The Red Hand

Chapter 454 – Preparations for a Counter Offensive.

*SLICE* *SLASH* SWOOSH*

"And now we take down the big boy!" Camilla laughed as she leaped off the headless corpse of one monster and used her scissors to tear an even larger one to shreds, flicking her weapon and twisting her body intricately and beautifully as the creature was eviscerated. "And that stupid Demon thinks I can't handle these things. Hah! Arrogant bitch! Just because you know I'm a Lich, you think you've won somehow? I'll show you!" She said as she tossed her scissors, which curved in an arc like a boomerang, and slaughtered the remaining two dozen monsters before returning, with any remainder slinking back into the darkness deeper into the cavern. "Cowards. You're not so tough."

{But damn, is there no end to these things? I've killed hundreds, and they just keep coming. Someone must be creating or summoning them, there's no way this many creatures sat below the mountains for this long without anyone knowing about them or without them slaughtering each other for food. This whole damn thing is suspicious.} (Camilla)

"Either way, walloping the peons without dealing with their source is pointless. Az told me not to do anything reckless, but unless I go deeper into the mountains I'm not going to find who or what is making more of these things." Camilla said as she turned and started walking back to the Dwarven fortifications a ways behind her. She'd gone out in front to handle the wave of creatures, leaving the Dwarves to 'catch any that slip by her' as she put it.

"Lady Camilla, have the creatures fled?" One of the Dwarven officers asked her as she approached their position.

"For now. Send your men forward to reclaim the cavern and then push forward, the highway to Edur'al joins with it up ahead, and we can use that to push toward the Fortress." Camilla said as she walked past. "Now, leave me alone. I've got other things to attend to, and I don't want to be bothered."

"B-But the creatures..." The Dwarven officer stammered, wary of his men's ability to defeat the creatures if they returned in force.

"Surely the Dwarven military is capable of handling such weak monsters?" Camilla said as she glared at the man over her shoulder, her eyes sending shivers down the man's spine.

"W-We will push forward and cleanse them from our home!" The Dwarven officer yelped before running off to organize the men for a push into the mountain.

"Weak fools." Camilla scoffed as she disappeared into the sea of Dwarves and returning to the Dwarven Capital.

_____________________________________________________________________________

"We've managed to push back against the monster's onslaught or fight them to a stalemate here, here, and here." Commander Bogram said as he pointed to several points on a large map at the center of the table. As Minister of War, it was his job to oversee the defense and reclamation campaign, which was now much easier with the help of their new bunny-lich 'friend.' "Lady Camilla, your aid has been invaluable. As it stands we've taken the momentum; even in those locations where the monsters are concentrating their greatest number of forces. At this rate, I believe we'll be able to stabilize things and prepare for a full on counter-offensive to drive the monsters back to their origin point." He said as he looked up from the map, the lich leaning back quite far in her chair as she looked at the rocky ceiling of his office, seemingly uninterested.

"Yeah, yeah, sure." Camillia brushed him off as she rocked back and forth with her foot pushing on the table. "Just tell me where you want me to go kill next. Sitting around like this is boring..."

{Hell, actually doing this is fucking boring too. I'd much rather fight that Demon Lord. These monsters give no challenge.} (Camilla)

"My apologies, Lady Camilla." Bogram said while internally complaining at having to deal with the lich's attitude. "It's taken longer than expected to switch things over to a war footing, but now that things have finally started to move I promise you that your boredom won't last very long." He said while smacking his finger down onto the map, pointing at the fallen Fortress of Dol'Kitrun. "Take a look at this."

"Another point you want me to attack? Listen if this is just some stupid highway again-" Camilla was interrupted by Bogram, who explained why this location was important.

"Based on my men's reports, Dol'Kitrun seems to be the origin of these monsters." Bogram said, the lich holding her tongue as he explained. "The Fortress was the first place to fall under their control and some of the survivors described scenes of the creatures bursting out from deeper below the mountain." He continued. "Additionally, the number of monsters increases exponentially the closer one approaches the Fortress. Thus..."

"Whatever is creating these creatures, or wherever their home is must be somewhere nearby." Camilla's eyes lit up at the prospect of such a fight.

"Indeed." Commander Bogram nodded. "My best men are currently making their way toward the fallen Fortress. They're quick, stealthy, and some of the best fighters we've got. Once we understand where our enemy is coming from, we can work toward striking and destroying whatever or whoever is spawning them." He said, having come to a similar conclusion to the lich and understanding that someone had to be behind this whole ordeal.

"Which explains why you've focused me on the highway toward Dol'Kitrun." Camilla replied with a nod. "It both serves as a distraction for the creatures and helps us push our front lines closer to what we're presuming is their 'home base.' Interesting. I suppose I owe you an apology, Commander. You're not as big of an idiot as I thought you were!" She laughed.

"The third and sixth heavy infantry divisions and the fourth armored corp will begin a drive toward Edur'al." Commander Bogram said as he traced his finger up the highway to the Fortress, ignoring her comment. "Once we've secured it, then we just need to retake the nearby Hold of Et'Gal. That will give us a foothold to launch an attack on Dol'Kitrun. Preparations are already underway, and hopefully it will be no more than a month before we know where this foe came from and then finally end this war."

"Good." Camilla cackled. "I can't wait to rub this in that Demon Lord's face!"

{I'd rather you didn't. Word has already reached the Capital as to the fate of the Demons, and I'm not inclined to see our people suffer the same fate. I don't understand why this woman is hell-bent on getting into a beard-trimming contest with a being that can wipe out an entire army and I don't want anything to do with it.} (Bogram)

"I would ask that you stay out of discussions between us and Demon Lord Akagi." Commander Bogram sighed. "As it stands she is still an existential threat to our nation, and we'd like to stay on her good side if at all possible."

"Oh? Thinking of taking that Demon's offer anyway?" Camilla asked with a wry smile. "Perhaps I should report all this to Lady Reflia? What do you think she's going to do when it's discovered that the Dwarves were in cahoots with that monster?" She hadn't reported her encounter with Akagi to anyone as of yet, mostly because she didn't honestly care enough to do so.

"All we've done is listen to her offer. Nothing has been decided." Commander Bogram said, glaring back at the lich. "And besides, Lady Reflia isn't exactly in any position to be making threats. After all, she's in 'cahoots' as you put it with the Dawn Order, a group that, need I remind you, has been branded as traitors to Enoris. Recall that a significant bounty has been placed on every member of the Order and that you cannot move around freely for fear of discovery." He smirked.

{Not to mention that the aforementioned best men have informed me that the Space Goddess seems to be maneuvering herself in secret. I have no idea what she's got planned nor why she's decided to team up with the condemned Dawn Order, but I doubt it's going to lead to anything good. The Gods don't tolerate others undermining their authority, especially when it's one of their own doing it so I doubt she wants to go down that mutually destructive road.}

"Tsk." Camilla clicked her tongue in irritation, annoyed that her threat was so easily brushed off. "Calm your britches, stubby. I was only kidding. No need to go losing your beard over a joke."

"Indeed, jokes are all well and good between 'allies.'" Commander Bogram smiled, though the air in the room made clear the tension between the two parties. "But getting back on topic, I'd like you to focus your efforts on the Highway leading to Dol'Kitrun. The faster we push through the mountain the sooner, we can bring this whole ordeal to a close."

"Fine." Camilla shrugged. "Just don't go forgetting to hold up your end of the bargain."

"Once these creatures have been dealt with, we will turn the Reactor over to Lady Reflia." Commander Bogram nodded. "Preparations are already underway to disconnect and transport it. Luckily we had systems in place for the eventuality that the Reactor would either break down or be seized by the Gods, so there shouldn't be much if any disruption in magical power." Reflia's 'condition' for the Dawn Order's assistance in this matter was the turning over of the Power Reactor within the Mausoleum. It was a painful cost to bear but considering the alternative the Dwarves had no choice.

{But disruption or not, why does Lady Reflia want the reactor? Does it have to do with whatever she's plotting? I'd originally thought it was connected to the rumors that the Gods were collecting Eridal technology, but I'm becoming more and more convinced that she's got different goals from the other Gods.} (Bogram)