Xedeth stood at the head of the war room table, his face a mask of quiet determination. Around him, his five most trusted generals sat in tense silence, the gravity of the situation settling over them like a shroud. Livik had just delivered the worst possible news.
"The hero is on his way," Livik began, his voice taut. "Three months out by ship, coming straight for us. But… he's not alone." He paused for a moment, glancing at the others before continuing. "Nefaria, Pyrone, Azure, and Ithris—the four elemental kingdoms have all pledged their forces to him. We're not just up against a hero. We're facing the full wrath of the elemental lords."
A silence heavier than any they had ever known fell over the room. It wasn't just a hero coming to fight them. It was an entire coalition of kingdoms, each one powerful enough on its own to be a serious threat. Together, they were overwhelming.
General Kaiden, known for his strength and bravado, clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white. "Four kingdoms… four of the strongest elemental powers in the world. We don't stand a chance against them, not all at once."
Seryn, ever calm, but this time with a grimness in his voice, spoke next. "Each one of those kingdoms could destroy us on their own, and now they've unified under the hero's banner. Nefaria will drown our lands, Pyrone will turn everything to ash, Azure will sweep through the skies with destructive winds, and Ithris will bring mountains down upon us. We are one kingdom, Xedeth. One."
Xedeth's eyes darkened as he leaned over the table, staring down at the map of their kingdom. "One kingdom, yes, but this is our home. We can't afford to think about this in terms of winning or losing—we must think about survival. The elemental kingdoms are strong, but they each have their weaknesses. We need to prepare for a long, drawn-out fight."
Kaiden's voice was hard, his usual bravado stripped away. "What chance do we have? Even if we evacuate, where can we hide that Nefaria's water or Pyrone's fire won't reach? Our people will have nowhere to run."
Livik shook his head. "We evacuate the children and the elderly—those who can't fight. We'll need to move them into the deepest parts of the forests and mountains, far away from the coast. But… even then, there's no guarantee."
"The truth is," Seryn continued, his voice cold, "there's no guarantee for anyone. The hero and the elemental kingdoms won't just stop at conquest. They'll wipe us out. It's not about domination. It's extermination."
A dark silence hung over the room. The realization was dawning on them all: this wasn't just a battle for their land. This was a fight for their very existence.
"Then we fight like our lives depend on it," Xedeth said, breaking the silence. "Because they do. Livik, start evacuating everyone who can't fight. Move them as far inland as possible. General Kaiden, I need you to oversee the defenses. Every soldier, every able-bodied person who can fight—train them in every tactic we know. The elemental kingdoms may be stronger, but they're predictable. They rely on overwhelming power, but that also makes them slower to adapt."
General Varas leaned forward, his voice low. "But we don't have the numbers. Our forces are already stretched thin, and the people… they won't survive this."
Xedeth's gaze was steely. "No one is under any illusion that this will be easy. The elemental kingdoms are coming, and they won't show mercy. But we won't go down without a fight."
Drakar, the oldest and most battle-worn of the generals, shook his head slowly. "Four kingdoms, Xedeth. Four. Each of them could field armies ten times the size of ours, and their magic... their magic is stronger than anything we've seen. Pyrone alone could incinerate whole villages before we even reach them. Nefaria could drown our cities in a matter of hours. We can't fight that."
Xedeth didn't flinch. "We don't need to fight all of them head-on. We slow them down. Delay their progress, divide their forces, and hit them where they're weakest. We can't win by conventional means, but we can make their victory costly. Kaiden, we need weapons—reach out to the dwarves. Their craftsmanship will give us something to hold off Pyrone's fire and Ithris' earth."
"Even if we can hold them off," Livik cut in, "we're talking about a handful of soldiers going up against the full might of the four strongest kingdoms in the world. This isn't a battle, Xedeth. It's a massacre waiting to happen."
"And what choice do we have?" Xedeth's voice was sharp now, a deep urgency bleeding through. "We can't outrun them. We can't hide from them. If we're going to fall, then we fall fighting."
Seryn frowned, his analytical mind still racing. "If we're to have any chance at all, we need to start training our elementalists in combination attacks. Fire and wind to create raging infernos, earth and water to trap them in quicksand. The only way we stand any chance is if we use our magic to its fullest potential."
Xedeth nodded. "Exactly. We won't win in sheer numbers, but if we can fight smart, if we can use the land, the weather, and our magic in ways they don't expect, we can survive. We make them bleed for every inch of ground they take."
Kaiden stood, his face hard. "I'll get the soldiers ready. But… Xedeth, you know as well as I do that if the hero reaches our capital, it's over."
Xedeth's jaw clenched. "Then we don't let him get here. We'll stall them, harass them, disrupt their supply lines. We'll make this war as costly as possible."
Varas sighed, standing to leave. "We're staring at annihilation, and you're talking about survival. If the hero has united the four elemental kingdoms, this isn't a war. This is the end."