"Pick up the pace! We need to finish the top of this section of wall today!"
The foreman shouted from atop the city wall.
At the construction site, a Portal opened, delivering a steady stream of raw materials for cement.
The walls at Gem Bay, the Montablinlock Duchy, and Franco's Territory were being widened and raised around the clock.
For every meter of height they gained, the Ratfolk would have to sacrifice tens of thousands more of their own, perhaps even more.
Annan had also ordered trees felled in great numbers, chevaux de frise set up, and trenches dug. He was bringing the strategy once used at Star-Moon Bay to Gem Bay.
It was crude but effective. Paired with Magic Muskets, it had allowed Star-Moon Bay to withstand a wave of the Rat Tide with only a few hundred soldiers.
Of course, the Elemental Life had played no small part in that.
But only the Three Great Legions could fight while retreating. The militia in the duchy and Franco's Territory had barely handled guns; they could easily turn a retreat into a rout.
The once-protected Forest Mountains soon grew bare. With Druids and elves around, though, the forest would recover within a few years.
Annan took the Elf Mentor into the mountains to explain matters to the elves himself. The secluded elven community living there knew nothing of his conflict with the Elven Royal Court. With the threat of the Ratfolk-Demon allied forces looming, they not only agreed to let him cut down trees but offered to fight alongside his forces.
Good thing they didn't know about the Spider Queen Church. Otherwise, there was no telling which way their arrows would fly...
Annan assigned the elven community, which numbered only a few dozen, to the Foreign Races Legion as scouts