"Miss Perina!"
"Speak."
"I-I'm afraid the attack we launched failed."
"I expected as much, however I assume you did quite some damage?"
"N-No-"
"No?! You mean to tell me I lost a legion of soldiers for absolutely nothing?!"
"We retreated once we lost half our forces!"
"You good for nothing cowards! What did you manage to even do?!"
". . .", the underling struggled to provide an answer.
"I just let a few thousand soldiers die for nothing in return?"
"I'm afraid so-"
Wooosh~
The individual giving the report suddenly faced a wave of pink energy. Sadly they weren't strong enough to resist and their existence was wiped from the planet.
She slammed the arm of the throne, bending the shiny metal beyond repair, "Grimwald!"
A figure appeared and kneeled, "Yes Miss?"
"I assume you have the full report?"
"Yes, the enemy suffered no losses and has retreated to another location."
"What's this other location?"
"That is being identified as we speak."
"Do I have to do everything myself?!"
"If I may have a word?"
"Go on, there isn't anything that can worsen my mood."
"We may not have to find their location."
"What do you mean?"
"If they realize we are going to attack them, then they might grow hasty and attack us early. There's a chance they no longer feel safe developing quietly."
"And their haste will lead to their downfall, amusing. Call the army, we are to reinforce the city for war. I want everything shutdown and fortified. When those brats attack I'll wipe them out in one fell swoop."
"Right away Miss!"
~ ~ ~
The counterattack was successful, their battle was overwhelming enough to force the enemy into a retreat.
Yet as the revolution celebrated the event, Nimin was drowning in anxiety and concern. Approaching Akiol he spoke, "I need your opinion on our next step."
Akiol examined the look in Nimin's eyes before responding to the request, "Attack immediately."
"What? But why?"
"They probably have the same idea that we will attack much sooner than we intended. Most likely they're reinforcing the city around Perina's castle as we speak. That's why we must strike now, before their defense is too much to handle."
"We don't have that much in numbers to succeed in a full on assault, nor is their training complete."
"Right now no, but if we announce the sudden attack right now there's a good chance that we will be reinforced."
"Do we really have no other choice?"
"We can wait, let them build up their defenses for nothing and continue to develop. But then we risk the chance of another large assault brining themselves to our front door."
"What about all our preparations?"
"War waits for no one Nimin. Those who grab the initiative are granted the path to victory. Perina threw the first attack, if we don't respond in kind then it may not work out for us."
"What about the weapons? We don't have enough for everyone!"
"I'm merely giving my opinion here. You're the leader, the decision is up to you. Just know that you aren't alone in this battle."
"Ok. . . thank you."
Nimin left swiftly, concerns flooding his head.
~ ~ ~
"You're going to take your leave?"
Yielya nodded, "I think everyone knows that I don't run this store completely these days. Something very important came up and I won't be available for quite some time."
"Can you guarantee you'll be back?"
"That much I can, just not for a while."
"Well you did sign a contract so your presence isn't needed. However with such a large scale transfer it would be best if you were here for the purchasing of this store…"
"I will be back."
"Alright, I'll trust your words for now."
"I appreciate it."
Yielya promptly left Doru City. She had gained an idea of what was occurring across the river thanks to the group chat. At the rate things were going, attack was the only option.
The weapons she obtained from the dwarves were mostly sold, she still kept a bit for herself as well. Coupled together with whatever they made and did not send, there might be enough to equip a good chunk of the revolution.
Yielya paused for a minute, "That's right, I won't be able to do much like this. . ."
Even though she spent all this time working on acquiring funds, Yielya did not spend a lot of time working towards Second Stage. Currently she was still First Stage.
However there wasn't enough time, her abilities should be enough to assist anyways.
Quickly traveling across the land on her mount she soon approached a small cave. Anyone who entered this cave would find that it's size was far greater than the entrance.
Yielya paused, "Jarvis, it's time. I take it you're ready?"
The faint sound of a book closing echoed across the cave. Jarvis' figure slowly entered the light that leaked through the entryway, "Already? Very well, let's go."
~ ~ ~
"They move fast."
Akiol couldn't help but agree, it was less than 24 hours since the war and Perina's city was already heavily guarded. Givale and Mira stood next to him, attempting to gain a bit of knowledge about what was occurring.
So Akiol asked, "What do you two think?"
Givale answered first, "I can't really tell, it seems like the walls are guarded a lot, but the inside isn't? I don't know if it's a trap."
Mira shook his head, "I don't know."
Patting the heads of the two Akiol spoke, "No worries about getting a right answer. Givale is partially correct, the inside has a lack of movement. However I doubt they're able to keep everyone under control. I believe it's a facade, giving an illusion of a solid defense."
"Are we really going to attack now?", questioned Mira.
"That's up to Nimin, I don't give the orders."
"Then we go back?"
"Yeah, we've did a bit of scouting. This bit of information might be key to Nimin's final decision. Shall we race back?"
"You're on!"
"Don't forget about me!", Givale shouted.
The three began to run at incredible speeds towards the revolution's temporary base. Wind from their movements caused the brush to ruffle.
~ ~ ~
"Are you a moron?!", Hundred shouted while pointing a finger, "If we attack now, all our efforts will be wasted!"
Para argued, "But if we let them be we're only going to face more fights like the one before!"
Eerie Gaze agreed, "If we don't do something now, our development will be hindered. We can use the moral from our previous victory to give us a running start!"
"It's precisely because we won the previous battle that we shouldn't get ahead of ourselves!", Hundred countered.
Fare also gave their opinion, "Hundred is right, haste will only lead us to defeat."
"But if we can rile up the players we'll have a lot more numbers joining the battle.", said Eerie Gaze.
Shaking his head Hundred made a counterargument, "Players that won't have a fraction of obedience like our own members. We've spent all this time training them for a reason! If we suddenly just lump a bunch of unskilled players to the mix, it will only cause chaos!"
Para chewed a nail in frustration, "That's a good point, but we certainly can't take on a whole city with our meager numbers."
"Which is precisely why we shouldn't attack!"
Para ignored this and turned to Nimin, "What's your decision Leader?"
Nimin's face was dark as he spoke, "Both sides have good points. Akiol agrees with Para and E, a swift counterattack might tip the scales in our favor."
Wham!
Hundred slammed the table, startling everyone, "Why is it you trust that guy so much?! He appears out of nowhere, claiming to be from another continent, with strength that rivals yours and that gives you enough reason to trust him?!"
"Akiol, Wrock, Tilia, and Kan'na all contributed a lot to this revolution. Without them we wouldn't be where we are now. Is that not enough to trust them?"
"They could be spies! You think that Perina would let such strong people go freely?"
"You have no right to say that."
"Why not?! Because I failed to protect Nemmy? Because we all failed to protect each other?!"
"Shut up! You logged off when Akiol rushed to save Wrock. You weren't there to see what I saw! He fought desperately to grasp any opportunity to save his friend! Despite the massive power difference he fought against Perina! At least he can say he stood up against Perina! What about you?!"
Hundred was momentarily taken aback, "Don't act like I abandoned you guys. It was clearly a death wish!"
"Tell me Hundred, can you say you fought with everything you had back when we lost Nemmy?"
"I-"
"Don't you lie."
". . ."
"Akiol provided me with a screenshot of Perina's castle and the city. While you're here arguing he was out gathering info to back his claim. He's contributed far more to this entire thing than you have Hundred."
"So you want me to leave?"
"I want you to stop acting like this! Be there when we need you! Support us!"
Hundred had an inexplicable expression, "I think I need a breather to think. Send me a message when you've made your decision. I'm going to log off and get some water."
Hundred's figure vanished into white lines as he logged off. Nimin clenched his hands into fists, "Tell the revolution to fully recover. Once everyone is ready we're going to strike while the iron is hot."
"I'll make sure the message is sent.", Para said.