It would be necessary to find other ways to occupy the mercenaries while the commander was on a bender. The archmage had a delicate mental disposition, and personally carrying out the murder of a couple of thousand people was a heavy burden for him, as he had already confided to almost all the officers in the army, calling them to join him for company.
The vampire was no exception and had to drink excellent wine, feign genuine interest in the conversation, and then make a fool of himself in front of the entire camp by vomiting stomach-burning liquid. Not the best memories before sleep, but at least he could sleep for a long time, so a little insomnia was not a problem.
The prediction of a long sleep came true entirely. And it continued for three days until finally, a courier from the camp arrived and delivered the commander's request to visit him. Expecting more drunken blubbering, Alexander sighed heavily and quietly shuffled toward the horse corral.
Yawning quietly and desperately, he rode out to the central camp, which greeted him with bustling activity. It turned out the binge was officially over, and the archmage was eager to make up for lost time.
— In a couple of hours, we need to start hammering the fortress with siege equipment. We've lost a lot of time, and we need to get it back!
"WE?! That means 'we' lost time!"
The archmage continued to discuss the plan for magical attacks and their variations without stopping. It was the same pattern as before: alternating vectors and strengths, shaking the shields, and bringing results earlier. Only this time there were fewer artifacts available, and the plan did not account for this.
The vampire chose not to correct the mistake; the "we" had really irked him, though he understood that the archmage had probably drunk with every senior officer in the army and might use the pronoun with complete confidence in its truth.
When the instructions finally ended and people began to disperse, Dukon waved invitingly at the knight, signaling him to stay and approach. With a smile on his face and a deep internal sigh, Alexander approached the commander.
— I heard you've set up a bathhouse, my dear?
— That's correct, Your Excellency.
— May I use it for a steam?
— Anytime, Your Excellency!
— Then I'll drop by in the evening! For now, I'll attend to the fortress. What do you think? Are there more surprises in store, or has Elos run out of steam? — The archmage asked too cheerfully, clearly showing that his hangover was severe and magic was unable to alleviate it.
— I do not rule out surprises, Your Excellency. Though the fortress is so well fortified that it may not need them.
— We'll see if Zalon is truly impregnable! No fortress can withstand ten days of siege artifacts! — And stepping toward the tent's exit, he shouted, — Begin the assaults.
And quite satisfied with himself, he returned to the vampire.
— We'll see each other in the evening. After such a bender, it's necessary to get the body in order. I think the bathhouse will be very helpful in this.
Alexander bowed and departed.
Elos welcomed the activity in the camp with enthusiasm! Finally, something new. The whole situation had irritated him to absolute fury. Killing Dukon hadn't worked out. And the people and groups sent every night for the stiletto, which was supposed to accomplish this, simply disappeared. The artifact itself lay in the forest and hadn't moved! Mystical! And here was the first change in several days. Let's fight!
I've got more interesting stuff on patreon
patreon.com/Chill76