For the puppeteers they saw their ideal form.
In Geppeto's book those who can control 6 puppets at once are at the Elite stage. But what really got their attention is his level of control for each of them.
He brought out the potential for each of the puppets.
From the spellcasting Bishop to the Queen who had all of the best augments from each of the lower tiered puppets.
The two knights spearheaded his assault while the rooks kept the larger demons at bay. The Queen danced around the battlefield showing her unique set of augments. The Bishop stuck close to him, acting as the one-man party's sorcerer.
It was nothing short of awe-inspiring.
The Sergeant already tutored them on how to use their puppets properly, they simply had to put it into practice.
They charged to the side of Vannifar, a group of 20, which is technically double or even triple that due to the amount of puppets that they commanded.
For Gavin, the display simply made him fear the man even more.
If that man held contempt in his heart, then his death is inevitable.
He succumbed to fear as mid-battle he became distracted.
One of his arms got torn out of his body. Getting distracted by the fight of another person while in the middle of combat is a mistake that could cost anyone their lives.
"There are more of them coming, move back! Get to the watch tower and defend it with your lives!"
Rokhan's clone ordered them to move, they were beginning to get pushed back.
...
"General Di'Chevie."
"At ease, report!"
"The portal has shrunk once more."
"What? This should not be the case for another week!"
"The Dragon Knight seeks to end it in a few days."
"Mobilize our troops send them out to each of our forts! I heard that he was impatient, but this is only a detriment for us who have to clear out the monsters that they miss."
Bad news all around. For the whole kingdom the news is good, for those who serve as the second to the last line of defense, this only means more problems.
History dictates that the faster a portal closes, the stronger the demons get. Their desperation forces them into a state of madness, this often causes multiple casualties in areas near the portal.
...
Hours, the fight has been going on for hours.
"We.. we had the upper-hand just a few hours ago. What the hell is going on?" While Malik hasn't fully recovered, he could still provide supporting fire to his allies.
He looked on as his captain and the rest of their soldiers were beginning to falter.
"This can only mean.... fuck! That Dragon Knight bastard is clearing the portals as fast as he possibly could."
Matthew had to go in between using either two puppets at once or going for 6. He needed to regain mana every few hours, but the time to meditate is just not available.
"Rokhan!"
"Yes, Captain?"
"We're heading back to the Fort!"
A tactical retreat. He needed to replenish his mana and they were beginning to lose more troops.
Shortly after most of the party is back to the main fort, while the soldiers are busy defending the four towers.
They had to switch things up, a magical message appeared in front of Matthew as he began to gather mana.
[One of my personal guards will soon arrive in your fort.
The Dragon Knight has decided to close the portal as soon as he can, the next 5 days will be hell.
The rest of the reinforcements will arrive in 2 to 3 days. Best of luck Sergeant Matthew.
-General Di'Chevie]
A personal guard of the General, someone that's classified at B- Class. Just the thing he needed. But soon can mean 1 or 2 hours later than the initial arrival of the message.
"Puppet Division, I want all of you to replenish your mana. Mage Division, Back up the forces in Vannifar's side. Malik you're up for the one on Hawk's side."
He began to gather more mana. "While my orders from Goran haven't arrived yet, that doesn't mean that I don't have enough to supply everyone with these."
Matthew had a habit of buying extras for each of the cheaper puppets that he owned. This in turn helped him supply his puppeteer division, with a group of at least one Knight puppet each. Others gained access to a Rook puppet, but one thing was clear. He upgraded the forces of his men as he pulled out Blue Tiger from his inventory.
"Those who got a rook will be bolstering the forces of Hawk, while those who have a Knight will be sent to the forces under Vannifar. Am I clear?"
"SIR, YES SIR!"
"Good then head out! We need to last as long as we can, reinforcements will arrive soon. "
The Blue Tiger he had now is identical to the one he detonated in the presence of a B - Class demon, without such a threat he is free to use it from the safety of the tower. An Imaginary dome around the main fortress was present.
Any demonic creature that enters the vicinity will be in range of the Blue Tiger's zone of defense. This is the overall range of one Matthew Khan.
With four puppets that all utilized the soul orb he also no longer fears losing one of them.
"If it happens then so be it. Come demons, We're ready for you this time around!"
They fought their hardest, the injured were brought to the main fortress soon those in the towers began to fall.
With multiple casualties and only the Virtuoso's party standing their ground. The Fort of Nikaos lost most of its defenders.
Each of the walls had a C - Class defending it. With Vannifar and a clone of Rokhan to the east, Hawk to the west, the second clone of Rokhan to the south and the original at the north.
A sort of system would be made, with the spellcasters channeling their mana to Malik, Malik can create a pseudo-barrier that can cover the town. This barrier can only last for 15 to 20 minutes. Which is enough time for Matthew to replenish his mana.
So long as this system and manner of defense was kept, those within the vicinity of the fort will remain alive.
This taxed the two of them greatly, but this was what they had to resort to.
The injured men who could still stand would remember this night of chaos. The night where a heroic C - Class party did everything they could as a near endless horde of demons swarmed their fort.