Chapter 21: Garfield, Breaker of Armies

  This time, Garfield appeared in a location that wouldn’t immediately draw attention. Using his minimap as a guide, Garfield and Hannah walked to the Adventurer’s Guild Branch. When they entered, it was pretty chaotic. They walked up to the main counter, Gold badge on display.

  “Sorry, I just woke up. What’s going on?” Garfield asked the clerk.

  “Just woke up? The city is under siege! All adventurers Iron and above are to gather for an announcement any minute now.”

  Garfield and Hannah moved off to the side. A Silver adventurer approached them.

  “Hm, don’t recognize you. You from another city?”

  “Yeah, we’re from Bretten. Had no idea we’d be getting ourselves involved in something like this when we traveled down south.”

  “Hah. Well, we’re glad to have all the help we can get. I always figured something like this would happen, so it’s really not that surprising.”

  “Something like what?” Garfield queried.

  “Tyrin takin’ advantage of all the reorganization down here in the south. It sounds like the region’s finally being unified under a single leader, but it’s too late.”

  The Guild Master of the branch stepped forward and began speaking.

  “Everyone, you already know about the siege by forces from Tyrin, and we have every reason to expect that more are on the way. The local Lord has temporarily used his authority to seize control of this guild branch. All adventurers, Iron and above, are to fall under local command.”

  Shouts of anger erupted from the crowd, but the Guild Master yelled over them.

  “If we weren’t already surrounded, I would push back and fight to allow those who want to, to escape north, but that’s clearly no longer an option. You’ll be assigned according to your classes, so make sure your registrations are correct. The clerk will tell you where to report. Are there any questions?”

  “Who’s this Lord that seized control?” asked Garfield.

  “Hm? Lord Frond.”

  “Lord Frond will never take me alive!” Garfield yelled. He grabbed Hannah’s hand and they ran out of the guild, leaving many blinking eyes behind.

  “Why did we go to the guild first?” said Hannah.

  “I wanted to gather some information while undercover. It worked pretty well. I don’t really care for conscripting people involuntarily in my name, or in Lord Frond’s name… whoever that is.”

  “I see…” Hannah seemed to be mentally taking notes. The pair wandered around until they found what looked like a command center. A guard stopped them at the entrance.

  ‘Here we go again…’ Garfield began, “I’m from the capital. Who’s in charge here?”

  “Lord Frond.”

  “I only arrived just before the siege so… could you tell me who Lord Frond is?”

  “Huh? Viscount Frond is responsible for Fork’s Crossing.” The guard did seem surprised that someone could have no idea who Lord Frond was.

  “The King asked me to report directly to the Lord and provide assistance.”

  “Huh, oh fine.”

  Garfield and Hannah were allowed in. Garfield worried a bit about the discipline of his soldiers, but this time the lax attitude was beneficial. The pair proceeded to the busiest part of the building where frantic orders were being passed. One man clearly seemed to be in charge.

  “Viscount Frond?”

  “Yes?” Everyone turned to look at Garfield.

  “The Duke sent me ahead to establish communications with the departing Lord and provide assistance. Can I be of any help?”

  “Huh? The Duke? And what do you mean, departing Lord?”

  “Did you not hear about how the title Lord of Rox was recently conferred to a particular noble in the capital?”

  “No.”

  Hannah made to speak but Garfield gestured for her to wait. He continued the discussion with this Viscount Frond.

  “That will have to wait, then. My specialty is scouting the enemy. I’ll go investigate their main army’s numbers and report back. Please make sure I’m not attacked upon my return.”

  “Are you mad? We’re entirely encircled by cavalry. How do you intend to scout the enemy?”

  “There’s a reason why I’m the one that was sent here. You’ll soon see.” Garfield and Hannah walked out of the command center to the nearest open area.

  “?Summon Creature of the Sky, a Dragon, Riding Wyvern?. Do you want to ride with me?”

  Hannah hesitated, then nodded. They both mounted the wyvern and lifted into the sky. Soldiers, citizens, and one very confused Viscount, watched speechless.

  “How is it?”

  “We’re so high!” Hannah shouted gleefully.

  “Eh, what is this, 800 feet? Well, if it makes you happy. How many horsemen do you think that is?”

  “2,000?”

  “Let me check. It’s 1961. Pretty good.”

  “Huh? How did you know?”

  “You’re probably better off not worrying about it. Let’s fly south and search for their main force.”

  “Okay!”

  After flying for about ten minutes, the main army came into view. Garfield had the wyvern climb a bit more to ensure they were fully out of range of any enemy weaponry or magic. Soon, they were flying directly over the advancing army.

  “How many soldiers is this?” Hannah asked.

  “28,067.”

  “Wow…”

  “I could mess with them using magic, but anything that delays them is just going to drag this out. Do you see a leader?”

  Hannah pointed to a train of carriages, one of which seemed different from the others.

  “Hm, that’s probably it. How funny would it be to just continually pelt that one carriage with hail or something?” Garfield wondered.

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  “Not that funny for the enemy commander.”

  “Why?”

  “He’ll realize that he’s at your mercy. His lines could even fall into panic.”

  “Very good. For that reason, I’d actually rather not do something like that. Personally, I think it would be funny for us at least.”

  Hannah couldn’t deny it. They scouted around a bit more to verify there weren’t any other armies marching nearby, then returned to Fork’s Crossing. Fortunately, they didn’t take any arrow fire as they swooped in to land. That Lord Frond or whoever even came running over.

  “I had heard there was an adventurer who rode a wyvern in the western part of the kingdom… Was that you?”

  “Yes.”

  “We’re lucky to have you, then. What did you see?”

  “As expected, an army of about 28,000 foot soldiers is advancing on this position. They are just a few hours out at this point. Most of them are armed with swords, although I did see some archers towards the rear.”

  Garfield hopped down from the wyvern as he continued his report. “At the center of their formation was a train of about a dozen horse-drawn carriages. One of them looks unique and likely holds the commander of the force.”

  “Remarkable… We were practically guessing until you came up with that. I’m sprinkling adventurers in with the city guard to fortify our defenses. I assume we only need to hold out until reinforcements arrive from the north. I can’t imagine you heard anything about that, given that you got here before the cavalry formed a siege.”

  “Oh, I have it on good authority that Count Polonio will lead a force down here,” Garfield reported.

  “Really? That’s great! Wait, Count Polonio? I thought he was a traitor.”

  “We really need to do something about the speed of communications in this kingdom…”

  “A-Anyway, your flying is impressive, but what’s the best way for you to contribute to the city’s defense?”

  “I’ll take care of it,” declared Garfield.

  “What?”

  “I’ll take care of the city’s defense.”

  “Huh? Oh, by yourself?” Frond used a mocking tone, sarcastically poking fun at Garfield’s vague statement.

  “No. Hannah will help.” Garfield gestured to the mysterious child by his side.

  “Oh, if HANNAH is with you then everything will be fine. I’ll release the troops for some liberty and go knock a few back at the bar myself.”

  “Good idea. I’ll join you in a few hours.”

  “…Huh?”

  Garfield and Hannah walked around the city looking for some food to kill time. Restaurants weren’t officially open but Garfield did get his hands on a plate of breads, cheeses, and some other spreads. They took the plate with them atop the wall facing the direction of the approaching army and began snacking.

  “Are you two mad?” a soldier asked. “The battle could start at any moment.”

  “Yes. Stay away from us… We might be contagious,” Garfield warned.

  The soldier shook his head from side to side and actually did move a bit away from them. Garfield asked Hannah if she wouldn’t mind talking, quietly, about how she became vampire. Based on her description, she was actually kidnapped while on a rare excursion outside of Rainbow Palace. Eventually, she was rescued by the city guards, but in the form of a vampire. She didn’t remember what happened beyond that.

  “I’m sorry you had to recall something traumatic like that.

  “It’s okay.” She leaned her head on the side of Garfield’s shoulder while they waited. Eventually, the marching solders came into view.

  “First, let’s see how they establish their siege. We’ll go from there.

  “Sir, Fork’s Crossing is coming into view. The cavalry siege is still in effect.”

  “Good. Has there been any other sign of wyverns or the like?” the Commander asked the reporting knight.

  “None, sir. We’re remaining vigilant.”

  “Okay. Set up the siege like we discussed. Barring any surprises, we will take the city shortly after dark. We need to hurry before reinforcements arrive.”

  “Sir, surely we have plenty of time before Fenwick can muster enough forces to oppose us. It’s said, ‘The King dies one week later in Fork’s Crossing.’”

  “True, but I see no benefit to waiting. We’ll attack while morale is high. That’s also what King Tyrin wants.”

  “Yes sir!”

  The sun was low in the sky when the foot solders completed a total siege of Fork’s Crossing. As much as morale was high for the invaders, it was equally low for the defenders. Everyone knew the city would be taken by morning. Well, almost everyone.

  Garfield stood up. “Let’s begin. ?Enclose Space: One-way Mirror?. ?Enclose Space: One-way Mirror?.”

  A 30-meter tall wall appeared just outside of the city wall surrounding Fork’s Crossing, in a concentric ring. At the same time, a similar 30-meter wall formed a larger ring, entirely outside of the sieging army’s formation. The inner ring was a one-way mirror such that the sieging army could not see into the city. The outer ring was a one-way mirror such that the sieging army could not see beyond the outer ring. The army began to panic due to being surrounded in such an unusual and unexpected fashion.

  “I almost feel bad for doing this. ?Make Water, invisible?.”

  The huge territory between the inner and outer ring began slowly filling with water, except the water couldn’t be seen. When the water level seemed to be about waist-high for most of the troops, the panic turned into something… much worse than mere panic. The soldiers drowning in something they couldn’t even see may have triggered a primal fear Garfield didn’t entirely anticipate. His plan was even more effective than expected.

  When the water was about chest-high for the shorter of the soldiers, Garfield stopped making invisible water. He and Hannah climbed down from the wall and hopped back on the wyvern.

  “What the heck is going on!?” Frond asked frantically.

  “I don’t know! All the sudden, the enemy army is getting defeated! I’ll go check!” said Garfield.

  The wyvern rose from the city and began circling in between the two rings. After completing a full loop, Garfield commanded the wyvern to descend. The wyvern came to a stop and began hovering near the enemy commander.

  “Y-You!” the commander yelled from atop a horse.

  “Are you talking to me, my friend sitting in front of me, or the wyvern?”

  “All of you! What the hell is this?” the commander asked, responding to Garfield’s provocation.

  “I don’t know. It seems like the gods don’t look kindly on you invading these lands.”

  “The gods? Nonsense!”

  “If that’s how you truly feel, then I’ll ask them to raise the water level some more…”

  “Wait! What do you want!?”

  “I don’t want anything. I just came to get a closer look. Good luck with whatever the heck this all is.”

  The wyvern gradually ascended.

  “Wait I tell you! I’ll order my army to retreat! Please, do whatever you can to make this stop!”

  “I might be able to help you,” Garfield offered. “I’m curious though, why did you invade to begin with?”

  “Isn’t it obvious? The King has had his eyes on this territory for a long time. Our spies reported that the territory has been split and rezoned multiple times recently. In addition, a new lord was just assigned who will rule over the entire Rox region in the very near future. This could be our last chance to seize this land!”

  “It pains me that you found out about my appointment and marched a whole damn army here faster than my own subjects learned about it…”

  “What?”

  “What do you know about the new Lord of this territory who is about to unify the area?”

  “Not much,” the commander replied. “Just that he’s not someone who previously resided over any territory, so we don’t have any existing intelligence on him. I don’t think my King considered that one way or the other when judging the risk to his plan of seizing this land, though.”

  “Did you not feel guilty for intruding on a land that wasn’t yours?”

  “I serve at the pleasure of the King. What I feel does not matter.”

  “Do you ever take responsibility for your own actions?

  The commander had no response.

  “I’ve heard your offer to retreat in exchange for stopping this assault on your army. That’s not good enough. What else can you offer?”

  “If my army is allowed to retreat, I will turn myself in to take responsibility!”

  “Ah, so you can take responsibility when you want to. That’s better, but still not good enough.”

  “I just want my soldiers to live! What do you want?”

  “Hm. How about, all the common soldiers may flee, you and your entire chain of command above the level of common soldier will turn yourselves in to the enemy, and you’ll share all kinds of juicy secrets with us.”

  “If it will save my soldiers, then fine.”

  “Okay, I’ll get this magic released, but before I do, as a demonstration of your good will, please share a valuable secret with me… something that you would never share with the Fenwick Kingdom under normal circumstances, but that King Fenwick would be delighted to hear.”

  “I couldn’t possibly—“

  “If you don’t do it right now, I’m raising the level another two meters and you’re all treading water in your armor,” Garfield said coldly.

  “Wait! Okay, okay! Um, much of our intelligence from the Kingdom comes from Baron Lucke whose domain also borders our Kingdom!”

  “I see! Start making preparations to surrender according to our agreement. I’ll pass along the word to get ready to release you. Please tell one or two of your common soldiers to deliver a message back home: ‘The Rox Domain is permanently off limits.’ Okay?”

  “Yes! I’ll begin at once!”

  The Commander did a surprisingly good job at reorganizing his forces into a large retreating force and a much smaller group to surrender peacefully. Garfield dismissed the invisible water, as well as the inner ring. Fortunately, the soldiers near the outer ring didn’t get any wise ideas like trying to take advantage of the situation to quickly storm the city. Once the group of surrendering officers was captured, the outer ring was also dismissed.

  “You!” Frond yelled, pointing at Garfield.

  “Me?”

  “Yes, you! How did you do it!?”

  “That’s a trade secret, I’m afraid. I couldn’t possibly explain how that all happened.”

  “Dammit, I’m a Viscount! I respect you as an adventurer but you should recognize my authority and answer my question!”

  “Oh? What do you think of Baron Lucke?”

  “Lucke? Never cared for the guy, and I don’t trust him. I’d stay away from him, if I were you,” Frond advised.

  “I’ve changed my mind about you, Viscount.”

  “Huh?”

  “Remember how I said earlier that a new Lord became the Lord of Rox?”

  “Oh, yeah, what is that about?”

  “A messenger will surely arrive soon now that the siege is broken. I look forward to working with you. Let’s go, Hannah.”

  The pair suddenly disappeared like they were never there.