsidiaries and medical tents, though he could see some of the critically wounded just having a sword run through them, not even worth the effort to keep them alive, maybe have them resurrected later to save on food. The priests and wizards in the army would be appalled with Galdin's actions, but to him it just slowed him down. General Galdin's army was one of the strongest in Artinia, even if it wasn't the biggest. General Falksworthy was noted as the best tactician, at least until he became a traitor… like himself.

"Hmm, I agree. See if we can't string this along. Are the bodies of our men recovered?"

"Yes sir. Did you… did you want to see if some of them could be resurrected?" the lieutenant asked. Gigsen's temples would be readily available inside the city, provided the corpses weren't dismembered. As long as they were whole, the brave soldiers of his army would come back to serve and protect.

"Indeed I do. Funds don't matter right now if those same priests do not want to suffer the same fate if we fall, let them know that."

"Understood sir." The lieutenant left to get a messenger to each temple with orders to bring back to life their fallen, at least the ones that weren't torn to shreds. Alfred just stood in the tower, staring out at the battlefield before their walls. Not one swordsman went out to fight in the open from his army, everything was about hunkering down and keeping things under control, allowing the enemy to come through small breaches into a waiting meat grinder and arrows. Most sieges were against those who had little experience with them. Commander Dalonas on the other hand was part of a siege tower attack against the walls of a city in Tal Salunbal before. He understood what was required and the qualifications to fail.

As long as he kept any of that from happening, this siege could take months given the size of the city; the only thing that would slow them down was food, with bandages able to be cleaned and sterilized by the priests. They just had to hold out until Galdin gives up. It wasn't worth losing ninety thousand men for a city that just didn't want to be destroyed. Then again, this was with a General that didn't give up. He was tenacious in all regards.

Alfred sighed and watched, hoping his men were ready for the next assault.