Fortress Genesis

Remus understood that this was going to be a very challenging situation.

He would have to stare down hordes of an oncoming army and deter them using nothing but clever construction and effective counter-measures.

The people of Dirthmouth that were too old, too sick and too young were allowed to slowly make their way to Limgrave; the closest fortified town about a day's travel east, leaving just 28 able-bodied men and women to fight off the Orcs.

The first step to creating an effective design would be to inventory his current resources.

Remus had ample amounts of sand, stone, wood and tons of exotic armour and weapons left over from failed attempts to defeat the basilisk.

Remus decided that he would use the metals that the deceased adventurers left behind to make steel-tipped bolts for crossbows with a touch of poisonous Reekus root which would be wielded by the villagers from the top of the walls.

The victory condition was clear.

All they had to do was delay the Orc army for at least 3 days until Gregory returned with the imperial army unless, for some reason, reinforcements did not arrive in time or at all.

After surveying the area with his 'Search' skill, Remus drew up a plan to fortify a defensive position.

The ruins of Genesis were located on flat terrain in between two impassable landmarks; an acid lake to the east of its walls and a deep, narrow valley with steep rocky sides covered by fog known by the locals as fog canyon.

Remus drew a layout for the new and improved Fortress Genesis that would raise the foundations of the current Fortress so that he could see the Orcs coming from several miles away, narrow the road that led up to the walls so that the Orcs would have to march shoulder to shoulder and he would construct a great wall with gaps at the tops where his troops could shoot arrows from along with a moat and sentry towers at intervals of the walls.

The Orcs would first have to cross the moat which will draw water from the acid lake and breakthrough the thick walls to get the chance to take the fortress and continue their invasion.

</Item Created: Fortress! />

Once the fortress was made, Remus and his newly recruited conscripts explored the area inside.

"This thing looks impregnable," Andrea said. "There's no way the Orcs can make it through this."

"There's no such thing as impregnable," Remus corrected. "Every fortress can be taken with enough time, effort and bodies thrown at it. This should be enough to defend for at least three days."

"Master Remus," Leo called out. "We found a small deposit of sulphur at the basement levels of the fort. It must have been forced upwards when you raised the foundations of the old fortress."

Leo didn't realize it then, but the sulphur deposits were a game changer. Sulphur enabled Remus to produce one very important item.

</Item Created: Gunpowder! />

A few hours later, the sentries stationed on the walls of the fortress raised an alarm.

An army of Orcs approximately 100,000 had been spotted a few miles away.

Everyone took their positions and waited for the battle to start.

The Orcs halted their advance after seeing the fortifications, it was evident that they didn't expect to face any resistance at the border but the surprise was shortlived as they continued their march onward.

Remus waited for them to get within shooting distance of the wall before unleashing waves of steel-tipped wooden bolts laced with Reekus root. The Orcs lost about 10,000 soldiers.

The next day, the Orcs regrouped and charged again with shields. This time they got even closer to the walls. Their shields were so tough that they completely protected them from oncoming projectiles.

"What sort of metal do you think that is?" Remus asked.

"Most likely Orc steel," Andrea said.

The Orcs again came forward in lines of two, moving tightly, shoulder to shoulder with shields raised above their heads.

As they got to the wall, they began to use battering rams to attempt to break through the heavy metal gates until Remus gave the signal to destroy the bridge.

An arrow from his Robot Archer ignited a charge hidden on the sides of the bridge plunging 5,000 orcs into the moat filled with water from the acid lake.

On the second day, the Orcs regrouped again and built a makeshift bridge out of large rocks and used wooden ladders to attempt to climb the walls which yielded some success as they began to reach the top until Remus brought out another trump card.

</Item Created: Mortar Rounds! />

Remus lobbed a few mortar rounds behind the Orc frontline creating chaos before unleashing a torrent of machine gun fire at the invaders that managed to reach the top of the walls.

The Orcs then lost 15,000 troops.

On the third day, the Orc forces retreated a few miles back and sent a messenger waving a white flag.

"Don't go down there," Andrea said. "It could be a trap. If I were their commander, I would lure you out and try to kill you."

"It's a risk worth taking," Remus said.

Andrea, Leo and the two robots accompanied Remus past the walls to meet up with four Orcs carrying two flags; a white flag and another with a black symbol on a field of red.

Sensing his curiosity, Andrea said, "the symbol stands for Leader."

One of the Orcs unsheathe a sword and pointed its tip at Remus. Andrea and the two robots immediately prepared to attack.

"Stand down," Remus said. "I don't think he intends to attack."

The others slowly lowered their guard.

"We acknowledge your skill and strength," one of the Orcs said. "Our leader, Lord Goruk died in the last attack. As is our custom, we will hand over his sword to the one who defeated him in battle."

The Orc gingerly held the hilt of the blade in his right hand and the blade in his left. He then bowed his head, took a knee and presented it to Remus.

"Please accept this as a token of our respect and allow the rest of my men to safely return to our homes with our lives," the Orc pleaded.

"We should finish the job and destroy the rest of this sorry scum," Andrea said.

"I disagree," Leo said. "Despite their crimes against the people of Dirtmouth, I believe that we should prove that we are better than them and opt for peace."

"I will accept your surrender and spare your lives in exchange for 1000 Orc Steel Blades and 1000 sets of Orc Steel Armor," Remus declared.

"You shall have it," the Orc replied. "I thank you for your mercy."

1000 Orcs took off their armour and blades and left them in a pile at Remus's feet before marching away.

"It wasn't wise to let them leave," Andrea said. "With your new weapon, we could've easily wiped them out."

"They would've overcome us eventually," Remus said. "I ran out of gunpowder after the last attack. If they didn't surrender, I was ready to give the order to abandon the fortress and flee."

Andrea stared at him in surprise and Leo laughed.

"I guess it was fortunate that we negotiated for peace then," Leo said.

Gregory returned the next day to give them the news from Newtown; the capital of the Midlands.

"I went to the royal palace to inform the king of the Orc invasion but nobody cared," he said. "They never intended to send us help."