Chapter 339: Insufferable

The hobgoblins never managed to do meaningful damage to the fortress walls. That did not stop them from trying. The assault continued for the entire day, an endless cycle of climbing, falling, roaring, and dying. The base of the bastion disappeared beneath layers of green bodies and broken weapons. Whenever one hobgoblin fell from the wall, another climbed over it. Whenever a ballista bolt carved a hole through the army, more creatures rushed in to fill the space.

The walls endured. The gate beneath Kael’s position did not fare quite as well. It remained standing, but the ceaseless pounding had begun to show. Cracks spread through several of the thick wooden panels. One of the iron supports had bent slightly inward, and dust fell from the surrounding stone every time another tree-trunk club slammed into it. The gate would hold through this wave. Kael was less certain about the next.

The human casualties remained minimal compared to the scale of the fighting, though minimal did not mean none. A few soldiers leaned too far over the battlements and were seized by climbing hobgoblins, dragged screaming into the horde below. Others lost their footing while wrestling creatures away from the edge and fell from the wall alongside them. One unfortunate soldier died instantly when a sling stone found the narrow opening between his helmet and brow, striking him directly between the eyes. Another tumbled from the inner side of the battlements after being knocked backward by a club. There were broken bones, crushed fingers, burns from the cannon crews, and more than a few heads split open by stones. Yet the defenders held.

They fought until daylight faded and the plains became difficult to distinguish beneath the corpses. When night finally arrived, a deep horn sounded somewhere beyond the battlefield. The hobgoblins withdrew. Those climbing the walls released their grips and dropped. The creatures striking the gate backed away, while the ranks behind them slowly turned from the bastion. They dragged some of their wounded with them and trampled over the rest, leaving thousands of bodies scattered across the open land. The defenders did not celebrate until the army had disappeared beyond the effective range of the ballistae. Only then did shoulders slump and weapons lower.

[The First Wave has ended.]

The soldiers immediately began tending to the injured and inspecting the damage. Crews moved toward the gate with timber and metal braces, while others descended to recover whatever ammunition could be safely retrieved from the field. Kael opened the contribution rankings.

[Floor Contribution Rankings]

[1. Kael Ardent: 6,217]

[2. Climber: 6,091]

[3. Climber: 5,978]

[4. Climber: 5,841]

[5. Climber: 1,138]

Kael had taken first place. It was an impressive total, but his lead was not overwhelming. The three climbers who received control of the restored defenses were close behind him, separated by only one or two hundred points. The only one in serious trouble was the Leonard. His turrets inside the city had not fired once. The walls never fell, and no enemies reached the central district. He had been forced to jump into the battlefield himself and fight beneath the bastion just to pass the minimum contribution requirement.

Kael closed the rankings. A shout rose from the stairs. "You!"

The Leonard rushed onto the wall. His golden hair was matted with sweat, and the once-polished armor covering his body had been dented and stained with hobgoblin blood. He crossed the distance toward Kael with an expression twisted by exhaustion and fury.

"You motherfucker! You almost got me fucked!" the Leonard shouted.

Kael looked at him through the narrow visor of his helmet. "You didn’t see me complaining when you tried the same with me."

The Leonard bristled. "That was different!"

Kael’s expression remained hidden behind his helmet. "It usually is when you’re the one getting screwed."

The Leonard pointed toward the outer defenses. "You’re going to get us killed! The walls won’t stand. It’s a waste to keep the turrets here. Once the real waves start, they’ll break the gates and ignore everything on the battlements. These weapons can’t aim backward, so they won’t be able to shoot enemies inside the city!"

Kael glanced toward the central keep. "And you think building turrets inside the city is better?"

"Yes!" the Leonard answered without hesitation. "Because they aim outward, and they’re defending the central zone!"

The other three climbers approached as the argument grew louder. The burly man arrived first, carrying his massive sword over one shoulder. The spear user had a bloodstained bandage wrapped around her arm, while the mage leaned heavily against her staff, her face pale from spending most of her mana during the defense. Kael glanced toward them before looking back at the Leonard.

"I don’t really care much for what you have to say, and I don’t trust it. We’re doing fine as we are," Kael said.

The Leonard’s face tightened. "I’m not!"

Kael shrugged. "Then do better. You suggested we go down and kill them manually. You’ve been doing fine already."

The burly man laughed out loud, and the Leonard’s face turned red.

"Son of a bitch! Do you not understand that they get stronger with every wave?" the Leonard demanded.

Kael remained unmoved. "I assumed the Tower wasn’t planning to send weaker enemies for the next few days."

The Leonard gestured toward the battered gate. "The next wave could have siege weapons. Elites. Creatures capable of tearing the walls apart."

Kael pointed toward the Leonard’s accumulated currency. "Then who’s stopping you from building your own turrets? You earned some points already. Better start building."

The Leonard stared at Kael as though he wanted to grind him into the stone. The floor’s rules prevented him from trying. His gaze shifted toward Kael’s section of the wall. "Fine, then."

He opened the defensive construction interface. Light gathered along the northern battlements. A basic turret materialized directly in front of Kael’s nearest upgraded ballista. Then another appeared in front of the second. The Leonard continued until several cheap defenses had been placed along the outer edge of Kael’s section, each positioned to obstruct one of Kael’s firing lanes.

Kael stared at them. "What are you doing?"

The Leonard did not look away from the interface. "Placing my turrets."

Kael pointed toward the nearest structure. "You do realize you’re blocking mine."

Its wooden frame stood directly in front of the ballista, forcing the larger weapon to fire over it or rotate toward a less useful angle.

"And yours are too far forward," Kael continued. "They’ll be destroyed first and pelted down with rocks."

The Leonard smiled. "Yes."

The spear-wielding woman frowned. "What’s the point of that? The goblins will focus on them first. You’re not helping anyone."

"Nah," the burly man said after examining the placements. "This smartass wants his turrets to block the redhead. That way fewer hobgoblins die outside, the monsters break through the gate, and the defenses he built around the center finally start earning points."

The Leonard looked at him. "Not too stupid for someone your size."

The burly man tightened his grip on his sword, but a warning appeared before he could act.

Kael stepped closer to one of the cheap turrets and inspected it. It was fully operational and formally registered as part of the fortress defenses. He could not destroy it. Damaging the turret would count as sabotage, and the fortress soldiers would turn against him exactly as they had when the Leonard tried to damage Kael’s first repaired ballista.

"Unfortunately for you," Kael said, "you’re not smart for someone your size. You’re griefing everyone."

The Leonard’s smile remained. "They’re my turrets. I can place them wherever I want."

Kael stopped paying attention to him. "You found the one way to be useless and annoying at the same time."

He opened the upgrade interface for his own ballistae and studied the available progression paths. The first upgrade had added a second drawing arm and an automated feeding belt, greatly reducing the number of soldiers required to operate each weapon. The next stage reinforced the base and elevated the firing platform.

The third upgrade was where the weapon changed completely. A projection appeared before Kael. The ballista rose into a tower-like structure, supported by a heavily reinforced rotating column. Several enormous bows extended from different levels of the frame, allowing the weapon to fire multiple bolts across independent angles.

The Leonard’s cheap turrets would no longer obstruct it. The upgraded ballista would simply fire over them.

Kael checked the cost. He would need to purchase the second and third stages, spending nearly three thousand currency per structure. He had enough to upgrade two at best. That meant half of his effective firepower would remain obstructed, but two elevated ballista towers were still far better than losing the entire section.

Kael selected the first weapon. Currency vanished. The ballista groaned as its foundation widened. Reinforced beams emerged around the central platform, and the main body rose above the Leonard’s turret. Additional firing arms unfolded across the taller frame, locking into place with heavy mechanical clicks.

The second ballista transformed moments later. The Leonard’s smile weakened. Both upgraded structures now towered over his defenses, their multiple bows possessing clear firing lines toward the battlefield beyond.

Kael glanced toward him. "That was expensive."

The Leonard recovered quickly. "You can only afford two."

Kael turned away. "For now."

He moved toward the cannon, which sat farther back than the ballistae with its long barrel extending over the battlement. The Leonard had been unable to place a turret directly in front of it without obstructing his own structures or leaving them hanging beyond the wall.

Then Kael turned his focus toward the lonely cannon.

"I could probably make something out of that.."