The Viceroy Gam Youngjae was learning to expect the unexpected.

If a month ago someone had told the Viceroy that his land was going to be attacked by an army of Evil Spirits, he could have regarded that man as insane.

Seven days ago, when some of Youngjae’s soldiers had prattled about the Evil Spirits, he would have ordered to have that man flogged.

Now, what he once considered preposterous had happened, his fortress was besieged by a horde of creatures from beyond and he had to rely on the priestess for assistance, to ward his home against the Evil Spirits, or at the very least, to calm down the superstitious peasants.

He couldn’t deny the existence of forces that were in play here. Viceroy used to be concerned by earthly matters, leaving the question of the spiritual to others he had treated with distrust, uncertain of the game they played. But now, he could swear he could feel the great evil hanging in the air he breathed.

Gam Youngjae was certain the priestess sensed it too, making her skittish, and obsessed. It was getting worse.

He considered it a cruel twist of fate that his most dangerous enemy right now might not be inhuman creatures lurking beyond the walls of his fortress, but something vastly more familiar and comprehensible than the bestial Spirits drawn from the far realms.

Morale was dropping faster than he would have ever assumed it was possible.

It was inevitable, he thought to himself, every commander faced the risk that his men would flee the doomed battle eventually rather than face a certain death, but he didn’t believe their current situation was as hopeless. He relied on their fealty, their discipline, to assist in his plans, rather than their numbers.

Gam Youngjae wasn’t a man of martial skills, and neither were his interests. Most able-bodied men in Surao still tended their crops.

Dead men didn’t pay taxes after all.

He saw no point in incurring crippling losses for an effort that the Jin wouldn’t even remember in the best case. And so, relying on the fact that no official rally order had reached him, the Viceroy put off large-scale conscription.

Back then, Youngjae had only drafted the volunteers, either too brave or too foolish, all swayed by the promise of defending their homes and their families, rather than the glorious campaign against the barbarians they had never seen.

The Viceroy had kept the promise.

Instead of participating in the foolish war against Jin, his men had been fighting the bandits and maintaining order, protecting his holdings within the province ever since. These lands were his to keep.

Despite having fewer soldiers at his disposal, less than the wartime had demanded, most of them were decently experienced after the endless skirmishes with the groups of marauders. They knew they wouldn’t be sent to march to far-away provinces, and were thus personally loyal to him, or could be expected to support him.

After all, Gam Youngjae had the prosperity of the lands in his mind, his plan had been built around it, and he would have seen his advancement regardless of which side would win.

But his plans were in tatters - and his men, they were all scared.

The events of the last few days affected them far stronger than he would have anticipated.

The walls of the fortress still held strong, and their stores were plentiful, prepared in anticipation that Jin barbarians, unsatisfied even with the riches of the capital, would venture deeper into Hanulbeol-guk, crossing the Surao mountains.

They had enough food for the year!

Gates had closed merely two days ago!

The bridge, the easiest, safest route across the river, was in their hands, carts with more supplies could be brought forth. There was no news from the capital. The king’s army might not come to save them, but thanks to Youngjae’s previous reluctance in drafting from the local peasantry, there would still be people willing to aid them in the battle now that their own homes were at stake.

They were in a better position than any army advancing from the east - what Viceroy had in the province wasn’t enough to stop the Jin, but it would make them consider diplomacy.

This wasn’t enough to convince the Viceroy’s men to fight, even if defending was the only task expected from them. The terrifying creatures from otherworldly realms weren’t the opponent they were trained to fight or the enemy they prepared for.

It was merely two days and he could already feel the unease among the soldiers that would precede the serious problems with discipline, let alone the risk of mutiny.

The priestess he had brought in did very little to calm down the unease among the troops, though sending the peasant survivors towards the city at very least helped in quashing the more subversive voices spreading further panic.

Rituals were performed, the wards placed, and the blessing bestowed upon the walls of this fortress to drive the malignant beings from the other world away.

Viceroy Gam Youngjae barely tolerated priestesses or shamanesses. They might not have any say in the matters of the state, but the subtle influence was always there, speaking through the common people. He couldn’t deny their powers either.

The Evil Spirits hadn’t attacked the walls since.

It just didn’t raise the mood even the slightest. The favour of the Divine was fickle indeed, Youngjae muttered to himself, or perhaps the Divine Court was as incompetent as their mortal equivalent.

He stopped and hit the battlement’s stone with his fist.

Two days!

At this speed, Youngjae’s life would be endangered more by his own people rather than by the enemy at the gates.

It was the break of dawn already, with the sun beginning to rise. Everything was silent, almost like all the birds had disappeared.

The Viceroy, aware of the poor morale of his own troops, frequently walked the battlements of the fortress among the soldiers, even during the night. Braziers, lamps and torches burned through the dark, in expectation of the assassins - or worse - sneaking in.

The guards were exhausted and barely awake, only a few saluted him as he passed, at attention, but others, barely standing on their legs, were far too fixated on the horizon awaiting the sunrise almost as if it was a message from the gods themselves.

The mood was as gloomy as his surroundings.

Gam Youngjae overlooked the perceived impoliteness, a seeming lack of respect towards his authority, and his office. Not all would, but the Viceroy had learned to read people, both noble and commoner alike, and he knew the best when to swallow his pride.

Youngjae despised it, though. Deep inside, he told himself, it was all beneath the man of this standing, however, the rapidly worsening situation forced him to reevaluate his approach. Now, it was necessary to show himself among the common soldiers to reassure them he hadn’t fled and appear as the warrior who would lead them in the upcoming battle.

It was almost laughable. He had ordered the men to maintain a tight watch at all times, yet enjoyed very little safety with his life on the line.

He hated that he had to wear the armour once again too.

The Viceroy was the one who commanded the garrison under the siege and couldn’t afford to just retreat to his chambers for an extended period of time, not in a situation as volatile as this one. He couldn’t trust them, and they, the men, were losing faith, but Youngjae didn’t see an alternative.

He wouldn’t have too much sleep tonight anyway.

Youngjae had only contempt for those who sought fame on the battlefield and was more than willing to let them have their glorious death while he benefited. There were ways, even in the most grievous circumstances, to persevere.

He would find that way, he just needed time.

There were already two false alarms though this night, the watch startled by the shadows creeping through the night raised the alarm immediately, bringing Viceroy and his men more on the edge with each passing moment.

Youngjae wasn’t certain if his men were losing their minds, or if Evil Spirits did this on purpose to tire his men before the assault, looking for ways to slip past the guards. One was certain. What prowled out there weren’t simple beasts that could be fooled or trapped.

Something was going on, though. He recalled a massive fire in the forest yesterday, clearly visible even from a distance, accompanied by a loud boom. Soldiers were terrified. Two people were trampled by scared horses in the stable, but it was not its worst effect.

It sparked more talk about evil magic.

The priestess had made it worse that time. The damn woman had a fit.

The Viceroy couldn’t care whether the ghosts of her ancestors whispered to the woman’s ear, or the gods themselves granted her vision revealing the destiny woven for every mortal, the woman shouldn’t have terrified his men with the rant about evil twice as stronger as ever before.

It wasn’t what the soldiers needed to hear.

The priestess, an intermediary between the earthly and spiritual realms, was a beacon of hope for these men, warding their homes, and sealing the Evil Spirits. But the Viceroy expected her presence to raise the mood for the troops, not to take away their willingness to fight.

Maybe the protective charms she scattered around the citadel, ramparts, and even men's barracks, did drive the malicious entities away- there wasn’t a direct attack for the two days - yet they did nothing with the little minds of the common people skittish from every shadow.

He felt that the priestess was a blade that cut both ways - she might be more than qualified for handling the unearthly influences or communicating with the divine, but Viceroy’s attempts to use the Heavenly blessings to quell the unrest were turned against him.

Perhaps turning to the clergy was a mistake - the Viceroy had a reason to never trust them.

Gam Youngjae couldn’t deny the forces beyond mortal were at work out there, but his more rational mind thought of the motivation to use such a power, and what desire might the Evil Spirit had.

Youngjae looked down at the battlements.

It was dark, but he could recognise the black shapes in the distance. There was a growing wall of twisted plants just outside the range of his archers, and he could swear it was spreading by each hour, even after nightfall. The men spoke of a curse, pestering the Priestess about performing more and more rituals to ward off the buildings against this sinister influence, but Youngjae looked for different answers.

Contrary to the urging of the priestess, and whispers of the panicking men, Viceroy believed that this spectral warlord behind the army of the beastlike spirits had a very understandable motive for using the incomprehensible powers.

He didn’t focus on the magic.

He looked at the motive.

All warlords had something in common. They all wanted something - gold, goods, slaves - and they used force to take what they wanted. Brutal, barbaric, yet understandable motive a cunning could exploit. Promises or lies could be offered, bribes could be paid, agreements could be made, and Gam Youngjae would find the way through. Always.

The Evil Spirits were not different. The Viceroy would reason with the Jin, he could reason with this Dark One the same, eventually.

Youngjae might have even had a better chance to reason with the monster from the other realms than with that damn cleric!

Youngjae was almost certain of it. They raided villages, yet left survivors to reach him, to spread the tale, to hamper the defences.

And this shifting shrubbery corrupted by the dark magic? It was not a symbol for the faithful, nor punishment from the Heavens, nor creative tribulations from the gods.

The Spirits were raising earthworks! There would be spike pits dug out, to break the charge should Viceroy’s army attempt to break the siege. They might employ magic, but it was nothing more than obstacles to hinder the movement of the infantry and cavalry, shielding their camp from sudden attacks.

The alien nature may have even stopped Sword Adepts from scaling the barriers.

But it was simply what it was - a siege.

They didn’t peppered his walls from the shots from crossbows, or lobbed the stones over it with trebuchets, at least not yet. They didn’t try to charge the walls yet either.

Instead, they waited.

Maybe, it was the wards scattered around the entire castle discouraging them from continuing with the assault.

Or, it was something else.

The Sage dispatched to negotiate with the Evil Spirits was not heard from since he departed the fortress, and though it would be reasonable to presume his death, the behaviour of the Evil Spirits suggested they did take prisoners.

The disappearance of the wise man was aligned with the cessation of the attacks as well as the ritual performed to protect them, and it could be taken as a sign that the other side merely waited for a better situation to press demands rather than commit to a decisive, lossy battle.

It was fair. Or at least, understandable. Viceroy Gam Youngjae preferred it so, with action and motives he understood, rather than machination of the Divine acting through their Priestess.

Looking at the dark shapes of the otherworldly topiary crowned with thorns, already barely recognizable in the dim light just before sunrise, the Viceroy had assumed that the Evil Spirits were still gathering the forces for the assault. In that case, the attack would not happen in days.

If Jin took the route through the eastern passage they would take a very similar approach, the front of the column waiting until the wagon trail with the supplies and the camp followers climb the mountainous route, he theorised.

“Two regiments,” the Viceroy whispered. If Jin barbarians crossed the mountains with merely two regiments, it wouldn't be enough to take the fort, but they could do exactly the same as the Evil Spirits were doing.

They had shown no interest in the princess, a target with more political and spiritual value than this entire province. Neither had they made any visible attempts to cross the river elsewhere, despite obviously moving in its direction.

Set off by this realisation, Gam Youngjae felt the world of evil spirits takes shape before his eyes! What they wanted was the fort itself, be it for control of the road, or even the entire area!

Bloody battle benefitted neither cause and the foreign warlord, unlikely to remain himself or leave valuable generals, would welcome a holder for governmental affairs under the supervision of the handful of cohorts holding the conquest. He merely had to prove that the alternative was worth the risk of leaving him in power.

Viceroy Gam Youngjae would have to rally his men!

The sage had served his purpose to convey he was willing to come to terms, now it was time to demonstrate he wouldn’t take disregard before they were badly overnumbered!

But…

This, however, meant there were more of them, and advanced from the east. The Crown Princess lied to him about the number of Evil Spirits. Dozen, she said. Such a lie seemed even more preposterous.

Almost as if she wanted him to attack. When he had sent thirty raiders it was an incredibly ignorant move to make, but it was he who was supposed to take the bait, following the trail of the mystical artefact.

The Scroll, that one was real, the bestial spirits and their otherworldly powers came from somewhere, they were beyond anything they had seen. But rest, it was a fabrication, of some perverse Royal’s plot he didn’t see.

His riders, unlike conscripts in the infantry, were soldiers by trade, trained to fight together as one. Their individual skill didn’t match the Art honed by the Adepts to absolute perfection, but they would defeat such an Adept by joining forces.

Except, he had fewer of them now. They died on the chase after the Relic, ambushed by the monsters. They died in an attempt to fetch the priestess, slain by the blades or magic of the Evil Spirits.

Gam Youngjae growled, clenching his fists.

His mind refused to acknowledge he had been outsmarted.

He wanted to go, leave the fortress, to the city, confront the Crown Princess, and demand answers, damned be the court etiquette!

Without thinking, Viceroy Gam Youngjae headed down the stairs, and towards the stables, still inwardly seething.

In a few more steps, he might have reconsidered, although this time it was different. It wasn’t his rigorously trained ability to maintain composure even when enraged that stopped him this time.

It was a sound, a soft, long whoosh echoing through the fading fight, followed by the splash of the water. It was just loud enough to be noticed, it came from the river.

He looked around.

Silence. A few voices from the soldiers, he couldn’t make up what they were saying, likely as confused as he was.

With another swooshing sound, something hit the river, this time followed by more rattling, almost as if there was a movement somewhere, but not footsteps of his own men.

This time, it sparked commotion among the watch, though the gong was still silent. Uncertainty was in the air.

The sun was just about to rise.

The priestess stumbled into the castle’s courtyard, her robes put in improperly, and yelled, pointing towards the sky. He didn’t catch her words either, she just mumbled something, her eyes fixated on something she could only see. Perhaps there was magic at work - or the damn woman went completely mad.

There was something wrong out there, up there, but he couldn’t describe it.

The sound was back, a whir, followed by a splash. Then another, and this time, accompanied by a loud crash, collapsing stone, followed by shouts.

Youngjae scanned the surroundings.

There was a movement on the roof of the main building, a shifting air, almost as if it was the hottest day of the summer under the sun, improbable in the cold, damp weather of the morning, though impossibly noticeable with its otherness even in the poor illumination as it began to move.

Turning into a swirling vortex the mirage quickly disappeared, but merely a glance made Youngjae feel like he had too much of the rice wine.

He stumbled back upstairs, onto the battlements.

“Raise the alarm!” Youngjae shouted, instinctively glancing towards the main keep’s roof.

The shadow moved up there, not quite visible in the rising sun, almost like there was a Sword Adept dancing on the roofs. He caught the glance of the gleaming eyes of gold and ruby, not unlike the ones of a prowling beast. It was gone.

Leopards didn’t walk on their hind legs. Leopards didn’t disappear into thin air!

“Raise the alarms! The enemy in the fortress!” The Viceroy yelled, glancing around.

The priestess muttered something, almost as if she was angered by the disappearing opponents, scattering her charm around, casting a circle around herself while gesturing around in ritual dance-like motions.

Another thud, a crash, stone against stone, was almost lost in the noise of growing commotion.

Youngjae couldn’t afford any of this - there was no magic this time.

“Catapults! Those are catapults!” He yelled.

The gong sounded, its reverberating sound waking the fortress up from its slumber as Gam Youngjae raced on the battlements of his forts. None of the projectiles hit the main building yet, and the walls were undamaged. He couldn’t see the catapults, but perhaps that was the point.

Shouting, chaos, and the penetrating voice of the priestess chanting in the middle of the courtyard. The Viceroy wasn’t interested in the dubious assistance of the Divine now, but he didn’t do anything to stop the casting.

He was willing to leave matters of magic to others.

“There are Evil Spirits at the bridge.” One soldier screamed, and Youngjae immediately rushed to the spot.

“Man the walls! Man the walls” He shouted as he ran, “Archers to the west wall! Shoot anyone who tries to cross!”

In full motion, he hit the edge of the stone wall, almost falling over it through the embrasure as he peeked outside.

There were creatures rushing over the already damaged bridge to the other side of the river just as the stone falling down the sky hit the bridge, bouncing out of it taking a part of the cobble with it.

Several archers released their arrows, but none of them hit. One of those beings jumped into the swirling vortex disappearing from sight, forcing Youngjae to close his eyes. He hid behind the merlon, feeling wobbly in the head.

Another deafening crash. Men screamed about rocks falling from the sky.

“They are firing catapults, you idiots!” Youngjae screamed.

The Jin would be better at aiming their trebuchets, but there was nothing inherently mystical about it.

The Heavens probably laughed at him for thinking that. When he looked at the bridge again, a tree log seemingly appeared out of nowhere and crashed into the bridge, demolishing the solid masonry as the battering ram plummeted from the skies above.

Stuck in the middle of the viaduct between collapsing arches, a chunk of the tree caught fire.

The Viceroy Gam Youngjae was taught the lesson about expecting the unexpected, but now, he needed to explain it too.

If he managed to restore the order.