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"Yes, your lordship. That’s my name," the man said with a rough voice. If the stones he was wrestling into submission had a voice, Kai was sure it was this man’s voice.

"The progress, Barret… How is it going?" Kai questioned as he looked at his calloused palms that rubbed together. He seemed nervous by shifting from one foot to another, but by this point, he didn’t know many people who wouldn’t be anxious in his presence when meeting him for the first time.

"Progress on the gate and wall is good. We’ll have it secured and operational before the next full moon, Lord Arzan, even sooner if the weather holds," he said, his voice rising in confidence by the end of his sentence.

Kai nodded, his gaze sweeping over the scene below.

Workers hammered at stubborn stones, their clanging forming a counterpoint to the shouts of foremen and the creaking of carts laden with building materials. It was quite the sight of frantic construction for what was broken during the spider attack. But Kai’s eyes focused beyond the immediate hustle, his gaze drawn towards the distant hills fringing the forest.

"Good," he said, his voice betraying none of the disquiet that gnawed at him. "And how do you feel the walls are holding up, Barret? Sturdy enough to withstand the elements and… other challenges?"

A bead of sweat trickled down Barret’s temple despite the morning air. He straightened, puffing out his chest in an attempt to project confidence. "Sturdy, aye, Lord Arzan. We used the finest granite, reinforcing the foundation… they’ll stand strong for years to come."

Kai’s lips curved into a faint smile. "Years, you say? Excellent. Then tell me, Barret, could your walls handle… a few hundred monstrous monsters like those spiders all at once?"

Barret’s face drained of colour, the facade melting away to reveal a flicker of raw fear in his eyes. He swallowed hard, "A few… hundred… Lord Arzan, that’s… that’s an impossible number! We wouldn’t… the walls wouldn’t hold against even half of that!"

Kai tilted his head. "No, I figured not. That’s why I wanted to have this conversation."

Confusion clouded the mason’s features. But before he could voice his inquiry, Kai continued, his voice dropping to an urgent tone. "In three months, a beast wave unlike any we’ve seen before is going to crash down on our doorstep. Hundreds, maybe thousands of ravenous creatures will descend upon the estate. We need to be ready, Barret."

Barret’s eyes widened as he spoke of a big revelation, taking in the urgency in Kai’s voice.

"A b-beast wave, my lord?" Barret stammered, his voice barely a whisper.

Kai nodded. "Yes, that’s why, we need to focus on the walls. Can you reinforce them enough to withstand such an attack? Reinforce them beyond their original design, so at least it could withstand the assault."

The mason stood rooted to the spot. Kai knew it was a daunting task, a near-impossible feat to accomplish in the meagre time they had. But they had to do something.

According to Francis, the walls wouldn’t even stay still with a few dozen of the spiders and would start to crack. He did not doubt it since he had seen three spiders easily getting past them.

Barret chewed his lip, a deep frown crawling itself onto his forehead as Kai waited for an answer.

"No," he finally admitted, his voice heavy with regret. "It’s too much of a change… too short a notice. We can’t… we can’t rebuild the entire wall in a few months." He paused for a moment and looked right into Kai’s eyes. "But… We can make it stronger. We can patch the cracks, and fill them with mortar and the sturdiest granite we can find. We can smooth out any weaknesses, make sure no part of the wall juts out and becomes a vulnerable point."

Kai thought about his words. Repairing the weak parts would be good, but it still wouldn’t hold long enough against a beast wave. As he looked over the walls, an idea surfaced in his mind, recalling a painting he had seen in a book once.

It was one of a king who was defending the capital against the troops of a foreign king. The walls of the capitals were tall and sturdy, but they had extra protection against anyone who tried to scale the wall.

"Crenellations? How about that? Jagged sections along the top will make scaling the walls a nightmare for any beast foolish enough to try. We don’t know how many of those could climb our walls, so that would protect us," Kai said, looking back at the mason.

Barret nodded immediately. "Yes, Lord Arzan. I could work on them. Those would be simple enough to do if I have enough workers."

But Kai wasn’t finished yet. "And what about raising the wall itself, Barret? Couldn’t we add a few extra feet to its height?"

Barret’s face fell. A frown creased his brow as he ran a calloused hand through his moustache. "Adding height, Lord Arzan? That’s a monumental task. We’re already stretched thin on time and manpower. Rebuilding the entire wall to a greater height… it’s simply not feasible in three months."

Disappointment flickered in his eyes, but he quickly concealed it. "Not the entire wall, perhaps," he said after thinking about it. "But could we raise sections of it at strategically placed intervals? That would create a staggered defence, make it harder for the beasts to swarm over the wall in one go."

The mason’s eyes narrowed in thought. "Sections, you say?" He asked, then touched his chin in thought. "Yes, that’s a possibility. We could focus on the most vulnerable points, create a sort of uneven wall, a maze for the beasts to navigate."

A hint of a smile played on Kai’s lips. This was progress. They were thinking outside the box, adapting their strategy to the limited time they had. Yet, even as a flicker of hope ignited within him, a nagging doubt persisted. Would these fortifications, impressive as they might be, be enough to withstand the fury of a full-blown beast wave?

He leaned closer to the rough stone of the wall, his fingers trailing along the cool surface. Was there something more they could do, some hidden potential he was overlooking? He cast a questioning glance at Barret, searching for any further suggestions.

The mason, however, shook his head, a grimace twisting his features. "There’s only so much we can do with stone and mortar, Lord Arzan. We can reinforce, we can adapt, but ultimately, we can’t change the whole foundation in a few months…" he trailed off, his voice heavy with unspoken worry.

Kai knew he was right. Yet, as he continued to stare at the imposing wall, a sudden thought struck him. He straightened up, his eyes gleaming.

A part of him didn’t know if his idea was feasible, but he knew it was better than just letting the walls be.

"Barret," he said, "I have another request. Can you create gaps along the wall at specific intervals? Gaps large enough to fit a good-sized stone?"

Barret blinked, his brow furrowing in confusion. "Gaps, Lord Arzan? Why, that would just create weak points! It would look like a series of cracks in the wall."

Kai smiled. "Not weaknesses, Barret," he corrected. "Opportunities. Those gaps will power up the whole wall, giving them more fortifications. I plan to use enchantments into the walls to create a sort of magical barrier around them. And to fuel those enchantments…" he paused, and looked at Killian, "we’ll need Atheum."

Killian immediately frowned. "The idea of enchantments is good, Lord Arzan. But wouldn’t it be simpler to just use Syphon stones? They suck the mana right out of the air."

Kai chuckled but quickly masked it. Killian was being serious by his expression. "They syphon mana slower than a snail on sleeping pills, and they’re not as stable. One wrong twitch and— boom! Instant fireworks display, minus the pretty lights."

Killian grimaced, surely the image of a self-detonating wall painting a vivid picture in his mind. "Fair enough," he said. "So, Atheum it is then? But would you be able to enchant them and connect them to the walls?"

Kai nodded. "They’re not ideal. But they can be a conduit, a channel for the magic to flow. We can create a small cavity within the gaps I mentioned to Barret, and embed a mana stone within it. The enchantment itself will be on the walls and be a real challenge."

He rubbed his temples, the weight of responsibility pressing down on him. Defensive enchantments were a dime a dozen, but most were little more than a glorified armour that might protect half a blow more from a raging beast. He needed something more, something potent enough to join with the enchantments and make it so that they could work well with each other.

As he thought and thought, his mind moved back to his days in the Sorcerer’s Tower and how his master had explained the spell wards that protected them from getting discovered by the mana fiends.

Other than those, there were also the defensive ones, reinforcing huge walls. In them, he would be able to make up a few of them that stretched long enough to cover walls.

Maybe he could connect those with the enchantments and then join them to the Atheum which would power both of them up.

The complications were numerous and he had never thought of using enchantments and wards together, but if he was able to pull it over, it could make sure the wall stayed intact for a bit longer.

The headache turned to an unavoidable throb as his mind wandered deep into the task at hand.

He was only brought back from his thoughts when Killian touched his shoulders.

"Lord Arzan!"

"Ah, yes?" He looked at him.

"I was asking a question and you seemed to have lost yourself in thoughts," Killian said, giving him a worried stare.

"Oh, what was your question?"

"I wanted to know what is a firework. Is it some kind of a weapon?"

Kai blinked his eyes.

Ah fuck! They don’t exist in this era.

***

The morning breeze ruffled Lucian’s raven hair as he stood on the top floor of his castle, gazing out over his sprawling domain.

Below him, peasants toiled in the fields, their figures bent in silent labour. A satisfied smile pulled at his lips. This land, these people, all belonged to him— just like he had dreamt ever since he was a child.

Many had tried to take it away from him, and many had gotten close, but his obsession had managed to not let them get away with it. He had done everything he was asked to and had gone way beyond it just to prove that he was the one deserving to be the heir.

Now, he had no one to prove anything as everything was his. Only his.

Suddenly, his reverie was shattered by the arrival of his ever-present butler, Rubert. The man bowed in front of him, respectfully and with a hint of fear in his eyes when he looked up. "Your Grace," he announced in a monotone voice, "Lord Arzan’s envoy departed two days ago, after reiterating their request for assistance."

Lucian’s smile vanished, replaced by a scowl. "Assistance? Do you think Arzan even deserves the gall to be called a Lord?" He spat the title like a rotten grape.

Rubert remained silent, his training holding him back from voicing any opinion.

Lucian noticed it and laughed loudly, "Ah, Rubert," he said, clapping a hand on the butler’s shoulder. "You know why I keep you around. It’s your unwavering loyalty. Always a breath of fresh air in this snake pit of a world. Sadly, people like Arzan don’t possess that quality and aren’t meant to achieve anything."

Lucian took a few paces away, his gaze returning to the distant fields. "It’s strange, isn’t it? I drive him away from my lands and he returns, begging for scraps from his brother. To his credit, I had expected Veralt to collapse by now. It seems like he had managed to delay it a bit. I did get a few interesting reports." He paused. "Though that won’t last much longer, with the beast wave looming like a storm cloud."

Rubert shifted nervously. "Your Grace," he ventured hesitantly. "Wouldn’t it be… risky to let the wave reach Veralt? What if—"

Lucian cut him off with a sharp laugh. "What if it spills over onto my lands, you mean? Oh, Rubert, you and your worries. Fear not, the beast wave will be dealt with, decisively and with great fanfare after it crumbles Veralt into pieces. After all," he declared, his voice ringing out with a touch of theatricality. "Saving the day would let these peasants know who is in charge. It’s always important to remind them of that." He said the last part of his sentence with a flourish.

Then, he turned back to the butler "Now, tell me, Rubert," he said, his voice dropping to a low, dangerous tone. "What do you think I despise most?"

Rubert, pale under his starched collar, stammered for a response. Lucian didn’t wait for him to answer. With a swift backhand, he slapped the butler across the face. It resounded in the air, a few guards standing around flinching.

The old butler barely stopped himself from falling to the ground and promptly lowered his head.

"Concern for family, Rubert! That’s my cardinal sin. Only I get to decide when and how I help my brother, if ever. And it will be on my terms, not his. When he comes begging, I will hear him out and see if he still had an eloquent tongue that he could beg well with."

He clapped Rubert on the shoulder once more and strode away, not caring a bit about the trembling butler.