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Chapter 338 - Battering Ram
🕑 Added 2025-07-22 21:44:04 +0000 UTCChris
Lakeshore
The message was delivered, and I ensured that everyone heard it. It was the best I could do, and I had to be content with that, even if it felt like it wasn't enough. Three hours wasn't a long time, but it was a convenient time. A convenient time for me, at least.
I was surprised no one shot at me, but I was left to walk back towards our camp unmolested. I had eyed the weapons and soldiers atop the wall, and wondered if I could take it.
It was like the first time I had seen a catapult fired against me. I couldn't help it. What I wondered didn't matter; we would see soon enough.
"Sir, everything's ready," Gavin reported. Being bonded to a wolf and having an entire unit like him, he was part of the best trackers we had.
"Good, bring the first one," I said.
With a nod and orders relayed to those of his unit, a fox was quickly led in front of me. A heavily armored Warrior kept [Taunting] the poor thing, and it had little choice but to follow along.
It died quickly, and [Weight of the Arctic] started to build.
It felt similar to [Momentum of the Avalanche] but more. While that wasn't very descriptive and could be applied to any skill upgrade, this one was different.
The buildup was slower. It took longer to give the same boost, and at first, I had thought that was a bad thing, but I wasn't looking at the full picture. Slower also meant smoother, which eased the strain that would otherwise be shouldered straight on my body.
It was also a colder, heavier weight, but a weight that didn't press down on me physically like [Avalanche] had. There was still the physical burden of using the skill, obviously, but the weight it applied had other uses than just being burdensome.
I could channel it into my aura.
Without the need to constantly be working on something or leveling up quickly, I could use my time more freely. Experimenting with skills was a great way to use that time.
'Skills are what you make them, not what they say they are,' was a saying Gabriel loved. He had said Spells, but it also applied to Skills. Channeling the weight into my aura was something the description of the skill never mentioned, but a feature I found anyway.
My aura was already a heavy and frigid thing, but after adding the skill's influence... It was even worse. The three-hour build-up was like watching a snowstorm approach and unleash. A blizzard of my own making once it was finished, without any other skills to complement it.
And that build-up started now.
Every few minutes, just under five to be exact, a Warrior came running up with a beast in tow, and the build-up would continue. Gavin's team was in charge of locating them while the Warrior with [Taunt] was in charge of bringing them back.
The only reason I felt comfortable starting that timer early was for a few reasons. One being I didn't expect this battle to last long. We would either get through the walls and conquer the city quickly, or we would fail and have to try again.
Being on a timer wasn't a hindrance in either case.
The second reason was that I needed the strength. I wasn't worried about facing someone individually, but the defenses themselves. The plan, the one I had come up with and Abigail called me stupid for, was simple.
To get in, we needed a hole.
What better way to create one than with my own body?
While some might put faith in the trebuchets to open up that hole, I did not. The Walls looked strong, and the Ward running through it was impressive. I also knew that it wouldn't run out of power anytime soon courtesy of the raid.
The boulders we fling at it might soften it up, but it wouldn't pierce it.
That was my job.
The poor beasts continued to be led to slaughter while the rest of the army prepared. Weapons were checked and double-checked, armor straps were tightened, and clasps were fastened.
It was... comforting to see. It was discussed that there was a possibility of the first attack failing. I could see the Ward and briefly feel the flow of mana, but I couldn't make out the underlying Runes.
It was too far away.
I wouldn't know the strength of it and the extent of what we were dealing with until I got close and hit it.
Still, they readied with a barely concealed confidence. Like the chance of failure wasn't even there, even though it most definitely was
Hour by hour, the weight built, both literally for me and metaphorically for the others. Fewer people than I hoped left Lakeshore, but that was something I couldn't change. I could only hope they listened to the part about not being close to the walls.
Because what came next wouldn't be good for them.
"Chris," Abigail shuffled through the snow up next to where I had been building my boost. "It's been three hours. Are you certain?"
"Yes."
It was all that needed to be said, and I was happy that she didn't question me further. It would have been odd if she hadn't questioned me at all, but it was nice that it was short and sweet. A simple 'Are you certain?'
"Elliot," I called even though the man wasn't far away. He turned at my call, "Now's the time."
He nodded firmly and turned to give orders of his own. "Ready artillery!"
All of the weapons had been assembled, but now it was time to use them. Counterweights hung waiting to be unleashed, and the payloads were filled. The only thing left was to unleash them.
Elliot looked at me along with everyone nearby. The entire camp knew the plan. Every single person down to those designated to stay behind and defend the flanks. Orders had already been issued.
A pregnant weight filled the air.
"Fire," I said. I didn't scream, yell, or give a speech. It wasn't necessary. Our purpose was inherent.
"Fire!" It was repeated down the lines of weapons and payload after payload was unleashed.
The first shot was fired, and we were the ones doing it.
Abigail looked resigned, but ready nonetheless. "How long until they realize we have the range advantage?"
I gazed at the large boulders flying through the air with resolve. "I think that's already clear."
Catapults were a bad match-up against trebuchets. It was the one glaring weakness we were able to see in the city. Their siege weapons were not meant for range like ours were.
Admittedly, it took expensive resources and a competent woodworker to prepare the wood used to build them, but the weapons we built were stout. To handle the weight necessary to launch boulders so far, it needed to be.
"Now it's my turn," I said and hefted my hammer. The weapon was already bloodied, and it was only going to get worse before the day's end.
This part of the plan was fought over extensively. No one liked my idea, but I stood by it. They wanted to build battering rams and siege towers, but I felt all of that wasn't needed.
I was as ready as I could be. [Weight of the Arctic] was maxed, [Glacial Presence] was teetering on its maximum boost of 33%, and I only had one skill left to activate.
Winter was a great time for me, as I didn't need to chill the area manually.
[Battle Fury] was easier to ignite after fighting for a time, but it wasn't strictly required. There was something metaphysical that it used in the ignition process, an actual fury or anger that it used as a starter.
I had carried a Fury in me for a while now. A fury that needed no prelude.
All I had to do was think back. Think back on my history, and that was all that was needed for a fury like no other to appear.
Despite Lucile's claims and tests, the ground shattered under my lunge. It shattered again as I pumped my legs forward. And again, with the other leg. A near 200% boost was nothing to laugh at. Not when it was used to propel me toward you.
I'd already done the math. As my legs strained and I felt the power barely contained in my body, I thought of the numbers my status would read now. Of my effective stats with boost.
Strength - 3621 (1876)
Agility - 1882 (975)
Perception - 1146 (594)
Fortitude - 2636 (1366)
Endurance - 2117 (1097)
Vitality - 1503 (779)
The person running at them was a completely different person than the one who approached three hours ago. A monster, some might say.
The snow welcomed my feet and [Glacial March] pushed me just that much faster. Traps went off one after the other, and I ignored them all. [Glacial Heavy Plate] was enough to shrug off such weak attacks.
Skill after skill activated, and I pushed myself forward with everything I had.
Ahead of me, mana built, and I could feel it being prepared against me. Arrows too, no doubt, but I ignored it all.
They killed my people. An unforgivable crime in its own right, but their timing couldn't have been worse. They killed my people a day after I lost my Grandmother.
And now they would pay.
___
Victor
"Ready the explosive arrows!" Wren shouted as soon as the boulders were in the air.
How can they have such range?! They had constantly stayed outside of his range, yet they could reach him all the same!
"What kind of wood are those made of?" Dez was thinking the same thing Victor was.
The boulders flying at them weren't small, either. They were larger than a car and no doubt weighed more than them too. Victor trusted the wall and the Ward, but this was something else.
"Fire!" Wren ordered when the boulders started to descend from their grim arc. Arrows soared through the air in straight lines from powerful bows and climbed to meet the stones. The total numbers were small, but still plentiful. Nearly two dozen boulders were met with just under double that in arrows. A safety factor, in case one wasn't enough.
The three hours were up, and true to his word, not a minute later the attack had begun. Victor was surprised, as he assumed they would line up for one giant charge or wait and bombard them for a while.
Instead, as the first volley was in the air, something occurred. Something so outlandish and unexpected, Victor felt like rubbing his eyes to make sure what he was seeing was real.
"Is that..." Victor whispered.
"Yes, that's him," Dez answered absently, as he too was thrown for a loop.
"How is he so fast? I thought he was a Strength and Fortitude build." Wren pointed out.
Victor had no words; the only thing he could say was, "I don't know."
All three watched as the man sprinted toward them in what could only be described as a death charge. No one else joined him. The entire army, of over 1700 men, watched as their leader charged the walls alone.
Alone!
The first line of traps did nothing but tickle him, if that! Explosions Victor had pictured taking out two or three men each went off to absolutely no effect. The force seemed to part around the ice-covered man and do nothing but provide a stiff breeze.
The second line did little better. And so on to the third.
"He's insane!" Victor couldn't help but utter. He knew the man was mad, but this was on a completely different level. He struggled to comprehend exactly what he was seeing, but he kicked himself into motion quickly enough.
The catapults were too slow to track the man's sprint, which left only arrows and spells.
"Ready attacks!" Victor called out, breaking most of the soldiers out of their confused stupor.
Arrows were nocked and spells were prepared. Victor himself readied a potent Fire spell, but not one of his most powerful. It wasn't time for that yet, not to mention it would interfere with the others.
Another volley of boulders was launched against their city, but Victor allowed Wren to handle that. Instead, he watched, waiting for any sign that this was a feint and the man would turn back, but it never happened. His course never altered from the straight line he had started on.
"Fire!" Victor unleashed his spell along with everyone else on the wall.
A wave of attacks blanketed the air, and all of them were launched at one man. Something Victor had never thought would occur. He anticipated a dodge, a leap, or jump out of the way of most, but it never happened.
The mad man continued stomping one foot in front of the other and did little besides brace himself for the collision, and a collision it was.
Arrows primed with mana and skills exploded on contact, spells of all nature collided violently and rocked the area, fire and water met and exploded in steam. The snow was evaporated in a flash, and the entire area was covered in a smoky haze.
A collective breath was held as everyone watched hundreds of attacks land on one man. It was let out in gasps as that same man exited the cloud of steam and smoke looking little worse off.
The thick plates of ice were cracked, and some blood trickled down in some spots, but where most expected mince meat and a corpse, their eyes saw barely any deviation from before the attacks landed.
Victor himself sucked in a breath. How?
Most were too confused to fire off a second attack except for the cool-headed. The second wave was barely a quarter of the first, and it did even less than that.
Victor looked down just in time to see the man approach the gate, and he had little reference for what happened next.
The unstopped object in the form of a man reached the wooden gate, set his feet, and with a might Victor had assumed was impossible, swung his hammer.
An explosion of force rattled the wall. The Wards flared brightly to dissipate the energy, and the wood creaked, but it held.
Hammer met wood and couldn't help but be halted.
A breath Victor didn't know he was holding was let out. His eyes watched impossible after impossible, and he couldn't help but worry another would take place, but it hadn't.
Good. He thought. Reality wasn't broken.
Arrows rained down and spells followed up, and Victor waited to see what the man would do next.
He was disappointed to see him run off. After the failed assault, he retraced his steps and ran off toward his camp.
Ha, you'll have to rethinkβ
The thought died as quickly as he had it. The man reached just outside of range before turning around and running back.
Running right back at the gate like he hadn't failed the first time.
He's certifiable! Trying the same thing expecting a different result was the definition of insanity, and the man fit it perfectly.
Attacks rained down, the man brushed them off, and a resounding thud rocked the gate.
Victor's mind had had enough. It couldn't take anymore.
"Kill that fucker already!"
Comments
giann flroesca
Cliff amongst cliffs
Demonlord
TFTC π
