"Well, the men are ready for a fight. In fact, they're getting so restless we might have a problem soon." Torm reported, though that wasn't precisely answering the Captain's question. Torm crossed his arms and looked at the map on the table, small black and silver blocks set up along the perimeter of the town to showcase the positions of the enemy and their own troops. A few had been knocked over due to the uneven table and the constant setting down of varying flagons of drinks, but it was as accurate is it could be thanks to Bianca and her scouts. "Do you think they'll just let us walk away?" 

"We could choose the first of three." The Captain reminded him, watching Torm. The knight seemed very far away, eyes glued on the table as he considered the question. "Would be easier." 

"The men wouldn't like it, and I don't think I'm only speaking for my lads. And it might tarnish our reputation." Torm reasoned. Perhaps 'tarnish' was a strong word, but victory brought loot, fame, and a potential bonus. This last year had been very lean for them, having fought wars of maneuvering more often than any real fighting. It served Torm just fine, but he didn't want to do this forever. He tried to think, but something wouldn't come to him. He couldn't... 

Torm gave a start, his eyes darting around which betrayed his developing thoughts. He opened and closed his mouth, and shook his head. 

"Out with it, boy." Cadger rumbled, smoke wafting with every word. He shoved off the wall and stomped over to the table, crossing his burly arms, the dwarf's beard now hugged to his barrel chest. Torm saw the Captain was of agreement, and he sighed, placing a hand on the desk and drawing a line over the front gate of the town with his index finger. 

"A night attack." He said, and the words fell out of his mouth like lead. He felt the idea would be accepted by no one, but he continued. "We could take them tonight, a few hours before sunrise. That would neutralize their crossbowmen and hit them before the cannons fired." 

Bianca looked at him like he had given the dumbest suggestion imaginable. He had expected that. The woman didn't seem to like him, though likely because of his role rather than anything he had done to her. For Torm's part, he barely paid attention to the First of the Scouts. As long as she did her job, he didn't give two shits. Cadger and the Captain's opinion he valued, and they remained quiet for the moment. 

"It's not exactly my field of expertise, but a night attack only works if we have an advantage in the dark." Black Ryann remarked. There was no love lost between he and Torm, but they could at least work together professionally. 

"Cadger, dwarves can see in the dark, right?" The Cavalry commander asked. 

"For the most part, aye. Wouldn't be good sapping tunnels, otherwise."

"Then why doesn't Grimgi hit us at night?" Torm asked, knowing the answer but wanting to relay it simply to everyone else. 

"Because his artillery is meant to support an attack from the manling infantry." Cadger replied, brow furrowed. "Without the army he's with, it'll only be a half-assed measure to fire at us. But his boys are right up front, they'll see us and tell the camp before he made it fifty yards out of the palisades." 

"And you wouldn't even be in the attack. Convenient." Bianca quipped at Torm's expense, trying to keep herself from speaking like she was talking to a particularly slow five year old. "Unless you want forty of your precious horses to get a broken leg or three."

"The good thing about heavy cavalry is they can be repurposed into heavy infantry at a pinch." The Captain said. "But I still don't see how this would end in anything but a slog all night, and they have the numbers." 

"We use the arbalest." Torm explained, placing a finger on the entrenched siege engine. "Once we hit twilight, the sun will be behind us. We pull it down from its position and bring it to the gate. We load it with one of our last barrels of phosphorus. Once it's time, we get some of the townsfolk to hold torches up by the walls to make the illusion our patrols are still moving, and we use the glare to get us over the wall. Once we're on the ground, we move forward fifty yards, and that's when we blow the horn. The gate opens, Cadger and his boys fire the arbalest. At its longest range, it should make it into the front of their camp, right?" Cadger considered the question, then nodded. "The light will give us something to see, but every man in their army still can't see us. Then my men and I spearhead into them, followed by Aeon to hit them hard once we force our way through." 

"The Dwarves will be right in front of you. They might not be specialists in close combat, but they're tough. They might hold you back long enough to keep you." The Captain said. 

"They're not even being paid. Will they really try and fight us?" 

"They'll keep to their word, no matter what." Cadger assured him. 

"Was it their word to fight in a melee, or to do dig and fire the cannon?" Torm asked, and Cadger mulled it over in his head, and then shrugged. "I think they'll keep to themselves as long as we don't attack them directly."

"They don't have any love for the Priest-Queen, you might be right." The Dwarf conceded. 

"Once we're in, we'll have them. Bianca and her scouts can go round and once we have the main force bogged down, she can hit the camp from behind and take whatever commander and reserves they have. Worst case scenario, she retreats to the hill the crossbow sit at when morning comes and slip away at her convenience. Even if we fail, we can pull back into the town and ruined the bulk of their progress." 

"And we could also lose half our forces." Ryann said, weighing the consequences. 

"I don't think that will happen, but it's the Captain's decision. It's the only idea I have. Hit them at night, set their camp on fire, use it to see and help our charge, and make them run into Bianca and maybe a few of Aeon's men he can spare. We'll surround them." Torm said with finality, raising an eyebrow as he considered the room.