The Emperor Class

As the Torpin Stronghold was bombarded by boulders, centaurs skirmished with the human archers on the walls. The bow wielders formed numerous small groups and a handful of groups were sent in range of the enemy archers. While these groups zigzagged to avoid incoming fire, they also picked off the stationary archers. Then, the groups went through a rotation allowing the fighting centaurs to rest and fresh ones to take their place. The centaurs not in combat had a chance to observe the enemy walls and plan their skirmishes accordingly. Meanwhile, the spear wielders waited patiently behind the bow wielders. Their javelins had limited range and approaching the nearly full strength garrison would be a mistake. Their primary role was to engage any humans who might sally out.

Colet, watching from afar, summoned Igas to his side.

“In addition to faster movement,” said Colet, “I believe you also gave them protection from arrows too?”

“Yes, chieftain. We used the Lesser Protection from Arrows support spell. In addition to protecting our centaurs from arrows, they offer some protection against weapons like javelins.”

“Between our mobility and these support spells,” said Konstite, “our centaurs are nearly invincible against their archers.”

Colet smiled upon noticing Igas’ face turn slightly red. Praises from the shieldbreaker leader meant something and Igas earned it through his and the support spellcasters’ hard work. He could still recall Konstite leading the opposition against the introduction of support spellcasters into the centaur ranks. He claimed the resources spent on the useless supports would be better invested in battle worthy centaurs. In the end, the veteran centaur merely needed results and he saw them with his eyes. Igas had earned the respect of a veteran centaur which was no small feat.

While Colet was against the name, the introduction of the support spellcasters and spear wielders into the centaur ranks was part of the Colet Reforms. The Colet Reforms were changes meant to address the centaur military following the civil war. The high losses of centaurs made recruitment difficult for the traditional classes within the military. Therefore, Colet saw the need to introduce fresh blood who could contribute to future conflicts, especially when their hostile neighbors had every reason to exploit their weakness following the brutal war. Despite a lot of opposition, Colet pushed the reforms through and, in the next few years, Tolien and Igas proved through their actions and results that the chieftain made the right decision. The critics were silenced and the centaur force marched with two new classes.

“Those Sacnits are amazing!” shouted Dezzi as though she was watching a sports spectacle.

Sections of a tower came crashing down, earning the cheers of the coalition. As impressive as the sight was, Colet’s concern remained. For a fortification like the Torpin Stronghold, standard sieges took months if not years to crack through the walls before breaches were large enough for the attackers to assault. What made the Torpin Stronghold such a tough nut to crack was its location. Built in a mountain pass, the stronghold only gave the attackers a single direction to approach and attack. Meanwhile, the stronghold got continuous supplies and reinforcements on the other side due to the inability of the attackers to surround it. Without starving out the defenders as an option, Torpin Stronghold remained impregnable since it was built.

“How long can they keep this up?” remarked Eupoos.

“Don’t worry!” said Dezzi. “Nath said the Sacnits cannot possibly get exhausted from all of this.”

“I was referring to the boulders. The chieftain said the dwarves are supplying the ammunition but they couldn’t possibly replenish the boulders faster than the Sacnits are lobbying them.”

“Oh,” said Dezzi as the issue dawned on her. “I’m sure they will figure something out. Skosy can be quite resourceful when needed.”

Skosy?

The centaur chieftain, despite being amused with the nickname, couldn’t share the same optimism. To break through the stronghold with boulders, the work needed to acquire the boulders was likely equivalent to the work needed to dig a large tunnel through the mountain range. They wouldn’t be sieging if that was an option.

“I wonder if Skostaer is ready. Even without a direct assault, our skirmishers and the boulder bombardments are keeping the humans preoccupied.”

The archers on the walls were at a huge disadvantage and, as a result, were nearly wiped out. Ides and the bow wielders, along with their buffs from support spells, seemed unstoppable in the skirmishing phase. Their small victory would lessen the resistance to those approaching the stronghold but capturing the walls and gates were another matter.

“Have anyone seen any human spellcasters?” asked Eupoos.

Upon hearing that, Colet’s heart skipped a beat. Unlike human archers, human spellcasters were far more dangerous and, for a vital strategic location like the Torpin Stronghold, they should be present in relatively large numbers.

“That’s the signal!” shouted Dezzi excitedly.

A dwarven flag was waving atop the gate as the dwarves finished off the human defenders on the gates. When the gates opened, all the coalition forces on the flanks advanced to join the dwarves inside the stronghold. Only the center core stayed in place. Many centaurs stared at their chieftain but Colet ignored their stares.

“Something isn’t right,” muttered Colet. “This is all going too well, as though we stepped into a trap.”

A screech above got everyone’s attention. Colet looked up to see Ilumin diving down towards him.

Enemies attacking Sacnit. Too many!

Colet broke from formation and galloped until he had a clear view of the forest where the Sacnits were rooted. A large horde of enemies swarmed the forest. When the chieftain turned around, the flanking forces, likely bored with inaction for so long, reached the gates in double time to get a piece of the action. Cursing at how quickly the situation got out of control, Colet rejoined Eupoos and Konstite.

“A horde of enemies of unknown numbers are currently fighting the Sacnits. We will reinforce them and leave the the stronghold to Skostaer and those who entered it.”

At the mention of enemies, Konstite quickly took charge of the shieldbreakers while Actolio rallied the ax wielders he still had under his direct command. They led the way to engage the unknown enemy.