Made largely of timber, the stronghold’s barracks and facilities were surrounded by fences and watchtowers. A skeleton crew ran the show inside, and there was a lot of coming and going—usually in the name of firewood or provision collection. Lookouts and night watches were also kept to a bare minimum—the stronghold simply didn’t see battle, and nearby threats were few.
“The group that attacked me claimed they were procuring firewood,” said Aruharu. “That left no more than ten within the stronghold itself, based on what I heard of their voices and footsteps. I don’t expect that number to have changed much. The stronghold and its guards don’t strike me as military types—not in their attitudes, their security, or just the general air of the place. It’s not built for battle. It’s more like a glorified supply post.”
To help make her point, Aruharu looked in the direction of the ocean.
“Have you noticed that the sea’s not too far from here? My guess is that once they unload their supplies from the port, the supply stronghold is where they keep them. I couldn’t make out much of anything of what the guards said, but they kept mentioning something they called ‘miyako.’”
“I think your suspicions are very much right,” said one of the Peijin frogkin. “Miyako means ‘capital,’ which indicates that the supplies come from there. They arrive at a nearby port and are stored at the stronghold, which acts as a collection center from which supplies are moved to the front lines. This is all preparatory work for the uprising...and it’s not built to guard against military forces at all. All they’re concerned with is keeping any potential bandits at bay.”
And just like that, the value of Aruharu’s intelligence doubled.
“A poorly guarded stronghold filled with lazy guards. We move to take it at once,” Aymer declared.
“On the double,” Mont added. “We don’t want them getting suspicious that their pals still haven’t returned either.”
With their next move set, it was up to Mont to settle on a strategy, which he devised in an instant. Using the cover of the onikin concealment magic, Aruharu and the frogkin scouts would enter the stronghold and confirm that it was ripe for the taking. If it was, they would take out the guards on duty, after which the rest of the party would enter to seize the stronghold.
Mont explained the plan, everyone agreed to it, and the party got to work in no time.
“I miscalculated a few things, I’ll admit,” Aymer commented. “I greatly underestimated the guards’ slack, as well as just how powerful your vengeance is, Aruharu. I never imagined that the scouting party would capture the entire stronghold on their own. Still, there were no casualties, so I have no complaints. Hmm... There weren’t any casualties, right? Aruharu...?”
Aymer was moving towards the stronghold barracks with Aruharu as she spoke. Aruharu grinned and shook her head. Still, her claws and cloak were stained red, and she was very much savoring the taste of a vengeance served in full.
“Then please go straight to the well and wash that blood off,” said Aymer. “As for the rest of you, please make sure to keep the stronghold neat and tidy. Don’t break anything if you can help it. There’s something I’d like to try, though admittedly I’m not sure how well it will go.”
Aruharu momentarily forgot about washing herself as curiosity seized her. “What are you planning?” she asked.
Mont and Zorg were just as curious and listened in.
“Well... As I said, I’m uncertain how this particular plan will go, but I’d like to keep the stronghold running under our command. Supplies are sent here from the capital...the miyako, yes? That means there’s a chance we can intercept and keep those supplies for ourselves...by merely accepting them.”
Aymer seemed to think that because security was so lax and the guards were so poorly trained, it was very possible they could get away with acting as either the stronghold guards or the supply carriers.
“If we play our cards right and continue to seize other strongholds, the insurgent forces will simply run out of supplies, rendering them incapable of any further action.”
Aruharu, Mont, and Zorg all looked skeptical, but they were willing to give Aymer’s idea a shot. They knew they wouldn’t lose anything if they failed, so why not see how it went? Aymer had actually expected the Peijins to be against the idea, but the three frogkin put their hands to their jaws and thought through the idea before voicing their support.
“Not a bad idea,” said one. “We’ll hire some beastkin of the same race as the stronghold captain and the supply team and dress them up for the part. If there’s official paperwork or passwords to deal with, we can always interrogate the guards we’ve captured to get them. We know the group in charge of the nearest port, and they can be bought. Leave it with us. If they’re the ones doing the supply transport...everything else will just fall into place.”
“And if that’s the case, then you can leave all the supply handling to us,” added another. “Of course, you’re free to take what you need to feed the hungry or take it to base camp as necessary.”
“Let’s keep everything under concealment magic so it’s all nice and quiet,” said the third. “And don’t worry—if we’ve got mountains of supplies in hand, the higher-ups will be more than happy to lend us a hand. Won’t matter if a few issues crop up later; they’ll have already profited. All’s fair in love and war here in the Beastland Kingdom.”