[h2]Day 6[/h2]
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The morning caught Aleko off-guard, being awoken by the sudden noise of activity outside. Upon looking, he would see that pretty much the entire troops were busy dismantling the camp, either they woken up rather early or he slept-in. General Bulkwyn, already dressed in her gear, regarded the Emperor “[b]Morning, sir. Had a good night’s shut-eye? Better get ready, we’re leaving soon. If you’re hungry, there’s still some gruel left by the fire.[/b]” She pointed at the now extinguished camp-fire where one could spot a few bowls and a pot nearby, one of the Dark Elven Vanguards helped himself to a serving, followed by an Anthro Elite Ranger. Once Aleko took care of his morning necessities, dressed and equipped his gear, the general simply asked “[b]Ready to go? Just give the word and we’re on our way.[/b]” After Aleko’s confirmation she gave the announcement and along with all the troops, they were underway to the last march before reaching the meeting point where their final camp would be set. Once there, they will wait for the most opportune moment when the fortress of Northspark was most vulnerable and attack. 

The air was as cold as ever, a few of the troops could be seen shivering, obviously not used to such temperature. The cover of the trees was getting thinner and thinner until they were walking on plain, open land. The sky above was covered in grey clouds, along with the sickly color of the grass and the chilling breeze, the environment was rather depressing. They must have marched quite a distance, the air felt colder than it did yesterday and every once and a while one could see patches of freshly fallen snow on and around the hills, a clear sigh that they were very close to the Human-Dwarven border. “[b]We must have entered the province of Northspark a few hours ago.[/b]” General Bulkwyn spoke to Aleko “T[b]here won’t be much cover until we reach our destination so we better march more cautiously. We wouldn’t want word to reach the fortress.[/b]” She shivered for a moment “[b]Is it always so cold around here?[/b]”
 
The sun was starting to set, lighting becoming dimmer when they spotted a new forested area. The scent of pine was oddly strong in this one, piercing through one’s nose akin to a sharp nail. A few of the troops, the general included, gagged and suffered a small coughing fit after walking a mere few minutes among the trees. As unpleasant as it may be, this cover was necessary since they were not particularly far from the fortress now. By the time they reached what appeared to be the edge of the forested area it was already dark, the only light sources around being the dim light of the small lamps carried by some of the troops. The lamps had a peculiar shape to them, designed to light very faintly around so that the user could see but at the same time not be spotted from a distance, quite useful in their present situation. Once at the edge but not out of the cover of the pines, general Bulkwyn gave the order to stop. “[b]We’re here.[/b]” She spoke, indicating forward where one could spot some tiny spots of light in the dark distance, Aleko quickly reaching the conclusion that those sources of light came from the fortress. 

The troops made their final camp, safely under the cover of night and trees. They had to skip on any particularly large camp-fire howver, since its light and smoke may actually attract some unwanted attention, even in the night. For food, the troops resorted to some dried strips of bacon, nearly frozen solid from the temperature and wash it down with some hot wine, boiled on some small fires made in specific locations of the camp. In truth it was more ‘grape juice’ than actual wine, since it was specifically brewed for Anthro consummation and adapted to their alcohol intolerance. The general ate little but drank much, her heritage probably allowing her to consume a much more significant amount of alchohol before any of its effects could be felt. She was on her 4th cup while apparently inspecting the trees before she returned to Aleko’s side with an apparent satisfactory grin on her tiny nuzzle. “[b]These aren’t ordinary pines. They are Mage-Trees. You know, some kind of artificially-made species of pine allegedly created by the mages from this kingdom. They say that its sap has some weird properties that alchemists find valuable.[/b]” She paused for a bit, allowing Aleko to ask for the significance of this information, to which she responded “[b]Well, it means that once we take over this province, we have access to this resource. I hear it’s quite rare and who knows? Maybe we can find some use from it later.[/b]”

The rest of the night was rather uneventful, save for the fact that general Bulkwyn insisted that herself, Aleko and few of the Elite Rangers stood guard at the edge of the forest. “[b]Since you were part of the requisitioned squadrons from the War of Tulips, I assume you saw quite a bit of Eagleblade huh? What about the rest of the United Human Kingdoms?[/b]” the general spoke with Aleko in a friendly tone while her eyes pretty much never turned his way, always affix forward in the distance where the fortress was located. After she listened to Aleko reminiscing about his expedition in Eagleblade, she responded “[b]Hmm…Wonder how different it is there compared to here. Must be warmer, at the very least[/b]” Her gaze only briefly turned to the Emperor before she returned her attention forward “[b]Have you ever fought Wizards before?[/b]” the question came rather abruptly, the tone in general Bulkwyn’s voice turning to a more…serious sort? She only allowed Aleko to answer a ‘no’ before interrupting him “[b]Whatever you do, don’t underestimate them based on their appearance. Patience is key, keep your distance and more importantly stay out of sight. If you need to close the gap, be quick and keep in mind the previous advice, one mistake and it’s all over. With their magic bullshit they make us and the rest of the Elite Rangers look like kids with slingshots.[/b]” A grunt of frustration escaped her before she leaned in a little closer to Aleko, as if trying to tell him something in private “[b]If you ask me, I think it’s pretty damn…unnatural for someone to wield that kind of power…[/b]” 

This was probably the first time Aleko saw the general actually being serious. No smile, no friendly demeanor or anything. One would have to wonder what exactly triggered this, as well as the apparent insight regarding the particular Kingdom they found themselves in. Such questions would have to wait for another day as the attention of both Aleko and the general was caught by a sudden noise coming from nearby. The familiar sound of plating and chainmail shuffling, indicated that someone was approaching. Aleko and the two Elite Rangers present took aim at the dark in front of them, prepared for whatever was to emerge from it. However, Aleko felt his firearm being forcefully lowered down by the general who also ordered the rangers “[b]Hold your fire and stand down.[/b]” She rose from her position and took a few steps in front of the group as she was being approached by the newcomer. The gear suggested a loyal Spearman of the Human army, most assuredly belonging to the troops defending the fortress, yet once this man approached the general, he promptly removed his helmet to reveal his true origin. The Drow Infiltrator bowed his head “[b]Madam. Sire.[/b]” He regarded Aleko and the general, who replied with an order “[b]Report[/b]”

“[b]The troops of the fortress have received some heavy reinforcements. Five squads of Spearmen, five squads of Musketeers, two squads of Tactical War-Mages and one squad of Juggernauts.[/b]” The news came as a bit of a shock, the army amassed was larger than expected and the presence of Juggernauts clearly meant that they were determined to launch a siege upon Paletower. General Bulkwyn contemplated the matter for a few moments “[b]Mmmm…General Ironfist himself is manning the garrison at Paletower. I doubt he will expect an army of this size but I am positive he can manage.[/b]” She sighed “[b]Regardless, we can’t do much…unless..[/b]” She then addressed the Infiltrator “[b]When will the troops leave for the attack?[/b]”  

“[b]Tomorrow, madam.[/b]” 

“[b]How many other Infiltrators are there?[/b]” 

“[b]Myself and four of my brethren[/b]”

 A sly grin made its presence on the general’s nuzzle “[b]Alright. The Juggernauts use portable larger-scale siege cannons as their weapons, which make them particularly effectives in a siege. I want you and your squad to sabotage them. If you can, make them backfire, otherwise do your best to disable as many as you can.[/b]” The Infiltrator appeared a bit taken aback by her order but only responded with a bow of his head “[b]It will be done, madam.[/b]” Satisfied, the general turned to Aleko “[b]If this works, Bojor will owe us one, and it won’t be cheap.[/b]”

General Bulkwyn turned to the Infiltrator one last time “[b]Alright, the plan remains the same. Once the troops amassed leave for the siege, send a signal.[/b]” She pointed behind her at Aleko “[b]You will then provide an entrance to his grace and three other. They will help you inside with dispatching the look-out and opening the gates. Me and my men will stand at the ready, once the gates are open we will storm the fortress and take it over.[/b]” The Infiltrator raised an eyebrow in confusion as he glanced at Aleko. “[b]His grace himself will take part in the operation?[/b]” the general simply smiled and shrugged “[b]He practically ordered me to make him a part of it. I for one am not in the mood of having a meeting arranged with the hangman, so I didn’t say no.[/b]” she chuckled at the end, yet the Infiltrator was not sharing in the amusement “[b]..as you wish..[/b]” he said in a meek tone. Before the Infiltrator would return back to the fortress, he had one last thing to report. “[b]Also, madam, sire. There is a general of the Old Empire present and leading the troops on their siege tomorrow. [/b]“ The information did not come as a shock to anyone “[b]As expected.[/b]” Bulkwyn said “[b]Do you happen to know who it is?[/b]” she asked, to which the Infiltrator shook his head “[b]Unfortunately not. The general is not present at the fortress. He is to meet with the troops and then lead them to Paletower on the morrow.[/b]” General Bulkwyn sighed “[b]Well, whoever it is, he is going to regret mounting an attack on the Dwarves. Dissmissed.[/b]” The Infiltrator bowed, put his helmet back on and then promptly disappeared into the night.

“[b]Well. Let’s get some rest. We have a fortress to storm tomorrow.[/b]” She placed a hand on Aleko’s shoulder “[b]I know you asked for this, sire, and I know you won’t let us down and get that gate open. But…[/b]” before she could finish her sentence she urged Aleko to follow her and lead him somewhere a bit out of the range of prying ears. She took a quick glance around and the proceeded to search for something in one of her side-pouches “[b]Master Weaverstar asked me to give you this..[/b]” she handed Aleko a rather odd stone. Round and eerily smooth, pale grey and engraved with a symbol of two colliding spirals colored in blue. “[b]This, I think, is a Homeward Stone[/b]” The general explained as Aleko inspected the item “[b]Master Weaverstar said that should you find yourself in a dire situation you can use this to teleport yourself back to the Escalyber.[/b]” Bulkwyn proceeded to scratch herself behind one ear “[b]A ‘[i]tactical advantage should the worst of scenarios befall us[/i]’, he said. I told him he was being paranoid. He agreed but still insisted I gave this to you.[/b]” She shrugged “[b]Guess having a plan Z in case plan Q and Y don’t work is a good idea, eh?[/b]” she chuckled and then wished her Emperor good night before taking her leave. 

Aleko had a bit of time to be alone with his thoughts before he himself felt the need to lay down and rest. As much as it would have been welcomed, the Halfling unfortunately found himself plagued by another nightmare. This time he was suspended somewhere. Around him there was nothing, no objects or people, no solid ground or sky, only an everlasting black vortex that appeared to suck the rust-colored background continuously. Aleko was naked and frail, his arms outstretched upwards like he was being hanged by the wrists. A sickly whining escaped him whenever he tried to open his mouth and speak. A sinister and yet familiar laughter echoed around him. A speck of the dark vortex began to separate itself from the core, manifesting itself akin to ink swimming in water. It approached Aleko and from it, a pair of grizzly arms emerged, bearing a magnificent golden crown in their claws. The crown was gently placed on Aleko’s brow and almost in an instant he felt a stabbing pain coursing through his body as the spikes dug in his head and blurred his vision with the flow of blood.
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[h2]Day 7[/h2]
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[h2]-[b][i]Battle of Castle Northspark[/i][/b]-[/h2]

Perhaps it was the anxiety before a battle, perhaps it was simply due to a sort of mental alarm clock or perhaps it was because of the nightmare, but whatever the reason, Aleko was the one to wake early this morning. He discovered that this far north into the Human lands and so close to the Dwarven border, the mornings were most particularly chilling. A series of icicles decorated the edges of the tents from the camp, a sing of some mild rainfall that occurred sometime last night, some residents of the area would confirm that one should feel lucky they didn’t suffer from hail. The clouds in the sky had bits of spaces between them, where brisk and sharp rays of sunlight peeked through, adding the slightest smudge of color to the otherwise glum atmosphere. It was still early morning and Aleko judged that there was still some time before they would receive the signal, so he made himself busy whichever way he could. The residents of the camp were still asleep, save for the few pairs of Elite Rangers, Highlanders and Vanguards who probably stood guard. 

It was hours before some activity occurred in the camp, the rest of the troops slowly but steadily waking up and preparing for the upcoming battle. Honing their weapons, adjusting their gear, complaining about the cold, Aleko even overheard some of the making wages. This was the first time he took the time to actually make a proper inspection of the troops. The first thing he noticed were the Dark Elven Vanguards, their tents had a distinct appearance that set them apart and were all clustered together a bit away from the center and at somewhat of a distance from the rest. Dark Elves always seem to keep to themselves and often are mistrustful of other races, that was a well known fact, yet that came with its benefits. Aleko never heard them complain, they obeyed and offered respect when given orders and, until now, gave no reason to suspect of any ‘funny-business’ as some would put it. The Anthros were much more talkative and approachable, at least to other Anthros. Of course, the fact that they consisted the majority of the present troops probably helped with their morality. For Aleko, all must feel very natural, the military camp, the standard-issue on-the-field foods, the Anthro troops socializing among themselves yet avoiding, if possible, the other troops of different races, all similar to the past experiences he had during the War of Tulips. 

A yawn announced the general’s presence, already clad in her battle attire, she approached Aleko while struggling to tie her teal hair with a rubber band. “[b]Good morning, sire. You’re an early riser today. Anxious about the fight?[/b]” her demeanor and tone of voice returned to the usual friendly kind that Aleko was used to, though he probably suspected that the same change that occurred last night with her would probably happen today as well once the fighting starts. “[b]No signal so far, huh? The troops from the castle probably already left or are leaving soon. We would still need to wait for them to put some distance from the fortress, lest they get their own signal and suddenly make a 180 and charge at us in the worst possible moment.[/b]” A rather loud grumble noise interrupted the conversation “[b]Hehehe…Guess I should grab some of that dried meat. Excuse me, sir.[/b]” Bulkwyn giggled and walked back to her tent, rummaging through her rations. The morning allowed Aleko to get a look at the castle in the distance. It did not appear to be anything special, a castle by any other name. It was situated atop a hill, surrounded by nothing but plains and the odd patch of trees here and there. The trees would offer very little cover from any lookout on the outer walls, yet luckily for them they had Infiltrators to deal with that pesky little problem. The stone castle behind the walls could be considered small by castle standards, obviously made more for defensive purposes rather than comfort. The one thing that would probably set it apart from other such constructions would have to be the 4 tall stone towers that surrounded the main castle, rising above it. Atop of one of the tower as well as at a corner of the wall and on the roof of the main castle was the deep blue flag fluttering in the wind, bearing the crest of the Old Empire. 

Bulkwyn returned after a while, keeping Aleko company while the rest of the troops finished their preparations. “[b]Have you already picked the three lucky blokes to accompany you in your operation?[/b]” The question actually made Aleko realize that he did not. He had to pick three volunteers to accompany him, infiltrate the fortress, dispatch the lookout with the help of the Infiltrators already present and open the gates for the rest of the troops to storm the fortress. Needless to say, anyone among the troops would readily accompany him, he only had to tell Bulkwyn how many Elite Rangers, Highlanders and/or Vanguards he wanted to come with him.

“[b]Alright, I’ll inform the men and them be ready[/b]” the general said once Aleko told her his team’s composition, all that is left now is to wait for the signal. 

Several hours passed, it was around midday when they noticed something happening at the fortress. One of the Old Empire flags hanging from a corner of the wall was suddenly set ablaze. Its positioning was rather secluded, in a way as to make it unnoticeable unless you were looking from a certain point, namely, the camp where Aleko and the general was. “[b]That must be the signal.[/b]” General Bulkwyn remarked with a smirk. “[b]It’s time.[/b]” And with that the whole camp was on the move. General Bulkwyn and the rest of the troops were going to carefully move closer to the castle, ready to storm inside almost immediately once the gates were open. They would, without a doubt, be noticed by the lookouts on the wall, this is where Aleko, his volunteers and the Infiltrators came into play. “[b]Good luck, sire. We’re counting on you[/b]” The general said to Aleko and gave him a confident Anthro military salute before she put her helm on and started to lead the troops.

[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3h0heT3sVas]The Battle for Castle Northspark was about to begin…[/url]

Aleko and his volunteers made haste towards the castle wall, heading towards where the burned flag used to hang. They tried to keep out of sight as much as they could while still moving with haste, confident that the Infiltrators took care of the lookouts on this particular side of the wall. Sure enough they reached the wall without anyone noticing, they were standing flat against the wall when Aleko looked up and noticed a Spearman peeking down at him from above. The moment of panic as he thought they may have been discovered passed as they were greeted with two lengths of rope hanging from above, allowing them to climb up the wall. Once on top, Aleko was greeted by the Infiltrator in disguise. “[b]We have eliminated two of the lookouts on this side, sire. There are three more patrolling the Eastern and Northern parts. Apart from that there are also four guards at each of the two gates. My brethren are under the same guise as myself. One is posing as a guard at the main entrance, one at the back entrance and one is patrolling on the Northern side of the wall.[/b]” The ‘Spearman’ presented his left arm to Aleko, where one could see a red piece of fabric tied around their wrist. “[b]You will know them by this mark.[/b]” He concluded and waited for Aleko to give orders on what to do next. Eliminating the lookouts was first priority, they had to be quick as there was no telling when one should notice general Bulkwyn’s troops approaching, they also had to make sure no to alert any of them to their presence. Once the lookouts were eliminated they had to split into two teams and eliminate the guards at both entrances and immediately open the gates, while a stealthy approach was probably preferable, at that point it didn’t really matter since an open battle will commence in the castle courtyard between Aleko’s team and the general’s troops against the remaining castle defenders. 
Once Aleko gave his orders, those present acknowledged and immediately went to action.


......


The lookouts were discretely dispatched and not a single one sounded the alarm or took notice of the intruders. The guards at the gates were too clustered to eliminate without an incident but the fight was short since they were caught off-guard. While Aleko and his team were in the midst of opening the main gate, they heard the alarm sounding throughout the castle, calling all the defenders to rally in the castle courtyard. Impossible! He was absolutely sure they eliminated all the lookouts and while not exactly stealthy, there were no witnesses around to notice their brief bout at the gate. Regardless, it did not matter at this point, the gate was wide open by the time the defenders rallied and formed ranks in the courtyard. There were about two squads of Spearmen, one squad of Musketeers and about half a squad of Tactical War-Mages. Their formation was standard, Spearmen in the front with their large shields raised up and the points of their spears pointing forward, forming a spiky wall between their foes and their allies in the back. The Musketeers were directly behind the Spearmen, leaning their firearms over the Spearmen’s shoulders, allowing them to aim from the back row. Even further back were the Tactical War-Mages, weaving their spells which augmented the battle prowess of their allies, manifesting under the form of magical blue symbols running on the surface of the Spearmen’s shields, spears and the Musketeers rifles. 

Aleko and his team were grossly outnumbered and right now the only thing that kept them alive was the time needed for the appointed leader among them to give the firing order. Yet before that could happen, another voice gave a loud order “[b]CHARGE! STORM THE CASTLE! FOR AVALON![/b]” General Bulkwyn appeared to have a strong pair lungs on her, the roar took even the enemy by surprise as they were not sure where it came from. Sure enough, a wave of Anthro Highlanders and Drow Vanguards steamed from behind Aleko, charging straight into the enemy. 

All out battle had erupted.

Aleko himself was joined by general Bulkwyn and her Elite Rangers, standing in the back and picking off the high-priority targets, namely the War-Mages and Musketeers. The enemy was clearly not going to surrender as they completely ignored Aleko and Bulkwyn’s requests to do so. Their fates had been sealed the moment a second wave of Vanguards and Elite Rangers appeared from behind, flanking them and dispatching the remaining War-Mages and Musketeers. With their overwhelming numbers and tactical advantage the battle was just about won…yet a sense of uneasiness could be felt in the air. That was when the general’s voice boomed once again only this time it was a warning “[b]TAKE COVER![/b]” almost immediately as the words were shouted, flames rained from the sky. Those who could quickly rushed to the walls, taking cover and staying away from the open courtyard as much as they could, the charred corpses of their comrades standing as a testimony to those who wouldn’t. The general gave the order to all the Elite Rangers to aim high, at the towers overlooking the main castle. Atop each of the four towers was a humanoid figure, clad in blue robes. The Wizards were rarely commissioned for combat, let alone posted as guards for a fortress, no one expected this and they took full advantage of the situation, continuously raining explosive fireballs from up-high. 

General Bulkwyn pulled Aleko closer to her “[b]We don’t have a lot of time, listen carefully..[/b]”  the serious demeanor from yesterday was now apparent on her “[b]The Rangers will provide cover fire, keeping those spell-shitters busy, you and me will get up there and take care of them. A larger group would alert, let them think they have the upper hand for now. Now move![/b]” and with that the General bolted for the nearby entrance to one of the towers while Aleko took the one on the opposite side, the Wizards apparently not observing them as they were busy avoiding the shots fired by the Elite Rangers and trying to throw fireballs. It took a bit of a forced climb up the narrow spiraling stone stairs but eventually, both Aleko and the general reached the top, unnoticed by the respective Wizards on top. The top platform of the tower was rather small, barely any space for a proper fight. Aleko saw how on the other tower, the general suddenly jumped from below, grabbed the Wizard from behind and almost without any effort, snapped his neck, the blue robed man falling to the ground akin to a rag-doll. In an instant, the general dropped on one knee, taking aim with her rifle and fired at the Wizards on the other tower in front of her at a distance. Aleko followed suit, eliminating the spellcaster as best and quickly as he could before also taking aim at the remaining two in the distance. It took some precise shooting and a stroke of luck but the remaining two Wizards also fell, one of them even loosing his balance after being shot and falling down the top of the tower, landing with a bone-crushing ‘[i]THUD[/i]’.Once the rain of fireballs ended, Aleko, the general and the rest of the surviving troops regrouped in the courtyard. 

The battle had been won and Castle Northspark was theirs. 

There was little time for celebration though. They had to prepare the defenses, clean out the dead from the courtyard and be ready on the morrow, when the main force would return under the pursuit of general Ironfist. Only now did anyone notice that the lighting had gone quite dim, signifying that the battle lasted until nigh-on night time. After a few hours of catching their breaths, serving some quick rations and making small preparations for the night, general Bulkwyn approached Aleko.

“[b]We lost about half a squad of Vanguards and almost all of our Highlanders along with some of our Elite Rangers and even one of the Infiltrators.[/b]” She kicked a nearby rock in frustration, sending it tumbling in the courtyard “[b]Fucking Wizards… I should have expected they had some, in this Gods-damned kingdom![/b]” she closed her eyes, pushing her anger down and with a sigh she spoke in more calm tone “[b]Apologies, sire. Those were good men and their loss is on my head. I will do my best to prevent such needless casualties in the future, I promise.[/b]” A few moments of silence passed before the general scratched herself behind the ear “[b]Well…I guess we should get some rest. I’ll have some men keep watch. The flag will also be changed come tomorrow morning, when the main force with their general will return they will have quite the shock when they discover they no longer have any fortified position to hide behind.[/b]” A faint, almost forced, smile made its presence on her nuzzle “[b]Despite everything, today we achieved victory.[/b]” She bowed “[b]It was an honor to fight alongside you, sire…now…if you will excuse me..[/b]” she then wandered away and entered the castle, most probably heading straight for one of the guest rooms for some rest.

Aleko now had a bit of time to explore the castle before he himself would retire. The inside of the castle was as one would have expected considering the outside. Particularly plain and with a noticeable lack of decorations, clearly meant for defense rather than comfort. There were a number of rooms, most of them sleeping rooms for soldiers and other temporary residents, while the rest were either storage rooms, bathrooms or kitchens. There wasn’t anything of particular value to be found, even the ‘main sleeping room’ where someone of some importance would probably reside was pretty similar to any of the other rooms save for the fact that it had a single large double bed and a cheap carpet along with a painting as decoration. The painting in question was also nothing special, a depiction of a snowy landscape with a frozen waterfall. The castle was deserted as its residents consisted of the defending force that Aleko and his troops decimated mere hours ago. 

The night was calm. No other events took place neither inside the castle, outside or in Aleko’s dreams, allowing him to have a good night’s rest in the main sleeping room. The bed was rather rough and nowhere near as comfortable as the one in his royal quarters back at the Escalyber, but at least he didn’t have to sleep on the ground. Tomorrow they had to confront the main army of the castle as well as their general and seal their victory. Hopefully there will be no need for further bloodshed. [/center]