CHAPTER 296 The Siege of Newkeep
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CHAPTER 296 The Siege of Newkeep
297 AC
POV THIRD PERSON
After a successful takeover of the Strongsong, Aermir reorganized and healed his men. He had lost 500 men in this battle, but without his healing, that number would have been four times higher.
Aermir sent some of his men to the surrounding villages and settlements. He informed them that they would be free to conduct their religion and that pillaging would be prohibited under the Mountain Clan's reign.
Some of the smallfolk didn't believe this, so they left their home at night. They were trying to reach other Vale settlements in the far south. Aermir didn't want to slaughter those innocent folk just to hide his operations. So he had to act fast.
...
If he could, he would like to wait for the new wargs he discovered. After two of them took the oath, he taught them how to create manaheart, but they didn't look that talented to him since it took them three days to even sense mana.
So it might take more than a week for them to create their manaheart, and they couldn't waste a week waiting for them since the conquering of the northern Vale had started. After one more day of rest, he started his march toward Newkeep. Some of the smallfolk reached settlements under House Corbrey's control.
He was still killing the ravens they were trying to send toward Heart's Home, but he couldn't kill the messengers since he didn't have enough familiars to cover all the settlements and didn't know which one was sending messengers toward the castle or other small holdfast around the region.
...
Aermir and his mountain army encircled Newkeep castle. With a nod to his commanders, he signaled the assault. Aermir had taught them how to build basic siege towers. They managed to make three of them. They were not really sturdy and a bit shabbily built, but they were enough to do the job of acting as bait.
Aermir was going to use them as bait to pull the scorpion shots and make it easier for battering rams to work. Of course, if they didn't crumble until they reached the walls, they could work as a good ladder for his troops.
At the distance, three catapults were sending stones toward the gates. Those catapults could be small, but the shots were instilling fear into the hearts of House Hersy. They couldn't understand how those small rocks, which were only as big as a head, could cause this much damage.
When the rocks were thrown by the catapults, Aermir used his magic to make them move many times faster than normal, which is why those small rocks were able to do many times more damage. On the other hand, the rocks thrown by the defenders' catapults did not hit anyone; every time, they went off course.
This time, Tormund and the Howlers were the vanguard and tried to scale the walls with their ladders. Despite facing fierce resistance from the defenders atop the ramparts, the Howlers fought tooth and nail as they climbed the ladders and grappling hooks.
Defenders had to split into many groups because of all the attacks coming from different directions. When the defenders started to pile into the wall to defend against the Howlers' attack, Ulf and Dolf started attacking from two different walls using the siege towers, too.
When most of the men managed to reach the walls, Aermir stopped enchanting the rocks and defending the catapults. This time, he wasn't going to enter the fray as a warrior because he wanted to heal as many soldiers as possible. His forces were limited, and he wanted to lose as few soldiers as possible.
...
As the siege of Newkeep castle unfolded, Aermir grappled with the consequences of his arrogance. His decision to divert most of his familiars to the south in an attempt to disrupt communications with the main Vale army left crucial gaps in their scouting efforts in the Mountain of the Moons and The Upper Fingers. He heard Poe's voice in his mind, "Father, an army of 3 thousand is marching towards you."
Aermir might have great power, but he was not all-knowing. He thought the ravens around the castle would be enough, but how could he know one of Lynderly's men was coming to visit a relative who lived in Strongsong? He saw the mountain man army while they were in the mountains, rode back to a holdfast, and sent word to the Lynderlys from there.
This unfortunate event culminated in a 3 thousand man army from Lynderlys and Coldwaters. The main Vale army down south was still oblivious to them, but he knew that was not going to be long, too. He was killing the ravens sent south from Heart's Home but didn't have enough familiars to kill every messenger from every holdfast.
Their exchange crackled with urgency as Aermir processed the gravity of the situation. "Poe," he communicated through their mental link, "What do you see? How close are they?"
Poe's response was swift and direct, "Father, they approach swiftly. They'll be upon you in 6 to 10 hours." Aermir's heart quickened at the news. "Understood, Poe. Keep me informed of their movements. We'll get ready for them."
...
With the approaching enemy army looming on the horizon, Aermir found himself at a crossroads, his options narrowing with each passing moment. Calling off the siege now would only result in wasted effort and time, and the consequences of facing the approaching army here while sieging would be worse.
Yet, in the midst of this dilemma, Aermir's mind raced with possibilities. He couldn't afford to reveal himself as the Druid; it was still early, or was it? His mind was turning like a cog. A new plan was shaping in his mind. Yes, Newkeep was a perfect place to pray and call for the Druid. But first, the mountain man army needed to be pushed to a corner.
Now that he had a plan, he started to move. While surrounded by the soldiers, he dived into the ground and traveled to the gate Ulf was trying to break. This surprised him as he emerged from the ground right next to Ulf. Ulf saluted him, "Druid! We are almost through it."
Aermir grabbed his shoulder and said, "I need you to achieve success in 2 or 3 hours at the latest." Ulf shook his head, "But that is impossible. It would take at least two hours to pass the gate."
Aermir didn't have any choice, so he used magic to do it. "Shield Wall!.. Create a shield wall around me!" Around 10 of the shieldmen surrounded him on three sides, only leaving his front open, and he was just in front of the gate right next to the battering ram that was trying to break the gate. The Vale soldiers on top of the wall most likely couldn't see him.
He started to compress as much air as possible in his hands. As he pressed the air in on itself, it started to get hot. He was compressing it so much it was causing air to heat up. He timed it just right with the battering ram and blasted the gate.
The gate shook as if it was going to break, but the strength was not enough. If he could use Crimson Fireball, he could break this gate in one shot, but he needed a spell with as limited visible components as possible. This compressed windball wasn't completely invisible either. If they looked carefully, they could see a semi-translucent ball blast the gate, but seeing it in this chaos was almost impossible.
The battering ram and the shield wall were pulling attention away from him, so he timed it just right and blasted the gate two more times until it broke from its hinges and fell on top of the defenders who were trying to keep it closed. As the gate fell, mountain men charged in. Aermir turned toward Ulf and said, " We have to hurry and take control of the castle. Right after taking control, get it ready for siege defense."
Ulf was confused, but he knew that if the Druid was asking something in such a hurry, it meant it was an emergency. He saluted him again and ordered the rest of his men to charge through the broken gate, too.