Author's note: The writing of this chapter took longer than expected. I apologize for my delay, especially as a result of my willingness not to botch my work.
Diplomacy
For a week the small army of Verandia had accumulated rapid victories. The Orcs attacked en masse and fell en masse against Shiro and Saber.
Then everything had changed...
In spite of its heavy losses, the army of Orcs and Goblins was probably still to reach a strength of five to seven thousand men. And they were encased around the wooden fort built by their leader on the border between Alcaire and Phrygios. The terrain was ideal for a defensive posture. The fort stood on a rocky plateau fractured by several long cracks that could only be crossed by hanging bridges.
Of course, the Orcs had fortified these points of passage. Watchtowers watched over the two edges of each crevice.
The first attack was a disaster.
Saber had marched on a guard glyph while leading the assault. The resulting explosion had projected her ten meters away. Shiro had found Saber as badly wounded as at the end of her first confrontation with Gilgamesh. Her shredded armor, her clothes burned, she lay in a puddle of blood.
Fortunately, her magic resistance had saved her life and Avalon was already working to heal her wounds.
Nevertheless, it had only been the beginning of their ordeal. While Rin and Merlin faced Orc shamans and archers armed with enchanted arrows, alarm drums were set to beat.
The small expedition was soon taken to task by Goblins wolves' riders who attacked them from all sides.
Saber being unable to fight, Gonderic, Estienne, and Shiro had been forced to pay for themselves, arresting the attackers at one point, just to see others arrive elsewhere.
Meanwhile, the battle between their spell casters and the remaining adversaries on the other side of the crevasse had degenerated into a pure rampage of power. Fireballs, ice storms, lightings followed one another while monsters were summoned; thunder was called upon the battlefield and curses exchanged.
Forced to divide his attention between their wounded and his opponents, the half-incubus had emerged from the battle completely exhausted despite the magic potions he had consumed. Merlin was hard to watch, his arm bloody, his face burned, and his mage robe had been reduced to the state of blackened rags. None of his opponents came close to him, of course, but to fight simultaneously against more than twenty shamans... supported by archers shooting arrows carrying runes of fire... reminded that even the legendary Wizard of Flowers was not invincible.
Finally, they had managed to withdraw, leaving about fifty men on the ground... Of course, the enemy's losses were probably in the hundreds, but that didn't change anything. They had been defeated.
It was obvious, they had to change tactics.
Shiro Emiya advanced under the protection of the cape of Corvus Direnni. He pressed against him Rin Tohsaka. The cloak of invisibility was normally individual but the girl was so tinny that she disappeared just like him in the eyes of the Orcs watchmen.
If anyone had seen them, they would no doubt have been surprised at their actions. Guided by Shiro, the couple zigzagged on the rocky plateau preceding one of the crevices fortified by the Orcs.
"There," said Shiro, "just to the right of the elephant-like rock".
Snuggled against his shoulder, Rin breathed into his neck and smiled as she felt him shivering. Normally, she would not have hesitated for a moment to doubt her assertion or to scold him... mocking him was her number one entertainment. Nevertheless, as the boy stiffened, a perfectly evil smile passed over her face. There was better to do:
"Oh? Are you sure... nothing disturbs your perceptions?"
Rin took advantage of it to tighten even more tightly and Shiro swallowed feeling the small but firm breasts of his (girl)friend pressing against his chest and her thigh brushing his own. Trying not to pay attention to the... uh... physiological changes induced by this contact, Amber's Eye Hero swallowed:
"Rin," he begged, "we have more urgent!"
The young Magus pouted but drew Shiro to the elephant-shaped stone. She concentrated and suddenly a broad pentacle appeared before them. Tohsaka knelt at a safe distance:
"Abzug Bedienung... Mittlestand."
The magic seal began to radiate and then disappeared releasing blue prana butterflies in the air.
Worried, Shiro turned to the enemy sentries. Fortunately, the Orc guards were quite far away. In this snowy landscape, undoubtedly, the particles that were released by the suspension of the spell should appear to them as a little snow swirling in their wind.
There was even no reason to fear that their steps would reveal their position. Near the bridge, the patrols of Orcs and Gobelins had blithely trampled the snow in all directions.
"I don't think any of these trapped seals are left," Shiro remarked.
"Are you sure?"
The young male Magus concentrated for a moment, and then shrugged:
"I can't feel a trace of this Magecraft, anyway."
On Earth, Shiro was very sensitive to this form of Magecraft, easily finding the seals placed by Rider to activate Blood Fort Andromeda. Rin agreed with the Amber Eyed Blacksmith:
"All right, let's report to Saber... After that, we may have some time to discover what we can do together under a cloak of invisibility".
Shiro blushed as his girlfriend pressed against him. Tohsaka had missed a vocation as a tantric priestess... or a devoted Baphomet's witch.
The assault took the Orcs completely by surprise. Shiro, invisible under Corvus' cloak, decimated the sentries on the watchtowers and around the drums. Saber then rushed into contact, appearing and disappearing like a blurred shadow, breaking the barricades and cutting the defenders.
A soul gem thrown by Rin exploded into a huge fireball. The survivors of this carnage were quickly routed or killed.
Of course, there was a counter-attack... a veritable army of ice trolls, escorted by Orc shamans and Goblins wolves' riders. But Merlin raised roots from the ground and immobilized them while Artoria Pendragon raised her invisible sword to the sky.
"O Wind... Strike Air: Hammer of the Wind King!"
On Earth, there were strategists and swordsmen who were recognized as wise by the generations who learned the art of war in their writings.
So Sun Tzu taught that the only really effective way to win a war was... not to fight a battle.
In the West, this notion has often been rejected as ridiculous, idealistic, and always as ineffective. The idea that one could win a battle without drawing the sword is anything but ridiculous. As for realism, you really have to be an idiot to forget that recourse to violence closes all the other options to you. Because, before the blade appears in the day, there is a moment when it can slice up until ideas... The true art of war is to put the force at the service of reason and not reason at the service of force.
The scene had something surreal.
The canyon was blocked by a small army of goblins. Opposite, the 150 survivors of the Verandia expedition were waiting, weapons at the feet.
Between the two groups, a carpet had been laid on the snow with, in its center, a teapot prepared by Shiro. Sitting cross-legged, between her lover and Rin (her other lover), Artoria still had in her mouth the filthy taste of the Potion of Comprehension of Tongues and drank tea in the hope of driving it away. In front of them, three goblins dressed in leathers and bones, wearing rusty iron helmets. The one in the middle flashed as for himself:
"... sometimes, sometimes, I meditate on this war and on before this war. The Iron Horn tribe lived in the Wrothgar Mountains. We lived hunting and fishing with our wolf companions, raising our Durzogs. When we wanted weapons and objects made by humans, we launched raids on the villages of the Dunlain region. I miss this lifestyle, this freedom."
Demog the Unhealthy looked at Artoria with his huge orange glittery silver eyes:
"Does it surprise you to hear a goblin reflect on his life?"
Saber, with her hands on her knees, turned to him her gaze. She answered with a thin smile:
"No. And you don't think about your life, but about your tribe's. You do what a leader has to do. If the leader does not question himself and does not seek the best way for his tribe might as well put a Durzog in his place. "
The goblin chief grinned, amused:
"And you're not shocked to hear about my raids on the Duchy of Gastemarch? I thought the 'knights' were meant to slice the goblins, not listen to their exploits."
"You want my answer? I dream of piercing your chest with my sword. But I too am a leader and I meditate on my own tribe. I, too, am far away from home fighting for others than my tribe. I too seek to do what is right for my tribe."
Shiro looked at his girlfriend rather surprised by her honesty. He expected to see the negotiations fail... to see Demog rise and join his warriors to launch them on the attack. Only, Artoria had found the right words. Instead, the goblin burst out laughing:
"I also dream of killing you, human vermin."
The King of the Knights approved of with a chin movement as if they had just agreed to a point of the utmost importance:
"So we agree, Chief Demog. We hate each other, we are enemies, but we want to act in the best interests of our tribes?"
The goblin scratched his chin and growled:
"Yeah, we're in agreement."
"And I think, Chief Demog, that your tribe has nothing to gain by facing me. You were at the siege of Koeglin. You have suffered heavy losses, at which point you will have much more to fight."
"But we will win; we are the tribe of the Iron Horn."
Artoria had a hand gesture to reject the assertion:
"To please you, let's say yes. You win... which means you're one of the last survivors on a huge pile of corpses. Your tribe triumphed but sacrificed most of its members. So did you really win? Malooc - your god- only believes in strength. Victorious, you will be so weakened that you will become easy prey for the other tribes. So why fight? To please the Orcs who sent you here without support? And where are they, safe in their fort? They will be the only true winners without risking anything. Are you satisfied?"
Shiro had watched Artoria speak, impressed by her calm voice and her perfect control of the situation. He then turned to the goblin. Demog was not human, his narrow, pinched face, huge ears, and sharp teeth made his face difficult to read for the young Magus. Only, a disturbance passed over his features as his hands shook and loosened under the effect of a suppressed angry.
"Or do you find it difficult to contradict someone twice as tall as you?"
The Amber Eyed Blacksmith jolted... This time, Artoria went too far. The goblin straightened up, exploded:
"What did you dare say, vermin?"
Calm and dignified, Saber took her cup and drank a sip of tea, thanking Shiro with a nod of appreciation. Then she replied:
"Chief Demog, how strange is it that I wonder if your title of 'chief' makes any sense? After all you obey an Orc... their leader? Not even. I suppose a simple messenger came to you and sent you here. This is how your tribe is treated. For the Orcs, you are mere minions, laborers and helpers at mercy. So I wondered why you obey those who despise you. And I think I understood. You're cowardly. You are afraid of the great Orcs, so you do what they tell you to do. Are you irritated? Why? These are just words. If they were false, these words should inspire you with pity. If I am wrong, prove it!"
The tone was not even provocative. She simply stated the facts as it appeared to her and it was probably exactly what to say because Demog seemed to empty his anger. Instead of fighting back, he turned to his tribe, looking at his warriors, their wolves, the few trolls he had left, the last shaman, and the remaining ogres. He had suffered heavy losses during the Battle of Koeglin. All for what?
"You're right, human vermin. I don't belong here. I hate the humans who drove us out of our ancestral lands, exiled us to the mountains. But I hate at least as much the Orcs who exploit us and use us in their wars. I will go, go back to the mountains. Slaughter yourselves Orcs, humans... kill each other... blush this earth with blood. I'll look and when you're weak, I'll come back... I'll kill, I'll plunder.
Drinking a new sip of tea, Saber opined:
"I'll be waiting for you, Chief Demog."
The King of the Knights and the Goblin defied each other for a moment, and then Demog the Unhealthy stood up laughing. He waved to his assistants and rejoined his tribe. A few minutes later, they were leaving the canyon...
Diplomacy is the art of winning battles without fighting them. Contrary to what Clausewitz said: "War is NOT the continuation of diplomacy by other means." War is the failure of diplomacy.
Two more days had passed.
Fighting continued around Red Boar Orca Fort. Although there had been no disaster comparable to the first attack, Verandia's expedition had marked the step, unable to reach the gates of the fort. The defenses were too large, and they were too few. They were reduced to harassing the Orcs and Goblin camps scattered around and ambushing the patrols.
It was during one of these raids that they had found a door leading to natural caves under the plateau. The place had been transformed into a vast cantonment.
The hidden lake was black under the vault covered with stalactites. In this karstic relief, the limestone was pierced like Swiss cheese by the action of groundwater. The liquid mirror, however, reflected multiple torches lit on the shore.
The scene saw a violent battle... one more.
The Reikrs (1) held a natural stone ramp rising from a tunnel at the same level as the waters of the lake and strove to prevent its climbing by a smaller troop. However... this proved impossible.
Shiro contorted himself, dodging the attacks of the Reikrs around him. The Goblinoids were blue-skinned colossi with powerful limbs. Their faces had rough features, quite similar to those of men, but fangs protruded from their lower jaws and extended beyond their upper lip. Clothed in fur armor, they were armed with wooden clubs with iron rings, two-faced axes, or coarse spears.
Plunging under the outstretched arm of a lancer, Shiro thrust Kanshou into his groin, causing blood to flow. As the mighty warrior fell to his knees, he rolled around to dodge another attack, jumped over the wounded, and mowed the opponent standing behind.
The Hero with Amber's Eyes was panting and sweat was running down his forehead.
Individually, these "Reikrs" was not so formidable opponents. They were stronger than humans, but nothing like a Servant. Only, the more he killed, the more they came.
Because of exhaustion, Shiro was making mistakes.
A club hit him in the temple. Shaken, he staggered, blood flowing from his skinned forehead. An eye closed, grimacing with pain, he threw himself back to avoid a second attack and then turned around to cross his blades, blocking a two-handed axe wielded by a Reikr who had just appeared in his back. The blue-skinned warrior raised his weapon again... but collapsed.
Two other blue goblins collapsed, hit by a flock of black projectiles haloed in red light.
Shiro smiled at Rin, who lowered her arm. Around her, the melee was not less confused than on his side, but Gonderic de Bel-Amant covered her with his shield, while Estienne de Vignonne led the Verandia militiamen who cleaned the access ramp of the opponents who had survived their offensive.
Shiro made an attack, counter-attacked. Bakuya slit the throat of one of the enemies while its twin was pushed into the belly of another. He leaps aside... releasing the bridal blades that dispersed into blue butterflies, before summoning a long red spear that oozed a terrible thirst for blood.
Twirling Gae Bolg into his expert hands, Shiro pierced and tore the flesh around him before jumping forward.
Merlin was often considered the greatest of the Magi of the medieval era, his fame being unsurpassed even in the contemporary era. To find a more powerful spellcaster, one would have had to look for Solomon or the Magi of the Age of the Gods.
The half-incubus, however, believed that the Magecraft was almost totally useless in combat. He used it most often only to weaken his enemies, immobilize them or boost his allies.
Seeing a dozen Reikrs throwing themselves at him, visibly certain to shred quickly "the poor magician unable to use his spells in contact", Merlin could not prevent to mimic the greatest panic... before cutting in two his first opponent.
"Just kidding~!"
In his hands had appeared a sword with a blade ignited by a golden fire... a replica of Excalibur.
Of course, its power did not compare to the original. However, for those who knew that Merlin had taught the Art of the Sword at Artoria, seeing a blade in his hands was not subject to mockery.
Turning on himself, Merlin wielded his wand with one hand, like a shield, while the point of his sword was aimed at the throat and face of his enemies... Having emptied around him, he stopped, planting the sword deep into the stone floor.
The replica of Excalibur began to radiate and a wave of golden light formed, ascending the slope to incinerate several dozen goblinoids.
A fuzzy shape jumped over Merlin, fell down near a Reikr who collapsed... split in half... rushed over the next... killing him equally. Using Combination Air, Artoria Pendragon moved so fast that she was only seen as a vague blue and silver silhouette.
Once the impulse that propelled her forward exhausted, Saber fell back to the ground to be immediately surrounded by a pack of opponents who closed on her. Every warrior held up a weapon, a spear, an axe, a club... Not showing any concern, the King of Knights merely wielded his invisible sword and released all the power of the Mana Burst with one blow.
Electric arcs were born all around her, striking the foe horde. Burned, electrocuted, the enemies slaughtered on the ground in a vast circle.
The panic seized the blue-skinned Goblinoids. They faced a monster resembling a little teenage girl... most ordinary warriors fled.
However, three Reikrs with better equipment converged on Artoria. The first held a two-handed sword covered with frost. The second had a bow marked with purple and luminous runes. The third wore the fur robes of a shaman and a heavy spiral-headed wand.
The chief of the Reikr tribe of Red Tongues advanced on the battlefield, escorted by his two brothers.
While the archer sent a few arrows to Saber, who blocked and dodged with agility, the Reikr armed with a two-handed sword rushed into contact to exchange a few blows with Saber.
Behind the chief, his brother the shaman cast to him buff on buff:
"Feet of Notorgo"
"Nimbleness"
"Orc Strength"
"Jack of Trades"
"Fortitude"
The effects added to each other, Amokron, the chief of the Reikr tribe, became able to fight almost equally with Artoria. The latter remained advantaged by her invisible sword. However, she had to constantly keep the Reikr's Chief between her and his bow armed brother.
The icy blade of Amorkon struck the invisible sword of Saber, at every encounter sparked rains. Calm and balanced, Artoria remained on the defensive, her eyes going from one Reikr to another.
If one asked why King Arthur was a legendary warrior, many immediately evoked Excalibur. But Artoria Pendragon was not a simple Sacred Sword bearer. In the first place, her Dragon Core gave superhuman strength and endurance. Plus, she had a fighting instinct that literally allowed her to predict an attack even before it was launched.
However, these innate advantages pale before the greatest talent of Artoria. She was a seasoned swordswoman who spent years training and fighting all kinds of adversaries. Her experience gave her technical superiority over most swordsmen.
Apparently pushed into her final entrenchments by the trio that coordinated against her, Saber remained in fact on the defensive because she analyzed their fighting technique, seeking loopholes to exploit.
The shaman was content to renew the "buffs" that allowed his brother to fight well beyond his limits. The face dripping with sweat, it held the shock by absorbing potions of magicka.
The archer followed the fight, a notched arrow, seeking to shoot though unable because Artoria remained in Tight Play (2).
Suddenly, Saber leaped forward. Turning her sword, she struck Amorkon with a slap in the face. As the opponent staggered, the knight grabbed his arm to immobilize him before raising her sword (3)... and jumping back to dodge a volley of arrows.
The shaman raised his staff:
"Sphere of Negation"
The bubble of energy that he projected towards Saber was a terrifying force of destruction. Except that the King of Knights threw herself out of its path. The projectile struck a piece of rock which was marked with a deep notch of vitrified stone... the rest having been disintegrated.
While the archer kept Artoria occupied by his continual fire, the shaman turned to his brother to heal his wounds and exhaustion:
"Balyna's Balm"
"Stamina"
He added an additional buff to reinforce the shaky will of the Reikr leader:
"Willpower"
Then he uses a spell to attack Artoria:
"Sleep"
The knight's magic resistance protected her from the sleeping spell, but Armorkon threw himself forward. His icy blade and the invisible sword again opposed. The two fighters almost seemed to dance together, striking, blocking, and dodging.
At any moment, the shaman or the bowman interfered in the duel either to attack Artoria or to protect their brother. If Saber had been limited to sword skill, the fight would have continued until the adversaries were exhausted.
The King of Knights raised the Sword of Promised Victory:
"Starlight Convergence!"
The Barrier of the Winds King violently fluctuated in a gale accompanied by the dazzling light of Excalibur suddenly released from its air sheath.
The three Reikrs, blinded by the brilliance and thrown to the ground by the sudden hurricane, were unable to defend themselves. Neglecting Amorkon, Saber threw herself on his two brothers and chopping them in an instant.
She had no shame in eliminating this kind of adversary when they were no longer able to fight... After all, they themselves had attacked her remotely without putting themselves in danger. Nevertheless, Artoria Pendragon planted her sword in the ground, crossing her hands on the weapon's pommel. Chivalrous, she waited for the enemy leader to recover from the shock.
Shaking his head to get his ideas right, Amorkon makes a roar.
There was a new exchange of blows then Saber faked an attack. Pretending to attack with a powerful blow to the head, she diverted her blade at the last second while the Reikr raised his weapon to protect his face. Pressing her palm against the blade, Artoria changed the course of Excalibur towards the throat of her enemy.
The head still casketed bounces two or three times before the decapitated body falls backward.
Demaion the pack leader looked at the head of Amorkon.
The goblin looked comically surprised:
"I never thought I'd see him dead."
Artoria Pendragon took a sip of tea and smiled:
"He was a tough opponent. I understand your brother's defeat."
The goblin chief shrugged his shoulders:
"I don't care... that he was killed and devoured by Reikrs just proves he wasn't fit to be a leader."
Artoria remained impassive, but Shiro looked at the chief of the Bloodthirsty Wolves with a mixture of disgust and surprise.
These new negotiations took place in a vast cave beneath the plateau. The goblin tribe of the Bloodthirsty Wolves controlled the underground access to Red Boar Orc Fort. After an initial negotiation, Chief Demaion had confessed his long enmity with the Reikr tribe of Red Tongues.
To negotiate the passage, Artoria Pendragon was reminded that the small gifts nurtured friendship. So she led the assault on the Red Tongues and killed their leader Amorkon.
"But you had to avenge your predecessor... as a leader."
As Demaion the pack leader approved with a nod the intervention of Rin Tohsaka, the Magus added with a cold smile:
"And we did it."
"It is true, humans, you have defeated our enemies. And if you enter the Orc Fort, you may be able to inflict great losses on them."
He spits on the ground in contempt of the tyrants who oppressed his tribe but remained silent for a moment, and then took a key from his belt:
"Here, the door is protected by spells; you can't open it without this."
Rin, Artoria, and Shiro exchanged satisfied looks. They arrived at the end of their trials. The Red Boar Fort was the last obstacle to the liberation of Alcaire.
(1) Reikrs are goblinoids resembling blue-skinned Orcs. They are, however, much more primitive than the Orcs and dress in furs.
(2) With a two-handed sword, there are two "plays" characterized by the distance at which the blades intersect during the parry. In the Large Play (Jeu Large in French), a certain distance is maintained between the fighters. Attacks are given with the end of the blade and the tip. The movements are fast and wide. The Large Play favors the offensive because the blows are given in wide movements, which remove the sword from the chest exposing it more to counter-attacks.
On the contrary, in the Tight Game (Jeu Serré, in French) the blows are delivered which the part of the blade closest to the guard, the part called in French "Le Fort de la Lame" (the strong part of the blade). The blows are slower but more forceful. The Tight Game favors the defensive and powerful blows and allows less vulnerability for swordsman since he exposes less his chest.
(3) Technique inspired by dagger play, precisely by the Third Game of the Dagger Master. It is actually practiced with the two-handed sword... it does not need to be as strong as Artoria to hold with one hand this kind of blade.