Surrounded by Deadacre’s leadership, Kaius tried to consider how they could ready the city’s defenders for the coming battle.

  The city Delve was the obvious option, but it had problems. There was a limitation on how many could reasonably populate the biome it entered into. Plus, with how low-level it was, most would need to make several descents to reach a difficulty where they were getting meaningful levels.

  Perhaps with help? He thought he might as well voice the idea.

  “Why not the Delve?” he suggested after thinking for a moment. “You could cycle the lowest levels through it — with chaperones. As many as possible. I assume the surrounding biomes are mapped as well. There should be more than enough space if you push laterally. Then, when they’re strong enough, they could push down and another group could enter. Chaperones could help with guardians. You wouldn’t get as much food compared to properly farming the thing, but surely defence is more important at the moment.”

  Ro drummed her fingers on the table. “It’s not a bad idea.”

  “It is a risk, though,” Henrik contended. “If most of the militia is occupied in a Delve, we might be caught flat-footed. If the beasts arrive while they’re inside—”

  “Well, there’s an easy solution to that, isn’t there?” Kenva replied, drawing the table’s eyes. “The city Delve’s what — layer two? Just have a high-Steel team on standby. Even dedicated, I doubt anyone would get lower than five. The right team could blitz down there in a matter of hours, clearing guardians and setting off signal fires. Invest in some communication artefacts for the chaperones. Teams in the outlying biomes could converge on the city Delve to exit through the open portals.”

  Rieker nodded. “We’ve got a few teams on our roster who would fit the bill. A couple who focus on swiftness and shock tactics. They could do it fast enough. I’d suggest you guys, but you’ll be too critical to the defence effort.”

  “What of the general populace?” Priestess Susanna asked. “The city is full to bursting. Tensions are already high. If the city is surrounded, they could fall to panic. Riots could end us just as swiftly as starvation — or the beasts. Plus, they’re vulnerable. Too many will be lost to simple collateral damage.”

  Ro gave Kaius a quick glance — fast enough that only his team, Rieker, and Arc would have caught it. He knew what was on her mind.

  The ruin beneath the city.

  He hesitated, not out of a desire to protect his own interests, but in how best to manage his suggestion. He was certain that the castellan was on his side. However, the automata itself had said the systems within the ruin were breaking down, and communicating commands could be spotty. If even a single worker drone attacked civilians, it would be a slaughter. No amount of bakers and leatherworkers would be able to stop such a thing. And the panic it would instil — no. This needed to be managed carefully. They needed a week or two for the castellan to finish sealing the lower levels of the ruin and masquerading the upper levels as deactivated.

  He still had to say something. The entire room was looking at him and his team now, with how public the pursuit of Old Yon had been. Everyone here knew of the ruin’s existence.

  “Below the city,” he finally said. “I cannot testify to the safety of the Imperial ruin. We deactivated it, but there could be stray automata or defences that still linger. However, the maintenance tunnels should be clear. They are large and fortified. And many of them still have functional siege doors. They’d be cramped, unpleasant, and claustrophobic — but safer, at least.”

  “You are sure the ruin has been deactivated?” the chamberlain questioned. “If any defences remain, surely an incursion of that scale would trigger them.”

  “Utterly certain,” Kaius replied. “I confirmed it myself. However, from experience, it would be best to wait at minimum a week, to give any remnant mana the opportunity to discharge.”

  Kaius did his best to keep his face straight as he lied through his teeth.

  Reaching through his bond, Kaius nudged Porkchop for his attention.

  “Can you let Ro know I’ll need an excuse to go down to the ruins alone? The sooner, the better. I’ll need to inform the chamberlain of the developments. At the very least, those steel doors in the maintenance tunnels need to be able to be operated manually. Any entrances to the ruin outside of the city walls need to be sealed. If we’re lucky, it will hopefully be able to provide some other help for the defence of the city.”

  This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

  “Of course,” Porkchop replied.

  Unaware of the hidden interaction, Hanrick, the priestess, and the governor’s chamberlain let out audible sighs of relief.

  “That, at least, is something,” Hanrick replied.

  A moment later, Kaius felt a nudge from Porkchop.

  “Ro says you should go tonight. She’ll make an excuse if anyone asks. She also said that if the automata are truly unable to operate outside of the ruin, if possible, the castellan should try to reinforce the foundations around the city wall — so that no burrowing beasts can breach that way.

  Rotten roots, he hadn’t even thought of that possibility.

  “What of our allies, Hanrick?” Susanna said. “Will you be able to pull others over to our defence? We need everything we can get. Grandbrook, perhaps?”

  The priestess gave Arc a questioning look.

  Even with his natural bone plating obscuring his expressions, it was plain to see that the hirgost was morose.

  “This one must provide his apologies. Governor Bartmoss will likely be unable to send aid. Without a standing army, he would be sacrificing his own stability. This one, of course, will stay to aid in the defence.”

  Kaius nodded. It hadn’t really been in question, but the confirmation that Arc would fight by their side brought him relief. The man was nearly Platinum, on the cusp of the third tier. He was practically an army unto himself. They would need men like him — for the beasts weren’t the only threat. There was still a tyrant leading them, one that had slaughtered the Silver team with ease.

  Hells, Kaius would be surprised if what they had seen was the limit of its forces. Any smart foe held a few advantages in reserve.

  “I will contact the Guildmaster of Mystral,” Ro said. “As Arc has said, I believe we cannot expect help from Grandbrook. Any forces from there would be approaching directly towards the beast tide. On open ground that would be suicide. Mystral, though, is slightly closer, and as long as the beasts have not fully encompassed the city, they would be able to approach from the flank. My fellow Guildmaster will not be able to compel assistance, but we would likely see scores of Iron and Steel teams answer the call. Maybe Silver, if we are lucky, though I have heard many of them have been flat out dealing with threats from the Wildguard and Arboreal Sea.”

  Henrik slumped into his chair. “Please do so. As soon as you can.”

  “What of the Spires?” Ianmus questioned. “They are duty-bound, and mage cadres from the Spires are invaluable during the protracted defence of something like a city.”

  Hanrick hesitated. “Those are old oaths… and I fear that Deadacre is seen as little more than a provincial backwater.”

  Ianmus shook his head emphatically. “The Red Cove Compact is not so easily forgotten.”

  The Red Cove Compact? No doubt it was that old alliance.

  Kaius mentally nudged Porkchop. It was convenient having a companion that no one expected to know politics — there was no point in making himself seem ignorant in the current situation if he didn’t have to.

  “What’s that?” Porkchop asked a heartbeat later.

  “A seven-hundred-year-old agreement,” the captain of the guard grumbled. “An old pirate lord blockaded the city by sea and seized control of the single pass that allows entry by land through the Wildguards. Fifty-seven rogues and scouts from Deadacre and Grandbrook smuggled supplies to the city for six years using storage artefacts. I still have my doubts, but it is enough for the Spires to rush to our defence.”

  “They will,” Ianmus said. “I am sure of it. Allow me to assist with contacting them. The headmaster of Sunspire is on the council. As valedictorian, I have my fair share of interactions with them. They will listen.”

  Hanrick gave Ianmus a hesitant nod. “Blighted ground, a single Silver mage from Sunspire could be fate-changing.”

  Ianmus grinned. “I am sure you will get one. I have yet to meet a mage from the Hole who would not leap at the opportunity to build fortifications.”

  Kenva raised her brow at Ianmus. “The Hole?”

  The mage shrugged. “They dug down into the bedrock rather than build up like everyone else.”

  Focused on the matter at hand, the chamberlain looked up from his notes. “What about our formations? I assume the guard will man the walls with the militia as support. But how will we manage Delvers?”

  “Everyone below Iron should be spread through the rank and file,” Rieker said. “We’ll keep them in their teams, but they’ll be best positioned to move to wherever needs the most support. Steel and Iron and higher will be our elites. We can use them to focus on high-value targets and reinforce wherever is most heavily pressed.”

  “And us?” Kaius questioned.

  He didn’t just mean his team, but Rieker, Ro, and Arc as well. They were the core strength of the city, far above anyone else. Their movements would be pivotal.

  “Our core goal, of course, will be the Tyrant,” Ro said. “As soon as it reveals itself, and we are in a position to strike, we move as one. Until then—” She paused, taking a moment to think. “We should spread ourselves across the walls. We have thousands of lives to look after, and a single one of us could reduce the pressure on the guard and militia where they might otherwise crumble.”

  Her gaze settled on Kaius. “You especially. Your war magic will prove invaluable, and you will still be able to use your blade while you wait for your mana to recover. You can always communicate with Porkchop through your bond whenever you need time to re-inscribe — his ability to communicate telepathically will be vital for maintaining coordination between us.”

  Kaius shared a glance with his brother.

  They wanted them to split up.

  He wasn’t sure he liked the sound of that.

  much denser already, and the chapters have been trending a bit longer too.

  If you want to jump into the end of book action, Patreon is like 5ish chapters from the end of B4!

  https://discord.gg/NjsqGKHHaY