The Siege: Part 1

The streets were filled with joy. The few knights that were sober watched along the wall. Blick and Harold sat at a booth in a bustling tavern. To even hear what the other was saying, they nearly shouted. The moon was high and surrounded by bright specks in the sky. Cheerfully they drank and talked.

"What an amazing city you have here!" Harold said.

"What?" Blick asked.

"I said: What an amazing city!" Harold repeated slightly louder.

"Thank you! Thank you!" Blick said.

Blick drank his entire pint in one go. The barmaid set down two more pints and Blick looked up at her with a smile. She walked away as Blick took a long gulp. The boisterous crowd cheered as the bard sang. The air was thick with alcohol and smoke.

"Do you have any children?" Blick asked.

"One daughter and one son." Harold said, taking another sip.

"Are they around here?" Blick asked.

"No, they live in the capital." Harold replied.

"I heard that it's beautiful." Blick said.

"Have you ever been?" Harold asked.

"No, I really want to go." Blick said.

"If you are ever in town, I'll show you around." Harold said.

"I would love that." Blick said.

As the night continued, so did their celebration. In the distance from the city, many lights could be seen. One guard ran to gather others and they began to panic. Gates closed and bells rang. Confusion ran throughout the city. Blick stood up and swayed back and forth. Harold did the same. Knights escorted them both to the hall and tried to talk to them.

"Sirs, Wetherden is under siege. We need orders." one said.

"G-gather the knights and... guard each gate. Tell- tell the archers to fire when they are in range." Blick managed to say.

"Sir!" The knights rushed out of the room.

"Wait!" Harold shouted.

"Yes sir?" the knight turned back.

"Who is it?" Harold asked.

"We believe it is Lord Opius' army from Ivorius. It is hard to see the flag, but the scouts had a good look." he said.

"Damn it!" Blick shouted.

"Why is he here?" Harold asked.

"To betray us." Blick said.

'I can get rid of the alcohol in everyone's system.' Zorn said.

'Do it!' Blick said.

Suddenly, a cold chill ran throughout the city and every drunk person sobered up within minutes. The knights marched to the gates with their swords drawn. The archers waited patiently for their chance to strike. The screams of men were heard as they tried to climb the walls with ladders. The archers fired arrow after arrow into the crowd of soldiers. Every few hours they would stop. By dawn the entire city was surrounded and both sides already had injuries from many projectiles.

As the sun rose Blick walked the city walls with a full set of armor. Harold and other knights followed. Opius' army stayed out of range and in tents during the day. Builders made siege equipment and other useful tools. Blick's eyes widened when he saw them building something that hadn't been used on a siege.

"A ballista..." Blick said softly.

"That will tear through the gates as if they were made of paper." Harold said.

"How many men did you say we had?" Blick asked.

"Around seven thousand." Harold answered.

"How many does Opius have?" Blick asked.

"Our scout has estimated around fifteen." Harold said.

"I used a lot of stamina while sobering everyone. I won't be able to use my powers for a while." Blick said.

"How long do you think?" Harold asked.

'A day or two.' Zorn estimated.

"About a day or two." Blick answered.

"Damn. If those ballistae are finished, the gates will be destroyed in seconds." Harold said.

"Find everyone who can use Earth Energy and have them reinforce every gate!" Blick ordered the knights.

They nodded and ran off.

"We need to buy time." Blick said to Harold.

"Agreed." Harold said.

"How much food do we have in stock?" Blick asked.

"If we rashin, then four to five days." Harold said.

"Perfect." Blick said.

"We can just hold out." Harold said.

"No, we need to destroy those weapons." Blick said.

"How?" Harold asked.

"I have a plan." Blick said.

The sun slowly went down, and the bright specks in the sky shyly shined. The moon was in its full form and the sky was clear of clouds. The knights watched as Opius' army had not moved at all. In the moonlight, the builders have stopped. Blick gathered one hundred men. Harold stood next to him as they walked toward the west gate.

"You have my deepest thanks. Even though you all know you will die tonight, you have agreed to my irrational plan. Your target is every ballista you see. Set it on fire. Break it beyond repair. Kill the engineers who know how to make it. Bring victory to your home. Bring victory to your families. Bring victory to your empire!" Blick said, as the gate opened, "Now charge! For glory!"

As soon as the last knight left, the gate closed immediately. Citizens rushed over and used their Energy to seal the gate shut. Archers from the wall shot down and helped as much as possible. Flames roared all over. Blick and Harold smiled as they watched the weapons turn to ash.

'Don't celebrate yet. I feel the presence of a dark soul.' Zorn said.

'Where?' Blick asked.

'North. Getting closer but still far out.' Zorn said.

'Can you tell what it is?' Blick asked.

'No. But I can say, it's not a normal person.' Zorn said.

"Harold, listen to me. If there is ever the chance to run, you need to take it and report to King Johan." Blick said.

"I-" Harold struggled to speak.

Blick stared into his eyes.

"Yes." Harold finally replied.

"All the weapons have been destroyed. There were five of them in total. As expected, all the men who bravely rushed out there have died." a knight reported.

"Thank you." Harold and Blick said.

Suddenly the men outside the walls started yelling and screaming. Siege ladders were placed against the wall. Knights quickly climbed up to the wall and the battle has begun.