Chapter 50: I May Have an Idea
I stayed in the shadows at the far end of the hall, leaning against the cool stone wall. Freya stood with Erik near the City Lord, the two of them slotting into the ongoing chaos like they'd been part of this table for years.
The first to speak was a captain from the west district, armor scorched and dented, dried blood spattered across one cheek.
"Five hours in, the bastards are getting meaner," he said, slamming a hand down on the map. "First waves were dumb beasts, numbers more than brains. Easy to funnel into kill zones. Now? Packs are coordinated. They're flanking, climbing faster, using each other as steps to get over the walls."
He jabbed at a section marked with black ink. "Lost twenty guards here when a troll-sized boar plowed through the barricade. Thing didn't even slow down. Took three fire mages to bring it down."
Another voice, a woman in steel plate with a massive axe strapped to her back, cut in. "South wall's worse. We've got goblin shamans lobbing fire the size of carriages. Melted a section of stone like it was wax. Every time we plug a breach, they make another one."
Her jaw tightened. "We've lost two ballistae already. Archers are running low on arrows. If this keeps up through the night, we'll be throwing rocks by sunrise."
I kept quiet, eyes flicking to the map, tracking the spreading red marks. It was a mess, breaches scattered all over, no single front to reinforce. The bastards were testing every point, and we were barely keeping up.
Then Erik spoke, his normally squeaky voice pitched lower, carrying just enough bass to cut through the chatter.
"East sector held for now," he said. "But only because the adventurers rotated faster than the guard. We threw them every healing potion we had, every stamina draught. We're running out. If we don't get supplies from the central storehouses, that sector will collapse."
Freya's report came next. She spoke calmly, but her eyes were sharp, voice cold. "North wall was hammered the hardest. The climbing beasts don't stop, they'll take a spear through the throat, keep going like it's nothing. We killed dozens, maybe hundreds, but… we also lost half our wall fighters in the first three hours. Casualties were too high before reinforcements rotated in."
Her gaze flicked briefly toward me before she continued. "And the shamans… they're organized. More than I've seen before in all my years as an adventurer. This isn't a random assault, it's planned."
That stirred the City Lord. He straightened from the table, his hands clasping behind his back. "If this is planned," he said slowly, "then there's a commander out there. And until we find them… we're just waiting for the hammer to fall."
The air in the hall seemed to drop a few degrees. Even without mana sense, I could feel the weight of the words settle over everyone.
I glanced at the glowing numbers in my vision.
56 hours, 5 minutes, 02 seconds… 01… 00.
Twenty-four hours left in this hell before the invasion ended, if we lived that long.
Standing there, listening to all those worried voices, I felt something twist in my gut. An idea. Maybe a bad one, maybe a desperate one but still a plan.
I pushed off the wall and walked toward Erik. "Mind if I say something?"
Erik looked up from the map. "What is it?"
"I think I may have a plan."
Before Erik could respond, the female guard captain's voice cut through the air, sharp as her axe. "Who the hell is this?"
"This is not just a meeting for anybody," the City Lord's voice came next, low, deep, and growly, the kind that seemed to rumble right through your ribs. The guy looked like he bench-pressed houses just to pass the time. Even without mana, I could feel the weight of his presence pressing on me.
Freya stepped forward before I could answer. "This is the adventurer who killed the goblin chief."
The City Lord's eyes narrowed. "So this is all your fault."
That went over great. The two other captains chimed in, voices overlapping.
"What's the meaning of this?"
"You brought this on us?"
Erik turned to me, looking genuinely confused. "Kaizen?"
I held up my hands. "I don't have time to explain, but I didn't know killing the goblin chief would do this. I just wanted to survive. I know this is my fault, fine. But at least hear my plan."
Silence. Just stares. The kind that feel like someone's already decided your fate and you're just waiting for the executioner to walk in.
I glanced at Freya, hoping she'd step in, but she looked away. No support there.
I let out a long sigh. Great.
Then, out of nowhere, Erik cleared his throat. "I'm not sure what's going on, but this young man has been a guest at my inn for the past four weeks, and I've grown to trust his character. I think we should hear him out."
The City Lord's gaze shifted from Erik to me. "Fine. Because of your status and reputation, we will hear him out."
Another sigh slipped out of me. I shot Freya a quick look again, but she just kept her eyes elsewhere, like she was suddenly very interested in the floor.
Fine. Guess I was on my own here.
I stepped forward, making sure I had everyone's attention. "During the first breach of the northern wall, when those black-furred beasts attacked, lions, wolves, big cats, all of them jet-black like leather, on top of the biggest lion, I saw a rider. Someone covered in robes, perched on that alpha black lion like they owned it."
A ripple went through the room. I kept going. "At the time, I thought I was seeing things. But now that Freya's mentioned this whole 'organized attack' thing, I'm sure I wasn't imagining it."
The City Lord leaned forward slightly. "You believe this rider is leading the charge?"
"Exactly," I said. "If someone like the Iron Fangs took out that alpha black lion and its leader, the rest of the beasts might lose coordination, go wild like the first waves we fought. And that? That we can contain and kill."
The room was dead silent again. Everyone weighing whether my plan was brilliant, suicidal, or both.
For a long moment, the only sound in the room was the faint scratching of a quill somewhere in the back, probably someone taking notes. Then the male guard captain, a bulky guy with a scar like someone had tried to carve a map into his cheek, shook his head.
"That's suicide," he said flatly. "Even if the Iron Fangs took that thing head-on, that rider wouldn't be alone. The beasts would defend it to the last."
"And the wall would still be bleeding enemies," added the female captain, crossing her arms. "If the Fangs leave their post, who plugs that hole? You? No offense, but you're not exactly in the same league."
I grinned without humor. "None taken. But tell me this, how long do you think your men can keep holding the line while the beasts fight with the coordination of a damn army? Because that's what you're facing right now. It's not just numbers, it's strategy. And strategy comes from someone giving the orders."
The City Lord's eyes narrowed, but he didn't interrupt.
One of the adventurer reps leaned forward, elbows on the table. "He's not wrong. You take out a general, the troops scatter. I've seen it happen with bandit armies. Might not work the same way with beasts, but… those black-furred ones were moving too clean. Someone's directing them."
"Bandits don't weigh a thousand pounds and tear through stone," the female captain snapped back.
The rep shrugged. "True. But if you want a straight fight, you'll get one. Just not the one you can win."
The room was starting to shift. Nobody liked my plan, but they couldn't ignore it either. I could feel the tension easing from pure dismissal into grim possibility.
Finally, Kaku, the leader of the Iron Fangs, spoke up from his corner. Honestly he was so quiet I didn't even notice him standing there until it was too late. He'd been leaning against the wall like this whole meeting bored him, but now his eyes were locked on me. "You're saying if we cut off the head, the body stumbles."
"Exactly," I said. "You're the only ones I can think of who could even try to kill that thing. And if anyone has a shot at that rider, it's you."
He didn't answer right away. Just tapped his fingers against his folded arms. Then: "You're right about one thing, it'd take an A-rank party. The rest of these bastards would get slaughtered before they even got close."
The female captain's mouth twisted. "And if you fail?"
Kaku smirked. "Then we die. And the wall falls faster. And you still lose. Same as now, only bloodier."
The City Lord's gaze swung to him. "Are you volunteering, Kaku?"
"I'm saying it could work," Kaku replied, his tone careful. "If the Fangs are willing to risk it. But I don't send my people to die without damn good reason."
I stepped forward again. "Then here's your reason: you keep doing what you're doing, you'll be knee-deep in corpses by sunrise. You try my way? Maybe you save the city. Maybe you all get to keep breathing."
Silence again. Even the background noises seemed to fade.
Finally, the City Lord leaned back in his chair, exhaling slowly. "I don't like it. But…" His gaze moved to Kaku. "…he's right. This siege will grind us down. If you think you can take that thing, you have my permission."
Kaku gave a single nod. "I'll discuss it with my team. If we do this, we do it right."
The female captain still didn't look convinced, but she didn't argue. Which, coming from her, was as close to agreement as I was going to get.
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