Errors and Successes [CCS Adamant Fortress]

Shin, Wich, and Chayle were last-minute preparing to participate in the siege of the fortress, this time it was Adamant. They knew that Vang wouldn't be with them as he had left for another realm and would return after the siege. Initially, this made them hesitate to participate because he was the one who established connections through ravens with other alliances or friends who could join. The three of them are members of the tSB alliance, but the hive is in another realm, making it unlikely to encounter fellow warriors. This hadn't happened before, so they decided to join UnC, the only alliance in K276. There was a possibility that some members of that guild might be interested in participating. Therefore, they posted an announcement in case anyone was interested in joining them in the battle.

The four of them marched together, and along with Wich was his loyal squire Marcos. Almost upon arrival, Bezedash joined with his squires, and Captain also joined—all members of UnC. The announcement had taken effect, which was partly good. The downside was that they needed more warriors than squires or vassals to fill the rallies since dragons of non-knight individuals lacked many skills, and some used them for gathering.

Adamant was already known to them. The fortress had a port but no river or lake that served its purpose. It had airy platforms leading to the main building with blue tiles that, at a certain time of day, blended with the sky when it was clear. Positioned on the west side, they realized there were some members of FDH to the north of them, NOS and NFI to the south in larger numbers, and other members of CHN. To the north were J4Z, but they didn't spot any noteworthy warriors, which was a relief. Facing them almost always meant a certain defeat unless they had a strong rally leader to confront them.

Seeing that J4Z, NOS, and NFI had a considerable number of flag bearers, not enough to fully reinforce the building but sufficient to sustain it, they thought that the task of obtaining combat diamonds would be quite easy, solely through rallies. If they managed to capture it, no one would reinforce, as there were no requests to join another alliance, and they also weren't interested in seeking a place in another guild. They had arrived just before the battle began and hadn't seen anyone they recognized.

As soon as this last certainty vanished upon the start of the siege, Yoshi Blue made the first capture, followed by reinforcement. Chayle, The Wich, and Shin looked at each other in bewilderment; he was a member of the alliance to which they belonged, tSB. They tried to communicate with him, but it was in vain, and they remained with UnC along with the others. It was a quick decision, little time to think at that moment. Valkyrie, a member of J4Z, took hold of the fortress and was reinforced by about twenty comrades.

"Wich, initiate the rally!" shouted Shin, and Wich obeyed immediately; only cavalry soldiers were accepted. Once it was complete, it was sent, and the result was a disaster. They had made a mistake; they didn't even take the time to find out what the enemy would defend with. At first glance, it could be distinguished by their armor, and Valkyrie was a lancer; her soldiers completely eliminated the cavalry.

Seeing that his comrades were dismayed by the defeat, Chayle, hitting his lance on the sandy ground as forcefully as his strength allowed, managed to capture their attention and said, "Listen up."

"Shin, you have to set up the rally now," said Chayle. And Shin obeyed, like the hand obeys its king. The order was logical, and Shin had the strongest infantry of the three.

"Wait, don't send it yet," said Chayle with the same confidence as before. The fortress guardian had changed, and they decided to wait. Fortunately for them, Valkyrie, once again, took control, and she was reinforced by members of her alliance. Without needing further instruction, Shin sent his rally, which not only encountered a lancer army but also had archers, infantry, and cavalry in smaller numbers. Nonetheless, they still achieved victory.

They decided to send another rally since that warrior still stood. However, before reaching the destination, she had already been ousted, much to their misfortune. Nevertheless, they organized another infantry rally, knowing that Valkyrie would go for it again, and their thinking wasn't entirely wrong. Once again, they faced her, sending the same infantry army to battle against her. This time, the victory was so decisive that they managed to remove her from the fortress and take control, but they refrained from reinforcing it.

The three friends watched as they were getting closer to their goal and prepared another rally, but chaos broke out. In a back-and-forth of armies, many captured the fortress, but very few dared to reinforce it. It seemed that many were waiting for Valkyrie to recapture it, but J4Z would not make another attempt. The losses they had suffered were costly for such a small group.

The three warriors of K276, who had previously celebrated their two victories, now grew impatient as they saw that no one wanted to fight. Shin's rally was ready; they only needed someone to reinforce it. And as if the seven gods had heard their thoughts, Wisnia from the NoS alliance dared to guard Adamant with fewer than thirty armies, and the rally was sent. However, just like before, they made the same mistake; they didn't identify the troops with which their opponent could defend. The infantry rally crashed against a cavalry defense. While the result was not as disastrous as the previous defeat, they blamed themselves for it, and rightly so. Chaos ensued once again in an ownerless fortress. Although Wisnia tried to reclaim it, her reinforcements did not act with such speed, and there was no other opportunity to strike through a rally. In SOLO, they tried, but they always arrived too late.

That siege wasn't the best of all they had participated in. Only Shin managed to obtain sixty combat diamonds, while The Wich and Chayle got forty each. Two victories, two defeats, all stemming from the same mistake. They were few in number, but if they had taken the time to ask people in their alliance, they could have been a larger force. However, it would have been worse to come away empty-handed.