Chapter 28 Part 1 of 1 (Patreon)

Domonos blinked as the light of the totem dissipated, marching forward with the rest of his people. The gates were opened allowing the Dragon Regiment to return back home. Family members of those returning and other Alvans cheered as the company exited. The totem flashed again as another part of the regiment returned home.

Domonos saw a familiar face in the crowd, his brother's armor stood out among everyone else.

Father and sister as well. Domonos held his smile and nodded in their direction slightly.

The regiment seperated into Companies each heading to their own training grounds.

Domonos marched through the streets they were bare compared to before. The city was a ghost town. Away from all the cheering his face hardened.

Soon this will be just another battleground. All that we built. We will fight for every damn inch.

He saw the castle tower standing tall, a beacon in the mountain range.

When we first came here we had to fight to survive, then fight to hold it, and now we'll have to fight to defend it once again.

They marched through the gates, the rest of the regiment was waiting for them all.

"Halt!" Domonos called out, as everyone snapped their feet down.

"Left turn!"

They all turned to face him as he faced them.

"Dragon Regiment, second battalion Fourth Company. You are released until fifteen hundred this afternoon dis-missed!" Domonos signalled their release.

They all turned to the right walking three paces before thy dissolved, meeting up with their friends and heading out to see their families they hadn't seen in weeks or months.

How the hell? Domonos saw his father and siblings walking out of the depths of the training center.

Well I should talk to the Colonel I'm taking command from and the director of intelligence right?

Domonos smiled as he walked up. Qin grinned and hugged him.

Domonos fought down the smile as his father patted him on the back.

"Good to have you back, don't worry I think I only annoyed them with all the drills," Yui said as Qin released Domonos.

You just wanted to see me squirm in front of everyone else. Domonos could see the devilish light in her eyes.

"Come on, we'll head to the command center," Elan said.

"Not the normal family greeting," Yui said.

"Well we're not exactly a normal family," Qin shot back.

"What she said," Domonos agreed. "Though seriously Yui, How have things been?"

"I've been having them completed full readiness checks including all of the preset locations in the forests. They were using teleportation formations so there shouldn't be anyway that the Institute or the Elsi Clan got any information."

"How did they do?"

"Four set ups and take downs at two locations a day for each platoon. They got quick, taking five minutes on set up and three on tear down. Room for improvement for sure. With the readiness tests in the bunkers, full readiness in two minutes."

"Now we don't have anyone around we'll get them to set new firing positions. Do we know what routes they're going to use? Father?"

"Nothing yet, they mention the routes but no specifics. They are using local guides so they don't need to use specifics."

"Have their numbers increased?"

"Yes, another fifty thousand have joined them, bringing them to three hundred thousand total. Their leader is Marco Tolentino, cousin to Nico. He is a powerful cultivator and fighter in his own right. He has an elder brother that is in the seventh realm. Through the Willful Institute Marco exceeds not at just training but in tactical fighting. He followed in his brothers footsteps in the fourth realm and claimed two cities for the Willful Institute on his own, three of them supporting his brother or other members of the Willful Institute. He has plenty of experience with taking cities."

"He is not the only one father," Yui said and looked at Domonos.

Domonos nodded in thanks.

"It is good to know your enemy, he's dedicated and has experience he also has backing and a lot of people. In assaulting a city you have a few things you can tilt things in your favor as the attacker. Have more people, have more long range weapons, have more food and water. If you can, get better people, better weapons and better food."

"Why's that?" Qin asked.

"With more people you can charge into the enemy, taking the deaths and reach the enemy. With more weapons you can cover the enemy's barriers, stopping them from seeing or breaking their mana barrier. If you crack the enemy's mana barriers they are naked before your weapons. If you have more food and water, hole up and wait, starve the enemy out, let them get desperate. If you have better items, then you can just speed things up."

"Can't you use tactics?" Qin asked.

"Yes, you can use combinations of the three and the situation to your advantage though tactics are about positioning, timing and information." Domonos said.

"Come on, lets get something to eat and talk about something not so grim," Yui said.

He led them into the city and to the largest sky reaching resturant in Vuzgal.

"Even though a lot of people have gone into hiding there's enough staff to keep the sky reaching resturant open. For today all meals are free for military members," Yui grinned.

"I taught you well," Elan laughed.

Domonos and Qin smiled as they were guided to a table.

"When do you head back to Alva?" Domonos asked Qin.

"Why would I do that? You are in need of crafters, metal workers and formation masters."

"Qin," Domonos started, looking to his brother and father for support.

"Brother," She stopped him a fierce light in her eyes. "I might be your younger sister but it does not mean that I am any less an Alvan than you. I know what will happen I know that you will need formation masters here to create more bombs and mortar shells, to repair damaged formations if needed. Vuzgal has nearly as many formations as Alva. I helped design many of them, or my students did. You need me here and that is it. If there signs of trouble then I will be on a teleportation out of the city to one of our backup locations I swear."

Qin went back to eating the snacks that had been brought out.

Domonos choked out a laugh, sharing a look with his father and brother.

"Once Qin Silaz has a goal in mind there is nothing that we can do to stop her. In the end you were the first Silaz to become an Alvan." Domonos' voice softened.

"It really has been a long time since then," Yui said.

"Maybe it is long to you all," Elan reprimanded, mock-serious. "It has been the best years of my life for sure. You have all grown up so quickly in your different areas. Some of them closer than others."

He looked at Domonos and Yui with an amused smile and drank from his cup, letting out a refreshing breath.

"You have truly soared," Domonos rubbed the bridge of his nose, feeling awkward.

"Dad," Qin said and hugged him from the side.

Elan laughed and stroked her head.

"My daughter healed, my son returned to me, my family given great opportunities in a land that doesn't wish to enslave but support us. Erik and Rugrat would have gained my loyalty for any of these things. Though they have done all of this and more without asking for any kind of compensation once. Other than to defend the land we have created together."

Elan's eyes grew wet as he looked out at Vuzgal through the Sky Reaching Resturant's windows.

"If only your mother could see you now."

He looked at Yui and Domonos, tears brimming in his eyes, the fierce intelligence director of Alva's lips trembled, bittersweet loss and pride.

He pulled himself under control and patted Qin's head once again.

"She would be so proud of you all," Hs voice came out in a shaky whisper that created heat deep within Domonos' chest as his nose flared and he swallowed to hold in the tears.

***

Yui looked over his people. Now that the Dragon Regiment had returned he and his Tiger Regiment would return to Alva.

He spotted Domonos walking for him.

"Came to say goodbye?" Yui asked with a smile.

"Wanted to apologize, I got Commander Glosil to send me out to fight along the adventurer's guild and now I came back and took command away from you again."

"Domonos, I'm not angry nor do I think that you're trying to steal what, being on the front lines, from me. It doesn't matter to me who is leading the fight against our enemies. What matters is that they are the best person for the job, that they have every advantage we can give them. Simply put, you know Vuzgal like the back of your hand. If you didn't fight the Willful Institute with the Adventurer's Guild then it would be a big hit to your confidence. Alva needs confident commanders. You needed to fight them to prove to yourself that you could. Now going into battle it is no longer a worry. You are focused on the job, not on just the enemy."

"Shit, when did you get so mature?"

"You're my brother I know how you are. After you got nearly killed by them and healed up, you've been holding onto a grudge. Fighting them you got back your confidence and you became a better leader for it. You are the best person for this fight, if you need support me and the Tiger Regiment will be there."

"And my Dragon Regiment there for you."

The two brothers hugged and patted one another's backs.

"You've got some good people, I think you poached them all from my regiment," Yui grinned and walked out to his regiment.

"Alright you lazy bastards! I hope you enjoy training because it will be up to us to get the reserves into fighting condition! Atten-tion!"

They snapped to attention rank upon rank.

"Forward March!" Dragon Regiment headed out from the different bases and training centers, heading through the totem back to Alva.

Good luck brother. Yui thought as the light of the totem swallowed him.