Foundation of Smoke and Steel

Chapter 162

DanielDaniel frowned as he looked back over the space in front of Crescent Hyr. The remains of the Red Orcs were scattered about, giving the area an atmosphere so distinct and heavy that Daniel could feel it like wind on his skin, unseen but real and present.

“The Iron Tide,” he said slowly, staring off at something only he could see. “You bring a bunch of orcs way south of your landing... What exactly are you playing at...”

Everyone in the room went quiet.

“This is not a conquering force,” Daniel continued, coming to his conclusion after reviewing the scouting reports. “They’re too incomplete. They don’t have the supplies for an extended campaign—no food trains, no siege equipment, not even a proper diversity of troops. They aren't training in proper formations and have no real logistical backbone. They had magic users, yes. You could see it in their movement and spacing. But they weren’t acting like a force that came here to lay formal siege.”

Vivian nodded. “And they approached from the far side of the valley and held there instead of coming closer.”

“Exactly,” Daniel said. “They positioned themselves near the lake. Close enough that anyone traveling on foot couldn’t simply slip out unnoticed. It’s also somewhere we could clearly see them, but far enough away that they didn’t pose an immediate threat.”

Nathan snorted. “I don’t like it. Should I just go attack them?”

Daniel turned slowly. “Nathan. If you ran into another heavy hitter like the Murai swordsman, what exactly was your plan?”

Nathan didn’t hesitate. “I’d stab him in the face.”

“The Murai got lucky,” he added confidently.

Daniel rolled his eyes. “Little Brother, that wasn’t luck. That was individual skill backed by very high cultivation, or whatever their version of it is, and extremely powerful equipment. One of the most dangerous combatants we’ve ever faced.”

Nathan opened his mouth to argue, then shut it again.

Sophie, standing far too close to Daniel for comfort, folded her arms.

Ethan noticed, of course.

Daniel rolled his eyes. “Is that what you’re worried about right now?”

Ethan replied.

“An army is practically knocking down our door,” Daniel said dryly, “and you’re worried about seducing the princess.”

Ethan snorted.

Daniel sighed. “Have I told you, you’re as bad as Nathan sometimes. Only with a lot less charm.”

Ethan muttered.

Daniel ignored him and addressed the people around him. “None of this makes sense. We destroyed the demon-touched war bands, but there is a distinct difference beyond the obvious here. Mainly, these orcs don’t look like they’re here to avenge them.”

“They’re smart,” Vivian said. “They watched.”

“Yes,” Daniel agreed. “They knew the demon-touched were here. They knew how strong they were. And they waited until after that fight to move in force.”

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He adjusted the mana in his eyes, trying a technique Gavin had taught him. He pushed his sight, getting a closer look at the Iron Tide. “Charging us immediately would have made sense if they were here for revenge. We were vulnerable and exhausted. Waiting, observing, and then positioning themselves carefully in sight but out of reach suggests a different objective.”

Sophie exhaled slowly. “They’re definitely here for another reason. There is no doubt about that.”

Daniel looked at her, suspecting the answer. “How do you know?”

She hesitated, then touched her temple. “Insight.”

“Can Insight tell us why?” Nathan asked. “Or what they’re doing?”

She shivered faintly. “It doesn’t work that way. It doesn’t give answers per se. More like implications and sometimes direction. It’s quite annoying, actually.”

Daniel studied her for a moment. “Have you tested the parameters? Tried to give it exact questions and measured any response?”

Sophie considered this. “I have been able to get additional information—that’s probably the best word—when I consider Insight’s specific outlines. But I’m not sure I’ve ever been systematic about it.”

“It sounds like you need to be,” Daniel said. “Understanding the exact boundaries of a skill like that would be valuable.”

“Are you telling me you want to collaborate?”

Daniel snorted. “Yeah. I guess. Yes, actually, it makes sense to do so.”

She raised a hand, then lowered it again, clearly uncertain. “By doing what?”

Daniel smiled faintly. “By thinking. Same as the rest of us.”

Nathan chuckled. “Smooth, brother-in-law. Looks like I could be getting another sister-in-law.”

Vivian turned and glared at Nathan, who did not seem to notice.

“Not that kind of collaboration, Little Brother,” Daniel said. “Pushing that aside, I think we can assume that the orcs are not here to avenge the demon-touched, but that doesn’t mean they want to play nice. Right now, attacking from our position makes no sense. We lose terrain advantage and expose ourselves.”

“So we wait?” Vivian asked.

“For now,” Daniel replied. “But I want options. The fortress doesn’t have the supplies for a long-term siege. We cannot call for help. We could send some of the carriages, but I’m afraid the fortress would be attacked if we left.”

“Ethan. We should at least send one toward the relay and get a message out,” Lucas said.

Daniel nodded. “Good idea. We will have the Mayor handle it.”

There were nods while Daniel closed his eyes for a moment, considering.

Lucas raised an eyebrow. “What’s going on in that big brain of yours?”

Daniel turned to Gavin, who was standing just behind him next to Lucas. “Is there any universal sign of parley I don’t know about?”

Gavin considered. “Not universally. But there are short-term transmission techniques—emergency mana messages that basically go to anyone with mana. They’re crude, but they’re used to convey intent without using a greater technology. It’s how they used to do it old school.”

“Would the orcs recognize it?”

“Maybe,” Gavin said. “As you probably know, orcs have their own magic system that doesn’t operate on purely refined and cultivated mana. It’s more like a mana and Aether hybrid that is unique to their constitution. They call it the Pulse. Not that I’m telling you anything you don’t already know. The Pulse and cultivator mana development are different enough that I don’t know if the technique will reach them.”

The different people in the group started talking over each other.

Daniel’s eyes sharpened. “Mana and Aether...”

He frowned and spoke to Ethan. “I know mana, divine power, and chaos energy. But this sounds closer to something else.”

“Aether,” Ethan said quietly. “Life force or universal life energy.”

Daniel nodded slowly. “What’s the difference between Aether and mana?”

Ethan replied.

Daniel considered that. It didn’t really tell him anything useful and didn’t sound correct, at least about the Pulse part. Mana and Aether were different, and the orcs used both.

He turned back to Gavin, who was trying to talk over Nathan. They went quiet when he cleared his throat. “I don’t think we can rely on that, at least for the moment.”

He looked at each of his brothers-in-law. “The only thing we really know right now is that the orcs and demon-touched aren’t working together and probably don’t have interests that align. I think we can assume that the Iron Tide is here for a reason.”

Sophie swallowed. “Yes. I’m sorry I don’t have clarity on this one.”

Daniel exhaled. “Then we don’t force it.”

Nathan tilted his head. “So what do we do?”

Daniel straightened. “We let people rest. We keep our defenses tight. And then...”

He paused, considering his words carefully, then added, “I think we create a non-threatening position for parley, a place where I can be seen and see them, see if we can let them know that we don’t want to fight.”

Sophie’s eyes widened. “You want to just sit out in the open and wait for them to kill you?”

“I want to see how they react,” Daniel said calmly. “What better way than to stand out in an open field?”