Chapter 15 Part 1 of 3 (Patreon)

The lights faded as Erik and Rugrat pulled their hoods down.

“Dios Mio,” Momma Rodriguez whispered as her hand unconsciously held onto the cross on her chain.

“Welcome to Alva, Momma,” Rugrat said.

Erik led the way through the checks and to the other side.

New factories were being built to assemble more ammunition, weapons and supplies necessary for the war effort, the crafter’s arena had been taken over by combat crafting courses, formation combat masters led by Qin Silaz herself. Pure Magic fighting techniques by Tanya and her researchers, there were courses on group magic, powerful artillery magic.

The workshops had expanded dramatically, a second crafter dungeon had been created to accommodate everyone. Fighting dungeons grew rapidly as Alva citizens took self defense courses and military members tested out their techniques, working on their fighting ability-in squads and solo.

Traders drove between the factories picking up supplies and returning to the totems to take the supplies to the Adventurer’s Association.

Delilah and Glosil were waiting as Erik and Rugrat left the defensive structure around the totem.

“Everytime we come back, it seems busier in here.” Rugrat let out a grunt as Momma Rodriguez elbowed him.

“Commander Glosil of the Alva Military and Council Leader Delilah Ryan, she runs all of Alva and keeps everything else runnin’. This is Momma Rodriguez.

“It is good to meet you both, I have heard a lot about you both. You found a fine teacher Delilah and you have stepped into your position well. It is a hard one to fill Commander Glosil.”

Delilah and Glosil smiled and bowed their heads.

“Thank you ma’am.” Glosil pressed his lips together in an imitation of a smile.

“It is good to meet you Momma Rodriguez. I have heard much about you,” Delilah smiled.

“You four clearly have work to talk about, I’ll head off.”

“Roska, could you…?”

“I’ll have someone escort you to the Lord’s residence, or take you around Alva, there is no place safer in the Ten Realms. Everyone here is an Alvan,” Roska smiled. In just a few short days Momma Rodriguez had made an impression already.

“You said it was urgent,” Delilah said to Erik.

Erik took out a sound cancelling formation as he started to walk, the others following.

“We have been stepping around it this entire time. Starting today, the Alva military will be completely activated. The Willful Institute is starting to look in places we don’t like. We need to pull their attention away and put all the pressure on them that we can. “

“I would suggest retaining a battalion in Alva, and two battalions in Vuzgal. That would dedicate close to ten thousand troops to the front lines. In two weeks another group of soldiers will complete basic training. I would suggest waiting three more  months before they are put into action, they’ll still be green and they need to take their advanced courses,” Glosil said.

“Do it,” Erik nodded.

“What about trading and other activities?” Delilah asked.

“We will enact the guidelines set down in the war time section of everyone’s contracts. Secondary fighting forces will be recalled. Increase their training, including the Adventurer Association members.”

“That will tear apart the economy.”

“We are prepared for that. Unlike wars back on Earth, when we conquer a city we can loot it of all its valuables and gain. Already the Adventurer’s Association has made a fortune.” Erik said.

“Are the backup sites ready?” Rugrat asked.

“The secondary dungeons have all been set up, if need be then we can evacuate Vuzgal and Alva to them within four hours,” Glosil confirmed.

“Secondary sites?” Delilah asked.

“A backup plan in case everything goes to shit,” Erik said.

“If we’re attacked, the totem won’t work.”

“It won’t but the teleportation formations will. We have a network of them across the realms. We’ll ferry Alvans across the first four realms to dungeon locations that we have altered to suit our needs.” Erik said.

Their guards moved around them, people cleared a path as they bowed their heads to the quartet as they passed.

The third barracks, closer to the totem came into view.

“How are things in Vuzgal?” Delilah asked.

“Bandits have appeared and the traders are starting to push their boundaries. Chonglu and Elan are looking into it. It was bound to happen. People have been trying to take advantage of us since the beginning. This is just in a different way.” Erik said.

“Institute?” Glosil asked.

“Doesn’t seem like it. Elan didn’t hear anything in their back channels.” Rugrat said.

“You have a plan?” Delilah asked.

“Just like hog trapping, bait them in, then before they know it, drop the damn gates around them,” Rugrat said. “With the extensive formations that were planted around Vuzgal, from Aberdeen in the West to the Chaotic lands in the East we have everything covered. They’re attacking in the chaotic lands which is to be expected. If they push in closer to Vuzgal we’ll see it all.”

“I wondered what all those formations requested from the academies and formation masters were for.” Delilah said.

“Anything moves on that road and we’ll know. We won’t even need spotters. We can hit them with mortars and artillery spells from in cover, kilometers away. Same with Vermire and the Beast Mountain Range,” Glosil said.

“Have things changed on that front?” Erik asked. As they neared the barracks.

“The surrounding nations are focused on fighting for spots in the Consortium now. It's grown in power rapidly. King’s Hill’s third expansion is already planned. The outer outposts are all expanding as are the interconnecting roads. Things are stable, for now.” Delilah said

Erik slowed his steps and turned to face Glosil.

“The other thing we need to talk about is our role in all of this,” Erik tilted his head to Rugrat.

“Training and support for now. If shit hits the fan, we’ll need every person we can get fighting. Including both of you. The Special Teams have always been by themselves, there are few people they would be willing to take orders from. Would you want the position?”

“You lead, I follow,” Rugrat said to Erik.

“Understood commander, if you need us, we’ll be there,” Erik nodded.

***

“Morning!” Rugrat said as he looked at the men and women filling the crafter’s arena. People from all different squads, from pure mages, to formation masters and everything in between filled up the seats.

Rugrat picked out the teachers in the front row, the Close Protection Detail members. Revered through the Alva Military as the best that the army had to offer. Trained and now many tried across different battlefields against the Willful Institute.

Qin Silaz, leading the formation masters of Vuzgal academy, Julilah leading the formation masters of Kanesh Academy. Tanya, head of the pure mages, Roska and Tan Xue, headmaster of the Vuzgal Academy and highest ranked smith among all Alvans.

“In the past few weeks you have all attended classes focused on turning your skills into tools of battle, of destruction and war. Using composite formations to create rapid defenses, rapid attacks. Studying defensive and offensive spells, re-learning how to cast them faster and stronger with less mana draw with the teachings of pure magic. How to get the most out of your gear and weapons. You have learned fighting techniques, you have transformed your thoughts. You have taken the mundane and simple and turned them into weapons.”

Rugrat paused, looking among the Earther’s he had expected a reaction from them, but they, like the rest of the Ten Realmers, had blank expressions.

They’ve seen the reality of the Ten Realms, if you cannot rely on yourself you cannot rely on others.

“Simply put you’ve learned what humans have been doing since the beginning of recorded time. Take the tools that you have, use them in different ways to increase your own abilities. A formation master of only level ten can command the power of spells that a level forty mage could not call down. A pure mage can cast faster magic, faster than someone that has studied the written version of that spell for several years. You have combined movements and mana together to enhance one another.”

Rugrat paused, looking around, picking out people with his eyes.

“None of this would have been possible if you hadn’t worked together.” Rugrat shook his finger and looked up into the backs of the stands. “That right there is our strongest ability.”

Rugrat pulled out his railgun rifle.

“This weapon would not have been possible without smiths, without formation masters, without mages, without alchemists, without the people of Alva. Without the factories then once this weapon broke we would have to craft it anew. We wouldn’t be able to take it apart and replace it. We wouldn’t be able to produce them in the hundreds. Listen up to what your teachers have to say. It could save your life, and it could give you a new idea to do something that could save another’s life in the coming days.”