TtOW! - Interlude 52.2: Before the Storm (Patreon)

Ateia and Taog panted heavily, their drenched cloaks weighing them down as they rain through the rain. They could barely even see ahead, following the Selkie in front of them in order to avoid trees and other obstacles.

Behind them they could hear the roars and shouts of another Dobhar scouting party, quickly gaining on them.

“Turn!”

Miallói shouted and all the Selkie turned as one, launching a volley of harpoon into the fog. Ateia turned with them, drawing her bow as quickly as she could and letting loose. Taog tossed a harpoon he had ‘borrowed’ from the Dobhar.

They were answered with cries of pain.

And a counter volley of Dobhar harpoons.

Taog jumped in front of Ateia and swung his sword, gritting his teeth as he barely managed to parry the harpoon flying towards her. A Selkie dodged a second too late and was struck…and then pulled into the fog.

But as he flew through the air, his body began to shimmer and grow.

He disappeared into the fog…and then Ateia and Taog heard a crash and a loud roar. Miallói leapt into the fog after him.

A few minutes later, Miallói rushed back to them, supporting a bloody Selkie.

“Go!”

With that, Ateia and Taog took a deep breath and resumed running, Taog picking up one of the Dobhar harpoons on the ground.

It was a long way to Castra Turannia.

***

Dux Canus heaved a sigh as the last of the wagons and the limitanei marched into the Castra Turannia keep, the gates closing behind them. The limitanei marched to the barracks to rest while the Castra Turannia soldiers guided the civilians into a large cavern underneath the keep.

They made it.

Now he just had to wait for Miallói to return.

He grimaced at the thought of the girl out with her, likely dodging Dobhar harpoons at present, but he shook his head. There was nothing he could do for them from here and he had plenty to worry about right here.

He dismounted his horse and walked towards the center of the keep. Magister Tiberius, Legate Opiter, and the Governor, Aemilia Hibera, were waiting for him. Dux Canus saluted to the Governor, exchanged salutes with Magister Tiberius, and then accepted a salute from Legate Opiter. The four fell into step as they walked into the center of the keep.

Governor Aemelia frowned.

“What exactly is the situation, Dux?”

Dux Canus raised an eyebrow.

“You got my report, didn’t you?”

She slowly nodded.

“Yes…but I want to hear it from your mouth, from someone who actually saw what we’re dealing with.”

Dux Canus nodded. That was fair, if a bit unnecessary. But situations like these were always hard to believe, so it was important for the Governor’s mentality to have complete confirmation.

“A Dobhar invasion force landed on Turannia, the largest one I’ve seen. I believe they are personally led by King Uscfrea Spellbreaker.”

Legate Opiter sucked in his breath while Magister Tiberius grimaced. The Governor’s frown deepened.

“And you have confirmation of this? Did you see the king in person?”

Dux Canus shook his head.

“If I had, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. But I did catch sight of his flagship, flying his personal banner. Either way, the Dobhar are making their move.”

Governor Aemelia raised an eyebrow.

“Then how did you escape the coastal fort?”

Dux Canus shook his head again.

“We evacuated before it came under attack.”

“Really? You just let them on our shores without a fight, Dux?”

Dux Canus frowned.

“We couldn’t hold it against a force that powerful, not without the comitatenses. Since we were told they aren’t coming, I decided to preserve our forces. This keep is our only chance now. Have you had any luck with Corvanus or Utrad?”

Governor Aemelia heaved a sigh.

“Well, I don’t like abandoning the province without a fight, but I’ll defer to your judgement, Dux.”

And then she grimaced.

“As far as the others…I’ve been cut off. Magister Caelinus is ignoring my messages, and my contacts in the capital have gone quiet.”

Dux Canus heaved a sigh. He expected as much, unfortunately. If the Empire cared about Turannia, they wouldn’t have let Magister Caelinus strip its legions without warning or explanation.

As he had feared, they were on their own.

Governor Aemelia then clenched her teeth, furrowing her brow. She had to spit her next words from between her teeth.

“Then...what about...negotiating?”

Dux Canus raised an eyebrow.

“Surrender, you mean?”

She closed her eyes and didn't respond. Dux Canus heaved a sigh.

“That might be an option, but I would advise against opening with it. King Uscfrea Spellbreaker only talks with those he respects. I think...we would need to give him a reason to talk with us unless you want an unconditional surrender. It's your call, but personally I believe the best play is to hold as long as we can. That should give the Empire the most time to respond...and give us the most leverage we can get if not.”

Governor Aemelia heaved a huge sigh...but she nodded slowly.

“Do what you can, Dux.”

He nodded at her and then turned to Legate Opiter.

“How are we looking, Legate?”

“O-Oh? Um, t-the evacuation is mostly on schedule, our stockpiles had a few discrepancies but are still above Legion regulations. T-The defenses have been prepped and tested, they are due for maintenance but are still in working condition.”

Dux Canus nodded at that. Legate Opiter might be little better than drafting a random peasant in a fight, but the man was rock solid at all other times. If Legate Opiter was in charge, Dux Canus knew with certainty that Castra Turannia would be maintained precisely at Legion standard, down to the very last letter. Nothing beyond the letter, of course, but sometimes consistency was as valuable as excellence. Which was why Dux Canus kept Legate Opiter in charge, despite the man’s deficiencies in any sort of fight.

In Dux Canus’s experience, tactics may win battles, but logistics were what won wars.

The civilians were neatly and efficiently evacuated, the warehouses were sufficiently stocked, and the defenses were confirmed as functional as Legion policy assumed. That alone was a huge weight off of Dux Canus’s shoulders, as it meant they were fully prepared for a siege. They could hold Castra Turannia for months, possibly years if they could sneak some foragers out on occasion. All he needed to do was organize and command the actual defense in the case of an all-out assault.

Of course, surviving an all-out assault by King Uscfrea Spellbreaker with some limitanei and a handful of Selkie was a completely different story.

Dux Canus turned to Magister Tiberius.

“How are we looking on foreign support?”

Foreign diplomacy would normally be the Governor's responsibility, but Turannia was a bit special. Given the warlike nature of most of the local tribes, diplomacy needed to be conducted by experienced combatants, which in this group meant himself or the Magister. Governor Aemelia was no slouch at magic, but she had only fought in a handful of duels at most, so contact with the locals largely fell to Magister Tiberius. Probably why she had been effectively exiled to Turannia in the first place, a province that did not suit her best talents. The Magister nodded his head, frowning.

“The Selkie are on their way. A handful of wulver clans agreed to raid the Dobhar...but it looks like most of the clan leaders I knew have died.”

Dux Canus groaned. When a bunch of wulver clan leaders all died at once, that meant one of them was running the gauntlet and trying to form a warpack. A wulver incursion was the last thing they needed right now.

It was a bit strange that they hadn't seen any other signs of a warpack forming, but they didn't exactly have Exploratores probing the Forest of Beasts at the moment. They would just have to hope the wulver champion failed to unite toe clans.

Governor Aemelia rubbed her chin.

“What about that wandering knight I keep hearing about? Maybe we could request support from her order?”

Upon hearing the question, Magister Tiberius frowned while Legate Opiter jumped and looked nauseous. Dux Canus raised an eyebrow.

“A wandering knight, you say?”

Magister Tiberius heaved a sigh and shook his head.

“I already asked her but...she refused. I think she's a foreigner, she stated she's not affiliated with the Empire and so won't get involved in any Imperial conflicts.”

Legate Opiter trembled, face shifting between relief and panic. Governor Aemelia frowned. Magister Tiberius looked downright miserable. Dux Canus kept his eyebrow raised.

He was deeply curious what this foreign knight had done to raise such reactions.

But he had no time for curiosity. From what Magister Tiberius said, she was already out of play, so there was no point in thinking about her.

Dux Canus heaved a sigh.

“Well, I'd like to take my supper, if you don't mind. Let's review the defense plans afterwards.”

***

Meanwhile, NSLICE-00P stood on top of the city walls, next to some of the lookouts. She technically wasn't supposed to be there, but Magister Tiberius had granted her permission. She slowly turned her head as she scanned across the horizon, observing every incoming person for signs of Ateia and Taog.

With each passing moment, the probability of being drawn into a third-party conflict increased. She would need to evacuate soon to avoid being targeted by proxy.

So if Ateia and Taog didn't return soon, she would have to leave without them.

Her heart rate increased slightly, but her emotional controls soothed her organic components and deactivated unnecessary danger signals. Her heart rate returned to normal.

She started another scan...

Author's Note:

And so the Legion returns to the keep, and prepares for their final stand as Miallói tries to get back.

Welp, that doesn't matter to NSLICE-00P! Just gotta grab the valued allies and she'll get out of there.

Anyways!

Will Miallói and her subordinates reach Castra Turannia? Can Dux Canus and the other Imperial leaders hold the line? Will NSLICE-00P recover her valued allies before evacuating? Tune in next time, to find out!