*R-18*
"No, it's the Sahara. All of our troops are not stationed anywhere near here. This is mainly patrolled by drone and remote MUTT Gunners. (Multi Utility Tactical Transport) The Erlking has been testing the weaknesses of the area lately and could throw a heavy wave through there, take Algeria, Libya, and spread out from there. It's really the best place to give him a chance."
John nods with my explanation to Bavarthos."We could also get away with not letting HQ know about it too. There's a stretch here of desert, that only your machines patrol. It's not the weakest portion, but you get reports from that area often enough. We could ease up the machines, make it seem weaker for the Erlking to try and attack that area."
"You want to bait the Erlking like that?" Bavarthos shakes his head. "It won't work, he'll smell a rat with that."
He starts making marks on the map of all the places the Erl's tested so far. He pulls up more information on each one of those, marking them with how many troops were there or if we had heavy fire power. A pattern emerges before us.
"He's attacking the weaker parts while attacking the stronger ones simultaneously. He's taking out chunks in our defensive line, like he's felling a tree. We've been leaning exactly where he wants us to go, with every wave we're that much closer to hitting the ground. We've got to show HQ this!" John exclaims, seeing the pattern laid out before us.
"John, we can't." I grip his shoulder, making him furrow his brows and grimace.
"Shit... You're right. Damn that mole! They have got us by the balls and they know it!" John walks off, heat emanating in waves off his body, filled with his rage over his powerless position.
"Still nothing on who the mole is? Nothing?" Viekar looks at us surprised as we shake our heads solemnly in response.
"Well, let's see what we can do to put a wrench in the Erlking's plans." John rejoins us, his face and jaw set. Determination set in his brows as he stands there, thinking of a defensive plan.
"If he follows his pattern, he's due to attack and send the wave from this area here on the border of Niger and Algeria. What if we have our MU's (Magic Users) just snap the troops out of there, when he starts to advance. Leave just the MUTT's to continue sending fire their way while we get them out and then send Vartonix to put some fear back into the Erl's armies? We'd have to stop HQ at sending reinforcements troops and make sure they only send air support to make it look good." John throws out his suggestion, waiting, with his arms crossed over his chest, to hear our thoughts.
Bavarthos eyes light up at the plan but his face drops as he sighs heavily, shoulders sagging in defeat, "While it's a good idea, it's too risky. The MU's are not strong enough to get everyone and the equipment that's too valuable to lose, out of there at a moments notice. Especially when you consider that your blue bottle supply has been watered down. I can't use my men yet, not until we find the mole. My machines and pets, they're one thing, but my men are trained for a last stand, not this hold the line and retreat that Thietian has been doing. They will fight to the death, but not if they must surrender all that they fought for. I will not make them fight either."
"We're not going to ask them to fight. Vartonix is going to fight." I wait watching Bavarthos as he processes the idea while chewing on the corner of his lips in thought.
"We still have the issue of so many of our troops being there. Vartonix can't fight and tiptoe around our men." B brings back up.
"Then why don't we use the gold stuff that we did in Peru? It'd help us get the troops out of there quicker without getting worn out or using the bad bottles."
Bavarthos gives me a sharp look and then I realize I may have said something I was not supposed to.
"Gold stuff? What gold stuff could help get people out of the area?" Lars cocks his head and a brow at us, his lips narrowed in a shrewd and calculating look.
'Shit, he'll know if we lie.'
I turn my attention to B and part my lips to say sorry, but all I do is shrug, ashamed and apologetically.
Bavarthos turns to Lars and purses his lips as he looks down at the ground. "I drew and channeled a trap to deliver pure magical essence when enough of the Erl's troops had entered the circle."
Bavarthos stands straight, guilt in his eyes, but not in his stature.
Lars just stood there, shock in his wide eyes that accompanied his slack jaw. He raised his hand to rub two fingers up the bridge of his nose to his forehead.
John looks around at all of us, confusion written all over him. "What?"
Lars is the one who speaks to answer. "He used an old battle spell to take the magical essence from the lives of the soldiers he killed. It's a very old and dangerous way of gaining extra magic for use in battles. It's like a triple shot of adrenaline to the body. It's also addictive... like a drug. It's falls under dark magic, only because of how addictive it is. It's been erased from much of our history because of the problems it causes."
"Wait, so you used this in Peru?!" John turns to me questioning me with his fists firmly at his sides.
"We did what we had to, to keep the Erl's forces back long enough to get those civilians out of there. I'd do it again to ensure we come out victorious in all this." I inform John.
"John, Sin's right. We do what we have to, to win this and save lives. That's the point of us fighting in the first place." Lars shakes his head at the map, but agrees that we have to do whatever is necessary. He adds, "However, your MU's, most are not strong enough to handle the power. They might burn up and die."
'That's right, I started to overheat when I got the essence last time.'
"You're quite educated on the subject, Lars." Bavarthos crosses his arms and leans against the table, giving Lars an arched, calculating, eye.
"Hmmph!" Lars scowls at Bavarthos. "Do you even know where that magic originated from? Who taught it to the king and his generals for use in the wars against the kingdom of Vraidar all those millennia ago?" He continues to scowl as he waits for Bavarthos to answer him. When he receives nothing but silence, he throws his hands in the air.
"Madre de dios! Estúpido!" Lars aggressively points at his chest. "My people taught it to your family! We used to litter the battlegrounds before and after a battle, setting the marks up and afterwards, collecting the essence of those still alive when the battle was over! They didn't care if it was their own men in those circles after the battles either! As long as we could retrieve the essence to feed their hunger for power after the battle. Their hunger for it, that is what disgusted your grandmother who wrote the edict. That edict banned the practice of the magic of my people, that it was to cease and disappear. First, she made us discover a less potent form of collecting the essence and then a way to keep the essence indefinitely. Since the addicts needed to be weened off their highs! That is how we became drinkers of blood, like mosquitoes! Then she had the grandfathers and grandmothers of my people, rounded up and put to death as an example to all! That no one was to take in pure essence ever again, or be taught how to collect it. That it was dark magic. All because her generals couldn't control themselves."
We stand in awkward silence, shuffling our stances and feet. Bavarthos who's been leaning against the table, stands up straight and gives Lars an apologetic bow.
"Forgive me for my ignorance, Lars. I was unaware of that information and should not have assumed or doubted where your knowledge may have come from. My sincerest apologies for the crimes of my fore-bearers against your kind. I am truly sorry for the betrayal of your peoples trust and the loss of life my family caused. Even with your grievances, I hope you will continue to be an important part of this team."
Viekar's jaw had dropped, dragging his eyes open farther, when he saw Bavarthos bow. He quickly schooled his features into normalcy and merely nodded with what Bavarthos was saying.
Even Lars, standing tall with his righteous anger, seemed to shrink back his demeanor at the sight of the bow. It was his turn to be speechless as his hands dropped lazily to his sides and his gaze fell across the dirt floor and our shoes.
After a moment, Lars, taking a deep, calming breath replies, "Prince Bavarthos. You are different from the rest of your family, and I accept your apology. I am humbled, that you would bow to me. I know you speak the truth. I will continue to help you all in whatever way I am."
Bavarthos claps his hands together., "Well then, so we can't give a power boost to most of our MU's. Is there a way or do you know which of our MU's are the strongest? Ones that should have a strong enough will power, by chance?"
Lars raises a long bony finger up, "I've got an idea. Why not enlist my brothers to help? They would be able to accept a large amount of the essence and handle the large number of people to snap without involving our ranked MU's. I think it would be better that way, since we still don't know who our mole is."
"Lars, I got to hand it to you. You joining us, was one of Sin's wisest decisions that I have ever seen her make." Bavarthos says so nonchalantly that it takes me a fraction of a second of silence before I throw a pencil at him.
"Ass-hat!" I feign indignation as he dodges the pencil, chuckling with everyone at our antics.
"Well, since we seem to have a game plan in mind, should we gather Lars brothers? I can go collect Vartonix and his molted skin for the armory to prepare into armor for every one. I'm sure Vartonix will be ecstatic to hear the news. I should probably go and reinforce the floors above him, I don't want him making anything cave in..." Viekar starts writing things down in his notepad he always has with him and heads out of the room.
We all exchange hopeful looks, a slight smile that warms up the atmosphere further in the room.
'We have a plan. We have a way to protect ourselves. We have Vartonix, the six story tall beast called a Neergrof. We have hope, again. That's a pretty good thing to have right now.'