Arena of Honor S05R02 "Loser winner"

January 25, 1:24 AM

The audience chamber at Castle Stark was turned upside down. Except for a long wooden table and ten chairs, there was nothing even remotely resembling furniture.

The main culprit was Lord Commander TerrorMaker, who, after receiving bad news... or rather, after receiving no news at all, was throwing everything he could get his hands on. The direwolf pup also flew across the hall with a soft whimper.

"Great, simply great," he muttered under his breath. "The whole plan is ruined. There were supposed to be more of us, and all that's left is to count on volunteers again."

His trusted commander, Jaime Lannister, tried to comfort him. "Sir, we've received a reply from IziLastek. He's joined the expedition, and he'll be here soon, along with Skuta and Himejima. Last time, four from the alliance was enough...'

'Yes, but the whole plan, based on mutual understanding and quick commands, fell through. We'll have to rely on volunteers, which we can't rely on much.' TerrorMaker sat down heavily at the head of the table and muttered to the soldier standing by the door, 'Let them in.'

In addition to the established members, several lords and ladies entered the hall, among whom appeared both a familiar face and a messenger.

'Sir, Lord TheKitten's army reports for passive support of House Stark!' The messenger threw a pot of oil at the already enraged Lord Commander and vanished from the audience chamber.

The silence that followed was filled with a silent shriek of resentment.

The Arena of Honor, a place of struggle not only with the enemy but also with oneself. A place where armies fall and rise in the blink of an eye, and White Walkers constantly harass humanity's outposts. A place where you can lose, but still feel victorious. A place where you can win, but you have to swallow the bitterness of defeat. A place beyond Westeros, beyond time and human understanding.

The second day of fighting, and the team under Lord TerrorMaker's command landed at the Stark castle. A location like any other, offering neither an advantage nor hindering gameplay. Everything relies on the behavior of opponents and cooperation within factions.

Unfortunately, luck was definitely not in its place. The plan, whose main component was the quick issuance of orders and trust among old comrades-in-arms, fell through. Four free lords and ladies joined the core four from the VME alliance; one sent an army and then lost interest in the Arena. The final, tenth member of the team turned out to be another member of the VME alliance – Ogan.

TerrorMaker, along with the lords who could hear his thoughts directly, read the scout reports: "...the White Walkers' infantry also controls the catapults. We must equip our castle army with horses and prepare for the impetus of the battle against the Greyjoys, as well as repel attacks from the Baratheons. Unfortunately, quite by chance, the strongest, according to the Seven, is TheKitten, who hasn't graced us with his personal presence, and we are fighting against stronger forces." TerrorMaker looked everyone in the eye. "However, I have a plan. It may not be the best, perhaps a hasty one, but we won't leave empty-handed."

"What plan?" asked someone from the assembled crowd.

"We must time our attack on House Baratheon immediately after the Greyjoys have taken over. Unfortunately, this relies on a bit of luck, but House Lannister should lose control of them." Unless they're also basing their plan on rapid control of foreign family castles, then we'll have a really tough nut to crack. But until then, we still have some peace.

The cavalry struck the walls of House Greyjoy's castle. Poorly guarded by the ill-equipped army, they became like shoji against the elephants of the Golden Company, while the Stark army stormed the towers and hastily changed their banners from aquamarine to yellow.

"Sir, House Baratheon has defended itself against House Lannister!" the scout brought the expected, yet welcome, news. "There's still a chance," TerrorMaker thought.

Running multiple battles simultaneously is a grueling experience. Mistakes, lack of communication, crisis situations... and that's only the first fifteen minutes of an hour-long fight in the Arena of Honor. However, the first capture of one of the Towers boosted morale. Although victory celebrations were still far away, the first brick had already been laid. The castle army needs strength to break through the numerous enemy defenses, and reinforcements from Warrior's Altair can provide that strength.

"Prepare to march," TerrorMaker looked at his trusted commanders.

The defending army, weakened, could not offer adequate resistance and was crushed by this single attack. "Reinforcement needed!" a raven with this message was sent to the remaining lords and ladies of the Stark faction. And the response came in time.

This wasn't what the enemy expected. He faced an army nearly three times larger, and despite the differences in the quality of the individual units, he couldn't deal enough damage to win the fight.

"Arslan, I think you'll be replaced soon," Jaime Lannister muttered to his subordinate. "Don't scare the boy," TerrorMaker replied. "Sararer has answered my request, but it will still be some time before that happens. Also, remember that Disarm doesn't work on a Weak Point, but additional healing and defense reinforcements are always useful." TerrorMaker looked at his commanders. "A flexible approach is the path to success."

~~~~~~~~

Preparation is the key to success. The better, the greater the chance of a positive outcome. This is especially true when it comes to the Arena of Honor. House Baratheon's castle was the target of double attacks, from both House Stark and House Lannister. However, it was the Stark who stormed the castle. The second castle captured will earn the Peerless Leader distinction, which will increase your Glory Points at the end of the tournament. 'Now we just have to hold it,' TerrorMaker didn't sound optimistic.

'Why the sullen tone?' Jaime tried to find out.

'We won't be able to take the City. Or at least, hold it.' TerrorMaker scratched his head. 'We'll have to ask for reinforcements to defend against individual attacks, and the City will be much more intense. This whole thing has gone wrong,' he explained.

The absence of the lord for whom the opponents had been chosen was a serious blow. However, the lack of attention from the Lannister leader was also a blow, but to them.

~~~~

'TerrorMaker, how on earth are we in third place despite possessing castles?' Jaime couldn't understand the situation.

'The failure to convert war camps into trading posts. We're losing points, but if we'd rebuilt earlier, holding the castles would have been difficult. Better a certain sixteen points than an uncertain twenty. The draw was difficult. But we'll be better prepared for the next arena!" Lord Commander TerrorMaker ended this round on a positive note.