A/N I rarely do this (put A/N's in front of chapters), but I had to google for some of the following words. Some of them will be appearing over the course of the upcoming chapters and beyond. So, here's some defnitions..

allure: the walkway at the top of a castle wall. The allure was often shielded by a protective wall so that guards could move between towers; also called a wall-walk

arcading: a series of columns and arches, built in an upside-down U shape

arrow loop: a tiny vertical opening in the castle wall; a thin window used for shooting arrows at the enemy; also called a loophole or meurtriere. (Will sometimes be called cannon loop over the course of this book)

ashlar: blocks of stone, used to build castle walls and towers

bailey: an open, grassy area inside the walls of the castle containing farm pastures, cottages, and other buildings. Sometimes a castle had more than one bailey; also called a ward.

balustrade: railing along a path or stairway

barrel vault: semicircular roof made out of wood or stone

bastion: a small tower on a courtyard wall or an outside wall

battlement: a narrow wall built along the outer edge of the wall-walk to protect soldiers against attack

boss: the middle stone in an arch; also called a keystone

concentric: having two sets of walls, one inside the other

cornerstone: a stone at the corner of a building uniting two intersecting walls, sometimes inscribed with the year the building was constructed; also called a quoi

crosswall: a wall inside a large tower

***

Thunderous roars crashed against the walls of Riven like herds of stampeding bulls. The lizard-men atop Riven's walls felt a shiver run down their spines... But not of fear. No, this was their first challenge in years. 

Bang     Bang   Bang Bang BangBangBang..

Clashing of swords against shields reared from the walls, soon accompanied by the rallying screams of the lizards. Their shouts clashed against the roars of the Kertan army, slowly overwhelming the outnumbered soldiers. But then the players joined in the chant, their gamers' pride refusing to lose to some low-level monsters. And so the challenge reached a stable stalemate, with no ground yielded to either army.

Absalon listened to the battle of wills with a pleased smile. He would have to remember to thank the lizards for their immediate reply to the soldiers' chants. While he had no doubt about the Kertans' willingness to the battle, players were an unpredictable and selfish bunch. If things seemed sour, they would abandon him without a second thought. 

However, this seemingly redundant challenge had completed the most difficult task for him: raising the players' morale. He lacked the eloquence the commander in the last game had, but there was more than one way to motivate people. He had chosen to manipulate one of the more easily provoked emotions: pride.

"Absalon," Nyte called, as he rode up next to his leader. "Preparations are ready."

"The surprises?"

"Should be here in a few hours."

The commander nodded as he pointed at the wall and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Take What Is Yours!"

"HuuOOO!" cried the Kertan arm as they tore through the plains, led by Nyte. Their collective speed kicked up an intimidating amount of dust as they bore down the walls.

The lizards, or rather, drakul as they called themselves, were unfazed by the charge. Their bowmen and wise-men replaced the warriors on the wall. They carefully lined up their shots, then fired. 

"Shields!" Nyte ordered.

As organized, those with bucklers or shields protected themselves, while the rest depended on the mages for assistance. However, it was not enough. As the hail of arrows and elementals struck the unprotected, the war for Riven recorded its first victims.

"Archers!" Nyte ordered. He gripped his broadsword and swung with all his might. It released a heavy shockwave that blasted the projectiles out of the sky.

The Kertan army likewise, released their own volley of projectiles but less than a third managed to reach the ridiculously high wall. Of those that made it, even less actually hit an enemy. 

At the end of the first volley, the Drakul only recorded six fatalities, as opposed to the Kertans' seventy-nine. 

Nyte was unperturbed by the statistics. "Charge!" 

The players ran behind him as he swatted the projectiles out the air, edging ever closer to the city.

Boom!

An explosion uprooted the earth ahead of him, and he fought to keep his mount under control. 

Cannon loops opened up along the walls, the threatening barrels glistening under the sun. With thunderous booms, the earth erupted right in front of the Kertan army. 

The swordsman glared at the cannons. Their message was clear: enter our range and forfeit your lives.

"Ha! Now this is what I call a challenge!" Nyte cheered, sword arm raised as he spurred his horse into the erupting battleground. Death balls whistled through the air as they crashed down around him, but he continued unscathed. An explosion right in front of him caused his horse to fall roughly. He hopped off just in time and continued his charge on his foot. A cannonball crashed into him and exploded.

The terrified players took an involuntarily step back, having just watched their leader get absolutely totalled. 

"Oi, oi. Just what do you guys think you're doing?" Nyte called from within the smoke. The smoke cleared, revealing him completely unscathed by the attack. He regarded the players coldly as another cannonball hurtled towards him. "Hmph. Bunch of cowards. Running from mere lizards." He spun around and cleaved through the ball. The halves crashed on opposite sides of him. Hair fluttering he turned his back to the adventurers and resumed his charge. "Try not to slow down the residents."

The players gripped their weapons, shamed by the display of bravery by the residents as they charged through the erupting battlefield.

What right did they have to see themselves as heroes if they paled at the slightest hint of danger. How could they look down on the NPC's who risked their lives without a second though. Even now as the cannonfire ripped them apart, they neither faltered nor ceased in their attacks.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it! I'm no coward!" A lancer cried. With a defiant scream, he cast aside his inhibition and pursued  the Kertans and Nyte. That lone man's charge sparked a surge of defiance in the adventurers as they resumed their charge, screaming at the top of their lungs. 

They did not stop. Not even as their very own perished right next to them. 

Nyte stopped in front of the wall and turned to see how many had made it past the cannonfire. Surprisingly, a lot more than he had expected survived, now gaping at the massive wall. Each wondering how they were supposed to scale the impossible height.

"Archers, mages! Keep those damned Lizards occupied," he ordered as he made his way to the main gate. Now much closer, the archers and mages could actually land their attacks, but the lizards still held an overwhelming advantage from their towering position.

Nyte placed his hand on the city gate.. or rather, where it should have been. As part of the defense mechanism, the gate had been sealed shut with stones similar to the wall. Judging from the almost unseen crevice, they slid into the wall when not in use. He charged an attack and bashed his sword against the sealed gate.

No effect.

A series of magical circles prevented his attack from testing the seal's integrity. 

"Tough," he mumbled. "The security on this place is no joke. Makes one wonder how they invaded in the first place." He looked at the adventurers who continued to trade arrow for arrow with the Drakul. Then up at the confident lizards who knew they had the advantage and ruthlessly exploited it.

This would be a tough battle. Harder yet was his task to keep the army's morale in check to prevent deserters. All it took was one coward, and the entire battle would be lost. 

He shook his head. "No point thinking too much. I just have to hang in there." He ran through the ranks screaming at the top of his lungs, his commanding voice a beacon of resistance for the army.

The bloody skirmish dragged on for hours. 

Despite his efforts, the players began to show signs of dispiritment. Frantic whispers of retreat could be heard through the ranks, while some had all but ceased to attack. Just when he thought he'd lost them, the earth began to rumble softly.

"What? What's that?!" The players cried.

The swordsman grinned as he removed an arrow stuck in his shoulder. "Our victory."

The drakul focused their sights on the bordering forest, it's trees being brushed aside to accommodate the passage of an unfamiliar structure. The battlefield went silent as the structure revealed itself in all of its powerful splendour. 

A behemoth of wood and metal, the siege tower rolled onto the battlefield pulled by rows of horses. 

What? Was this the human's hope? The drakul laughed out loud as their cannons brought it crashing to the ground. 

"I would advise against complacency," Absalon said as he and his private bodyguard unit began a slow advance.

"Absalon's making his move."

"Does that mean that was his last plan?"

"What'll happen to us?"

As the players fell into deeper depression, the earth shuddered far worse than before, causing many to lose their balance. Both the adventurers and the drakul froze as several seige towers rolled into view and escorted Absalon's unit through the field. 

The day rang with blasts from the cannon as the projectiles rained down on the contraptions. 

Absalon raised his right hand. A giant magic circle formed in front of his army, sucking in the cannon balls. "<<Mirror's Wrath>>" 

Riven's walls lit up in explosions as the missiles returned to their owners with twice the original force.  The smoke cleared to reveal the wall itself without damage, but the cannons were all but annihilated. 

The drakul swiftly switched to flaming arrows. However, by Absalon's command, the mages drenched the towers with water, rendering the attack fruitless.

Of the sseveral that started the charge, only three towers successfully made it to the wall. They took up positions at opposite extreme edges with the lalst at the middle.  

The drakul surrounded them, arrows trained at their doors. The space on the walls were large enough to accomodate hand to hand combat, but the sheer drops on either side discouraged extensive meelee.

They waited, but there was no movement. Just as they turned to each other in puzzlement, a shadow hopped from one of the towers onto the wall. Clad in tight leather pants and a rather revealing top, Asha smiled with confidence at her targets. "Well, hello there." 

"Kill i-" The words died as the screaming drakul clutched his throat. Blood seeped through his fingers as it crumbled to the earth. as blood gushed out like a fountain. "

The drakul, enraged by their comrade's death, lunged at the rogue. 

Asha swiftly took a step back, dodging the first strike, but realized she had her back to the battlement. Bloodthirst gleamed in a drakul's eyes as he swung his sword at her.

"Slow," Asha muttered. She kicked high, knocking the sword out the drakul's arm. Then spun around and stabbed her stiletto into its eye. It reared back in agony, but she wasn't done with him. She darted forward, and sunk her daggers into its shoulders. The others swung at her without regard for their comrade's life.

She used the daggers as a pivot to launch herself into a handstand. The wounded drakul cried out as its comrades sliced into its flesh. Smiling, the rogue rotated, and spun off the drakul as it crumbled to the ground. Before the rest could react, she dropped an object onto the floor.

Boom!

The lizards were blown apart as a column of smoke surrounded the seige tower. Screams of the survivors rang out from the smoke, but soon fell deathly silent. The surrounding drakul trained their bows and spells at the smokened area but could not attack for fear of hitting their allies on either end.

They regretted the decision.

Arrows shot out the smoke, riddling the drakul ranks with arrows. The onslaught was swiftly followed up by charges from the Kertan army. 

The drakul recovered from the initial attack and lashed back. Blood seeped down the walls as steel smashed through metal and crushed bones. The fevered cry of both parties lit fires in the warriors' hearts as they struggled to gain ground.

At the other end of the wall-walk, drakul yelled in fright and surprise as they fell down the sides. A bloodied broadsword gleamed menancily in the afternoon sun as it struck down. Two drakul attempted to parry the blow.

Their swords smashed to bits, and they were sliced through, their bones providing next to no resistance. The strike smashed the ground. Its impact blew apart all surrounding drakul, and its weilder watched them fall to their death.

Nyte raised his arm. 

The unit he led up the seige tower cheered, galvanised by his perfomance. They ran past him to combat the drakul. 

Boom!

Nyte frowned as the soldeirs were sent flying in a similar fashion. 

A brute stepped out. It stood at almost seven feet and weilded a nasty over-sized scimitar in hand. The most distinctive feature where its scales which had turned blood-red against it's kins' green. It pointed its scimitar at him. "Face me, human."

It was undoubtedly strong. If left unchecked, it could damage the Kertan army's morale. "Fine, I accept."

Its lips curled in a nasty grin.

It lunged at him with suprising mobilty, The drakul wore next to no armor as their scales alone provided all the protection they required. Naturally, this granted them a bonus of speed over other races who relied on heavy armor. This battle was no different.

Nyte only managed to awkwardly block the challenge. He lost his footing as he was launched to the battlements. But he only hit it, managing to prevent himself from falling over.  He had no time to rest as a cry caugt his attention.

"Hrragh!"

The swordsman shuffled to the left as the scimitar sparked against the wall. Its weilder glared at him as it kicked him in the abdomen. 

Nyte accepted the challenge and crashed against the spectating drakuls. With a hiss, they pushed him back at the brute's balde which it swung in a horizontal arc.

However, the swordsman was prepared. He stomped his feet centering his centre of gravity as he blcoked the strike. This time, he was only pushed back a few centimetres. 

"Die!" the brute yelled as it swung tirelessly at Nyte.

The Nyte continously parried its strikes, biding his time. 

Fatigue seized the brute as its attacks slowed by a milli-second. 

The hardened veteran gripped the chance. He lashed out his first attack. 

The drakul blocked, but failed to parry the blow. 

The swords sparked agaisnt each other in their battle for supremacy.

Nyte carefully angled his sword down the the scimitar's curved blade. At a point, he lost control.

He lurched forward and to the side as his sword travelled down unopposed. 

The brute suffered a similar fate. Momentum forced it to follow it's sword's trajectory. The scimitar bit into Nyte's exposed shoulder. 

Nyte's blade on the other hand, dug deep into the drakul's bare legs. 

It reared back in pain, but Nyte was not letting the chance go. 

He kicked the brute's legs and it fell to its knees. He spun around, gaining momentum. His strike smashed through the poorly placed scimitar. It dug into the drakul's brain, then flung it over the battlement. Panting heavily, he pumped his fist into the air.

The Kertan army were oncce again elctrified b his display of attack and resumed their attack. As time dragged on, it seemed victory on the wall was within the Kertans' grasp, but two events would soon shift the entire balance of the battlefield.

***

Norcha,

Earlier that day.

Norcha's docks buzzed with activity as Kashi's private militia outfitted themselves, and hauled items onto two frigates. Among these were spears similar to the one the delf had been using, except made from a rare metal. The soldiers looked terrifying in the pure black armor crafted by Kashi. 

The image of a wolf howling to the moon was engraved onto breastplates, sword hilts and flags. It was the new emblem for the Hopeful Maggots. 

The preparations were ready by early evening and they awaited for the only outstanding member.

Leila exited the barracks and made her way to the ships. She was met with loud cheering as she hopped onto Kashi's vessel. "Sorry I'm late. Was held up."

The delf shook his head as he gripped the steering wheel. "Don't worry about it. We're still ahead of schedule. The other squad captains and I have already said our piece. You have anything to add?"

Leila nodded. She hopped onto the railings, and grabbed a line for support. Her confident voice carried across the rapidly increasing wind to the other ship. "I am neither here to flatter nor deceive you. The enemy far outnumbers us and much blood will be shed. Some of us may perish tonight, and others, gavely injured.  I can see the fear in your eyes, the subtle hesitation at my words. But I assure you this: Every soul here is scared. Look to your brave captains. They too fear death. To fear is not to be weak. It reveals your weaknesses. It is your choice to crumble under it, or bend it to your will and emerge stronger than before."

Her voice softened. "Tonight, we face terrible odds, BUT do not forget this! You are led by the man who singlehandedly took down an organization of bandits! The crazy bastard bent the kings of the food chain to his will! If there is one man who can spit in the face of dire odds and emerge victorious it's him!" Her voice rose as she spoke, igniting a spark in the recruits.

If you cannot trust your own power, then trust in his. Just as he liberated you from oppression, so will he liberate your beloved capital. So, tonight, do not panic. Do not waver in your steps. When you feel fear, look to your captains who aided in your rescue and know this: As long as we stand together, shield our brothers while they strike, and keep to the plan, no one, and I mean No One will see us coming. So eat, and rejoice. For by this time tomorrow, one of your own will be crowned king, and your names will go down in history as the brave heroes of the country... For Riven!"

"UOOOHHHH!" Explosive cries blew through apart for miles. The sound was so great, beasts far and wide froze in their tracks.

Kashi grinned at the reaction. Man, she came late, yet somehow managed to steal the show. "Lift anchor! Raise the sails! We sail for victory!" As the sails caught the boisterous wind, the delf glanced at the encroaching dark clouds. He muttered, "A storm... huh."

***

Back on the Riven walls, the Kertan army were faced with a terrifying dilemma.

Nyte heaved heavily, bloody hands gripping his broadsword. The deep gash on his shoulder severly hampered his attack, but he could not afford to retreat and seek out the healers. This was because of his peculiar position of being the symbol of strength for the Kertan army.

Without him, they would crumble. Though he might have still exited for a short period if the events of the past thirty minutes did not occur. He wiped sweat off his pale face and raised his broadsword. "Come!"

The drakul roared unintelligible gibberish as they lunged at him. A good number of them had inexplicably transformed into the red brutes, gaining immense power and speed in the process. The Kertan army would have been wiped out if not for the valiant efforts of the sneaky rogue on one end, and the brave swordsman on the other.

But fortune was not on the Kertan's side.

The sky grumbled its displeasure at the prolonged battle as heavy gales begun to blow to the north. It threatened to blast every man off the wall, but the drakul had better resistance due to their large weight. The gales were soon followed by punishing rain. Their torrid droplets felt like mini-bullets under the force of the wind. This only worsened the condition on the wall-walk as adventurers started losing their balance mid-battle. Of course, they were swiftly rewarded with blades to the head.

Absalon would be mad, but the situation gave the swordsman no choice. "Retreat!" he ordered. "Go down the tower!"

"What of you sir?"

The swordsman tested out his shoulder. it stung, but it would not be as detrimental as before. "I'll hold down them off! Get going!"

At the other end, Asha took a similar stance, letting the army retreat first. The situation was worse on her end though. She had used up most of her smokebombs and mini-traps, and rogues like her were not really suited for straight combat. Especially against multiple opponents.

No use mulling about it. 

She took out her daggers and squared off against the drakul. "Bring it."

The first lunged at her, sword raised. The normal thing to do would be retreat. However, she had a different style of fighting.

She stepped right into its personal space until she almost kissed it. Her daggers plunged into its stomach and its strike faltered halfway. She kicked it back and dropped a smoke bomb. 

The drakul were used to it and fired into the area regeardless. 

"You should have covered your noses," Asha advised.

The weapons dropped from the drakul's hands as they clutched their throats, eyes watering. 

"Not dead I see," muttered Asha. "Well, you boys fell for the oldest trick in the book. We'll meet again." She ran unchallenged into the seige tower and it begun its retreat.

Across, Nyte hobbled into the seige tower then collapsed. His armor was cracked in several places and only the hilt of his sword was left in his hand. That he had managed to fight for so long against those monsters was really surprising. The survivors carried him gently down the stairs to find a healer.

***

The terrible storm had made navigation less than pleasing. But Kashi and Jero somehow managed to guide their respective vessels to the cliffs where the delf had set up his point of infiltration. 

Kashi tied the remaining spears behind him and started up the cliffside. Heavy rain made the rocks slippery, with dangerous winds that could knock him off at anytime. Thankfully, he did not have to worry about the first problem. The rope ladder he had made with the spears made the initial climb easier.

Though the wind proved unrelenting, the delf persevered. Soon, he was at the apex of the rocky part. He withdrew the special spears he'd made and grimaced. Moment of truth.

He struck against the wall and nearly fell from shock. 

It failed. 

He tried again, and again, and again, but no matter how many trials, all he got were errors. He almost wept when he remembered something. He closed his eyes and calmed his breath. 

Ferulic Spirit Technique Activated!

At level 7, the skill increased his strength by forty-five percent when activated. Downside was it absorbed 50MP every 3 minutes of use. Nevertheless, it should be enough.

He pulled his arm as far back as possible. 

The heavens flashed and roared alongside him as he struck! 

The spear slid comfortably into the stone wall. 

Kashi slumped on the makeshift ladder. He rested against the jagged rocks as he sighed in relief. The heavens applauded his efforts with a series of thunderclaps. 

Rejuvenated by success, the delf's eyes burned with excitement as he buried another spear beside the first. Slowly, but surely, he began his acscent.

***

Kertan Main Camp

Absalon listened to the report from his generals. He turned to Nyte. "You ordered the retreat?"

"Yes," replied the swordsman. "Any further and we would have suffered terrible casualties."

"I did not ask for an explanation. I asked if you ordered the retreat."

"Sorry. Yes, I did."

The red commander stood up from his chair and walked over to him. "Why did you give that order?"

"I judged the situation and deemed it necessary."

"On whose authority?"

"Mine. As general."

"General is it? Why did you stay behind till you almost lost your life?"

"That too was my judgment. I decided it would be the best way to reduce casualties."

"... And yourself?"

Nyte bent his head. "It's my duty as general to see to my squad's survival. Even if it -"

Absalon sighed. "Make no mistake. You are far more important than all of those men combined. If you fall, all your men fall with you. Next time, factor your importance into the battle before making rash decisions like that. Besides..."

"Yes?"

"You are weak. When this farce is over, you and I are going to the badlands. For you to be injured by something like this is shameful."

Nyte smiled. "Sure thing boss."

***

Silhouettes hopped over the battlements behind the main castle walls. One of them untied a direwolf from its body. The party swiftly split into three parts. One led by a dark elf, and the other led by the experienced wood elf. The last group bided their time for the signal they knew would come. 

This war which had lasted an entire day would reach a bloody conclusion before the sun rose...