Chapter 11: First assault on Feoh: Part 1

Vult was in a bad mood. It had not let him go from the moment he set foot on the threshold of the Dark Tower and has not let him go to this day, when a month has passed since that day.

At first everything went well. He managed to negotiate with the leader of the ogre tribe to help his guys take the long-eared bitches warm, and one of the conditions was to give one of them, the simpler one, to ogres. These thick—headed pieces of meat had been drooling over her for a long time, and Vult understood them perfectly when he saw her — there was something to go for.

The ogres were strong, very strong, but just as stubborn. Their leader did not want to give in any way, and certainly was not going to just walk under the arm of some small and weak "hoomun". But Vult, nevertheless, coped. He managed to negotiate. A little eloquence, a little deception, a drop of self-confidence, and the job is done. Like so many times before, when he was just a simple merc who ruins his life for the sake of these hypocritical whores from the Order. The formidable fighters were now on his side.

And then it's a matter of technique. The mercenary's authority rose to unprecedented heights in the eyes of monsters, after some of the strongest representatives of this tribe bowed their heads before him. It was quite easy to subdue them too. On the appointed day, when he and his men approached the tower, the allies let them inside, helped to kill or capture the queen's personal guard, consisting entirely of long-eared, and that's it! Without much effort, he took the fortress, which was considered impregnable to this day!

Some of the prisoners turned out to be women. It would be a waste to kill them just like that, so Vult allowed the guys to have fun with them first and celebrate the victory. Nothing strengthens the morale and cohesion of the army like a good party after a fight, he already knew. I even thought about joining hiself, but decided not to be greedy. Something better was waiting for him.

Discordia…

This arrogant bitch didn't seem to be scared at all. Even in chains, she sat with a lean face, straightening her back, as if a thick pole was stuck in her ass. Quite boring.

Vult was in no hurry to dispel her boredom. There was no hurry, and keeping her locked up for a day or two seemed like a great idea to him.

A little later, Kin approached him with a strange request. He said he found some guy lying on the floor unconscious. He was dressed out of place, and there was some junk next to him that interested the sorcerer, and he asked him not to kill the foundling, but to wait until he wakes up and interrogate him.

The mercenary used to trust his subordinates. And, for fun, he threw an unconscious stranger into the same cell with Discordia and her pet dog.

It turned out, in vain.

As soon as stranger came to his senses, everything went through the ass. The prisoner turned out to have sharp teeth, and immediately showed them: he stabbed Kin in the throat with a knife, killed a bunch of people, including a pack of werewolves, for a second, fierce and skilled fighters. And he mowed them down like grass…

And he also pulled Olga-fucking-Discordia out of the cage. And they just ran away. And no one caught them. It's just a fucking circus.

Damn idiot Kin with his thirst for research... however, he paid twice for his stupidity. Once when that psycho ripped his throat out, and the second time when an elven whore fried him to a crisp with lightning, just before using some magical bullshit that threw her out of the Tower. Vult couldn't even punch him from the bottom of his heart, because he would have glued the flippers together with the first blow. Even with the power that their... friends give them.

As a result — almost a hundred corpses, a fire in which the supplies needed for the upcoming campaign burned down, and very dissatisfied ogres. Because a toy was stolen from them. It almost came to an armed showdown, which would have put an end to their whole idea. But Vult did it again. Convinced the ogres not to cut from the shoulder, calmed down his guys, collected new supplies, and finally brought his army into the field, albeit with a delay. In the end, what's the difference. Still, nothing will prevent him from achieving his goal. And as for Discordia... she's not going anywhere. He would find her with this new friend of hers and properly ask for humiliation.

All these thoughts were spinning in his head while he was sitting in the saddle. Soon the walls of Feoh should appear — the first serious point on their way. A few villages taken along the way do not count, although they helped the guys to cheer up.

A large army numbering about fifteen thousand heads was moving along the road, stretching out like a long snake. Vult looked at his men and felt proud. Many of these guys have been through fire and water with him, especially Hicks and Kin. And even though the latter screwed up badly, Vult did not punish him. The extensive scar from the burn on half of the body itself will serve as a good reminder to him that he can not flirt. Kin has always been a smart guy and will learn his lesson well.

"Boss." — And here he is, right here. He drove up to the side of the Vult, catching up with him. Now his head was constantly covered with a deep hood, because the right side of his face, on the neck and below was one huge burn with ugly flesh in place of the skin.

"What you've got?" — He asked the subordinate.

"Beasley didn't get in touch. This is disturbing, he used to always send information on time." — Kin replied. And Vult thought about it. The old fool really regularly supplied them with fresh information from the border town. He wants to hold the princess's ass in his wrinkled hands so much that he was ready to give his hand for it. And if he is silent, then something has happened. Especially now, when they come to the walls the next day.

"What do the scouts say?" — Vult asked, following the awakened instinct that always warned him when things smelled fried.

"Nothing. Up to the city itself, everything is quiet." —Kin replied.

"Hmm..." — Nothing is, of course, good, but Vult wouldn't be himself if he didn't play it safe. — "Today we will go out of the wasteland into the forest on the other side of the mountains. Tell Hicks to have the trees cut down for the stairs. And let them not forget to find a bigger log for the ram."

"Got it. I'll do everything." — The sorcerer nodded and turned his horse to the side, preparing to return to the ranks.

"If you don't do at least that, I'll cut off your balls and give you to the ogre chief instead of that elf." — Vult couldn't see it, but he thought he distinctly heard Keane's teeth grinding. Let him remember that no one has forgotten his mistake.

At night, when the army crossed the mountain pass and camped on human lands, Vult could not sleep for a long time. He couldn't shake the idea that Discordia's escape and Beasley's silence were somehow connected. It was unlikely. Too many things had to match up for this to happen. Discordia needed to get into Feoh first. And there are several things that speak against it at once. Well, what kind of fool, in fact, will stick his bare ass right into the hands of his enemies? She was anything but dumb, and she certainly would have found a better place to hide. And Beasley? How could she have found out about him? Or is it Celestine?

Or maybe it's so that everything is fine with him and, as agreed, he will help get into the city, and Vult just got paranoid?

So he fell into a restless sleep, digging into his own doubts.

So that the very next day they found confirmation.

When his army came to Feoh, they were greeted not by a friendly open gate, relaxed guards and carefree residents, but by a fortress bristling with arrows and spears of defenders.

"It seems that we won't see an easy walk here, boss." — Hicks turned to Vult, standing next to him and looking at the picture of an imminent battle. — "I doubt we'll be able to see Basley alive."

 

***

The intelligence report that enemy forces were on the way did not come as a surprise.

"So many of them..." — Alicia whispered , looking from the wall at the army unfolding in battle order. The girl was dressed in full plate-mail armor, holding a shield standing on the side with her hand, and clutching the hilt of a sword with the other. Her fingers were trembling nervously from a mixture of jitters before the battle and fear of the overwhelming superiority of the enemy in numbers.

"We'll manage." — I squeezed her shoulder encouragingly, looking into her eyes. — "Just follow the plan, and everything will work out."

"It's easy for you to say, after the war you've been to..." — the princess sighed, anxiously looking back at me. — "I want you to promise me something."

— "What?"

"Take care of Prim if something happens to me." — She asked softly, lowering her eyes. It was said as if he was saying goodbye and we would not see each other again. And I certainly didn't like it.

"No." — I refused.

"No?" — Hearing this, the girl recoiled from me in shock, looking with disbelief. She clearly wasn't expecting such an answer. — "B-but I thought…"

"You'll do it yourself." — Smiling, I continued the answer. — "Because very soon we will turn these freaks into mincemeat. And don't even think about losing, okay?"

 

***

We decided to place the improvised headquarters in the city limits, not too far from the outer wall, but not too close, so that it would not be overrun by the enemy when they broke through the outer layer of defense. I was the last one to reach it, and as soon as I stepped on the threshold, I immediately caught everyone's attention. Today was the first time many of the people here had seen me in armor. It was interesting to watch their reactions: pride and contentment from my dark elves, recognition from Celestine and the girls of her Order, and surprise and consternation from the others. Against the medieval armor of the locals, my gear looked alien, not belonging here, which, in fact, it was. And, let's face it, threatening. The jumpsuit fit me like a second skin, tightly fitting my body and outlining my muscles, and the armor elements made the image predatory and aggressive.

The place was more crowded today than usual. There were several new faces altogether. To begin with, the abbess of the local temple of the goddess Larentia was a black-haired girl with glasses and a nun's robe, strongly reminiscent of the Catholic one. The flash of irritation that arose in my brain at the sight of her passed unnoticed and mundane, I was already accustomed to the fact that the belief in their goddess is very strong. Especially after communicating with someone who is considered her mortal incarnation. The nun, however, could not get used to the fact that the object of her worship was so close to her, and now and then, with adoring eyes, shot in the direction of Celestine. She reacted to my appearance with slightly labored breathing and dilated pupils. And she backed away cautiously a few steps, hiding reflexively behind her guardian's back. She would help Celestine and Prim manage the infirmary. Her experience in wound healing is second only to that of the priestess herself, and perhaps to Olga, and she is also a user of healing magic, a trick rather rare and found only among the flock of the goddess. So her importance is hard to overestimate.

There was also the captain of the guards who accompanied the priestess - a stern-looking man with a moustache, casting frowning glances in the direction of Olga and Chloe, and rewarding me with the same. The warrior's tenacious eyes immediately glanced over the details of my equipment, taking note of all the details, most of which he did not understand, which made his eyebrows furrow even more furrowed. Being a seasoned veteran, he didn't trust the three of us. If he'd had his way, I'm sure he would have kicked us out or tried to kill us. But Celestina's word was above his own, and he had to put up with that state of affairs. I can't say I don't understand his feelings, but I don't give a damn about them. Besides, I'm a hundred percent sure he's going to change his mind very soon.

Besides those two, there were two other people from the town. The first was an unremarkable, ordinary man who would be in charge of the civilians during the siege. He was chosen because he had been tested and had not been involved in anything, and was somewhat respected in the town, being the owner of a popular tavern, famous for the quality of its services. The second was a representative of the craftsmen who prepared equipment for the battle. This character was more interesting, at least in appearance - a large-bodied man with a thick beard and a short lock of black hair, dressed in good-quality clothes. His big nose and broad forehead gave the impression of a dwarf, especially since he was a blacksmith by profession. The most skilled in the city, to be exact. The only thing that spoiled the image of the proud dungeon-dweller who liked to drink and have a good fight was his height, which was too high for this fairy-tale people. He was also staring at me, but with undisguised interest. Apparently, he was trying to figure out what materials were used to make my armor plates.

You are reading story Kuroinu: Foreigner at novel35.com

By the way, as far as I know, there are no dwarves as far as the inhabitants of the earth are concerned. But there are halflings, a mixture of them and tolkien hobbits. They look like children, but are strong physically and the best smiths on the continent.

And lastly, Claire and Vivian are two girl knights who serve as something of a deputy to Alicia. They will participate in the battle as commanders of their squads of soldiers in charge of a particular section of defense. I didn't know Claire much, but I knew Vivian a little better. She was, by order of the princess, under my command during the preparations.

"What about our guests?" - She asked the queen when she saw me.

"Standing." - I answered, taking my place beside Olga. - "Apparently they are puzzled that the gates have not been opened yet."

"Maybe it will be all right." - Unsurely stretched Maya.

Here we go again. Is she really that dumb? She'd been with mercenaries before, and she ought to know how things work, but she still hoped for something.

[Carrier, you'd better not mate with this specimen. The intelligence of your offspring will be unnecessarily low.] - There, Martha knows what I mean.

Wait, offspring?

"Do you still believe that?" - I turned to Maya, temporarily forgetting my electronic assistant's caveat. - "Did you see any ogres out there? Big guys with clubs?" - There was a hint of irritation in my voice, and the redheaded girl looked away, unable to look me in the eye. - "What more proof do you need that your boyfriend came to kill you?"

She looked ashamed. Perhaps there is hope? And is she smarter than she looks?

"Kay, please don't." - Celestina cut in, glancing at me pleadingly. - "We've got enough on our nerves right now. Let's talk about the situation."

She's right. Maybe I am pushing Maya too hard. Either way, the assault will clear everything up.

"Then we'd better start with the important stuff." - Alicia backed her up and turned to the innkeeper. - "Dear Jory, are all the civilians in the shelters all right? There are no problems?"

"N-no, Your Highness." - The man answered confusedly. He certainly didn't feel at ease around such dignitaries. He squinted at me and the dark elves. - "Of course, there wasn't enough room in the dungeons, and there was room upstairs, but we all could squeeze in. And our warriors had room to spare."

"Good." - The princess nodded, then turned her attention to the Smith. - "What about our equipment?"

"At your command, Your Highness," - the man replied more calmly, since he had previously filled the city mistress' orders and knew her by sight. - "The workshops worked day and night. They could not make everything that was planned - not enough materials and time, but there are two hundred arrows per man. Darts and spears are also in abundance. Unfortunately, we couldn't make a lot of chain mail - it's not a quick thing, but everyone has a shield."

"Worse than I would have liked, but better than nothing." - Listening to the report of the craftsman, the princess replied. - Thank you.

The man twitched the corners of his lips in response, imitating a smile and bowed.

"Now, let's evaluate our chances in the battle." - The girl continued. - "Captain, you have the floor."

"Things are bad, Your Highness." - Bowing, the man began to speak. - "They have too much advantage in everything: numbers, in training, in strength. Your ideas, lad," - he turned to me. - "Not bad, but they won't give us a decisive advantage. I'd wager one or two assaults we could hold, and the rest we'd be driven off the walls and slaughtered in the city limits."

His conclusions are largely correct; in pure military power we are indeed losing woefully, and things will happen just about as he said. Except he hasn't been privy to our plan and doesn't know that it will be taken into account and used to win. No one knows exactly what we're going to do except those to whom I've shown the recording of "The Triumph of Babylon", because when Olga, who is the author of the idea, told us what it is, the others were, to put it mildly, not thrilled. We managed to persuade them, and after some deliberation, it was decided not to tell anyone else. In order to avoid... incidents. Because the solution proposed by my queen is highly questionable from the point of view of morality.

"But that does not mean that I refuse to fight." - The captain, meanwhile, continued, looking firmly to himself. - "And I will honorably do my duty to the end, whatever it may be."

The "civilian" part of our war council, represented by the blacksmith and the innkeeper, were impressed by the captain's speech and visibly paled. Still, they didn't want to die. The faces of the others were frowning and concentrated.

"Thank you for your service." - Alicia nodded gratefully at the man's words.

"Not at all, your highness, as I said, it is my duty." - He replied, bowing his head.

To this the girl nodded silently and went on:

- "Maya, Clare, Vivian. Are your men ready?"

- "Completely." - Maya answered. The other two girls nodded respectfully in silence.

"We remember our part, too." - I added for myself and my elves.

Alicia was satisfied with our words and turned to the nun. - "What about the infirmary?"

Abbess gave a slight bow and answered. - "My subordinates are already in place and ready to receive the first wounded, Goddess help them."

"Prim and I will be with you shortly." - Celestine spoke up.

"I would be honored." - The nun bowed again.

"Does anyone have any questions or suggestions?" - Alicia looked around for more questions, and she couldn't find any. - "If not, I suggest to begin"

So we did. Soon, standing atop one of the towers on the wall, I watched as a relatively small fraction of the enemy troops broke away from the main mass of troops and ran at a trot toward us. There were no men among them, only monsters. Judging by their equipment, which is practically absent, and the fact that among them there is no one exceeding the size of a man - just meat for scouting combat. Some of them were dragging crudely knocked down wooden ladders on their shoulders.

[Martha, how many did you count?] - I asked mentally.

- [2321 individuals, Bearer. The degree of danger to you is low.]

Beside me in a special rack were heavy-tipped darts, and I myself was dressed in a roomy cloak that hid the appearance of my armor for the time being. I decided not to waste ammunition and keep my light on for now. We can handle this little thing easily enough.

"Archers, get ready!" - The earpiece came alive in Alicia's voice. All the squad leaders had one before the battle. It was tight enough.

To my left and right, the soldiers on the wall drew their bows and cocked their crossbows, pointing them in the direction of the enemy.

"Aim!" - The princess gave the next command, and I picked the most beautiful dart out of what I thought was a pile and held it in place.

[Calculate prejudice?] - Martha asked.

[No need, I can do that myself.] - I declined, smiling inwardly.

- "Shoot!"

Hundreds of shells flew toward the approaching wave of monsters, and, describing the arc, collapsed on their heads, killing and maiming unprotected monsters. The first to hit its target was a dart I threw with enormous force, striking the center of the chest of some red-skinned devil with short legs and too long arms. The implants allowed me to see the belligerent grimace on his face change to surprise and then pain as he flew back a few meters, toppled over by the force of the impact. I was already launching a projectile at the next one.

The battle for Feoh had begun.

You can find story with these keywords: Kuroinu: Foreigner, Read Kuroinu: Foreigner, Kuroinu: Foreigner novel, Kuroinu: Foreigner book, Kuroinu: Foreigner story, Kuroinu: Foreigner full, Kuroinu: Foreigner Latest Chapter