Chương 52: The Tenets of War

The road to Drakehaven began by going the wrong direction. The new road did not begin at Bellhaven itself. Instead, they had followed one of the town's two major outbound roads for several miles before choosing a broad stretch of relatively level ground as the future crossroads. From there, Drakehaven's road would branch away. It added distance to anyone traveling directly between the two settlements, but it was a small enough addition that Orion seemed to be the only one that cared.

Roy had responded by drawing several lines on a map and explaining that the existing road had already saved them miles of construction, months of labor, and enough coin that Orion should stop complaining before Dorian somehow heard him and produced an invoice. There was another advantage too. Someday, if Drakehaven grew the way Roy intended, travelers heading toward the larger cities beyond Bellhaven would not need to pass through Bellhaven every time they wanted to leave.

Orion understood the logic, he simply thought roads ought to go where people wanted to go. The morning had been chaotic after that. Several wagons had departed Bellhaven shortly after sunrise with tools, food, timber, cut stone, hardware, and enough miscellaneous supplies that Orion had stopped trying to determine what each crate contained. The initial haul would be done traditionally.

After that, Spark and Shimmer could transport smaller follow-up shipments as needed rather than forcing wagons to make the trip every time someone discovered they had forgotten nails. It had taken a little over two hours to reach the site. Roy had then insisted on officially breaking ground, which no one else understood. Eventually, Roy had shoved a shovel into the dirt, lifted one ceremonial scoop, and announced that Drakehaven's road had begun.

Several hours later, the ceremony had been forgotten in lieu of the work itself. Shale had torn through the first section as though the landscape had personally offended him. Behind him, workers sorted what could be reused while Roy processed useful material into more consistent forms. Nimbus handled water. There was less of it here than along some portions of the planned route, but Roy had wanted the first stretch properly graded and drained from the beginning.

Nimbus had happily pulled moisture from soft ground, redirected runoffs, and filled temporary basins where workers needed water. By mid-morning, both drakes were resting as humans took over. Shale lay beneath the shade of several trees with his broad head planted against the earth. Nimbus had compressed herself down to a more modest size and lounged beside a collection of water barrels. Which left Orion with very little to do. Six Bellhaven guards had been assigned to the road crew.

At first, Orion had paced with them, but very little was happening. By the fourth circuit, Orion could hear Edric's voice in his head. If you exhaust yourself before danger arrives, you've helped the danger. Orion stopped walking. One of the guards glanced at him, and Orion pretended he had intended to stop there. The guard returned his attention to the tree line. Orion looked across the work site. Roy stood beside a pile of broken stone with both hands pressed against it.

Golden Weave crawled over the material, and workers waited nearby to haul the processed stone where it was needed. As he watched, his fingers touched something beneath his cloak. Orion frowned, then pulled out the book. The leather cover was worn, the corners softened by years of use. Stamped across the front were four words. The Tenets of War Edric had given it to him that morning before departure.

Orion had been halfway through checking the wagon guards when the Watch Captain appeared beside him and held out the book.

"No." Edric stared, then pushed it against Orion's chest. Orion did not take it, but Edric remained firm.

"This is stupid. I don't need a book."

"That's generally what men who need books say." Orion frowned.

"I need to train. Why would I spend hours sitting around?" Edric finally released the book, which Orion caught before it fell - mostly because dropping something after refusing it would have looked childish.

"Because you're not protecting one cottage anymore," Edric folded his arms.

"There are what now? A dozen people living around Drakehaven regularly?"

"Something like that."

"With more coming." Orion did not answer. Edric took the opportunity to step closer.

"You cannot be everywhere. Act like it." Orion's jaw tightened.

"Combat power isn't going to come from reading."

"You are correct."

"Then what are we arguing about?" Edric looked him directly in the eyes.

"How productive has that been lately?" Orion opened his mouth, but nothing came out. Edric's expression barely changed, which made it worse. Orion had not fallen behind, but the others kept discovering things. The other siblings' skills were continuing to become more versatile. Orion trained and got stronger, but the Weave had been unusually quiet. Edric saw the answer in his silence.

"If strength solved every problem, Bellhaven wouldn't maintain guards." Orion frowned.

"Guards are armed."

"And weaker than you."

"That isn't the same thing."

"That is exactly the point," Edric gestured toward the road crew.

"You could kill every guard leaving with you this morning." The nearest guard looked over. Edric ignored him.

"Probably without much difficulty." Orion glanced at the man, who immediately looked away.

"Yes."

"Then why bring them?" Orion frowned.

"To protect the workers." Edric waited; Orion understood where this was going and disliked it immediately.

"You're in charge of their defense," Edric continued.

"That means you can't simply rely on you being the strongest. You need to start thinking like someone in charge."

"I already know how to fight."

"That's not what captains do," Edric stepped away.

"Unless you truly believe you can stand between every threat and every person at the same time." Orion said nothing. Edric nodded once.

"Read." Then he walked away. Orion had nearly thrown the book into the wagon, but he had not. Mostly because he could still feel Edric watching. ─── 🐲🐲 ─── Now Orion sat on a fallen log with the book in his hands. Before opening it, he pulled up his status instead. The familiar golden display appeared. [Private Quest] [Protect What You Cannot Reach] Orion stared.

"You too?" The System did not answer, but the wording was irritatingly close to Edric's lecture. Orion closed the screen, then opened the book. The first page was bad - the second was worse. Orion could mostly read; enough for signs, names, and simple notices. Their parents had taught all three siblings what they could, but Roy had always been better with writing.

Now he was staring at a sentence containing three words he recognized, four he thought he recognized, and one that looked as though someone had lost a fight with the alphabet. He slowly sounded it out, but got nothing. He tried again, but still nothing. Then golden light appeared, causing Orion to nearly drop the book. [Relevant Knowledge Detected] [Skill Available] He froze as the text shifted.

[Skill Unlocked: Tactician's Assistant] [While studying strategically relevant material, Tactician's Assistant may provide definitions and contextual guidance for advanced concepts.] There was a long silence.

"No." A word on the page glowed faintly. Orion looked at it, and a definition appeared beside it. He looked at the next unfamiliar word, and another definition appeared. Orion closed his eyes.

"This is terrible." The skill had not made him suddenly literate. It had given him a way to learn slowly and painfully - one word at a time. Which also meant he no longer had the excuse that the book was too difficult. The System had apparently decided Edric was right. He turned back to the first paragraph. He looked up two words as he read the first sentence. It still didn't make much sense, but then the a whole phrase became highlighted as context appeared. Orion read it a third time.

"Oh." Then the next sentence. By the time he reached the bottom of the page, Orion hated war. Specifically, whoever had decided it needed books. ─── 🐲🐲 ─── Several hours later, Orion was considering whether learning could cause physical injury. His head hurt just enough that he believed knowledge was probably involved.

"You look miserable." Orion looked up. Roy stood over him holding two wrapped lunches. Orion reached for one, but Roy pulled it back.

"What?"

"I want to appreciate this."

"Give me the food."

"My older brother," Roy smiled.

"Doing homework."

"I can still throw you." You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Roy handed over the lunch. Orion unwrapped it and began eating immediately. Roy sat on the log beside him.

"Edric?"

"Yes."

"I'm doubly surprised that you're doing it, then." Orion chewed.

"Yeah, well… The Weave agrees with him." Roy's smile disappeared.

"What?" Orion swallowed before showing him the skill. Roy read the description, then read it again.

"That appeared when you opened the book?" Roy looked toward the cover.

"The Tenets of War." Roy became thoughtful, which Orion hated. It usually meant additional work.

"So," Roy pointed toward the book.

"What did you learn?"

"That big things are scary." Roy blinked. Orion took another bite.

"That is what I have accomplished."

"What?"

"The entire first section is about intimidation." Roy looked at the thickness of the book.

"How much did you read?" Orion showed him. Roy frowned.

"That is... One chapter?"

"A small chapter."

"In several hours?" Orion glared, prompting Roy to raise his hands.

"Reading takes practice. You'll get faster."

"I know."

"And usually you need to read things more than once to understand them."

"I understood it." Roy smiled.

"Did you?"

"Large armies are intimidating. Fortifications are intimidating. Looking stronger than the other person can stop them from attacking."

"Yes." Orion spread one hand.

"I could have told you that without spending three hours learning what 'projection' means." Roy thought.

"Maybe that's not the point. Knowing something isn't always the same as understanding when to use it." Orion frowned.

"That sounds like book nonsense."

"Probably." Roy bit into his own lunch. Orion took the moment as an opportunity to appreciate silence and look across the site. Then he stopped chewing when he realized a group had formed around Nimbus. Workers - too many - and they were laughing.

"What are they doing?" Roy followed his gaze. Another cheer erupted as one worker tossed a rock into the air. Nimbus snapped her head around as a needle-thin stream of water blasted outward and blew apart the stone. Everyone cheered as Nimbus bounced in place. Roy closed his eyes.

"No." Another worker picked up a stone. Roy stood and Orion followed. By the time they reached the group, Nimbus had destroyed three more. Each shot earned louder applause; her tail slapped wetly against the ground as she ate up the attention. Roy pushed through the workers.

"What are you doing?" A younger laborer looked back.

"Lunch."

"With projectiles?" The man smiled.

"Getting used to our work partners." Nimbus chirped happily. Roy pointed at her.

"She is not entertainment." Orion rubbed his face. The younger worker responded with laughter.

"One more."

"Don't—" He threw - hard; the stone sailed toward the distant woodline. Nimbus snapped toward it, firing another jet of compressed water. It missed by an inch as both the rock and jet vanished into the trees. For half a second, nothing happened. Then something howled. Workers froze as the sound rolled across the road site. Nimbus shrank slightly as guards abandoned their lunches and Orion drew his axe.

"Positions." His voice cut across the clearing, and the six guards moved immediately. Roy stepped beside him.

"What was that?"

"I don't know." The trees moved, branches shifted, and brush parted. One creature emerged - a wolf, but like no wolf Orion had ever seen. Its shoulder nearly reached his chest, and scales covered much of its hide, layered over dark fur in overlapping plates. Its head was broader than a normal wolf's, but its teeth looked perfectly familiar. A second appeared, then a third. Orion felt his stomach drop when he realized they all had the same scales.

"They're altered." Roy looked at him.

"Like the boar?"

"Same kind of change." More emerged: Four; eight; then twelve. The lead wolf limped as blood ran from its shoulder. Orion could see that the wound likely came from Nimbus' shot. Nimbus had once used a jet like that to cut an altered creature nearly in half. Here, it had torn a deep groove through scales and flesh - nowhere near fatal. Roy saw it too.

"Oh." That was all he said, but it was enough.

"Everyone together!" Orion pointed toward the wagons.

"Workers inside! Guards around them!" People moved fast. Shale was already awake; the Burrowback rose and lumbered between the workers and the approaching pack. Nimbus swelled larger as she pulled water from the nearby barrels. The wolves stopped. They did not charge, but they watched. Roy backed toward the workers and pulled out the talking stone that connected back to Drakehaven.

"Aurelia." A muffled answer came through after a moment.

"We need Aegis at the road site… Now" Another garbled response. Roy looked toward Orion.

"Aegis is moving. Five minutes." Orion poured Weave into Kindle's Fury. The Firebreaker Axe changed as deep blue became brilliant. Heat rolled from the metal with enough strength to wilt the grass at Orion's boots. Several wolves reacted, but none engaged. Some moved left, while some moved right. Pack tactics. Shale could stop one side and Orion could stop another, but there were twelve of them.

Even if he was strong enough to kill two before the rest reached the workers— Shale could hold one or two, Nimbus could hit one… but the guards were too weak to matter. Roy dropped to one knee as he prepared to send Weave into the ground. He and Orion exchanged glances, which gave Orion all the understanding he needed. Roy was tired; hours of processing stone had burned through most of his Weave Reserve. Battle Transmutation could raise defenses, but not enough. Orion's Danger Sense pulsed everywhere.

The workers had gathered tightly between the wagons. Edric's voice returned. You cannot be everywhere. Orion tightened his grip as one wolf moved farther right. Shale tried to follow, but they were intentionally pulling his attention away to create an opening. Orion's instinct screamed one answer: Attack first and kill the closest, surprise the pack, then fight like his life depended on it. Unfortunately, he was too afraid that such an engagement would end poorly for the workers. Then he stopped. Fear.

The book - three hours - intimidation. Looking stronger than you were, and making the cost of attacking appear greater than the reward. Of course a larger force frightened a smaller one. Of course walls made people reconsider attacks and looking dangerous mattered. Except he had been thinking about killing wolves, not stalling them. Five minutes. He did not need to win, he just needed them to hesitate until Aegis arrived. The golden screen appeared.

[New Tenet of War Understood: Deception] [New Summon Unlocked: Dragonscale Redoubt] Orion blinked.

"Summon?" Apparently the confusion showed on his face. The lead wolf lowered its body, coordinating the others to follow as they began forward. Orion stopped thinking.

"Activate!" Weave erupted from into the dirt; the force struck the earth hard enough to drop Orion to one knee. Even from a distance, Roy stumbled backward.

"What—" One wall rose, then another. Stone exploded upward around them in sheets of gold, forming into battlements around ten feet high. The walls curved around every wagon and ally present, sealing off the area except for one opening directly behind Orion. Golden shapes appeared atop the walls. Heavy full-plate armor formed first, then scaled shoulders. Helms with narrow, blackened visors, shields, and gnarly blades shaped like dragon claws.

Each of these summoned soldiers stood motionless atop the battlements, staring out over the field beyond. A final pulse traveled through the structure. Above the entrance, stone twisted and expanded into an enormous dragon skull. Silence fell as everyone stared at the construct that surrounded them. Orion slowly stood. For one glorious second, he thought the System had given him a fortress. Then he looked closely. The wall beside him looked like stone, but his Protector instincts noticed the problem immediately.

The entire outer face looked massive, but most of the apparent thickness was just from the outer appearance. It was a facade - even a moderate strike from one of those wolves would tear through. Orion glanced toward the Scale Soldiers. They seemed dense and durable, somehow connecting and waiting for him. He gave them a silent command, and three turned toward the left side - immediate and perfect. Orion almost smiled. Then he realized the lack of Weave in their weapons.

"Oh." Roy had moved beside him.

"What?"

"They can't fight." Roy looked upward.

"They have blades."

"They have decorative blades." One wolf shifted left, and the soldiers mirrored it. Roy stared at the movement, then at the walls. His eyes narrowed.

"You made a fake fortress. This wall is barely—""I know." Roy looked toward the wolves, then smiled. Orion did not like that smile. Roy turned.

"Guards!" The six Bellhaven guards looked toward him.

"Battlements!" The guards moved. They climbed and spread between the Scale Soldiers, weapons out. Suddenly the battlements looked crowded, and the workers below watched with renewed confidence. They did not know the truth, which was a blessing in disguise. Orion stepped into the opening - exactly where the walls funneled anything approaching toward him. The wolves watched as their wounded leader paced. As it did, Orion had the Scale soldiers march to follow it.

Six marched across the battlements together, heavy boots thundering against the stone-like surface. The wolf stopped. It growled once, then they spread again. Orion divided his summons, allowing the guards to remain centered. Roy moved behind Orion.

"How long?"

"Four minutes."

"You know that?"

"No." Roy looked offended.

"Then why say it?"

"It feels like four."

"It has been maybe thirty seconds." The wolves advanced slowly. Nimbus crouched behind the entrance with water ready, and Shale planted himself behind Orion. The wolves could see them, which seemed to act as another deterrent. One Scale Soldier lifted its shield, which the others copied. Orion had not ordered that, but he had wanted them to look ready. The summon seemed to interpret effectively on its own. One wolf lunged forward with control, almost like a test.

Two others followed, and Orion's axe burned in his hand. Every instinct screamed to engage, but he stayed. The wolves came even closer, and Orion gave one command.

"Do not let them attack!" The Scale Soldiers moved. All of them raised their weapons, then slammed them against their shields. BOOM. The sound rolled across the clearing. The regular guards jumped, then understood. One guard struck his sword against his shield. CLANG. Another followed, then another. Within seconds, the entire wall thundered with weapons against shields in a violent, rhythmic roar. The wolves halted; one even began backing away.

Nimbus chirped loudly and blasted a stream into the empty ground several yards in front of them. Orion decided to allow it. The wolves regrouped, but they did not leave. They weren't advancing, but they were close enough that Orion's heart was still pounding. As the wolves continued to circle, the summons shifted as well, always appearing as though they knew something the wolves did not. Orion began to understand that the Redoubt was not a wall - it was a statement. We are ready. We expected you.

Come closer and find out why. The wolves did not know it was mostly a lie, nor did the workers or guards. They only saw a dragon-skull fortress appear from the earth with armored soldiers standing on top of it. Roy leaned closer.

"Whatever you're doing, keep doing it."

"That was the plan." The pack watched and adjusted as they searched for openings. They were too smart for ordinary wolves, which almost worked in Orion's favor. That means they could understand why numbers and confidence might make a difference. A worker whispered behind him.

"Are those dragon soldiers?" Orion did not answer. Another whispered.

"I think they are." The wounded leader barked, and the pack tightened. Orion's Danger Sense surged.

"They're thinking about it." Roy swallowed.

"Can the walls hold?"

"No." Roy sighed. He crouched and pressed one hand against the ground. Orion glanced back.

"What are you doing?"

"Making the entrance look narrower."

"Can you?"

"For about twelve seconds." Stone rose around Orion's feet; not a wall - just angled blocks. Enough to make the opening appear more fortified, but mostly broken shapes. Roy exhaled heavily.

"That is all I have." Orion felt Kindle's Fury blazing through the axe. He let the blade hang beside him casually, as though the dozen creatures outside his walls were an inconvenience. Orion met the leader's eyes. It growled, but Orion did nothing. The Scale Soldiers remained perfectly still, as did the real guards. Orion's arms were starting to ache from holding the axe. He had never realized standing still could take this much effort. Every movement outside demanded a response.

Not a physical one, but a decision. Move the soldiers? Keep Nimbus back? Let Shale show himself? Watch the sides? Edric had been right; he could not be everywhere. That did not mean he had to be, however. One Scale Soldier could hold a position. Shale could block the entrance if Orion fell. Nimbus could punish anything approaching too openly. The realization annoyed him almost as much as the book. A long howl came from the pack. Orion's Danger Sense sharpened - it seemed like the wait was ending. Roy heard it too.

"How long?" Orion looked toward the sky. The workers had gone silent, and the shield-beating had stopped. The wolves lowered themselves as Shale growled, Nimbus swelled, and Orion tightened his grip. The pack moved toward them. Slowly, but rapidly, picking up speed… Then thunder cracked across the sky. The sound hit the road site hard enough that several workers ducked. The wolves froze as clouds rolled over the sun with unnatural speed. A cold shadow spread across the crossroads.

Orion looked up; relief hit him so suddenly he nearly laughed. The wolves stared toward the darkening sky. Orion lowered his axe slightly. For the first time since they had emerged from the trees, he smiled. Aegis was here.