Chapter 30 Part 1 of 2 (Patreon)

Rugrat felt the mana thrumming throughout his chest, throughout his body. His mana core had graduated upwards into his chest into his left chest cavity, transforming into a second heart, a mana heart.

The mana within his veins had condensed into liquid, his veins becoming perfected, interweaving and interlinking with his own circulatory system. One would not be wrong in saying that he was a man with two hearts, two sets of lungs and two circulatory systems. His mana gates drew in mana from the surroundings much like a person’s lungs drew in air.

He moved his hands. Controlling mana is like just moving a weird muscle I haven’t used in a long time, or didn’t know it existed. Compared to before it was like I was waving my hands around in the air expecting to make ripples in the water.

The formations around him started to relax as the mana was pulled away by mana gathering formations to be stored below Vuzgal again.

The pod Rugrat was in unlocked and the formations powered down as he was rotated forwards. The front of the pod was opened as two medics helped him out of the pod.

“Situation?” He asked, his throat painfully dry.

A medic fed him water as Tanya passed him an information book.

Rugrat opened it and drew in all the information contained inside.

He staggered with the information overload and forced himself upright. A medic readied a needle.

“Hold off, you can use that on others,” Rugrat staggered to the tray where all his gear was kept He used a clean spell and grabbed his storage ring, pulling out a tube. He tore it open and poured the wet oatmeal textured food into his mouth, swallowing it as he quickly started to recover.

“Qin?”

“Qin is helping with manufacturing more bombs.” Tanya said.

“You all have things more important than watch me put my pants on.” Rugrat said as he grabbed his clothes.

“Yes sir,” Tanya nodded and looked at the rest of the people in the room. They quickly left, heading up to Vuzgal.

Rugrat got dressed, finishing four more of the high calorie and stamina returning tubes.

“Tastes like shit and feels like eating vomit but they work,” Rugrat said to Han Wu and his half special team that was waiting there.”

“What’s the plan boss?”

Rugrat checked his time piece. “Scouts are already deployed, artillery is preparing to move. Roska is supporting them already. See if she wants to take the north, we’ll take the south and support Arty.”

“Can ask,” Han Wu said.

Han Wu used his sound transmission device as Rugrat checked his map. Scout squads created a ring around Vuzgal Valley, covering the north and south, they were still deploying the first flights had only gone out in the morning. The artillery platoons and support platoons turned artillery platoons were set to leave in the afternoon.

Still have a few hours to go. Rugrat checked the map. Good plan. The sensing formations don’t reach that far, but our mortars will. Guided in by the sharpshooters coordinates.

Han Wu finished on the sound transmission device.

“They say we’re good.”

“Sweet. When do we step off?”

“Four hours. Though Colonel Domonos wants to meet you at the second airfield.”

Rugrat drew mana through his body, he felt its power radiating through his entire body, through his very cells.

His veins glowed with power as he looked at Han Wu.

“Sounds good to me. Hell I wonder just how powerful I could enhance a mortar shell.”

The eyes of the others darkened as they circulated their own mana, feeling the power that had laid dormant, ready and wishing to be freed.

***

Rugrat was looking out of the window at the waiting Kestrels as the door opened.

Domonos walked in and saluted.

"Am I supposed to be the one saluting you or vice versa?" Rugrat asked, returning the salute and reaching out his hand.

"Hell if I know," Domonos shrugged as he shook Rugrat's hand.

"You're in charge of Vuzgal I'm just your back up. Good to see you back home."

"Thanks," Domonos smiled and sighed. "You really want to go out there?"

"Sure, you have Roska's team support the North, Special Team Three and I will go to the south if we go into a fight then they'll figure something is fucked up. If we're just using spells on the mortars, they'll be stronger, but how are you going to be able to tell?"

"Alright, then I ahve one more request."

"What is it?" Rugrat looped his fingers into his belt, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"Speech."

"Huh?"

"Talk to the troops. They're going into a fight, one that's going to be nasty as hell. Hearing from you, might boost their morale."

Rugrat looked at Domonos and sighed.

"Alright for fear of saving them from some damn general that talks for three fucking hours when they have to stand there. I'll do it.Why do speeches have to be ten fucking hours long. Good job, speech done!"

"Good, lets go," Domonos said.

"Great."

Rugrat followed him, they reached a balcony overlooking artillery platoons that were ready to board Kestrels, others that were checking gear and ammunition, preparing to leave after them.

They must be the support platoons getting issued new gear.

"Form up!" officers called their platoons into position facing Rugrat.

Other officers were waiting for him and Domonos at the balcony, they had set up a sound transmission formation.

"Once this is activated it will broadcast to all of the Alva military sound transmission devices. Even the scouts in the field and recon flights will hear you," A Lieutenant said. Behind him the groups were moving through drill.

"What about the Associations?" Rugrat asked.

"We sweep the bases constantly and there are formations that stop any noise from leaving, they're all active."

Rugrat nodded. The formation finally settled down in the at ease position with their repeaters. Their legs spread out as they pushed their repeater out with one arm and held the other down at their side, their eyes locked on the balcony.

Domonos stepped up to the sound transmission device.

"Attention all members of the Alva Military Lord Rugrat who will join you in the field, has a few words he wants to say."

Domonos turned to Rugrat.

Thanks for the lead up!

Rugrat exhaled through his nose, looking at the ranks of soldiers.

"Today I stand here among fellow Alvans. All of us have come from somewhere else and we chose to become Alvans. The Alvan Nation was nothing more than a village when we started. Now we control a Kingdom, a city state and too many fucking dungeons to count. Seriously I think that Erik went a little nuts with that,"

The soldiers grinned and laughed as Rugrat became serious once again.

"Alvans took Vuzgal with their very blood, we defended it even when it was nothing but broken walls. Since then your families, your friends, your fellow Alvans have put their determination, sweat and lives into Vuzgal, building it into the proud city you see. We never forgot our history. Vuzgal is ours by blood and if those Sects think that they can take it from our hands they don't know a damn thing! You have gathered your mana, you have endured and tempered your bodys as your leaders have trained your minds and ingrained into you the skills you need."

Rugrat paused hearing repeater butts hit the ground. He could feel the burning pride in his chest looking at them all as he grit his teeth, stabbing his finger out at them."You are Vuzgal's wall, you are Alva's sword, you are the mother fucking Alva Military!"

Roars and yells came from across the defenses, across the bases.

"We do not fight for riches, we fight for our people. We do not train for our own gain we train to lift up one another. Trust in yourselves, trust in Alva, trust in one another. And kill the bastards that want to kill your brother and sister on either side."

Repeaters slammed into the ground as the military yelled out, building into a chant.

"Al~va Al~va Alva Alva!"

Rugrat joined in and smacked his chest, the noise ringing out across Alva.

"Shoulder arms!" His voice rocked Vuzgal as his body glowed with mana, each and every soldier's cultivation was pumping out, distorting the mana in the air.

Repeaters snapped up into the ready position.

"To your duties! Dis-missed!"

Those ready turned to their right, slamming their feet into the reinforced stone ground so hard it cracked in places.

They marched off one single being. Soldiers headed into the depths to take teleportation formations to the forward artillery positions or headed to the airforce strips to board Kestrels.