Chapter 37
Nasrith watched calmly as more than a dozen heavy boulders were launched through the air toward Fal’Ashar, courtesy of Tal’Qamar's trebuchets.
Each of them weighed at least 500 pounds, and the force they would strike the walls with would be equivalent to three times that due to their enchantments. Additionally, a Skill from the [Siege Officer] allowed the trebuchets to launch them with pinpoint accuracy, allowing the Second Army to focus its attacks.
Nasrith could see several mages on the defending city walls trying to redirect the incoming projectiles, but Tal’Qamari [War Mages] were too well trained to allow such a thing and immediately countered whatever spells the enemy was attempting to cast.
The cacophony of colliding magics echoed across the sands, the air crackling with the energy of mages struggling against each other to turn the tide. Above the din, Nasrith could hear the whistling of the massive stones as they tore through the air, their paths only marginally altered by the efforts of Fal’Ashar’s defenders. Despite the enemy’s best efforts, the boulders maintained their trajectory and reached their target. The ground shuddered with each impact as Fal’Ashar’s walls were struck with enough force to destroy almost any non-magical structure.
However… there was a good reason that Fal’Ashar was known as the City of Enchanters.
“General Nasrith, the Warmage Company have reported that the enemy is activating their Category 6 Anti-Siege Warding,” said Lieutenant Colonel Anaya from his side, dutifully performing her role of serving as an intermediary between him and his officers.
Nasrith grunted in acknowledgement. The siege on Fal’Ashard had been slow and meticulous over the past several months as they gradually wore down each of Fal’Ashar’s Anti-Siege Wards. While Nasrith could have ordered a more aggressive siege, doing so would have cost expensive resources and necessitated that the Second Army use immense force.
This would have been very unwise, given the difficulties that Tal’Qamar had been facing along its logistical routes and the ever present threat of the Conclave exploiting the Second Army suffering from Skill Exhaustion. All it would have taken was for the enemy to move a sizable force toward Fal’Ashar while Nasrith’s soldiers were at their most vulnerable, and he would have no choice but to abandon the siege lest he risk suffering a catastrophic defeat.
Nasrith had done everything possible to keep the front lines far from Fal’Ashar to minimize the risk of being caught between a raid from the besieged city and a relieving force from the Conclave. Nevertheless, there was always an outside possibility that the God of the Twilight Moon’s [Priests] could use their powers to obscure an approaching army during the night.