As Chris walked one final time across the village towards without thinking he took note of the changes, people milling about and how the plants themselves where visibly on edge, even the strangle vines seemed to be trying to force as many offshoots as possible outwards towards the walls.
He noticed Denna and Holt at the southern cache, taking a moment to watch as they worked to carefully make more gourd-shell balls filled with acid across a stretched hide. Denna was coating each one with a thin layer of resin with a rhythm so steady and automatic that he could easily tell was her way of trying to keep her mind distant form what would soon happen.
Holt seemed to feel his gaze as he looked up from the ball in his hand as he tested the weight of the newest one, turning it once before looking over and giving Chris a nod at seeing him walk over, that was supposed to be reassuring but landed somewhere around grim.
"Forty-three total" he calmly said. "They will do some serious damage but with so little..." his voice growing softer as he spoke
"Then we just need to make it count." Chris told him calmly yet firmly, Denna didn't even flinch or look up at his tone, rather her hands simply kept moving. Seeing nothing more to be said Chris thanked them and told them to get ready before moving on. There was nothing for him to do there, staying would no doubt just stress them out.
Alister had taken over the building near the eastern wall where the blacksmith had set up not long after arriving, something Chris was rather happy about, his experience had helped them better plan out the village as a whole, he even figured out how to best create a commers system with Oswin. Chris found him taking inventory. The man himself was crouched over a plank and seemed to be adding numbers with a stub of something that might have been a pencil but was now mostly a wooden splinter.
"Water stores are adequate for at least three days of fighting, possibly more if rationed correctly but shouldn't be a matter of concern due to the cloud tree, food supplies though could become a concern." Alister said. He didn't look up even as Chris walked over. "Assuming moderate exertion some extra rations have been placed near the inner gate, there close enough to reach under cover should any of our more human fighters be trapped there but far enough from the walls that a breach doesn't cost us supplies, it also serves as a means of splitting up our supplies to avoid them being destroyed by a thief."
"You've been busy and clearly thought this out."
"It's what I do." Alister told him without even turning to face him. "Mira's managed to complete a full circuit of supply points along our walls in case we are pushed out or in a direction. The eastern approach is solid and the Western approach has a gap in the bamboo coverage near the old river channel but its hard to spot and seems to have been repaired already well Northern wall is where they will no doubt break through though, based on what we've seen of their approach which is why me and the demon had you reinforce that area."
Chris nodded. He already knew all that. The Rootmind had been feeding him the same intelligence for hours along with how the Northern wall was being probed since there representative had left and he could easily see there siege engines being put together in the distance, he still didn't like that he had to follow the 'way of things' when it came to war, he still wanted to have his plants rip them apart before they could prepare, world rules, empires and gods be damned.
As he left and went to the Northern rampart he found Mira there, staring out with arms crossed similar to what Sera often did but with a far more downward scowl, her eyes where fixed on the horizon where the Imperial camp sprawled across the dead ground.
"The even brought out Siege towers." She pointed with her chin. "Counted three of them so far but no catapults or ballista at least but the towers could be a way over the walls and they do have rams, the ugly kind meant to break walls." She said as her scowl turned into a frown. "Been watching them piece the frames together since midday and even if it's extremely crude work, they are functional.
"As if three full armies weren't enough." He whispered making her look at him.
"They brought all this not for a village, they did this to go against you." There was no emotion in Mira's voice, it made him realize just how much of a image he had unknowingly created of himself. "Whatever you've built here, they've decided it warrants the full treatment reserved for true enemies like the demon lords forward keeps."
The words hit harder than he had thought they would, Sera and Korr would often tell him this but hearing it from someone else? It only seemed to reinforce what they had been saying.
He wondered off after that, letting his feet take him where they may and ended standing beside Korr and Sera, Korr's arms folded, his red eyes tracking the same horizon as Sera seemed to hide the wince whenever she seemed to turn wrong. Neither of them acknowledged his presents but they knew he was there, slowly he loved over and leaned against the wall next to Sera, close enough that their shoulders almost touched.
Nobody spoke at first, no one needed to, they where at most a half hour away from the opening battle that would probably wipe them out.
"The handlers moved the heroes closer to the forward command pavilion earlier well splitting them up." Sera finally said, breaking the silence, her voice was flat, almost idle. "Managed to just barely make out twelve of them from here. The other six must be on the far side or somewhere else."
"Keeping them ready," Korr said with a scoff, clearly having his own thoughts on this matter.
"No down wanting to toss them at us when the walls don't break fast enough." She remarked coldly as she side eyed Chris "They won't send the heroes in first. They'll use them as a hammer once we're committed to defending one sector to try and either break as a means to try and break us."
"How are your ribs?" Chris asked, knowing it would upset her a bit but honestly concerned.
With a scowl she spat out that they were fine, but she clearly seemed to be careful with her movements.
At seeing his disbelieving look she relented like a scolded child.
"There fine enough." She relented as she shifted her weight. A small flinch crossed her face, not in pain this time but clear annoyance and anger at having let it happen. "I'm not going to risk them breaking if can prevent it."
Korr snorted. "Could have fooled me. You were sparring with Mira this morning and it seemed far from friendly."
"It was light contact." She bit back only for the demon to give her a flat look. "You drew blood."
The corner of Sera's mouth twitched. Not quite a smile. "She was slow on her offhand and needed to learn to compensate or cover that weakness."
Chris let the exchange wash over him. It was easier than thinking about the army. Easier than counting time. Easier than acknowledging that his eyelids burned and his hands trembled against his thighs no matter how hard he pressed them flat.
The moment didn't last though as he was broken form it by horns being blown from the enemy camp.
Two of them, low at first from different parts of the camp. Their notes wove together in a way that was clearly a signal. The drums followed almost immediately, a deep rolling thunder that Chris could feel in the walls beneath his feet.
"And now it starts," Korr said quietly as both him and Sera already began to move.
Chris lingered a moment longer, watching as lines of soldiers began to form up, the disciplined coordination visible even from this distance. Hundreds of them, then more, pooling together in a flow of grim momentum. Banners rose as the clatter of equipment rolled across the gap between the camp and the village, too distant to pick out individual sounds yet too present to ignore.
Feeling through the network he noticed how the cacti caught it first. Their shallow root systems trembled with the approaching rhythm, and through the Rootmind Chris touched something that wasn't fear. Closer to anticipation. That strange joy the plants had been radiating for days, buzzing louder as the vibration grew, like children who'd been waiting for a game to start.
The realizing and the absurdity of it almost made him laugh.
The scream flowers began their warning a moment later — a thin, piercing shriek that rose from the outer perimeter and rippled inward through the network. Too quiet to carry across the open ground to the Imperial lines, but inside the village it cut through everything. Sharp and unmistakable as it informed everyone and everything to get ready for the storm.
Korr's hand found Chris's shoulder. Squeezed it gently, causing Chris to open his eyes.
The army was marching. First ranks leaving the camp now, moving in formation across the dead ground well there Siege towers lurched behind them steadily, pushed by oxen teams whose breath Chris could almost see in the cooling air. The mages rode in the center of the column — close enough to the front to reach the walls with their fire but far enough back to stay out of the worst of the first contact.
He faintly heard Korr muttering about incompetence and how their formation was a mess, even a question about if a goblin was leading them before his voice grew loud and hard. "All positions," he began, "Thew outer ring holds until it can't, its not a solid defense but a future channel to funnel them through! Then we pull them back and channel them into the kill zones. Nobody stays in the outer ring once it breaks."
As soon as he seemed to be done talking Korr was already moving. His boots were heavy on the wooden rampart, and his voice rolled out across the wall, names, orders and positions echoing off the Ent bark as he took command.
The first wave hit the outer cactus field.
The screaming started. Human screaming, not flowers.
The night swallowed it whole.