THE ATTACK AND RETREAT OF THE JOINT FORCES
THE ATTACK AND RETREAT OF THE JOINT FORCES
"What are you saying, we are not going to defend Fortress Salvation? That is our base in Hell", Aluva asked in shock.
"Fortress Salvation is just a stone fortress, it doesn't have a Great Pool of Suffering. It is worthless to us or to the three other kings", Sara told us.
"What is your plan, Sara? You usually won't do something reckless like this", Eirot asked her.
"Oh, we are going to be reckless according to some", she replied.
"What are your crazy plans?" Lord Brathnok asked her.
"We besiege the castles of the three kings, their capitals at the same time their forces arrive in Fortress Salvation", she replied to them to their further shock and surprise.
"Is that even possible?" Aluva asked.
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[Six months later, at the plains before Fortress Salvation]
"Finally, our forces have arrived in Fortress Salvation", General Kublok of the Western army said to the war council.
"It is rather strange that our advance to the south isn't met with much resistance. This is just so easy", General Moravi of the Northern army added.
"These insurgents are mere terrorists and cowards. Our kings should not have wasted so much time on them", General Asgara of the Eastern army replied.
Suddenly, a scout came to report.
"Sirs, we could not estimate the enemies' forces in Fortress Salvation", the scout reported.
"Fools, are you blind? Can't you count their forces. You have a bird's eye view over their bloody city", General Asgara scolded the scout.
"Our Demonlords couldn't see the enemy. The enemy's city is surrounded by a swirling sandstorm that we have never seen before. We couldn't see through the sandstorm", the scout replied.
"This is some weird magic of the insurgents, just send our Demonlords into the sandstorm to check", General Kublok asked.
"We already did that. All the Demonlords who went into the sandstorm never returned", the scout replied.
"That is not possible. Demonlords are the strongest among the demons. Even if they face a stronger opponent, it is impossible that they could not retrieve themselves from battle to report", General Moravi said.
"We should attack the fortress now. What is the point of all these scouting, we will still have to fight eventually?" General Asgara told them.
"If the northern army wishes to advance first, be my guest. We don't know the strength of the enemy, attacking blindly could be devastating to us", General Kublok told Asgara to his annoyance.
"How many Demonlords were lost in the sandstorm?" General Moravi asked the scout.
"We sent in three hundred Demonlords, none of them returned", the scout replied fearful of retribution from the generals.
"Liar. Three hundred Demonlords lost in an instant? Even an army of a million couldn't do that", General Moravi replied to the scout in shock.
"Does that mean the enemy has more than a million demons hiding inside the Sandstorm? Or they may have some powerful mutated demons on their side? Do you still want to advance into Fortress Salvation alone now?" General Kublok said and asked General Asgara.
General Asgara kept his silence upon hearing it.
"What do we do now?" General Moravi asked them.
"We camp thirty miles away from Fortress Salvation. We send our Flame wyverns to report the situation and wait for orders from the kings", General Kublok suggested.
"Why thirty miles away? We stick our forces at their noses if you ask me, just camp in front of them," Asgara asked.
"Although there is no Great Pool of Suffering in Fortress Salvation, their leader, the so-called Savior could swallow our magic pools with her dark magic. It is not impossible that she could summon a Suffering Moat in the fortress and the greatest distance of such a moat is thirty miles", General Kublok replied to them.
"Cowards", General Asgara said.
"Whatever, if we are just waiting for instructions, it doesn't matter where we camp", General Moravi replied.
So, the joint armies of North, West and East camped at the plains thirty miles away from Fortress Salvation, awaiting further instructions from their kings.
After a week, the scouts returned with messages from the kings.
"What are the king's instructions?" General Moravi asked the returning scout.
"The King of the North wants our forces to retreat immediately and return to the north", the scout told Moravi to his shock and surprise.
"What? Why will the king ask us to retreat after sending us on a long journey here?" General Moravi protested and asked the scout.
"The Capital of the North, Fortress Gambyra, is being sieged by the insurgents. We must return to alleviate the siege", the scout replied to the general.
Then the two other generals arrived.
"It is impossible, how did the insurgents reach Fortress Swavila in the East?" General Asgara complained out loud.
"Impossible, the insurgents are at Fortress Gunongo in the West too?" General Kublok asked in confusion.
"What is the strength of the enemies' forces? They can't muster a strong force if they must attack three ways and defend Fortress Salvation at the same time?" General Asgara asked.
"Our forces in the north couldn't determine the strength of the insurgents besieging our fortress, they are surrounded by an impenetrable sandstorm. We sent in hundreds of Demonlords to gauge the enemy's strength and they never returned. That is the reason the king needs all his troops back to the north to counter this threat", the scout reported to the generals.
"What about the siege of Fortress Salvation? Are we leaving just like that?" General Kublok asked.
"It is our king's order and that is what we will do. You may do as you wish", General Moravi told the other generals.
"This is a bloody waste of our time coming here", General Asgara told them before storming out of the war planning room.
"I guess this is the end of our joint expedition", General Kublok said before he too made a move.
"What should we do now, general?" the scout asked General Moravi.
"We follow the king's order, but I have a very bad feeling about this", General Moravi said.
"What is the problem, general?" the scout asked the general.
"I have a feeling that we have been tricked", he said.