Clementine dragged Orion over to a chair and firmly pushed down on his shoulders, forcing him to sit in the chair opposite to General Ivon.
The underlying tension in the tent was as obvious as water in a desert, with Clementine pacing back and forth in full armour, including her golden helmet which covered her entire face leaving no slits for eyesight. Despite this, she seemed to have no trouble making her way through the small command centre. On the table, Generally Ivon held an ink feather pen to the wood, repeatedly tapping it on the surface in contemplation. On the wide parchment map Infront of him, the castle lay annotated with different ideas or weaknesses.
Cypher, who had been waiting by the door, finally walked forward and pulled a chair forward before sitting down himself. The chair below him creaked while he leaned over the map, taking in all the details he could. One thing however quickly caught his eye. Deciding to break the silence he opened his mouth ,"How are we supposed to enter the castle once the drawbridge closes?"
Sigh..
The general stopped tapping the feather on the table, instead opting to look at the map, specifically the circle outlining the entrance to the front the castle. Presumably, once the Kingdom lowered it to allow their forces to fight the empires soldiers, they would likely close it straight after. The problem being the Moat beneath the bridge that had been filled with improvised stakes to Peirce anyone who fell in. This had been the main problem facing Clementine and Ivon since they started planning.
Clementine might be able if she simply jumped over the wall as her physical strength at caliber 4 was more than enough. Regrettably however she would most likely be fighting a certain red robed cultist for the duration of the battle.
"We looked at the Weavers for some solution," Ivon looked at Cypher ," None of them had the ability that could be useful."
It was true. If they couldn't even get inside the castle, how could they get the dragon core buried in the mountain? They couldn't.
Ofcourse, this was simply not an option. The Dragon core was a valuable asset for both countries, allowing for instant transport between cities and holding many supernatural uses that the Empire needed. If anything, it was treated similar to crude oil from Cyphers first life.
'We can find a way to get the bridge down or form our own bridge.' Cypher raised his hands, allowing a white particle to orbit around his finger. Like a lightbulb went off, he narrowed his eyes.
Within a few moments, Cypher had already come up with a solution, though not the best it was at least an option. With the idea in his head he looked back at the general," If I use my technique I can make a bridge. The only problem will be the size. If successful, two people should be able to cross.Once I'm through I can open the gate from the inside."
As if on que, Clementine stopped in her tracks and raised her hand signalling for everyone to be quiet. In her mind, she experienced a rader like vision. This allowed her to sense the movements of the Kingdoms forces within the castle like a modern ship would with sonar.
Within the castle, it looked like little specs of energy were moving into single file rows near the entrance. Infront of them, another energy burning like a son in comparison seemed to be waiting.
All caliber 4 Dreamweavers had this extra sensory ability. It was a welcome perk that helped them see up to one kilometre without the vague awareness that caliber 3 offered.
"Their about to open the gate. General Ivon, start getting our forces ready within 10 minutes." The order was sudden but urgent.
Without waiting for a response, she walked over to Cypher and knelt down with a hand on his shoulder.
The general, with a nod at all three in the tent, got up and pulled his cutlass off the table. He was in a strict time limit and had to organise what amounted to thousands of men in a minuscule amount of time. However, such was his job and he would never complain. With a steady pace he moved to the exit and left leaving only Cypher, Clementine and Orion alone.
In her kneeling position, Clementine spoke with a hint of worrying ," Go forward with your plan. You'll be positioned in the vanguard of the formation with three other rank two Weavers." Turning her head and facing Orion, who clearly needed some rest after constantly healing himself with soul power ,"Orion, stay in the rear."
"As you command Saint." Wiping his eyes, Orion responded with respect and got up, swaying slightly while he left the tent.
The heavy stampeding of boots and the clanging of metal rose higher and higher. Outlines of shadows sprinting around could be seen on the fabric of the tent like a moving painting.
"Be careful." The metal of her armour grinded as she stood up. Walking forward and noticing Cypher following, she opened the entrance covering and felt the open air between the small gaps in her armour. Ducking her head slightly to better fit, she moved out through the opening into the outside world. Without a doubt, one thing about Dreamweavers is their height doesn't vary between genders, with each rank increasing their size. Even as a woman, which in Cyphers old world were on average smaller than men, she stood at a towering six foot seven. This wasn't even the limit!
Regardless, seeing her leave, Cypher soon followed. The breeze fluttered his robes as he made his way through, cooling the iron chainmail beneath his robe. While his boots made contact with the ashen earth, he turned his attention elsewhere.
The camp had almost completely emptied out with only a few stranglers that fell behind left. The previous lively but tense atmosphere had completely shifted to one of silence.
Where had the soldiers gone? Cypher looked towards the field outside of the camp. This open field was what desperated their camp from the castle, with the empty land set to be the location where the two armies would clash.
On this field, the empire had already lined up thousands of troops in a rectanglular formation being made up of thousands of men each in rows that stretched almost to the forest around the field. At the front of the formation, swordsman stood side by side with their combrades with sweat running beneath their armour. Through the tight gaps in their helmet, cold vapour was exhaled rapidly to accommodate for their quickly increasing heart rate.
At the back of the formation were the crossbowman. Each one dressed in much lighter armour with a chest plate and a helmet that only covered the top of their head. Despite their conservative levels of armour they still held firm and braved the cold with all their willpower.
Lastly, but certainly the most important factor were the white robed weavers mixed in with the army. For every one thousand men their was a Dreamweaver mixed in. Those men closest to these weavers felt no police. Even when next to a powerful Ally,not only meant they were more likely to be caught in the crossfire during battles between these superhumans.
All eyes focused on the castle in the distance, the looming mountain connected to it like an insurmountable foe. The moon was partly above the top of the jagged knife like peak, allowing the orange glow of the moon above to shine down and reflect off the ground. In a way, it was a beautiful picture despite the context.
Back on the field, the galloping of a horse sounded closer to the front of the army closest to the castle. Ontop of this horse was Clementine who was directing it and Cypher who was just hitching a rude to the vanguard.