RoD vs KAC: Victory in the Mist

They say that before the battle the field always seems wrong, it seems like the land is waiting. Lady Vhaera felt it the moment she went out of her tent.

The fog was warm and thick, coming sliding over the rocky ground, like spilt milk. It holed itself in the lower parts of Casterly Rock until only the top battlements were in view of the fog. The castle was old, battered with the thousand battles it had witnessed but it was proud, so that it seemed willing to have one more battle before the world changed once more.

In the background, RoD camp is roused. Armor clicked into place. Horses tore the ground with their hooves, and puffed their breath in the cold air. Even the veterans were low-toned. It was the third Alliance Conquest round, and today RoD was going to play KAC, one of the most expected games of the season.

The command tent, where lanterns shone a warm light over a battle map tacked at the corners with daggers, was inside. The initial swaps, the ports, Casterly Rock and the uncovered mines was covered with arrows and scribbles overwriting one another.

Lady Vhaera bent over the table and examined each line. XABAP, next to her, stood still, with his arms crossed, the very personification of calm. Lord Orval beat time on the blade of his sword. Candy made her arms straight as though she was about to fight. Alexander grumbled to himself, counting the time double the meaning of his words, and tripping them thrice. Meridianos was standing behind the tent, vigilant, silent, at the same time dangerous.

At the far end of the foggy valley KAC banners were just coming up. Vhaera knew their formation at the first instance. KOJANG up front, keen and business. MUSAdra999, a well known infantry warrior. Cavalary of MatJenin in precise masses. KAC had not come lightly. They were organized. They were dangerous. And they intended to win.

Vhaera exhaled once. "We hold to the plan," she said. It is the first minutes that count in the field.

XABAP nodded. "Then let us shape them."

The first horn sounded.

It broken silence was an immediate. Straight along came arrows in the mist. Drums were seen in every direction. Boots converted wet earth to mud trenches.

RoD dealt with practiced accuracy.

His post was captured by them within a short time. The Warrior building was gleefully replaced by Candy within seconds, and such a landing of the reinforcement was so flawless that Orval even raised an eyebrow.

Then the forces of XABAP stormed the enemy outpost in bloody fashion. His voice was via the command line, even and smooth.

"Enemy outpost secured."

Both ports came next.

The voice of Alexander determined the time of the enemy port.

"Four... three... two... disband."

The RoD troops within vanished, and created a breathing opening, but only a breathing opening, enough to permit the march of Meridianos to pass like a blade of a sword passing through armor.

Orval made a perfect hard switch into the port of RoD at the same moment.

The whole opening field was in RoD.

KAC made a reply, with arms.

Their initial rallies crashed against XABAP in the enemy outpost.

One rally.

Then another.

Then three more.

The battle reports were red and blue in short spurts. But RoD reinforcements came falling in with unswerving tread, each troop-unit coming just as the old cannons drew to a halt in order to rest.

XABAP reported that on the fifth strike it was a wall holding.

He might have been talking of weather.

KAC knew that brute force would not get him, so they resorted to using trickery.

Then suddenly Casterly Rock was blazing with timers about to the rally, timers timers and timers until the whole fortress was enclosed in red lights.

Orval looked at them scowling. "Empty," he muttered. "They're hiding the rallies."

It was a clever ploy.

The citadel was besieged and RoD had to keep their best players in detention so that they could not get out and threaten the building.

RoD waited long minutes, which had no threats.

Vhaera watched the hands on the timers spin until they hit zero and irritation started to squeeze her chest. Nothing was more a curse to her than time wasted.

"Release it," she ordered. "Disband Casterly Rock."

There was a beat of silence in the room, but instructions were instructions.

RoD troops abandoned the fortress.

As soon as the building was deserted, all the soldiers in it were liberated on the map.

RoD rebounded with new lines and full reinforcements before KAC could exploit it.

This was their Casterly Rock back.

The trick had worked.

Mines were not opened till later, when the nerves were tattered and strength was no longer of advantage.

KOJANG captured the eastern mine with the precision of a blade of a sword, and fell less than a second before RoD came marching. Musa and MatJenin then counterattacked, and shut the position with great discipline.

Meanwhile, Misha led a led attack on the eastern mine, and in it instantly was subdued its men. It turned RoD blue, without much effort or surprise.

"One to one," Alexander said. "We take the western mine."

RoD set up multiple attacks. .When they were about to hit, KAC hid behind their fortifications.

When it ended, KAC's reinforcements dipped, hung and at one point fully collapsed.

KOJANG's mine turned RoD blue.

KAC appeared to be hesitant the first time.

It was the last KAC had made, their storm of rallies over Casterly Rock, over both ports, and once more on the outpost of KABAR.

Everything, they're chucking, said Orval.

Then we demonstrate to them there is not enough, Vhaera said.

The closing moments were lost in movement.

Reinforcements shot into CR to secure the win.

Candy received further support in the Warrior building.

Alexander sent every march to the director as a madman does a kind of orchestra.

Meridianos strengthened the enemy fortification with operating time.

Orval was stuffing all the openings before they were weakened.

The first break came and burst.

The second hit and broke.

The third-strike was striking like a dying match.

Then the final horn sounded.

The battle field was covered by silence.

The fog was gone, and Casterly Rock was clear and proud under the sky which was becoming clear.

RoD had won.

That evening, when the field had been quieted and the burden of the victory had fallen upon it, Lady Vhaera came out of her tent. Casterly Rock was on fire in the dying orange light of the day. The flags over it were the strips of hours of fighting, yet they were proudly flying.

KhABAR, who was also behind her, began to relax, and sat. Orval was leaning on a post, and was slowly sipping at a battered flask. Timers had been cleaner, Candy and Alexander had a dispute. Meridianos had rare amusement in his eyes.

KAC pulled out across the valley in proper formation, KOJANG, Musa, MatJenin. Unbroken, simply beaten.

Vhaera watched them go. "Well fought," she murmured.

Orval approached her side. "We'll be ready for the next one."

She smiled. "We always are."

The crimson banners of RoD were blowing above them in the evening wind, torn, smoke-stained, and yet undefeated.

Waiting for the next horn.