Azimuth: The Elden Throne

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/ROAARRR!/

"CHAAARRGE!!"

Not long after he found the hidden space within the mountain, the second invading wave arrived.

Screaming was soon replaced by the trembling of a thousand feet as a sea of men ran down from the hills towards the Fortress.

However… Something was different this time around…

Instead of rallying outside of the walls, the soldiers remained within the protection of the fortress, making use of their siege weapons to defend themselves and preserve their lives.

Catapults were released, raining down rocks from the skies, incapacitating and smashing whatever they fell upon.

Arrows fell from the high walls, the large gates prevented the soldiers from marching.

Every second, someone fell, such was War, such was their fate.

Like that, the mercenaries, who weren't ready for a raid, were efficiently reppeled by the soldiers.

Finally, the soldiers were fighting inside familiar ground, the same place they were trained to be, not outside in the cold, unforgiving lands.

As such, the second wave abruptly ended as the mercenaries realized there was no way they would be climbing the walls with their equipment.

A thousand bodies now littered the ground in front of the Fortress.

/CHEERS!/

But as much as the soldiers cheered, it was time to prepare for the next Raid, the one which would define their fate.

…

"... I did it." Dale muttered with a sigh of relief as he saw the remnants of the mercenary soldiers run away from the battlefield

'I thought they wouldn't listen to me… But it was easier than I expected… Though that's not exactly good.'

To convince the soldiers, Dale made use of several factors.

First, he used the General's sword to prove his rank. Following that, he wore one of the more expensive pieces of equipment he found in the secret storage.

Like that, a Hero was born, a General who would lead the soldiers to victory. Clad in glistering armor, he came during their dark times to lead them to victory, not like it was hard, he just had to make them act within the confines of what they knew.

However, the reason his act worked wasn't because his disguise was good, it was because there was no one left to contest it.

As per the letter he found, most of the top brass of the Fortress Higherarch was gone, fleeing days before the Barbarians even arrived.

The General was the only one who remained, willing to stay and fight with his soldiers… And it was clear whoever was moving the strings in the dark wasn't pleased with his actions.

'This is a political fight between several groups.'

'Someone is trying to have the Barbarians advance through the Fortress so they can decimate the territories neigboring it. There are even clear instructions as to what they can and cannot do while in there, likely as a means to try and minimize damage.'

'Once the Barbarians retreat with their bounty, it would be easy for the perpetrator to swoop in with moral and legal causes to take hold of whatever remained... Or to even ambush them completely and take care of everything at once.'

'Anyhow, a destroyed territory can be fixed within a few decades. And for large organizations and families, this will only pay in the long run.'

'But for me… They're just people who sold me for their benefit…'

'In the end, I will survive and see this memory through.'

Dale's eyes were full of determination as he saw hope in this despairing situation.

"Not all is well and good though… Dealing with ordinary soldiers is one thing, dealing with Superhumans is another…"

'It's time to make use of the equipment in the secret storage.'

Dale was currently sitting on the General's Office table, overlooking the fortress and the battlefield from his high vantage point.

He gazed at the far distance, thinking about the future and what was left for him to learn in this memory...

However, there was still one worrying him, the fact the System had yet to sound.

The lack of notifications indicated that even with everything he did, there were little changes in the overall memory of the man, and that was obvious, after all, the end result was death.

If he did not prevent his death, then no matter what he did, nothing would change.

And this memory would remain as that of an Ancient, nameless warrior.

/Knock…/

Deep in thought, someone knocked on the door and soon after, an old man entered his room.

He recognized the man, the memories seemed to flash as he thought about it, like leaves resurfacing in murky water...

This man was the highest rank Officer left in the fortress, although even so, he was nothing but an old Knight without land nor a Title, just someone who lived far too long and was ready to die as long as it was a just and corageous end.

"... We should talk." The old man said as he looked at Dale

His tone was cold and informal, though there was some respect hidden in it.

At the very least, he wasn't beliting Dale.

"I mean no offense, it's just that I wish to discuss this as soon as possible without beating around the bush... The matter of your identity."

"..."

'I got caught rather quickly...'

"I've lived long, too long. So it's not difficult to notice such things… I'm aware you're not part of our forces, your complete lack of Military Etiquette says it all to me."

"I'm unsure of who you are or how you even got here, but I don't have the time to be picky about it either, someone has to do it and none of those dunces will do."

"... I could still be part of it, lack of Etiquette says little, you could be punished for such transgressions." Dale said out loud as his eyes sharpened, though it was hard to differentiate his expression while he was clad in heavy armor

"So be it, what can an old man like me even do? Dying by your hand or theirs, it's all the same… But none can say I didn't try."

"... What do you suggest then?" Dale asked, not admitting to his words, but not refusing them either

"For you to take charge… To become an actual General."

"Without one, we can't win, the soldiers were demoralized, but your presence and orders made them recover just enough for them to act satisfactorily in combat."

"Usually, once this is over you'd be punished for your actions... But we can change that."

"Once everything's over… I can help put a word to the Galavier… Only if we survive."

"What do you think?" He asked as he opened his eyes slightly, gazing at Dale through his worn out, misty eyes

"..."

The Galivier would be to this land what a Count is to Medieval Europe, a High Noble of Status in charge of managing multiple sets of lands and making sure tax and royal laws are being enforced in the region.

They would be part of the Galivier's military forces.

"I want... To live."

"and I'll make sure they do so as well." Dale proclaimed as he placed his two hands on the table

"I can't survive alone, I need as many as I can get. The rest... Can be left for later."

"Excelent, we're on the same boat. I'm not happy with senseless losses either." The old man said with a nod as he looked at Dale

"From this moment forth, let's work together to survive, that's all that matters."

Dale nodded, but he quickly returned to the matter at hand:

"... We need to prepare. The next wave will likely be their final one, they won't let us gather momentum, so it'll likely be sooner than expected as well." Dale pointed out as he looked at the window

"Yes, I've already sent scouts to gather the loose equipment on the battlefield and to excavate trenches and build mounds around the fortress' walls, but that alone won't help us with what they'll be sending."

"Our Knights were deployed elsewhere, direct orders of the Lord."

"He likely predicted he was being conspired and gathered his Elites back… Or the order was false and they were brought away to weaken us."

"Regardless, I've sent emergency letters back but I have yet to receive a response from either… And I'm afraid I won't receive any."

"So we're on our own… Nothing's changed."

"Have the soldiers rest as much as they can, have a few stand guard on key points and a tight patrol schedule, if even one of them is late they are to sound emergency horns." Dale proclaimed as he racked his brains for ways to deal with this situation

He had played strategy games and simulations like these before, but he wasn't a master by any means…

"I was thinking of something along those lines as well, but we're in trouble, we have little rations and supplies for all, and we've been running on parting them for a while now…"

"That won't be a problem, just behind me is the emergency storage of the Fortress." Dale said as he pointed behind him

"Emergency storage?"

"It would be easier to show it to you." He said as he opened the secret passage

There may be the question of whether it was okay to share such secrets with him, but Dale was in no position to be suspicious, much less when this secret was already leaked outside, likely by the General himself.

After all, he was the one who ordered the soldiers to fight outside.

…

"... So that's where he went… What a foolish man, he should've ran away." The old man said with some pity as he saw the General's head on the casket

"That's odd, I thought you would prefer him to remain."

"I don't, he was a cruel and shortsighted man, if he made a choice, he would stick to it even if it led to the deaths of a dozen soldiers, he was umpreffisional and prideful, taking more pride in his position than the lives of others."

"He was corrupt but believed it to be natural for a man of his stature, he likely took bribes and allowed the funds of the Fortress to be diverged for his own benefit, but in the end, look at him, he was cut out when he proved to be a torn and not a helping hand."

"Maybe it was his fate to die, to be cut out as a nail sticking out of a plank rather than being hammered out in place… No, I'm sure they tried to hammer him back in place, but given his personality, he kept sticking out again and again… So they choose to pull him out altogether."

"... Do you know what this is?" Dale asked as he showed him the horn

"Unfortunately… Yes, I'm aware… It's a Clan Horn, a symbol of extreme Status for the Eastern Barbarians, they wage war and pillage for the sake of taking them from the hands of others."

"They simbolize the strength of a ruler and the essence of a Clan, a group can only be given such a title when they own one, otherwise, they'll be ridiculed by their kinsmen."

"I imagine the Clan Leader of those Barbarians is in dire need of it to sediment his rule... A rather powerful one at that, so he'll spare nothing to get it out of our hands."

"And what they don't lack are numbers, Barbarians are great at reproducing, they outnumber us 20 to 1, and even if he's the last one standing, he'll charge at us, that's how they operate when it comes to this."

"... Is there a possibility for negotiation?"

"Not in the way we currently are I'm afraid, they perceive us as nothing but prey, not fellow Human beings... Not that we consider them the same either."

"If we can resist enough, there may be space for it."

"Anyway, a terrific yet excellent find, better it being in our hands than knowing it exists and it not being with us." The man said with a nod as he looked around the room

"Can you get the soldiers armored in these?" Dale asked as he pointed at the armor pieces lying around

"Not quite… These are excellent pieces, most of them, different kinds of plate, some heavier and bulkier than others...."

"A soldier requires training to use these, when they finish it, we call them Fencioars, a kind of honorary Knight a step above that of a Squire."

"So… No, I can probably arm… Fourty? No, Fifty. That's about it."

"Good enough, I'm sure the sight of some well-armored Knights will boost the soldiers' morale… As for the rest, just try to feed the soldiers and have them rest, if possible, have them clean themselves as well, this entire place smells like ass."

"Smells… Like ass?... Ha… Yes, it does indeed smell like it." The old man said with a weak smile as he turned his head, walking out of the room

"I'll have some trustworthy Squires come and begin transferring the pieces out of the storage, I'll handle the rest as well."

"I appreciate it, handling everything alone shouldn't be easy given everyone left…"

"It is but protocol, nothing I'm unaccustomed with… This place will get busy for a while but do get ready."

"I'll send a servant of trust, someone who's been working in the Fortress for decades, he'll help you memorize all parts of the foretress, you'll need it if you wish to lead the soldiers without having them suspect much… Not that they would have the luxury of doubting you while arrows fly at their heads, but giving reasons for them to think during battle is nothing short of killing them."

"I'll try to catch on to as many etiquettes and rules as I can as well."

"Good, if everything goes well, we'll have the time to study the rest when this is over."

"Then… I'll be taking my leave… General."

"Uhum, at ease."

/Clack…/

"..."

'It worked somehow… But this is where everything begins.'

He turned his gaze to a series of books placed atop the General's Office table.

'There's much to read and study…'

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Notes