[Mkguild] Plain & Simple part 8 - resent

[Chris]

The group that assembled in the Duke’s private meeting chamber was a lot
larger then the last. Besides the Duke, Thalberg, Misha and George there
was Andre and three others Misha didn’t recognize. They were gathered
around a large table upon which were placed many maps.

   “We are here to plan the retaking of the outpost,” Thomas said to the
assembled group.

   Thomas pointed a hoof-like hand at George. “This is George, the new
head of Scouts.” He then pointed to Misha. “And this is Misha whose
reputation for killing and scouting is well known.”

   The stallion pointed to a short woman dressed in chainmail armor.
Over the armor was a tabard of blue on which was stitched a gold
javelin. On both cuffs was the same emblem: two crossed swords on a
shield above which was a crown, all done in gold. Her blonde hair was
cut short and braided with gold wire. “This is Lynette Miller leader of
the 4th light infantry regiment.”

   Thomas pointed to a lion and lioness morph standing opposite George
and Misha. The male was wearing a tunic and pants colored a dark red
with gray trim. On his cuffs was the same emblem as on Lynette’s two
crossed swords on a shield above which was a crown also in gold. The
female had on a dress that fell all the way to the floor which was
colored the same as the lion’s clothing. Both had the emblem of a
rampant griffon on their chest in silver. The emblem on her cuffs was
the same as the male but in silver.

   “This is Anwell and Leena Blanford. Commander and second in command
of the 5th light infantry regiment,” the Duke explained.

   George nodded to all three of the new arrivals. “Good to meet you.”

   Misha unraveled a map onto the table and weighted the four corners
with various objects. “This is a plan of the old fortress,” the fox
explained, “as it was before Nasoj destroyed the place during Three
Gates. We’ve updated it with what we have discovered during our scouting
of the place along with what the survivors of the siege remember.”

   “The fortress is rectangular in shape with towers at each corner and
the remains of a keep in the northwest corner,” George explained. “The
curtain wall is in pretty good shape but is demolished in some places
and won’t be too difficult to get past. There were many gates but only
two are left.” He tapped the map in two places with his hand. “All the
others were filled in long ago.”

   “The inside is over four acres and is filled with tumbled down rocks
and stone walls, most not more than waist high.” Misha added. “Plenty of
places for someone to hide. The Keep is certain to be well defended.”

   “What’s the Keep like?” the lioness asked. “I’m not going to lose
people assaulting a keep.”

   George nodded. “It’s mostly ruined but it’s bound to be well
defended. I have people who will be clearing the tower before your
people attack.”

   Misha laughed. “He means me and some of my friends. Don’t worry
whatever’s in there we’ll kill and we’ll try to be quiet about it.”

   “You can’t take a place that big with a group that small,” George
commented. “I’ll give you a file of troops to help.”

   “George I don’t need them,” the fox said.

   “Yes you do,” George countered. “These aren’t the Ghosts – yet.”

   Misha just nodded in response. “Yes sir. Can I have two files?” he
asked.

   “Not my scouts. I don’t have enough.”

   “I need axe and sword people, George. Two files of regulars are fine
as long as they’re quiet. Once we get past the door it will all be tooth
and claw fighting with little subtlety.”

   George nodded. “All right but I get one back when the keep is taken.
I need the reserves.”

   “Yes sir,” the fox answered.

   Thomas was amazed by the interaction with Misha. He couldn’t even get
the axe-wielding fox to tell someone where he was going and yet he
accepted George’s orders without question. Misha had very little respect
for anyone of noble birth and he showed the Duke only a small, grudging
respect. Yet he fully trusted and respected this worn out old peasant
turned bandit. It spoke volumes of the deep trust between the two.

   George nodded his head. “The tower is not the big problem. The big
problem is that the entire underside of the castle seems to be riddled
with tunnels and there are entrances all over.”

   “One was large enough to fit a wagon,” Misha added.

   “How do we clear those?” Lynette asked. “We cannot crawl through them
all. And I doubt we’ll be able to find all of the holes.”

   “Smoke,” George answered. “We’ll build a large smoky fire in that
wagon ramp and close the hatch. That should force the smoke through the
tunnels and out the other exits.”

   The lionman smiled showing an impressive set of teeth. “And all we
need to do is look for the smoke.”

   “That will show us the entrances to the tunnels but it won’t get the
Lutins out of them,” the lioness countered. “We’ll need to go in after
them at some point. We can’t just starve them out.”

   “We could add poison to the fire and the smoke would carry it every
where,” George suggested.

   “Poison?” Thomas asked horrified. “All who breath it will die a
painful death.”

   “So?” the jackal asked in an annoyed tone. “We are trying to kill
them.”

   “Yes, but it’s also going to kill any Keeper who breaths it in too,”
Andre commented.

   “A stink pot will do it,” Misha said. “It won’t kill them but it will
force them out. No one, not even a lutin can withstand that stink.”

   “What is a stink pot?” The equine duke asked.

   “It’s something that Misha the siege master learned to make. It’s a
large clay pot filled with all sorts of nasty stuff. You fling it from a
catapult or trebuchet and when it strikes something it bursts into
flames and sends out an incredibly nasty stench.”

   “Make several,” George ordered.

   “I’ll try but I’m not sure I can get all the ingredients,” the fox
morph answered.

   “What will you need?” Thalberg asked. The alligator morph had been
quiet until then. Waiting quietly and patiently to strike.

   “The main ingredient is the carcass of a horse or a mule that’s been
dead and left to rot in the sun at least three days.”

   Thomas let out a soft moan. “I’d rather not hear the other
ingredients.”

   “Will a cow work instead?” Thalberg asked. “We lost some cattle and
sheep to a sickness.”

   “A cow will do,” Misha answered, as long as it’s large and dead. I’ll
also need at least two hundred pounds of manure and other offal.”

   “This is what we will do,” George said. “Just before dawn Misha and
his people will kill the sentries near the tower and then move to the
tower itself. They will then clear the tower trying to be as quiet as
possible.”

   “The infantry will go in next moving through the breach that Misha
and his people made. All the files will have been assigned specific
parts of the ruins and will move to them. First they will kill any
visible sentries and then they’ll search for anything else worth
killing. Any tunnel entrances will be marked and guarded. When that is
done they will each send a runner to me to report,” George explained.
“As for me I’ll take a file and move to the town square here,” the
jackal tapped the center of the map.

   “And what will your scouts do?” the lion asked.

   “My scouts will spread out around the keep, especially to the north.
Anything going towards or away from the castle will be spotted and
killed,” the scout leader explained. “If there is a group too large for
the scouts to deal with then Andre’s cavalry will run them down.”

   “A simple plan,” Thomas commented.

   “Simple ones are the best. Less room for mistakes and confusion.”

   Misha nodded his head in agreement. “Retaking it won’t be the
difficult part. Holding against Nasoj’s attempts to retake it will be
the hard part.”

   “The soldiers I know how to defeat. What has me nervous is what magic
he will throw at us. Any mages we can get to help us?” George asked.
“Any wizards with field experience?”

   All he got in response was silence.

   “I told you,” Misha said “No field mages here.”

   The jackal muttered curses in several languages and growled deeply.

   “Mages are a rare breed here,” Thomas explained. “But I believe we
can find you one eventually.”

   “We can take the ruins without one but to hold the place we must have
a mage,” George commented. “Nasoj has too much magic at his command.”

   “Agreed,” Thalberg said. “But it will take time.”

   George nodded and turned back to the map. “All right. What’s next?”

   Misha tapped three spots on the map. “Those are the locations of the
forts three wells. They MUST be secured. We’re not sure what shape they
are in but at least one of them must still be working.”

   “Even Lutins need water to drink,” Leena commented.

   “We’ll assign a squad to each well,” George ordered.

   “We need only one at first. As long as at least one well is usable we
can use that till the others are cleared,” Misha added.

   “I have one last question,” George asked. He pointed to Andre,
Lynette, Anwell and Leena in turn. “What are the markings on your cuffs?
They look like rank but the wolverine has lances instead of swords.”

   Andre tapped the insignia on his right sleeve. “That marks me as a
colonel in command of a cavalry regiment. And the swords mark them as
commanders of infantry regiments.”

   “Swords for infantry, lances for cavalry,” George said slowly in a
tone Misha recognized all too well. “What do my scouts get?”

   “What do you mean?” Leena asked. “They’re infantry and they wear
swords and arrows.”

  “No they’re not,” George answered coldly as his ears laid back and his
hackles rose. “They are scouts. Proud and independent.”

   “They walk that means they’re infantry,” the lioness countered.

   “Can your soldiers stalk a deer? Can your people survive in the
wilderness with nothing but a bow and knife?” George countered calmly.

   “They do different tasks then regular infantry,” Misha added. “That
means they ARE different.”

   “A bow,” Andre said interrupting the jackal. “The scouts could have
the rank surrounded by a bow.”

   “That decision is mine to make,” Thomas ordered. “I will decide in
due time. For the moment let’s not get distracted by petty arguments.
Remember what we are here to do.”

 
*****************

 
   Panno knocked lightly on the door three times.

   “Come in,” a muffled voice said from the other side of the door.

   Panno had never been a violent person. As a child he had not dreamed
of being a knight or a famous warrior. He had always wanted to be a
blacksmith. As an adult he could not wield a sword or shoot a bow very
well but he knew how to melt, mold and shape iron and steel in ways no
knight could ever imagine.

   The effects of the curse had left him in a form no one could
identify. He now had a massive and heavily muscled body that looked like
a bear’s. But he had the head, tail and paws of a wolf all covered with
a dark brown, striped fur. It was months before a visiting scholar had
produced a box full of old, brown bones with a skull like his. “An
amphycon,” the scholar had explained. “The common name is Beardog.” The
old man had paid him very well to simply sit in his full animal form as
the scholar drew pictures and took careful measurements. Panno did not
mind his new massive form as it gave him added strength and his looks
alone scared away most trouble.

   Opening the door he found two people seated casually around a table.
The younger of the two was a red fox morph. Seated across from the fox
was a tan, colored dog of some sort.

   “I was asked to come here,” Panno said.

   “You’re Panno the blacksmith?” the tan dog asked.

   “Yes sir.”

   “I’m Misha,” the fox said “and you can call me that. Never mind the
sir.” He pointed to the dog. “This is George the Patrol Master and Scout
Commander. Please take a seat and relax. We’re not going eat you. We
just want to know what you know about the old fortress where you used to
live.”

   “You mean Hareford?”

   Misha nodded in answer. “Yes. We’re trying to find out what the place
looked like before it fell. And what happened when it was taken.”

   The smith shook his head. “It was a bad night. I was lucky to escape
at all. We had been under siege for over a month. Sir Bermith had
thankfully ordered everyone back to Metamor just before the attack so
only the soldiers and essential people like me remained.”

   “What do you remember of the attack itself?” George asked.

   “I remember they just didn’t stop coming. Wave after wave of them
climbing the ladders and coming over the wall.”

   “Were there any towers, battering rams or other siege engines?” Misha
asked.

   “Lots of them. They used towers and ladders to get onto the wall and
catapults and battering rams to knock them down. We knocked them back
again and again but they just kept coming. Finally there was just too
many of them and they swarmed over the north wall.”

   Panno paused for a moment and shook his head. “There was no hope of
stopping them but we made them pay for the castle,” there was a fierce
anger in his voice. “We fought for every tiny piece of that place.”

   “How did you survive?”

   “Inside the curtain wall is a large place. Lots of rooms, cellars and
little places a person can hide. Once they took the castle the Lutins
looted it that night but left the next day. We waited till the yelling
and screaming stopped and crawled out to find the castle and town in
ruins and totally deserted.”

   “Where did you live in the castle?” George asked.

   “We had a blacksmith shop near the town square,” Panno explained as
his voice softened with pleasant memories. “My father and uncle built it
themselves.” 

   “What was it made of?” Misha asked. “Wood or stone?” 

   “Brick. A blacksmith made of wood has the constant danger of burning
down.”

   “What were the other building around it made from?” the fox asked as
he scribbled notes onto a piece of parchment.

  “Varied. Some were wood, others were half timber with plaster fillings
but a lot were brick. I remember town hall itself was of stone. Really
old stone.”

   “Probably reused Seuilman,” Misha commented.

   The beardog nodded in agreement. “I remember seeing old writing
carved into some of the blocks. I couldn’t read the language they were
in but I did know the letters were up upside down.”

   The two canines talked together in soft whispers.

   “Are you going to retake Hareford?” Panno asked.

   The two fell silent for a moment. “Perhaps,” George answered.

   “That means yes.”
   “That means perhaps. And you will keep that information to yourself,”
George ordered.

   “Of course. As long as I can come along.”

   “Why?” Misha asked.

   “Because Hareford was my home and I want it back,” Panno said with a
determination and anger that surprised him.

   George nodded. “I like you Panno. Keep quiet about all this and we’ll
let you get involved.”

 
****************


   Misha heard the group long before they came into sight. The group of
six was cheering and boasting as they paraded through the halls of the
Keep. In the lead was a young woman whose beautiful face was marred by a
long jagged scar. In her right hand was a long spear. “We got them ALL!”
she announced loudly to Misha and held up her left hand which held four
lutin heads by their hair. “We brought you a present.” She said
cheerfully. “We couldn’t bring the rest along so we just took their
ears.”

   The fox scout nodded. “Good! How many did you get?”

   “Nine!” An older man in the group answered.

   “And we wounded another half dozen but they got away,” a white furred
wolf morph added in a disappointed tone.

   “Good enough,” Misha answered. “Report to George and then get cleaned
up. I’ll meet you in the Mule. Drinks are on me!”

 
***************

 
   Thomas sat calmly in a soft chair in his private apartment. Nearby
sat Phil and Thalberg.

   “George’s methods seem to be working,” Thalberg commented. “The
number of raids in the valley has been cut by half these last two
months. They haven’t attacked Mycransburg in over two weeks.”

   “They tried twice,” Phil added in a satisfied tone. “And were
ambushed both times.”

   “The number of lutin kills has tripled,” Thomas commented. “And there
hasn’t been a successful raid south of the Keep in three weeks.”

   “A week sooner then George predicted,” the rabbit answered. “He has
successfully cut the Lutins off from the southern half of the valley.”

   “Good. That will allow us to get in a full harvest!” Thalberg added.

   “What do you think for his plan to retake Hareford castle?” Thomas
asked.

   “Go ahead with it,” Phil answered. “We cannot let Nasoj build up any
more there. We must strike now before the forces there are too powerful
for us to defeat.”

   “I do not like using so much of our army in one battle but we have
little choice,” Thalberg commented. “We’ve already delayed this far
longer then we should have.”

   “Agreed,” the stallion Duke added.

   “They will need a mage of some power. Both George and Misha have
asked about a mage they can work with.”

   “Someone we can afford to loose if this battle goes badly.” Phil
commented coldly.

   Thomas snorted and stomped a hoof. “I do not just throw people away.”

   “I understand but we must accept the fact that any mage we send on
the expedition is likely to be killed.”

   Thomas nods slowly. “War uses people up and kills them. Who can we
send?”

   “Nestorius,” the reptile answered. “He is a mage of considerable
power but knows little of the Keep’s magic itself.”

   “It makes sense. Nestorius is not a native of the Keep.” Phil
commented. “He had only arrived from the Sathmore Empire a few weeks
after Nasoj had attacked. Afterward he has remained loyal to the Guilds
in Sathmore. Still he has used his magic freely to defend the keep.”

   “Can we trust him?” Thomas asked.

   “Not completely. But as of late his guild has grown more distant and
hostile to him,” was the rabbit’s explanation.

   “They just don’t understand the threat,” Thomas said and sadly shook
his head.

   “But Nestorius does,” Phil said. 

 End part 8


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