Limitless Lands Book 5: Invasion

by Dean Henegar

  Chapter 28

  I returned to the game, still stunned over the news Clio had given me. In the war room, I closed the door after asking the guard outside to give me some time alone without interruption. My mind was still reeling, but I had a job to do. This battle would help speed up my mental recovery, and speed was what I desired most now that I realized how little time I had left. This was going to be my last war, my last major battle. And I was going to win.

  You have been granted full control over the forces in Hayden’s Knoll. An expanded city map is now available for you to assign defenders.

  When I accessed the war table, the map zoomed in with the new feature. I could see a list of my available forces and different points around the city. After fiddling with the settings, I found that I could drag the desired forces to different spots I wished them to defend. The garrison, town hall, marketplace, and the mines were all highlighted to show they were the critical points. Should all of these locations fall, the battle was lost. Pulling up my available forces, I looked at what I had to work with.

  Order of Battle for Hayden’s Knoll:

  1st Legion:

  Regulars: 1 battalion (926/1250).

  Scouts: 8/45.

  Engineers: 55/55 (12 scorpions).

  Elite Soldiers: 8/8.

  Battlemages: 10/10.

  Ogre Auxiliaries: 10/10.

  Dwarven Runesmiths: 6/6.

  Attached Formations:

  Ignominia:

  Regulars: 2 platoons (86/100).

  Scouts: 8/10.

  Engineers: 5/5 (2 scorpions).

  Elite Soldiers: 1/1.

  14th Legion:

  Regulars: 578/750.

  Scouts: 9/30.

  Engineers: 20/30 (8 scorpions).

  Longbowmen: 100/100.

  City Forces:

  Town Guard: 600/600.

  Reserves: 500/500.

  Militia: 250/250.

  Hayden’s Knoll Garrison:

  Regulars: 250/250.

  Scouts: 20/20.

  Engineers: 20/20 (2 catapults, 4 scorpions).

  Battlemage (Mind): 1.

  Dwarven Stonebreakers: 20/20.

  Dwarven Pathfinders: 10/10.

  Runesmith: 1/1.

  Drebix Raiders: 20/20.

  Drebix Skirmishers: 10/10.

  Drebix Shaman: 1/1.

  Goreaxe Warriors: 10/10.

  Allies:

  Stonefinder Clan:

  Stonebreakers: 600/600.

  Pathfinders: 21/100.

  Runesmiths: 15/15.

  Drebix Tribes:

  Skirmishers: 79/200.

  Raiders: 476/500.

  Berserkers: 97/100.

  Shaman: 9/10.

  Goreaxe Ogres:

  Warriors (Elite): 187/200.

  It was an impressive force, especially when I considered that we would be fighting behind strong defenses. I had taken some losses during the battle with Narbos’s army, and the tiny trickle of reinforcements hadn’t done much to replenish them. To offset some of the damage, I activated the Hasty Replacement scrolls I had identified earlier. The extra regulars and scouts would spawn inside their barracks and report to their assigned units.

  Looking at the city forces, I felt that Delling had done a good job expending all of the resources and coin that he could spare to upgrade his town guard and improve the town’s defenses. The main gate was over a foot thick and consisted of iron-reinforced hardwood. Flanking the gateway were towers that stood ten feet higher than the walls, which were made of stone and stood twenty feet high.

  Lines of attack would be limited for any besieging force. The winding road that led up to the plateau would allow us to view the attacking force long before it arrived. Once the enemy arrived on the plateau, they would be facing the main gate set in the western wall of the town. I would have to amass a strong force there since the enemy would most likely try to force the gate. They could also attempt to move around the walls but would be under fire the entire time. Once they turned the corner to the north or south, they would be able to move out of range of our scorpions or bows, but it would be a bloody slog to get there.

  If the enemy tried to move to the other walls, I felt we would have enough of an advanced warning to mount a response. So for my plan, I would heavily reinforce the western wall and keep a smaller force on the others. A sizeable reserve would be ready to respond to any enemy movement. We would lose the battle if we lost the town hall, barracks complex, and the mine, which meant I would have to keep those protected. The barracks area was easy enough to defend; it was already a fortress with a strong wall and buildings designed with defense in mind. While Delling’s town hall had some basic defenses, it wasn’t really built to fend off an army.

  The mine was the wildcard in my defense. On the one hand, the narrow passages would favor the defenders, not to mention the fact that there were already some defenses at the entrance. I wished I had heard back from Drake; his ability to summon dungeon monsters would be a great fit for any defense there. On the other hand, our enemy came from a subterranean environment and would be used to this type of fighting. Chief Bugtug was an unknown, and I had the feeling—since no goblins showed up in my order of battle—that his forces would sit this one out if they could.

  The best troops I had to defend the mines were the Stonefinder dwarves, who were already temporarily housed there. I would have liked to have the heavily armored and well-trained warriors on the walls, but I couldn’t ask them to leave the defense of their families to some other force. On my war table interface, I selected the entire Stonefinder clan and assigned it to the mine. Thankfully, it appeared that this was all I had to do; there would be no running around the town and organizing the various formations. Sometimes, the game systems worked in my favor, and I would take what I could get.

  To defend the western wall and the main gateway, I selected the 14th Legion, which I reinforced with Ignominia, the Goreaxe ogres, and all the non-legion troops assigned to the garrison. After thinking about what they would be up against in the initial assault, I added a company of the 1st Legion, as well as a hundred each of the town guard and reserves. On each of the other walls, I assigned a company of the 1st Legion along with a hundred town guards and reserves. Behind each of the four walls, I divided up the Drebix forces to act as a mobile reserve. They were lightly armored but fast enough to respond quickly and deploy to any trouble spots.

  To defend the town hall, I added the remaining town guards and reserves. There wasn’t a whole lot of area to defend, so they should be enough. Just in case, I added the 1st Legion’s auxiliary force of Goreaxe ogre legionnaires to the town hall’s defense. My barracks compound would be defended by the human elements of the defensive garrison forces. I would also keep my last company of 1st Legion regulars in the barracks as a quick reaction force (QRF). The imp was bound to throw a few curve balls our way, and having a company of legionnaires ready to respond seemed prudent.

  I wasn’t too sure of the effectiveness of the militia forces, but they should perform well enough in the task I had planned for them. I broke them up into platoons of fifty, placing them at key points inside the town itself. They would be tasked with delaying anything that broke through or snuck past our lines until I could send forces to relieve them. I assigned one platoon to patrol the residential areas, one near the town hall to act as a speedbump for any attacks headed that way, one at the small gate in the eastern wall, and one near the barracks compound to give my soldiers there an advanced warning of any approaching threats.

  The final platoon of militia I assigned to Yendys and the other players, giving them some numbers to counter the large forces we would be facing. The players were skilled, but they could be swarmed if facing too many opponents. Yendys was the only player online right now, so I sent a runner to find her and let her know I wanted them to stay near the marketplace area and respond to any unexpected threats. They would be a good counter to any of the monstrous creatures the Hypogean ar
mies fielded. After all, players thrived on killing monsters.

  The mind mages were distributed among the companies, with the mage NCO attached to the western wall. The remaining scouts I placed in support of the defenders here at the garrison. My engineers and their siege equipment were the last force I had to assign. Only now did I remember that I had to replace the catapults we had ditched so we could haul the ogres around. I had more than enough coin and resources to replace them since I didn’t have much to spend it on until I reached level 20 and could upgrade the garrison again. We had lost the two 14th Legion’s catapults to tunnel wurms, but thankfully, the crews survived and only the drivers were killed. To my great relief, the game allowed me to build replacement engines for the 14th.

  “Private Blevins, send a runner to find Sergeant Tavers,” I ordered through the door.

  “I’ll see to it, sir,” Blevins replied without sarcasm or snippy attitude. Things were looking up. It took only a couple of minutes for Tavers to join me since the army had arrived at the garrison while I was out enjoying a meal with Lauren.

  “Sir, Sergeant Tavers reporting as ordered.”

  “Sergeant, I wanted to let you know I’ve got replacements for the catapults that the 14th lost. I wanted to get your take on where we should place our siege equipment for the coming fight,” I said, hoping the game would give me some insight through my NCO.

  “I think we need the majority of the scorpions on the wall and a small reserve that can remain mobile to respond to threats. The town has a pair already covering the main gate, but that wall could use all the help it can get, given it’s likely to be the focus of the enemy attack. A mobile reserve might help against something like that wurm thing burrowing up under us,” Tavers offered.

  I had forgotten about the tunnel wurms. Would they be able to burrow through the hard stone that made up the foundation of the plateau? “Good call on a mobile reserve. The wurm things could be problematic. What about the catapults?”

  “I think I can rig up something that will give them the ability to fire over the walls,” Tavers added. “Some wooden supports under the front of the engine would allow me to elevate them enough without hitting anything important. We’ll lose some range, but I don’t see that being a problem.”

  I would compromise a range decrease for being able to use every siege engine. I waved Tavers over to the map and got his input on the exact placement. Not counting the siege engines inside the garrison, which I intended to leave here for its defense, I would have a total of seven catapults when I combined mine with those of the 14th. We ended up placing four at the western wall and one behind each of the other walls.

  “Sergeant, can we hit some pre-sited positions inside the city itself if the enemy breaks through?” I asked, thinking I could use the garrison as a firebase. The pair of catapults here could provide support to any breach while remaining safely inside the garrison.

  “I believe so, sir, given I have enough time to calculate and calibrate each engine. I can’t guarantee pinpoint accuracy, but we can hit a house-sized area anywhere in the city.” That would work for me. I didn’t know if Delling would be agreeable to the potential collateral damage to his town, but it might be necessary to hold back the enemy.

  The scorpions were next on the agenda. I wanted the 14th Legion’s engines dismounted from their carts and placed evenly along the western wall. A simple platform would need to be constructed to house them, but Tavers assured me that his crews could whip up something quickly. I left the pair of engines that Ignominia had mounted on its carts. These would be the mobile response unit for that wall. I dismounted six of my eight scorpions, placing two on each of the other walls and keeping the remaining pair as mobile units with my QRF. Inside the garrison, the four scorpions that were part of the defensive garrison force were already mounted on the walls to protect the critical location.

  “That should do it, sir. I’ll have the new catapults built and the scorpions emplaced in a few hours,” Tavers said as we finished up.

  “Good, let me know if you need any additional manpower to get things rolling,” I offered. Tavers waved off my offer, mumbling something about not letting amateurs anywhere near his siege equipment.

  Runners left the garrison, carrying my orders to the various units. While I waited for our forces to sort themselves out—having good NCOs made all the difference—I went to visit Delling in the town hall to see if he had any new information. His town hall area was bustling with activity as he prepared the civilians for the coming siege. I didn’t envy his task and had no desire to try and herd a bunch of civilians during a battle. The guards posted outside waved me in, and I made my way toward Delling’s version of the war table.

  “Raytak, thanks for stopping by. I’ve been watching your troop placement on the city planning table. Take a look at what I’ve got going and let me know your thoughts,” he said, inviting me to review the city planning table.

  The interface was similar to my own, and Delling maneuvered our view around the map, showing various locations that were designated as shelters. Any building with a protected cellar or basement was being used, but there just wouldn’t be enough space for everyone.

  “I know you have your hands full, Raytak, but is there any way we can house more of the civilians inside the garrison?” Delling asked. “If not, they’ll be forced to stay in their homes and will be at the mercy of the enemy if they break through. The folks that have access to a basement or cellar at least have a chance of barricading the entrance and holding out until help arrives, but the homes and other buildings are more vulnerable.”

  After deploying all my forces around the city, we had been able to house the ogre civilians with room to spare. “We can take some. We can’t fill the place up completely since the buildings are going to be a fallback position if the wall around the garrison is breached. Work with Private Blevins to set aside as many spaces as he can,” I replied, patting myself on the back for taking care of not only the civilian population but also keeping Blevins out of my hair with a time-consuming assignment I was sure he would hate.

  My self-congratulatory moment was cut short when one of the scouts who had been shadowing the enemy army rushed in with a message. Delling held his next question while he waited for me to read the message.

  Colonel Raytak,

  The enemy army has broken through the defenses placed by the halfling adventurer Deacon. He delayed them for hours, and I estimate the adventurer inflicted at least 300–400 casualties on the enemy force. Now that the last obstacle is removed from their path, you can expect the invaders to arrive within twenty-four hours of your receipt of this message. Please advise if you have any other orders. Otherwise, we will continue to observe the foe and report on their progress.

  Zipp was a day from Hayden’s Knoll. I was anxious for the fight to start, but with Sergeant Tavers needing the time to prepare his siege engines, I was willing to wait. Or was I? There was nothing that said I had to sit here in the city as the enemy approached. In fact, I thought it was time to shake things up for the little imp. I sent a reply with the scout, asking for a final tally of the enemy and inquiring if the forces that the enemy had used to take the southern transition point and the Stonefinder mines had returned to Zipp’s main army.

  “Delling, I’m going to head out and see if I can give Zipp a few headaches. Anything else you needed before I go? All of our defenses are set, but if you see any deficiencies as you walk around town, let me know.”

  “One piece of bad news I forgot to tell you, Raytak. The giants you invited from the arena have taken a pass on joining us. They heard about the conflict and are moving off somewhere more peaceful,” Delling advised. I had almost forgotten about Domax and my offer to him in the arena. While a giant gladiator champion and his kin would have been most welcome, we would make do without him.

  I left the town hall and went to gather up Tavers and Sergeant Brooks, both of whom were inside the garrison and overseeing the deployment of our
forces.

  “Sergeants, we have an opportunity to inflict some casualties and delay the enemy further. I’m going to take the QRF as well as the mobile scorpions out to meet them. Sergeant Tavers, how long would it take you to assemble and disassemble a catapult?” I asked as the plan formed in my mind.

  “Five to ten minutes, depending on the crew,” Tavers replied.

  “Good, I’ll take one of the garrison catapults, and I’ll need an extra wagon to hold ammo for both it and the scorpions,” I ordered.

  “Sir, do you want me to accompany you?” Brooks asked.

  “No, I need both you and Sergeant Tavers to stay and finish our preparations. I also want a second layer of defense behind the main gate: some barricades and the like if the enemy forces their way inside. We should also look at some defenses on the main roads in the city. We need to provide some internal positions to hold back a breakthrough until forces can be gathered to push the enemy back.” I also added the mind mage NCO to join my outing; the tight confines of the winding mountain trail that led to Hayden’s Knoll would be the perfect place to try out his abilities further.

  Chapter 29

  The QRF company marched down the road from Hayden’s Knoll. For the most part, the path followed along the southern mountains, the road gradually rising from the valley floor. With the light fading, I was eventually able to find the spot I wanted for our surprise. After sending out a handful of Drebix skirmishers I had borrowed from Beremund, I formed up the company. The nearly vertical mountainside anchored our left flank, and to the right was a wooden guardrail that had been installed as part of my troops’ road construction efforts. Past the guardrail, a sheer drop of over a hundred feet would be waiting for any who fell off the road.

  “First Platoon, move out one hundred yards and start dismantling that guardrail. Engineers, set up the catapult at the bend in the road with the scorpion carts a few yards closer to us,” I ordered. I had selected a stretch of road that doglegged a bit as it followed the contour of the mountainside. I positioned the siege engines behind where I intended to form a shield wall, the curving road allowing them a clear shot at anything coming up the pathway.