June 1, 624

A week passed and the battle against the flanking Scourge forces rapidly escalated. Things were never meant to be drawn out, but we needed to find a balance between urgency and caution. Blindly rushing into any battle would just result in a loss far more devastating than taking our sweet time, but we were still on a timetable.

One small mercy was that my performance during Snow Dove operations had reestablished my lethal efficiency to newcomers. Alongside my summoner smarts, training, and position beside the Major General, my role in this phase of Operation Breakwater became more pronounced. More importantly, I was able to have some fun.

In total, we had six Brigadiers, a nigh-overwhelming concentration of force that let us approach most battlefields with relative ease. The outpost didn’t have to worry about daylight raids, and we could sally with strike teams to wipe out smaller Scourge concentrations.

Every passing day marked even more battles, and, despite wanting to conclude the Operation’s first phase as soon as possible, Major General Quill and I were using the engagements to gauge the local Scourge threat. He still handled the brunt of the analysis work, but I was quickly picking up more and more of the load.

I got a front row seat to watch a tactician exercise his wit in a very real battle in real time and intimate detail. It was an invaluable insight into this world: wars were fought differently. We were not up against a human enemy, but monstrous, demonic invaders. There was a delicate balance to be struck between implementing extensive tactics for specific Scourge tendencies, utilizing our unique intelligence, and gleaning a glimpse of the strategy that the Scourge hid behind the veil of mindlessness and madness.

Thankfully, I never fell prey to underestimating them. I tended to do the opposite, always assuming that there was a mastermind behind every movement and monster. I had been taught that way by Polly, and my particularly unique perspective suited me toward such a thing. Battles on Earth were always against something intelligent. I still tended to think that way, while many people in this world either failed or didn’t care to see past the monsters in front of them, realizing that there was likely a much more nefarious entity orchestrating their demise.

My studies and attention by the side of people like Polly, Major General Quill, and even the Brigadiers around me were all reassurances that kept me from falling into the same well of ignorance. It would be why I rose above others and how I survived.

Another week passed. Official elimination missions dropped sharply, but our sallies only increased in number. Quill had started to arrange larger battles as well as surgical strikes, prepping the theater of operations for a decisive eradication battle.

I “found” myself on one of these key strikes with the Snow Doves, linking up with another platoon, the Lancers, on our way to take out an Authority 10 Royal in the area. It had diverged off its path a little too far with an escort force, and we were taking advantage of its temporary vulnerability to end its threat for good.

Well, saying the Royal diverged wasn’t entirely accurate. In reality, its escort split off to reinforce another group one of our companies was attacking. All we were doing was intercepting, effectively using that company as bait.

We had to move fast.

Next thing I knew, we were barreling down a trail in Steeds. I sat in the back hold with a group of Doves, three of them at Authority 9and four at 8. Brigadier Nonnen sat in the front seat with the driver.

“Hey Envoy!”

“Yes sir?”

“Did you plan on using that company as bait from the beginning?”

“No? It just worked out that way.”

“Right.”

Nonnen snickered a bit. I could only shrug in response. I really hadn’t planned that, but they would never believe me; that it worked out was evidence enough for them. We just had good intel and good timing, so we were able to grasp the opportunity.

I flicked my eyes back to the map I had examined a hundred times by now. At some point though, the stifling Aura of an Authority 10 Royal intimately brought my attention back to the present.

The others could feel it too. Their heads all turned as we cleared another hill and entered a gap. A bit away we saw the marching Scourge contingent. At its head was the Authority 10. However, my eyes quickly narrowed.

“Brigadier, that’s not a normal Royal.”

“No shit. Bail!”

Nonnen shouted. One of the Authority 8 knights blew open the back door, not even bothering to disengage the latch and just slamming themselves clear out the back.

I spun around to look through the front windscreen for just a moment, storing away the massive spell formation still unfolding above its head. It was aimed right at our exit, just like it had been expecting us.

So much for our ambush. After other people got out of the way, I activated my boots and shot out of the Steed, gliding on the air magic. Almost like I was surfing on land.

The other Steeds started to scatter too, shedding their troops like a dog shedding fur.

I wrapped my Aura around me and forced it inward, diving a good distance away before turning just as the Royal completed its spell.

A massive fireball started growing, starting out at only 20 feet wide but quickly growing until it surpassed 200 feet.

It only stopped when it reached about 300 feet in diameter, and then it launched. It traveled rather leisurely in all honesty, but the heat coming off it from almost an entire mile away forebode a not-good time.

Before I could panic, I was suddenly grabbed. Nonnen hoisted my body like a wet rag and then shot off to the top of a hill while the fireball came down behind us. I turned my head to speak to him, only to see the driver staring back at me on his other shoulder.

He set us down just in time for it to land. I had to deploy my hood and put on my Owlykat mask just to block off the heat and see the devastation.

A literal sea of fire flooded the gap between hills, setting all nearby flora ablaze. The fungal biomat had yet to spread so this area still had some plant life. Or, used to.

My eyes were glued to the area at the bottom of the hill where our troops used to be.

Did I just lose two critical platoons? Just like that?

“Don’t get so anxious. This is why I told you to bring the Lancers.”

Nonnen patted my back, making me wheeze as the impact forced some air out of my lungs.

The fire rapidly dissipated without more Mana being fed into it, but its smoke remained, the lazy curls belying the devastation it wrought. A gust of wind suddenly cleared it from the depression.

At the bottom of the hill I could see half of our Steeds and most of our troops. The rest were either up a nearby hill or had hunkered down by themselves.

They were all safe, and it was thanks to the Brigadier in charge of the Lancer platoon. He was an Authority 10 warlock, though I hadn’t known he specialized in the air element. I only knew that he was good with fire and water spells, making him an exceptional healer.

Regardless, I was immensely gratified that he was able to easily protect everyone with a wide area barrier. I let out a long breath of relief, earning another smack on the back.

“You worry too much. Trust your soldiers. If you don’t, I won’t be able to pull you into our platoon.”

“... You guys are different from the soldiers I usually work with.”

“True. You’ll learn about me with time. One free lesson. I choose my troops carefully. If you trust me, then you are obligated to trust the rest of those under me. There are few things I hate more than incompetence and people dying from it.”

“Hm.”

I got another smack on the back, my muscles clenched to try and prevent my lungs from rattling. Now my back was sore.

Nonnen chuckled.

“I’ll trust that you can exercise good caution and keep yourself safe. Help if you want, but don’t feel obligated. We can handle this.”

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“I’ll help. From here.”

“So be it.”

He nodded before launching his body, flying through the air and landing in a little crater in front of the Scourge.

With a draw of his blade, he turned the front ranks into red mist. The rest of his Snow Doves moved into formation behind him, taking ranks, raising shields and foci, ready to back their Brigadier up.

A coherent platoon, working as a whole. The Snow Doves specialized in killing powerful enemies. This was perhaps the first time I had ever seen them in their element.

When Nonnen took a step, they followed, and they advanced toward the contingent. At the same time, the Lancers, a platoon made up almost entirely of warlocks, joined the Doves and arranged magical barriers and attack spells.

The Authority 10 Royal let out a scream before simultaneously manifesting dozens of spell formations. The contingent around it started surging forward at its command, diving toward the Snow Doves ranks.

I quickly positioned myself while all that was going on, getting within 600 meters and bringing out another rifle I had recently found.

This one made me particularly excited.

The M40, a Remington 700 modified for official military adoption. A bolt action chambered in 7.62 NATO, the M40 had an all wood stock and was equipped with a Redfield 3-9x variable scope. This was the first designated sniper’s rifle I had ever gotten my hands on, and it promised to be precise.

A rifle used even into modernity. I felt the wood and the heft of the barrel. This thing had an effective range of 800 meters, and that was under normal circumstances. With a boost from my Psyka?

I was starting to see the mile mark get closer. It wouldn’t be long until I would be surpassing it.

The gun’s Psyka capacity was positively huge. The only thing holding me back now was the rate of fire. I wouldn’t be killing too many, but my shots would be impactful. Perhaps I’d be able to test my mettle with some of the Authority 7s, even 8s.

I found myself a relatively flat spot and laid down, getting a good view of the battle beyond. Nonnen had carried me somewhat to the side, so I wouldn’t have to send my bullets over people’s heads.

I looked around, getting a read on the power levels of various troops. It was a bit difficult from so far away, but I could estimate, especially based on how they reacted to the attacks from the Doves.

I saw some Scouts though, so I decided to take those out.

My bullet tore through an Authority 7 Scout. A Cyclops. Once feared, now my bullets bit deep. Even at almost 500 meters away, the Psyka kept the bullet flying flat and true.

Its head exploded in gory detail through my optic. I had initially thought that scope would hinder instead of help me, but the reticle did wonders for my aiming. Plus, I could use my other eye to make sure my vision wasn’t being hampered by the magnification.

I racked the bolt, feeling the smooth release of the round before sliding another in. With each shot, each up-back-forward-down, another one of the three remaining Scouts dropped to the ground, no more than a sack of flesh after their eye had been turned into salsa.

Explosions rang through the hills, but nothing so much as turned their head toward me. Counterintuitively, being loud meant I was harder to find. The hills and mountains made the gunshots echo, disorienting even those strange sniffer things I’d seen with a Royal before. And with my Stealth? The distraction of the Snow Doves and Lancers? It was impossible to find me.

I had free reign.

The Scouts were all dispatched, and I turned my reticle toward the army. I used those Scouts as target practice and got a good zero on this rifle, so now I was more confident in hitting tighter shots.

I saw dozens of monsters running around and trying to break through the line of shields at their front. They were all tough, and there were even some behemoths trying to shove through.

As for Nonnen, he had made his way to the “formation's” backline, wreaking havoc and bearing down on the Authority 10. It was tough and kept throwing myriad spells to fend Nonnen off, but the Lancer Platoon Brigadier had yet to apply pressure, and the rest of the monsters would get whittled down with time.

This battle was ours.

I did as much as I could to help though. In my mind floated the casualty rates we had been facing. I knew someone, multiple someones, would die during this battle, and I needed to do what I could do to reduce that number to as little as possible.

I sighted in monsters that stuck out, whether due to power or position. There were plenty of monsters that would hang behind the front line, not using magic but not attacking either, waiting for the rest of their kin to open an opportunity. They were prime targets that I could pick off or heavily injure one by one, which opened further opportunities for the boots on the ground.

The best part was how nobody could even challenge me. I only had to maintain light stealth and nothing would spot me. This battle was perfectly in my favor, essentially target practice. I felt no danger whatsoever.

And so, I killed a few dozen, picking them off with one or two shots. Some of them were just minding their own business when I sent a round through their head. The confusion and fear I sowed was palpable. I was a hidden but very tangible presence, each explosion of my gun yet another reminder that I was here. Each sound became synonymous with death, another monster falling with every projectile. Nobody knew who it would be next.

The Doves and Lancers were emboldened when they noticed the faltering wills of the monsters. They pressed harder and their momentum grew, resulting in greater combat effectiveness. However, the most substantial presence on the field was Nonnen and the Royal. Their clashes couldn’t help but affect the rest of the armies, especially the Royal’s.

Those spells couldn’t completely fend Nonnen off, but they were still potent. Worse even was that it was still occasionally flung a high powered spell at the advancing battle line, shaving away at its momentum. It knew how to utilize its strengths, and if it couldn’t win the one on one battle, it wouldn’t try.

I sensed the battle shiftIng just before it happened. Perhaps it was the intent of the Royal, but my focus shifted just as it changed tactics.

It gathered its hands together, veins pulsing, scrunched in concentration as it summoned up another spell to launch at Nonnen. Curiously, it had stopped hurling spells at the main formation, and they were taking full advantage of that.

I dropped my gun, barely registering it flicker out of existence as I slapped at my Aerial, even then knowing it was too late. It was preparing a kill shot, willing to sacrifice itself to take out Nonnen as well.

It hurled the spell.

I watched the fireball wash over Nonnen’s braced arms, singing his hair and charring his skin, but it wasn’t as strong as it should’ve been.

The flames disappeared, and the Royal wasn’t there anymore. Its presence was still intimately here, but it was no longer facing Nonnen.

I flicked my eyes over to the main concentration of our forces, the Snow Doves and Lancers, as it popped back into existence right above them. The Lancer Brigadier desperately forced out a unfurling flower of a shield but that was exactly what the Royal wanted.

A spark flickering within the ranks of the Doves and Lancers, underneath the shield, was the only brief foreshadowing of what was to come.

Flames, bright blue against the blinding snow of the hills, manifested from the spark as if the very atmosphere had ignited. Liquid fire surged and cascaded within the barrier, the shield only serving to concentrate an already devastating explosion. A few cracks appeared from within before the shield finally vanished, flares of rapidly-dissipating fire streaking out, no longer contained.

Smoke bellowed out, the damage done. My heart dropped. The barrier had left the majority of the Scourge unscathed, but over half our forces were chars, merely ash resting in muddy, flaming piles. The ones still whole on the ground weren’t moving and the ones on their feet were wavering, barely upright.

An audible crunch wrenched my attention back to the Royal’s head. All that was left on its face was a wretched mockery of a grin before Nonnen finished crushing it to bits, wrenching it away to leave a gory arc across the sky as he let the body tumble where it stood. It had left itself open, and Nonnen had seized what he could.

The skittering and braying of the Scourge was shut up by a boom from my remanifested rifle. Silence pervaded the hills. I fired another shot into the crowd of monsters, injuring another one.

With the Royal dead, Nonnen and the Lancer Brigadier were free to kill whatever they wanted. The two of them dispatched the rest within a minute, and my shots ceased.

For a while I continued to look around, keeping watch as the two Brigadiers checked on their platoons. The Lancer Brigadier was a healer, the only solace in this situation.

Ten minutes. Ten minutes was all I gave myself before I returned to my duties, finally leaving my spot and approaching. Mournful wails, repressed by the necessities of combat, had finally started to leak through, the friends of the dead grieving, the injured in agony.

Several bodies had been haphazardly laid to the side, placed in a shaky line. Many were missing limbs. All of the warlocks had raised their barriers when they noticed the Royal trying to do something, so they at least weren’t outright obliterated. However, with the Lancer Brigadier inadvertently multiplying the power of that explosion, not many fared well.

All of those at the origin of the explosion had been outright killed, that much I saw. Those on the outskirts of the formation all survived. Survivors in the middle varied. The Authority 9s survived, but 7s and 8s were either killed or fatally injured depending on their luck and relative resilience.

I did a quick scan, counting 27 definite dead and 55 injured, many of which were critical. I didn’t know how many the Brigadier would be able to save. There were only 21 uninjured.

I went and found Nonnen. He was standing in the center of all the bodies silently, his eyes flickering between all of them.

I stood silently behind him. Out of 103 people, 27 had outright died. A 26% death rate was abysmal, and there would probably be more deaths among the injured given some more minutes. That would likely place the death rate between 30 and 40%. The only comfort was the fact that most who died were below Authority 9. Our reduction in combat power was thus much less severe than the death rate would entail.

I hated thinking in those terms.

Nonnen finally snapped out of it, opening his mouth.

“We trust our soldiers. Doesn’t mean they don’t die.”

“...”

I didn’t respond. I felt like trusting them meant that I trusted them to not die. That was the greatest form of my trust in these situations, but to trust anyway, even when I knew these things would keep happening…

I didn’t want to do it. Part of me wanted to cut off my relationships with these people. It was so much easier to sit behind a desk and crunch numbers. Each number represented a life, but at least you didn’t have to meet those people. You didn’t have to feel much responsibility. You could distance yourself from everything. It helped keep you logical…

But this? How was I supposed to keep drawing up and sending out mission teams if they kept dying like this? Even skilled platoons like the Snow Doves were suffering catastrophic death rates. It wasn’t sustainable. I’d rather not send them out at all.

I looked at Nonnen, watching him for a bit before he started giving out the commands to pack bodies and prepare the Steeds. We had to get back to the outpost.

I went around and tried to help. There was nothing for me to do though. The Knights wanted to haul bodies and I wasn’t one of the drivers, so I couldn’t bring the Steeds around. In the end I just stood around, wondering.

Then, just as we started packing bodies and wounded into the vehicles, I got a ring on my Aerial.

It was from the outpost, and it was urgent.

My eyes widened when I got the report. I turned to Nonnen, and he seemed to sense my urgency as he turned around and faced me.

“The outpost is under attack.”