Crowned in Black: Chapter 28

"To breach Myszno, Janos has to achieve two objectives. He has to destroy or seize Temeri Fortress, ten miles into the mouth of Vastil Pass, and he has to control all sixty miles of the pass itself." I paced in front of a large terrain map mounted on the cork wall of the War Room, marking the different points of interest. "Krivan to the north is shorter, but it would require him to add an extra three days of flight time around the Northern Tashkarns, and as far as we can tell, there's no strategic advantage for him to try and take Boros ahead of Litvy. Krivan Pass is more heavily fortified, narrower, and Boros is set on open, clear terrain where the defenders would have the advantage. He also has to know that if he can capture Litvy, he gains control of one of the largest airship manufactories in Vlachia - along with two Warsingers."

The assembly of officers watched on in determined silence, nodding in agreement. Within three hours of the 4th Fleet pulling in at Karhad, we’d gathered every relevant officer for a briefing. The group had decided to go over the basics of our enemy's strategy to start with, then speculate about counterstrategy.

"We have three possible scenarios. The most severe is that Janos has the assistance of the Knights of St Grigori and their dragons. Suri, Istvan and I discussed this earlier." I nodded to each of them. Both Suri and Istvan were gathered around the table with Admiral Lostra, Taethawn, Zlaslo Ul’Tiranozavir - leader of the Yanik Rangers - Ur Gehlan, Soma, and Rutha. There were more men and women crammed up near the door: field commanders of all major companies of the 4th Fleet. Vash was absent, sitting with Ignas in his room. "We can pray the dragons are still locked up in Revala, but we can't count on it. Even a single platoon of twenty dragons could lay waste to Karhad if we're not ready for them. For that reason, we need to make sure Kalla Sahasi in particular, Karhad in general, and Boros are all garrisoned with enough of the right kind of ships to be able to take on a company of dragon knights. Janos could assault the pass with a large force, drawing away our defenses. While we fight to repel his fleets, dragons teleport in over Kalla Sahasi and destroy it, killing Ignas and taking the heart right out of Myszno. This is not speculative. They tried it before, during the Battle of Fort Korona, and Lucien has to be absolutely boiling with rage over the fact that we rescued the Volod."

"Our best bets to take out dragons are the Sarkany-class Metternich and our modified Destroyers – which thanks to our Engineering Corps, field new weapons known as Symphonic Arrays. The arrays can blast great big holes through most things at short range." I drew a two-mile perimeter around Karhad, then a smaller one around Kalla Sahasi. "Admiral, I want one third of the fleet, inclusive of the capital ship, to hold these two boundaries at all costs. Best case, you all patrol around and around and nothing happens. Worst case, you'll be fighting a pitched battle over the castle to protect the Volod. At no point will you leave the Racsa defense area. We've already sent Elizabet to Boros to warn Lord Turok, so he can shore up his defenses. The bulk of the Orphans Company will be on standby to either defend Karhad or fly to Boros as reinforcements, but like we said, them taking Krivan Pass at this point seems unlikely."

"However." The Admiral rose his hand. "Were Janos to seize Vastil, then he will in all likelihood occupy Litvy, then split his forces east and north to pincer Boros from both sides. In doing so, he would cut off all entries and exits from Myszno."

"Right. Which is why it's absolutely critical that we don't let him take Vastil." I nodded to him, then looked to Zlaslo. "We sent forward scouts this morning to image Lanz's force: we're estimating 100,000 troops, 450 Vlachian battleships, an unknown number of Dakhari ships. They outnumber us roughly two to one, possibly more depending on how many mercenaries they rustled up. We know that in addition to those 450 warships, there are over a hundred troop carriers sailing our way. That suggests Janos intends to deploy ground troops as well."

"Bad odds for them," Istvan remarked wryly.

I grinned at him. "Absolutely. Good news for us is that no airship or quazi in the world can fly OVER the Tashkarns. So scenario number two is the one we think is most likely: he tries to take Vastil by attrition. He drops his troops near the mouth of Vastil, builds temporary fortifications, then marches down the pass with his dreadnought blasting away magical defenses in front, and his destroyers deploying artillery from behind it to try and blow Fort Temeri."

"The ships were flying slowly." Zlaslo drawled, his Vlachian heavily accented. He'd only recently learned the language, and his speech was still slow. "This tells me and my men that they carry a very heavy burden of weapons."

"Indeed. And for those who may not be intimately familiar with the capabilities of the Sarkany-class and Hussar-class-" the Admiral nodded to Taethawn and Zlaslo in turn. "The maximum effective range of the Sarkany anti-magic field is only a quarter of a mile, and it demands a great deal of mana to sustain. The active-defense anti-magic burst cannons, however, are deployable within half a mile. They are capable of disrupting the shields of any airship currently in the sky, disabling them and perhaps even blowing out one or more engines, not to mention disabling dragons. However, those cannons have a narrow beam, heat quickly and can only be fired once before resting - standard procedure is to fire them in alternating batteries. Precision shots only."

"I see." Taethawn was listening intently, stroking his whiskers with one bejeweled hand. "Terrifying weaponsss, regardlesss."

"Indeed." Lostra looked back to me. "The maximum effective range of shells launched from a destroyer is twelve miles. Because of the winding nature of the pass, the fleet will have to get considerably closer than that to shell Temeri. Four miles at a minimum. Czongrad will be expecting a mage field around the fortress, by my reckoning, so he may want to get even closer. The further your fire, the less effective the impact of artillery against such shields, so I would say he'll wish to push within two miles of the fortress before he commences shelling in earnest."

"Indeed." Rutha wheeled herself forward, then folded her hands in her lap. She had a new wheelchair, though it wasn't nearly as nice as the one Ignas had given her: just a plain seat and spoked wheels. "Between me, the lady Szonja, and Simeon, you have three of the best defensive mages in Artana at your disposal. Combined with the magi of the 4th Fleet and the bluecrystal you say you've stockpiled, we will be able to provide formidable shielding for the castle and Fort Temeri, as well as maintaining the defenses of the ships. The Dreadnaught is our biggest challenge... and also the most likely to disable or even kill Karalti."

"Indeed. A direct hit from one of the anti-magic pulse cannons is generally enough to cause a dragon to explode with force," the admiral confirmed. "We received reports of that from the front lines in Revala, during the first offensive."

I was briefly grateful Karalti wasn't in the room to hear that. She was sleeping out in the courtyard, her bulk half-curled around the hull of the Strelitzia. "Duly noted. We can get into tactics and counter-tactics in a minute, but the point is that we believe this is Janos' likely approach. The guy doesn't strike me as a strategic genius, the dragons are probably tied up in Revala, and he's going to be feeling confident that the might of the Crown can overwhelm a small provincial force. He's going to be fretting about the terrain and the advantage it conveys to us, but he knows the Warsingers aren't operational and we have a smaller operating budget. So what we have to do is prepare for the worst around Karhad, support Lord Turok if required, and turn Vastil into a terrifying death trap."

"And oh boy, are we gonna do that," Suri added. "With the help of our brand-new Free Army of Myszno Engineering Corps."

"Exactly." I smiled at her. "Suri and I both spent a lot of time jungle fighting in our previous lives, and we know some tricks. In the leadup to engagement, I want two hundred Orphans and a third of the 4th Fleet's infantry on the ground under the supervision of Lord Soma. Admiral Lostra, I'll talk to you in private after this meeting about a very special, classified pickup I need you to make from the southern city of Solonovka. We open two training forts tomorrow, one in the Vyeshniki Freehold and one in Karhad: I'll be ordering an immediate intake so we can start turning our civilians into trained reservists. But while that's happening, ladies and gentlemen, we are going to turn the first twenty miles of Vastil Pass into the regent's nightmare."

***

I was starting to understand why my officers had sometimes been given, and were expected to execute, orders from the brass that made zero sense to infantrymen. We'd bitched about it all the time: we were told to move here and wait, then move there and do nothing except keep watch for an enemy we never saw. Some Lieutenant would turn up and order us to dig a trench here, patrol a route there, hold a postage stamp-sized piece of land at all costs. Ninety percent of the time, we spent the day preparing for nothing, bored out of our minds. The other ten percent was unrelenting, pants-shitting terror. No matter whether we were being fired on or not, the War felt like a mysterious waltz: none of us knew the steps, so we clung to one another and stumbled around awkwardly, trusting that it all would eventually mean something.

Now I was the one leading the dance, and my bewildered but obedient soldiers were in Vastil Pass, tearing up the road and burying thousands of cheaply made steel helmets so the dome tops showed above the soil. There was a method to the madness, and the method was being produced at top speed in the assembly lines of Litvy - mines. Lots and lots of mines, the trigger-plates of which conveniently resembled the half-buried helmets. But sitting in my study, plotting out moves on a holographic map with unit pieces, I couldn’t help but think about the soldiers who would be making camp, asking one another why the fuck they were doing what they were doing. If I didn’t earn some sort of dick-based nickname among the troops, I was going to be extremely disappointed in all of them.

Black Army fleets comprised 32,000 soldiers, divided into 16 companies of 2000 souls each. All but two of the 4th Fleet companies had abandoned Janos, leaving me with just over 28,000 new, highly trained professional soldiers. Each company came with three Hussar-class Destroyers, ten Bathory-class skirmishers, and twenty Lóvas-class cargo haulers, the latter of which carried ordnance, troops, and supplies. We also had our fleets and garrisoned troops, the remains of the Myszno Defense Force who were about to be folded in with the 4th Fleet to make up the first legion of the Free Army of Myszno. The official merge and the first intake of new F.A.M troops would take place in the morning, at the new Fort Shearwind – built across from my castle on the plateau that the Orphans had unofficially adopted as their base.

I sat at my desk, drinking the weekly [Dragon’s Blood] potion I needed to stay healthy and keep my bond with Karalti while I pored over the Mass Combat roster. Compared to what we’d started with when we’d first come to Myszno to free it from the Demon… it was a lot.

Prince Hector Dragozin-Corvinus I, the Black Hand of Matir and Karalti, the Black Opal Queen

Armed with the Spear of Nine Spheres, the impressive profile of dragon and rider inspires man and beast alike and strikes the fear of the Dark God into the hearts of their enemies. As the Prince of a realm, you automatically ascend to the highest tier of Renown, Legend, for the general population of your nation. This allows you to command armies considerably larger than those available to lesser nobility. You now have access to Tier-S officers and heroes within [Vlachia: Corvinus Monarchist Faction]. Your presence on the battlefield prevents large units splitting due to Terror and Fear effects so long as those units are able to see you or your dragon.

Voivodzina Suri Ba’hadir, the Red Lioness

A powerful melee warrior, Suri’s presence on the battlefield grants allies 15% Damage Reduction, increases the damage dealt by infantry and cavalry charges, and grants buffs against Fear and Disease.

Colonel Lorenzo Soma, Engineer Corps

Something of a technological savant, the bombastic (and some might say narcissistic) presence of Lord Soma has a negative effect on troops in the field, but inspires crafters, engineers, and weaponeers to new heights. Airship and artillery production is increased by 200% in any facility supervised by Lord Soma; research times for new weapons decreases by 50%, and production costs are reduced by 35%. When stationed at any manufacturing node, he decreases Artifact repair time by 50%. If stationed in a Mana Mine, he increases Mana extraction yield by 15%.

Istvan Arshak

Well-loved and respected by his troops, the steward of Kalla Sahasi is a versatile light cavalry specialist. His presence on the battlefield increases a human army’s overall speed, vigor, defense and attack by 25%. Especially suited to one-on-one combat against other heroes, Istvan can also train Hookwing Pistoleers at twice the normal speed of a normal cavalry sergeant.

Vash Dorha

A Baru in service to Matir, Vash Dorha is a powerful close-combat fighter who is in his element among the common militia. He gives all surrounding Infantry stamina buffs, healing buffs, substantial buffs against Fear, Terror and Corruption to melee and ranged Infantry. He can also train Baru units, who provide healing and deal magical Dark-elemental melee strikes against incorporeal and magically shielded foes.

Taethawn the Bleak

The brilliant, roguish commander of the Meewfolk-majority Orphans Company, Taethawn inspires immense loyalty in his troops. His presence on the battlefield increases the attack, movement speed, and fire rate of any Meewfolk personnel by 35%. Especially suited to leading units of mounted archers, Taethawn can prevent unit fracture and recombine scattered Ranged units split by Fear and Terror debuffs.

Admiral Timofey Lostra

An S-tier fleet commander and personal friend of Ignas Corvinus, Admiral Lostra is widely believed to be one of the best defensive strategists in Vlachia. The Commander of the 4th Royal Black Army Fleet – now the 1st Fleet of the Free Army of Myszno – Lostra brings a calm strategic mind to any battle. His presence on the battlefield prevents all air units within his fleet from splitting, scattering, or panicking. Airship shield defenses are increased by 25%, hull armor by 15%, mobile artillery accuracy increases by 25%.

Rutha, Rin, Gar, Szjona the Living Flame – court mage of Litvy – and Simeon, Ignas’ court mage, were also listed, along with Nemeth and Masterhealer Masha.

Army Information

Available Legion: The Free Army of Myszno

For centuries, the proud citizens of Vlachia have prospered through steely determination and a thriving, forward-thinking focus on education and technology. The Vlachian Army has a large and diverse roster of available units, with almost every type of unit represented. Rifle-equipped infantry and Hookwing pistoleers are the foundation of their military, backed up by a diverse roster of Elite Units and some of the most advanced airships and artillery in the world. The large unit roster allows commanders to build flexible yet specialized armies suited to different strategies and campaigns.

Vlachian Royal 4th Fleet (1st Fleet of the F.A.M) – 28,533

The Orphans Company – 7029

Racsa County Militia – 16,225

Total Units: 51,687

Free Army of Myszno Unit Roster:

Airships

Hussar-class Destroyer (51): A heavy battleship and troop carrier with artillery and magical armament. Capacity 700.

Bathory-class Skirmisher (144): Light, fast, frigate-type airships used to support and protect Hussar-class ships with artillery. Capacity 200.

Lóvas-class Cargo Hauler (320): Essential troop and cargo transport ships, lightly armored and built for distance rather than speed.

Elite units

Knights of the Black Star (155): The personal army of the Volod, the Knights of the Red Star are highly visible with their night-black hookwings, their red lamellar armor, and the holy draconic scripture tattooed down their cheeks. These Knights have sworn their loyalty to you, and have changed their unit name and company colors. They are equipped with the best weapons Vlachia can make: Mastercrafted sabers for hand to hand combat, and bolt-action repeating rifles with 8-round magazines for ranged. Powerful and versatile, they are trained in both marksmanship and cavalry tactics. The presence of Knights on the battlefield can cause Fear in enemies and make them more likely to break.

Royal Elementalists (1400): Trained in the Royal College of Maegi in Taltos, these combat-ready spellcasters cast a variety of offensive and support magic. When used defensively, they are capable of erecting magical shields strong enough to soak artillery fire. They are a vital component of the defense of airships.

Battle Brothers of Khors (700): The best artillerymen in Vlachia, these temple-trained engineers see their craft as a form of prayer. They can man magical weapons and mobile Artifacts, as well as operate mortars, cannons, and other artillery weapons with twice the normal fire rate. They require a Monastery of the Forger to train.

Yanik Rangers (800): Lightly armored, medium-damage recon units whose main advantage is their ability to fight in difficult terrain without penalty. They are also immune to fear effects and have an attack bonus against gates and structures.

Ravensblood Dragoons (4500): Descended from the Dakhari mercenaries who helped the House of Corvinus conquer Vlachia, Dragoons are Quazi-mounted aerial knights who fight with special hooked polearms – the khara - and pistols. They are brutally effective against armored and unarmored flying creatures, able to pull their khara through wings and gun down armored opponents. Their majestic presence on the battlefield is inspiring to ground troops, improving morale by 5% per 50 units and making lines of infantry less likely to shatter.

Ravensblood Maegi (150): Mages who fly on quazi to support their melee brethren. Their presence on the battlefield inspires infantry and increases the attack and defense of foot-soldiers by 5% per 50 units.

Orphans Company Triceratops Cavalry (168): What the triceratops lacks in speed, it makes up for with bulletproof stopping power. Equipped with heavy armor, powerful armor-piercing crossbows and a crew of three riflemen, a line charge of these large dinosaurs is highly effective against Infantry.

Orphans Company Elite Paratroopers (122): Specially trained Meewfolk raiders, these battle-hardened veterans can be dropped into almost any conceivable space from on high. Highly effective at breaching castle defenses and supply depots, they are best used for precision strikes and sabotage.

Infantry & Cavalry Units

F.A.M Pikemen (10,816)

F.A.M Archers (4,627)

F.A.M Riflemen (782)

Vlachian Hookwing Pistoleers (3103)

Corrun-Mounted Heavy Cavalry (1586)

Orphans Company Hookwing Archers (3000)

Orphans Company Hookwing Pistoleers (2300)

Artillery units

Mortar (200)

12-Pound Mobile Cannon (250)

Heavy Cannon (150)

Orphans Company Brontosaurus Mobile Artillery Platform (3)

Specialist Units

F.A.M Medical Corps (400)

F.A.M Mage Corps (402)

We had all available supply trains, connecting every city in Myszno to one another… save for a train from Countess Vargan’s lands, which was marked as ‘suspended’. Frowning, I selected it to have Navigail read me out the details:

[Due to low Renown, Countess Vargan has declined to enable supply lines through Orel County.]

“Fucking hell, Vargan. How raw does your ass need to be to not want to defend your own fucking province?” My eyes narrowed. The loss of that one supply line wasn’t vital for this particular conflict – she was in the north-east, and our front was in the north-west – but it sure as hell pissed me off. I could do one of two things to fix the problem. I could raise my renown with her and Orel County, or I could remove her as Voivodzina. Given Ignas was disabled and I was his nominated heir… I was fairly sure I could do that.

“Demote Countess Vargan to the status of nobility, and nominate Lord Franz Zediwitz as Voivode of Orel County,” I said aloud, experimentally.

[By the rules of your territory, to replace a ruling member of the nobility of this rank, you will need to convene a council and submit the decision to a vote.]

“Wait: even though I’m prince now?” I asked. “Ignas has the authority to do that. Why don’t I?

[You are currently classed as [Provisional Royalty]. This ability is unavailable to you by the terms of your territory’s constitution until you are confirmed by the Parliament of Vlachia in Taltos.]

[Do you wish to rewrite the rules of your province? Doing so may convert Renown into Infamy in the following locations: Vlachia (General) Taltos, Myszno (General).]

My eyebrows rose as Navigail cheerfully read that out. I could just… rewrite the rules? Like a dictator?

“I really feel like Ryuko didn’t think this one through all that well.” I shuddered at the thought of what Archemi would’ve become if it had been overrun with sixteen-year old gamers. ‘MEGADOOM6969 has revised the Myszno constitution and declared himself ‘Emperor for All Eternity’.’ The entire server would have collapsed into edgelord city-states with meme flags within a week.

“Yeah, no, let’s not do that.” Vargan hadn’t technically committed a crime, anyway: as a Countess, she was fully entitled to decline joining in a conflict I’d started as Voivode. She was also fully entitled to accept the consequences of being an asshole, because I wasn’t about to become Countess Vargan’s bitch boy to curry favor, either.

There was one last thing to do before I went out to start taking action. I set my potion flask aside, put my feet up, and checked my Party menu to see if Nethres was awake. Her status said she was up, so I sent a call request.

She picked up the call without hesitation. “Hector. What’s up?”

"I was just calling to check in on things. How’s it going in Ilia and Revala?”

"Haven’t set foot in Ilia for a while: Revala is our biggest concern right now. Lucien's gone nuts. Public executions every day. War crimes. Lovi is trashed." The valkyrie almost always sounded stern, but now she sounded downright grim. "Corpse of the queen was paraded through town and pieces of her hung from the palace gates. We're preparing a counter-offensive, to be executed in three days time. Lord Torquist is leading the charge. Round the clock work for all of us though."

"We're getting ready to deal with some shit, too," I replied. "Janos Lanz, the Vlachian regent, is fixing to invade Myszno."

"Doesn't surprise me. Hope you stomp him."

"We will, you can count on it.” I sighed. “Do you know if Ororgael is still fielding the dragons in Revala?"

"Yeah. Ororgael wants to hold this country at all costs. He's brought more of the dragons in from the Eyrie, garrisoned them in Lovi. We estimated there were a hundred and fifty during the invasion. Now there's double that."

"So that means there’s probably about two hundred in reserve. If I remember right, the Eyrie has about five hundred dragonknights stationed." I frowned, thinking.

"About that. Doubt they’re in reserve, though: they have to suppress their own people too. Population of Ilia doesn't exactly love Ororgael and Lucien either."

"Alright, thanks.” I made a mental note of the numbers. “Well, I can promise that we’re coming to back you up as soon as Janos is taken care of. Also, Princess Sohvi is safe, but Ignas isn’t doing great. We're working on trying to help him. Regardless... you saw the global announcement, right?"

"Yeah. Congratulations." We didn't have the video feed up, but somehow, I could hear Nethres's smile. "Wish it were under better circumstances, but you deserve it for getting him out of that hellhole."

"Thanks. And good luck with the offensive. If I do end up becoming Volod, helping you guys retake Revala is my number one priority after we've finished keeping house."

"I understand. Prince Illandi understands more than you know. I'll brief him on the situation. If you're happy to trade updates, I am."

I nodded to myself. "Works for me. We've got some plans in motion that are going to benefit you and your people sooner than later, I hope."

"Like?"

I wanted to tell her about the slowly forming plan to snatch the dragons right out from Ororael's nose, but bit my tongue. It was too sensitive.  "I can't say, yet, but you'll love it when you see it."

"I'll take your word on it. You've done right by us so far. Lord Torquist was inspired to assume command of the rebel forces because he knows the princess is safe. He’s doing a good job. We’re recruiting hundreds of people per day right now."

"It probably helps that Lucien is a fucking psychopath." I drew a deep, steadying breath, and blew it out slowly. "Man, I cannot tell you how much I want to wring his neck."

"Half the continent feels that way right about now. Ilian army took the city of Rauma yesterday. Didn't even have to overrun it. Lucien poisoned their river, then marched his army in once most of the people inside were dead."

A cold chill passed through me. Poisoning a city was a great way to bring it to its knees… but fuck. "What a freak. Thanks, Nethres. Stay safe… and keep in touch, okay?"

"I will. Good luck to you all over there.”

“Thanks.” I hesitated, looking out the window over the distant skyline of Karhad. “You know, It’s weird, but I feel like I’ve been preparing my whole life to fight monsters like these ones. The human kind."

“Same. Just hope we’re good enough to stop them before they win.” Nethres paused a moment, then cut the line.