ATP: You are right, Agravain makes use of Sun Tzu's theory. For the Shadow Cauldron, it's not a vampire artifact but an ancient Chaos Dwarf's creation. But its actual user is... a necromancer. * Sinister laughs*
Boyzilla: I'm glad you liked the last chapter.
Kadzuki Kurokami: How to answer you simply? Because it doesn't work that way? Let's develop. By "provide all kinds of Code Cast", what do you mean? Teaching Hakuno new Codes Cast... oh yes, the Moon Cell Automaton is an incredible data library and Hakuno has access to the most formidable Codes Cast collection existing in the universe. Theoretically. Two problems:
1°) the Moon Cell is not the kind to explain to the Inheritor its real possibilities... Hakuno keeps complaining about it, the Regalia was given to her without a manual. So she just didn't realize that she had that opportunity. To be fair, it is better not for the Moon Cell to start explaining its abilities... Hakuno would have time to die of aging before this god-like computer finishes its talk.
2°) Hakuno must learn the new Codes Cast... during the 7 weeks of the Moon Cell War, she managed to learn only 3 Codes Cast and of the lowest level. Put yourself in poor Hakuno's shoes for a moment. If I put in front of you a manual of applied nuclear physics and ask you for example to find for me the definition of the "plum-pudding model" you will not even know where to start the search. Well, the Moon Cell is like that... except its billions of times more complicated.
Yes, the Moon Cell is not really user-friendly...
The other method is that the Moon Cell gives Hakuno a Formal Wear (or Mystic Code, if you prefer this term) that allows her to use Codes Cast and... In this case, most Mystic Codes can cast a maximum of three to four different Codes Cast. To use other Codes Cast, Hakuno must change for another Formal Wear.
So Hakuno doesn't have much choice, she has to learn Codes Cast. And she learns like any human. She needs a teacher, clear explanations, and above all TIME! However, poor Hakuno has little free time. She had to lead a duchy in the grip of deep unrest and attack from all sides.
Donec eris felix...
As long as you're happy... (1)
The art of war is a simple art of execution; there is nothing vague, everything is common sense, nothing is ideology.
Napoleon Bonaparte
In the throne room of the Duke of the Vasteland a large copper cauldron was bubbling. All eyes were fixed on the green smoke coming out of this cauldron... images were forming... terrifying images.
A large black city with incredibly tortured architecture appeared in the green smoke. Unbelievable this city was floating on the ocean. The city was surrounded by a wall reinforced by reinforcement that looked like ribs. This defensive wall was clearly separated into two parts. The cup-shaped base served as a sort of ship hull while the vertical part directly below the walkway was the actual bulwark.
The image showed the defensive perimeter between two towers.
Soldiers were rushing in, taking position behind the battlements. They wore tightly fitting black plate armor decorated in a sinister manner. All had conical helmets with a black feather on the headband, large epaulets, and also black capes.
Most of the soldiers who took positions on the ramparts were armed with repetitive crossbows. The others were gunners who surrounded sorts of ballistae with two bows arranged vertically.
Gréal, the Mystical Cauldron of Knowledge and Inspiration focused on the top of a tower, showing a woman both gorgeous and terrifying. She was only dressed in... uh... a bikini armored suit? And all the men present bent mechanically forward, holding their breath, fascinated by this creature with exotic and poisonous beauty. The woman was tall with long black hair, except for a few strands dyed purple. Her eyes and mouth have black makeup, accentuating the angry and imperious expression of her face. She had the elegant musculature of a dancer. In her hands, she held a long staff with a spiral top decorated with spikes, like bramble knotwork that would have surrounded a metallic skull with ruby eyes.
Most of all, she had pointed ears.
A Dark Elf Witch...
Hakuno Kishinami focused on the Regalia and asked Moon Cell to tell her what the photonic computer knew about Dark Elves. Several virtual screens appeared around the Last Master, showing images, texts, but also graphics and maps. With the incredible power of concentration that characterized her, Hakuno's eyes moved from one screen to another.
The strange city that appeared the day before in the Reik delta was a Black Arch.
In the past, they were ordinary cities built on the land of Naggaroth (or Nagarythe as the Hight Elves say), the northern region of Ulthuan where the Dark Elves came from (also known as Druchii).
4,700 years ago, when Malekith, the Witch-King, sought to break the magical Maelstrom protecting the Old Word from the forces of Chaos, he unleashed a cataclysm that overwhelmed the north of Ulthuan. To escape the catastrophe that threatened to annihilate them, the Druchii turned their cities into... ships!
Since then, the Black Arches have haunted the nightmares of all the peoples of the Old World. They could arise at any moment, carrying into their flanks fierce armies of Druchii with pitiless hearts and evil souls.
Dark Elves privateers ravaged the coasts to obtain slaves and plunder wealth. For they needed gold to finance their eternal war against their Ulthuan's cousins and also needed unlimited manpower to build their fortresses... and when the lashes could no longer push the unfortunate slaves to work, they ended up as food for the monsters the Druchii raised for war.
Hakuno pressed both hands on her chest. Her usually impassive face showed a brief disturbance. Then she nodded firmly before taking a decisive look and turning to Taliesin:
"Caster, show me the inside, especially the caves under the city."
According to the Moon Cell, the Black Arches were like icebergs. The submerged part was much more important than the surface part. And in the underwater caves lived abominable monsters.
The Druid made a grimace:
"I'll try, Master. But the fog around the Black Arch is magical in nature. It is the result of the encounter between the Dhar -the energy of black magic- which comes from within the Arch and the winds of magic. It's a natural phenomenon... well, let's say naturally supernatural if you understand what I mean... But the Druchii use this phenomenon to their advantage. The fog is imbued with defensive spells that disorient those who enter the mist, which is hallucinogenic. But this mist is also responsible for hiding the Black Arch from prying eyes... as well as scanning spells."
Hakuno blinked and pointed to the image in the cauldron smoke:
"We see the city!"
"Yes, Master... But Gréal is a Noble Phantasm. More than that, the mystical Cauldron of Knowledge and Inspiration is the embodiment of the ability to learn, it is difficult even for a people so gifted with dark magic to block the power of Gréal... however, the well of darkness that feeds the city in Dhar lies in the depths of the city and in its center, while canals travel to its peripheries to conduct the Dhar to the defense towers. These Dhar channels disturb Gréal. The evil magic of the Druchii, based on lies and deception is the antithesis of the Mystical Cauldron's power."
Standing next to Hakuno, her hands crossed on the knob of Excalibur, Artoria stiffened slightly:
"There is no need for so many explanations, Taliesin, your Master has given you an order and I endorse her with my authority as King of Britain. Show us the interior of this city of darkness and abomination."
Taliesin gave a bow:
"Since you insist, My King. But I warn you, our intrusion will not go unnoticed."
Artoria hesitated for a brief moment:
"It doesn't matter, it might even be an advantage for us. If they know we can spy on them magically, they will devote more energy to defense than attack."
One step behind his king, Bedivere, the Knight of Loyalty, nodded:
"Right, if Taliesin succeeds in breaking through their defense, not only can we learn important information, but we can also make them doubt their strength and push them to a more prudent strategy. Their prudence will slow them down."
Kishinami turned to Bedivere:
"What if Taliesin fails to pass the anti-polling spells?"
The one-handed knight replied without even taking the time to think:
"Then the Druchii will be convinced that their magic is more powerful than ours. This victory will boost their morale... which may lead them to underestimate us." He had a slight smile." In war, every difficulty is an opportunity to do well. It is not only the mistakes of your enemies that you have to exploit but also your own mistakes that you can use against your opponent."
Artoria smiles:
"Master, Bedivere has never lost a battle. And he's even stronger when it comes to defending a position."
Opening a virtual window, Hakuno looked at Bedivere's profile. He had several skills related to the art of war: "Tactics C-Rank", "Knight's Tactics B-Rank" (a skill that served in a clash between two armies of knights) and "Oath of protection B-Rank". This skill had two effects, the first was to improve the defense of any unit in the entrenched position (and was therefore only useful for a besieged army). And second, this skill raises the defense power of all members in allied camps.
Hakuno shook her head. She would never understand Sir Bedivere and Sir Kay. Sir Bedivere excelled in the art of war and had insisted on a minor-ranking position in the supply department. The second Servant was the one who knew the most about the economy but this had not prevented Sir Kay from asking to command the army, proudly recalling that he was the seneschal of Camelot.
People were so complicated...
Inside its walls, the Black Arch was an almost normal city with streets and buildings. The windows were tall and narrow, almost loopholes, lined with small stained glass tiles. The stone used in the construction was almost uniformly black. With multiple twisted towers and large buildings covered with sculptures, the overall appearance was... Gothic. As if the whole city was only a gathering of churches and cathedrals from the twelfth century's Europe!
Of course, the sculptures on the facades were enough to erase this first impression. The statues showed either Dark Elves in armor, with large shields in the shape of almonds, cemeteries or halberds, or witches... little dressed! On the walls of the runes shone with a metallic light of blue, red, or green, accentuating the threatening appearance of the buildings.
In the permanent fog surrounding the city, the streets were almost empty. From time to time a warrior patrol or a lone Druchii was visible. As for the slaves who were supposed to be swarming in these cities, Hakuno saw none.
Almost amusing detail, here and there high masts stood in the city, carrying sails... obviously, the wind that pushed the Dark Arch was not a simple displacement of air. The Druchii runes inscribed in wire on the sails were used to capture the winds of magic that provided some of its energy to the city.
Following his instructions, Taliesin endeavored to obtain images from the underground.
The first image to appear was so dark that it took a few seconds to understand.
It was a stall!
Huge stables, they were home to Cold-Bloods. They were the "horses" of the Dark Elves, or rather their equivalents, green reptiles, and battleships coming from the jungles of Lustria. Ragged humans were busy feeding these aggressive and stupid beasts. These captives seemed completely broken. They advanced with their heads lowered, fearfully. It must be said that Druchii armed with whips covered with pellets watched them carefully.
"Let's go down again," asked Hakuno.
The druid-sorcerer concentrated, whispering magic formulas over the boiling cauldron. His forehead was covered with sweat while the images of distorted in the greenish smoke.
There was a shock and Gréal briefly surrounded itself with a blue light.
The images disappeared... reappeared.
"I passed" murmured Taliesin... "But, it was difficult. Their witches have counterattacked. They are now aware of my presence. I don't know how long I can keep showing you the inside of the Black Arch."
But the spectators were barely listening to him, the images that Gréal showed were appalling. A huge cave and in it... a seven-headed hydra, the monster was wading in the water. Above its head... out of reach of its fangs, footbridges allowed slaves to circulate. They threw away the corpses of their own congeners, and the monster greedily grabbed the carcasses. The worst was that it was not a wild creature. The hydra wore a kind of metal harness adorned with Druchii runes.
Hearing a shriek of tortured metal, Hakuno turned to Artoria. The King of Knight was angry. Her eyes were reduced to thin slits. It was her gauntlets, clenched on the handle of Excalibur that produced the noise that had intrigued the Last Master.
"A Taliesin stop showing these images to Master, it's... it's an abomination!"
But Hakuno interrupted her Servant:
"No! I must know! I must know the Druchii to defeat them! Taliesin go on!"
Artoria tried to explain to Hakuno that she wanted to protect her, but no word came out of her mouth. Duty... King Arthur knew all too well what weight could represent duty and what we were doing in the name of duty.
She ended up bowing... angry, angry at this situation than she knew all too well rather than against Hakuno's stubbornness:
"All right, Master!"
Why she was always invoked Masters ready to sacrifice themselves for saving strangers, wondered Artoria... without realizing that she herself did not act differently.
And the viewing of the horrible images continued. The magic cauldron showed a huge tunnel closed by a wrought iron gate leading to a similar cave... then another... and another... there were dozens of hydras in the underground of the floating city.
Taliesin then discovered the slave pen. A vast cave divided into cells by bars. Each cell housed dozens of poor people in almost total deprivation. The captives slept on the ground, in the dirt, and under the supervision of cruel slavers.
Further down this level, they discovered an even larger room.
It was an underground dock, several dozen monsters ready to be released were just waiting for the doors to open. We saw black pegasus, harpies. In the walls of the main hall, caves closed by padlocked gates sheltered sleeping black dragons or manticores.
Thousands of privateers, lancers, crossbowmen, Furies (Druchii women in bikini armor, dyed hair, covered with war paint, and two-dagger combatants), and Masters of Beasts swarmed in the immense hall. They watched the monsters from towers and platforms or patrolled by footbridges built along the walls.
Near one of the docks, an army of slaves operated gigantic hoists. Each capstan was operated by hundreds of slaves and there were dozens of capstan, series-connected. The ropes were cables as big as a human trunk. And these cables lifted... a small castle with a central keep and four towers connected by walls!
And the Druchii Beast Masters guided a water dragon several hundred yards long under the castle. Then the slaves lowered the castle... which landed on the back of the sea monster. Then thousands of other slaves rushed to fasten huge straps inlaid with luminous runes. And finally, the castle was subjected to the back of the enormous dragon, becoming a part of it!
This is the kind of monster the Dark Elves used to send into battle?!
A giant dragon carrying a small castle on its back?
How could we beat that?
While the spectators watched in silence this hardly believable scene. The image disappeared, reappeared, and then definitively disappeared.
Wiping the sweat on his forehead, Taliesin sighed:
"Sorry, even with Gréal's help, I can't fight hundreds of powerful witches able to draw in a Dhar reservoir large enough to move a city!
Only silence answered him.
The people present were all immersed in dark meditations. They now understood why the Druchii were so feared.
Hakuno was a simple person, she never expressed herself by circumlocution. Once again she went straight to the point:
"We cannot confront the Druchii. They are too powerful. Confronting them at sea or ashore would lead to disaster."
The Sovereign of the Moon looked at her Servants, the members of her government, but also King Louen and Emperor Karl Franz who were taking part in the War Council, surrounded by their own advisors. All approved in silence.
"We must not lose. Marienburg's population would be enslaved... and we now know how the Dark Elves treat their slaves."
They all approved of her sentence. They were still under the shock of what they had seen.
"So we must defend Marienburg."
This time there were some reactions among the Sigmarites. The emperor listened to one of his advisors, an old bearded man wearing a heavy chain of gold. The counselor seemed particularly vehement. But Hakuno was too far away to hear the low voice's dialogue. After a while, Karl Franz nodded. Then, he turned to Hakuno:
"Damsel Kishinami, the Druchii are everyone's enemies. Unfortunately, I can't stay in Marienburg. One of my advisors reminded me that I came with a simple escort and the hundreds of knights who accompanied me have only tournament armor. I could hardly help even if I stayed. On the other hand, I am responsible for a whole empire. If I were to perish here the consequences would be terrible... up to a civil war. Finally, Marienburg is not.. or rather is no longer a member of the Sigmar Empire. Also, We (it was an imperial "We") decided to leave the city with Our valiant servants and return to the nearest city of the Sigmarite Empire. From there, we will assemble a rescue army to take the Druchii against them."
"I understand," replied Hakuno. "Civilians?"
As Karl Franz looked at her puzzled, Sir Gawain - more accustomed to the strange formulations of his Master- translated what she meant:
"Your Imperial Majesty, Master Kishinami asks you if you could take some of the non-combatant population with you, to drive them safely and protect them throughout the journey."
Despite the tragic situation, Karl Franz could not help but smile. Hakuno Kishinami, the Sovereign of the Moon, seemed so foreign to common sense, customs, titles, in short foreign to... everything. Some of the emperor counselors were gnashed their teeth of anger because she neglected his titles and did not greet him according to his rank. But these men lived only through appearances. For them, people were only their titles. His advisers put people on a scale where they weighed the nobility of the man, his power, his wealth... as if a person were nothing else. But emperor Karl Franz was wiser than his advisers, he was above all more open-minded. Hakuno was simply herself... this simplicity and honesty was something he met only rarely among his relatives and never among the other monarchs of the Old World.
The emperor rose and bowed his hand to his heart:
"Of course, damsel Kishinami. The people of Vasteland may have rejected Us, but We still consider the people of Marienburg as Our subjects. We have not renounced Our duties to them."
Louen Leoncoeur approved of. The two monarchs were rivals. And Marienburg was a point of contention between the two kingdoms. But he fully approved of the emperor present conduct, both chivalrous and realistic.
This young man had the makings of a great ruler.
Their names were Gijbert, their leader, the only teenager, Rudolf and Jacobs (two brothers still fighting), Jos, a simpleton, and Liesbeth, the only girl... who once promised to be a true beauty.
They were street kids, 12 to 13 years old, dirty, dressed in rags. The guards chased them as soon as they saw them because they were thieves... or rather petty thieves, stealing just enough not to starve or clothes in winter.
A few days after the departure of the Sigmarites' Emperor, they had found a more stable source of income than the flight or reaching out to passers-by.
The children followed the crowd, wondering why so many people were gathering. There were already thousands of people and others poured from nearby streets to gather on one of the largest squares of Goudberg. This bourgeois quarter of the port was characterized by its elegant houses, its population dressed in the latest fashion. Most of the inhabitants were in fact small officials and servants working for the owners of these magnificent houses, rich men of the upper-bourgeoisie, ship-owners, or high-ranking (and corrupt) members of the Marienburger administration.
Smaller than the adults around them - with the exception of Rudolf, whose tall height was equaled only by his skeletal thinness - the little thieves climbed on the trees surrounding the square.
From these privileged positions, they discovered that a platform had been built in the center of the square. And a man had settled there and started talking. His voice was strong, and well-modulated, reflecting very well the emotions he sought to convey to the crowd:
"I came to you citizen of Marienburg. I am here!"
A powerful clamor rose from the crowd, Remis Djikk was one of Marienburg's most famous political agitators and one of the most popular.
"... because... because the country must learn the situation. The cowardly parliament that governs us... again," he mockingly added, "... hides the truth from you. Hakuno Kishinami - the so-called Sovereign of the Moon- is hiding the truth that I have come to reveal to you, people of Marienburg!"
Applause cut him off and he waited with a smile for them to calm down:
"Are you aware that the Dark Elves have sunk one of our warships? Are you aware that their bands are terrorizing the area? That our compatriots are dying or being taken in slavery as I speak? Do you know that our trade is to-tal-ly blocked by the presence of a Black Arch? That our country is inexorably impoverished? And what does Kishinami do? Nothing! "
This time it was stirring all around, the faces were furious and the fists rose:
"To war... to war!"
The clamor rising from several points of the crowd gradually rose in power. From the top of a tree, Jacobs observed the population and witnessed the bizarre behavior of certain members of the public. People were moving in the crowd, shouting louder than others and encouraging others to do the same. Agitators! The "spontaneous" anger of the demonstrators was actually organized.
After the demonstration ended, the children followed some of the agitators. They all entered Elfsgemeente, the elven quarter of Marienburg, and went to the house of the Ulliogtha Clan... run by the Exarch himself.
At the end of the day, the children returned to the Doodkanaal, a part of the city enjoying a sinister reputation. Before the Moon Cell Automaton rebuilding Marienburg, destroyed by the Chaos God Slaanesh... a fact that was already forgotten by the population!... it was a ruin. Of course, the houses had been restored, but it was still the most ill-frequented place in the city.
The children were recognized by a "beggar" (a guard in disguise) and entered a small house.
The place was dark, poorly furnished with a table and some chairs.
A man stood up.
He was clad almost entirely in black armor, along with a dark blue fur-lined cloak draped over his left side. He had slicked-back black hair and pale skin.
The children did not know his name and did not care. They told the black knight what they had discovered. He nodded his head and, without saying a word, threw a purse full of coins at Gijbert. The kid grabbed it, and after opening it laughed with a happy look on his face.
After the children had left, Sir Agravain - of course, it was him- waited for the arrival of the next group of informants. Those who arrived were men armed with rapiers and wheellock pistols. They had huge coats, hats adorned with feathers, and patched clothing that had been costly, once. With their scarred faces and their swashbuckler look, they might as well have walked around with a sign marked "thugs".
The sell-swords held a man bound between them, his face hidden by a bag. They forced him to kneel in the middle of the room. Agravain Who Knew No Wounds approached the prisoner, snatched his hood from him, unveiling a terrorized elf... His tunic bore the emblem of the Ulliogtha Clan. The dark knight covered the elf's face with his hand:
"Black Hand Knight!"
The captive trembled violently. But the Noble Phantasm of Agravain was not an attack... simply the one who was touched by the Knight of the Round was obliged to answer all his questions. And Agravain had a lot of questions...
The same evening, Sir Agravain and Sir Kay came to the door of King Louen Leoncoeur's apartments. They needed his help...
The king of Bretonnia listened attentively to the two knights. At first surprised, then reluctant to see the role they wanted him to play, he argued. But chatting with Sir Kay was like chatting with a dragon. Louen refused ten times, but Artoria's brother advanced a hundred arguments to convince him.
After an hour, King Louen accepted the role they wanted him to play. It is true that Sir Kay was right... At worst, this plan would allow one of their enemies to eliminate another. And at best, they would destroy two!
How can I say this nicely?
Tarmonagh din-Ciobahn, Lord of the Ulliogtha Clan, Exarch of Sith Rionnasc'namishathir was an arrogant Asur (excuse the pleonasm)... let's say then that Lord Tarmonagh was arrogant even among the other High Elves. Which must probably give you an idea of the infinite...
Young for his title, having inherited it from a grandfather known for his courage and his warlord talents, Tarmonagh had only to make the effort to be born to obtain the position of leader of all Asur present on the Old World and also of all Sylvan Elves... at least, Tarmonagh saw it that way, of course, the Sylvans Elves disagreed (and even furious at being treated like children). But it didn't matter to him.
Arrogant people are not interested in the opinions of "inferior" people. And since he was born, no one had ever been able to stop him from doing what he wanted. Among the Elves of the Old World, all respected the power of the Ulliogtha clan and no one would dare challenge its leader. As for the humans, none would have dared to anger the person who awarded the trade patents with Ulthuan. Well, there were the Dwarves... but in what way could the opinion of its counterfeit and hairy, barely more civilized than the Orks, could import to a being from the most civilized people of this world?
He stood in the middle of the throne room of the dukes of Vasteland (naturally, he was not going to kneel before a human barbarian... especially a simple child!) and wore his silver-like hauberk, holding his conical helmet under his arm. Ready to go to the battlefield, he posed as a victorious general.
Tarmonagh din-Ciobahn spoke with insolence conscious of the presence behind him of the most powerful members of the eight Asur of Elfsgemeente clans, as well as of the main shipowners and merchants of the city.
Lord Tarmonagh did not come to discuss with Hakuno Kishinami, he came to impose his conditions.
The fact that a crowd gathered in front of the New Palace called for war ended to inflame his pride and his feeling of superiority:
"... and that is why I say that there is no other choice but to attack, these miserable plunderers Dark Elves, damsel Kishinami. Besides, we don't even need your permission! We, the Asur of Sith Rionnasc'namishathir, are an independent nation."
Behind him, the mighty Asur's lords were content to approve with a nod of the head, but the rich bourgeois of the city was louder:
"To war... to war!"
Hakuno seemed distraught, wringing her hands:
"But they are too strong!"
This reply drew a scornful smile to Lord Tarmonagh's lips:
"For you... certainly."
Behind Hakuno, Sir Kay clenched his fists and took a step forward:
" But you are certain to triumph, Lord Exarch, are you not?
"Of course, I am a High Elf Lord, my people have been fighting the Druchii vermin for thousands of years!"
"And you... personally? I've never heard of you taking part in a battle!"
Anger replaced the contempt in Tarmonagh's eyes:
"I belong to a family of heroes, it is as natural for me to make war as it is to breathe."
Sir Kay made an ironic bow:
"Let us salute the innate general who does not need to learn the art of war to excel!"
Tarmonagh din-Ciobahn would probably have answered in a particularly insulting manner, but King Louen intervened:
"That is enough, Sir Kay! It is not for you to discuss the will of Exarch Tarmonagh. As he pointed out, he is the leader of an independent nation and reports only to the Phoenix King of Ulthuan. If he wants to go to war with the Dark Elves, we can only wish him victory because our enemies are his."
For most of those present, the intervention of the King of Bretonnia sounded like a rebuff. They just didn't know that Louen Leoncoeur and Kay were like two musical instruments of the same orchestra playing a score written by Agravain.
King Louen turned to the merchants who stood behind the Exarch:
"But for you, things are different. Although damsel Hakuno Kishinami was not sacred, she was recognized as the mistress of this city... by yourself and by the crowd who now condemn her... you seem to have forgotten that damsel Kishinami saved you all from Slaanesh. But I remind you. Do not underestimate her foolishly! The Sovereign of the Moon was magically able to observe the enemy, its power is formidable. Follow the Exarch Tarmonagh din-Ciobahn if you wish, but do not forget. In doing so, you will follow the path of defeat!"
The next day, Hakuno Kishinami and her knights watched the departure of the army assembled by Tarmonagh din-Ciobahn. There were Silver Helm -elven knights- archers and lancers Asur militia some mages, but also Marienburg's crossbowmen and human mercenaries.
Several thousand fighters.
Hakuno was appalled, understanding that too few would return.
Finally, upset, she returned to the New Palace.
Sir Kay and Sir Agravain lingered, watching Hakuno enemies move away, if they won against the Dark Elves (which was unlikely), they would have saved the Vasteland. And if they lose... well the main enemy of Hakuno living inside the walls of Marienburg would be eliminated or discredited...
More importantly, after this easy victory, the Druchii should be led to underestimate the power of Marienburg and could attack its walls... which they had been careful not to do until then. And it was the only chance of victory for the Marienburgers: immobilizing the enemy in front of their walls while waiting for the reinforcements promised by Emperor Karl Franz.
Kay thought about it playing with a coin that he threw and caught up with. He turned and smiled at Agravain:
"I wouldn't play toss-up with you. You get other people to accept a rule like 'heads, I win, tails, you lose'... Now, I get why they call you Agravain Who Knew No Wounds."
The knight in black armor replied with a frigid smile..., the smile of a man who had planned the death of several thousand men simply to deceive the Dark Elves. To him... Druchii, Asur... they were just expendable pawns on a chessboard.
Author's Note: I think Agravain's plan is pretty clear, but I'll rephrase it anyway.
Hakuno is constantly attacked from the outside. Marienburg is a rich, powerful city? Normally she should have the means to muster a force capable of repelling the enemy... except that the Marienburgers are busy defending a far more important cause: themselves! And when I say them themselves, I mean the Dockers Guild, the Mercenaries Guild, the Writers' Guide... or any other guild. Every man for himself or his lobby!
And Tarmonagh din-Ciobahn is the worst of Hakuno's opponents inside Marienburg. Although I portray him as arrogant and rather ridiculous... it is far from being an idiot in his favorite field: to defend the political influence and wealth of Elfsgemeente.
In addition -technically- the elf city is an independent nation. So, Tarmonagh can do whatever he likes without having to fear repercussions!
As for the arrival of the Druchii in the Vasteland, let's just say, they are mainly there to block the trade from Marienburg to Ulthuan. The city is one of the prime trading partners of the Asur, after all. (There is another reason... but you would find out later).
Obviously, Tarmonagh is using his influence and political agitators to push Marienburg to lift the blockade. In his idea, seeing that he has the confidence of influential people and the support of the people of Marienburg, Hakuno would be forced to join forces with him... or be overthrown by a revolt, and replaced by a new leader... a leader who - of course- would do as the Exarch said.
This is where Sir Agravain intervenes. When Tarmonagh tries to push Hakuno to attack, Kay angers the Exarch until he declares that he is able to defeat the Druchii. And as the Exarch is arrogant, he finds himself trapped by his own words... because by fear of "losing face" he cannot contradict what he has just said.
While seeming to agree to Tarmonagh, the Roy Louen closes the trap: Elfsgemeente is an independent nation, so the Exarch is free to attack the Druchii? Well, let him go! The rest of Louen's speech is to make the Marienburgers think by themselves. They must understand that victory is impossible. He does not forbid the Bourgeois to follow Tarmonagh, but he makes sure they understand that they must choose who they believe: The Sovereign of the Moon or the Exarch?
The army of elves and humans that comes out the next day is therefore composed only of enemies of Hakuno...
Their (probable) defeat will have two results:
1) The physical elimination of a large number of opponents. Even those who survive will no longer be a danger... they will be completely discredited by their failure.
2) The Druchii will be persuaded to have crushed the bulk of the Marienburg's army, which should push them to attack the city... and for the population, it's now rally-around-the-leader time... and the only non-discredited leader left is Hakuno!
I think Machiavelli would be proud of me.
(1) First words of a maxim of Ovid (Tristes 1, 9) exiled far from Rome by Augustus: "Donnec eris felix, multos numerabis amicos tempora si fuerint nubila, solus eris" (As long as you are happy, you will have many friends. If the sky is covered with clouds, you will be alone.)