One Hundred And Twenty

One Hundred And Twenty

“So, seriously, just what is the situation?” I asked. “I get that we are under attack, but why is the defensive line here? If the Anchor is destroyed it’s over, or if we lose the assets in Shaeula’s old dungeon... I get that this place seems defensible, but...”

“If I may explain...?” the Kamaitachi asked, as he seemed to be in charge of the defence. The kami hissed assent, and the weasel continued. “When the initial enemy forces attacked us-us, we did indeed try to hold the area around the Anchor. However, they also have giant siege-beetles, which have destroyed every building in their path-path. I realised quickly though that-that they were just puppets, dolls like the little dogs are using to mine with-with.” He gestured with one long sickle to the small group of kobold miners that were listening to our conversations intently. “Their orders seemed to be to attack where resistance was strongest, so instead of trying to hold the Anchor, we risked luring them to here-here...”

A risky play indeed... still, my Anchor still stands, so I can’t get too mad. Thinking about the dangers of upgrading the Territory, there can’t be many who are going to risk Rank 3 until they have significant forces. I was too overconfident.

“That strategy is quite the bold one-one.” Shaeula agreed with me. “Much could have gone wrong, and all my master has worked for would have been ruined. I would not-not have been pleased by such an event. If they had beings who could reason, such as us, this plan would have failed miserably.”

“True, but our options were limited. Grulgor and his trolls are incapable of following our orders to defend-defend, so we let them roam freely, destroying all they come across. The pig-beasts are well armed, but against the might of the trolls they are no match-match.”

“So, that further spreads their forces, right? But what about these ghost girls?” I asked, getting to the heart of the matter.

“They also seem to have little consciousness.” The Kamaitachi answered. “Though they appear and disappear at will, and we have proved unable to defeat them, our attacks useless-useless. We have lost weaselkin and kobolds to their ambushes, but they pose little threat to trolls or us-us.”

“We ussssssssed the power of earthhhhhh to create a ssssssacred sssssssalt barrier around the sssssshrine. Thisssssss preventsssssss their ingressssssss, and reinforccccccesssssss the idea the Anchor isssssss here.” The White Snake kami interjected, and the Kamaitachi nodded.

“Yes-yes, they cannot breach the salt barriers, It is divine arts-arts, very clever. It further serves to draw the enemies to us, where they can do little harm-harm.”

“I see.” I nodded, having got a grasp on the situation. “Well, if we can continue to lure their forces into thinking that we are based here, that’s a good thing...” Luckily I had built all of my assets indoors, apart from the Defensive Emplacements, and one of those was gone already. Since the Anchor room had turned into a pseudo-dungeon as well, similar to where Shaeula’s lair was, that meant it was hard to discover. Although if these siege-beetles hit the building by chance...

Clapping my hands together I looked at my subordinates, everyone waiting eagerly for my orders, especially Shaeula, who was looking at me with expectation, eyes agleam with orange light.

“You’ve done good work, and I apologise for leaving you to handle this alone. Still, we are back now, stronger than ever, and we’ve also found that we can defeat the ghosts. They are vulnerable to fire, so Shaeula and I can keep them at bay.”

“Fire?” the Kamaitachi blinked. “What does he mean, princess?”

“Ohohohoho!” Shaeula gave a laugh that a rich young girl might in a certain sort of anime, hand held to her face in a haughty manner. No doubt she’s picked that up from some show she’s watched...

“Yes, bow before my newfound glory-glory!” she crowed. “My mother, my father, my siblings... all-all shall be amazed that I have transcended the bounds of my limits as a Fae, and I now wield the flame!” she raised one hand and a rich yellow bloom of fire winked into existence before detonating in a shower of bright sparks.

Grulgor looked down at the warped handle of his now headless axe in puzzlement before tossing it aside. “I have come to crush and eat these bugs! Grul likes strong foes.” He intoned, his voice booming. He stomped on the head of the fallen beetle I was broiling, and with a sickening crunch that head burst too. Yeah, every time I see Grulgor in action, I’m reminded that being strong is nice, but I’m still at the level one blow can end me...

I turned to the third beetle, expecting a tough fight, only to find it gone, pieces of shell and a puddle of ether all that was left, Shaeula holding her pinwheels and looking on in satisfaction. Hang on, didn’t you switch weapons a second ago?

Seeing my gaze, she puffed out her chest in pride. “I was-was going to use my blade to slice it, but then I had a thought, master. If the beetle resists by using the wind-wind, then surely...”

Oh yeah, that... “Clever. I am impressed you thought of it in the heat of battle. It worked, judging by the debris?”

“It did indeed, better than even I expected.” She stowed her weapons, surveying the area. Grulgor was complaining, missing out on killing the third beetle, but there would no doubt be plenty more foes to take down...

********

Several hours later we had secured the Territory once more, waves of enemies dealt with. I had even gained a level during the final stages, as two more of the beetles were accompanied by a wave of orcs. We never did see any of those wraiths though... either their numbers are small, or they got scared after we finally slew a couple and pulled them back...

We had gathered up what weapons and materials we could and distributed them, storing what we didn’t need in the Warehouse. Grulgor had commanded his trolls to protect around the Anchor and the Throne, and what weaselkin we had left were armed with crossbows and pikes, also ready to ambush any attackers.

“I think we’ve done what we can. How often have the attacks been coming?” I asked the Kamaitachi.

“A big wave like this-this... it is unlikely we will see more this day. We might see a few smaller groups, but they will likely retain their might for another large push tomorrow.”

Seems about right. If I make an estimate of the number of Spawning Spires and their ranks for a force this large... the speed of replenishment is... hmmm...

“In that case, Shaeula, want to pop back to the Material for a bit to see Aiko and Eri? They’ll be worried if we don’t explain the situation and you don’t return.”

“Indeed.” She nodded. “I should not like to let them leave without a word-word, though I will see them again soon I have little doubt. I can also check their training and give them some final advice.”

“So, Shaeula will return shortly to lead the defence, and I’ll return where and when I can as well. I’ll be gone some of the time, but with Shaeula here only an assault in force led by the enemy Candidate and his best troops, assuming it is one we are up against, would have a chance against us.”

As we exchanged our brief farewells, Shaeula and I returned to the Material, ready to explain the situation to the girls in a... tactful... manner.