And now for something completely different!
{ === + === }
Sometime after the Shepherds and the Phoenix left for their attack, One of Valm's armies came to siege the town.
"Who's the general in command?" Ninya asks as she takes to the walls to observe the enemy troops hiding at the edge of their visual range.
"Unsure," replied the archer on watch. "But we can rule out it being Mustache's army; they're too well organized."
Who's mustache? Ninya wondered. "Alright." She nods and then takes a deep breath. "Suparna! Alert the ship!"
The Pegasus Knight in the sky, lacking a radio, flashes her sword in acknowledgement and turn to the docks.
Ash was not optimistic enough to believe that he would never incur any losses, had replacement squadrons trained back in the home city while they were away on campaign. Two of those squadrons, named Suparna and Vidofnir, have been cleared for active service and are patrolling the city. A third, Slepnir, is due for the city in two weeks.
Remember that the squadrons are still experienced knights being taught squadron combat and gun usage, not 'being trained from scratch'. In fact, after learning about the overwhelming victories the allied forces were able to obtain the quality of the recruits was greatly increased.
"Guard Captain!" Ninya calls out next. "Bring out the Oathkeepers! Quartermaster, bring me a tally of the town's supplies."
The Guard Captain climbed up the wall and made a cursory sweep of the besieging army. "We could just give up." He says lightly.
"My master has tasked me with the defense of this town. Not even Grima himself will wrest it from me." Ninya replies coolly.
The Guard Captain grins wide. "Just checking." He flies down the stairs to rouse his men. "Boys! Wake up! We got work to do!"
…
[Enemy Camp]
…
"The town seems to be fortifying against us." The Valmese Sniper reports. "They're moving some kind of ballista to the walls."
"It takes more than just a ballista to stop the crack Yen'Fay unit." A Warrior sneers. "Right?"
"Bastard." One of Yen'fay's Swordmasters grits.
"Surely you'll be at the forefront of the battle like always…right, General?" The Warrior grins.
"This is a siege battle." Yen'fay replies. "There is no reason to act unreasonably and lose men."
"He says." The Warrior laughs. "What are we doing camped so far out? Are we so afraid of their wall that we can't stand being within shouting distance?"
"It's the first time I've ever seen someone scout a city from such a distance." His Fighter compatriot adds. "Are we afraid of the city running away?"
Yen'fay, sitting with his arms crossed and eyes closed in thought, said nothing against the laughter aimed at him.
…
[Our Guys]
…
"Looks like they sent out a scouting party." Ninya murmurs while peering through her spyglass. "Ninya to Inazuma."
"This is Inazuma." She hears on her radio. "Go ahead, Ninya."
"Enemy scouting element at point 3-8-A." Ninya says while referring to a large piece of paper. "Please intercept."
"Inazuma, Roger. Firing, three rounds suppression."
…
[Scouts]
…
"What's that whistling?" One of the sharper eared scouts asks idly.
He and his three buddies then exploded into tiny meat bits.
…
[Enemy Forces]
…
The Warrior, his attention caught by the explosion, could only gape as the fountains of dirt and mud fell back onto the ground.
"That is why we are far from the city." Yen'fay says with finality. "I have no desire to see you die needlessly in this siege."
The Warrior, unhearing, just stared at the city wall.
…
[Our Guys]
…
Ninya lowers her spyglass with a small nod and flips her radio. "Hit is good, captain. Your aim is getting better."
The captain of the Inazuma laughs in reply. "I'll pass the word down…its boring having nothing to do but practice our aim every two weeks."
Ninya frowns slightly at that. With the Hibiki, Ika…thingy, and Akathingy on other duties, our long range support is down to just the Inazuma. If they attack in force, can we even stop them? She tilts her head slightly in thought.
"Should we strike their camp from here?" The captain on the wall asked. "Our Destroyers can probably reach that far." He glares at the Valmese tent dots in the distance.
Ninya thought on that for a little. "Let them believe that they are safe for now."
"Is something worrying you, Lady Ninya?" She hears from behind her.
She turns, and then bows elegantly to Emmeryn.
"Yes, your eminence." Ninya says. "As you may be aware, we are facing a siege." She turns to observe the enemy camps again, despite the distance. "I am worried at our current state of preparedness."
"Is there no way to talk with them?" Emmeryn asks.
Ninya shakes her head. "Not at the moment, I believe. It will be a while before Valm's pride allows them to admit a diplomatic solution. Moreover, we need to know who we're going up against before attempting such a thing."
Emmeryn nods sadly. "So how are our siege preparations?"
"We have sixteen Oathkeeper turrets arranged around the city, and the Inazuma sitting in the docks." Ninya replies. "We also have a standing garrison of roughly five hundred men, all militia." She scratches her head. "From a supply standpoint we should have no problems, as we control the waterways and can requisition supplies from the islands and Ferox if need be."
"So…the problem is when Valm decides to start operations?" Emmeryn asks and Ninya nods glumly. "What kind of assault can we expect?"
"The biggest danger we face is if they attempt an all-out assault." Ninya replies. "We simply do not have the resources to stop them. Other than that…well, the air, I suppose? Our new girls have good combat records, but they lack the experience and morale of our veteran squadrons and thus are questionable in an extended dogfight." She then thinks it over for a second. "…though by now Valm should know enough of our air power to be wary of performing any direct engagements."
"What about a night attack?" Emmeryn asks while thinking why is it called a dogfight?
Ninya thinks a second. "That's…a possibility." She nods slowly. "So we should be on guard for that."
She hears a crackle in her ear. "Enterprise to Ninya; we're ready to deploy the spider web."
"Roger that, Enterprise." Ninya replies. "Deploy spider web at your discretion."
Emmeryn's sense of curiosity was piqued. "Spider web?"
"A series of communication relays we made based on this." Ninya taps her ear. "Er…well, the Master made based on this." She corrects herself (a tad unnecessarily). "We will deploy this into the enemy camp and spy on their communication and orders."
Emmeryn, a little uncharacteristically, whistles. "Nice."
"Sorry?" Ninya didn't quite hear her.
"That's very impressive, Lady Ninya." Emmeryn smiles. "Please keep us safe while we wait for them to calm down."
"Yep." Ninya grins.
"General! They're attacking!" One of the wall patrolmen suddenly shouts.
Ninya didn't know who their general was supposed to be (spoilers: it's her), but she spun to see a stream of enemy infantry rushing towards the city from the camp.
"Wow they're stupid." Ninya growls and flips her radio on. "Ninya to Inazuma, requesting annihilation fire at—" She pauses to peek at her notes. "—point 3-7-B."
For those curious about the point markers: the first number refers to the general area outside the walls, so it's divided from 0 to 6. The second number refers to the distance between the walls to the maximum gun range (8 being the farthest without retrofitting the guns), and the last letter refers to the sub-area split within each distance band, going from A to D. So 3-8-B would be like the right crust of a pizza slice if the left and right side counted for two letters.
"Inazuma, roger; opening full barrage."
"Oathkeepers! Prepare to engage!" Ninya yells next. "Your eminence, please retreat from these walls." She adds.
"I'll be alright here." Emmeryn replies serenely. "With all of you here, I have nothing to fear for myself." She adds in a tone that clearly sounded across the walls.
Ninya frowns. "If you're sure…"
"We have target." The Sniper manning the four-barreled not-quite-machine gun declares. "Firing!"
…
[Enemy]
…
The enemy attack was actually a rogue element advancing without Yen'fay's orders. They had arrived on-scene a little late and did not believe the
Actually let's not even bother with the reasoning because we know they're fucked ok
The loose column of troops marched bravely (if somewhat foolishly) into the open fields. They had been underway for approximately five minutes before the city noticed. The rounds from the Inazuma struck their ranks shortly afterwards.
For the record: Annihilation mode means that the Inazuma fires its main guns (staggering pattern for maximum continued coverage) at the target area for as long as it can until the gun overheats. This means that the loose column of Fighters and Mercenaries were subjected to a full minute of nonstop hell while the Inazuma beat the shit out of them from an inconceivably long distance.
…
When the barrage stopped, the column of roughly 500 was reduced to approximately 40 terrified and bewildered men surrounded by craters of pooling blood and limbs.
Those 40, figuring that a further attack was pointless (and realizing that pieces of their captain was both spread across and pounded into the battlefield) retreated with all haste.
…
[Good Guys]
…
"Inazuma, good work, the enemy is retreating." Ninya says into her radio while keeping a close eye on Emmeryn's reaction.
"Inazuma rogers. I hope this is enough to keep them from trying that again."
"No matter how often I see it…" Emmeryn sighs. "Ash's way of warfare seems unreasonably barbaric."
Ninya looks uncomfortable. "He tries to win in a war."
"That he does." Emmeryn agrees. "But a war where the two sides cannot come to an understanding before one side is destroyed…"
"The other side holds true for us otherwise, I think." Ninya says slowly. "I don't believe Valm will listen to us if they were to simply overrun us with their numbers."
"Very true." Emmeryn says sadly. "I pray they come to their senses before this siege reaches a breaking point."
At this point Tiki has climbed onto the walls as well.
"Should we warn him?" Tiki says a little groggily.
"Warn…" Ninya looks confused for a second. "Should we warn Master Ash?"
Tiki nods.
"We probably should." Ninya agrees. "I'm not too confident in my ability to hold the men's morale, and…well, no disrespect to you, your eminence…"
"As an advocate of peace within a foreign city, my presence does not have the same rallying measure as it does in Ylisse." Emmeryn finishes for her.
"Ok then." Tiki stretches. "I'll leave in a jiffy."
What's a jiffy? Ninya frowns. "Dear Speaker, having you leave would be…bad."
Tiki observes Ninya for a minute. "It will be alright." She says with a yawn.
"We have plenty of scouts." Ninya offers. "And we can task for more people from home if the need calls for it."
"I'm the only one that can do this." Tiki repeats firmly and locks eyes with Ninya.
She…there's something else at stake here, isn't there? Ninya realizes upon seeing the fire within Tiki's eyes. Whatever she's leaving to do, warning Ash isn't the only thing she's trying to accomplish.
"Then we'll leave it to you, Lady Tiki." Emmeryn bows low to Tiki.
"Mm." Tiki replies, hops off of the wall without a second thought, takes a few tottering steps, and then zooms out of sight.
"Holy shit." Ninya mutters, having been around Ash for entirely far too long.
"Did she forget to pack food?" Emmeryn wonders.
…
By the way: yes, yes she did.
Tiki, by virtue of rushing past the siege line with her transformed speed, did not get a clear glimpse on the commanding head of the army, and simply made a guess as to who was leading it.
She had a 50/50 chance of getting it right.
…
The siege then continues with no real progress afterwards.
Valm can't really maintain a barricade as they can't close in on the city despite multiple attempts to do so. However, by the virtue of them setting up camp around the city the main characters are thus unable to receive additional supplies (if they tried) until the siege is lifted.
…
We will now cover the siege largely in snippets.
…
[Day 5]
The ships Ikazuchi and Akatsuki, sent to escort transports from the Home City, arrive with the transports and restock the Landing Port.
This is also approximately the time where the Steiger City Operation occurs.
…
[Day 6]
The Steiger City Operation ends.
Valm commanders some fishing boats and attempts to assault the town via water. They are then summarily sunk by the aerial squadrons stationed in the city.
Valmese forces are estimated to be roughly a hundred thousand strong, currently sustained losses aside.
…
[Day 7]
Tiki meets up with the main force, per the end of the Steiger City Ops.
…
[Day 10]
…
The Hibiki limps home with the remnants of Basilio's Dispatched team.
Valm considered it a good idea to attack the damaged boat with air elements to try and sink it.
Ninya, decidedly unhappy about the prospect of losing one of only four Destroyers, sent all available air and naval forces to protect the damaged Hibiki.
Seeing this, the Valm General calls off the attack and instead mounts an operation against the city with catapults. It did not go well for them.
Repairs begin on the Hibiki.
…
[Days 4-15]
…
During this time period, Valm constantly harass the city with naval blockades.
Their attempts are less than successful, and on day 15 they stopped due to shattered sailor morale.
Actually the sailors were already on the Allied side, so they were more than happy to call it quits after having a ship loss rate of 40% per mission.
…
[Day 17]
…
The heavily wounded elements of the main army returns to the city and is stopped by the presence of the Valmese siege line.
It would've been more dangerous had they not pre-empted their enemy by taking a detour near the shoreline, and thus were able to return to the city via transports.
Valmese air elements gave chase but the reinforcement squadrons Slepnir and Vidofnir were able to hold the air space long enough for the ground forces to move into the Destroyer's coverage net.
Valmese ground forces moved against the injured party, but again, Destroyers say fuck off and there's really nothing Valm could do about it.
…
[Day 20]
…
Faced with the reality that a city with unchecked naval access and an extremely strong supply line was not going to fall to any attempt to wait it out, the Valmese army (now confirmed to be led by Yen'fay) decided to mount an assault at dawn against the city walls.
If only they didn't wait for three days.
…
[0500, Valmese Assault Begins]
…
The city sounds its alarms, and the Oathkeeper crews quickly prepare to fire upon the unfortunate attackers.
"Watch for any large objects and absence of torches!" A crew mage calls out. "Make sure their ladders and siege equipment don't get to our walls!"
"It's way too damn early for this." Kite growls, her short white hair a total mess.
Morgan yawns. "If they waited for us then it wouldn't be a surprise attack." He puts his hand up to his ear. "Morgan to Enterprise: what's the launch status on the squadron?"
Ninya's on the opposite end. "Enterprise here. All available squadrons are ready and are taking off; expect them to be at the walls in three minutes."
Fulcrum One jumps in. "It's dark and we're still bruised all over, so don't expect too much out of us."
"Got it." Morgan stretches. "Kite? Do you mind if I took command here?"
"Huh?" Kite glances at him confusedly. "I know nothing about your town. It's all yours, little bro."
Morgan grins in challenge. "Alright then, little sis."
Kite just shakes her head. "Why, though?"
"Well…" Morgan stares outwards towards the Valm camps, as if trying to see the soldiers in the darkness. "I'm bitter we failed our operation. I would like Valm to fail theirs."
"Just don't kill so many people that you taste it afterwards, alright?" Kite sighs. "I'll be with the sniper corps if you need me." She taps her ear.
"Yeah. Thanks, Kite." Morgan takes a deep breath.
…
…
The Valmese troops' delay was caused by their practice with rapidly assembling and disassembling siege equipment where the enemy could not see and react accordingly. Yen'fay had taken the correctly paranoid decision of making sure that the machinery was FAR away from camp while they practiced, just in case if their current camp location was somehow still within enemy strike range.
Luck was on their side for this: the Blackbirds were grounded due to combat damage (they complained up a storm about being grounded but Ninya put her foot down) and thus the Phoenix had no knowledge of the siege engineers training.
Luck was also not on their side for this: Morgan had correctly predicted that the enemy general would have something prepared for a siege attack and had informed Ninya of such a possibility ahead of time.
Ninya was already on the fence about a certain decision due to the Valmese sieging army. Morgan's predictions along with a hastily written letter from Ash pushed her over the edge, and she cleared the seven currently active Phoenix Squadrons (Fulcrum, Mirage, Hornet, Tornado, Vidofnir, Slepnir, and Suparna) to use the new combat equipment shipped in from home.
Halloween, though not cleared for takeoff, strapped on their equipment and did so anyway.
Given that this was a mission occurring in the wee hours of the morning, the squadrons were outfitted with prototype gear designed for night combat.
But they lacked the all-important practice time.
"Flare canisters ok." Fulcrum One reports. "Squadron, on me; we'll head into the field first."
"Wallmaster here, we copy." The captain in charge of the Oathkeepers flashed a signal to his men. "We're ready for you, girls."
Fulcrum One yawns. "Why don't they attack at a better time? We're all gonna be on edge for this."
"They're afraid we'll kill them less at a better time, I guess?" Fulcrum Two peers towards the smattering of torches still quite far away. "Or maybe we should've told them we tend to hold back when the boss is watching."
"Our boss tells us to go easy." Fulcrum One reminds her wingwoman. "Still, don't go nuts and hit our own wall, alright?"
"Yeah, yeah…" Fulcrum Two shakes her head. "My aim isn't like Four's."
"I can aim just fine, thank you very much." Fulcrum Four sulks. "At least I hit all my targets during training."
"That was one time!" Fulcrum Two complains. "I had something in my eye!"
"Wonder what it was." Fulcrum Four mutters, barely loud enough for the radio to pick up.
Fulcrum Two slowed down. "You lookin' fer pick a fight?" She asks airily.
"Enough, you two." Fulcrum One snaps. "We're entering the engagement zone. Talk about Four's love life later."
"Hey!" F Four was not amused.
"Not going after the boss anymore?" F Two couldn't help but ask. "You were one of the first to get here, too."
"Father gave up; even though my pay is good, we don't have the money to compete with the bigger families." F Four shrugs. "Not like it's my problem. I like the boss, but he's not really my type."
"What did I just say?!" Fulcrum One snarls. "Fulcrum squadron, engage! Strafing formations!"
"You started it!" Fulcrum Two points out. "Ful Two, engaging! Don't shoot us by mistake, Oathkeepers!"
…
The advancing Valmese was momentarily surprised by the low roar that sounded over their heads.
They were then immensely surprised by the sounds of people dying, and the low roar passed over their heads.
"How the hell are they hitting us?" A Valm Captain seethes. "Double time! Move the ladders to the walls!"
His men would've gotten underway, were it not for the sky sudden filling with flares. As it were, they stopped to look up at the blanket of bright spots being rained onto their heads.
The captain on the wall peered outwards then grabbed his radio. "Wallmaster to Enterprise: enemy targets sighted at 1-6-A to 3-4-D, requesting incendiary support."
"Enterprise, roger." Ninya was surprised that the enemies were so spread out. "All ships, you are cleared for bombardment, coordinate at your own discretion."
"Inazuma, roger." The ship's captain got the first word in. "Opening full barrage on area 1-6-A."
…
The Valmese soldiers occupying said area were then summarily shot to shreds. The flares helped enlighten said soldiers and their buddies on the fact that the ground was exploding and taking multitudes of bodyparts with it.
To put it lightly, the sight was not good for morale. Credit where it's due, the troops being sent into the fray were Valmese veterans, and although they were shaken, they did not break.
Instead, they spread out further in an effort to counter the effects of the enemy's bombardment.
It seemed to work; after about five minutes the ship-bashed bombardment ceased.
Valm casualty at this point: approximately 3000.
"Looks like our big guns are cooling." Fulcrum One observes. "How's our ammo count?"
"How do you think?" Fulcrum Two drops another flare and snipes an important-looking Hero. "They're not shooting back at us, so there's not even a challenge." She takes another shot. "I'm almost out of flares."
"Three here, I'm out of rounds." Fulcrum Three reports. "I need to rearm."
"How are you out?" F Four asks after strafing a ladder team with her rifle. "Did you lose all your bombs again?"
"They're spread out, ok?" F Three grumbles. "Fulcrum Three to Enterprise, I need ammo."
"Sheesh." Ninya sighs while off-radio. "Copy that, Fulcrum Three. We've moved some supplies to the city center, use that area to resupply. Other teams, report status."
"Hornets here, we're still good, Valm's advance has halted and they're not retaliating."
"Tornados, reporting in: Valm's bringing ladders to section D, requesting additional support."
The right side, huh? Ninya frowns. That Kite girl should be over there.
"Mirage Squadron, we're striking at Valmese siege equipment. Still no resistance."
"Slepnir and Vidofnir squadrons are in play and have nothing to do." Slepnir leader complains. "Why are we on interception duty? We're the rookies, and rookies are supposed to go after ground targets while you older girls play top cover."
"You really shouldn't talk about age." Fulcrum One warns.
"Enterprise acknowledges," Ninya cuts over Ful One quickly before the radio chatter devolves into a catfight. "All attacking aircraft are cleared to return and rearm at any time, just don't let them get near our walls."
…
[Dawn breaks, 0700]
…
The sun illuminated the combat field, revealing to the world what Valm had already guessed: Valm's assault was…
Actually, to Valm and the city's surprise, Valm's assault was actually not a total loss…in terms of its overall strategic value, anyways. From a tactical perspective the assault was a laughable failure, with all of the deployed equipment destroyed or burned.
However, unknown to the allied forces fighting to keep Valm from touching the city walls, Valm had fielded the remainder of their siege equipment virtually undetected. This new siege line was complemented by the Valmese fielding a full quarter of their force of a hundred thousand.
However, Morgan summed up the alternative pretty well. "This would've been much better for them if they just attacked at once in broad daylight."
"No kidding." The captain of the wall laughs. "If you had to guess, Morgan, what do you think was Valm's plan?"
"Judging by the looks of it…" Morgan peers at the rows and rows of trebuchets arrayed against them. "Valm sent that first army as a decoy."
Kite glares at the craters they made in the town's flat farmland. "Our artificial defense has created quite a lot of natural defenses for our enemies. Their approach will be much easier this time around."
"Them sending out five times as many men as before might be factor, too." Morgan grumbles. "Whoever their general is, he's greatly underestimating just how vast our ammunition stockpiles are."
Kite fiddles with her bowstring. "So their plan of grinding us down isn't going to work?"
"It would work if they were targeting our troops." Morgan raps his fingers on the stone wall. "But as thing stand, we should hold out just fine."
Yen'fay's plan wasn't to reduce the city's supply. He had formulated his plan due to faulty data informing him that the enemy's attacks were large scale magical ones rather than nontraditional (but otherwise very physical) weapons. Thus, his plan was actually to burn the enemy's spell charges before launching the primary attack, as if he was fighting against squads of Bolting and Mire users.
Morgan toggles his radio. "Morgan to Enterprise: what's the status of our aerial squadrons?"
"Enterprise here." Ninya reports in after directing another worker group to their stations. "We're ready at any time. Our stuff this time around is pretty heavy, so most of the girls won't be flying unless we have designated targets."
"Might be for the better, too." Kite taps Morgan's shoulder and points to the sky. "See?"
Morgan follows her finger to see a flock of Valmese Wyvern Lords and Knights. "Well fuck me sideways." He growls softly.
Kite was the only one who heard. She was suitably surprised at his vehemence and choice of language.
"Enterprise, prepare to scramble interceptors." Morgan commands. "Wallmaster, priority on eliminating enemy aerial targets; do not let them establish aerial dominance."
"We copy. Slepnir, Vidofnir squadrons are away." Ninya reports. "We're going to bring additional anti-air to the walls, standby."
"Standby, she says." Morgan taps his chin. "Halloween flight, can you guys go up as well?"
"Uh." Halloween One was already up in the sky without orders. "No…?"
"I know you're flying already." Ninya sighs.
"Oh." Halloween One sounds far more jovial now. "In that case, what do you need?"
"I need their siege equipment gone." Morgan replies. "The sooner the better."
"We…by ourselves?" Halloween One replies cautiously. "Are we flying with support?"
She got her response. "Suparna leader here, we'll fly cover for Halloween."
Kite had a different question. "Don't our Oathkeepers outrange their siege gear?"
"They were designed for medium range engagements, so no, they don't." Morgan replies. "Besides, the air units are a bigger threat right now."
"Yeah?" Kite aims her bow into the sky at nothing in particular. "You're that worried about them?"
"They'll kill our gun crews if we're not careful." Morgan reminds her. "That must be avoided at all costs."
"Weeell…if we can do it, we will." Halloween One adjusts her guns with a small wince. "Just give us the word and we'll head on in."
Morgan was now reminded that Halloween is an injured squadron, a fact he had forgotten in the rush to prepare…and he felt bad about it, and changed his tactic on the fly. "Uh…yeah. Here's the plan."
…
"We're seriously gonna charge into that?" A Valm Mercenary says disbelievingly upon seeing the torn farmland in front of him. "Yen'fay's not nuts, is he?"
"He probably is." The Mercenary's Mage friend sighs. "Just stick to those dirt walls and we'll live. Probably."
"You're not filling me with confidence, you know that?" The Mercenary sighs and goes back to staring at the wall they're going to charge into. "How many men do you think are on those walls?"
"By the sounds of things? Maybe a thousand." The Mage squints; the walls were really far away, after all. "But as we've seen, numbers are definitely not everything."
"At least we have air support this time." A Cavalier jumps in. "That city won't have any tricks to play so long as we control the skies."
The Mercenary and Mage had heard of the insane bullshit that was the Steiger City battle. Both of them agreed with that assessment…though it didn't make them want to attack any more than they already did.
…
[0705]
…
The Valmese army begins their attack, spreading themselves thinner than normally advised (even for anti-magic combat) in order to combat the long range bombardment abilities of the city.
Morgan's response was to organize squads of Snipers, give all of them rifles, and then systematically eliminate the enemies as they approached.
Valm then supported their advancing infantry with trebuchet attacks.
Morgan's next response was to have some novice mages create small but powerful streams of wind over the city walls (and only the city walls) every time the Trebuchets fired. When questioned about the lack of defenses on the town buildings, his response was: "I feel bad for leaving the town undefended, but keeping the Oathkeepers protected is the first priority."
…
[0900]
…
A Valmese captain summed it up best.
"How are the enemy walls still untouched?!" He rages against the heavens. "We've been sending in troops nonstop!"
"The enemy air force hasn't come out either." The captain's lieutenant mutters. "If they're preserving their strength, then they're doing a damn good job of it."
Valms problems are as thus:
Their ladder teams can't get close because every time they tried the Oathkeepers would tear into said teams, often destroying the ladder in the process.
Their battering rams can't get close for the same reason; as armored as the rams were, the Oathkeepers would simply focus fire on the rams until it shattered.
The Valmese air force had sporadic opposition in the Slepnir and Vidofnir squadrons but since those two squads mostly stayed to the airspace over the town (and that airspace is heavily guarded by guns) Valm's not making much headway in the sky.
Their grappling teams can't get close because the Snipers are picking them off, with the occasional barrage from an Oathkeeper if the snipers can't keep up.
The Trebuchets are doing superficial damage to the walls due to the presence of enemy magic. They are, however, tearing the town itself down at a respectably fast pace.
Thus, Valm has spent a lot of manpower trying to assault the city and had preciously little to show for it.
The captain watched with fury as the weapon on the wall discharged four times into another ladder team, scattering the men and shredding the ladder. He was so focused he didn't hear the messenger arrive behind him, until said messenger cleared her throat.
"What is it?" The captain says bluntly, not taking his eyes from the walls.
"Message from the General: All Valmese troops are to pull back. The second wave of attack is being sent now."
Second wave…so the levy and the Chon'Sin regulars. The captain grits his teeth. The shame of having been replaced like this... "Like hell are we just going to give up like this. Lieutenant! Alert the other captains! We're doing this one more time!"
…
Morgan peered out at the wall of shields slowly marching towards the walls.
"They're massing for a charge." He mutters. "Seriously? Didn't they learn already?" He slams his fist on the stone walls. "Those idiots!"
Kite pats him on the back. "If they won't listen, then it's up to us to make them listen…right?"
"Ugh. I hate everything about this." Morgan sighs then taps his radio. "Morgan to Enterprise: I have a request."
"I'm listening." Ninya has a good idea of what Morgan is going to ask about.
"Valm's lining up a lot of armor on our doorstep." Morgan says and pauses to take a deep breath before continuing. "Requesting permission to use the new I-type ammunitions."
"We need clearance from the boss to use it." Ninya reminds him as protocol. "He's not going to be happy about this."
Morgan knew this. "I'll take responsibility. I don't think the boss will be too pleased if we lost the town for him."
That's for sure. Ninya thinks. "Alright then; Destroyers, you have clearance to use the I-type munitions. Wait for Morgan's orders before commencing bombardment."
…
The Valmese Armored Knights advanced in a column ten men across, their shields forming a solid wall against their opponents. By now they've realized that their enemies are using physical attacks, and thus they feel safe about forming their close-rank formations against an enemy with superior range.
The massive rolling wooden wall in front of them helps…the fact that the enemies seemed to have stopped shooting after a few shots helped even more.
"See? Even they can't take down that wall." One of the Armored Knights declares triumphantly. "Good on the captain to send this thing out with us."
"Why did they wait until now to use it?" Another Knight grumbles. "We could've saved a lot of men if we deployed these from the beginning."
"They would've just focused on the wall until it broke down." Knight C points out. "By now they should be suffering from supply issues if you consider how powerful their weapons are."
"Is that how supply works?" Knight D asks.
Knight C nods. "Sure. A silver weapon is stronger but is more fragile, so their weapons must have very limited used."
The column advanced a bit further, to the middle of the no man's land that separated the Valmese line and the city they were supposed to attack.
One of the Armored Knights slows down just a touch. "Did you hear that?"
The Knights at this point were savvy enough to know that something bad was going to happen. They stayed in formation though, as the giant, wooden two-story wall of a shield in front of them was definitely the safest thing on the battlefield.
So, naturally, the giant, wooden two-story wall of a shield rocked as it was struck by something and threatened to topple backwards despite its weight and structure.
From the side, it looks like a wedge with the sloped side pointed at the city.
The Knights knew enough to get the hell away from the mobile wall as it was struck two more times.
"Ooooh…dear Naga, we're dead as shit." Armored Knight A mutters as whatever struck the mobile wall tore a massive hole in its center. "Fall back! Fall back!"
…
"Impact successful." Morgan reports. "Destroyers, angle up two, salvo two."
"Aye aye." The Destroyers respond and angle their deck guns slightly upwards. "Firing rounds."
…
The Valmese Armored Knight column saw a flash in the air for a brief second.
A second later, said Armored Knight Column was no longer alive.
…
Morgan squeezes his eyes shut. "Target destroyed. Good shooting, Destroyers." He manages to say evenly.
"We hear you, Morgan. Awaiting additional targets."
Kite whistles softly at seeing the column of armor fragments and bloody giblets. "I-type rounds?"
Morgan just nods. "Destroyers, I have new coordinates."
Kite waits for him to finish rattling out numbers. "So how does it feel to have godlike power at your fingertips?"
"It makes me glad I'm not the boss." Morgan mutters as the other advancing Valmese columns get torn to pieces. "I don't know how he could live with this."
"Being a touch insane might do it." Kite mutters. "It's helping you keep all of us alive, right?"
"Well, yeah…" Morgan takes a quick, calming breath. "Alright, let's stay focused. K-er, little sis, watch for any other enemy movements and report them to me."
Kite pats Morgan's head. "You got it, little bro. Leave 'em to me!"
…
[0920]
…
Valm's final push is in tatters after their heavy armor was torn to shreds. Valmese forces begin a full retreat back to their camps.
Morgan chose this moment to deploy his entire array of air assets. Taking advantage of Valm's confusion and lack of morale, the allied air forces pushed back the Valmese Wyvern Knights without much effort.
…
[0925]
…
Valm deploys their second wave of attack.
"Look at how spread out they are." Morgan observes as he takes in the field. "They must have put out their remaining half for this."
"Morgan, I have some good news." Fulcrum One reports with an air of optimism. "The Valmese General has left their camp, and it's undermanned."
Morgan frowns. "That just means they pulled all their forces for this, doesn't it?"
"Well…" Fulcrum One sounds like she's desperately trying to find the silver lining in this situation. "At least their camp is undermanned. Their siege equipment, too."
Morgan scratches his head. "O…kay. How's Valm's air presence?"
"We kicked their asses so bad they've all turned tail and ran." Slepnir Leader reports. "We can send those things up now."
Morgan knew that this was the moment to end the siege. "Right…right. Ninya?"
"Bomber squadrons are ready to go." Ninya reports. "We had some issue calibrating the engines according to specifications, but we're ready to take off."
"I feel really stupid." Tornado One pipes up. "Like…really stupid. Why did the Boss make this?"
"I feel more stupid." Tornado Two interjects. "So shut up and fly it right, ok?"
"If it works, it's not stupid." Morgan sighs. "Enterprise, bring them up. Slepnir, Vidofnir, watch the skies for us. Everyone else in the air return and rearm for attacking missions."
…
[0935]
…
The Valmese ground units deploying against the city saw what looked like two Pegasus Knights strapped together in a column formation by a set of ladders.
"They're hitting our camp, General." Yen'Fay's advisor notes as four pairs of Pegasus Knights zip over their heads. "Our Valmese corps are still there."
"Let them be." Yen'Fay replies tersely.
…
[0940]
…
"I see the enemy camp." Tornado One announces. "Prepare for attacking run."
"So I just have to keep pressing this button when you tell me?" Tornado Two scratches her head, puzzled as she was at the banks of buttons in front of her. "Are you sure?"
"That's what Ninya says we should do." Tornado One shrugs. "So just do it when I tell you to."
Two wasn't really convinced, but "Ooook."
"Everyone else, form up and assume line formation." Tornado One declares. "Let's do this right."
"We can't turn that fast!" Tornado Three whines. "Gimme a minute!"
"If you were paying attention you'd turn faster." Tornado Four says wryly.
…
Meanwhile, the Valmese remnants sitting at camp were busy trying to regain some measure of control back into their minds. The damage done to their Armored Division shook them immensely, and they considered themselves fortunate that they were now no longer on the front lines.
Hoo boy.
A few of them felt it first, a sudden discomfort in the pits of their stomach. A few of them grabbed their weapons and looked around, as if expecting an ambush at any minute.
Some of the archers looked to the skies, knowing what kind of danger they most likely faced from their opposition.
Again, hoo boy.
…
"Halloween here: enemy anti-air present."
"Fulcrum, roger: commence sweep."
…
The Valmese archers and snipers immediately took fire from the skies and immediately suffered losses; those that were not killed would throw down their bows and take cover in the tents. Any sniper that tried to shoot back into the sky would then be forcibly replaced by a crater where they used to stand.
The rest of the troops stayed huddled anywhere they can against the attack from the sky.
"Halloween flight to bombers, we're clear." The little girl cradling the massive Thor anti-ground cannon declares. "Commence strike."
"Bombers, roger." Tornado One replies. "We're coming in. Two, don't mess this up."
"I'm just pushing buttons!" Tornado Two complains.
…
The Valmese camp saw the flight of four Twin Pegasus Knights tied strangely together fly slowly over their heads. Then they saw small objects fall from the Pegasus Knights at a strangely metronomic pace.
"Are they shitting on us?" One of the Valmese Mercenaries can't help but ask.
His question was answered when the massive Valm siege camp started to explode and burn at a very steady pace.
"Oh you have got to be shitting me." He grabs his stuff and motions to the closest men around him. "RUN!"
…
…
Halloween One surveys the ex-Valmese camp and gives a low whistle. What was once a sprawling mass of tents and people half hidden in the light forest was now a massive forest fire.
She coughs due to the smoke and brings her Pegasus up higher.
"I don't think anybody's going to stick around after that." Her partner rider says bitterly. "We should move on."
"Right." Halloween One closes her watering eyes. "The fire's getting to me, too." She flips on her radio. "Good work, ladies; how much more do you have?"
A brief pause, and then "Tornado One here: our flight has roughly a quarter of our ammo left."
Halloween One would've taken a deep, calming breath if it were not for the smoke. "Ok then. We'll hit the enemy siege equipment next."
…
Yen'fay's forces saw the sky turn red behind them and couldn't help but look and gape.
"The camp is done for." One of the Fighters manages to say. "What they do?" He gulps. "What did they do?"
"What can't they do?" A Mage next to him says while regretting his decision to join the army.
They then jumped as the Trebuchets suffered strikes from the air and burned to the ground before their eyes.
"I suppose this is why the General opted for a siege instead of a direct strike." The Fighter growls. "That goddamn idiot of a pig…why did he make us do this?!"
Yen'fay, on the other hand, focused on an enemy Wyvern Knight as it takes into the air.
"Valmese Army, this is a warning from the Phoenix Company." Morgan's voice rang clear over the air. "Lay down your weapons, and you will not be harmed. I repeat: lay down your weapons, and you will not be harmed."
Yen'fay's lieutenant blinks in surprise. "He sounds pretty young." He tilts his head. "What should we do, general?"
"As if there was ever any doubt." Yen'fay replies coldly. "All troops! Forward!"
"God you guys are stupid." Morgan's reply was alarmingly instant. "Also, you're Yen'fay?"
Yen'fay was suitably shocked. How is he listening in to us? "That I am."
By chance, he stood above one of the remaining operational nodes of the spider web.
The web isn't well developed enough to last the full three weeks.
"Oh, cool." Morgan sounded nothing like he did when he was issuing the warning. "I have a message from my boss…er, the General of the army."
Yen'fay wasn't quite sure what was going on at this point. "All troops! Halt!" But he knew a possibility when he saw one.
"Uh…he says, 'Your sister is under my protection. Do anything stupid and she will not be.'" A pause. "Wow, that's not very diplomatic of him." Morgan comments in an undertone while still on the megaphone tome.
Yen'fay just stands and furrows his brows. Who is this man? He thinks quickly.
"He really doesn't know diplomacy at all, does he?" Morgan mutters next. "There's an addendum. It reads: 'I know you defected to Valm to protect your sister. Parenthesis, dumbass, end parenthesis.'"
There's an uncomfortable silence on the field as everyone remotely aware with how diplomacy should work considers the ramifications of Ash's diplomacy habits.
Yen'fay, for one, simply rubbed his temples. "My goodness, I haven't seen diplomacy with such an incredible lack of finesse in years."
"Oh, I guess I wasn't supposed to read that last part." Morgan then mutters. "Oops."
Do note that he's still broadcasting it to the entire enemy army.
Halloween One represents the reaction of the entire Phoenix airforce as she buries her head in her hands and then buries her hands in her Pegasus's mane. "Morgan…Good god, Morgan…" She repeats in a tone of utter despair.
"If nothing else," Yen'fay's Lieutenant sighs. "It's a better alternative than dying out here."
"Indeed." Yen'fay nods. "I will entertain your diplomat, child!"
"Awesome!" Morgan's reply was ecstatic. "This is way better than having to blow all of you to smithereens, you know?"
Another uncomfortable silence falls over the Valmese army.
"Could you have destroyed this entire army by yourselves?" Yen'fay's Lieutenant asks.
To answer them, the Phoenix Squadron Pegasus Knights passed low over their heads at full afterburners, the roar of their engines causing many of the nearby soldiers to flinch in fear.
Morgan's response was terrifyingly innocent. "Well, I was ready to set every plot of land on fire, and we definitely had enough ammunition for each and every last one of your soldiers, so…" He was lying on one point, though.
Yen'fay and his lieutenant could only share a worried glance.
…
[Some Time Later in the day]
…
Yen'fay met with Emmeryn while the rest of the troops returned to their siege camps.
Per Yen'fay's caution, he had actually set up multiple camps in case any of them were compromised. Due to the Halloween Squadron's experience and capability, half of them were found and destroyed in the bombing run.
But half was still left.
Considering that more than a quarter of the original a hundred thousand men were dead in no more than four hours of combat, the Valmese troops didn't feel like complaining.
Between the assault, desertions, and siege attrition, Yen'fay's army has around 55 thousand men remaining.
…
Yen'fay's meeting with Emmeryn was pleasant. Emmeryn was able to confirm that, yes, Yen'fay did indeed defect to Valm in order to protect his sister Say'ri.
"Reining in Valm's movements is much easier as its general, rather than as its enemy." Yen'fay had reasoned. "My idiot of a sister would've gotten herself killed on many occasions had I done otherwise."
"And if you were to tell her, your position would've been compromised." Emmeryn appends. "That must've been quite difficult for both of you."
"I imagine it was far harder on her." Yen'fay chuckles. "She was the sheltered princess, believing in a Chon'sin that existed only in the imaginations of storytellers...I had the 'fortune' of being the prince."
Emmeryn thought on it a little. "Chon'sin was having financial troubles?"
"That was the least of our worries." Yen'fay nods. A small part of him realized that he was telling a lot of national secrets to an outsider. "Before Valm struck, we had issues with tax evasion and our standing army was underpaid and undertrained, and that had already put us on the back foot in comparison to the other nations…to the point where Valm was never even a consideration until they took Rosanne."
"Why did Valm attack Chon'sin?" Emmeryn asks next.
"Walhart is nothing if not thorough." Yen'fay says with a note of pride. "We were the second nation to host Wyvern populations within its borders after Rosanne. I imagine he attacked us next to secure the air power…and I imagine your General feels the same way about air power, considering how much he relies upon it."
"You got that right." Morgan says under his breath.
Emmeryn then stares at Yen'fay, long enough to make the Swordmaster uncomfortable. "You sacrificed your Valmese contingent for this particular reason, did you not?" She finally says.
Yen'fay almost recoiled in surprise. "On what basis do you make such an assumption?" His query was even in tone, though.
"I, like my allies around me, have watched the progress of your sieging force with the utmost attention." Emmeryn explains. "Until this morning, your forces were highly methodical in their approaches and tactics, as if probing our weaknesses."
That we were. Yen'fay thought.
"It seemed, however, that you were never able to find an acceptable point of entry." Emmeryn adds. "I don't believe a careful General like you would've thrown his troops away just to gain information, especially when it's obvious that your enemy holds entirely unknown weaponry."
Kite, listening in from outside the door, audibly laughs. "He's only as loyal as his men."
"Sadly, it is true." Yen'fay bows deeply. "The Valmese elements needed to be removed in order to ensure that my army would have the cohesion left for this."
So you tossed the Valmese forces into the fire just to have diplomacy as a possible option? Emmeryn frowns in her head, though her poker face showed no sign of changing from her serene smile.
"So let's say you do defect." Morgan interjects. "What do you plan to do with your army?"
"So long as your General holds my sister hostage, I will follow his orders." Yen'fay growls. "Is that acceptable?"
"I don't think he would actually take Say'ri hostage, though." Morgan says as an aside. "I suppose. Keep in mind that orders from Emmeryn supersedes what you think Boss wants, though."
Emmeryn opens her mouth, and is then rudely interrupted by Kite slamming the door open.
"We have a problem." Kite says quickly, her hand on her radio. "The Risen are coming."
Yen'fay frowns. "This city fears Risen?"
Morgan had already bolted from the room.
Kite just glares at him. "When they're a goddamn ocean, yeah, it's a problem."
"It's just one thing after another." Emmeryn sighs. "I wish to hear more of your story later, but for now…see to your men, General Yen'fay!"
Yen'fay could not help but salute. "At once, your highness!"
…
"Morgan! Little bro! Wait up!"
Morgan slowed down for Kite to catch up.
"There's a lot of them this time." Kite reports as the two dash to the walls. "Like…holy shit there's a lot of them."
Morgan scales the height of the wall with one wind-assisted jump.
In front of him, outside of his walls and pursuing Yen'fay's army towards the city, was a wave of Risen Revenants.
I can't see the ground. Morgan realizes, feeling an unnatural chill in his veins. "Wallmaster!" He yells into his radio. "Do whatever it takes to bring them down! All air units are hereby cleared for any and all anti-ground operations! Do not let them come close to the city! And open the gates to our new allies!"
"It's not just us!" Halloween One reports. "The Risen are splitting off and attacking everything they see!" Whatever she said next was drowned out by an otherworldly roar.
"That…oh hell." Kite breathes, following the source of the sound to a vaguely draconic blob. "That's a Risen Manakete." She then notices the blobs behind it. "That's a detachment of Risen Manaketes."
"We can handle it." Morgan reassures her. "But if the Risen are hitting everything…" He flips his radio on again. "Morgan to Enterprise."
Ninya's reply was a terse "I hear you, make it quick" as she facilitated the rapid rearming of all available aircraft.
"Send one Destroyer around the coast." Morgan consults his map of the Valmese continent. "If I'm right, we'll need that mobility to get the advance team home."
"Acknowledged." Ninya replies quickly. "Akatsuki, resupply for long range and go."
"Roger." The Akatsuki captain nods (though Ninya can't see that). "We'll be ready to leave tomorrow morning."
Morgan glances up to see the afternoon light fading. "It's going to turn into a night battle? Dammit." He grits his teeth. "All units, new orders: conserve resources and fight according to enemy movement; prepare for a long term endurance battle."
His next thought was drowned out by a Risen Manakete screaming and tearing towards the wall.
"Wallmaster!" Morgan yells.
The Oathkeeper turrets take aim at the uncharacteristically fast blob and pump it full of bullets, destroying it before it could even reach the wall. Behind it, however, were two more Risen Manaketes.
Next to him, Kite seemed to be praying.
Morgan sees one of the Manaketes stop due to the intercepting fire being pumped into its head and focused his Thoron efforts on the other target.
"…and as I walk through the valley of the shadow of death," He heard Kite whisper. "I shall fear no evil, for I am the one who reaps."
While Morgan had no idea what she was saying, he was pretty sure that her prayer was a little bit unusual, even for a Grima worshipper.
Kite takes out a pair of thin poles from underneath her cloak and attaches them together. One of the ends glows with an eerie green light, turning the long pole into what Morgan interpreted as a spear.
Morgan's interpretation was incorrect due to his viewing angle. It was, as expected, a scythe.
"I'll take that one, you focus on the tactics." Kite said to him.
Morgan knew from her tone that she wasn't arguing the issue. "Right. Be safe out there, Kite."
Kite didn't seem to hear him as she launched herself from the wall towards the incoming Risen.
.
.
.
{ === + === }
Author Notes:
This chapter was actually written right after the Steiger Siege one. It has been edited multiple times as the plot progressed, so please point out inconsistencies as you seem them.
[Technology Corner!]
These are the new gear available to the Phoenix Squadron (not comprehensive)
Oathkeeper – A four barrel gun slightly smaller than the main guns used by the Destroyers. They have upgraded cooling and reloading equipment, so they actually can behave like really slow machine guns.
Flares – Reverse Engineered from Cynthia's Megatorch staff. They illuminate a broad area but only provide a small amount of light when dropped…they have about the same power as a modern household lightbulb. What makes these different from a traditional flare used by Robin is that they last on the battlefield for a longer period of time.
Bombs – The same bombs as before (incendiaries, fletchettes). Each flight's captain had the choice of which bombs to take.
I-type Munitions – Prototype ammo. It combines magical circles lifted from a rescue staff to create a dimensional 'fold' and pulls the other spell papers in the munition into itself. The result is an explosive effect far greater than the in-universe conventional ordnance. By virtue of the bullet size required for the fragments to be useful, the bullets are big-gun-only.
Bomber Rigging – Combined and hauled into the air by two Pegasus Knights, these Definitely Not Ladders carry a stupidly large amount of bombs. Since they carry so many bombs, the Pegasus Knights lose all form of combat maneuverability and must rely on their own airman rifles or outside support to avoid being stabbed to death by enemies.
