It was dawn when the Hearthwood sergeants were called to attend the meeting before the expected battle. Alab woke up with an intense fatigue. The fatigue was expected but his body was paralyzed for almost a minute. He started to move his limbs first followed by his trunk and got up. He thought that if the fatigue from Dream Summons will be like this or will be more severe, he will have no choice but to really use the Morphing Key of Sora no matter how much he wants to save IPs.
Inside the tent, several sergeants and other officers were already waiting, including Lancer. The atmosphere was silent but had an air of sternness. Lieutenant Marshal was still nowhere to be found.
This was Alab's very first war meeting. He expected a table with some war character figurines but to his dismay, there were none since the purpose of the meeting was not to strategize but only to relay what was decided from the headquarters.
Alab was very nervous but also knows that all he had to do was listen.
Lieutenant Marshal entered with a few men and started debriefing the sergeants. Those who came with him included two women. Both had short black hair but the first one had a light skin while the other had brown.
'Were women allowed in the wars? I hope they are not some kind of relievers for Marshal?
New faces.
The war was not a planned one where the army marched from the capital. It was one where both sides kept sending reinforcements after the allegedly poisoning of Green Rose soldiers.
A war that started with an already existing chaos near the tower and was only realized several days after sending reinforcements.
A war that started after both kings saw the opportunity from this even at the cost of breaking ties with each other.
A war fueled by chaos and ignited by greed.
Because of the continuous reinforcements, there were several new people that just kept appearing. The group of farmers where Lucas Terno belonged to the reinforcements sent on the third day.
It was refreshing for Alab to see women in the men-only army. It was also a plus that the first ones he saw were very beautiful and so he asked a sergeant beside him who they were.
"You don't know them? Where the hell did you come from?"
Alab's heartbeat turned fast.
Due to Alab's curiosity he kept questioning others. He just realized that this curiosity and not knowing the common sense of the world could be his pitfall. He can still remember the man who placed a knife on his neck because he was suspicious of not being Lucas. But what could he do? Lucas Terno may have an idea of the two women, but it did not exist in the fragments of memories.
"Anyone from the Hearthwood Kingdom would know that a woman in our army is a Valkyrie candidate sent by the Temple of Odin. They regularly participated in the gate hunts. That brown skin is Hina and the other one is Valerie. I think I have fallen for Valerie."
The Temple of Odin sent Valkyrie candidates all over Gaia to test their strength and wisdom. Hina and Valerie headed the assault team for 5 years in the Gate hunts. It is said that a valkyrie candidate who has died in battle may be reincarnated as a valkyrie if she has met the requirements.
There was an instant silence when Marshal sat on his table.
"After several crushing defeats from us, we still have no idea why the enemies do not concede in this war. We are thinking that there may be still reinforcements that will be coming from their side. But the plan is still the same, we crush them!" (Marshal)
Beside Lieutenant Marshal, Valerie added "we still attack the left flank of the army but a cavalry unit headed by the Pegasus Platoon mixed with a few of Dragoon Platoon men will follow to pincer them."
The Lion Platoon also excelled in cavalry and Horo, Lancer and Caesar, ones whose skills were recognized, were placed in the unit.
"Our scouts approximate the enemies of the left flank at around 2000 and their general is a foreigner outside Green Rose Kingdom named Kato. He is a long-haired guy with a dragon helmet design so it easy to identify him. If weakening their forces do not make them retreat, find the general and kill him," said Hina.
"Of course, a huge reward will be given to whoever kills him," uttered by Marshal.
'Definitely not me. Call me a coward but I will never rush there.'
Just after that statement, a feeling of excitement rose from Alab's throat like acid. Just recently, he was afraid of this war and even promised himself that he will stay from the army.
'I do not understand this excitement... It's as if it is not mine', he pondered.
'Could these feelings... be of that man?'
Alab now remembered what he was supposed to ask Merlin and Sasha. He wanted to know more about the Memories of the Fallen he obtained. That is why it felt that something was missing after he returned. He did not pay attention to one of the two memories; the Memories of Soda Damarcus, the big warrior who became an alcoholic after he lost his wife and daughter.
Soda was a foreigner from a faraway place and started as a simple soldier in Hearthwood. Throughout his career, he was offered several official positions, but he loved the battling and so refused them because higher positions tend to leave the frontlines. It was said that he could have been a general because of his strength and leadership. Just when he decided to accept higher positions to have a more peaceful life with his family, he lost his wife and daughter to an illness. It was the battles and alcohol that kept him sane in his life. Soda lost the reason to accept higher positions. He wanted to die in the battlefield.
After losing his wife and daughter, Soda built a hut and isolated himself in a forest just outside the capital but was regularly called into skirmishes. There were moments everyone knew him in his platoon because of his skill but there were also moments almost no one knew him because several of his companions died. Soda changed his fighting style and developed the habit of rushing towards his enemies. He furiously sprinted towards death and was always denied of it until just recently, 40 men surrounded him and also died from his hands.
Just like Lucas' memories, there were only fragments from the memories of Soda that were obtained. Alab was able to peek into his final moments. He saw Soda smiling and saying "Finally, Anna and Lila, we'll now be together. Valkyries, take me to Valhalla."
"Do these memories affect me? Because I am pretty sure, I am no war freak."
Several things were running in Alab's mind. He was curious about the selection of the memories.
'Were they random or they had a special trait in them for them to be absorbed?'
Memories do contain emotions. Although not his, Alab unconsciously empathized with the fallen because of having a portion of their memories.
'These are important things to be discussed but what I am more interested is how much IPs I could obtain from their memories. The memories they provided were probably the cause of sudden increase in the Information Points. I would like to know how to obtain them and—'
Suddenly, a dagger swoop just right into Alab's face and landed on the wood beside him. It was so close he clearly heard the dagger reverberated after it pierced the wood and swung up and down.
"No time for daydreaming. Daydream now and you may never see the day tomorrow," said Hina.
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Inside the tent of the Green Rose, three men on hooded robes were listening to the instructions of the man speaking in front of them.
"Are you all ready?"
"Yes, General."
A man hurriedly entered the tent still gasping for breath and said,
"General Kato, we know you are foreigner that's why I want you to know this. Previous records have well documented that the use of "that" will cause the wrath of the gods."
"Gods are long gone now, Grand. Besides, do you still think we can win this war just by our forces alone?"
"The sea battle of Riverdale 20 years ago, the battle of Longbottom 10 years ago, a small skirmish exactly here in this plateau just five years ago, a foreigner just like you a year ago. Everyone was struck with —"
"Silence! Know your place, Grand!" said by one of the hooded men. Inside the man's robe slightly peeked his elongated ears. He was an elf.
"We should retreat now," said Grand but no sound came out.
"You will regain your voice after an hour," said the elf.
Grand walked out the tent.
"What is wrong with them? He is jeopardizing the lives of our soldiers. What kind of general disregards the lives of his men? To any god that can hear me, tell me how I can prevent this?"
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"Oh really? I will tell him if I can still come home."
"Hahaha. That was a good one. I really thank you guys for being here."
"That's a good secret, I wish I've known you earlier."
"I see, that's how you died. I am going to be careful of that young cavalry boy then."
A few meters outside Green Rose's headquarters, a soldier in his early 30s was talking to himself—or that was what people around him thought.
"There he goes again."
His fellow soldiers call him Delusional Gaston. Based on other soldier's stories, he started acting like this after being on the brink of death from last year's war with another kingdom. They believed the war caused him to be like this.
Gaston did not care what the people think. He preferred to talk to these invisible people he claimed he can see. Even after solving some mysteries in his town, no one believed that he could see ghosts. In order to provide for his family, he had no choice but to join the army.
"Delusional, huh."
Gaston had a plan once he comes home. He created a scheme to meet the families of dead ones he conversed with. He would relay their messages and charge a fee. In this way, he could provide more for his family.
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It was the expected last day of the war. The scorching heat of the sun looked like it wanted the soldiers to end this now, the air still had the smell of the blood and the land can't wait to absorb the decaying bodies of the deceased from the earlier days.
Gazing at the horizon, Alab can see the tower— the structure that is being fought by the two Kingdoms— and cannot help but be amazed of its grandeur. It can be compared to the highest buildings on Earth, and one would wonder how a thin structure could be that high.
Although not seen, somewhere near the tower also exists a Gate that will also be under the either Kingdom's possession once the war is over. The winner of the war will be setting up camp on both structures and form a fortress. Alab was still not sure if he can escape from the army by that time.
Despite not having a clear grasp of his escape from the army, Alab already carefully planned things for the day. He already knew where to place Tim and where to use the Morphing Key of Sora. He knew where to strike and where to not. He was excited, but also afraid.