"Sir, the troops from Calliste and Bergamme have just arrived," Finn reported.
Carciem thanked him with a nod, before continuing to read the reports that had been given to him by his scouts.
They had left Ylesse immediately to intervene as quickly as possible, but upon receiving the first observations of his troops sent ahead of their position, he suspected that acting alone would be tantamount to collective suicide.
He rubbed his temples insistently, adding another square marker to the map of the area he had unrolled entirely before him. He did not doubt Ewan's words, far from it. However, he didn't think a beast could change size at will, just because it could; even with the reports he had received before they were even deployed.
Nonetheless, it was clear from seeing the map in question, that the creature had grown again. Forget about the 1000 category. The creature had already had time to engulf two more villages, and had even spread as far east as the Westfalls, located much further east than the village of Bohr where the creature had made its initial appearance. The immense infernal serpent continued to burrow into the ground and the earth's crust as if it were diving in and out of a sea of rubble and sand.
Carciem looked at Sarmawyn, still sheathed in its scabbard. Would the sword's striking power be enough to overcome this creature of flame and rock?
He wasn't so sure anymore, even though the sword was reputed to be unprecedentedly powerful, with all the enchantments that affected it constantly. He also wanted to avoid losing more civilian lives, if necessary, and he suspected that if the creature kept growing at the same speed, it would eventually reach Ylesse. Therefore, the time to strike was now or never.
"Did our message reach the capital?" He asked Finn without looking up from the map, knowing full well that his subordinate was still present in the tent.
"Yes, but we have not yet had a response from the Emperor..." Said Finn.
"He must surely have something to do with the Empress' illness..." Said Carciem thoughtfully. "But the situation is more than urgent. We need more reinforcements, purely as a precaution."
Focusing again on all the square markers placed on the map, Carciem began to formulate a plan of attack.
Calliste's troops included many mages, so their strike force would be mostly magical, rather than physical. Surely they could provide significant support by casting physical strengthening spells for the soldiers who would lead the assault directly against the creature. Spells to protect them from poisoning would be a plus, as Ewan had told him of a strange mist enveloping the monster.
However, if the young hunter had also told him anything, it was that physical attacks did not work against a body made of molten rock and lava. It was therefore essential that the weapons had an enchantment, even a basic one, to be able to cut through both solid and liquid matter.
"I want the ballists positioned on this ridge," he ordered, pointing to a hill near one of the square markers. "And have them arm the harpoons directly."
"Bergamme's Quartermaster General is not going to like that..." Finn pointed out.
"I know, but until proven otherwise, I'm in charge of this operation. Carciem replied succinctly.
Although the harpoons could be used as a heavy, piercing weapon, Carciem couldn't help but have doubts. Would their power be enough to pierce the creature's shell?
And then what?
Pouting, the man with the long blond hair tapped a spot on the map with his index finger.
Could this work? It was a bit like swinging a sword in complete darkness, but if it could help them gain the upper hand, then it was a significant element. He thanked Ewan again for his detailed report on the creature.
"I want half of Ylesse's and Calliste's forces deployed here..." He said slowly, still pointing to the same spot on the map.
"Sir?" Said Finn with a questioning look.
Carciem answered nothing, absolutely sure that this was the best maneuver to take. So Finn understood that he had no say in the matter. At least not on this aspect of their mission.
"Sir... If you don't mind me saying..." Finn began.
The man with long blond hair raised his head and looked at his subordinate with a puzzled look.
"What are you going to do about the kid? Finn asked.
"This 'kid' is almost the same age as me, I remind you..." Carciem scolded him.
"But he's not my supervisor," countered Finn.
"Even if he indeed isn't, don't disrespect him," Carciem replied. "He's still one of the few people I'll trust to have my back without hesitation."
"Even with what I smelled on him?" Finn asked pointedly.
Carciem remained silent for a moment, still seeming troubled by this new discovery.
"I don't know what could have happened to him, for you to smell Nepenthe on him," he said after a moment. "But Ewan is not the kind of person who would willingly be involved, in any way, shape or form, with a curse."
"He seemed to know a lot about curses already, though, which is unusual," Finn added. "Besides, it's impossible to know whether he was a victim or a curse caster, since the smell alone doesn't make a difference between the two..."
"That's true... Although you could have avoided being so rude to him," Carciem conceded. Then he added with a smile, "However, it takes more than that to chip away at my confidence in him."
"So you don't intend to ask him what happened to him?"
"I'd have plenty of time to ask him that, face to face or by mail," Carciem said, annoyed. "What worries me much more, however, is why he wanted to go to Mount Larshen so quickly..."
"The reason?"
"He didn't tell me in detail, but I got the impression that he was meeting someone there..."
The two men remained silent again, Carciem deep in his own thoughts, and Finn waiting patiently for his superior to speak again.
If Finn had smelled Nepenthe on Ewan, then Ewan had indeed been involved in a curse. However, the young hunter himself seemed to be unaware of it, which made Carciem doubt.
"Maybe he's made a new friend and he's going to throw me out like an old sock," Carciem complained.
Finn silently winced at his superior's childish attitude.
The latter was about to address the distribution of troops again when a young woman in a commander's uniform burst into the tent, hurriedly pushing aside the cloth to make her way.
The two men looked at the newcomer with surprise.
"Quartermaster General Balgoranth, we have a problem!" the young woman exclaimed.
"Sergeant Liberth, what's going on?" Carciem immediately inquired.
"We just got a reply from the capital, and the Emperor just refused to send us reinforcements..." the young woman revealed.
"He... Refused?" Finn repeated, bewildered.
"The Knights of Ahn'Or have already been deployed because of the Empress' illness, so it was obvious we wouldn't get their help," Carciem thought aloud. "But to deny us any help, plain and simple, is rather unusual..."
"Which means we'll only have three full garrisons?" Finn realized.
The young woman, named Doloresse Liberth, nodded her head in agreement.
It would make a big difference if they couldn't get more manpower, and resolute, Carciem turned to Finn.
"Sergeant Parthimian, I need you to get an urgent request through to the Association immediately."
With that, the Quartermaster General took a sheet of paper and began to write several lines of text on it, before handing the now folded note to Finn.
"I want a region-wide broadcast to all the surrounding counties," he ordered.
Finn nodded and quickly excused himself to leave the command tent. Doloresse, meanwhile, was waiting for further orders.
"Do we know more about the Emperor's situation?" Carciem asked, concerned.
"No news except for this refusal," reported Doloresse.
Carciem then turned his attention back to the map of the region, then his gaze went from the map to above the table, where he imagined the capital would have been located if the map had been larger.
It had been a while since he had received direct instruction from the Emperor, and the blond man wondered if the Empress' illness was the only problem.
"Sir, what are we doing about our operation?" Doloresse asked.
Still staring at that imaginary point lodged near a node present in the wood of the table, Carciem replied:
"Whether or not we have reinforcements after our announcement to the Association, we will have to take action sooner or later. It is imperative that we stop this creature as soon as possible."