Strategy Meeting

"You shouldn't have sworn the oath," said Stone as we walked away from the Orcs after discussing the terms; some I had accepted, some I didn't.

"It was necessary to convince the leaders to fight for us willingly," I replied.

I could have easily made half of them fight for me. If I tried harder enough, 80% of them with many leaders or all of them, after some threats, but that wouldn't have made them committed.

They still might find a chance to run away or do other things, that will be harmful to us, but the chances of that happening are less than before.

Breaking the oath would make me lose the legacy and even they know I won't do such a silly thing for a few thousand orcs.

"What's the deal with that orc?" I asked. 

He remained confused for a moment, before understanding my question. I am asking about the strange lone orc.

"He is albino; orcs considered them impure and unlucky," replied Stone. My expression turned strange for a moment before anger flashed in my eyes.

"Fucking idiots," I cursed.

Albinism is not magical; it is biological. In humans, it occurs because of the lower level of melanin. I am sure, there is a similar reason or the same chemical responsible for it in the orcs.

I can't imagine what that poor orc must have suffered. Seeing those people, aren't even willing to be in his shadows.

Hun!

Suddenly, Zela stopped, making both of us turn to her.

"What happened?" I asked. "Panar had opened the gates and now people are escaping through it, in large numbers," she replied.

I couldn't help, but sigh, hearing that.

Its governor had been under extreme pressure, especially in the past few hours since the undead horde, left the Almin. There have been huge riots, that he started to have a difficult time managing.

Even the city guards have joined it, last I heard.

The Greltheaven was in much better condition, and I could take some credit for that. I had worked hard on the messaging from the start; I didn't contain all the news and promptly dealt with any incident that occurred.

It was not like everyone reacted peacefully. There are many incidents, but they have been handled peacefully and with force.

Still, I have to be careful, anything could happen, and I don't want to give the city to the undead without even fighting the battle.

"It will be bad for them and us," said Stone after a few seconds of silence. 

Bad for them, because the undead will hunt them, and bad for us because the few hours, they would have spent conquering it wouldn't happen. It is highly likely that even the leader would abandon the city.

"Then prepare; we need to be ready for them," I said.

He nodded and walked away, while I stepped into my carriage after talking to a few people.

"Is there any news of the Count?" I asked Zela, to which she shook her head. 

The bastard should have reached the Dustorn Fortress by now.

He had said, he would contact me as soon as he reached there. There was nothing from the Count and the fortress didn't inform us of his arrival.

I wanted to ask about them directly, but I don't want anyone listening to know that the Count is gone. Though, I think they had already guessed where he went; it is not that hard.

There are only two places he could go, Mirador Hold and Dustorn Fortress. He wouldn't go on the hold; it would be like jumping from the arm of one danger to another.

Dustorn fortress is the only choice, even at this time, where Tabes might attack, because even if we lost Tabes. The Count wouldn't die, they would just capture him and ransom him back to his family.

While in captivity, he will be treated according to his station; undead don't follow such rules.

Soon, the carriage got out of the outer range, making me feel a little naked.

It had been only a few hours since the establishment had advanced to Grade II and I didn't stay in its range for more than two hours, but every moment I stayed, I felt safe.

It wasn't just the feeling; I was safe. Safer than I was out of it because, at any moment, I could use the spell to blast anyone, meaning hard to me.

Soon the carriage reached near the western gate, where all the buildings had been flattened and now the blockades were being created. Edmor is leading the whole effort of planning and leading, but Valentina is in charge of the name.

I wouldn't have done that, but I need her name out as much as possible. 

I was quite surprised when Stone had made him in-charge; I thought there would be someone with more experience, but it seemed like the man had impressed him, and seeing, how things are going, I am impressed too.

Click!

The carriage stopped and Lt. Colonel Hiren opened the door with his one hand.

The man had lost the hand to the bandits in Lockridge Castle and taken the retirement, but joined back as soon as he recovered.

The retirement didn't suit him.

"How are the things?" I asked as I stepped out. "Going great. We should be able to finish with our preparations by the morning," he replied and seemed quite confident about it.

"Let's hope, we do," I said with a small smile and walked out with him, looking at the preparations. 

Soon, we climbed up the city wall, which had more cannons on it, than it had been yesterday. These slim cannons were part of mobile artillery, but we made a few adjustments and mounted them on the walls.

There are armaments in the city, but these armaments were brought in view to fight the armies, not the undead horde.

The city didn't have many resources or, at all, to fight specifically against the undead. We had some, but the Count had sent them to Mirador Hold when Dane started demanding them.

He didn't buy new ones from the city. 

The Count always had a plan to run away. He had no intention to stay and defend the city in any circumstances.

We are using every resource we have, adjusting them according to our needs. 

I moved my gaze away from the cannons and looked ahead, where hundreds of people burying the mines. I could see Valentina and Edmon there, using their spells with other mages to expedite the process.

I looked for a few minutes, before walking back into my carriage and going to other places to check the preparation. They are moving on time and should be finished by the morning.

The carriage stopped at the mansion and I got out, before walking inside. 

I didn't walk to my office and instead directly went to the conference room, where merchants and other important people were waiting for me.

The meeting didn't last for long. It was a courtesy meeting to allay their fears, after fifteen minutes, I was in my office.

There is going to be one more meeting in a few hours with Stone and the other officers about the strategy.

"Any news on Count?" I asked again, as I entered my office. "No, but there is one from Inam; it is about the Port Midlet," she replied.

"Finally," I said.

Inam is the biggest imperial city closest to us. It is geographically part of the Renwell region, the last city in the wasteland, but part of the Halsad region.

It is also close to Port Midlet; they had said, they would send the scouts, and it seemed they did.

"How's the Midlet doing?" I asked after a second of silence. "Their army is fighting in front of the city against the undead," she replied. 

"Has Zanav, made a move?" I asked. "He and his cavalry hadn't been spotted yet," she replied. 

"What is Inam is saying about the battle?" I asked, there is always commentary from the military brass. "They said, Midlet's forces will fight the undead outside the walls for a few hours before fighting them from the walls," she replied.

"It seemed like, they are doing better than I had expected," I said. I thought the undead would have gone for the wall by now, but they were holding them back.

It could be said to be the first city to stop the undead from touching their walls for more than four hours. 

Even Ashton Harbor hadn't managed to do that.

She informed me of other news about Tabes, Edruin, and other kingdoms attacking the empire and other battles happening inside. I listened to them, before pushing them in the back of my mind.

What is happening in the empire is not my concern, at least not till, I survive the horde coming for the city.

"They have arrived," informed Zela.

I stopped what I was doing and got up, before walking out of the office. It is a strategy meeting; Stone had already devised it and will be sharing it with the rest.

Click!

"Lord Governor," they greeted as I stepped inside the room. 

Every important officer is here, from Major to Commander. There are also representatives of clerics, and the orcs, with three of them sitting on the main table and four in the back.

Many looked uncomfortable, with their presence, and some were even glaring at them. I am kind of surprised, that weapons hadn't been drawn, considering we have been taught to hate them and some had even fought against them in baronies.

"Everyone," I said and sat down, with them sitting after me.

"I will not say much as it is, not my expertise. I will let, Commander Stone, explain, the strategy, he had devised," 

"Thank you, Lord Governor," said Stone and touched the table. Immediately, a projection of the city appeared above the table.

"The army we have assembled isn't as trained or cohesive as I liked. It is not capable of employing the intricate strategies,"

He paused and looked at all; there was no objection to his words. Everybody understood, what kind of army, we had cobbled together.

A large part of this army is inexperienced, with mercenaries and orcs mixed in them. They will never be able to execute a complicated strategy. Instead, will make things worse, if we try.

"Our battle strategy is divided into three phases. First, is engaging them outside of the walls, the second is defending from the walls and third is fighting inside the city, where we would end them," he said.

For the first two, there was barely any change in the expression of anyone, but hearing the third phase, everyone got alarmed.

"Letting the bastard inside the city would be a death sentence; we wouldn't last long," said Major Hokan, while many officers nodded.

The ones who remained calm were the orcs and the mercenaries.

"Letting them enter the city would be dangerous, Commander Stone," said Colonel Cardin. "It will be Colonel, but it is the only option, that gives us a chance of victory," Stone replied.

Many looked at me to object, but I remained silent without saying anything.

"It seemed like you have something that giving you confidence, Commander Eukrin," said Shaman Trik.

Eukrin is the orcish word for elder-blood; it is a respectful word. The orcs respect elder blood and their strength.

His words turned the focus of all back on Stone.

"There is something that would give us a real chance of victory if everything went according to the plan," he confirmed while looking at me.

"What is that something, Commander Stone?" asked Vandal.

Stone didn't say anything other than smile. Some turned to me, but I kept my expressions neutral and didn't even think about it.

"The plan may be simple, but there are some intricate parts, that I will explain to you all," said Stone after a few seconds of silence.

It took over an hour to explain all the intricacies of the plan and half an hour to answer all the questions the people had before the meeting finally ended.

Soon everybody left, leaving only Stone behind.

"Take a rest, my lord. Once the undead arrive, there won't be any," said Stone as he got up after our discussion.

"I will," I replied.