Chapter 25 Part 1 of 2 (Patreon)

Bai Ping looked around the secluded courtyard between houses. Everyone there was a true member of the Alva miltary. They talked in low voices, little excitement at being able to see their friends once again. They all knew that Vuzgal had been targeted and could possibly be attacked in the near future.

Colonel Domonos walked to the square.

Everyone snapped to attention.

“At ease.”

Formations had ben overlaid the place so that no one would be able to spy on them.

“We have reports that the Willful Institute will attempt to attack Vuzgal in the near future. We do not know when they will try to attack, or if this is a hoax. You are the first group that will be shifted back to Alva, there you will resupply and reorganize. Tiger Battalion will support Alva while Dragon Battalion heads to Vuzgal.” Domonos let his words sink in.

“You have done incredible work, you were the backbone of the Adventurer’s Guild offensive. You helped to transform them into the fighting force that they are today. As we start to pull back, with the work you have done, they will be wholly reliant on their own chain of command, on their own members. I have the confidence, that with the training and leadership you have provided them they will continue to direct the offensive into the heart of the enemy. I, like you will be the first wave of people to leave. I too will be in Alva to train and prepare. While you come from the Dragon or Tiger Battalions, we have trained and worked together constantly. We are two units but the same military. No matter if we must as part of the Dragons or as the Tigers, we will carry out our duty. Prepare your gear, talk to your groups. We’ll be rotating out in four hours. The rolling reasoning is that we are getting leave from the battlefront.”

They were covered in dirt and signs of battle, their eyes cold as they accepted their new orders.

***

Colonel Yui stood in a mana barrier tower on the inner wall that broke up Vuzgal. Looking out over the tense city. He had been to the city nearly every week working with the forces there. Now he commanded them all.

He straightened up in his armor, his eyes tracking the traders and caravans that were streaming out of Vuzgal.

His eyes drifted to the totem with lines extending out of it.

“Guess we’ll need a second totem for them all streaming back in,” Major Kenoa walked up.

“Thankfully that’s for someone else to worry about,” Yui said. “Anything?”

“Nothing, I’ve got my people up in the air, they’re patrolling. Though your dad’s going to be the one to find out when they arrive first.”

“I always thought he was some kind of seer when we were growing up. He’d be able to predict what was going to happen before it ever happened. When I got older I thought he was paranoid as hell. Now I think it was just prudent planning.”

“Good to know that you had such faith in me,” Elan walked up the stairs his lips pressed together in a bemused smile. “There is still no word from the cities, though they are all starting to prepare in subtle ways. They have stopped issuing permits for market stalls along the main roads. They have increased the number of guards on patrol. They’re tightening down on who is entering and leaving the cities. All non-permanent residents are watched closely and there are increased patrols.”

“What about your people are they safe?” Kenoa asked.

“Definitely, they or a relation have been living in those cities for years now. They’re well known members of the public. Some are part of the city lord’s staff or work closely with the city administration.”

“Paranoid, I told you. Do we know how long it will be?”

“At least a few days. They don’t want to kill someone that they shouldn’t. Once people are cleared out and they have enough support from others then they’ll attack.”

“We have a few options which depend on how much information we want to give away.” Yui looked at his father and Kenoa.

“One we repeat what Erik and Rugrat did in the first battle sof Vuzgal. We bleed them as they are trying to reach Vuzgal, hit them with traps, hit them with artillery and bombs from the airforce. If we use traps we can kill many more as it will be under their mana barriers. Though they will know that we are tracking them somehow. If we don’t we will cause less damage, but they think that we can’t see them all the time. Which opens them up to make more mistakes. I personally think we should go with the first option, what do you think?”

“I agree,” Kenoa nodded.

“I think the first as well. Information is knowledge but once they enter within the valley that Vuzgal lies in. With formations, beasts under our command, the aerial forces, recon teams. They won’t be able to hide from us anyway.”

“Okay. Well lets start with this inspection.” Yui led them into the center of the tower. Mana barrier formations took up the ceiling and the floor, a thin thread of mana rising from the bottom formation into the formation above.

They moved off to the side stepping onto a teleportation formation. Yui nodded to the officer working the console next to the teleportation formation.

The room changed, strips of light formations lit up the transportation room. One could hear movement through the corridors that led out of the room.

Yui led them out of the room and through the corridors.

“If they do attack I don’t think that they’re going to be expecting that we built our defenses so dense. Hundreds of bunkers, miles of tunnels connecting them. Teleportation rooms to keep people and supplies moving,” Kenoa said.

“Its an impressive network. Wounded can get taken to a teleportation room and in minutes be in our underground medical facilities. The factories working under the city can teleport ammunition and supplies to the teleportation rooms so they can be transported to the front,” Yui stepped onto a rising platform. The formations activated and they shot up.

They stepped off, seeing more people moving around here. They nodded to the trio but didn’t stop moving.

“We’re in the belly of the bunkers now,” Elan said as they walked up stairs to the next floor.

“They built an entire internal system to move ammunition as fast as possible. Matt and his blueprint office went wild. With the dungeon core they could move all the earth they wanted.”

They got to the top of the stairs. Straight ahead there was a full bathroom and shower. On the left side there were a few bunkbeds, stacked so close one couldn’t turn over.

“Stamina and mana recovery formations,” Yui pointed at the runes carved into the beds.

“Coupled with their cultivation, they’d need what? An hour or two of down time with the formations to be one hundred percent?” Kanoa said.

“Scary,” Yui opened a heavy metal door to the right. “Imagine fighting an enemy that has people with the energy to fight for days on end, then rest for an hour and be ready to fight again.”