Chapter 459: The Dusk of War Part 2
…1 hour before dusk…
A dozen towers had been hastily erected across the wall of the Southern Gate of Hollow Shade. Atop each tower was a trebuchet, manned by several engineers and brown mages. Large smooth boulders served as their ammunition. Arcane sigils lined the boulders and a magestone had been embedded into each one. When the time came the brown mage would activate the enchantments, setting the boulder aflame, before launching it into the enemy lines, where the second round of enchantments would go off upon impact, detonating the boulder into a storm of flaming shards.
The hundreds of guards atop the southern wall felt a sense of comfort at the intimidating structures wrought by magic and engineering. Many of the soldiers had never seen a true battle, only scuffles in the city streets between drunks or sometimes gangs. None had ever experienced a full-scale siege and the thought that they might not make it through plunged the soldiers into a bleak atmosphere.
Still, Bulwark Commander Stonehand was in charge of the southern wall and tales of his exploits in the valley were legendary. Tough as he was on his men, he was a living terror to his enemies.
It wasn’t just Commander Stonehand the enemy would have to contend with either. At the base of the wall, surrounding the inner side of the gate were the armies of the Ruling Houses of Glaz and Veres, led by their respective family heads. Though both armies had suffered heavy casualties recently, their combined strength was still oppressive.
If the Southern Gate was somehow ever breached, the valley savages would be faced against not just the armies of Glaz and Veres, but some of the greatest warriors in all the Ebon Realm. The elite mage-guards of House Glaz stood proud next to their lord Lucius, each adorned in deep blue armor with dark purple lining, the colors of their House.
The soldiers of House Veres were clad in jet-black armor and stood at attention, ready for a command at any moment. At the forefront of the army stood a small group of white-armored warriors; each donned a scarlet cape, along with a pale sword and a shield with the crest of a woman in a warrior’s stance. Even from atop the wall, the soldiers recognized the legendary Shield of Veres, the warriors of House Gale. There were no greater blade masters in the Ebon Realm, perhaps all the Null Realms.
At the center of the ivory swordsmen, sitting atop a centaur, was a woman clad in thin scarlet armor and a black cloak that covered her pale face. Lady Elise Veres, head of her House, eyed the soldiers of her army with a grim gaze.
“What’s the point of all this…?” Elise muttered.