Chapter 217: Under Siege

The flight of Dark Phoenix gets them to the Castle within an hour, giving them time for Cain to start setting up all the magical Cannons he's acquired and assigning Puppets to the defense force. With the extra Cannons they've gained from the pirate ships, he's got just over a hundred now, enough to give constant covering fire at every point along the walls. You don't need to be particularly strong to operate the Cannons; you need bodies, an area where the puppets excel. 

Cain releases all his Companions from Merger and has them and their clones Summon their Bonded Forces, while Cain calls out the rest of his summons, including six Oath Breakers, since Danni is taking one of his base Legendary summons. That pair of Legendary Dragons won't be here for another hour, as they're flying high above the cloud cover to avoid detection. 

The night is overcast, thin clouds giving the light from a half-moon a dim glow in the sand. Enough for those with decent night vision to fight by, but Cain doesn't want to leave anything to chance. 

"We need flares. The ones with parachutes that will light up the area for a half-hour at a time if that's possible. Can we get them or make them?"

"I have a Flare Burst spell." Misaki, the half Dryad fire mage, declares. 

"Long time no see. How have things been?" Misha pulls the tiny mage into a hug before noticing her sad look. 

"Relationship troubles, you know how it is. But I'm better. I was going to do the Dwarven dungeon here at the castle with Cid and a few others tomorrow, but I don't think they're here yet." Cain looks through the Guild roster at the mention of relationship troubles, having suspected that she and Lysander were broken up last time he saw her, and notices he's no longer in the Guild.

So it's irreconcilable then.

"We're avoiding notifying the rest of the Guild about what's happening at the castle in case the other houses get attacked. We don't want anywhere left undefended. As long as there's a decent force at Montauk to back up the guards that Symbia left there, we should be alright."

"I was there this morning; there's a half dozen of us living there full time now since the desert is too hot for most of us to move here before the underground is finished. The keep is beautiful and all, but not optimal for Fae who are used to the mountains and Forests."

That's plenty. Lickity might be out of action due to pregnancy for a while longer, but even a handful of members, plus their summons, is plenty to defend a Guild House inside of a major city. 

Laura and Elmira have gone out to scout since their small forms are most difficult to spot, especially with the Pixie using her abduction skill to make one of the Dragons invisible as well.

Their initial scans find that an actual army is forming all around the castle. Dozens of bandit groups, as well as small Guilds and mercenaries, have gathered. 

Many of them are low-level, unsuited to close combat, but good for trying to take over Cannon emplacements and infiltrate buildings, things usually staffed by beginners or employees without systems. Locking the defenders outdoors and turning their defenses on them works very well in most sieges. 

The Darklight Host is ready when Danni shows up with the Carriage, dropping quickly from the clouds to place it in the courtyard by the portals before Cain thanks him and swaps the Dragon for more Oath Breakers. Their short-range teleport should cause chaos among the attackers during a night raid. At least Cain hopes so. 

Evangeline reminds him to get back into his combat gear instead of dressing like a Beastkin noble, smirking when the belt doubles her and her Bonded Forces of Seraphim Crusaders. Within seconds 128 armored Seraphim are in formation and waiting for the command to attack. It's quite the sight to see, even with many Dragons and Drakes around the castle grounds. 

[They're beginning to Summon reinforcements now. Elementals, Treants, I see a few Wisps.] Elmira sends Cain a private message after a few more hours of waiting and watching. 

It's time then. Cain sends out a Raid Party invitation to everyone who is currently in the Castle, making them all easy to monitor and allowing party messaging. The Sculptors are here underground and join the raiding party, but note that they're lousy fighters and will hide underground after securing the entrance.

Which is probably for the best, the underground levels need security too, and he can't leave it all to the Spider Queen. Plus, Symbia is First Advancement, so she can Summon pretty decent Epic Golems with the [Benevolent Leader] Guild Skill to help them out. 

All is quiet for a moment before Elmira, and both Laura clones come flitting back in at a high rate of speed. "There's a Lieutenant here. We didn't see another Puppet Master, but at least one Lieutenant of Gillibrand is here."

That was his response to finding out about Cain? To send his subordinates to attack? Cain wonders if it's possible he wants to be the only Puppet Master on this side of the continent, maintaining his power base as arguably the single most influential transfer, politically if not physically, though that might also be close to accurate. Others might call themselves mayor or King, but they still rely on others to run their Kingdom. Gillibrand is run by one single person, plus his summons. 

"What level was it? He went General first, so I need to know what else they've gained." 

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"Level 317. They can call a lot of Summons, but I think you might have more still." That's good news as it means the Puppet Master Gillibrand, who named a city after himself, hasn't made Knight yet to increase the durability and damage of his summons. 

"Master Cain. I have found the Puppet Master. He is merged with ten of his Greater Golems, and he is hiding to the west, opposite his Lieutenant in the East, along with a mercenary force of humans." One of the Oath Breakers reports, having taken the initiative to search the battlefield. 

"Do we have total numbers yet?"

"Counting low levels and the reinforcements we've found, the count comes to roughly five thousand."

This is no mere bandit raid; they've gone all out to attack the castle. The question is, why? Anyone who understands siege warfare knows it will be a bloodbath, but still, they're attempting it. 

[Class Quest Initiated: There Can Be Only One] when a Puppet Master kills another Puppet Master, they gain additional Lieutenants equal to the number possessed by the defeated Puppet Master, as well as knowledge of all Summon Types kept by the defeated party. 

Additional Lieutenants plus all the forms he knows for his summons? No wonder Gillibrand wants him dead. He must have received this message earlier than Cain did and moved to eliminate his rival while he still had a significant level advantage. 

Cain has also begun to understand why it's such a rare class. Because the moment one finds out that another has been spotted, they most likely hunt and kill them. That also makes it imperative that Cain builds up his level as quickly as possible. Who knows when he's going to run into another Puppet Master. 

The Flame Sisters that Maggie, the Orcish Lieutenant, has stationed in the walls report signs of movement, a report soon seconded by the Oath Breakers who are keeping tabs on the armies. They've started to move in, now that their Forces are gathered. 

"They should be at the ridge soon," Maggie reports moments before Cain's enhanced hearing can also pick up the sounds of an army moving through the desert. 

"Send up the flares all around the perimeter; I want those dunes bright. Once the enemy commits to the attack, all Cannons and Hwacha fire at will." Cain gives his orders only seconds before a tide of giants becomes visible from the East and West, while humans begin rushing into view from the north and south. 

Cain wonders what's with the lack of creativity in Summons. There are no enemy flying units, no nearly indestructible wall Breakers, no teleporting assassins. Just giants and humans. As far as Cain can tell, Gillibrand hasn't even Summoned any other Summoners. Is the man possibly an idiot? Or is the ability to record additional forms a hidden skill? 

Cain gained it, or at least was informed of its existence at the same time that he got the Ancient Quality skill book that allowed him to start Summoning Companions. Did Gillibrand never notice its existence? Or does he not have it? Either way, the limited use of potential has greatly hindered the attacking forces. 

"Fire at will. Dragons, to the sky, watch for arrows. Supporters, ride the Dragons out and Summon the Snapping Turtles into the middle of the armies."

With a roar that shakes the sand, the mighty army of Dragons and Drakes take to the sky, being met just beyond the walls by dozens of flying demons, the first flying summons Cain has seen. They might have been waiting for Cain to make a move before Summoning exotic creatures, not wanting to give the rookie any ideas that might help the defense. 

"Seraphim, you get a bonus versus demons. Go assist the Dragons and happy hunting." Evangeline and her three clones are more than happy to oblige, streaking out of the castle in a burst of light. 

Concerned about an assassin-type Companion, as Gillibrand should have at least one by now, even if he didn't get a high grade additional skill for them as Cain did. Equivalent skills for other classes are found in the Assah Library, so Gillibrand must have something that can compare by now. 

The [Bonded Forces] ability his Companions gained when he obtained the Duke Rank also gives Cain an advantage in this situation. His smartest summons get very durable summons of their own, giving him the ability to have them command portions of the defense without him and without fear of incompetence or betrayal. 

Out of an abundance of caution Cain merges with ten of his Oath Breakers, leaving only two to roam the battlefield. 

Misha has merged with two Record Keepers, so her Holy flames should be incredibly fearsome, plus she's got a formidable army of Demons herself, making her well suited to Eastern defense against the other Lieutenant or Lieutenants and the bandits they're leading.

"Maggie, head north and organize the battle there. Sora heads south. Misha, you've got East. Each wall, bring two of the Kone clones and their Dragons for fire support and healing Aura. Laura, you can head to the south to assist Sora. Nemu, you're with Maggie. Nila, and Vala, head to the East walls with Misha.. I'll be staying out of sight by the west walls until we can isolate Gillibrand, and I can take the head off his insolent shoulders."

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