Rise of the Horde

Standing beside Khao'khen was Adhalia who was also observing the towering walls of the city, she had some memories of the city as she frequently visited it when she was young and before her house fell. The walls were still standing mighty as she remembered as it kept the pesky sand out of the city which prevents its residents from dealing with it unlike those in the wild who had to deal with frequently with grains of sand assaulting them.

"Can't we just use magic to blow the walls apart?" Drae'ghanna questioned as she joined them while playing with a small flame in her hands. She had been learning a few spells from the shamans with some she successfully learned while others she can't seem to be able to cast despite how many times or how hard she tried. She only finally gave up after the shamans told her that she might not have any affinity with some elements which prevents her from being able to cast certain spells or perhaps she still lacks control of her mana.

"That won't work… Try and see if you can make a scratch on the walls." Adhalia replied without turning her head as she shifted her gaze from the walls and towards the First Kanikarr Corps who were finished with their preparations as they waited for the signal to fire their first volley.

Sensing the mocking tone from her words, Drae'ghanna thought that she was being challenge by Adhalia. With a click of her tongue, Drae'ghanna step forward and prepared one of the new spells that she learned from the shamans. The air around her started to heat up as she started casting the spell, a surge of mana started to gather around her from the surroundings and with the abundance of heat from the environment her spell was quick to be completed as surging flames started dancing in her palms.

The flame in Drae'ghanna's hands started getting bigger and bigger and started forming something which looks like an arrow. With a smirk, she released her spell and the flames started surging out towards the walls of Alsenna.

'Flame Spear' one of the new spells that she learned from the shamans of the Skallser which has high penetration power that can break through and make a hole on mountain walls. Adhalia shook her head in response after noticing the smirk on the lips of Drae'ghanna as she watched her spell make a beeline towards the towering walls in the distance.

After a few moments, the spear that was made of pure fire made contact with the walls of the city but instead of it making a hole on the walls, it suddenly just vanished from existence like it never existed in the first place and the walls was unscathed with no damage at all. Confusion and surprise filled the face of Drae'ghanna after seeing her mighty spell just vanish after hitting the walls of the city.

"I told you so… Magic doesn't work against the walls of the city." Adhalia clicked her tongue as she turned around and headed towards where the camp was being constructed.

"Fire!!!" Khao'khen shouted towards the First Kanikarr Corps and bolts of iron soared to the air and headed towards the walls of Alsenna. Some iron bolts created small cracks on the walls while some successfully embedded on it, some impaled an unlucky fellow while others buried themselves upon the buildings that were just behind the walls. Seeing that Drae'ghanna was still confused by what just happened, Khao'khen started to explain the reason behind it.

"The walls of the city are made of Null Stones or Magic Nullifying Stones which renders almost every magic spell useless when it makes contact with it, well at least the outermost layer of the walls is made of such stones. It renders magic useless but traditional siege weapons still works against it that's why the iron bolts can do damage against it but magic won't make even a slight scratch against it."

"How about sending a magic spell over the walls and towards the city?" Drae'ghanna questioned after she finally learned the reason why her spell disappeared into nothing.

"That would certainly work…but… we don't know what you are going to hit." Khao'khen responded as he signaled the Kanikarss to continue with their volleys.

"Well, I can summon Akwilah and fly above the city to bombard the right targets." Drae'ghanna recommended and she was about to summon Akwilah.

Khao'khen went silents for a few moments and wanted to consider what she recommended but then he decided to be against it.

"That would certainly work but we don't know if the city has some sort of defense against flying creatures or if there is someone or something inside the city that can shoot you down which I don't want to happen. It's very risky, will just do it the traditional way which is lay siege on the city and keep them trapped inside." He replied and kept his gaze on the trolls that were busy loading the next bolts for the next volley.

A few meters behind the line of ballistae, the onagers were being positioned for their first attack as rocks were being piled up just behind the huge siege engines which were going to be hurled towards the city later. A perimeter was also being created starting from the camp that was being erected which stretched outwards which would encircle the city. The Troll Hunters were harassing the western side, the Warg Cavalry at the eastern side and the Rhakaddon Cavalry at the southern side and the bulk of the First Yohan Horde at the northern side, the city of Alsenna is basically surrounded with no way out unless they make a break for it and engage the ones surrounding them or they can get some sort of reinforcements from somewhere.

*****

Inside the city, Commanders was making his rounds around the warehouses of the city to ensure that they will have enough supplies to last a long-drawn-out siege. Them being the defenders gives them a slight advantage since they just have to repel the attackers but he must ensure that his soldiers are well fed since morale would start to decline fast if starvation becomes rampant. Nobody would want fight with his all with an empty stomach.

He would also forcefully request food supplies from the merchants and nobles if necessary and he was sure that they have a lot of things in their storages, like food and other good stuffs specially the merchants. In the face of survival, any man would grab onto even the smallest hope available to him or her.