Kallium looks at Shiaran with mild surprise. "Well yes. And no. If we don't get that fault closed in time before the PCA gets to it, it could be disastrous. This city by my reckoning has held out against a full on assault for coming up on two weeks. Which is great for the citizens here, but horrible should the PCA get in and conquer and then refortify their position. That also means they'll have the bulk of their armies here, and have some of their heaviest hitters on hand. There's also the matter of if Fildegarne's government falls, the country falls. And that makes our mission even more of an uphill fight in the mud. The whole situation feels grim, and that's coming from a dead guy".

Beloc looks at Shiaran, Oro, and Irja. "Sounds like we have our report. We could hang around a bit longer to get more information on the forces sieging the castle, but there's no way the dwarves can start moving here unless we can close the fault and give the PCA no reason to pursue this place."

"May I make a suggestion, Commander?"  Shiaran doesn't wait for a reply.  Her question was rhetorical.  "We have Rebort's flying communication thingy.  Send our report through that, then ask to stay here and harry the PCA while Sypher gets the dwarves headed this way.  We can leave them in that dragon room behind the other door while Sypher and Rebort come help us with the ley line.  Once the ley line is clear, we push the PCA out of the city and let the dwarves in.  They will be safe in the dragon chamber and already here when it's safe to move in."

"It's a plan. And any plan in a time where we don't have time is as good as any".

EM-01 fluffs up its feathers and circles around Shiaran's head at the mention of 'flying communication thingy'. It squawks once or twice before returning back to Beloc's shoulder.

Beloc thinks a moment and nods. "That's a fair plan. Closing that fault needs to be our top priority and we'll need Sypher and Rebort to do that. Oro, you know this area best, once we get confirmation from the others, can you meet them halfway and ensure they make it to the dragon room?"

He looks over to the tiny messenger. "You get all that? Here's what I need you to send to Rebort. The city is under siege by the PCA. They're after the spectral fault that converges directly under the castle itself. Bring everyone. Sypher, Rebort, and all the dwarves. We have a safe house for the dwarves while the rest of us secure the fault."

Oro nods, and sprints off back towards the Old Well.

Irja ponder for a moment, before speaking. "I vill go on ahead den, to de castle. I believe de aquaducts go straight to de moat of the keep. Vone of my spells vill allow me to svim it faster den ve can all valk togeder. I can inform dem dere dat you all are coming, and dat ve bring de dwarves for safety".

With Irja and Oro gone, Shiaran turns to Beloc.  "Alright, Commander.  What do you need me to do?"

Somewhere several blocks over an artillery shell strikes. A slight tremor is felt in the ground as the deep bass of the explosion reverberates the area.

Beloc turns and looks at Shiaran. "I'd like to stick together, not that you need protection or anything, but Sypher would have my hide if anything tragic were to happen to you."

He looks off into the distance where the artillery continues to rock the walls. "I think it prudent to get an idea what PCA threat we're dealing with. Let's see what we can find out without getting too close."

Beloc glances back over to the winged creature. "Rebort, did you copy all that? Please respond. Over."
This message was last edited by the player at 02:47, Wed 11 Apr 2018.

A faint mechanical voice comes from EM-01, much different than the chirps and squawks you've heard from it to date. It sounds quite distant. Almost hollow in nature.

"Message received. I will relay to the others and let you know what they decide."

After Rebort's message is relayed back, the pair move in between two streets worth of houses and shops until they find themselves at the east wall. Green molds and general urban decay cling to the surface, with random spots of graffiti etched in to the greenery. The artillery strikes grow more frequent, with a sudden burst of rapid fire from small arms. The shots echo all around, despite being dampened by the buildings around you. Within moments, an all out battle flares up both from the top of the walls to the south, as well as from outside of them. Distant shouts from men at arms can be heard in between bursts of fire, though making out what's being said is nigh impossible given the circumstances. Whatever lull in fighting or stand down that was in place when you arrived has completely melted away now.

A short time later, the two find themselves outside a building with a large balcony that butts up to the rooftop of the adjacent building.

Beloc points toward the balcony. "Let's take a look. Apache, go find Irja and keep an eye on her."
This message was last edited by the player at 23:24, Sat 14 Apr 2018.

Shiaran follows Beloc, keeping low and out of sight as best she can.

Beloc ducks into the building and navigates the house slowly while he and Shiaran look for the stairs to the second floor. They pause periodically so that Shiaran can ensure no door gives them trouble or any countermeasure slows them down.

The stairs lead up to a second floor that opens into a large hallway. Several closed doors tempt their curiosity, but a large opened double door at the end reveals the balcony in question. They pass through the large double doors to find themselves in a room that is most certainly the master, given the size. A small door to the balcony is still ajar, suggesting they weren't the first to come this way.

Beloc steps out onto the balcony to surveil the area.

The adjacent roof only has a three foot gap between it and the balcony, and are roughly the same height when comparing the balcony railing to the roof top. The roofs ahead in the row range from flat topped to near 45 degree slopes (street side being the high side, tapering downward towards the wall).

6 houses down, a large three story building with no balconies but plenty of ledges loom ahead.

Flashes of light peek from around the looming three-story building ahead, but it's size blocks any decent view of anything beyond the wall. Scars on the tops of rooftops show signs of splash damage from the siege up ahead, indicating that they were getting close.

"Watch your step. Those shells may have weakened some structures up here and compromised their stability." He points ahead. "That tall one ought to give us enough of a view to see what's down there."

Beloc hops the three-foot gap and moves forward across slanted roofs, slightly crouched to help maintain his footing.

Shiaran follows with her natural care, the streets and the roofs above them her natural habitat.

[Take 10 on Jump 10 + 7 = 17.
Take 10 on Balance 10 + 10 = 20.]

Kallium sticks close to Shiaran, staying near transparent in the event friendlies spot the pair. Being seen with an undead in tow would do nothing to pacify suspicions that may arise from an odd pair skulking the city.

As the two living make their way forward, they hear the artillery strike better from their vantage point. A slight whistle just before the strike, followed by a thunderous crack. Carefully, the two ascend the outside of the three story building until they crown the top. The parapet of the wall sit at eye level now. The gap between the building top and walkable surface of the wall is 10 feet. Further south you can see the wall curves, enveloping the city below. No one is on the street level that can be seen, and the street continues on in a downward slope down the hill. You can see to your west the next wall over, and the tops of several tall buildings in the second ring. These looks nice and are better kept.

As the wall starts its curve, you can see a large group of soldiers manning the walls, rifles cracking off shots at unseen target beyond your view and below the wall. Over the wall, you can make out fields of dead. It's hard to tell who belonged to what side, as the recent weather coupled with the rains have already started to deteriorate the corpses. Destroyed seige engines the likes of which you've never seen are scatterd as well, stuck in muddy ruts and charred black from fire. Some of them appear to have propelled forward by treads, while other larger ones have legs like giant sized suits of armor.

Among the bodies you see the occasional scavenger, mostly rogue ghouls, feasting on remains.

Much, much further south you can make out the shapes of airships. High over your heads you finally notice the shapes of Fildegarian airships standing guard over the city, acting as a deterrent to the looming threat beyond.

Also to the south, Beloc's excellent sight makes out the shape of what appears to be anti aircraft cannons up on the walls. Further deterrent against the threat from above.

Suddenly, one of the anti aircraft guns explodes in violent fashion. The explosion causes a chain reaction down the line of guns for several dozen feet, igniting munitions and men alike. More explosions erupt on top of the wall from pin point artillery fire.

Sections of the top wall crumble, chipping away at the top quarter of the structure. A volley of friendly artillery erupt from somewhere southward at the street level, returning fire to the enemy. It is unclear exactly where the artillery team is located, but the two of you have a good idea it's from beyond a divider wall to the south that breaks the 3rd ring into districts.

Shiaran looks nervous.  She scans the field of battle with a keen eye and shakes her head.  An almost unbearable itch to race out into the enemy lines and destroy them is kept at bay by force of will alone.  Without her sword, it would be a suicide trip.  "This isn't good, Beloc.  They are on the verge of full collapse.  We need to tread carefully.  As strangers, getting to our goal is going to require Sypher's level of diplomacy. I don't think I'd be able to sweet talk any of these men into anything in this current climate.  What is your next step?"

Beloc sighs heavily. "This city is in dire straights. With luck, I would estimate they could hold out for a few more days at best before completely falling."

He turns and walks away from the edge of the rooftop. "I see only one actual solution that could prove fruitful. If we were to be so bold as to volunteer the dwarves, we could have them man the city walls while we shut down the fault. We barely have time to do even that, it seems. Oro is already on his way to meet with Sypher and the dwarves. I suggest we pass this information along through Rebort's messenger so that they can be as prepared as possible to defend the castle while we prepare ourselves for our task. Hopefully, that will buy us enough time and break the tie that binds that army."

"What do you think?"

Shiaran shakes her head, but hesitates to answer.  "Look, I don't mean this in any personal way, so please don't take it that way.  It sounds like a terrible idea.  First, the dwarves are in no condition to fight.  They are mostly young or old and some who just got over been deathly sick.  The paltry few who can fight won't make a difference."

She does not pause, but looks up toward the main keep.  "Second, when we use that as a bargaining chip, the city leaders will invariably wait for the dwarves to show up before they let us anywhere near where we need to go.  Plus, we'd have to wait for Sypher and Rebort anyway.  Once the dwarves arrived and the 'Garnians saw what little we have to really offer, they will be mad and not let us anyway, plus they will be mad at us.  We'll be lucky if they don't tell the dwarves to take a hike back through the tunnels."

After she finishes her analysis, she takes a deep breath and turns to look out over the battlefield.  "What do you think our chances are against those artilery or airships?  And by 'our chances', I mean the five of us stealth-wise after we close the gateway."

"There is nothing to take personally. We need to discuss tactics and strategy, and we both have our own experiences to draw from."

Beloc takes the feedback in and thinks a moment. "That plan assumes we'd be able to close the gate without interruption. There's no telling how long the forces can hold without aid. Then again, we've already survived more than one suicide mission."

He pauses a moment to consider his words and paces back and forth on the north side of the building. "I don't mean to sound insensitive, but our primary mission is to make sure that fault is shut down. If those forces break through, we're going to need every willing person possible to slow them down long enough for us to get the job done because the bottom line here is, if we fail to do so then the dwarves and everyone else is as good as dead. I'm not suggesting we throw all of them to the wall, mind you. Only those capable."

For a moment, he stops pacing and stares south, toward the failing wall. "As for whatever leadership is left here, I'll leave the diplomacy up to Sypher. A situation like this needs finesse, and let's be honest, we'd both make a mess of it. Regardless of which direction we take, there's little we can do until the others get here."

"Should we head back to the well and lay low or do you plan on having a bit of fun out there while we wait?"  She nods out at the battlefield.

"Yes." Beloc grins, almost mischievously.

He gazes out over the melee. "What did you have in mind?"