CHAPTER 16
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Parker POV
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I returned back to my room with some fruits and water. The fruits here look similar to earth. It just has different naming. In our room, Stella gazed at the sky with her silver eyes by the window. The gaze was somewhat enchanting for me. It looks like it was straight from the picture. It was a pleasant feeling watching her. She seemed healthy enough now.
“It is quite rude not to knock. It should be rude to stare at people. But I don’t find your stares to be that despicable. I wonder…” she said while turning to me.
“Well, I brought your dinner. Want some?”
“Thank you. I was quite hungry. I was about to go downstairs but you spared me from the trouble. I might collapse if I took a step out of this room, I am still dizzy. But sleeping just makes me dizzier. If I don’t eat, I might collapse later. What a dilemma.” She said as she bit into the fruits. She was talking in an unusually long speech. She usually never spoke more than 2 sentences in one go.
“You are welcome.”
“Why aren’t you downstairs celebrating with others? Or are you here to pick me? Sorry, but I have to skip that. I am not good in a crowd. And I am still weak.” She said while sitting on her bed and lightly chewing her fruits
“I see, in that case, I just want to inform you that we will attack Alpas next week at most. Richard also told me to reprimand you for disobeying orders.”
As I said that she stopped chewing while looking straight into my eyes. Suddenly I felt a little chill different from the serene feeling I experienced a moment ago. How is it possible for just a stare can drastically change someone’s emotion like this?
“….. I see.” She stopped talking further. I thought she was going to argue but I guess she knew the reason for that one week.
“Rest well, we will need your strength for the battle,” I said as I was about to leave the room
“Parker….”
“Yes?”
“How strong are we?” her question makes me freeze at my feet. Her questions are pretty much the same as my questions to Richard.
“W-why are you asking that?” I stuttered a little when I said that. If I told her the truth, she might go there alone, she is ranked triple S after all.
“Mmm. Nothing. Good night.” She shakes her head and goes to her bed and sleeps. She didn’t pursue answers? Does she already know? I am really anxious. She has amnesia but she is the sharpest member of our group. Where is her knowledge from? Is it a mere analysis? She is smart, that I am sure but she must have some information from somewhere. Analysis needs data. She should have less data considering she lost her memory but in fact, she is more knowledgeable than me. I might have to ask that information dealer she met up with at the academy.
“Hey, parker. Why are you taking so long? Come down, Richard is making a feast for our victory! Will Stella come?” Hart screamed from the stairs to call out to me. I quickly went back to the dining table and joined the party.
“Stella can’t come. She is still quite sick. So I let her rest.” I answered Hart
“Damn. That’s too bad. Okay, let’s go.” Hart replied
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Stella POV
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“It’s been like this again,” I said to no one in particular. it was a dark space. I have been dreaming like this ever since I arrived in this fort. No, it isn’t like that, to be more precise, I have been seeing this dream since I come to this world. But it was so clear now ever since I received faith crystal. It was so blurred and sometimes it was completely dark only filled with ambiguous voices before. But since I received the crystal, it has become clear enough to discern what the dream is.
The dark space gradually filled with blue color and a scenery played out. It was so blurry before that I don’t know what happened in this dream. But it was now clear enough to discern what happened. As I thought, this dream can make me see something that was far away. But I have no way to prove what I see to be the truth and I can’t choose the place that I want to see. This is troubling. I can’t feed Parker with uncertain information. He is someone that needs proof to believe in something.
The scenery was a view of a town. Possibly be Alpas town that we are going to attack. I see the demons gathering the people in the city hall. There were so many of them. There are around 30.000 people gathered here. But for a city as big as Alpas, this number might be small. Alpas was the most populous city next to the capital after all. I read in the book, this city should hold hundreds of thousands of people.
The main concern is the demons which consist of beastmen kind, traitors, goblins, and orcs. There are no vampires yet. That is fortunate. According to books that I read in the library, our factions consist of humans, elves, demi-human, and angels. And demons consist of beastsmen, monsters, traitors, and lastly vampires.
Those demons brought people in groups of 50 and those people were tied and then transported outside of the city. Deeper inside demons' territory. If this dream is really true, then at the rate they were transporting people, we would have to attack tomorrow at the latest. If we wait for a week, there wouldn’t be enough people to rebuild the town.
“The vanguard is lost.” One of the beastmen reported. He is the same one that tried to assassinate me before. “Our team lost more than 8 people. There are only 3 survivors.”
“So, is the hero really that powerful?”
“Yes. Just one of them is enough to force all of us into retreat. They even cause massive damage to vanguard troops. We were nearly annihilated.”
“Your group is supposed to deal with it. So they are really proficient huh?”
“Not really. But their power makes up for it. They should be at maximum danger level. It should be around level 4 or 5” the beasts answered
“I see. Shall we call our own gladiator?”
“They have more than 1 gladiator, sir! Though I do not doubt our own gladiators. But wouldn’t it be bad if we are surrounded?”
“Can 10 thousand of our army hold up the others?” the general asked
“There are more than 10 gladiators. And 4 of them are veterans. We have information about them. Bane, Und, Richard, and Fay. The rest are completely new.”
“Hmm… We are overwhelmed. I never thought they could do that. The heroes prove to be a threat more than we thought. We will escape. Once we transported these civilians to be our slaves we will retreat. Then we will call upon other gladiators to engage them. You will also need to call other groups of gladiator slayers.”
“What if we are attacked before then?”
“We should be able to finish transporting them in 1 week. I doubt they will attack us at that time. They also need to take into consideration our reinforcement from the inner territory. We have vampires there after all. They will needlessly be scouting the area and we will be gone long before then. And then once they retake the city we will launch a deadly counterattack.”
“Yes sir. As expected of The Fang. You are brilliant.”
“Yes. I am the brain and my brother is the brawn. So they say. My brother won’t be pleased hearing we retreat. I should explain this to him. Call Wolve over.”
“Yes. At once.”
The scenery went black and I once again drifted away with the blue wave. This should be the time I woke up. By experience, I should wake up soon but the background was clearer and time somehow felt slower.
“Stella. Are you awake?” Parker said. “How is your condition? Feel healthy yet?”
“…..” I replied in silence. Sorry but I am not entirely awake yet. My body is still weak. My mind is blank.
“Helloooo” Hart waved his hand in front of me
“Um.. yes?”
“You are awake, right? Let’s go to the field. We need to practice our power.” Parker said.
“Hmmm…. Can’t I sleep a bit more? “
“No. you are already the last. Everyone has already taken their turns for a bath. It’s only Chloe left in the bath. “
“Okay.” I reluctantly woke up and headed straight for the bath.
“Ahh, I am just done. Go ahead.” Chloe said while she dried her hair with a towel. Without replying and yawning I head straight to the bath. My condition is better than yesterday. Yesterday was such a mess that I can’t even think straight. Today I feel I can control my power well enough. How sad that I just got better after the battle is over. It was such a stroke of bad luck.
Splash!
I dropped a bucket of water from the well over to my head. Ahh. The cold water is very refreshing to my sleepy state. But the dream yesterday was a bad premonition. What if it was not a dream? By the time we reach there, we won’t be saving a city but mountains of ruins and rubble instead. Parker said the boss here is Richard. We won’t be blamed no matter if my dream were true or not. But if we failed, it will hinder our overall objectives as well. Should we obey him or not?
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Parker POV
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“Alright! I feel power gushing out from my body! Wahahaha!!” Hart said as he flexed his muscle for a warm-up exercise. We were to battle Bane or Richard in one on one fight. For mages, it would be against Fay. I understand his sentiment though. Just like him, today my body feels so light that makes me wonder if the planet’s gravity is reduced instead.
Not only that, my senses are a lot more sensitive now. such that, I can even hear the soldiers over 50 meters away whispering to each other. It seems they want to watch and Richard let them do as they please. After seeing Stella’s display of power yesterday, they were eager to watch our fight as well. I feel kind of scared of their high expectation of us.
“Stella is taking her time,” Riki said
“She is a girl. Be more considerate!” Nana roared at him. They were like that lately. So Nana is an elder sister type huh? She is taking care of others really well too. I should promote her to a vice commander in case I am not around.
“There she is,” Chloe said as Stella walked slowly toward our group.
“Oi. You are late!” Bane said with a scoff. He is as irritating as ever.
“Sorry,” Stella replied calmly. Oi, Stella… with your tone and expressionless face like that, I feel like you are picking a fight instead of sorry you know.
“Okay. Let’s begin. So, Hart, you want to be first?”
“Yeah! It has been my dream to kick him in the butt once in a while!” Hart pointed at Bane and every soldier gave a light chuckle.
“Bring it on greenhorn! Try it if you can! Don’t think just because you are a hero you can so easily beat us a real soldier with experience!” Bane said with vigor. I can faintly feel that they are building up their mana. Whoa, he won’t pull any punches on us now, isn’t he?
“HAA!!” Hart brandished his axe with vigor and Bane also followed suit with his long sword. Just like in an animated film, both of them disappear in a flash. Their figure was now in a blur. But I can clearly figure out their movements. This must be from my warrior’s sense. It is a huge upgrade from yesterday. Both of them clash and loud clashing sounds could be heard
“Whoa, they are fast,” Will said as he corrected his glasses and tried to look at them. But I guess it was impossible for him to see their moves. This is the magic world. Some of the warrior’s skills employ a magic mechanism in their footwork to control inertia. But Hart isn’t very good at that. So his movements were clearly duller than Bane's. But his power is on another level compared to Bane. Bane could never fully block Hart’s attack. All he could do was divert them a little.
“… Stella?” I asked after I feel a gaze behind me. When it turned, I could feel Stella staring at me. Is she still unsatisfied with my answers? But there is really nothing that we could do about that. And even if things go wrong somewhere, Richard will take full responsibility so there is nothing to worry about. From a moral point of view, it might be cruel, but such is the world. We need to obey the higher-ups in an organization or the organization itself might fall apart.
CLANK! BOOM! CLANK!
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The sounds of clashing continued for several more minutes until finally Bane’s long sword was snapped in half. After that Bane surrendered. Well, he was using an ordinary Steel sword while we are using a platinum one. I can’t really accept it as Hart’s victory.
CLAP!CLAP!! the spectator clapped and gives their cheers.
“Damn. I didn’t manage to land a good hit on him.” He said with scorn. His breathing was ragged. It was an intense fight as there are several dents in the soil used as the training field.
“We are just getting powered up. We can’t control our powers yet. But that is a good fight. Bane can’t do anything to you. He is completely on defensive.” Nana and the twins make a comment.
“Damn. The power disparity is a huge hit. He is faster too, if he trained a little bit more I would lose.” Bane said as he returned back towards Richard. His breathing is quite ragged.
“So, who is next?” Richard said. And Stella stood.
“Whoa. The princess was out for blood today.” Bane said in an exaggerated tone. Despite his intonations which are irritating as always, I agree with him though. It is rare for her to be motivated
“Well, Fay?” Richard turned towards fay. For mages, Fay is the one that will be our sparring partner.
“I refuse.”
“Huh?” everyone gave a weird look
“It feels dangerous. I don’t want to do it.” She said in a very low voice. Though it can’t be heard by others, I can still faintly hear it after straining my ears.
“Well, it seems fay doesn’t want her skills to be used in matches. John, Will, or maybe Nana? You up to be Stella’s sparring partner?”
“Hmm… why not let Hart or Parker be the one?” fay said “It might be safer that way.” She said in a whisper.
“Huh? Well, okay. Hart. You up for another match?” Richard quickly gave an ok after seeing Fay’s expression. This is weird right? The fight would be so unbalanced and it will very disadvantageous for Stella. Since Hart can moves that fast, and their distance is only 20 meters, Hart will reach Stella in no time. The match will be over in an instant. Are they trying to indirectly scold Stella?
“Ooo… Stella is a mage so she is sure to lose in such a short distance. But who knows? Maybe our ace would be different?” Bane said mockingly. So, that’s it huh?
“Both of you. Try to hold back okay? Don’t kill or cause an irreversible injury.” Richard said and the match was set up. Many soldiers whispered in this absurd oddity. Some soldiers were mages so they fully know how a mage should operate. They know fully that if the mage were to be put in front, they will lose their lives in an instant, and yet Richard purposely put Stella against a warrior in such close combat.
“Yo. I am not going to go easy. Put up your barrier first okay. Well, I can stop my punch before it reaches you so it should be fine.” Hart said as he flexed his muscle. This musclehead is so sure of his victory. I can’t blame him though since I thought the same. But could you at least try to be more considerate in your choice of words?
“Barrier,” Stella whispered and a semi-sphere barrier enveloped her. Whoa, her instant chanting is as magnificent as always. She barely took 2 seconds to set up. If it were me I would take at least 4 or 5 minutes. I am not a mage though so it is an unfair comparison
“Ready? Go!” Richard gives the sign and the match began. Without delay, Hart dashed to Stella. He barely took 1 second to reach her. The match already ended
“HAA!!!!!” Hart swung his axe at great speed toward Stella. He was careful enough that even if the barrier were to break the axe would pass by Stella in a good margin.
BOOM!! A loud explosion rang through the arena and the arena was filled with smoke.
“Reinforce barrier,” Stella said as she held out her hand. Contrary to everyone’s expectations, the barrier held up. It was a bit cracked but in fact that it can hold up was amazing.
“Stone pillar.” Stella cast her spell and Hart's body was blasted away with her stone pillar
“Lightning.” Stella swung down her staff and a massive thunder slammed Hart back to the ground with a blast. What a merciless combo. Is Hart okay? That lightning was 2 or 3 bigger than the one she cast to the rhino a few days ago.
“Hart!” everyone shouted.
“Stella. Aren’t you overdoing it?” I asked with high tension.
“He should be fine,” Stella answered.
“Damnit. That hurts!” Hart said while gasping for breath. He tried to raise his body while rubbing his head. It seems he was alright as Stella suggests. How the heck she knows that? That lightning could kill A-class beasts in one hit right? The crater created by the lightning was deep enough that we can’t see Hart’s body without him standing up.
“So, it was just hurt? No injuries?” Nita the timid girl asked. She is also a caring type though it differs by a large margin compared to Nana
“You are hard. That lightning was enough to kill somebody.” Nana commented.
“Hehe. Want to try the ones down there?” Hart gave a dirty joke which was responded to instantly with an Ice ball shot at his head
“Damnit! I was worried for nothing!” Nana roared.
“Well, he seems fine enough to me,” Chloe said. “There aren’t any visible injuries.”
“Thank goodness,” Nita said.
“Alright. Want to continue?” I asked.
“No. I guess I would lose. Even if I can avoid her magic, I can’t get past that barrier. I swung my axe quite seriously there.” Hart said “I was also tired after fighting Bane. I want to rest.”
“Okay. Parker. You are next.” Richard said
“Yes. Stella is still the opponent?” I asked.
“Well, ummm... We barely see the limits of her powers. It would be difficult for me to put up a strategy for her.” Alan said quite timidly
“So he says. Well, do your best. And please don’t kill anyone. You are our first ace here.” Richard said
“He is the first?” Stella asked. Surprisingly she is quite prideful huh?
“Why am I the first?”
“It is just the naming. But you are the leader, right?” Richard said.
“Don’t sweat the small stuff. Just go on with it.” Bane roared. But his words became a little more docile.
“Alright.” I brandished my buckler and sword. Stella also followed suit and she was glaring at me. Wait, she is mad, isn’t she? That’s why she was putting on this kind of show. From her aura, she isn’t going to pull any punches either. I need to do my best if I am to survive this
“Ready! Go!” Richard said and a blast roared through the field just after his words ended
“Ice spikes! Fireballs! Fire ballista!!” Stella cast multiple magic at a crazy speed. Her barrage of spells made me lose my chance to approach her head just like Hart and I tried to dodge the spell with my life on the line. Her first spell started with 3-meter spikes of ice flowing out from the ground trying to attack me and also making some kind of wall between us. After that, she went on with missile-like fireballs and fire ballista. It’s like there are 20 fireballs and 5 ballistae chasing me. When they missed and were destroyed, she created a new one immediately. I was stormed in a barrage of bullets. How can she predict my location when I can barely even see her through the ice walls?
“Whoa. She went easy against me?” Hart commented
“Her specs are broken.” Will made a comment befitting that of a gamer.
“She is cheating. She must be using Gameshark to have that kind of power.” John also commented
“That was a harsh comment…” Nana gave a wry smile
“Don’t be a sore loser” Chloe replied
“Hah!!” I swung my sword horizontally. This is another skill of a warrior with weapon edge skills. I can make something like blades of wind. Since I am talented in all 3 warrior skills. I can make something like an energy shield and energy blade to extend my reach and attack power and also to bolster my defensive power. That’s why I opted for a buckler and a one-handed sword.
“Whoa, here is another cheater,” Will commented while I deflected fireballs and fired ballista with my sword and shield.
“Ha! Hah!” I cut down the ice walls and plunged myself toward Stella
“Stone pillar.” Stella swung her staff upwards and a 10-meter diameter pillar raised up. This is ridiculous. It was unavoidable. It was more than 5 times bigger than when she attacked Hart. She really was going easy on Hart just like Alan said.
“Ice Lance. Ice bullet” She immediately make another combo with her spells. It isn’t lightning huh? I wonder why. But it was to my advantage. I quickly cut up all of the ice that was coming at me.
“Lightning!” there it is, so she was just buying time. I already prepared for it too. Weapon edge on my sword at maximum.
“HAA!!” I screamed as I cut up the lightning that came towards me.
BLAAR!! The lightning was split in half and hit the corner of the training field.
“Danger!!” some soldiers screamed. And Nana and Hart who is almost at the inside of the field were almost hit.
“Whoaa. That was scary. “
“In moderation damn it!” Richard cursed.
“I will also show you my strength!” I replied while gathering my mana at my feet. Another skill that branched from weapon edge. But to execute it perfectly, you will also need to be proficient in Sense and Body skills. It was an original of mine. You aren’t the only one with a combo of skills Stella.
“Air jump!” I said while jumping from the air Stella shot me into with her stone pillar.
“No way... Ice lance, ice balls, and ice spikes!!” Stella quickly shakes away her disbelief and countered with another magic. Her response is fast. But I am faster.
“Air Jump! Air Jump! “I jumped multiple times to avoid her barrage of bullets and cut down the ones I can’t avoid. Even though this should happen at a very fast time but with warrior skills that branched off from sense I can make the world around me seemed slower and with forecast skills that also branched off from sense, I can predict the weapon’s trajectory correctly.
“Hah!” after arriving in front of her barrier I let out my strongest slash and it cut up her barrier. I felt some resistance but I manage it. Of course, I didn’t cut her body. My slash was intentionally directed several tens of centimeters to her left. After that, I moved my sword slowly to her neck. She then dropped her staff and raised her hand. A faint smile could be seen on her face.
“Okay. The match is over.” Richard made an announcement. Cheers ran through the whole area. It was even louder than when they win the war yesterday.
“They are crazy,” Bane commented.
“That was awesome.” Nana and Chloe ran through and cheered. I looked at Stella’s face again but she returned back to her usual self. Why was she smiling before? That’s weird, normally you would pout or even lash out in distress when you lose. But she smiled instead.
“That was an awesome fight! As expected of a cheater.” Will and John made a ridiculous comment. We can’t cheat in the real world. Please get your head out of gamer lingo
“The next fight would be dull after this…. Our show….” Riki and Riko are depressed. This isn’t a show in the first place. This is a training and it also functioned for Alan to measure our strength.
“Well. Do your best. This is not a competition. So just relax and show us everything you got.” I answered.
The next one was mild. Chloe shot an arrow and it pierced right through 5 mm of steel. That’s in the realm of sniper bullets, right? Even though the speed isn’t that fast but her arrow can still pierce it. As expected of magic.
Riki and Riko sparred at each other. They put out quite a show and several of their moves were quite dangerous. It makes Richard and Bane screamed when they saw Riko slamming Riki headfirst. As expected of twins, they know each other very well to put out that stunt.
John was up against Fay and lost after a few exchanges of fire. Please don’t blame him, everybody. You know that his skills were actually very good. It is just that Fay was a lot better and more experienced. Their power is pretty much the same but John was incapable of using advanced magic and he also can’t use a barrier in concert with other magic.
That’s why he parried Fay’s spell and tried to counterattack but Fay’s barrier stopped him and Fay’s attack finally hits home. He can’t perfectly parry each of Fay’s spells. When I look at the dissatisfied look the soldier gave it makes me pity him. That barrier thing that Stella does was actually incredibly difficult when you use it with other magic.
“Well, if you think I am so weak that it was a standard that I should lose, would you please come up front and spar? I am quite tired right now that I might lose you know?” Fay said as she glared at the soldiers. Every soldier then cheered her in fright. Normal mage soldiers mostly will lose in one hit.
“Next would be Nana. So, how about we have a go?” Richard said.
“Well…. Please be gentle.”
“Please be rough and as serious as you can.” Richard gave a dangerous remark while smirking. “It would be troubling if the soldiers didn’t see your full potential. And I will also lose face if I lose to someone inferior.”
“We are just here for 4 months. Can’t we take it easy?” Nana gave a wry smile
“Nope. Get ready!” Richard then started to dash without taking a proper stance.
“So, Bane isn’t an attacker huh?” Will commented
“Both of them wield a long sword so it was hard to tell. “ I replied.
“Richard wore more armor on his body so we just assumed Richard is a tanker.”
“Yeah.”
Nana quickly defended by casting several fireballs. It was quickly dodged by Richard but it slowed him down so Nana gained some time from it and she readied her sword and successfully parried him. Richard was both faster and stronger but Nana made it up with her magic. She was really skillful and she managed to use a wider array of spells than John or Will.
“Magic swordsman. How envious.” Hart and Will commented. Yeah, I know how you feel. Even when I am far stronger than her, I still envy those perfect combinations of spells and swordplay. Nana was able to use swords on earth right? She even has experience with riding horses. Her experience is better than ours regarding skills alone. Those useless sports turned out to be valuable here
“You have the skills. As I thought, you aren’t new to swords. But it lacks practicality.”
“I learned a little as sports. But it is my first time holding real swords you know?”
They exchange greetings here and there but their battle was intense. Richard is of course dominating but he finds it quite difficult to deal the finishing blow. Nana covered her weak area with a short chant magic. Even though her strength evaluation should be the lowest of ours, her capabilities are still a little above Riki and Riko's.
“Ahh!” Nana’s sword flung away and Richard finally put his sword on her neck. She let her guard down a little. Short chant magic varieties only compromised around 4 spells for her. Richard was able to guess her next move and she was defeated just like that. What a pity
“Well, this is all experience,” Richard said. Nana pouted and returned to us after picking up her sword. Even when we congratulate her she is still sulking.
After that Nita was performing. She met the same fate as John and quickly lose to Fay. Unlike warriors, mages need knowledge, after all, we just arrived here several months ago and we are only high school students or normal salary workers. We can’t match the knowledge of high ranking mage like Fay that has read various magic knowledge throughout her life. Only Stella could do it, and I know that it can’t be achieved with talent alone. She has holed herself inside the library all the time. Skips practically all of her lessons. And when she got back she always borrowed several books to read inside the dorm. Her study isn’t always about magic. I thought she brought random books and read them all that’s why she could use that ridiculous combo moves.
“Finally the public humiliation is done. I am so embarrassed now to show my face.” Will said as she slumped his shoulder. He was basically the worst one out there. When he was up against Fay, she literally wait for him for 2 whole minutes while yawning. Will takes a really long time to build up his mana and he messes up often which necessitates him to repeat his spell. Just like the rest of us, his spell is only limited to 3 or 4 variants. His firepower is a real deal though. It was quite the same as when Stella cast her thunder on me. But since Fay has seen it ages ago, she managed to counter that spell by blocking it with boulders. When Will attempted to cast thunder the second time, Fay interrupted the clouds and cast a counter spell and he was done in. well, a duel isn’t his strong suit so it can’t be helped.
“We are done. The show is over gentleman. Would you please go back to your training routine?” Richard dismissed the soldiers.
“So, how is it?” Bane asked Alan.
“Well, as long as Parker and Stella are around there would be no trouble taking Alpas. We are as good as winning. Just give me one week, no 4 days and we will take back Alpas.”
“Why can’t we attack them now?” Nana asked.
“Well, even if we attack them now and won, we would still need supplies from the capital. What good would it be if we take Alpas and they retake them again?”
“Food?” Nana asked
“Not food. Well, your training was in a rush so you might not know. Do you know siege weapons?”
“Siege engines or siege weapons are tools to siege a castle. It makes taking down defensive walls and gates easier.” I answered
“The enemy didn’t seem to use them when attacking this fort though?” Chloe asked
“Well, they are a bit overconfident. And since our walls are made from wood, maybe they thought they didn’t need one?” I answered. When I turned to Stella she just stare at the clouds. Well, she might already know this kind of knowledge.
“I see. You have done your homework, Parker.” Alan applauded me
“Thanks.”
“Umm, I know a little regarding siege weapons from our world. but we have mages here right? Their firepower is pretty much like artillery guns. So do we really need them” John questioned
“Your worlds don’t have magic but magic isn’t omnipotent. As we attack using magic, there are bound to be materials that are resistant to them. Just like barrier spells. That’s why we need those siege weapons so we can hit harder at those walls.” Richard answered
“Well, you guys are gladiators, so I will explain this to you at headquarter please come,” Alan said. Gladiators have the highest authority on the battlefield which is why Alan took the trouble to answer anything we asked without reserve.
After a tedious exposition, we are finally able to understand how Alan planned the attack for the city. It is a simple plan, but the backup plan was long-winded. Basically, we attack their gates and then kill any enemy inside. Alan took a long time assigning us to which group and where to spread once we are inside the city. He also takes a long time to explain a backup plan just in case we lose, where to retreat, etc. I wonder if it would be okay if Stella isn’t present. Alan said he would just assign a messenger for her. That’s how gladiator usually operates anyway. That’s not very nice, small detail is also important.
“It has already turned dark,” Nita commented.
“My brain is melting. I can’t remember half of the plan anymore.” Chloe said. Nana and I can only deliver a wry smile at that
“Relax. All we need to do is just smash through them” Hart said.
“Is that all you can remember from that briefing Hart? “ Nana said while shocked. “I knew you were stupid but I never thought you can only remember 1 sentence.”
“Shut up. I knew after the gate is breached I and Parker will lead the troops inside.”
“And how are you going to lead them?” Nana asked
“Well, we will go to the center of the city and kill any enemies.”
“At least he remembers his own job. That’s good enough.” John answered followed by chuckles from everyone.
“Let’s eat. I will call Stella.” Nana conveyed as we reach the dining room.
“No need. She already ate and she is now sleeping.” The waitress said. “She said she doesn’t want to be disturbed.”
“That’s not a very nice habit. Directly sleeping after eating. “I mumbled
“Are you her girlfriend?” Hart asked while laughing. Everyone chuckled too.
We passed the moment quite lazily. It’s not like we are at war all the time. We strolled around the fort and we see the night sky. The sky was much clearer here compared to earth. I wonder where we are. Maybe one of those stars is our earth? Of course not. If it were, scientists would have discovered it a long time ago.
“Should we go to bed? “ Nana asked
“What time is it? 9 o’clock? It is so early.” Will commented.
“We are not on earth. Because we have nothing to do at night, it is better to sleep early. And we also need to train on the day” I responded.
As I went back toward my lodge, I found Stella sleeping. Let’s just ignore her and slept. With her intelligence, memorizing today’s plan should be a breeze for her.
“Parker….. wake up…” someone whispered and swayed me compelling me to awake.