As Valcroy was making his way back, he thought about checking his earlier work one more time. During his review, he found a minor issue, which prompted him to check other places as well. Fortunately, the rest were intact.
"It seems I'll be late."
....
Erik looked at the four before him: Collum, Mallory, Brema and Gablis. They were just there to report their task completion and be done with it, though it was clear Gablis and Brema were just eager to be done with it. No one dared to slack off, of course, mainly because of Kendrick's looming presence.
Mallory glanced around and noticed Valcroy was missing. She furrowed her brow, wondering if Valcroy had failed or if Erik had given him another task. Too many questions that need answers, just not enough information.
She pushed those thoughts aside and refocused. Mallory was an exceptional individual, proficient in almost everything. This was why Kendrick sponsored her—yes, sponsored her. She turned to Collum, who was much easier to read than the block of ice called "Erik." She often wondered what could break Erik's calm expression. So far, nothing had, except perhaps Valcroy, who was just as enigmatic as Erik.
Erik was also wondering why Valcroy was late. He should have returned by now. Random thoughts crossed his mind, like whether Valcroy had been kidnapped or killed. But he quickly dismissed the idea. Kidnapped, maybe. Killed? Unlikely. If Valcroy had died, Erik would have felt it.
For now, Erik focused on the people in front of him. "Prepare. The siege will begin at dawn," he instructed.
Gablis and Brema left as soon as their tasks were complete, while Collum and Mallory lingered, clearly wanting to ask more, like maybe sharing how he knew about it. Erik, however, said nothing, so they left with resigned expressions.
After dismissing everyone, Erik left the mansion and went out to track Valcroy. Following Valcroy's path, he soon found him sitting casually on a rock, as if he had no cares in the world.
Erik walked in a calm manner, approached and observed quietly. After a few moments, he understood why Valcroy was sitting there.
"Mmmhmmm... Ummmhmm..."
He kept quiet, listening to Valcroy humming with a soft smile over his face. Erik's eyes turned silvery and saw the black miasma obscuring him from any prying eyes. He watched him for a while before breaking the silence. "Around 100."
Hmmhmmumm*
Valcroy kept humming, not letting his tempo break while acknowledging Erik's words with a nod. Erik continued, his voice steady, not bothered by his manners. "One advanced and five intermediate."
Valcroy still didn't respond verbally, but he extended his hand. Erik placed a scroll on it. "Three intermediate, over twenty stage one," Erik added.
Then Erik walked away, not bothering to point out Valcroy's peculiarities. Erik changed greatly after the massacre, and then experiencing the wars in Lorein that followed only solidified those changes. Valcroy had changed too. They had both experienced things that made their previous lives seem insignificant.
Erik didn't become arrogant—his vision simply broadened. He understood how, in a larger war, even master-realm experts could be reduced to cannon fodder. And him? An intermediate-realm expert? He was just a speck of dust in that grander scheme. And with a daunting task they needed to solve for Lorein, the change was necessary.
Both of them had evolved, or were forcing themselves to.
"It seems I'm growing reckless," Erik thought as he walked away, realizing he was trusting Valcroy with his life—a risky move for most, but one Erik was willing to make.
....
Beneath the shrouded heavens, the moon held dominion over the night, its pale light heavy, like the breath of some unseen force upon Iron'Heits. A weight, thick and unrelenting, pressed down on the city, seeping into its every corner, turning whispers into silence and glances into suspicion. The air itself seemed to tremble, as if anticipating some dark omen. And amidst it all, Erik's new orders wove through the tension, spreading confusion like a storm's shadow, leaving unease in their wake.
"No soldier or civilian is to be seen roaming the city. Go home and rest. Tomorrow is an important day."
Followed by another command, "soldiers should be in their post before when the moon and the sun shine together."
They didn't know what to say, but the curfew was being implemented by the advance realm experts themselves, so everyone had no choice but to accept it and went back to their houses early and slept early.
....
Collum found Erik sitting on the balcony looking at the night sky, illuminated by the stars that shone everywhere so brightly. It gave one a vivid image of the celestial beauty that was this universe. Even Collum found himself lost in this dance of the celestial bodies and had an urge to just sit down and keep looking at them.
Unfortunately, he had to let go of this idea and walked up to Erik, destroying someone else's mood of appreciation for the beauty as well.
"Young master." He called.
Erik was stirred from his thoughts. Collum felt a little guilty for disturbing him, but what he had to say couldn't wait.
What Collum didn't know was that Erik wasn't stargazing. He had discovered that the power of Dream Creation increased under the stars. He was working on outlining the Serpent of the Deep and was still far from even forming even a rough shape of it. Erik turned toward Collum, not showing his irritation, and simply stared.
Collum nearly shrank back but braved through it. "It's time," he said.
Erik nodded and stood up, walking forward. As he walked, the cool breeze caught his robes. Ready to cut down the rotten wood that corrupted the jungle.
....
"Let's begin, then," one of the Alliance leaders said. His words met with nods of approval. They had given Iron'Heits enough time to collapse from within, to die out of food shortages or kill each other, but the young Frostborne had held the city together, but it was just a slight mistake, a miscalculation on their end, nothing to serious,
"I propose we turn him into one of the infected. I could use a specimen like him," someone suggested, which turned almost everyone's attention to Tirlis. He was the person leading them with the matter of the infected.
"No evidence or experiment found so far suggests that the life force extraction from the infected has anything to do with potential, or affinities."
"Found? That means there's a chance and I want to say this out loud. No one should fight me for him." The curly mustache, head filling with blonde hair, but what differentiated them was well his unique beard and that he was the first person with potbelly amongst the people in here. He looked at others, his eyes squinting but no one bothered with him, sure they were looking at the same holograph as him, but neither Valcroy nor Erik was strong enough to garner everyone's attention.
After the case of the duo was dismissed, everyone's attention was back on the holograph. But before they could fully concentrate on the matter at hand, Tirlis uttered, "I haven't received a single one of my required payments."
Everyone became silent when they heard that, looking at one another, wondering who would answer, Hidragges came to the rescue and said, "there's been no news of one being in the army, safe to say that turning an advanced realm expert was proving it to be difficult."
Tirlis nodded, if he was not stuck with some essential matter at hand, he would've done it himself, but it wasn't like any advanced realm expert would let him do that to them, still he would've done it if he wasn't occupied.
"I'll be waiting." With that, Tirlis vanished, making many heave a relieved sigh.
Hidragges didn't bother with them. He made a promise and very much intended to keep it. After all, his age extension also depends on it. So it was more of a mutual benefit thing.
After this matter was over, the alliance leaders released the orders:
"Take down the Iron'Heits."
...
The citizens of Iron'Heits gazed upward, searching for comfort in the familiar stars that had once wrapped them in their gentle embrace, offering warmth on even the coldest nights. But now, the sky, though still studded with those distant lights, felt cold and distant, its warmth withdrawn. What had once been a comforting blanket of light now hung above them like a silent, indifferent void, leaving the city shivering beneath its chill.
Tuunggg*
The moment they heard the giant bell voice, soldiers rushed from their homes to the training grounds. Erik's foresight had ensured their armor and weapons were already there.
Everyone had freshened up and was now standing in the training rooms. More and more people entered as the time went on. Just as they were wondering what was going on, carrying pots and utensils. Curious, one of the younger soldiers asked a nearby maid, "What's going on?"
The maid looked at the young man and replied with a smile, a smile would light up the dark room, "The young master asked every kitchen and bakery to prepare this."
"The young master?" The soldier repeated, glancing at the plates of food in his hands. He wasn't the only one. Many almost lost their appetite but the dishes before them were really making many gulp audibly.
"Eat up," came a voice from the entrance. Collum had arrived. Seeing their colonel made the soldiers relaxed, and they began eating. The hot meal was a welcome surprise, and they devoured it with gusto.
While they enjoyed their meal with relish, Collum, however, was not as content. He wished Erik had taken command directly, but Erik had insisted otherwise, knowing his presence might dampen the soldiers' morale.
If Erik would've appeared here, every soldier would've made an excuse to not eat and, if forced, it would only make things worse. Although no one knew about the tragedy of Iron'Heits, some still bore the grudge that Erik hadn't let them go while others didn't have that much hatred towards him, nevertheless, they disliked him.
Collum looked at the soldiers and sighed once more. He watched as the soldiers finished eating, waiting for them to be ready at least, till the last plate was cleared.
After the soldiers were done eating, they started conversing amongst each other like it was some sort of gathering, but Collum's voice rang out. "ATTENTION!!"
His voice reverberated throughout the area, and every soldier stood straight toward Collum. "Armor up!" Collum commanded.
In less than ten minutes, every soldier stood fully armored, assisting one another with final adjustments. Helmets were placed atop heads, weapons held firm. They were ready.
"Attention!"
Haa!
The ground reverberated with the sound of the soldiers' feet striking against the ground, dust rose, along with some pieces of the ground. Collum wanted to nod in satisfaction, but he didn't give the soldiers to feel proud of themselves and continued his speech that Erik had prepared for him.
He stood before his confused soldiers, the cold air biting their faces as they watched him with eyes filled with doubt. Collum raised his voice, a commanding presence that cut through the frost and fear.
"Brothers! Sisters! Today, we stand at the gates of history itself! Behind us will be Iron'Heits, our home, our fortress, a city that has withstood the test of time! A city built not by stone alone, but by the blood and sweat of every brother and sister who has fought for the Dominion!"
He paused, looking into their eyes, fierce and unyielding.
"The Alliance thinks they can take what is ours. They see our numbers, they think us weak. They believe that overwhelming force will break our spirit, shatter our resolve. But they do not understand what it means to fight for the Dominion. They do not know what it means to defend your home, your brothers, your sisters, with every breath in your lungs and every beat of your heart!"
Collum's voice thundered across the ranks, echoing against the walls.
"Let them come! Let them throw their hordes against our walls, let them beat at our gates! For every step they take, we will send them back twice as far. For every blow they strike, we will strike tenfold in return! They may outnumber us, but numbers are nothing against the will of iron, the heart of steel, the fury of a warrior defending his land!"
He lifted his sword high, gleaming in the fading moonlight.
"This is not the day we bow! This is not the day we fall! This is the day we show the Alliance the strength of the Dominion! The day we show them what it means to face soldiers whose hearts burn with the fire of iron and the blood of warriors! We will fight until the stones themselves weep with the echo of our blades! And if they think to break us, let them learn we do not break! We are Iron'Heits! We are the Dominion! We are the IronHeart warriors! And we will stand until the last man draws his last breath!"
His soldiers felt a rush running up to their brains as they raised their weapons, roaring out loud, trying to thaw the frosty morning air. The battle ahead was definitely grim, but with fire in their hearts, they felt like that could make the Alliance pay dearly for every inch.
"Today, we write the legend of Iron'Heits in the blood of our enemies! For the IronHold! For Iron'Heits!"
"IronHold! IronHeart!"
Chants reverberated throughout the place as the soldiers felt their blood boil. It felt like they could even go against the heavens itself, but that was just an illusion that Erik achieved with the help of a scroll. Erik's strategy was unfolding perfectly. Their best chance was to fight in high spirits in a decisive battle. Going against 20,000 with only 2,000 was a daunting task, so he would use every trick he had in his sleeve to try ending the war with just one haul and not let it elongate anymore.
"And it begins."