Chapter 22 Part 2 of 2 (Patreon)

They came in, bowing ninety degrees to Cai Bo and giving Marco a shorter bow.

“We have come as commanded,” A woman with long green hair, purple eyes wearing gold and silver armor that showed off her figure. Her hand rested delicately on the sword at her hip.

Sword instructor Feng Dan

Behind her was a tall man with a fine moustache wearing armored caster’s robes. Another shorter but muscled man who had shaved his head into a mohawk and a beard that started at the tops of his ears. An unremarkable man wearing beast hide armor, a bow on his back and daggers on his hips remained at the rear, his dull grey eyes taking in the room. The last was another woman with whips on either hip, her red hair was pulled back into a single braid that rand down her back, a blade had been tied to the end of her hair.

“Begin to mobilize your units. In nine days we will be attacking Vuzgal.”

“ ‘Bout time we got to do something.” Onam, the Mohawked muscled man said.

***

Sergeant Bai Ping of the Dragon Battalion grunted and sat down on the broken wall. Adventurer’s Guild parties were dotted around the courtyard. People were up in the buildings and on the roofs watching for attackers.

Bai Ping surveyed his party, they’d cleaned their weapons, some were napping, others were eating or drinking water.

He pulled off his helmet and set it to the side.

I wish I could use my body armor, this ten realms armor is restricting as hell.

“What’s our next move?” Bradley a man that had aged years in weeks asked Bai Ping.

“The Institute turned this place into a death trap. Spell traps all over the place, got some tunnels we found as well. City is so damn big that its going to take time to clear it all.”

“House by house.” Bradley nodded in understanding.

“Fuck that could take weeks!” Rana threw a rock she had been playing with at the wall.

“Slow and steady,” Bai Ping pulled out a canteen, drinking from it.

A man walked over to the group.

Bai Ping lowered his canteen with a smile.

“Well, well well, look who the war dragged in? You testing out new armor?” Bai Ping Laughed, standing.

“Heard you needed a hand,” Sergeant Bolton smiled as the two clasped arms and hugged.

“You been here long?”

“Two weeks or so,” Bolton said as Bai Ping indicated for them to move over to the side.

“How’s things back home?”

“Good, the old man is focusing on the defensive. Think that there could be more action at Vuzgal. Other sects and groups see that the associations aren’t with us and all that.”

“Do you think it’ll come to anything?”

“This is the ten realms buddy. If someone thinks they can steal it from your cold corpse they’ll have a blade in your back the next second.”

Bai shook his head.

“You got people there?”

“Yeah, most of my family settled there.”

“Might be hard to remain there.”

“Vuzgal gave us everything, they aren’t going to leave.”

“Shit,” Bolton’s words came off as praise.

“Yeah we’re a stubborn bunch. What about you?”

“I ain’t got nothing waiting for me. Just feel sorry leaving you sorry bastards behind. How’s it been up here for you?”

Bai Ping rubbed the back of his neck.

“Shitty and its got worse. Traps and ambushes all over the place. Institute members fighting to the very end. We might rag on them, but they’re still good fighters. Now there is nowhere to go but to die, they’re vicious bastards. Had several detonate their cultivation, just to take out some more of my people. Its slowed us down.”

“What you think is going to happen to Vuzgal? If it gets hit?” Bolton asked.

“I don’t know. I know one thing, if we have to pull back everything, the Institute is just going to come out of their holes, add in more traps and make it ten times harder to take these places. I wish we just bombed the shit out of the place and fucked off.”

“That ain’t gonna happen, not while there are innocent people in the cities.”

“Yeah.”

“Do you think that they would call us all back?”

“Nah, I don’t think they’d call the Adventurers back.”

“Why?”

“They’re a formidable fighting force. At Meokar they were a bunch of idiot fools. Though they’ve matured. They aren’t Alvan military but I’d trust them to watch my back. As time has gone on there’s less and less of us Alvan’s in the command structure and more of the Adventurers. They’re pulling it together.”

“So you think that we’d go back to defend and the Guild would keep fighting?”

“I think that’s the way it has to be. If it isn’t we lose all the progress we have.” Bai pulled out his canteen again.

“You think that we’ll be cleared for all weapons?”

“I ain’t a Colonel, I don’t know that,” Bai Chuckled.

“Just wondering, those railguns are terrifying a little.”

“You get issued one?”

“Yeah,” Bolton’s mouth spread in a smile. “Fresh out the factory man. Thing is sweet as.”

“Alright, get ready to move, we’ve got houses to clear and Institute fucks to kill!” A group leader said.

People complained and muttered, storing their gear and pulling on their armored helmets.

“Looks like we’re heading out,” Bai held out his hand. Bolton shook it.

“Catch you later brother.” He headed off towards his own party in the courtyard.

***

Mistress Mercy looked outside the carriage as she arrived in Henghou city. The headquarters of the Willful Institute was filled with schools, academies, training squares. Carfters, fighters and people from all over the realms had wished to enter this city. She passed through the streets wishing for her carriage to move faster.

The closer she got to the Willful Institute, the less traffic and more guards there were.

She passed through several check points before she reached the true headquarters.

Un willing to wait she opened her carriage door and jumped down, walking as quickly as possible for the main entrance.

“Identity, purpose of visit.” She had made it into the main door, to be met with more guards.

“High Elder Cai Bo, information gathering.” She pulled out a medallion. They checked it, then took a sample of her blood before letting her past.

She stepped onto a rising platform. The formation powered up and accelerated upwards.

It wasn’t long before the platform slowed and the door opened. She walked through, passing another checkpoint and reached Elder Cai Bo’s office. A guard announced her through his voice transmission device.

He listened for a few moments before opening the door.

Mercy’s pace faltered as she looked around the room. It had always been immaculate before, with only a few items inside. Now there were three planning tables one a model of Vuzgal. Flags of different color spread across the city. There were maps on the walls showing arrows and directions from surrounding cities towards Vuzgal.

Another wall showed the leadership of Vuzgal. There were rough images of two men wearing masks at the peak. Chonglu underneath. Domonos in parellel with rough information and people across the wall.

Cai Bo was talking to a mustachioed man wearing casting robes.

Mercy closed her mouth as Cai Bo looked at her.

“These locations will need to be altered for passage. Once you have them then they will give the elevation to the siege weaponry to hit Vuzgal well outside their range.”

“They won’t have a chance to counterattack us with this. We’ll have almost twice the range of our Journeyman siege weaponry. I have other things I need to attend to. High Elder.” He bowed to Cai Bo and turned to leave the room.

Mistress Mercy bowed to the man deeply.

He paid her no attention as he walked out of the room.

Mistress Mercy held out her cupped fists to Cai Bo.

“What did you find out? Stand up.”

“Chonglu used to be a lord of a city in the first realm. A city that is right next to what was wildlands. Now a new kingdom rose out of there and it is quickly becoming a power to be reckoned with in the first realm. They have a sect that could rise in the second realm and crafters even a low scale dungeon. The Silaz’s disappeared mostly, only one remains and he is a big trader within that rising kingdom.”

“Clearly something is happening down there,” Cai Bo frowned.

“There are plenty of Institute members from the lower realms that need to be put to use. The lower realms don’t get information from the higher realms. Get the kingdoms in the firrst realm to join you. Use them as cover for our people. Attack this kingdom and bring me this remaining Silaz.”

“Yes High Elder Cai Bo.” Mercy paused.

“What is it?”

“I feel that there is something hiding in the first realm. That I was only able to scratch the surface.”

“Are you scared?” Cai Bo’s eyes narrowed.

“No High Elder!” Mercy bowed again with her clasped hands. “The more information I have found the more questions I have.”

“It is good to have questions, but it is also good to know when to follow orders. Go and destroy this kingdom. It will be a great opportunity for you to gain standing within the Institute.”

“Yes High Elder!”