"That's great news. With the troops you will be aiding to us, we should be able to take down our next target." Arthur put his finger to a large map laid out on a circular table.

"And if everything goes according to the plan, we can target their more important towns and cities." He is eager to execute our next attack.

"Hold yourself, young man, it's only been an hour since we reached this castle, and the only thing you were talking about is your next advancement."

An old guy with a black military suit stopped over-excited Arthur with his words.

"But uncle Leonhard we need to strike fast. We have a surprise tool on our belt." He showed me with his hands. "Our necromancer friend can easily interfere with enemy posts using their man and takedown fortresses like they are nothing."

"And about that." Leonhard hit the table. "Why the hell are we not informed about the necromancer. I almost had a heart attack when I saw that giant skeleton."

Since everything is confusing right now, let me explain what the hell is happening right now.

This man named Leonhard is the uncle of Arthur and a powerful general of the north. According to what Arthur said to me, he is a throne loyalist and will help us in the civil war.

And that is why we are meeting with him, to gain his interest and have an actual army to fight against our enemies, and Arthur plans to achieve some quick victories and show Sir Leonard we are a force worth helping.

"Take a deep breath, my shining friend. My armies need to rest and grow back, and just like my enemy, I also have good rates of casualties."

"Necromancer is right." A man in armor stepped forward. He came with Sir Leonhard. I think he is a personal guard or a captain for Leonhard's forces.

He began talking once again. "I believe our necromancer friend used some valuable resources to capture this fort. It is a great feat considering how fast you managed to capture here."

I nodded. "I must say I used some dirty tricks, but it is a battle, and unprepared forces are doomed to lose."

"Still, there are things I wonder necromancer. Compared to enemy casualties, how did you manage to keep so many of your skeletons alive?"

I answered their question. "Strategy is important and in most cases more important than the raw strength of forces."

"And what strategies?" Sir Leonhard asked while playing with his mustache.

I bow my head forward. "Forgive me, Sir Leonhard, but I want to keep some strategies to myself."

Of course, I didn't use an ultimate strategy that's so good it can win all the wars, but I prefer being called a good commander and not a maniac butcher demon or something cause of my acts.

"I can smell the gunpowder." He pulled out a mirror from his pocket. "I won't force you to tell me your strategies, but who is your supplier." He began fixing his mustache.

"This is also something I could not tell you. For now, let me keep some of my secrets to myself." I answered.

Sir Leonhard closed his mirror and put it back in his pocket. "Very well, I will respect your choice."

Leonhard's captain whispered something to Sir Leonhard.

"I believe our time to leave came. I will be aiding you with 300 trained and armed troops and some food supplies for them. Do you need anything else?"

Arthur bowed forward. "Nothing.Thank you for coming, uncle Leonhard."

"I know you need nothing more. I want to know if the person who leads the sieges needs something."

"Carpentry tools, empty barrels, lots of ropes, one barrel of alcohol, long as it isn't ale or wine, it doesn't matter, and if you can spare it, I will like to buy some more food supplies from you. I can pay with gold." I want to strengthen my army in many ways.

A smile appeared on Sir Leonhard's face. "I can provide fuses and materials for siege weapons, but I believe you might need more things in the future, am I right?"

I am a bit scared of him right now, but I need to keep my cool. "I believe Sir Leonhard understood my requests very well. I will be waiting for your supplies."

Sir Leonhard held out his hand for a handshake. "And I will be glad to help you against our enemy."

I almost grabbed his hand for a handshake, but Sir Leonhard's guard bowed and whispered something to him. He pulled his hand back immediately and got up with haste.

Sir Leonhard raised his hand. "Sorry for our short visit, but we need to go. I will send your supplies soon as I reach my fort. Use all of that wisely.

They left the fortress without saying anything else.

***** Outside the fortress, inside the passenger cart Sir Leonhard is riding.

"Folcard, sent some of your men's to spy that necromancer. He might be a problem for us in the future, but for now, let him help my stupid nephew and annoy our enemies."

Folcard noded. "Yes, Sir Leonhard, I will send my best man."

Sir Leonhard pulled out a pipe from one of the pockets of his suit. "A necromancer rapidly increasing his power is no good news. No matter which side he is fighting." Leonhard added some tobacco inside the pipe and lit it.

He took a deep breath from the pipe. "But let him do our work, for now, I will get rid of him at the first chance. The throne is mine."

***** Back to the fort

I am still inside the meeting room with Arthur. I am sitting on a chair, but Arthur is circling inside the room while thinking anxiously.

I began talking to relax him a bit. "Well, that went pretty smooth." I put my foot on the table where we laid the map.

"Hey, speaking of troops, what should I do with all the captive prisoners we got," I asked Arthur. "They can't just be hanging around."

"Transform the death, and we will ransom the remeaning for gold." He was fast to answer.

"I'll do that later." I got up and stretched. "For now, where can we find engineering tools. I have plans of building a basic catapult for our next siege."

"You talk like you know how to make one?" He sounds a bit curious.

"No, in fact, I didn't even use one in my life, and I do not need something super powerful. Something that can throw explosive barrels over the fortress walls is enough for me."

"I am curious about the outcome. Notify me when you finish your little catapult, okay."

"I will work on it. First, let me raise the dead enemy." I left the room and moved towards the outside.

"Well, be strong, my stomach. You can handle this much."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Smooth grass is caressing my feet, and from the marrow winds, I can tell I am with the old Liches once again. What do they want this time?

"Could anyone open my eyes? I already know where I am." I heard a clap, and my eyes opened.

"Welcome back to our lovely little tea garden. Sorry for calling you here so often, but I believe we have something that could help you." that was the gentle giant who talked.

A medieval mangonel was sitting in front of me.

"We wanted to help you a little more, and thankfully our shared memories were good enough to create this thing."

"Thank you for helping me. I will try to copy this design much as I can."

***** One day later at goblin town.

Help from Sir Leonard came in just three days. That's great because I want to work on something else meanwhile.

While I was collecting skeletons inside the forest, I noticed something. Goblins were rebuilding their town.

Of course, I paid a visit to kill all of them, but instead, I found that the new goblin shaman could talk.

So as the controller of most monster factions of the forest. I made an offer to the shaman.

I will protect goblins from other monsters and provide food to them while they work under my command, and I am happy with this deal.

For example, goblins can carve woods thin enough to make an effective firework body.

It is good because I want to use fireworks in my battles, like a primitive missile.

So I organized goblin 70 goblin worth of workforce I into groups. Thirty of them are carving woods or sticking them together with tree sap to create a firework body. Five of them are making charcoal, while the other five are preparing the gunpowder mixture.

And the last ten of them is working on filling the fireworks.

We make around ten fireworks in a day. Production is pretty slow considering the number of workers I got, but my workers do more than just making fireworks.

I might be forcing them too much, but I won't take any chances and use my knowledge and resources to their limits if I want to gain something from the civil war.