Carciem watched with a concerned eye the dozen or so communication stones that were lined up on a wooden rack on the edge of the command table. Only two groups were missing and needed to get into position and send a signal. The other stones were already illuminated with a yellow or white light depending on the age of the material, a sign that the corresponding teams were in place to storm the creature's body.
Still waiting for the last two stones to light up, he turned his attention back to the map where he had drawn several crosses forming a huge circle with the ruins of Bohr in its center.
To the north, near the river Amaranthe, he had positioned half of the troops of Calliste and Ylesse, accompanied by the mages of Bergamme. This would certainly be the most vital point for the attack plan he had imagined. Unfailing magical support was therefore essential.
To the east, between the Westfalls and Ylesse, he had placed the ballists and the rest of the Bergamme troops. The equipment had already been enchanted, ready for action, and Bergamme's soldiers were able to manipulate elemental spells, but also healing and support spells; this would allow them to maintain the position for a long time.
Finally, to the south and between the Westfalls and the armored city of Bergamme, were the other half of Calliste's troops, as well as two hundred hunters recruited through the Association.
Three complementary attack positions that he had not chosen by chance, and distributing more than 2000 people under his command. The most resistant point in the East would protect the armored city of Ylesse in case of problems, while Bergamme was protected in the South thanks to a large number of troops. As for the northern position, it was the one from which the most important damage would come, provided that the last two groups had finally finished the task they had been given. He had deployed two teams of mages and alchemists, also dispatched by the Association, to assist them.
Of course, what he had asked of them was unprecedented, and almost impossible in such a short time; and the alchemists had tried to explain it to him.
However, faced with the absolute threat posed by the unknown creature, the enchantment experts had quickly resigned themselves. They had set about their task with a speed that was disconcerting to anyone accustomed to the administrative slowness usually experienced in every branch of the Association when alchemists were involved.
Carciem suspected that the long delays had not so much to do with the men and women themselves, but rather with the sheer amount of work they were given each day.
"Sir, the last two groups have finished," Finn signaled to him, standing at attention near the large table.
Carciem returned his gaze to the row of stones, now all lit up, and smiled.
"Well, it's time to get to work," he said, grabbing a stone.
Then, taking three more stones, he brought the strange glowing crystals to his mouth, and ordered:
"North and South group, attack! Priority to the lightning and stone elements!"
For the next few seconds, voices rose back from the crystals to confirm the order, the stones changing color to glow green.
The Quartermaster General of Ylesse then placed the four crystals back on their bases, and the earth began to tremble slightly. The attack had begun, and the blond man was willing to bet that the creature was already starting to wriggle in all directions. The command center may have been far away, but that didn't stop the shaking from reaching them.
"Eastern groups, attack with everything you've got!" Carciem ordered again, more stones in his hand.
These too turned green, a sign that the soldiers and war machinery had begun to harass the flank of the passing creature.
Then, resting the crystals next to the others, he turned to Finn, Doloresse, and the Quartermasters General of Bergamme and Calliste who had joined them a few minutes ago.
If Bergamme's Quartermaster General, Rudd Marxien, was an older man with more experience than Carciem, Calliste's one, Felicia Axtriès, was a young woman of a similar age and with a stern look. Yet, even though these two people had initially been reluctant to be under Carciem's command for the operation, the young man's behavior had convinced them despite themselves. His plan was sound enough to be carried out as the blond man intended, so no more protests were raised.
"I've given you all the directions, and our subordinates will take care of maintaining communication," Carciem explained, pointing to Doloresse and Finn. "So now let's go to the backup as planned."
He handed new crystals to his two peers, and made sure to take one for himself as well.
"Sergeant Liberth and Parthimian, I'm counting on you to do an excellent job," Carciem greeted them with a wave of his hand.
The two subordinates saluted him in return, assuming an upright posture and placing their right hands over their right eyes.
"AT YOUR COMMAND, QUARTERMASTER GENERAL!" They both exclaimed in unison.
Seconds later, the three top brass were outside the command tent, in the middle of the camp that had been set up in the middle of the forest, where the support and care units were already moving back and forth between the various smaller tents spread out concentrically around them.
"Remember, don't change until I give you the signal," Carciem ordered.
"I'm old but not yet senile, we get it," Rudd grumbled.
Felicia just nodded silently, though she seemed slightly exasperated by the situation.
"In that case, let's go!" Carciem exclaimed.
Immediately, the three high ranking officers performed a spell that they had to master to perfection, their bodies glowing with a golden light. Then, from their backs, pairs of white wings with golden reflections materialized. Their feathers, delicate in appearance but solid in consistency, waved in a gentle breeze, and the ground began to tremble more and more.
It took only a few minutes for the three humans to find themselves hundreds of meters above the ground, the forest, and the hill where they had been standing.
In the distance, they could see dust and smoke rising in three separate places, and the distinct whistle of ballists firing continuously reached them despite the distance; a sign that the projectiles had had their speed increased significantly by several enchantment overlays.
Explosions and stones flew through the air from all directions, attesting to the violence of the repeated assaults of the armed groups against the creature, which seemed completely unaffected by their attacks.
At times, flashes of green, yellow, or brown light could be seen here and there.
The elemental magics mixed together to strengthen themselves before striking the side of the beast, but despite the efforts of the mages, it was impossible to cut into the rocky carapace. However, that was not the end result Carciem was trying to achieve. It didn't matter if they couldn't pierce the rock plates, as long as they were sufficiently fragilized.
Nevertheless, the support of ancient weapons would be necessary.
Looking at the axe strapped to Rudd's left side, and the spear Felicia held in her hand, then at the sword still in its scabbard and hanging from his belt, Carciem nodded with furrowed brows.
Sarmawyn the lightning sword, Beskarwyn the rock axe, and OetelWyn the ice spear, all in one place at the same time; something which hadn't been witnessed since the great war two hundred years ago.
Rudd and Felicia nodded back at him, and immediately the three of them set off in opposite directions: Carciem to the north, Rudd to the west (with the command center off to the east) and Felicia to the south.
Their flight magic allowed them to make a journey that would have taken hours in a matter of minutes, but also to have an absolute view of everything below.
The creature continued to meander between the open air and the ground uninterrupted, unperturbed by the sheer force of the strike. The reinforcements were therefore not superfluous, far from it.
Taking Sarmawyn out of its scabbard, Carciem finally reached the northern position and flew vertically over the visible part of the creature's body. He could see the soldiers storming the rock and molten lava that made up the beast, their equipment reinforced against the heat and infused with an enchantment to make them more resistant. In addition, the men's own spells, from muscle strengthening and increased speed to increased accuracy, had to be added.
Divided into two groups, the armed units struck before retreating like a wave on a beach to let the magical and elemental spells hit the creature's flank. A well-tried tactic that made Carciem proud.
Taking in hand the crystal he had stowed in his uniform pocket, he warned the men below.
"Quartermaster General Carciem Balgoranth on site! Warning, imminent strike!"
Immediately, he saw a blue light tint the crystal, before it turned green again. The men on the ground began to move away as quickly as possible to safety.
Satisfied, he raised Sarmawyn into the air, and a golden glow began to radiate from the near perfect blade of the sword.
Sparks and small electrostatic flashes began to lick the steel, and Carciem's blond hair, full of electricity, began to twirl in all directions. The air heated up around him, creating a draft that lifted the sides of his clothes, and the sky began to darken with black clouds despite the previously clear and sunny weather. Thunder sounded, distant and threatening, but getting closer and closer.
Then he suddenly brought the tip of the sword down towards the earth and the creature, and a huge pillar of lightning fell with a ferocious roar, blinding those who had not had time to close their eyes in time and reducing vegetation and rock to ash and dust.