Akeya observed the fort she was planning to destroy from high above, the dragoness taking advantage of her winged nature to do reconnaissance from far up in the sky where not only would she have an unequalled view, but it would be impossible for the opposition to spot her as well. However, just to be safe she'd also weaved light and dark around herself to create a veil within which nothing could be seen, to ensure that the only way she could be spotted would be if the people in the fort had extraordinary sensory capabilities as well as magic-piercing sight.
As one could expect of Minstrel, the fort was a formidable one, with tall, straight walls, and large towers from which defenders could launch attacks on any besiegers without having to fear any retaliation. Siege weapons might be a threat, but those walls had been reinforced with magic which had been stacked over the years: to break through that one would have to bring a truly formidable host, and if such a large army appeared on the fort's doorstep, or some kind of superweapon, the fort would perform its task of slowing down the enemy and sending a warning deeper into Minstrel's territory so the army could mobilize to repel the invaders.
Being the frontier that kept the enemy at bay was a job where one should be prepared to sacrifice themselves, but it looked like Minstrel's soldiers would do their best to make any sacrifice they made worthwhile. If this fort could hold off a force ten times as large as the garrison it was effective. If it could delay a force a hundred times as large as the garrison it had performed its duty admirably. There was no such thing as a truly impenetrable fortress: one could only seek to be as effective as possible.
That Akeya was planning to eliminate this fort by herself was, in a way, an acknowledgement that she had to cause as much havoc as possible to do her part in driving the Ironheart Pact to its knees.
The news from Bellum had been concerning: the Pergrande army was even larger than which had been predicted based on how the border clashes had proceeded. While Pergrande certainly had displayed superior technology and manpower they had still been driven back by superior skill, both martial and magical, from Bellum's army and those who'd stepped forward to support them. Akeya wasn't one to be optimistic, but by her calculations Pergrande's forces wouldn't have been capable of invading Bellum in force without suffering crippling losses as long as Bellum's allies remained loyal. However, this new host which had crossed the mountains and was moving deeper into the religious nation's territory was of a staggering size, and where before their superior technology hadn't extended beyond the equipment of their soldiers they now brought machines that left only scorched earth in their path.
The situation was dire, as it was clear that everyone had underestimated Pergrande. Akeya didn't care much for this, since it meant that she now had to be genuinely concerned that those thaumaphobic authoritarians would have both the will and the means to make life difficult for her. The fact that other people would also suffer at the hands of Pegrande's fanaticism wasn't ideal either, but the dragoness knew where her priorities lay.
Of course, Bellum's allies weren't necessarily any better. Akeya wasn't as staunchly opposed to slavery as most people who'd consider themselves ethical or decent, but she didn't care much for it either even if her position was more based on individualism. While one could benefit from having a couple of servants around who possessed peculiar and distinct abilities to cover your own weaknesses, for the most part relying on others to do all the work for you spoke of a certain kind of weakness, if not practical then mental.
So the fact that Desierto was using this opportunity to invade Minstrel and enslave as many citizens as possible was not something Akeya felt particularly motivated to take part in, which was why she was here all alone, circling high above the fort that she'd designated for elimination. The Desiertan forces could focus on filling their pockets with fresh enforced manual labourers, she'd keep her eyes on the war effort. Once this fort's garrison had been wiped out the larger armies and raiding parties could more easily penetrate the Minstrel plains. This in turn would allow them to intercept any attempts from Minstrel to assist Pergrande's invasion of Bellum, so the Luminous Covenant's main forces could remain focused solely on the massive technological army that was bearing down on them from the north-east.
Akeya frowned invisibly as her thoughts went back to the Pergrande army. She was pretty sure that even with these new machines she'd be able to do some serious damage to the northern empire if she dedicated all she had to it, but she was but a single dragon, and not powerful enough that she could lay waste to a country by herself. A single city might be possible as long as she didn't attract attention from any powerful foes, but... well, she hoped that the Luminous Covenant figured out a way to deal with that army. She didn't want to abandon Ishgar, but if Pergrande won this continent-scale war she'd have to seek her fortunes elsewhere. Probably better to figure out where Leila was at the moment as well and warn her that Ishgar was no longer welcoming magical entities such as the child of eden.
But all this worrying about a scenario which hadn't happened yet was distracting her from the task at hand. Eliminate the fort, and after that she could think about what to do next. Maybe she could annihilate another fort, or she could move towards Bellum and see if she could do something about Pergrande's supply lines. No matter how mighty that host might be, if they didn't receive any supplies any standing army turned into a large gathering of starving people. The machines... well, she'd have to figure out what fuelled them, since Pergrande didn't rely on magic. Hopefully those could also be disabled by hitting the supply lines.
WC: 1,037
PWC: 1,037/4,000
As one could expect of Minstrel, the fort was a formidable one, with tall, straight walls, and large towers from which defenders could launch attacks on any besiegers without having to fear any retaliation. Siege weapons might be a threat, but those walls had been reinforced with magic which had been stacked over the years: to break through that one would have to bring a truly formidable host, and if such a large army appeared on the fort's doorstep, or some kind of superweapon, the fort would perform its task of slowing down the enemy and sending a warning deeper into Minstrel's territory so the army could mobilize to repel the invaders.
Being the frontier that kept the enemy at bay was a job where one should be prepared to sacrifice themselves, but it looked like Minstrel's soldiers would do their best to make any sacrifice they made worthwhile. If this fort could hold off a force ten times as large as the garrison it was effective. If it could delay a force a hundred times as large as the garrison it had performed its duty admirably. There was no such thing as a truly impenetrable fortress: one could only seek to be as effective as possible.
That Akeya was planning to eliminate this fort by herself was, in a way, an acknowledgement that she had to cause as much havoc as possible to do her part in driving the Ironheart Pact to its knees.
The news from Bellum had been concerning: the Pergrande army was even larger than which had been predicted based on how the border clashes had proceeded. While Pergrande certainly had displayed superior technology and manpower they had still been driven back by superior skill, both martial and magical, from Bellum's army and those who'd stepped forward to support them. Akeya wasn't one to be optimistic, but by her calculations Pergrande's forces wouldn't have been capable of invading Bellum in force without suffering crippling losses as long as Bellum's allies remained loyal. However, this new host which had crossed the mountains and was moving deeper into the religious nation's territory was of a staggering size, and where before their superior technology hadn't extended beyond the equipment of their soldiers they now brought machines that left only scorched earth in their path.
The situation was dire, as it was clear that everyone had underestimated Pergrande. Akeya didn't care much for this, since it meant that she now had to be genuinely concerned that those thaumaphobic authoritarians would have both the will and the means to make life difficult for her. The fact that other people would also suffer at the hands of Pegrande's fanaticism wasn't ideal either, but the dragoness knew where her priorities lay.
Of course, Bellum's allies weren't necessarily any better. Akeya wasn't as staunchly opposed to slavery as most people who'd consider themselves ethical or decent, but she didn't care much for it either even if her position was more based on individualism. While one could benefit from having a couple of servants around who possessed peculiar and distinct abilities to cover your own weaknesses, for the most part relying on others to do all the work for you spoke of a certain kind of weakness, if not practical then mental.
So the fact that Desierto was using this opportunity to invade Minstrel and enslave as many citizens as possible was not something Akeya felt particularly motivated to take part in, which was why she was here all alone, circling high above the fort that she'd designated for elimination. The Desiertan forces could focus on filling their pockets with fresh enforced manual labourers, she'd keep her eyes on the war effort. Once this fort's garrison had been wiped out the larger armies and raiding parties could more easily penetrate the Minstrel plains. This in turn would allow them to intercept any attempts from Minstrel to assist Pergrande's invasion of Bellum, so the Luminous Covenant's main forces could remain focused solely on the massive technological army that was bearing down on them from the north-east.
Akeya frowned invisibly as her thoughts went back to the Pergrande army. She was pretty sure that even with these new machines she'd be able to do some serious damage to the northern empire if she dedicated all she had to it, but she was but a single dragon, and not powerful enough that she could lay waste to a country by herself. A single city might be possible as long as she didn't attract attention from any powerful foes, but... well, she hoped that the Luminous Covenant figured out a way to deal with that army. She didn't want to abandon Ishgar, but if Pergrande won this continent-scale war she'd have to seek her fortunes elsewhere. Probably better to figure out where Leila was at the moment as well and warn her that Ishgar was no longer welcoming magical entities such as the child of eden.
But all this worrying about a scenario which hadn't happened yet was distracting her from the task at hand. Eliminate the fort, and after that she could think about what to do next. Maybe she could annihilate another fort, or she could move towards Bellum and see if she could do something about Pergrande's supply lines. No matter how mighty that host might be, if they didn't receive any supplies any standing army turned into a large gathering of starving people. The machines... well, she'd have to figure out what fuelled them, since Pergrande didn't rely on magic. Hopefully those could also be disabled by hitting the supply lines.
- Appearance:
WC: 1,037
PWC: 1,037/4,000