IDWTBTHQ Chapter 109 - Battleplanning

The storm that had raged over Medelan for the last few days had subsided, leaving only a cloudy sky and the occasional light drizzle in its stead. Still, thunders echoed from far away and dark clouds could be seen on the horizon, making it clear that this was but a momentary respite.

Nevertheless, Blueskin welcomed it with open arms, as the absence of heavy rain had allowed him and his army to spot the figure of a fortified city on the horizon.

They had finally come into sight of Treval. And not a moment too soon, either.

The last three days had been hellish. Not only had the weather been horrible, with the constant rain slowing the advance of his army to a crawl, but the human knights had also kept pestering them. Not only did they target the foraging parties, making it hard to get supplies, but they also sometimes attacked the main army using hit-and-run tactics, appearing out of nowhere and killing dozens of soldiers before running away. This had made most of the soldiers terribly unruly, to the point that even the oni himself had trouble keeping them in line.

However these were all minor setbacks which didn’t really matter now that they were in reach of their goal. The prospect of devouring a whole city worth of humans was just too enticing for anyone to give up now that they were so close to it, and if anything their frustration only meant that they were even more eager to take out their anger on their enemies. Besides, Blueskin had made it clear that he would personally devour anyone who tried to desert, and that was always a great motivational factor.

Also, there was a silver lining to this delay, as it had allowed the Oni to come up with a perfect stratagem for taking the city, something which he really needed if the information he had received were correct. Initially he had intended to just overwhelm the defenders with sheer power and numbers, but judging from the memories of a merchant he had devoured, this plan seemed unfeasible.  Treval had truly formidable defenses, which included a deep moat and sturdy walls defended by cannons —which kinda ruined the whole medieval aesthetic of this new world in Blueskin's opinion. The oni doubted that even his army would be able to conquer it with a direct assault, at least not without such overwhelming casualties that the resulting victory would be worse than pyrrhic.

Luckily, the Oni had quite a few more indirect ways for dealing with that particular problem.

He turned away from the city, and looked at his lieutenants who had been gathered in order to receive his orders.

“We have arrived.” He said, and pointed at the city behind him. “That is our objective, the human city of Treval. We are going to take it and devour its population to increase our power. And after that, we are going to do the same to many other cities, until we'll become unstoppable and the whole world will be our larder!”

The ogres and orcs cheered, clearly pleased, and Blueskin silently congratulated himself for his oratory skills. Really, it was all a matter of knowing what buttons he had to push!

He let them go on for a bit before continuing.

“However, in order to do so, we must first take Treval.” He said. “And to do it, you'll have to follow my instructions to the letter.”

He drew a rough sketch of the fortress on the dirt, using his feet.

“First, we are going to surround the city at a safe distance!” He explained. “At least two kilometers away from the walls. Then, when you get the signal, you are all going to advance at once.” He drew some lines on the map. “Most of you will converge on the strategic keypoints, but try to spread out a bit as you approach, in order not to draw concentrated fire from the defenders and force them to spread their forces all over the walls. Then, when our troops have reached the wall and engaged the enemy, the special forces are going to follow, attacking the enemy weak points and allowing us to easily overwhelm the defenders!” He raised his head and looked straight at his lieutenants. “Is all of this clear?”

Most of them nodded, and the few who didn't still remained silent. The oni decided that this is good enough.

“Very well.” He said. “Then, start moving. Reach your units and lead them to your assigned position! I want the city surrounded as soon as possible, so that we'll be able to break in before it starts raining again!” He paused and added: “All save for Tiny-Sneaky. I've got some special orders for you.”

The lieutenants walked away to reach their units, leaving behind Tiny, who was sitting on a rock a few meters away from Blueskin. She looked a bit fatigued but otherwise she had already healed from her wounds, which was impressive considering that she had almost been bisected. Her mood had been very sour since then though, and still had to recover.

“What do you want from me boss?” She asked in a deadpan tone.

The oni frowned at the coldness in her voice, but decided to ignore it.

“I need you for an important mission.” He said. “Do you remember the knight that wounded you?”

“The one that beat you?” She asked back.

Blueskin felt his blood boil at that observation, and walked up to the ogress, looming over her.

“He did not beat me!” He cried angrily. “Our fight ended in a draw!”

“Yes boss.” She replied in a calm, almost bored voice.

That made the oni even more irritated, but he managed to control himself. After all, he needed Tiny for this mission and couldn't afford to damage her right now. So, he took a deep breath and continued with the explanation.

“Anyway, I need to find a way to deal with him.” He smirked. “And I have just the right plan in mind to do so. Here is what you have to do...”

And he started explaining his idea to the ogress, whose expression turned more and more sour as he went on.

“That's quite a risky mission, boss.” She said once he had finished. “Even if I play my part perfectly... no, especially if I play my part perfectly, I might get killed.”

“I'm sure you'll be fine.” Blueskin replied. “I have confidence in your ability to stay alive.” His voice became more stern. “Anyway, this is an order.”

“Yes boss.” She said, in a resigned tone.

“Good.” The oni nodded. “Now go get ready. We don't have much time before we reach the city.”

The ogress got up and walked away, limping slightly, and Blueskin looked at her with narrow eyes. He really didn't like her attitude as of lately, especially her passive-aggressive tones and barely concealed disdain, and while so far he had tolerated it all because of her usefulness —and her beauty— he couldn't help but think that he wouldn't really mind if she were to die on this mission. Sure, it'd be a shame to lose the “childhood friend” chick for his future harem, but at this point the oni had grown tired of her coldness, and besides, with a whole world to conquer, he would certainly find some nice replacements.

So, with great hopes for the future in mind, he turned once again towards the city, watching his army marching.

Someone knocked at the door of the bedroom, waking up Yasen from his slumber. The captain of the Royal Knights slowly rose from his bed, feeling every joint in his body ache terribly, and looked outside of the window. The sun was still up, so that meant that he had either napped for a few hours or slept until an entirely new day had come. Judging from how tired he still felt, the first option was the most likely, though it'd take more than one day of sleep to recover from the fatigue of the last few days anyway.

Yasen had led a series of raids against the orcs, trying to slow them down and  kill their foragers in order to weaken them as much as possible before they could reach the city. And while he had been reasonably successful the long hours of riding and fighting in the rain with only a few naps and cold meals in between had left him almost completely exhausted, which was the reason why he had left the organization of the defense of the city to his lieutenants while he rested and recovered his energies in preparation for the upcoming battle.

And while he wasn't quite in top shape just yet  he feared that this was going to be all the rest he was going to get. He knew his lieutenants, and they wouldn't disturb him for something trivial, so, with a resigned sigh, he walked up to the door and opened it, finding himself face to face with a nervous-looking guard.

“Yes?” He asked. “What is it?”

“The enemy army has been sighted on the horizon sir!” The guard promptly answered. “Captain Horr and the other officers are waiting for you in the hall.”

Yasen swore silently. Though he had expected it, he had hoped that the orcs would take a bit longer to reach Treval.

“Go tell them I'll be there as soon as possible.” He said. Then, as the guard was about to leave, he stopped him. “Wait. On second thought, come here and help me wear my armor. And fill me in on what happened while I was sleeping. We've got no time to waste.”

With the guard's help, he quickly donned his armor and marched to the room where his lieutenants were waiting for him. On the way there, the guard reported the events of the last hours.

“We've got another group of refugees that has just arrived at the gates.” The man said. “They were really ragged and scared for their lives. We sent them to the citadel to be taken care of.”

“Good.” Yasen nodded. “Counting those refugees, how many civilians are left in the city then?”

“About twenty-seven thousands.” The guard replied.

“So many!” The captain cried. “Why haven't they been evacuated? I ordered to send as many people away as possible!”

“We didn't have enough boats and barges to board them all, sir.” The soldiers explained. “Even filling the ones we had to the point they almost sank, they weren't nearly enough.” He paused for a seconda and added: “Also, no new ships have arrived today. The merchants must have gotten wind of the threat of the orcs, not to mention the fact that we are commandeering all passing boats, so they probably decided to wait until things calm down before resuming their trips on the river.”

“Shanduk's crows take them!” Yasen cursed in the name of the God of the Beasts. “They should come here to help us! Don't they have any shred of honor or compassion?”

“Well, they're merchants sir.” The guard replied with a small smirk.

“Fair enough.” The captain shook his head. “I'll have to find a solution then. I'll ask the others if they have any ideas.”

He reached a big door and opened it, entering the dining hall of Duke Grimdale's palace.

His lieutenants were waiting for him there, as was the duke himself. They were gathered around a table, and turned to greet the Captain when they saw him.

“Milord. Gentlemen.” Yasen saluted them back with a nod as he approached. He then turned to Captain Horr, the commander of Treval's garrison, and asked: “What's the situation?”

“Everything seems to be under control for now.” The old officer replied. “We have been prepared for the arrival of the orcs for a while now. Most of our soldiers have already taken position on the walls, but as per your suggestion we are also keeping some of them in reserve, ready to intervene anywhere in the city should the enemy manage to enter.” He smirked and added: “This is unlikely though, as every access to the city is under surveillance. We have guards watching over the river, the sewers and even some in the basements of the houses to listen for eventual tunnels being dug. Not even a mouse could sneak in.”

“Don't forget to have someone watch over the sky.” Yasen replied. “At least the oni is capable of flying. Maybe some of the ogres have that ability too.”

“We will.” The man nodded. He then smiled and added: “Though I can't imagine anyone being able to get us from the sky when the Knight of the Wind is with us.”

“Your imagination is severely lacking then.” The Aura Master replied with a smirk. “Anyway, there is another matter that I want to address. That of the civilians that are still in the city.” He looked around. “I've heard that no more ships are coming, so we need to find another way to secure them. Any idea?”

Duke Grimdale scoffed audibly at that question, but captain Horr looked pensive.

“Well, we can't exactly send them out of the city right now, but we could keep them in the citadel.” He suggested. “This way, even if the orcs somehow manage to enter the city, they should be relatively safe.”

“I've heard that the civilians left in Treval are more than twenty-seven thousands.” Yasen said, raising an eyebrow. “Could they really all fit inside of the fortress?”

“Barely.” Horr replied. “It's going to be very cramped, to say the least. But they will manage if it's only for a few days.”

“Very well, let's do it then.” The Captain nodded. “It's not as if we have any other option anyway.”

“I'll see to it immediately.” Horr replied, and turned to speak with one of his lieutenants.

During that pause, while Yasen waited for them to be done, the Duke approached him.

“Captain Yasen?” He said. “A word with you, please.”

He was a portly middle-aged man with a goatee and black hair, which barely covered his balding head, dressed in elegant but tasteful clothings. He was usually a very jovial person, but as of lately he was always sour, as if the orc invasion had been one gigantic personal insult.

Repressing an exasperated sigh, Yasen turned towards him.

“Yes milord?” He replied.

“I was just pondering the usefulness of wasting so much time and effort evacuating those people, even though they are already perfectly safe where they are.” The nobleman said in a rather caustic tone.

Yasen closed his eyes for a moment, trying to summon all of his patience. Of course the Duke was still on about that. He had been complaining all week about the evacuation.

“Well, milord, as I explained to you before, it's just a precaution.” He replied in a level voice. “The main objective of the orc army is to slaughter and devour the inhabitants of this city after all. By evacuating them, we ensure that even in the event of our defeat, the orcs wouldn't get their hands on them.” He smiled. “We would basically make it impossible for the orcs to win, no matter the outcome of the siege.”

“A sound strategy on paper.” Lord Grimdale conceded, though his voice was still annoyed. “But in practice, the economic cost of this strategy is going to be really steep. And I'll be the one to pay for it.” His expression grew even more sour. “It'll take weeks for the people to get back to work after this evacuation, not to mention that trade has all but stopped because of the commandeering of the ships! And all of this for what?” His voice grew outright angry. “The orcs won't be able to enter the city anyway! Hell, I'll be surprised if they won't run away as soon as they hear the sound of gunfire!”

“I assure you, milord, that these orcs are a great deal more dangerous and disciplined than you give them credit for.” The Captain said. “Their leader, the oni, is also surprisingly cunning. In fact, as you probably know, Marquis Brett has theorized that he may be a reincarnated human, with all the knowledge and discipline of one.”

“Yeah, I've heard all that baseless hogwash that Eisen has showered us with.” The Duke replied. “But even if that's true, it wouldn't change the fact that these orcs, as strong as they may be, are simply not equipped to take the city. They don't have guns, bows or artillery of any kind, so how are they going to take down the walls? By bashing them with their wooden clubs?”

Yasen hesitated for a moment. On one hand he wanted to criticize the carelessness of the nobleman, but on the other he had to admit that he did have a point. Even he couldn't think of a way the orcs would be able to take the city if the defenders were keeping their guard up —and the captain had made sure that they would. The only thing that had convinced him to evacuate the population was the existence of a certain “prophecy” that Eisen had informed him about. According to the marquis' sources, the Blue Terror was foretold to be able to conquer at least one city and the nobleman had suggested him that having an empty city would have certainly foiled the oni's plans, even if the prophecy was true. The problem was that the duke would never believe in this justification, especially since the marquis's source were the goblins.

So, in the end, Yasen decided that it would be better to not justify his decision at all.

“I'm really sorry for the inconvenience, Duke Grimdale, but I'm afraid that you and your people will have to endure it for the time being.” He said in a stern voice. “His majesty himself declared a state of emergency in this region and appointed me commander in chief in order to solve it. Therefore, I have the final saying on every matter right now, and my priority is to keep the citizens of Medelan safe.”

The duke remained silent at those words, staring blankly at him for a few seconds.

“Fine, captain.” He finally said in a cold voice. “The law is the law, after all, and no one could legally go against a royal edict.” He paused and added, in a threatening voice: “For now, at least.”

He then turned and walked away, slamming the doors behind himself.

Yasen looked at the door for a bit, and then let out a tired sigh. He knew that since Lord Grimdale was affiliated to the Council of Nobles, which opposed the king's authority, dangling a royal edict in his face probably hadn't been a good idea and was likely to cause trouble in the future. However, it was worth the trouble if it meant saving more lives, as right now he simply couldn’t afford to waste energy arguing with the duke. It was better to let him marinate in his own anger and plot some future vengeance than to have him question his decisions right now.

Also, the Captain thought idly, if the orcs really managed to enter the city, then his caution would have been validated… but, just for this once, he decided that he’d rather be wrong.