Tristan woke with the sunrise and to the sound of shouting far off in the distance. The morning was already warm as they were near the end of the hottest Season of the year. Felicity had moved up next to his head on the pillow adjacent to him and was kicking slightly mid-dream.

Tristan sat up and looked around. Obadai was gone, his bed a disheveled mess. "Felicity," he whispered, slightly shaking the fairy dragon.

"Fwah," she muttered as she rolled over, off the pillow, and onto the bed proper. Lazily stretching like a cat, she licked her chops and then looked up at him. "What is it?"

"Obadai is gone, and something is going on."

"He probably got breakfast," she replied as she yawned, showing off her sharp canid teeth. "I wouldn't worry too much."

"Get my gear out," Tristan ordered as he stood up. Felicity waved her paw, and the storage dimension opened next to her. He quickly put on his armor and equipment, spun up his essence crucible, and activated Lucky Instinct by tapping his Starmetal Maul and imparting some of the powerful energy coursing through him. He rapidly incanted the spell phrase and performed the gesture for Near Miss as well and finally pushed essence into the ear-cuff to activated Spoken Message: Half-Realm. "Obadai, you still here?"

The Archon's voice came back a second later, "Yes. I'm on the city walls. Events have transpired in a way that were not anticipated. The battle should not unfold anytime soon…but we have to change plans."

"What do you mean?" Tristan asked as he rushed downstairs, saw the few guards who were standing at the bottom of the steps, and nodded to acknowledge their presence.

One of the guards stood up a little straighter, "Lord Tristan. To the walls. Your ally is already there. We…our commanders are at the front, and the garrison commander is in the fort with Prince Merrill. We need your prowess on the walls."

Tristan was about to reply and explain that he wasn't as experienced as they thought he was, but it seemed better to keep his mouth shut and just get more information from Obadai. They formed up around Tristan and began to escort him through the city streets. There was rushed movement as soldiers went towards the walls, and civilians headed toward the main keep and the moat.

I'm not that experienced, Tristan thought. But, they must believe I have the wisdom of ages given the fact that I'm an Elf Lord of another Realm. They're assuming quite a lot about me based on appearance alone.

Obadai was talking to him the whole time; and his voice was terse and analytical. Cold, even. "Prince Roland has someone crafty advising him on matters of military. They also have an Archon – or several essence-weavers – capable of casting grand illusion spells. Prince Merrill's scouts thought that the hostile army was taking up shape on a battlefield a week's march from this fortress. That was a ruse to lure this army out. The enemy force marched here, circumventing Merrill's army."

Tristan felt a pit form in the bottom of his gut, "We're surrounded, aren't we?"

"With siege weapons – the whole city is going to come under siege. And the army of Prince Merrill? Far out at the battlefield, still facing a phantasmal army. I found that out thanks to divination – but we have no way to send messages to them. I'd need to know someone on the front to talk to them."

The spell cut off, and Tristan felt Felicity land on his head. Her tail flicked down in front of his vision for a split second, showing the characteristic shimmer of her invisibility. "Sounds like this could be dangerous. We could hide and wait it out," she stated.

Tristan shook his head and looked to the guards, "Prince Roland – would he kill the citizens living here?"

The guards nodded, and one of them spoke up. "Yeah. Piece of work. A real jerk."

Hopefully Obadai's spell can scare them off, Tristan thought. Then maybe we can push for negotiations and avoid more bloodshed. An idea popped into his head, and he started to jog toward the city walls; the guards flanking him picking up pace with minor cursing.

He got to a set of stairs and ascended the wall. What he saw from the battlements shook him to his core – a massive army, easily twenty-thousand strong – arrayed around the city walls. He could see siege weapons being prepared; trebuchets, covered battering rams, and ballistae with ropes attached. They were being loaded with the type of bolts that were not meant to kill – instead, it was akin to an enormous grappling hook. Ropes could be threaded through loops on the back to enable the rapid placement of siege ladders.

The sounds of preparation echoed around Tristan, and he scanned around for Obadai. Felicity tapped his temple and pointed with her tail alongside his head – and Tristan spotted his ally standing in front of a crenellation. He headed over, "I had an idea!"

Obadai glanced over and him with a grim, taut expression. "Oh? Do share. My spell could take out a large force, but I had considered teleporting us away."

"Thrice Command," Tristan replied. "I can make them run away for up to a minute – but I need a way to amplify my voice. Can you do sound elementalism spells?"

"I can, but I don't know any," Obadai replied. He cracked a slight smile, "Inventive thinking, though." The man faced the arrayed army once more. "You get a choice, Tristan; either I use Ring of the Forgotten Flame, or we teleport back to Rigger's Cove. I don't have the essence for both."

Tristan was torn. On the one hand, he did not want to see harm come to these civilians. On the other, they were about to be in a very under-defended fortress assaulted by a massive army. And if Obadai couldn't break them, then the odds of the duo surviving were slim should the walls fall. "I'm open to other ideas," Tristan stated.

Felicity cleared her throat, "If I may offer an idea – I'll fly to Prince Merrill's army and get them headed this way. They're how far away?"

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"A week," Obadai replied. "Maybe the cavalry could get here in a few days, but they'd be pushing the horses to their limit." He grimaced, "I had another idea…but it would cause a lot of issues." He glanced over at Tristan once more. "I can use a realmwalking spell, and create a rift, an artificial Incursion. It will cause those Sympathetic Incursions afterward…but it would give me enough essence to teleport away if needed."

"That's risky," Tristan replied. "That may lead to more suffering."

"Another thought," Felicity said as she raised her paw. "I go get that army, you both pull back to that central keep and get the rest of these defenders back there as well. Hole up, make it a real siege."

"Lots of options," Tristan replied. "What do the commanders here say?"

Obadai shrugged, "What commanders? They are all on the battlefield days away. And Prince Merrill is still over in his fort." Obadai gestured, and Tristan finally took notice of the surrounding troops, who were looking at the two men as if awaiting orders. He lowered his voice to a whisper. "You're a noble from a foreign realm, with an Archon at your side, and they think you are a warrior with centuries if not millennia of prowess and battle experience behind you. These men don't have a local commander, save for whoever is managing the garrison – probably hiding in the main keep."

Tristan thought about it for a few moments. An idea began to formulate in his mind; despite not having battlefield experience, he tried to equate the situation to something he was familiar with. In this case, how dragons dealt with foreign invaders. There were two ways they dealt with them. If a small group they could crush, they would use shock and awe to scatter their foes. But if the force was dangerous? They would retreat to their lair and use the environment against their foes.

"Here's the plan," he said as he made up his mind. He looked to one of the guards atop the wall, "Send word across the walls – we make them bleed for every inch." He looked back across the city, "The buildings are almost all the same height, and there is not a clear grid-pattern. Meaning that archers, with planks of wood, can traverse the tops of the buildings while firing down on those below. By the time those soldiers get up to the roofs, the archers will be on the next one."

Tristan turned to another soldier and pointed at him, "You. I want all ground forces – any non-archers – to get to the main keep." He pointed at another soldier, "Send word that I want the fastest riders possible to be at every gate. They will open the gates, then ride like hell for the main fort."

He pointed to yet another soldier, "Get to the main fort and ensure we have knotted ropes ready for our archers to grab and ascend."

Last, he turned to Obadai, "You are heading to the main keep. Once the army reaches the walls…burn the city."

"What about you?" Obadai asked with a quizzical eyebrow raised.

Tristan poked Felicity's side, "Get out The Matriarch's spellbook. I'm going to go invisible."

She opened her storage dimension and pulled out the book. Flipping it open, she held the page up to Tristan's face.

Minor Invisibility (Second)

Spell Phrase: "Verhoa minut hunnulla, joka maastouttaa minut. Estä ketään näkemästä minua, kun valo taittuu kehoni ympärillä." (Manifest a shroud around my form that will blend me into the surroundings. Prevent any from seeing me as light is bent around my body).

Spell Gesture: Touch your index finger and thumb on one hand, the ring finger to the same thumb, the middle finger held up aloft, and the pinky finger curled into the base of the palm. Then, as you speak the spell phrase, unfurl your fingers, place them in front of your chest, and create a ring with your index finger and thumb – looping them with the fingers of the opposite hand.

Other Notes: As with Blended Body, this will persist for an hour with a single casting. It renders you invisible – but not like a fairy dragon's innate invisibility which can be seen by those with Elf heritage and others of our kind. You will be impossible to see, except for divination spells. You can still be found by sound, scent, touch, or other senses. If you were covered with a substance (flour, blood, something like that) then your invisibility would be foiled. A re-cast of the spell should include the new substance covering you.

Tristan muttered the spell phrase over and over again, repeating the spell gesture with each practiced incantation. As troops began to disperse, he headed down the steps – still practicing while Felicity flapped in front of him, holding the book for his reference.

Obadai tapped his shoulder, "Anything other than "I'm going to go invisible?" Or is that the end of your plan?"

Tristan shook his head, "Felicity is going to go get the army. You are going to obliterate them once they've been bled by the defenders. I'll be outside the walls – and once the army goes in, I take out their siege equipment. I can't risk getting covered with blood or viscera – so I won't fight directly. But without the siege equipment, they will have to either run off as they know an army approaches, make a desperate assault on the citadel, or risk sticking around and run a double siege; harried by the allied army outside the main walls, and the defending force inside the central keep."

Obadai smirked ever-so-slightly, "You are a bit of a tactician, aren't you?"

Tristan shook his head, "It's what a dragon would do in this type of situation." He looked to Felicity and nodded, "I have the spell down. Put it into the storage dimension and make haste."

She nodded and put the book away. She flapped down to him and pulled out the other healing and essence elixirs, slipping them into his bandolier across his torso. "Be careful," she said softly. "I won't forgive you if you die." There was a sincerity in her voice, and a trace of fear.

Tristan turned to look at the gates which were being prepared as the chains were removed, "I'll do my best to be safe. I want to live, after all." Felicity took off flying, and Tristan went over to the stables that were being cleared out. Thankfully, Midnight and Onyx were both present and hadn't gone missing in the tumult. Tristan leaned next to them. "You're going to go with Obadai and get to the fort."

The two horses nodded, Onyx stamped his foot a few times, and Obadai mounted up on Midnight. The horses took off with Obadai astride the mare. One of the soldiers came over to Tristan, panting, out of breath, and sweating profusely. "M'lord…You're wanted by the prince."

Tristan shook his head, "No time. Give him my regards."

"But-"

Tristan frowned, "We don't have time for this." Tristan headed to the gatehouse and saw one of the soldiers preparing to depart for the main fort at the center of the city. "Where is the sally port?"

"Over here," he replied as he led Tristan through a few rooms built into the walls, and to a smaller, iron-reinforced, wooden door.

"Let me out through it, then shut it behind me – but do not lock it."

The man nodded in confirmation, and Tristan slipped out to the exterior wall. There was a good thousand feet between him and the front lines of arrayed soldiers, who were setting up mobile palisades to deal with archers. The early morning sun was rising from behind the fortress, and so Tristan was hidden by the sunlight blinding the army before him. They will wait, Tristan thought, until the sunlight isn't impairing their vision. At least on this side. I'd expect they attack soon on the other side of the city.

He took a deep, calming breath as he felt his racing heart. I've got this. I've killed dragons. Sabotaging siege equipment should be easy enough. He performed the spell gesture he had committed to memory and incanted the Elvish phrase as he spun his essence crucible and pushed the power into his body. "Verhoa minut hunnulla, joka maastouttaa minut. Estä ketään näkemästä minua, kun valo taittuu kehoni ympärillä" (Manifest a shroud around my form that will blend me into the surroundings. Prevent any from seeing me as light is bent around my body).

He could see a shimmering, silver sparkle coat his form, and he had to suck in a deep breath as the surge of energy leaving him left him slightly winded. I can…do that…a few more times in a row.

Confident he was invisible, he began to jog towards the battle line.

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