Two Birds...

The war room in the Palace was quite crowded. Representatives from all major forces were currently present and participating in a discussion about a grand counterattack.

The four generals finally gathered in the capital and combined with the city soldiers, their forces numbered around half a million.

Mages from the Church of Innos were also ready to join the war effort, and so were the warriors of the Ring of Water. Though they were lesser in number, they were just as strong and brave as the rest.

A few thousand extra mages could be gathered by the Headmaster of the Magic Academy by making use of his influence.

So many extra forces suddenly arriving was great for defense, however, food quickly became a topic of concern.

Many have already migrated and found a temporary shelter in Auralba, and with the extra hundreds of thousands of hungry soldiers, the food reserves were quickly being used up. A war of attrition in such circumstances was suicide. The prices of goods already skyrocketed and food was the highest among them all.

As soon as more than the poorest 1% couldn't afford to eat anymore, all hell would break loose. The fragile peace would shatter as a glass sculpture dropped from the sky. Nobody could contain the chaos then. Not unless they resorted to killing their own people, and that was clearly out of the question.

And so there had to be a gathering like this. The table around which the men stood had a giant map of the city as well as its near vicinity. Many small wooden figurines were spread all over it, representing both enemies as well as allied forces.

A few of them were having long sticks for moving the figurines around, discussing and debating the best ways to take care of the problem.

The attacks slowed down greatly in recent days as the beasts came to realize they were spreading themselves too thin. The city wall was long, and with increasingly diminishing forces it became nearly impossible to breach the defenses.

They started retreating, but anyone with a brain could see that the news was anything but good. Hordes of Orcs started gathering in the north around the Giant and it became painfully clear that the bloodiest battle was still to come.

The human defenders could somehow still hold if a few dozen Orcs attacked at once, but what if tens of thousands of them stormed the city from one side? There were not enough arrows or Mana to stop them all.

When they clashed with the physically weaker human soldiers, the Orcs would tear right through their ranks like wolves through flesh in a flock of sheep.

Everybody knew what had to be done, but nobody wanted to admit it.

Time was of the essence. When the beasts all gathered in one place, their chances for victory would become slim. And even if they won, the losses would be too great. By then, if the Empire truly decided to invade, they wouldn't even be able to stop them for a day.

The only thing they could do was surrender. But that would mean the purge of the Royal family, the four Guardians, most of the noble population, and many commanders.

The bloodshed would be great, and nobody wanted to risk their heads if they could do anything about it. It was just that the current plan…

"Excuse me, general Northendark?" A servant quietly entered the room and whispered into the man's ear, "Your son wishes to speak with you."

Razor nodded and waved the man away. They were in the middle of a discussion, but it clearly wasn't going anywhere.

Regardless of how they positioned their units, many of them would die. And there the problem lay: Nobody wanted their soldiers on the front lines. That would weaken their authority after the battle.

"We can put Crag's beasts at the front! They aren't as valuable as human lives!" general Ewat Holt said and moved the figurines according to his thoughts.

"Bullshit! You know most of my main forces consist of tamed beasts! We should use Ulrich's cavalry instead! Their warhorses are armored and really tough to kill; perfect for a vanguard!" general Crag Carre protested.

"Why me?! What about Ewat?! Why not put his soldiers on the front lines?" Ulrich Aust shouted over the table.

"Are you insane?! I have mostly archers! How are they supposed to be on the frontline?!"

As the bickering continued, seemingly without end, Razor Northendark suddenly stood up.

"Gentlemen," he said. "Please excuse me for a minute."

He looked at the King, and seeing the latter nod, he quietly exited the room. "Feel free to continue your discussion in my absence."

As soon as he left the room though…

"Why don't we put Northendark's soldiers here then?"

"Great idea! They are powerful fighters and with plenty of experience fighting Orcs already!"

"Yes, yes! I agree, foot soldiers are the best for this situation!"

"Your majesty, what do you think? General Razor's forces are quite suitable for the vanguard, aren't they?"

"Erm…" King Robart III was suddenly pushed into a weird predicament. Razor Northendark was his closest ally, always was.

He actually wanted to send the combined forces of the nobles so they could prove their worth. And now all of a sudden they wanted him to make a decision directly? How bold!

The nobles standing in the corners were strategically keeping their mouth shut and trying to make themselves small so people would forget about them.

How was Robart now going to use them as cannon fodder? He could get two birds with one spell if his wishes were realized.

The nobles that weren't content with his rule could be cleanly wiped out, remembered as heroes of war, while he would solidify his position on the throne. Easy peasy!

However…

King Robart III squinted his eyes at his three braindead generals. How dare they ruin his plans! Or maybe they planned for this to happen? Were they working with some of the rebellious nobles, trying to dethrone him?!

The King was becoming increasingly suspicious.

Luckily he didn't have to make a decision quite yet, as Razor Northendark already returned, carrying an interesting expression on his face as he sat down.

Everybody was curious. What in the world just happened outside?