Ronin waited until the command tent had emptied of his council before he slumped into his seat and rested his head in his hands with a tired groan. He’d been burning the candle from both ends for the last week and a half to get his people organized and his command structure ironed out. He felt completely wrung out, not having slept a wink in that whole time. Only staying the course because he knew there wasn’t anyone else who could carry the burden for him. Besides, Markus was counting on him.

“Really?” An all-too-familiar voice asked from the chair beside him. A chair he knew for a fact had been empty when he’d put his head down just seconds ago. “You’ve only been working at this for a little over a week, are you already calling it quits?” Ronin looked up with another groan. To stare at the leaned back Elyria, twirling her dagger between her fingers, smirking wickedly at him.

“Damn it Elyria, do we really have to do this now?” He asked with exasperation, knowing the elven woman wouldn’t leave until she’d had her say, yet unable to keep the complaint from his voice. “We just got done with the meeting. A meeting that I noticed you showed up late to and then just glared at me whenever you thought I wasn’t looking.”

“Who said I thought you weren’t looking?” She asked as she propped her feet up on the desk. “Besides, it isn’t my job to tell you what to do.”

“No, its just your job to judge every decision I make and kill me if you don’t like what I choose. Despite how hard I’ve worked these last two weeks.” He snapped back, sitting up and glaring at her. His tiredness getting washed away in a flood of irritation.

“Exactly.” The slender elf said, dropping her feet to the floor and leaning forward to look him in the eyes. “But did you bother to notice through all that work you did over the last week that you are still alive?” Ronin was shocked by her now intent gaze, leaning back in his chair and furrowing his brows at her sudden intensity.

“What are you saying?” He asked, unsure of where this conversation was going.

“You seemed quite dispirited during the meeting; I figured you needed a wakeup call. This isn’t a race White flame, the people are fed. Slow down a little bit before you burn yourself out” she said with a shrug, leaning back in her chair. Ronin barked a harsh laugh as he in turn leaned forward.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m running out of time Elyria.” He said, running his fingers through hair that could use a wash and trim. “I only have a week, at most, before I must march on undercity. And less than two weeks from then to capture it, or else…” he snapped his mouth shut, realizing he had said to much. Knowing it was too late to take it back, since he could see the gears turning behind the elf’s narrowed eyes as her body tensed up, getting ready for action.

He braced himself for the questions that he knew were coming. His mind raced as he tried to come up with a way to cover up the mistake, because there was no way the truth would work. No way she would believe that her entire world was only a program designed to help its user prepare to colonize an unexplored planet. When she finally spoke, however, what she said surprised him.

“Very well.” She said at length, her body uncoiling before his eyes as she relaxed back into her chair.

“What?” Ronin asked, unable to believe what he had just heard. “Aren’t you going to grill me on what I meant? Rake me over the coals until I tell you exactly why I’m on a time crunch?” He laughed bitterly as his mouth seemed to speak without his permission, because he knew the best thing he could do right now was to shut up and take the easy out. They sat there, side by side, looking into each other’s eyes for long moments. Until the silence was finally broken by the now thoughtful elf.

“Oh, you are going to tell me all about it,” she said with complete confidence. “But I’m willing to wait until the undercity has been conquered. Your actions since we met have earned you that much trust… No, instead I think I will help you achieve your goal. That way you wont have any excuse to stay quiet when I do ask you to tell me.”

“Help me?” He asked, his voice cracking from stress relieved. “And how exactly are you going to do that? You haven’t been very helpful up until now.” He said, doing his best to keep any accusation out of his voice. Since he had no reason to expect help from her. He watched her face take on her normal condescending smirk as she began twirling her dagger between her fingers again.

“I am going to start by telling you exactly how much you have accomplished in this last week. Since its clear you haven’t recognized just how far you have come since you became the leader of these people in more than just name.” Ronin blinked in surprise at her words. Mind to focused on the tasks ahead of him to think about what had already been done.

“I can tell that you still don’t have any idea what I’m talking about.” Elyria said with a laugh, sweeping her silver hair behind her shoulder with her dagger’s hilt. “Ok, White flame, lets talk about what you’ve done since we got back with the bugbears.” She raised her fingers as she spoke, tone gently mocking.

“First, you dug proper latrines. You don’t realize just how much that helped people’s morale. Second, you paved the entire camp with gravel. Getting every single tent out of the mud and onto dry ground.”

“Yea, but…” Ronin tried to cut in, but she talked right over him.

“You gathered up all the orphaned children. Not just the elves but the humans and bugbears as well and gave them a safe, structured environment to learn and grow in… Yes, I know they are still in tents, but like you yourself said at the last meeting, that will change once we take the undercity.” Ronin made a motion to interrupt again but again, her words bowled over his.

“You removed Owl two and Benjamin from overall command of the camp. Putting them into positions that suited each of them much better and replaced them with someone who is beyond a doubt a better fit for the job.” He couldn’t even argue that point. He’d relegated Owl two into research and development and Benjamin was now strictly focused on training his men for the war that was almost upon them.

“Lily was already a matriarch of her clan, it only seemed appropriate to have her help out there.” He mumbled, looking away.

“Yes, and she is competent. But more importantly, she is loyal to you and understands how to run a community far better than either of those overly focused men that didn’t even realize how bad they had botched up the community you were trying to build.” Elyria piled on, forcing Ronin to think about the last several days.

“You finally followed through on your promise to set up a school. Getting your chosen teachers places to teach and setting up a rotation for everyone to have a chance to learn from them. Not to mention getting the wood elves to teach your scouts more about the forest, and the plants that can be found within and their uses… do I need to continue?” She asked, no longer smirking, making it clear that she wanted him to pay attention to her words.

Ronin stared into her eyes, still as blue as the sapphires they resembled, if not quite as hard as they’d been when they first met. His own mind was now going over the whirl of activity that had been the last several days and nights. His body could go for days without sleep, so he hadn’t slept. Using every hour of every day to further prepare himself and his people for what was to come. Now that he was thinking about it, he had made strides.

The teams they’d dispatched to the mushroom forest had returned with happy news. Nearly everything down there was edible, if much of it was unappetizing for many of the syndicate’s population. Not to mention, Unyielding Oak’s scouts had returned, with news that the forest that could be glimpsed between the stones seemed to be uninhabited.

He sat back blowing out a breath as his mind traveled back over the last week, taking inventory. Thanks to the food corps harvest trips to the mushroom forest, the wood elves supplying edible plants and roots from the forests above ground and Owl five’s never ending hunting trips the people were now fed, at least for the time being.

His mind shied away from Owl five even as he thought of her. They hadn’t talked even once since they left the bugbear’s honeycomb walled city, and she’d spent all of her time since then flying to and from the battlefield with the locusts. Along with K1, K2, Karr and several rotating units of scouts, spearmen, and bugbear warriors. He shook his head, it was necessary. Regardless of how he felt, they needed to keep the pressure on the locusts. They needed the meat and exoskeletons fighting offered them, and they needed the chance to get their troops used to fighting together in mixed units.

“Let’s not discount your contribution.” He said, partially to distract himself from his goblin scout troubles. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed your sister and her husband flying to and from the valley ferrying refugees in from all corners of the wilds on their sparrow mounts.” He gave her a smirk of his own, “to say nothing of how much herbology you have been teaching the orphans, or the time Surrallathil has spent helping the farmers increase the numbers of rabbits, chickens and other animals we have, through breeding and capturing new specimens from who knows where.” Elyria smiled crookedly as she stood up.

“Now that we’ve finished patting ourselves on the back, I think its time that you got some sleep.”

Ronin’s eyes sharpened at her words, not wanting to argue but having no intention of sleeping when he had so much yet to do.

“I appreciate the pep talk, but…”

“No buts,” she said cutting him off mid-sentence in what was quickly becoming her habit. “You haven’t slept in nearly two weeks. Your mind is fried, and your body isn’t far behind. Get some sleep, White flame. You need a sharp mind if you are going to be anything but a burden when the time finally comes to take that city… and you can’t go dying on me before I get the chance to kill you.”

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Ronin chuckled weakly at her words. No longer sure if she meant those words or not but unwilling to let his guard down around her completely, just in case.

“Fine,” he said. He let out a groan as he pushed himself to his feet and looked over the map that had been steadily expanding by the day. “There isn’t much I can do now anyway. Not since Guts is in a food corps meeting and Owl two took my truck apart to check for stress damage from…” he trailed off, seeing something flash in Elyria’s eyes at his words.

“Son of a… you planned that didn’t you?” He asked slack jawed. “You set it up so that everyone was busy, and my truck was down, that’s why you were late…”

“See, now I know you need sleep.” She said with a snort of laughter, “your brain is so fried that you’re making up plots and schemes where there is only coincidence and laziness.” She shook her head sadly, as if worried for his health, “now get to bed before I have K3 carry you there.”

“Please,” Ronin said with a snort of his own. “As if he would listen to someone who’s done her best of find a reason to kill me since we met.” Though even as he said the words he barely believed anymore, he headed for the door. “Ok, you win. I’m going to get some sleep while Owl two finishes putting my truck back together.”

“Excellent idea boss,” K3 said from his place outside the command tent’s flap. “As it happens, the food corps just finished filling the tubs with fresh hot water. How about we swing by there for a quick wash on the way to your tent?” The modified kaldarr looked down at his glaring charge, with a grin so wide Ronin caught every inch of his friend’s tusks jutting out from his lower jaw.

“Traitor,” he muttered as he trudged passed the grinning kaldarr and headed towards the bath tent. “Don’t think I won’t remember this.” He said with a half-hearted glare at his bodyguard.

* * *

“Move, now!” Hunter hissed as she darted through the obstacle course Owl two had designed and constructed for the troops to practice their undercity assault. The team leader was currently ducking and weaving her way between scrap metal barricades and old cast-off tents, which had been set up to mock the stone streets of the city below. Her team was right on her heels.

Ronin watched from an elevated platform as her team faced off against Karr’s squad in mock urban warfare, with a twist. He winced as one of the human spearmen was taken out of the game. A swooping projection of light meant to mimic the batlins had got him from behind, causing his bracelet to light up with the red light of death.

“Damn it soldier,” Ronin could hear Karr’s voice echoing out in rage at the loss of one of his men. “How many times is that now? Do you want to die for real? For the last time, watch the skies.” K3 chuckled from beside Ronin as they watched the two most experienced combat teams meet in deadly combat.

“I can’t believe how real those projections look and act.” The giant said in a quiet tone meant not to carry further than Ronin’s ears. “When Owl two told you he could use the rat training lights to mimic arial combatants I thought he had finally lost it. But having seen it, I think its going to save a few lives.” Ronin could only sigh in response. He agreed in principle, the set up below was a game that he’d come up with using Owl two’s knack for experiments, from half remembered articles of the pre fall games of laser tag and paint ball.

“I would agree with you my friend, if we had more time” Ronin answered with a sigh. “There’s only two days left before we must march. How much can they really be expected to learn in just two more days? And even then, we will be marching on foot. The stone carver rats made good headway, but they are still weeks away from reaching the undercity. So, we won’t be able to count on anything that we can’t carry down there with us.” He finished, running his hands through his brown hair in frustration. He’d decided to let it grow out a little bit, if for no other reason than running his hands through it made him feel a little better.

“Relax boss,” K3 said giving Ronin a reassuring wink. “We cleared the mushroom forest out of all the goblins almost a week ago. Hell, we’ve even managed to capture nearly a score of hobgoblins since then who’d wandered across the bridge looking for their smaller kin.” The giant rolled his shoulders to resettle the armor on his bulky frame and continued. “We can do this. The troops have been training nonstop and morale is running high. Just give them another day to practice, a day off from training to rest up and we can begin the march.”

Ronin shook his head in frustration, knowing the kaldarr was right. He looked on as Karr scraped out the win, thanks to his larger squad size and the tight confines, and the next two teams took the field. These teams consisted of a group of five bugbears and six wood elves. The bugbears dominated the elves in close combat but were so woefully unprepared for the batlin’s sneak attacks that the elves claimed the win in the end. Their bows doing a number on the arial threat.

“You might be right.” Ronin said, “I just wish we had more time.” He muttered the last words under his breath but could tell K3 had caught them anyway. The kaldarr stayed silent though, not one of his people had pressed him on why he was in such a hurry to take the undercity. For which he was grateful. He could have made any number of excuses; from their housing shortage to the locusts that might any day come swarming over the wall and eat them all alive. Still, he was glad he didn’t have to lie to his friends.

“Alright, let’s head back. We have one more meeting to sit through before we can head out.” Descending the platform, the two climbed into the armored truck and left the training field. Ronin grinned as he felt the power thrumming beneath his feet. It was all he could do some days not to tear around the valley as fast as this thing could go, forgetting his stress with the exhilaration of speed. Not that the armored truck could go all that fast, well not at least and maneuver worth a darn in the crowded valley.

They drove in companionable silence through the now much improved camp. Looking out at all the people they had managed to save in one way or another. Elves and bugbears from the locusts, goblins from their drive to reproduce, humans from lives of slavery or death on the walls. Even the kaldarr were living better lives than they would have if they had stayed the way they’d been before. Ronin frowned, thinking about their syndicate’s latest additions, and turned to his constant shadow.

“How are the hobgoblins integrating into the fold?” He asked, only having spent a little time around the newest additions with all the work he’d been doing.

“They are coming around.” The kaldarr, who had spent just as much time working as Ronin, yet nevertheless still seemed to know more about what was going on around them then he did, chuckled. “The sexual inhibitors helped quell their primal desires, but they are smarter than goblins and were used to being on the top of the food chain. It’s going to take some time before they fit into our group, but it should be possible.”

“That’s good,” Ronin said as the truck neared the cave entrance. “They’re built similarly to humans, though much thicker in the limbs, and from what we’ve managed to gleam about them over the last weeks, they will be an excellent addition to the army once they settle in.” His thoughts continued to swirl around the undercity’s inhabitants and the battle that was to come, and the locust war that would have to follow closely behind.

“My lord.” The caves guards said in unison, as they snapped to attention at his approach. Ronin idly wondered when they had the time to get so good at the synchronized movements as he returned the gesture, fist resting against his chest as he nodded in greeting and entered the cave. K3 chuckled as he repeated the gesture and followed him in.

“They’ve been practicing.” He whispered as quietly as his frame would allow. “There isn’t much to do on guard detail this deep into the valley, so those on guard duty spend a lot of time working on their salutes and how to walk in step.” Ronin smiled at that, nodding his head but not saying anything when the giant pealed off at the command tent flap as he entered.

“Please, sit down.” He said as the occupants of the room all stood up at his entrance. He looked each of them over carefully as he walked around to the head of the table, taking in each of his advisers and the leaders of his people with approval. They had all come a long way in the last few weeks. Each seeming to be spurred on by the effort their lord had been putting into the camp.

Lily wore her leather armor today instead of the thin purple robes she usually favored, her sleek silver fur all but covered. She smiled as he caught her eye. Harken also wore armor, though his was an old and battered set of steel plate. His white fur was matting together, and Ronin could smell the sweat and musk off the old bear. His one remaining eye was red rimmed, and his missing ear just added to his bedraggled appearance.

“I’ll have to insist he get some sleep after the meeting,” Ronin thought as he passed Guts. The chef was dressed in his leather armor, though it didn’t much resemble the sleek, carbon fiber reenforced piece it had once been. Now it was covered with added pockets and pouches, filled with cooking paraphernalia and a bandoleer covered with knives and spoons. The huge goblin even wore a chef’s hat that clashed horribly with his flame red hair, in place of a helmet. Beside him sat Owl five, the half-blooded goblin woman was a little shorter than Guts, who had been extensively modified from the nanite injections.

Her hair was just as red and her teeth just as pointed, but the slope of her ears wasn’t as pronounced. She still wore her starting equipment, the carbon fiber/metal composite plates and under armor having been redone into the white flame colors but otherwise the same. She still carried her knives and the mark V railgun slung over her back. The only addition to her attire was the hobat hide cloak she’d donned, dyed a deep grey. Ronin, trying not to focus to much on the woman, just nodded politely and looked at the cloak as he walked by her seat. The large bat ears sticking up from the hood.

After Lily had fashioned his giant white goat cloak, they had suddenly become all the rage among the troops. Once Hunter had gotten her sinfully soft hobat cloak from Owl two there had been a rush on the mushroom forest foraging team positions. Everyone is doing their best to bag a batlin to get a cloak of their own. Ronin smirked at how excited everyone had been and just how many fleshing knives Owl two had been forced to turn out when leather working became so popular. He had no doubt there would be thousands of batlin fur lined clothes out there by the time the undercity was conquered.

Unyielding oak gave him a quick nod of greeting as he passed by the yellow/green skinned elf. Her hair was still done up in a hundred tiny braids, her meadow grass green eyes were still hard, but he thought they might have softened a little in the last few weeks. Beside her sat Samantha and Benjamin beside her. The humans also wore black carbon fiber impregnated armor, styled with the grey to white flame pattern that everyone wore.

Sam smiled brightly at Ronin as he walked by her seat. Benjamin only nodded, still a bit sour over having been made to run laps. He’d gotten over it for the most part, however. After Ronin had removed him from civilian concerns and had a good long talk with the man during a sparring session… a sparring session where the more experienced fighter had mopped the floor with his boss. Ronin thought that, as much as anything, had helped relieve the tension the older man had been feeling.

Next up was Elyria, not seated at the table but leaning against a tent pole, holding an open book. The slender woman smirked at him and gave a two fingered salute as he neared her. Her normally tied back silver hair falling loose around her shoulders, the hard blue eyes now softened a little in mirth. Her smoky grey silks matched the others armor nicely. Ronin thought it a shame that she’d changed from silver and blue, it had matched her hair and eyes perfectly. He stumbled at that thought, frowning in confusion as to why his mind would even go there. He shook his head at the elf who was now frowning at him in confusion before walking past her as well.

The last member in attendance was Owl two. The android had repainted his chassis in white flame colors but otherwise also looked the same as when Ronin had first seen him outside the drop pod. He kept all the records of the camp and helped where he could but was no longer in charge of the settlement. The machine spent nearly all of his time down in his lab, working on the fabricator, or tinkering with the tech they’d brought back from Andy’s reef.

“My lord,” Owl two said in his mechanized monotone as ronin took his seat at the table. “Are you ready to finalize our plans for the invasion?”