Chapter 321: Very Dangerous Beings (2)
People looked at Ghislain with bewildered expressions.
Even now, they were securing territory, building palisades, and constructing defensive walls. But suddenly, he was talking about building a fortress?
No one built fortresses in the forest. Even granting the rare occasions where they might construct something for defense against monsters, this wasn’t one of those cases.
They hadn’t even reached their targeted location yet. This wasn’t a strategic point or a crucial supply route. Building a fortress here seemed excessive.
Gillian asked for confirmation again.
“I believe we still have some distance to cover before reaching our destination. Are you really saying it’s a fortress, not just a defensive wall?”
“Yes. It’s temporary, but it still needs to be fortress-level. Everyone must participate without exception.”
“Building a fortress will take some time.”
“Then you’ll have to make it fast. With this many people, it should be enough.”
“…Understood.”
The people, though perplexed, moved according to Ghislain’s orders. They had learned through experience that it was better to follow his commands in this forest without question.
There was also the understanding that arguing with him was pointless he wasn’t someone who could be reasoned with easily.
As thousands of soldiers and laborers got to work, the fortress quickly began to take shape.
Boom! Thud! Boom!
The sound of trees being felled echoed constantly. As they expanded their territory, the surrounding area quickly became a clearing.
Fortunately, there was no shortage of lumber. They had already harvested an enormous amount of timber, and the current rate of logging only increased the stockpile.
Moreover, the trees from the Forest of Beasts were far larger and sturdier than those found elsewhere. When stacked in layers, even the simplest palisade could rival the durability of stone walls.
As the fortress gradually took shape, Ghislain called for the dwarves.
“Build watchtowers for archery support.”
Galbarik nodded. Using wood to construct a fortress allowed for defensive walls, but those walls alone wouldn’t enable them to effectively fight from above.
The plan was to raise platforms to function like castle walls, but they wouldn’t be as effective as proper fortifications.
To compensate, they needed watchtowers for surveillance and to respond efficiently to external threats.
“Of course, a fortress needs watchtowers. We’ll follow standard procedure and place them around the perimeter”
“No, not like that. Build them so densely that they’re practically touching each other. Based on the current dimensions… we’ll need about a hundred.”
“A hundred…?”
At those words, Galbarik’s face paled.
The lord, known for his mysterious knowledge, wouldn’t undertake such a project without a reason. Normally, he preferred to destroy enemies himself. Yet, here he was, focusing on fortifications and defense.
What kind of enemy was he preparing to face? A bad feeling began to creep over him.
Ghislain wasn’t done.
“Also, make catapults. Dozens of them. Precision doesn’t matter, and they don’t need exceptional range. They just need to hit anything around this area. They can be discarded after this one use. Got it?”
“Yes, understood.”
As Galbarik turned to leave, tense and cautious, he hesitated before asking nervously.
“My lord… are the enemies we’re facing this time particularly dangerous? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you prepare this much before.”
Others might have been mildly concerned by the preparations, but they trusted Ghislain to handle anything. He had always resolved things in the past.
However, Galbarik had worked closely with Ghislain on countless occasions. He could sense that today’s preparations were no ordinary measures.
“There’s nothing in this forest that isn’t dangerous.”
Ghislain refrained from elaborating. There was no need to agitate people prematurely.
They had a mission, and they would inevitably clash with obstacles. Telling the laborers now would only make them anxious and likely cause some to flee. He could explain once the fortress was complete it wouldn’t be too late by then.
“Let me know when the preparations are done. Until then, I’d rather not have unnecessary panic spread among the people.”
“…Understood.”
With a heavy heart, Galbarik nodded and turned to leave. But before he could take a step, Ghislain called out to him again.
“Galbarik.”
“…?”
“Make it as sturdy as possible. You understand?”
At that, Galbarik grinned broadly.
“I’m a dwarf, my lord. When it comes to crafting, I’m the best on the continent. Not even the elves can match me.”
Ghislain chuckled at Galbarik’s confident remark. It seemed the dwarves’ pride had been bruised a little by the elves’ recent feats.
True to their boast, the fortress became so robust that it was hard to believe it was made of wood.
The mages, too, were indispensable in the construction. Their unparalleled skills in crafting, inscribing magic arrays, and refining materials made them essential to the project. The tasks that required precision or time were entirely handled by the mages.
With everyone working together, the construction progressed at a rapid pace.
The only delay came from building the catapults. The dwarves gathered to brainstorm how to make them efficiently.
“We’ll need to collect all the monster sinews we’ve harvested so far.”
“The ogres we recently captured should be suitable.”
“He said precision isn’t necessary. The goal is to build as many as possible.”
Catapults couldn’t be constructed using just laborers. They required engineering knowledge, meaning most of the work had to be done by the dwarves.
The soldiers and laborers could only assist with menial tasks.
The dwarves scoured the area for monster sinews and timber, eventually completing dozens of makeshift catapults.
Looking at the finished catapults, Galbarik scratched his chin thoughtfully.
“Hmm… Is this really good enough?”
Galbarik muttered to himself, eyeing the catapults with dissatisfaction. They were so crudely made that they would struggle to be effective in real warfare. Their range and accuracy were significantly inferior compared to standard catapults.
Catapults were fundamentally siege weapons designed to attack castle walls. They needed far greater range than enemy archers and high precision with devastating power.
But these makeshift versions, hastily assembled from scrounged materials, barely managed to achieve half the performance of proper ones.
Even so, achieving this level of functionality was only possible because dwarves had built them. Yet, Galbarik wasn’t pleased.
“Why don’t we request proper catapults from the Chief Overseer? We could even ask Ferdium to send some.”
“There’s no need. It’s not like we’re dealing with a lot of them, right? What’s important now is the numbers.”
“But their performance is lacking.”
At Galbarik’s comment, Ghislain tested one of the makeshift catapults. While it lacked the power of a proper one, its destructive force was still respectable.
Even at half performance, a direct hit would still flatten a human.
Ghislain smiled, satisfied, and clapped Galbarik on the shoulder.
“This is more than enough.”
“You’re sure about this?”
“Yes. I told you, it’s all about overwhelming numbers. We just need to keep pounding them.”
Since the client had no complaints, there was nothing Galbarik or the dwarves could say. Still puzzled, they nodded and got back to work.
With everyone giving their all, most of the preparations were completed within a few days.
The people marveled at the grand fortress they had built.
“Wow… It’s incredible when you look at it.”
“We could probably stop an ogre horde with this.”
“It’s almost a shame to leave this in the forest.”
Though the interior lacked proper facilities, the structure was excessively sturdy for blocking anything.
The walls were exceptionally tall, just as Ghislain had requested, and layered with thick, solid timber. It was thicker than many castle walls.
On top of that, countless watchtowers and catapults were installed. It looked capable of holding off tens of thousands of troops.
Of course, it would be vulnerable to fire arrows, but Ghislain wouldn’t have built such a fortress if fire-breathing monsters were involved.
After inspecting the fortress several times, Ghislain issued a new command.
“Clear out all the area in front of the fortress. Make sure our view is unobstructed.”
Though most of the nearby trees had already been cut down during construction, the forest remained dense just a bit further out.
If the trees were left as they were, it would hinder the effectiveness of arrows and catapults. The dense foliage would shield the monsters from attacks.
Gillian, gauging the necessary clearing distance, asked, “How much space should we clear?”
“Enough to ensure that even if we use fire, it doesn’t spread to the rest of the forest.”
“Understood.”
This meant they would have to secure a massive open area. The soldiers and laborers immediately ventured out and began chopping down trees.
Boom! Thud! Boom!
The giant trees toppled one after another and were hauled into the fortress. As the area was cleared indiscriminately, it was inevitable to encounter monsters.
“Kraaaah!”
Some of the monsters were familiar from earlier encounters, while others were new. However, the soldiers, bolstered by overwhelming numbers, swiftly dealt with them.
As the surrounding area became barren, the soldiers pushed further out. That’s when they encountered them.
“Kieeeeek!”
The creatures, hideous in appearance, were Grexes. Although there weren’t many, they quickly charged toward the soldiers upon spotting them, scuttling with their spidery legs and raising their sharp claws.
The soldiers’ expressions soured at the sight.
“Ugh, they’re even nastier alive.”
“I heard they’re not that tough.”
“Let’s kill them and get back to work.”
Whoosh!
The Grexes didn’t even get close to the soldiers. Elves stationed in the rear let loose their arrows, piercing the creatures and taking them down instantly.
“Wow, these things are really weak.”
“They don’t seem any tougher than humans.”
“Still, their claws are sharp enough to dig through the ground. Let’s not get careless.”
Even against weaker opponents, the soldiers no longer let their guard down. They cautiously advanced while continuing to fell trees.
“Kieeeeeek!”
With shrill, spine-chilling screams, more Grexes appeared. Their frequency of attack was steadily increasing.
Though the soldiers easily eliminated the monsters once again, they found something unusual in the spot where the Grexes had been.
“What’s this?”
“A hole?”
“Did they dig this?”
The soldiers noticed several holes in the ground and grew curious. They hadn’t encountered anything like this in the forest before.
“Step back!”
As the soldiers moved closer to the holes, Lumina rushed over with a group of elves.
Without hesitation, Lumina and the elves unleashed a volley of arrows into the holes.
Thwip! Thwip! Thwip!
“Kieeeeeek!”
From within the holes, the eerie cries of Grexes echoed, amplifying the tension.
Horrifying Screams from Underground
A chilling scream echoed from beneath the ground. Somehow, the Grexes had been hiding inside the holes.
As the attacks began, the Grexes crawled out from their burrows, only to be struck down by the elves’ arrows the moment they emerged.
“It’s done. Fill in the holes and pull back,” Lumina instructed.
The soldiers, pale and shaken, quickly filled in the holes and retreated.
When Ghislain was informed of the situation, he issued new orders to Gillian.
“This is as far as we advance. Remove the gates from the fortress.”
“The gates, sir?”
“The gates are structurally weaker. Seal them completely. Leave only the rear gate for receiving supplies.”
“Does that mean we won’t be advancing further?”
“From now on, everyone will stay inside the fortress. If anyone needs to go out, they’ll use ropes to descend and return.”
The order essentially isolated them within the forest. Just what kind of powerful enemy were they expecting to take such defensive measures?
Kaor, who had dealt with many monsters recently in the Shadow Mountains, asked cautiously.
“You’re preparing as if a monster wave is coming. Do such things even occur in the Forest of Beasts?”
“Something similar. We’ve built the fortress to handle a large number of monsters.”
“Then when does it begin?”
“That’s up to us. The preparations are complete.”
Kaor frowned, confused. “We decide when it starts? Are you saying we can control a monster wave?”
[As we investigated the Grexes, we discovered something new. Among the reconnaissance team that had been wiped out, a lone surviving mage reported a crucial detail. He had identified the location of the Grexes’ leader. The leader was deep within their territory, in the most secure and comfortable area. We called it the ‘Queen.’
The Queen consumed the food brought by the Grexes and continuously laid eggs, which the Grexes buried deep underground.]
Ghislain nodded as if he already had a plan.
“Yes, we can decide. We just need to force it to happen.”
“What? How could you possibly force it? Monsters don’t follow our commands,” Kaor protested.
[The Queen lived in peace, doing nothing but eating. Though the Grexes guarded it, they were weak creatures. How had such a defenseless leader survived in such a harsh environment? We theorized that the Queen might possess some unique ability.]
Ghislain glanced around the room, his voice steady yet chilling.
“Then we’ll make them listen.”
“And how exactly will you do that?”
“I have a way.”
[To test our theory, we decided to conduct an experiment. With the help of skilled mages and elite knights, we abducted the Queen and brought it back to camp.]
Ghislain’s lips curled into a cold smile as he continued.
“We’re going to kidnap the Queen of the Grexes.”