Parallel Vol.2 [Legacy Edition]

Chapter 4: Battle for Riven (Part 1)

A/N I rarely do this (put A/N's in front of chapters), but I had to google for some of the following words. Some of them will be appearing over the course of the upcoming chapters and beyond. So, here's some defnitions..

allure: the walkway at the top of a castle wall. The allure was often shielded by a protective wall so that guards could move between towers; also called a wall-walk

arcading: a series of columns and arches, built in an upside-down U shape

arrow loop: a tiny vertical opening in the castle wall; a thin window used for shooting arrows at the enemy; also called a loophole or meurtriere. (Will sometimes be called cannon loop over the course of this book)

ashlar: blocks of stone, used to build castle walls and towers

bailey: an open, grassy area inside the walls of the castle containing farm pastures, cottages, and other buildings. Sometimes a castle had more than one bailey; also called a ward.

balustrade: railing along a path or stairway

barrel vault: semicircular roof made out of wood or stone

bastion: a small tower on a courtyard wall or an outside wall

battlement: a narrow wall built along the outer edge of the wall-walk to protect soldiers against attack

boss: the middle stone in an arch; also called a keystone

concentric: having two sets of walls, one inside the other

cornerstone: a stone at the corner of a building uniting two intersecting walls, sometimes inscribed with the year the building was constructed; also called a quoi

crosswall: a wall inside a large tower

***

Thunderous roars crashed against the walls of Riven like herds of stampeding bulls. The lizard-men atop Riven's walls felt a shiver run down their spines... But not of fear. No, this was their first challenge in years. 

Bang     Bang   Bang Bang BangBangBang..

Clashing of swords against shields reared from the walls, soon accompanied by the rallying screams of the lizards. Their shouts clashed against the roars of the Kertan army, slowly overwhelming the outnumbered soldiers. But then the players joined in the chant, their gamers' pride refusing to lose to some low-level monsters. And so the challenge reached a stable stalemate, with no ground yielded to either army.

Absalon listened to the battle of wills with a pleased smile. He would have to remember to thank the lizards for their immediate reply to the soldiers' chants. While he had no doubt about the Kertans' willingness to the battle, players were an unpredictable and selfish bunch. If things seemed sour, they would abandon him without a second thought. 

However, this seemingly redundant challenge had completed the most difficult task for him: raising the players' morale. He lacked the eloquence the commander in the last game had, but there was more than one way to motivate people. He had chosen to manipulate one of the more easily provoked emotions: pride.

"Absalon," Nyte called, as he rode up next to his leader. "Preparations are ready."

"The surprises?"

"Should be here in a few hours."

The commander nodded as he pointed at the wall and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Take What Is Yours!"

"HuuOOO!" cried the Kertan arm as they tore through the plains, led by Nyte. Their collective speed kicked up an intimidating amount of dust as they bore down the walls.