x
The walk back to the town – Carrick – was slow but satisfying. Naturally, I had my character sheet before me:568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG46mSJYSoC
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpbfdEZbH2L
Sean de Courcy, king of Greyland568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvlq9IrVoEV
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNYa49fNzeF
Fighter, Level 2 HP 16 AC 0568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ4ssdgyqi3
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9rdRb7E4S5
Str 7568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqvls43exp8
Dex 4568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡknvwaJ7iys
Con 8568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqX0RPhudWN
Int 16568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR5wt4SUeHQ
Wis 16568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDzX65TiOJ9
Cha 4568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyuCHDQylYr
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg5iddkhmVo
Skills568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgDOxiYm6gZ
Lunge 5568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkK3ISQRQW5
Parry 5568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSoClWwqD4x
Wield Shortbow 3568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH8XLfF7Bcd
Wield Rapier 5568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfUxdfS6pKq
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡclwpswBXJi
You have 1 attribute point to assign.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡffA9BzWFaN
You have 5 skill points to assign.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlfcA2B9rCs
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgIkoOf5ZMA
XP 110/200
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN72xlPH0fy
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf111D0gXMG
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOPzWRbCnSk
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7PL8oi4bfK
I was heartened that the system awarded a new attribute point on levelling: one that further justified my risky decision to be a Fighter. The immediate question was not what attribute to increase but whether to spend it at all. If it proved relatively easy to get attributes to move up from very low scores, but very hard to say, train Strength from 17 to 18, then I should save all my level points until I'd achieved as much as I could from exercise.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa1QO8k6Zal
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPIzaZCtPiR
Then there was the question of skill points. From the speed at which skills increased, I might have made a mistake in my Min-Max approach. I tapped Carlena on the back and asked that she wait with me while I took a breather. The cleric, however, I gestured to continue towards the town walls, which were less than a mile away.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtO2vo8ctPt
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTMOYEh0w4r
'Can you tell me about how to improve skills?'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDwL3hL9Zx0
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhXzeGSNntA
'I don't have access to the menus that you do, so anything I can tell you is conjecture.'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ25SIkjqMm
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1SWG3gcxPN
'I understand.'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJYSBuYXg0u
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMbTC2O3UeP
'I believe that every time where you are in a situation where you have a chance to use a skill in earnest, there's the possibility you will increase your expertise in it. But you have to use a skill many times before you will be successful.'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3raTWQamuo
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlUp31jESch
'Mine seemed to go up fairly rapidly.'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdxMTZ8R84Q
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCSsv8aCNqB
Carlena looked at me thoughtfully. 'Tell me my stats.'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdHMq04UMvf
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPl039uyFzk
It took a moment to find the right menu, then I reported them to her: 'Strength five; Dexterity eleven; Constitution nine; Intelligence seventeen; Wisdom seven; Charisma eight.'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEuBna8vUYn
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTVxUzNMmgp
'Much as I thought. Although my Intelligence is slightly disappointing. Now, what are yours?'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCqxeh7Gtps
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEl1uNao9H6
Although I felt reluctant to share this information for some reason, I reminded myself she was on my side after all. 'Strength seven; Dexterity four; Constitution eight; Intelligence sixteen; Wisdom sixteen; Charisma four.'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeONpDCL0LN
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn2rVepy9BO
'By Miya's breath! Sixteen Intelligence and Wisdom? I never would have believed it!' Then she laughed. 'No offence, Sean, but I see the body of King Carlos and I see a very slow-witted man. It affects my perception of you.'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ68WHmOsDDI
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ98G0iLq8aO
'None taken,' I smiled. It was the first time I'd seen the sorceress laugh and it all of a sudden, my doubts about her retreated.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGASWvjsBgV
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOMCwmKfrXy
'That's the explanation: you will learn fast with those two attributes so high. They are extraordinary, I doubt there are more than a handful of people in the world with both Intelligence and Wisdom over fifteen.'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡALnFwy3EqF
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFBbmLXYl6W
'What's the maximum an attribute can be at?568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7dfBsYW3FA
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTvvBcqYnQd
'Again, this is conjecture, but I think for a human, twenty.'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ33GeNKDZkH
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYZ3ecya2ZP
I resumed my slow walk back to the safety of the town walls. It was hard to force my thick legs into motion, but my morale was high and the aches didn't trouble me. If I could get my core fighting attributes to increase, to at least to around eleven or twelve, then I could bump them up with my level gains. Meanwhile, I had a very advantageous situation in regard to skills. Obviously, I should spread my points widely, trusting to my Intelligence and Wisdom to bring them up fast. In time, I would be a very versatile warrior, capable of using a wide variety of weapons and actions at a high level, instead of a specialist in just one or two.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFhkld8ClYh
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBHiun53JcC
I put a skill point into each of Bash, Block, Deflect, Defensive Stance and Dodge, which would get me started in those. And I saved my attribute point for now.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzPDXTYOWin
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCanKuhZyko
By the time we reached the eastern gate of the town (a large metal portcullis that was already mostly down, I had to duck to go through), nearly four hours had passed. I hadn't forgotten the fact that the smithy was turning out pickaxes and as soon as the iron was all used up and I had twenty-four new pickaxes, I assigned them to the miners.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJlmSXywQQj
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6ufKNd4Siy
The Cleric was just beyond the gate, waiting for us. My instinct was to thank her, but conscious of the looks of the guards and the townspeople, I simply said, 'be ready to do the same tomorrow.'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdttnhov87M
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAm4Y4NX8l1
'Yes, sire.'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6d36XZZaXe
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuKOKEdaiX9
With a promise she would join me for dinner, Carlena bid me farewell soon after and set off towards her tower, the one I had arrived at just two days ago (though it felt like I'd been here a week at least).568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbiqo172Ub2
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmMRlGvoPUD
As I entered the keep, my thoughts were entirely on a bath and even a nap before dinner, when they were jolted into focus by the presence of Chancellor Parrin. My scout had been waiting in one of several chairs that were set outside of the solar for that purpose. My heart leapt. So much depended on his report. What did his face convey? Bad news, I thought, there was unease in the way his eyes caught mine.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVCQR4qeEK8
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdAnTSsSwnA
After taking my throne and ordering the servants to leave, I called the chancellor close.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiNlhEby2aw
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDfzi527pUy
'Well?'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC3guRKH4oo
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo4qm8rB7d4
'They are moving an army towards us.'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPNyhFzTFHQ
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsznU0ty9tS
'How many troops?'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnqU4zrr89m
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpJWvgrs6kK
'Sixty spearmen, twenty axemen, forty archers, thirty light cavalry, ten heavy cavalry…' he paused, 'with them are two commanders, one from each faction, and a Shaman with a sabre-tooth tiger pet, I couldn't determine their levels.'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnHITPQWdfr
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡttEQTdD9ch
They had about twice the number of troops we did. And strangely that gave me some hope. Given Greyland's tiny army, it could have been a lot worse.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3u2tAudxeT
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4st93r1HQZ
'How long have we got?'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ71VYlx0TCR
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBpq8Y20HUM
'They will arrive at Three-Ways tomorrow, probably near enough to noon.'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtJO4JQy5tA
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTiiEvEekOR
This was happening too fast. If I could have even had just a couple more personal levels, I could make a real difference to what happened in the melee. It was unfortunate too that the tower machicolations wouldn't be in place for this battle, one day and eighteen hours remained on that timer.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm30qvptbPm
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjpUZD4tJkz
Perhaps I was looking worried, because Parrin asked, 'can we stop them?'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjn6X5T89b5
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZJVtyObzgT
I smiled. 'Of course we can. In fact, I think they've made a mistake. They didn't bring their full army?'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrcxk5ZozG1
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcvLmh6NEW5
'No, this is about half.'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGV2qcfnlYg
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvI11gp8sbh
That really did feel like a mistake. If they had risked everything on overwhelming us, that would have been far more dangerous. Perhaps they were worried about losing control of our farmland in the event of being thrown back. Or perhaps the two rulers were not entirely of the same mind. Whatever the reason, the encouragement I offered the chancellor was not at all bluster. 'A lot will depend on how you, Lord Arval and Carlena perform, but this will be a battle we can win. We have a ballista, they don't have anything with the same range?'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX9mlA7izIj
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYDIypBUnme
'No.'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGtWuUEWFIC
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGukFfwqcpL
'Because of that, they won't be able to mass their archers to eliminate ours and then drive us from the walls. They will have to come on fast and try to storm the fort while we are on top of them. And that's a big advantage to us.'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ4KX9qVX7Q
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg6k7RFO9dJ
'True enough sire.'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV7n3uuweOc
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSHkvN1pnKL
'Send a messenger on a fast horse with those figures to Lord Arval and tell him I'm coming; order a horse and cart big enough to carry me; let Carlena know to meet us at the fort tomorrow, early, and the cleric too, and any of the archers in the hospital able to fire a bow.'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhhPGZgipQD
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrtohXLzGsX
We shared a look – for my part I tried to convey confidence and determination – and then he was striding out of the hall, his rapid footsteps echoing in the empty room. One day I would lead my armies from the front. If we survived this attack. But even if I couldn't fight in a battle effectively, I could be there to encourage the soldiers and give orders.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPyUh6PJCuw
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvMPYceFcA8
After a wash and change and a meal (fish again) I went outside the keep to where a man sat on a long cart, which was drawn by two horses. I was going to have to travel through an uncomfortable night on those bare planks and over a bumpy road.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy6F2QIOsUj
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7tNc2O7TPW
It really was a painful journey, several times I was jolted so badly even my bulky body rose off the planks. As best I could, I distracted myself by reading up on the game menus, giving particular attention to the stats on the soldiers. It was possible to get details on each soldier type, so our 33 archers, for example, read as follows:568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOPAVpvzQgj
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ33Z3ZZR9nf
Greyland Archer568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3qFwyxfBmd
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKOIQNQhLrW
Fighter level 0568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZnAJ6PWw7X
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCLVqVT9REe
Ranged attack: 15568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8kAifElRvX
Melee attack: 8568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAja2jV7YI1
Armour Class: 2568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2j2iutnxam
Hit Points: 5568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2OTIIE1SAa
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡATiWEQQesT
Skills:568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtIa4IUnm1r
Wield Longbow variable, according to experience568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡorJNsGK32W
Wield Shortsword variable, according to experience568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxK8RY2LCaz
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHyuzEb4d2s
Monthly Upkeep: 4sp
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjaWu755Uw6
I had also been keeping an eye on the town menu and just after dawn, 4 iron ingots appeared in the resources area. That was excellent, it showed that applying steel pickaxes to mining really was an effective way to increase production. I allocated the ingots to the smithy, meaning I would have 48 new pickaxes in due course. Assuming we survived the day ahead.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQvZam6pGPq
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6aVf0Ujm35
Lively birdsong accompanied the spread of grey light across the sky. Because we were making our way down a valley, I didn't see the rising sun, only a pink glow that became a bright yellow sun by the time it rose high enough to cross the shadows of the horizon. It was a beautiful day and I was struck by the realisation that it might be my last. Unlike a game, this could be the end for me. I was placing myself in proximity to 160 or so enemy soldiers who wouldn't hesitate to kill me if they could. And there was no possibility of escape if it all went wrong, not with this body.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkwxwaFA9u5
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSTTjuj1Cdt
Did every soldier feel the same, the morning before battle? A heightening of all the senses? An appreciation of the sky, the breeze, the birdsong? Even of the breaths I was taking. Yes, I felt a certain amount of fear, but it was very much in the background. I had to do what I had to do.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsUlOdnGNOs
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7arb8dnUxE
Three Ways was the area at meeting of two valleys at the confluence of two small mountain rivers with a bridge over the emerging river. The fort was a wooden tower on a rocky outcrop to my right, the river I was following was on my left. Extending from the tower and all the way to the riverbank where there was another, much smaller, tower was a wooden palisade. There was a gate where the road passed through the wall.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDNJ2fyAok2
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmRcx3ZLfPf
My first impression was positive. We had control of the main route up towards Carrick. In theory, you could march along the other side of the river, in the narrow strip of rocky ground before the hill began to rise steeply. That would let you bypass the fort, but it would be slow going and we could harass the enemy from our side of the river. The walls of the hillside were even steeper near the main fort tower, including slaps of sheer rock in places. There was no way an army could skirt around us.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIK5K8Nv6Fg
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVo0OXs3sy7
A picket of a dozen light infantry called on the cart to stop and as soon as they saw me, they stiffened to attention. With some difficulty I got myself out of the cart and over to the soldiers who looked at me with solemn expressions.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtJpTBBeY2K
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoxdo1iT8wh
'Show me to Lord Arval.'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkj00oXoVw9
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgK4N3w4lxl
A guard saluted and led the way towards the main fort tower; before we were half way there, a cluster of soldiers came out of it, Lord Arval at their head, body armour shining silver in the morning light.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSUCBgeVSi2
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFxLrFgpw1c
'Well met, sir, well met!' Lord Arval offered his hand and shook mine earnestly. 'I have made my dispositions, but I'm glad you are here to check them and lead us in the battle.'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBnBd7PkU7K
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡclsmrtkaJv
'Thank you, Lord Arval. I don't suppose this world has invented coffee? No. Some hot water then if you can, while you explain your set up.'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoKE0ROOpLu
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdFhczzktKq
'Certainly sire.' He gestured an aide to obtain my drink, then began his account. 'Our light cavalry, twenty-four of them, are scouting further down the road. They will bring us word of the enemy advance.'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv0ewwjY1sG
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUbQ63SNElF
I nodded.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnVCQv5lXG4
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡss1B3kO0Zi
'The ballista is on top of the main tower.'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbAxcxVujgt
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLhRPfVVztc
'What's the maximum range for it?'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAZIqQ9R3xU
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx1mTEKIOMV
'I can show you, if you'll come up to the palisade walkway.'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrD0ZVfMICH
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡncLk96ssfZ
It took some effort, and I nearly had to ask for a push from behind, but I got up a narrow wooden staircase and stood with the Paladin above the gate. Ahead of me, the road turned left to cross the bridge and then follow the river downstream on its left bank. That valley was where our opponents would arrive from. From here I could see the other stream and the mouth of the other valley, which was around the corner to the right of our main tower, with the stream running across the ground ahead of us to the main river about four hundred yards from where I was standing.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT3Og5BvFBZ
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp3clQs6iiY
'See that reddish rock beyond the bridge?'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSrt7fA7Uj9
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5tqAQRAY3u
'Yes?'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpP9ajBejE4
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3oMyURgWnq
'The ballista can hit that. I know, I had them fire at it.'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJC714zMtlk
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM5If3Piw0E
While it was good that we could be shooting at the enemy as they crossed the bridge, I wasn't sure about placing the ballista crew in a position where they could be fired upon once the enemy was over the crossing. Not at all.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNbKIJ0QZi0
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmJmRC0GbCF
'All along the palisade will be our light infantry. They have been hauling rocks up ever since we heard the news. Also about half the archers. Only fifteen can fit alongside the ballista crew on the top of the tower.'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7dujKbZ3IR
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0e4JCowO2i
Lord Arval looked at me and then continued.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP2m0XSHrXL
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKTQrmYkcFg
'I was thinking that the twelve heavy infantry and four heavy cavalry should be there on that rise, as our reserve.' He pointed back the way I had come from.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN5MxF5vukw
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYed4j37JVp
'And what about you and the Sorceress?'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmMLgYMw2uV
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAw9RwL34AK
'It seems to me, she should be on the small tower, nearest the bridge, and myself with the reserve.'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOJ4hyyOHYd
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMNFYKHOwU6
For a while I studied the position and everyone waited silently, the only sound that of our flags flapping in a light breeze.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6pXwUAK6a6
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyxXuGhbI0k
'Suppose you were their general, what would you do?'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ10Yxe060Tb
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg4YsFORDEJ
Lord Arval looked thoughtful and rubbed his bald head slowly as he considered the ground ahead of us. 'I'd probably rush my archers to the main tower and try to silence the ballista, maybe having prepared screens first, so as to protect from incoming arrows from the walls. If I succeeded, I'd clear the palisade next, as much as I could.'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKdTxqb9UDf
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9GKmc62kql
'I think the same. So would you consider putting our ballista with the reserve? Too far for their arrows to reach but within range of them?'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq0Hk98zhJV
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc2g8xw18AM
'We'd lose the opportunity to fire when they are crowding the bridge.'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbuzmi5M1ie
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhI9XNVJU3v
'If they are smart, they will cross in single file.'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3YIfBqmNL6
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxnJV2muIDj
'What if they stand close to our walls? We might not have the elevation for the ballista to see them?'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA2vRE1SihS
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy7DqT3GxvN
'We could put Carlena here, she has a fire dart spell that would do a great deal of damage or drive them off if they come close.'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ99LBTAdSt4
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZHRucv6Gcp
'Aye.' He had a distant look, probably I did too. We were trying to imagine what the battle might look like. Though as any writer on warfare would tell you, no plan survives contact with the enemy. 'Aye,' he said again, more decisively, 'I think you are right.'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ74ZtHjCGk0
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkt8GqAAUyJ
'And the advantage of my idea is that we keep everyone under cover for the duel between ballista and their archers. Your way, we might win, but are likely to lose a lot of troops.'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRHrKbpR9pn
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGJFb0tHZ28
'Very good sire. Shall I order it moved now, we need time.'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGmaPiopbWH
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeSiIh4Vgnj
'Go ahead.'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj7GTD88GMM
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyuyGKqRXHZ
It took over an hour before the ballista was set up on the rise behind the palisade, even with a pulley to lower the equipment down the side of the tower. Not long afterwards Carlena arrived with Chancellor Parrin, the Cleric and two more archers, who had recovered enough in the hospital to participate.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmOil218nSE
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY0FaJnWcgo
The Cleric was put in the reserve and then the four of us: Arval, Parrin, Carlena and myself went to the small tower while we talked over the plan. In short, it was to win the artillery duel and therefore be able to have the infantry throw rocks and spears from the palisade without fearing incoming arrows.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDIeXaHyEfL
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKZiCKL6ozB
Time moves slowly before battle. It was still early in the morning and I wondered if it was worth feeding our soldiers in the near future or not. I asked Lord Arval.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBsUWaPVbJ3
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡObQWT3lLja
'Does a soldier fight better on an empty or full stomach?'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbdaS7R9sha
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡveSD8RC8CP
'No one knows sire. There is a story of an emperor who had the same question. So he took two groups of twelve soldiers and had them fight. One group did so after a hearty meal, the others with no food inside them.'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMOzSWbhrom
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI7go8lU0ty
'And?'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAA5w2oTO17
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe6vRRcNZH6
'Inconclusive, sire, I believe the no-food side won, but only by a man. Personally, I find a small amount of food, especially fruit, optimum.'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrvHxPJZA7t
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwOMrnOGfxz
'Very good, distribute it now, in case the enemy are making good speed.'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDl52vC1Jsq
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7zYwzQgeHz
Our opponents did not, however, arrive until after a long, long wait, the sun well past midday. Then time began to move rapidly, beginning with the return of our light cavalry: a distant dust rising into the clear blue sky, then the sounds of their hooves and finally the sight of them clattering across the bridge.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUcyEPoQWf5
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLZsLY0qbJ6
When they were drawn up beside the four heavy cavalrymen, Lord Arval had the gates closed and barred.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ26gi16f3mt
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb8STk1Qq7i
'Ready sire?'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVNxX5WxSAt
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe1194MsUsy
'Not quite, gather the soldiers, I'll speak to them.'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs6i3YmUY6X
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVyCX6wvOnQ
Lord Arval nodded approvingly, while Chancellor Parrin's long, bearded face was inscrutable. He probably had years of practice at hiding his feelings from Carlos. Carlena, however, was clearly sceptical.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNtE2XDIFfd
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg057SahGaW
From a rock on the rise, with a good view of the cavalry to my left and the infantry below, whose faces were tipped up towards me, I tried to remember some of the rousing speeches I'd heard in films.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuZQdAiSpjM
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX4fIWJHIa1
'What day is it?' I asked Chancellor Parrin in a low voice.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSKjqV4zpGy
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM8pi7eJ007
'Twenty-fourth of the month of Abya.'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlBp9kxfDJk
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTJLnTgoP1G
'Soldiers of Greyland!' I began, my big body proving good for this purpose, with my voice strong and echoing from the rocks. The men looked at me with hopeful expressions. 'This day, the twenty-fourth of the month of Abya, is forever going to be remembered in the history of our realm. For it is on this day that we will turn the course of this war.'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlOVI6Ob1Ia
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvergQLHfGA
Lord Arval gave a roar and shook a spear, which encouraged many of the men to do the same.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHpR9F6Hp2x
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8iKDzqkh3g
'And you are the lucky ones. There will come a time when vast armies under my command will conquer the twenty-five kingdoms. And they will all know that it began here, with just a few of us, a lucky few. A band of warring brothers.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVTj0O6vXyJ
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZvP7NkV8OQ
'You will be able to say, with pride, I was there that day. With King Carlos, with Lord Arval, Chancellor Parrin and Sorceress Carlena, when we smashed the army that tried to invade our mountains and sent them fleeing back down the valley.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOfuYK80XVr
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6JYulFd6BF
'It will be a tough battle, they have more soldiers; but we have much the better position and the advantage of the ballista. Let no one think of retreat. Either we hold this fort or the enemy capture Carrick and enslave your families.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlDi0gnmUIT
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYzBLxLz9z3
'This is where we make our stand. This is where they will break. Fight for yourself, your comrades, and your families at home.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAHyXy9TEzj
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmOKLLuSle3
'Those recruits in years to come who were not here will think themselves cursed. And listen in silence when any of you speak. You who fought at the battle of Three Ways!'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiR1mGIiZuW
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡttz9p95ouK
Lord Arval gave another roar and this time there was a really satisfying response, one that resounded all around us.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡek32Q9mVNk
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6QwOkTtB04
'Positions!' Our Paladin, now on his horse, led the troops back to the palisade.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdO7ceepVMb
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnmYha7rdqf
Before she left, I called Carlena over. 'I think today might be the day for your potion.'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAGmGReAevj
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuKGh3e8SvQ
'You might be right.' She looked at me with an expression I'd never seen before from her: respect. 'You spoke well.'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkI7IqMOtaV
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrCKy0MbwoL
Passing me a small bottle of turquoise liquid, she said, 'just drink and name the creature. Make it one around your size or it might fail. You will have eight minutes.'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0oKVK1KDs5
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrCEYMLOc1f
'Good luck.'568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGZhSc046qk
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡierw8TUEoc
'And to you.' She walked towards the gate and her position.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP57w1DttQf
568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJZ9ZbU23He
Before Lord Arval had returned, a new sound came from the valley beyond the bridge, an ominous deep series of thuds. The enemy were coming, marching to drums of war.
