TBATE Volume 7

by Divergence (epub)

  The doors were already open with only one guard stationed in front. Because many of the soldiers in the Castle were sent off to Etistin, the lack of personnel was definitely noticeable.

  I could see a few a familiar faces, waiting to send us off amidst the workers bustling about, making sure the teleportation gate was functional and set to the right location. Aside from Tess and Elder Buhnd, Kathyln and Elder Hester were here as well.

  “Looking quite dashing there, young hero,” Elder Hester smiled. “Clothes really do make the man.”

  “It’s good to see you again, Elder Hester,” I greeted, holding out a hand. “I hope you don’t take what I did personally.”

  Hester Flamesworth accepted my gesture with a wry smile. “I heard about your father and what Trodius was planning. The Flamesworth prestige isn’t nearly as important for me and I hope this will serve to humble my… brother. At this point, all I can say is thank you for allowing him to live.”

  I nodded, letting go of her hand before turning to Elder Buhnd. I gave the old dwarf a pat on the shoulder. “I could tell from the meeting we had earlier that you’re just itching to go out into the field. What do you say, wanna just book it out of here with me?”

  “Bah, and get my arse dragged back by Virion? I’ll pass. Besides, it seems like he needs a hand with everything going on these days,” he replied, looking up at me. “Be careful over there. I know it may not feel like it right now, but there are people that care about you and are waiting for you to come back.”

  Again, I just nodded. The promise I had made to my mother—that I would make sure my father was okay, turned out to be empty. I didn’t want to say or promise anything I couldn’t keep.

  My gaze eventually fell on Kathyln, who had been silent.

  “Thank you for seeing me off,” I told her, holding out my hand.

  Kathyln hesitated before grabbing my hand. She looked up, concern knitted in her brows. “I wish I could fight alongside you and my brother.”

  “Your mission is just as important, if not more, for the future of Dicathen. Don’t worry,” I comforted with a smile. I could feel her anxiousness and frustration at being unable to fight in the main battle.

  Councilman Blaine and Councilwoman Merial had ‘ordered’ her to be sent to the Wall to help the remaining soldiers there scout the area and make sure there weren’t any stray beasts heading towards the fortress. After Trodius had been taken away and many of the soldiers were sent to Blackbend City in order to be transported to Etistin, the Wall was severely lacking in capable fighters.

  Kathyln’s parents probably thought being at the Wall was much safer and at least gave their restless daughter something to do.

  Finally, I turned to Tess, who was already hugging and saying goodbyes with Sylvie. The two had always been close and the scene in front of me felt more like sisters saying goodbye.

  When it was my turn, I gave Tess a long hug as well. “I heard you’re going to be with my sister and mother. I’ll leave them to you.”

  “Don’t worry, I won’t let anything happen to them,” she muttered, before pulling out the leaf pendant she had under her shirt. “Just remember to keep your promise.”

  “I’ll do my best,” I answered, pulling out my own pendant. We stared at each other silently for a moment before I pulled my gaze away. I couldn’t keep the image of my father’s corpse out of my head while looking at Tess.

  I was the one going into battle, but somehow I was still afraid for Tess. I knew it was childish and irresponsible to think this, but the thought of her being carried over to me in the same state as my father and being unable to do anything despite all of the power I had made me want to run away—not just with her but with Ellie and my mother.

  A firm squeeze on my arms pulled me out of my thoughts. In front of me was Tess with the same smile she had last night, long after I had broken down in the kitchen. It was a smile that carried both loss and hope and it was just enough to give me the strength to step through the teleportation gate.

  “I’ll see you soon. All of you,” I declared before stepping through with Sylvie by my side.

  After the unsettling sensation of teleportation wore off, the two of us stepped down the raised podium that held the gate. Heavily armored soldiers stood on either side of us, heads inclined in a bow.

  “General Arthur, and Lady Sylvie. General Bairon is waiting for you in the castle,” the soldier to my left announced.

  “Will you be guiding us?” I asked.

  “Actually, that’ll be me,” a familiar deep voice resounded from below.

  It was Curtis Glayder. Despite all of the events that had transpired, the years had treated him well. His clean shaven face and sharp military crew cut made Curtis the dashing white knight he always aspired to be, with polished armor and swords strapped on both sides of his hips.

  Behind him was Grawder, his world lion bond.

  “Curtis,” I greeted.

  “I thought you’d prefer a familiar face since you’ve never really been around these parts,” he said with a picturesque smile. “And even if you have been here, so much has changed that I doubt you’d even recognize it.”

  “I’ve never actually been here, but you’re right in that this place doesn’t really seem like a city,” I noted, taking in the strange sights.

  Aside from the shops that had been converted into workstations for professional blacksmiths and atillators, the city plaza before us was also filled with tents. Inside were women, the elderly and even children helping out by either washing and folding cloth, tying arrowheads to wooden shafts, or packaging rations. No one was idle, with everyone either making something or transporting it.

  Soldiers practiced marching in their platoons with their respective officers barking commands. Off to the side were two archery ranges that spanned over thirty yards each. There, archers stood positioned almost shoulder to shoulder, launching volleys of arrows at the wall fashioned out of haystacks.

  “A lot to take in, right?” Curtis asked as he guided us towards the large brick tower that stood in the distance. “The entire city has been sort of rearranged to be the stronghold and production center for the battle that’s going to happen on the coast.

  We followed behind the prince, not staying in one place for too long since we’d just draw attention.

  I appreciated the brief tour though, and Curtis’ lively commentary helped both Sylvie and I relax. Aside from the soldiers doing physical training and combat drills, the mood was light and overall happy.

  “I was expecting a very serious and intense atmosphere,” my bond chimed, her head always turning and taking in the new sights.

  “Well, we’re still a few miles away from the coast where the actual battle will be happening,” Curtis answered, pointing to the thick walls that seemed newly made. “We’re mainly fortifying the western edge of the city with the help of carpenters and earth mages and digging up some tunnels for the civilians that are left here to escape.”

  As we got closer to the edge of the city, the more soldiers we would see. Carriages would be pulled towards the gated entrance facing the coast, carrying weapons and other supplies.

  “Come on, up this way.” Curtis pointed at the imposing castle that had been stripped down and refortified into its own fortress. Some parts were still being constructed as slabs of earth were being floated up by mages. The castle was situated on a small hill that overlooked the rest of the city, with only one tower that peaked above the large walls that easily towered over fifty feet.

  “You said General Bairon was waiting for me, right? Any idea where General Varay might be?” I asked, looking up at the tower.

  “She’s still helping out with the construction off the coast,” Curtis explained briefly, greeting the soldiers guarding the tower entrance.

  Sylvie and I looked at each other, confused. “Construction?”

  Curtis shot me a grin. “You’ll see when you get up there. Come on.”

  Thankfully, there wa
s a mana-powered crate and pulley system that was able to hoist us up to the top in just a few minutes.

  “Courtesy of Artificer Gideon, who should be somewhere in this city, working the other artificers and carpenters to their bones,” Curtis explained. “The main room is just up those stairs but there’s a window on this floor as well. You should take a look.”

  Curious, Sylvie and I walked towards the far end of the circular room that only had a lounge-like area with another soldier guarding the base of the stairs.

  The two of us peered out, and at first we didn’t know exactly what we were supposed to be looking at. My eyes scanned the small mountains that made up most of the area north of Etistin and went further south until my gaze landed on the Etistin bay shore.

  Without a doubt, that was what Curtis wanted us to see.

  Sylvie let out a small gasp as my jaw dropped.

  Filling up over half of the entire Etistin bay that stretched out longer than a mile was nothing but a field of white.

  An expanse of ice and snow had been created to meet the approaching ships.

  “Amazing, isn’t it? This is what General Varay has been working on.” Curtis leaned forward next to us. “The largest battle of Dicathen will be held on this glacial field.”

   

  Chapter 230: Resounding Horns

  Sylvie and I remained entranced by the snowy white field that extended from the shore out into the ocean. It was amazing to see the conjuration of such a vast phenomenon made from one person. Surely, General Varay would be exhausted by now until she could recover her mana, but the job had been well done.

  Aside from the aesthetics provided, I was curious as to the sort of strategy Virion and the rest of the Council had to utilize this ice field. I was given minimal information on the specific formations, deployment and maneuvering of troops and the actual line formation that we’d be using to face the approaching Alacryan army.

  “Ready to go up, General?” Curtis’s voice rang from behind.

  I pried my eyes away, turning to the single set of stairs leading to the floor above. Sylvie was right behind me and despite appearing even younger than my sister in her human form, I could sense the excitement of battle leaking from her.

  Climbing up the stairs and entering what I assumed was the strategic hub for the battle here, I was surprised at how… efficient everything was.

  ‘Efficient’ might not have been the best word, but the activities going on inside the room reminded me of the strategy rooms during my time as Grey back on Earth.

  There were rows of desks with people sitting in front of large piles of transmission scrolls instead of computers. They were all faced towards the center of the circular room with a view of General Barion, standing on an elevated podium that was looking over a large earthen table with an uneven surface and a large glass orb perched on top of an intricate artifact. Surrounding this artifact were over twelve mages on standby.

  While I was curious about the purpose of the clear orb, it only took me a second to realize that the earthen table, with a dwarven mage hovering his hands over it, was a rough depiction of the soon-to-be battlefield.

  General Bairon Wykes, older brother of Lucas Wykes, was currently discussing something about the march before he finally turned to look at me.

  His expression was controlled but the slight twitch in his eyebrows told me that he hadn’t exactly forgotten what I had done to his brother. Still, compared to how he acted when we had me for the first time, his impulse control had gotten a lot better.

  “General Bairon,” I greeted curtly, walking up to the earthen war table.

  “General Leywin,” he replied, not bothering to step down from the podium he was standing on.

  I studied the layout of the war table, noticing the small earthen figures that most likely represented the troops.

  “I’m assuming this information isn’t real-time, right?” I asked.

  “No it isn’t, General Arthur,” the dwarf answered respectfully. “I’m only able to roughly gauge and track the progress from the reports through the transmission scrolls sent in by the captains.”

  “And what is this giant orb?” I asked, looking at Bairon this time.

  “It’s an artifact that can be better used as a medium for the diviners present,” he answered.

  “How are the diviners getting information from the battlefield?”

  “Those other mages you see beside the projection artifact are elite deviants capable of scrying by sharing senses with their bonded beasts. The diviners will be able to link the images from the scryers’ minds and project them into the orb for the strategic general of this battle to see,” Bairon replied, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

  “Don’t worry, I came here after declining your position. I’ll be joining the other lances on the battlefield,” I quipped, annoyed by the lance’s attitude.

  “At least you had the brain to decline it. Tens of thousands of soldiers’ lives rest on the choices made in this room,” Bairon retorted. “If you can’t even keep your own family alive, how will you keep the soldiers out there from dying needlessly?”

  I whipped my head back, rage flairing. “What did you say?”

  Bairon smiled smugly. “You heard me.”

  “Both of you, stop,” my bond said, pulling on my sleeve. “And retract your mana.”

  Looking around, I could see that the killing intent infused with mana that had leaked out were straining the people present in the room. Calming myself, I shot Bairon a glare and held up a hand. “Give me the debrief papers you got from the Council and we’ll be on our way.”

  Bairon reluctantly handed me the folder. In it were dozens of pages highlighting relevant information along with several transmission scrolls.

  Not wanting to stay in this room any longer than necessary, I made my way to the exit, stopping just short of the doorway leading to the stairs with Curtis and Sylvie beside me. “And General Bairon? If one of the requirements to have this role was to ‘keep your own family alive’, then I might just argue that you’re in no position to be up on that podium.”

  I crossed the high city walls that marked the edge of Etistin perched on Sylvie’s back as I read through the notes outlining the various phases of this battle. The drumming of footsteps resounded below from the soldiers marching through the hills that led down to the Etistin Bay.  

  To make things even better for those struggling on their march, the gray clouds hung low, and the air was moist. It looked like the battle would be done under the rain.

  Something’s not adding up, I said to myself, my eyes scouring over the estimated numbers of the Alacryan forces approaching.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ Sylvie replied, noticing my concern.

  It’s just that… if I was the Alacryan general, there is no way I would initiate a full scale battle like this.  

  I could sense the confusion from my bond, so I elaborated what was on my mind.

  From what we’d gathered, Alacrya had been preparing for this war for many years now, from smuggling spies like Headmaster Goodsky to poisoning and corrupting the mana beasts. They’d taken extreme and careful measures by colluding with the secretive dwarves and bridging gaps by installing teleportation gates deep within the dungeons of the Beast Glades.

  This all happened under our noses while Dicathen barely knew that another continent even existed!

  So to me, it seemed counterintuitive for them to abandon all of the strategic prowess that they’ve demonstrated and face us head on like this.

  Based on the numbers, their forces were huge and any of the attacks we’d already tried had been easily blocked by their specialized defensive mages. However, they were still coming by ship—their resources were limited. The journey here must’ve already drained their food and water supply by a considerable amount. If we played a war of attrition, their forces would soon die of thirst or starvation.

  Of course, one could argue that Alacrya’s strengths truly shined in l
arge scale battle, since their specialized mages were much more of a well-oiled and cohesive military force compared to our soldiers. But still, we vastly outnumbered them even if it would take time to mobilize all of our forces.

  Was I overthinking things? Perhaps the Alacryans just wanted to wrap this up. I knew that Agrona wanted to avoid an unnecessarily high death count on either sides for his goals against the asuras in Epheotus, so maybe he thought that obtaining victory in a formal battle like this would end the war cleanly?

  ‘Maybe you should’ve taken the strategic general position,’ Sylvie chimed after absorbing all of the thoughts I had practically vomited onto her.

  No. Bairon is a dick, but he’s right. I don’t have a stable enough mindset to dictate the lives of the soldiers when I know that each of their deaths would be caused by the decisions I make.

  I didn’t want to play chess using the lives of our soldiers as pawns when I already felt responsible for the death of my father.

  “Focus, Arthur. We have a war to finish,” I said aloud, slapping my cheeks.

  With General Bairon under the helm of leadership, I was now but a soldier assigned a mission. In a way, this was easier. My hands would get bloody instead of my soul.

  Fly a bit lower, Sylv, I sent to my bond, closing the folder Bairon had given me.

  Sylvie folded her wings and dived down so the endless line of soldiers no longer looked like faceless ants.

  With a wave of my arms, I released a blast of fire, intertwining tendrils of lightning and blades of wind in a spectacular show of elements up into the sky.

  Catching onto what I was doing, Sylvie raised her head and opened her large jaws to let out a deafening roar.

  Hearing the whoops and shouts immediately from the troops below, I couldn’t help but smile.

  ‘That was a bit childish of us, no?’ my bond asked, chuckling a bit as well.

  Not at all. Morale is one of the most overlooked but important aspects of large-scale battles, I replied as the two of us slowly approached the nearing ocean.