Juryrigged > Works > Writings > Chapter Three - The Tribunal's Plan

The canopy of trees was thick; barely allowing any sunlight in at all. The sun came in through small holes in the canopy, creating slanted rays of light that lit up a small portion of the clearing. Seth shivered despite himself; the clearing was much colder than the now blood stained square of Dragil. He itched his face with his free hand, his other hand holding his helmet, and caught a glimpse of motion on the far side of the clearing.

Seth Vidar could see him from one hundred yards off. Seth immediately recognized the cloaked man approaching him and his group, who had been driven into the woods, as John Rankor. Seth saw the mysterious figure of a man he could only assume was Raine. Seeing them brought a smile to his face. Seth looked back at his men, and commanded with great authority, "Stay here, and guard our backs! I have an important matter to attend to." He then strode quickly across the distance to his comrades.

"Ah, greetings Commander Vidar!" John yelled, in a slightly mocking tone.

"I am at your service, Lord General," Raine chimed in, mockery in his voice as well.

"Cease, you two. You know I do not enjoy your constant jokes. I bet you only mock me out of your great jealousy for my rank!" Seth chuckled slightly. It was the first laugh he had for at least a month or two. "But, seriously, what brings the Tribunal together at such a time?"

"Straight to business, then?" Rankor said, rubbing his chin. He was a fairly tall man at six feet two inches, yet the only feature you could see was his piercing blue eyes from beneath the cloak. Seth imagined the rest of his face; most likely stern yet at the same time a bit soft, though John wouldn't like to be recognized as such. His hair probably hadn't changed from the short, shaven head of his from a few months past.

"That's Seth for you, never any time to catch up with friends!" Raine commented, the hood of his cloak down. He threw back his long hair, and smirked a bit. For the longest time Seth wondered why Raine kept his hair so long; to Vidar, it seemed to be a matter of great pride for Raine. Raine's face was not harsh; indeed, there was a bit of compassion in it. His brown eyes were inviting to most.

"Well, are you going to tell me, or not? I've a fort town to get to..."

"That's exactly why we are here," Rankor interrupted Vidar, "to tell you about Zenerth's current position." John smirked just a bit for he always loved to be better informed than anyone else. "They've drawn most of their forces into Shoom'locke, as we had hoped. Better still, Raffza is with them. By our estimates, Shoom'locke is only housing two thousand or so men."

"Delightful," Seth said cheerfully, or as cheerfully as he could sound, "but what of General Robert's forces?"

"Oh, him?" Raine commented. "He's no warrior. Not cut out for a leader, either. Why, I say he's just an actor with a General's set of armor and a long blade."

"He's a good actor at that! And, for that matter, quite possibly a finer warrior than you. Don't jest, Raine." Seth retorted.

"Anyway..." John cleared his throat, "his force is nearly five thousand strong, and ready to meet you near the trebuchet. They're ready to fire as we speak. You know of the plan, right?"

"Of course," Seth replied, "I am one of the commanding officers for this operation, remember? In any case, we shall take out the wall with the trebuchet, eliminating the threat of those pesky archers they rely on so much."

"Eliminating?" John cut in, curiously. "Minimizing would be more the word. Provided they lived, they could still fire from the ground. That would be a danger, but of course, they run the risk of shooting their own in the back that way."

"Indeed. Alright then, minimizing. In any case, we would then charge ahead and fight on the ground. With our superior..."

"Superior?" Raine mocked, looking across the clearing. "I remember your force being twice as large before you left. What happened to you and your 'superior' soldiers?"

"Raine..." Rankor didn't get a chance to finish his reprimanding sentence.

"Show a little respect to your commanding officer! In any case, we were ambushed by a group of archers, who scaled the walls and shot us from above. We didn't even have time to put on proper protection! However, those Zenerthian's are fools. They probably won't live long enough to see that backwater town restored."

"Indeed. After Shoom'locke, all the wheels of our plan will be in motion," Rankor said with a slight laugh.

"Perfect!" Seth exclaimed with joy. "It won't be long now."

"Indeed," John agreed, "perhaps we'll need to change our little group's name from the Tribunal."

"Perhaps, but to what?" Raine asked rhetorically.

"Mayhap, the Order of the Void? It needn't just be the three of us, either. Nigh, we could create a fine little group of warriors..." Seth trailed off, deep in his own thoughts.

"Well, let's not get ahead of ourselves." Rankor interjected, "We must be realistic. Even after Shoom'locke, we still have the capital to worry about. I think the King knows of what we desire."

"Hah, and a fool king he is. Following those 'Advisors' blindly... What folly!" Seth exclaimed, bitterly. "In any case, I'd like to hurry on and meet with General Robert. Let the Tribunal travel onward, together!"

"I'm afraid that won't be possible," Raine replied, "for we are needed back at the castle. And, besides, I've some loose ends to tie up..." Raine sounded a bit nervous, though Seth could only guess at the reason.

"Indeed. I'm afraid, my friend, that Raine and I should indeed be getting back to the castle. But, do me a favor, wouldn't you?" Seth raised a solitary eyebrow at Rankor's request. "Win this one. Win it well. Win it fast. Win it with finality. Perhaps then their King would give in to us."

"Coming from a friend, how could I refuse?" Seth said with a smirk.

"We bid you fare well. May you redeem your status as a commander; you're no foot soldier anymore." Having said that, John and Raine disappeared into the forest.

Hours later, when King Zenerth requested to speak with Hunter, he would be surprised and a bit upset to find him missing. He would be surprised further when he heard of Hunter's reappearance at his castle gates, his cloak stained with the blood of the man he was carrying in his arms. He was carrying Lans Lagi in his arms. Though, at the time Hunter appeared at his castle, Zenerth would have no idea of the scene at the gates.

Not one to wait for the clumsy guards, Hunter slung Lans onto his left shoulder and extended his right arm in front of him, palm wide open. He chanted something in a deep, quiet voice. His hand, which was protected by a black gauntlet, began to glow red. Soon, as he continued his chanting, a small swirling flame began dancing in front of his palm. A few moments later, Hunter threw his arm back to his shoulder, looked to the sky and yelled something in a foreign tongue. He then went through the motion of throwing a ball, and a large sphere of swirling flame was sent flying towards the gate. The force of the impact sent the gate soaring through the air until it hit the steps leading to the castle. The guards were beside themselves, never having seen such a display of power from anyone. A light rain began as Hunter ran up the large series of steps to the inner chambers of the castle.

The guard patrolling the inside of the entrance jumped when he heard a loud boom to his left. He looked over and saw the silhouetted figure of Hunter standing in the doorway as lightning shot down from the sky. The figure, cloaked by shadow, had a body hoisted over his shoulder. His deep voice boomed as he ordered, "Take this man to the doctor! I must hold counsel with the King."

Hunter dropped the body to the floor gently, and then quickly made his way towards the inner chambers. His cape cracked as he walked, and the castle's doors boomed thunderously as they slammed shut. Lans Lagi's body was picked up by the stunned soldier; for the soldier was one of the men from the Dragil attack unit. The guard turned and was about to say something to Hunter, but he was already gone. Hunter was, in fact, already in the King's quarters. He stood tall, yet his face was still hidden in shadows. His black cloak had a tear at his feet, and there was a dark, wet spot near his chest. Zenerth found it odd that was the only wet spot, as it was raining torrentially outside. "Sire Zenerth."

King Zenerth, dressed regally in a ornate red cape with extravagant clothing underneath, bowed slightly. His gold crown gleamed in the candle light, as did his face. It was wet with nervous sweat. "What brings you to me, Hunter? Or is it Ashtar?"

"Hunter, sire. I realize it is hard for you to differentiate between us. I sympathize."

"That is quite alright. Please, get down to your business."

"Certainly. It seems our little invasion failed. I was riding to Dragil to make certain our success, but only succeeded in validating our failure."

"How do you know this?"

"The only Zenerthin there was the dying body of Lans Lagi. I rode back here swift and sure, and used my knowledge of botany to prolong his life. He regained consciousness halfway back here, and recounted the tale in brief. He requested of his men to hunt down Seth Vidar; the man responsible for his near fatal wounds. However, I know now that his request was not carried out."

"How so?"

"The guard on duty, outside your doors, is one of Lans'. How could you not know this?" King Zenerth widened his eyes a bit, but quickly regained posture. He wasn't sure how he couldn't have realized such a thing as that; his worries must have been greater than he imagined. Far greater. "I..."

"In any case, we know Seth is heading for Shoom'locke. I already know of a large force moving on Shoom'locke as well. I hear that it's the force of a new General. In any case, I already sent a message by way of the Com Stone to Fort Beowulf to fortify Shoom'locke as soon as possible."

Fort Beowulf was another large fort near Shoom'locke. It wasn't nearly as important as Shoom'locke, however, because it did not produce any resources for Zenerth. The fort housed a large number of soldiers, but it was a gamble to send them.

Com Stone was short for Communications Stone. It was one of many magical artifacts that Hunter and Ashtar granted Zenerth use of. Only those two knew their workings; the stones essentially worked as instant telegrams. Only Hunter and Ashtar could send messages, but not without the King's authority. It was very defiant, and unusual, of Hunter to send a message without the King's consent. "Hunter, how could you do such a thing without first consulting me?"

"I needed not to consult you. Sire, with all do respect, this is Seth Vidar we are talking about. Not only a tactical genius, but a deadly swordsman. Lans told me of how he single handedly killed two men at once. Twice. Even if he had been unarmored, he still would've defeated them."

"Still..."

"Sire, I mean no disrespect when I say this, but your mental state has deteriorated rapidly over the past few months. Today, for instance, you didn't notice Lans' unit returning to the castle. There's another thing you haven't noticed, either. Robert Malfor did not return to the castle."

King Zenerth's eyes widened slightly, and an eyebrow shot up. He took in a short, quick breath. He was obviously very stunned. "I... What do you think this means, Hunter? Oh, wait, I know. He died, didn't he?"

"No, my liege. He did not die today."

"Then..."

"Yes. I'm afraid he has defected. But how far his treachery runs, I am unsure. I am also unsure of how he broke away from the rest of the group unnoticed. He must wield a great power to have broken away unnoticed. Or he must be very slick tongued. Either quality is potentially very dangerous for us. Especially if he might be the new general of the Mallintirian army."

Zenerth blinked, and stared at Hunter. "How... He was just a private. He can't possess any real skill... can he?"

"Please, do not be so blind. My guess is that he was gathering intelligence on how the captain of your First Knighthood went about battle tactics. Your First Knighthood is the foundation of your army. Should he know first hand how your captain operates on the field of battle, he would have a large advantage at, say, Shoom'locke. This also explains something that felt odd to me."

"I'm still shocked over what you have already said, Hunter. I can't believe a word of it, though I do trust your judgment."

"Perhaps you should sit down, then." During this whole conversation, Hunter had not moved an inch. King Zenerth, on the other hand, had been sweating profusely. His skin was glistening, and he was frantically pacing back and forth. He realized Hunter's wisdom in his suggestion to sit, and took it to heart.

"Now," Hunter continued in his steady, calm, and knowing voice, "Lans told me something very odd. After Captain Lagi had been vanquished by Seth in a duel, he requested that Seth finish him off honorably. Instead, Seth did something very odd. He left him to die in the streets."

"Meaning? I've never known an enemy who gave his foes honor."

"Seth has great integrity and honor. On any other day, he would have granted this man his last request. Instead, he left him to die. Now this could only mean one of two things. Seth wanted him alive, which I believe is unlikely, or he was under orders not to kill him, which I also find unlikely. Instead, I speculate it was a mixture of both alternatives. Seth wasn't under orders, but was perhaps persuaded by Robert Malfor not to kill him. In turn, Robert wanted him alive because he knew that if left alive, Lans would ride to Shoom'locke. Thus, Mallintire would have the advantage because of Robert's knowledge of Lans' fighting style, tactical thinking, and his level of honor."

"I understand now..."

"Yes, you now understand as well as I. However, I do not understand all. I think there is something more to this than meets the eye. I shall further investigate this matter. But, I have something more important to attend to at this moment. I must meet up with Ashtar at Shoom'locke. Just make sure you do not send the First Knighthood. They are too prepared for that."

"Thank you for your counsel, Hunter. You have been a great help to me at this time."

"I was only doing my assigned task, sire." Hunter took a bow, and promptly left the castle.

It was raining heavily as Seth Vidar circled slowly around the massive war machine known as the trebuchet. Hours had passed since he had left the forest clearing near Dragil. He was desperately tired, and in dire need of rest. Though he had been able to sneak in an hour of unconciousness, it wasn't enough. He was now waiting for Raine to return from his errands he said he needed to complete. After Raine returned, Seth planned on retiring.

Ingenious in deisign, the trebuchet could hurl massive boulders at high velocities. These boulders, of course, could take out castle walls. The throwing arm was the trunk of a large tree, which was in turn supported by a large "basket". Seth wasn't exactly sure how it worked, but he was facisnated by it none the less.

A small unit was left to guard the trebuchet until it was ready to be put in action. They knew how to work it, and they had already loaded a boulder onto the slinging arm. This impressed Vidar. "Wonderful," he said with admiration in his voice, "but just be sure this war machine is in working order. Our siege begins soon." He turned and quickly began his trek back to the crude encampment General Robert had set up.

In twenty minutes, he was there. The camp was in the middle of the woods, with no particular clearing of any kind. Animal skins had been attached to the trees, forming flimsy, and very temporary, shelters for the soldiers. The strategy tent was actually quite a large one in the center of the huge camp. It was well furnished. Tables, cluttered with maps and accompanied by chairs, filled the inside of the tent. Only four men were permitted inside, with the exception of a messenger: Seth Vidar, John Rankor, Raine Vargos, and Robert Malfor.

Seth stepped into this tent now. "Greetings, General," Seth said with a smirk, "how was your reconisense operation in Zenerth?"

Robert Malfor sneered. "Hellacious. Do you realize what it is like to be a private? Hellacious. And that Lans Lagi... Terribly, terribly vexing. He's so full of justice and honor. Not the real kind either, but the blind, naive kind. It's too bad Rankor wanted him alive; I would've been much obliged to kill him myself." John chuckled. "Don't forget why he's alive in the first place, and why we're here in the first place. He's alive so we can take Shoom'locke. We're here to take Shoom'locke. Which brings me to the question I've been longing to ask... How is he as a tactician, Robert?"

"Not so great. He relies too heavily on his archers. Should he not have had any, his troop would have easily been slaughtered. There was a time when I myself would've been killed were it not for the archers. If we can defeat his archers, we can defeat him."

Seth let out a reflective sigh. "That is true. Most of the causualities we suffered were from arrows. I feel terrible about the sacrafices, but their deaths will not be in vain."

"Indeed, they won't," Robert reassured, "for tomorrow we take Shoom'locke! That is, if that damned Raine..."

As if he had been waiting outside just until that very moment, Raine burst into the tent with a sly grin upon his mud splattered face. "Riding a horse in the rainy season across the wilderness is a dirty business. Not quite as dirty as Seth's busniss," he gave a Seth a side ways glance and continued, "but still dirty enough. Have I missed anything important?"

"Not at all," Rankor said evenly, "but you've delayed a number of important things. Sit down if you wish to have your part in this 'dirty business' that you speak of!"

Raine grudginly obliged, taking a seat in a chair across from Rankor. He looked up to Robert, who was standing, and asked with mock enthusasim "So, what is your grand plan for taking the fort? Did your little spy operation help you?"

"I'll choose to ignore your second inquiry. As for the first, that is what we are here to discuss. I suggest launching a single boulder from the trebuchet, and then have the ground troops go into action. Should this tactic be agreed upon, then we shall further discuss infantry tactics."

"I've no objection to this manevur," Seth stated. Rankor nodded silently in agreement, and Raine grunted.

"I take your silence as agreement. For infantry tactics, I think it would be best to place camoflauged archers in the trees. Our ground infantry can carry shields that they will use to repel arrows from enemy archers until our archers slay a good number of them, they cease fire, or the enemy charges us. Our archers will aim for the archers of Shoom'locke, or an advancing infantry."

Seth rubbed his chin thoughtfully, and asked "Do we have Tuathon's group with us?" "Indeed, Master Archer Tuathon is with us. You know well that his archers are the finest in the land, and are capable of sitting in those trees."

"How accurate are they?" Rankor asked, drumming his fingers on the table.

"I've seen them hit a man's throat from one hundred meters. They're inhuman in accuracy, and we've got all twenty of them with us. We shall be fine, I imagine. Why, I've even seen them split an oncoming arrow into two to avoid being hit. That shot then went on to slay the one who fired it."

Raine grunted distastefully. "What is it with you and dirty tactics? Why can't we charge in there and do things like a real army would?"

With agitation in his voice, Robert replied "We've different ideals than that of a normal army. We've different goals. Remember, we are not acting under King Mallintire's orders. We're acting on our own. So we do things differently."

Raine grunted again, and stood up. "Just assign me a unit and I'll be out of your hair," he demanded.

"Fine. You're to lead the second platoon in. Ragaol, you will be in charge of the first platoon. I will handle the third platoon."

Seth smiled. "How many men per platoon?"

"There are three waves in each platoon, with eight rows of eighty men in each wave. We have a total of one thousand nine hundred men in each platoon. Each row is the entire length of Shoom'locke's wall. The front line of each wave has double vougles, while the lines behind the front line will have throwing spears and another weapon fo their choice. The three platoons are stationed in front of the northen, eastern, and western walls. The trebuchet is stationed to fire at the northen wall."

Seth beamed, and cheerfully said "That is grand. I shall enjoy this battle..."

"I thought that you might," Robert said, as Raine distastefully left the tent to prepare for the morning.