A threat beneath the earth. Berserker was ready for that.

Castles came down to states of readiness. Neglected, they'd be stolen away, brick by brick. Disassembled by the locals who saw a mountain of pre-cut stone instead of a noble fortification, until there was nothing but a flattened hilltop in their place. But invested, there was no end to the amount of preparation that could be done. Towers could be built higher. Stockpiles could be laid deeper. And siegeworks too could be constructed well in advance.

An attacking army would naturally try to burrow beneath a castle's walls, sapping the foundation as the earth itself betrayed it. There was nothing that prevented a castle's defenders from doing the same. Miles of defensive tunnels could be built below a castle, a human ant warren, and when the enemy sappers dug close then countersappers could dig through and slaughter them. It took only an awareness of the threat to start the counter-miners moving, the dark industry of her fortress turned to removing the underground as a valid front for attack.

And that settled things, as far as she was concerned. The threat had been identified and responded to. More time had been purchased, and that time could be spent improving and fortifying the castle further. The enemy would still need to attack here eventually and so there was no need to go out and meet them. She expressed as much to Saber by putting her hand on Katherine's shoulder possessively (she had to reach up to do so) and [i]snarling[/i]. They weren't going [i]anywhere[/i].