The creation of the Armament Standard effectively shifted the barony from a state of reactive survival to active deterrence. Kael understood that the Duke would not rely solely on the reports of distant observers; eventually, he would send a force to physically probe the boundaries of Ashfall's resilience. That probe arrived on a gray, mist-laden morning when the northern lookout signaled the approach of a small, highly disciplined body of cavalry.
This was not a peasant levy or a disorganized bandit raid. Through his spyglass, Kael identified the heraldry of the Duke's personal household guard—twelve elite heavy cavalrymen, mounted on armored warhorses. Their presence was a sophisticated provocation. A group this size was too small for a full assault but too large and well-equipped to be ignored. They were a scouting party designed to test the range of Kael's weapons, the response time of his militia, and the psychological state of the five hundred citizens.
Kael remained on the northern bastion, his internal clock measuring the riders' velocity and distance with mechanical precision. He did not order a general alarm. Instead, he utilized the standardized communication protocols established during the literacy program. Using a series of colored signal flags, he activated the Second Defensive Shift—a group of fifty laborers who had just completed their work in the Kiln and were already clad in their brigandine kits.
The discipline Kael had instilled was immediately visible. There was no shouting, no panicked running. The workers moved to their pre-assigned stations on the northern wall with the practiced efficiency of an assembly line. They unslung their standardized heavy crossbows, checked the tension of the laminated bows, and laid out their uniform bolts. Because the weapons were identical, the squad leaders could issue precise commands for range and elevation that applied to every man in the line.
The cavalrymen halted exactly three hundred yards from the gate, just outside the traditional effective range of a standard light crossbow. Their leader, a knight clad in polished full plate, trotted forward alone, clearly expecting the disorganized, ineffective volley of arrows typical of a frontier settlement. He intended to display the superiority of his armor, a psychological tactic meant to demoralize the "serfs" before a single word was exchanged.
Kael adjusted the slide of his personal rangefinder. He had specifically engineered the standardized heavy crossbows for this exact scenario. By utilizing the higher-grade coastal iron for the trigger assemblies and maximizing the tension of the laminated limbs, he had achieved an effective kinetic range that exceeded standard expectations by fifty yards.
"Elevation mark four," Kael commanded, his voice calm. The squad leaders repeated the instruction. Fifty crossbows tilted in perfect unison, guided by the geometric markers etched into the stone of the ramparts. "Target the lead mount. Single volley. Release."
The sound was not the chaotic twang of individual bows, but a singular, metallic thrum. Fifty bolts, identical in mass and aerodynamic profile, cut through the mist. The knight's horse, struck by multiple high-velocity projectiles, collapsed instantly. The knight himself was thrown violently into the mud, his polished plate armor providing no protection against the sheer impact of the synchronized fire.
The remaining eleven riders froze. Their tactical calculus had been shattered in a single second. They were facing a disciplined, long-range defensive capability that should not exist in a frontier ruin. Before they could wheel their horses to retreat, Kael ordered the Second Shift to reload. The mechanical winches of the standardized crossbows clicked in a rhythmic, terrifying chorus.
The knights retreated in a disorganized gallop, dragging their fallen leader with them. They did not attempt a second approach. Kael watched them disappear into the tree line, but he did not permit his people to cheer. He immediately called for a post-engagement audit.
"Log the bolt expenditure," Kael instructed Steward Elms. "I want a full report on the mechanical performance of every trigger housing. Identify any tension loss in the bow limbs. We have shown the Duke that our perimeter has teeth; now we must ensure those teeth do not dull."
Kael spent the next several hours reviewing the data with Hektor. The engagement had confirmed the efficacy of the Armament Standard. The standardized training had allowed common laborers to neutralize an elite knight without suffering a single casualty or breaking formation. However, Kael knew this was merely the beginning of the escalation. The Duke now knew that Ashfall could not be taken by a probe; his next move would be a full military mobilization involving siege engines and hundreds of professional infantry.
The scouting party had provided Kael with something more valuable than a small victory: it provided a live-fire test of the barony's social cohesion. The refugees and the original citizens had stood side-by-side on the wall, their movements synchronized by the requirements of the machines they carried. The fear of the southern raid had been replaced by the confidence of technical superiority.