Chapter 138 - Pincer (Patreon)

<---Chapter 137 - New Front | Table of Contents | Chapter 139 - Battle of Desham (1)--->

"Only two of them...?" Count Perlis was flabbergasted, running up to the top of the camp's defensive walls where Perlis soldiers nervously gripped loaned mounted Aspis MK1 rifles installed in gaps along the wooden fences. He peered out past the perimeter beyond that had been cleared of trees, only to see a towering suit of armor. Lines of sharp jolting arcia energy surged to and fro between the seams engraved with the dominating metal plates that encased its owner from head to toe, a fearsome oppressive aura of strength and certainty felt even by the soldiers more than a hundred meters away.

It stood still with its sharp spear's base firmly into the ground, the flickering remnants of an unknown explosion billowing and twisting in the light trails of winds, smoldering leaves floating behind. Next to the suit of armor was a strange lady in combat gear, her snow white hair hard to turn away from while she wore a lighter armor set, a strange cobalt blue falchion strapped behind her waist in a custom sheath.

Strangely enough, the pair did not budge for an instant, not even when more and more of Perlis' soldiers rushed to the walls to mount a defense. Some of the soldiers were utterly confused at what they were facing, the more light-hearted ones trying to make fun of the situation to ease the tension. "There's only two of them! Who's the runt who rang the alarm bell?" A few recruits joked among themselves, finding comfort in their numerical advantage.

Yet the more experienced veterans who had been fighting in the forest for the past two weeks were much more wary. Even the battle-hardened Timor, who peered down his hunting rifle's scope, could not stop his left hand from shaking wildly from seeing the suit of armor in front of him. Already the continuous skirmishes with the less armored enemy had convinced them of their impenetrability, which made this custom arctech knight set all the more intimidating. Can we even hurt this guy?

Count Perlis was far more concerned, but not because he thought that the armor was undefeatable. Is this the rumored Project Guryi by Harrison that was to be shown in the Grand Exhibition? He had not attended it himself, but top military information had informed him of the possibility that this could be one of Harrison's top-secret projects, further reinforced by the sheer lack of fear the pair possessed.

Still, neither side moved, an awkward silence of a minute passing as the soldiers nervously glanced at their scopes and sights while others held their bows at the ready, strings drawn back to fire on command. Before Count Perlis could make his next order, one of the fresher recruits couldn't sustain the constant drawing back of his bow, accidentally letting an arrow fly out right toward the pair. The deadly arrow aimed right at the head of the suit of armor, causing a pit of dread to instantly form in Count Perlis' stomach. Shit!

However, instead of the arrow hitting its target, the lady moved with surprising grace, astounding many of the Perlis hunters. Not even the veterans could control their shock as they watched the lady draw the falchion out in one swift motion, lunging forward to slice the arrow in half from the side, causing the length of the arrow shaft to flex and wobble off-course. The arrowhead sailed dangerously close to the suit of armor's helmet, whizzing off uselessly into the forest behind.

Timor started to clench his hunting rifle even harder with sweaty shaking palms, fear equally gripping his heart as the skill level of the swordlady was far beyond what he expected.

"HOLD YOUR FIRE!" General Kalka roared, equally afraid of starting a conflict with the unknown pair without proper preparation. "HOLD YOUR DAMN FIRE!" Despite his orders, he motioned to a few soldiers nearby to ready the artillery cannons installed in the camp, preparing for the worst.

"S-sir!" A shivering soldier called out to the Count and the General, prompting them to look at the pair again. "He's... he's holding a flag up!"

That flag is the one used for a temporary ceasefire! Count Perlis was taken aback, having been almost convinced that the camp was about to be under attack. While he was confident in his own fighting skills, the same could not be said for his soldiers, who were already weary from the constant fighting. "Assemble my retinue, we shall negotiate with them." He informed General Kalka, who was extremely reluctant.

"Sir, that flag might be trying to lure you within killing range! For all we know, the Versians intend to hold you hostage or kill you!"

"Don't doubt my own abilities, General. They aren't the only ones with a few tricks up their sleeves." Count Perlis joined up with six of his own personal knights, who formed an escort around him as they exited the camp gate with the colors of his noble house fluttering as standards, approaching the pair proper. As he neared, he noticed that the lady had strange purple veins stemming from her mouth, almost as though there was an infection coursing through her throat.

Conversely, he could not see a single detail of the armor's wielder save for the eyes, which had a stern, vicious gaze, almost as though the wielder was ready to kill at the drop of a hat. Each step the knights took closer to the pair increased their fear exponentially, with some of the knights even beginning to tremble like a fresh recruit for the first time in recent memory. Sweat trickled down their skin beneath the cold metal armor they donned when they finally came face to face with the strange couple.

Count Perlis did not feel as much fear as his knights, coming to a stop five steps away from the pair. "We perceive the call for discourse and have responded accordingly." He declared loudly with vigor, following the old decorum of the Yual Dominion in wars of old, his knights forming up behind him.

"We seek a permanent cessation of all conflicts. Your incursion of natural Versian borders is unwarranted, noble." The wielder of the armor spoke clearly and in a grave tone, the lady beside him not uttering a single word.

"This is merely a response to the grievous attack on our sovereignty during our joint military exercise. We will not cease to reclaim our honor without proper recompense." Count Perlis bolstered himself up, trying to get the advantage. "If you wish to negotiate permanent cessation, concessions must be given."

Suddenly, the oppressive aura multiplied tenfold, a crushing weight enveloping Count Perlis and his knights, causing even Count Perlis's lower lip to tremble slightly. It only lasted for a brief moment, disappearing as quickly as it had appeared and leaving them utterly confused as to what had just happened.

"We are open to negotiations. Perhaps we can discuss this in a more fitting location, such as your central fort." The wielder of the armor shockingly relented.

Count Perlis was flabbergasted by the proposal. Doesn't he know that I have him outnumbered in the camp? They must be desperate for the ceasefire. Sensing a potential win without sacrificing more troops, the Count agreed, leading the pair back to the camp and ordering General Kalka to set up an area for discussions. As the pair entered the camp, the towering height of the armor was even more impressive up close, many of the soldiers gaping in awe at the sheer weight and size of it all.

They were led to a simple wooden room in the fort, away from the main battle planning hall where simple chairs and a single table was arranged neatly. The knights and swordlady stood guard outside the room, keeping each other in check while Count Perlis sat down opposite his opponent. The wielder of the armor suit removed his helmet, his sharp, young and handsome features surprising Count Perlis greatly for a different reason.

"You... you're not Versian!" Count Perlis exclaimed.

"And who said I must be?" Kyle had a small smile on his face, though he did not remove the rest of his exosuit, standing instead of sitting on the small wooden chair, which clearly would not be able to handle the weight of his exosuit.

"Are you not of Raktor?"

"The lines of war today are not drawn between homelands, but by ideals."

"Impossible, the Versian army would have never let a foreign Raktor citizen like you join its ranks!"

"And who said I was with the Versian army?" Kyle sighed. "And here I thought you might be a little smarter than the other two Counts."

Count Perlis was about to retort at the clear insult, but a subconscious thought began to rise from the back of his mind. None of the bodies we've retrieved had a Versian insignia. I originally thought that they were a special arm, but their uniform, fighting style, and weaponry are all vastly different from what I've seen from the field army. "So you are the rebels? The so-called 'Ghosts' I've been hearing rumors about. I was under the impression that you had been eradicated in Tenar."

"It seems that even a Yual noble is susceptible to Versian propaganda. As you can see, we are very much alive and well." Kyle let out an exasperated sigh.

"Regardless if you are a rebel or not, you are still the enemy." Count Perlis got back on track.

"And is the purpose of the war to merely eradicate the enemy?"

"War is only won by eliminating the opposition."

"Who exactly is the opposition here?" Kyle motioned outwards with his hand. "Consider the outcome if you were to capture Desham with the troops you have now. Who would benefit the most from the weakening of your forces in the short-term and long-term."

"If you're trying to turn me against Count Leon, it is not going to work." Count Perlis knew what Kyle was getting at. "Yual nobles have a code of conduct, perhaps something a turncoat might not be able to comprehend."

"Ah, relying on the Duke to stave off any conflict. However, military action is not the only conflict that can happen. In fact, I would go so far as to say you are already losing a war of attrition to Count Leon. Your technology and skilled labor are generations behind Raktor, and you have become reliant on the scraps provided by Count Leon. I see that you only have merely ten artillery cannons, a pitiful sight for a noble of your stature. How can anyone put you on the same pedestal as Count Leon? Your economy and population are a fraction of them, your workers seek greater opportunities abroad, and your soldiers falter in the face of mere 'rebels'. Are you content to merely remain as a noble presiding over acres of farmland and hunting grounds, known only for prowess in an outdated practice of combat?"

Count Perlis clasped his hands together, leaning forward with his elbows resting on the table with his gaze intense, infuriated by the remarks of Perlis. "I know your kind, you use deception to sway others to your own goals."

"If the truth is considered deception, then the listener has already been deceived before."

"Get to the fucking point. Who are you exactly? The leader of the Ghosts?"

"Hardly." Kyle shrugged. "I am just a man with a business proposal for you. One that would benefit you greatly."

"I'll be the judge of that." Count Perlis snarled back.

"Despite your denials, the clear favored winner of this war is Count Leon. He is poised to claim everything from Ocra to Tenar and beyond. As soon as he expands his territory, his influence will grow tremendously, far beyond that of Kregol and Perlis. Will the nobility even give you a second glance when the achievements of Count Leon dwarves that of yours? What I propose is an exchange of goods, an exchange of resources. You and I are both aware that the reason why Count Leon ordered you to attack is because of smuggling routes running through the Keru Forest."

"Turning a blind eye to such smuggling activities is non-negotiable."

Kyle pulled out a small little box from a slot in his armor, placed it down in front of the Count on the table, and opened it up. Count Perlis' eyes widened from the sheer amount of jewels that were within, their colorful glint reflecting on his face. One box like this could fund an entire month of my county's budget!

"Earnings like this are ripe for the taking. The people of Ocra value food and water more than anything else, more than their possessions, possessions that we can put to far greater use in our hands. Instead of you standing to earn from this, Count Leon has you positioned to claim a city of no obvious use, yet another backwater agricultural city, while he takes the lion's share of the winnings. Do you see now how much you are losing? Your resources are dwindling, your men are tired and reluctant to fight, and you gain little at the end of the war. Is this really worth fighting for?"

Count Perlis finally got what Kyle was getting at. "You want me to help with the smuggling myself."

"Now we're getting somewhere." Kyle smiled.

"Count Leon has eyes everywhere, he is watching for anyone attempting to deliver supplies into Ocra."

"I don't need you to send supplies in, far from it." Kyle waved his hand dismissively. "I need you to collect the earnings outwards. In exchange, you will get a tenth of the earnings, more than enough to enrich yourself."

"A tenth..." Count Perlis pondered, still enticed by the jewelry box in front of him. "Not good enough. I want half of the earnings."

Kyle's originally open demeanor suddenly darkened, his expression stern. "Don't push your luck, Count Perlis. A tenth is already at the limit of my graciousness."

"I'm the one putting my pride and my reputation. You speak to a Count of the Yual Dominion." Count Perlis pushed back. "If Count Leon were to find out of such an arrangement, my position may be in jeopardy."

"My offer is final. Negotiate the split any further, and there may be unintended consequences." Kyle warned.

"You may be strong enough to crush my troops, but if you do, you won't have anyone to help you smuggle the earnings out. The moment I am defeated, Count Leon will deploy troops here to crush you in your entirety. You are the one who will have to deal with the consequences. Half or nothing." Count Perlis wasn't stupid, accurately pinpointing the crux of the situation behind Kyle.

"Then nothing it shall be." Kyle put back on his helmet, preparing to leave the negotiation room. "It is a shame that we could not come to an agreement. Perhaps we will meet again with more favorable circumstances."

"And who said I would let my enemy just leave like this?" Count Perlis grinned before shouting towards the door, "Knights! Capture the both of the-" His words were caught in his throat as the door creaked open, the decapitated body of his personal knight collapsing forward onto the floor, his neck a bloody stump that spurted onto the oak wood floor. Count Perlis shot up from his seat in shock, looking beyond the door to see all of his six personal knights already dead, killed by the swordlady just moments before he had even uttered a word.

Count Perlis tried to retrieve a serrated bone saw from his belt, but before he could fully pull it out from its sheath, he found the cold glint of the cobalt blue falchion already pressing against his neck, the swordlady covering the distance in three rapid strides, the trailing wind still circling behind her. Trails of blood and flesh from his own personal knights lingered on the falchion.

"Now, let's begin our second round of negotiations," Kyle said calmly as though the twitching headless bodies scattered around the door were merely a decoration. "Are you still insistent on half?"

"T-t-tenth. I accept a tenth!"

"Good. Sasha, enough." Kyle motioned with his hand, Sasha withdrawing her falchion and flicking the blood off it in one fell swoop. Count Perlis felt a bead of blood trickle down his neck from the sharp edge as it drew back. "We will send more information via a messenger later."

Count Perlis gingerly rubbed his neck, the adrenaline pumping through his veins with an accelerated heart rate as he watched Kyle and Sasha preparing to leave. Suddenly he shouted out loud: "Wait! What if Count Leon finds out about the ceasefire?"

"I'm sure we can put up a performance where needed. Something to keep the soldiers busy. Perhaps akin to a light skirmish."

"Are you telling me you're going to kill my men despite the deal?"

"Oh we will make sure it doesn't look too bad. We've had enough practice over the last two weeks. Now, if you would please escort us out of the camp. I certainly wouldn't want to accidentally damage something." Kyle didn't even look back, turning to leave the camp himself, stepping over the headless bodies one by one.

Outside the fort, General Kalka had soldiers line up and surround the perimeter, planning on forcing Kyle to surrender. Instead, they saw a compliant Count Perlis lead the pair out personally, some shocked at Sasha who had been splattered with blood from head to toe. "Hold your fire!" Count Perlis ordered to the nervous troops, before continuing to lead Kyle and Sasha out of the camp as if they were esteemed guests of the highest stature.

Even Timor couldn't believe his eyes, his mouth agape at the sheer deference that Count Perlis was showing to the enemy while they walked past him to the gates. What the hell happened in there? None of the soldiers dared to ask the question out loud, though doubts and misgivings were already lodging themselves in their minds.

Nobody spoke a word, and it was not until Kyle and Sasha were far from the camp perimeter that the tension finally subsided a little. Count Perlis waved off every soldier who tried to ask him about the events in the fort, even questions from Timor, who had long had a casual relationship. Instead, he motioned for General Kalka to join him in the fort, slamming the door shut after him and ensuring that only the two of them were inside.

General Kalka gasped at the massacre laid out in front of him within the fort. "The two of them killed all six?!"

"Not two of them, just one. We cannot afford to antagonize them, General." Count Perlis paced around the hall frantically, clearly distraught by the deal that he had been forced into.

"Just what happened between you and the Versian army?!"

Count Perlis let out a frustrated sigh, explaining everything to the General. "But the critical point to note here is that they are NOT the Versian field army. Far from it. They are a rebel movement, and perhaps there is a way to spin off our involvement should we be discovered."

"But what do we tell the soldiers? Just to stay put?"

"We tell them nothing. Not even a single word of this can leave the fort. Assemble a group of trustworthy soldiers and have them carry out the smuggling route. The rest shall merely screen the Ghosts in Desham, engaging in a few bouts of combat to keep up the facade." Count Perlis put a plan together. "We might not be attacking now, but a hunter never strikes when his prey is strong. We need to wait for an opportune moment to strike - but now is not the time. We shall play along first and earn what we can."

"Understood. I'll have that group ready by tomorrow." General Kalka prepared to leave too, but Count Perlis raised his hand to stop him, his eyes still clearly bothered by the headless bodies scattered near the door of the meeting room.

"And one more thing... get those who know how to keep their mouths shut to clean up this mess."

The moment the news of the agreement reached back Desham, the Ghosts training in the barracks was equally confused. "Wait... so do we have a ceasefire with them, or am I still allowed to shoot at them?" One of the more inexperienced recruit asked Feldon as they were still practicing movement drills, moving from cover to cover.

"It's an unofficial one. Just 'act' like you're fighting. And if you get killed by any of those outdated imbeciles, your name will join a list of dumbasses. Got it?" Feldon smacked the recruit on the back hard. "And you will call me Sir for the duration of your training. Is that fucking clear, you twat?!"

"Yes, sir!"

The moment Kyle returned to Desham, he had Feldon and Sasha gather in his office at the barracks, removing his Version 0 exosuit and resuming a more comfortable attire. Despite the custom fit of the exosuit, it did not allow him to sit down properly, at least not on a chair that had not been designed to hold its weight. "We'll begin preparations for combat immediately. Feldon, get three teams of engineers and lay traps all along the Keru Forest."

"Huh? Didn't we just come to a ceasefire agreement with them?"

"Always expect the worst. Count Perlis is a well-renowned hunter who is adept at survival. The moment we show any sign of weakness, he will strike with full force. Consider the traps as an investment for a rainy day."

"Explosive traps allowed?"

"Approved. Make sure none of the workers in the Forest are affected by it." Kyle then turned to Sasha, who was still splattered with blood. "Sasha, I need you to gather people who can handle high accelerations without puking or passing out."

[How do we test for it?]

"Whatever method you deem necessary. Have at least twenty of them assembled by the end of the day."

[Understood, sir.] Both Feldon and Sasha gave a curt salute before heading off, leaving Kyle alone to continue his investigations at the workshop, where Hayden was still struggling with the crystal of the mineral ant commander, struggling to activate it in a prototype metal plate. She wiped the sweat off her wrinkled old forehead, clearly exasperated by the lack of progress on the crystal.

"Does the extractor not work?" Kyle was surprised that the crystal did not work as expected.

"Hardly. In fact, it does not seem to respond to any engravings I've tried. This is definitely not your ordinary basic arcia crystal."

"Hmm..." Kyle had yet to hold the crystal in his hand yet, having assumed that Hayden would have easily fixed it given the blueprint of the Aspis MK2 repeater and railgun that uses such engravings. He picked it up with his bare fingers, examining it closely.

Hardened Basic Arcia Jewel

Something lies hidden beneath the surface.

Not your average crystal.

The strange jewel was slightly larger than the basic arcia crystals he had harvested from the noxious salamander. Arcia crystals were generally colorless and translucent, but this one had a slight tinge of amber yellow to it, with unknown black streaks from within its center out to the surface as though it was the vessels of the heart.

Kyle too attempted to slot the jewel into the prototype slot as well, the engraving hardly lightening up. "What did I just tell you?" Hayden complained with sheer exasperation, almost letting out a defeated groan.

"I needed to see it for myself."

"Insanity is doing the exact same thing and expecting a different result, and I am 100% insane right now." Hayden pulled off her gloves, tossing them to the side as she unilaterally decided to take a break.

Kyle was hardly flustered by her impromptu decision, instead focusing on how to figure out the secret of the jewel. He flipped it around on all sides, noticing that the tendrils stemming from within were largely concentrated toward a specific direction instead of all around. Keeping that in mind, he rotated the jewel about, determining the correct direction to slot it in but to no avail, the previous prototype he had made only matching standard default sizes.

He spent a bit of time creating a prototype plate and slot for the right orientation, slotting it in nicely. The moment Kyle placed the jewel in fully, the engraving suddenly warped, forming an entangling web around the crystal before overheating rapidly. Before Kyle could reach out to try and pry apart the web, the web began to glow red hot, turning into molten metal that vaporized into the air. Kyle hurriedly shielded his nose and eyes from the brilliant glare, a burning smell permeating the workshop.

As he took another look, he noticed that the jewel had visibly changed in shape, the tendrils within now pulsing slightly with arcia energy in trickling lights that ran the entire length from center to surface. It released an ambient yellow glow, shining brightly. Kyle carefully reached forward to touch it this time with a heavy duty smithing gloves, prepared for the worst case scenario.

A sudden wave of shrieks erupted in his mind forcibly the moment he came into contact with it, as though there were dozens of mineral ants linked with his thoughts and soul. Their voices washed over him in a never-ending torrent, as if they were trying to overwhelm his thinking and subvert him. He hurriedly let go, the sensation disappearing as he took a step back, trying to figure out what had just happened.

The jewel began to die down, the pulsating arcia energy was no longer visible as the jewel's glow dimmed gradually, turning into nothingness as the crystal cracked apart in two, shattering into fragments. The pieces fell off the workbench and tumbled away, dispersing over the floor of the workshop. Kyle sighed in dismay at the loss of the jewel, it being the only specimen he had.

Still, as he bent down to check the damage to the fragment, a sudden message appeared in his view when his fingers touched it.

Ant Core Fragment (Broken)

Rule the ants with a single thought

No skill available unless made whole.

So this is how it commanded the other ants... Kyle didn't have feelers nor an intricate arctech engraving perfectly mimicking that of a mineral ant, so they had no way to test it properly to see if it even worked. With only four dead corpses to go off, Kyle would have to return to the ant's nest and see if it truly worked. He used the time now to work out the inner workings of the jewel, trying to glean some understanding from the shattered fragments.

He traced the layers one by one, gingerly piecing them together bit by bit till he was confident enough to map out the various engravings. Some of the veins or vessels were a complete mystery to him, leaving him completely in the dark to its true usage. With not enough specimens to go on, Kyle was limited in just how much he could research on.

Just as he was about to give up, he heard a strangling scream echoing through the barracks. Kyle was about to exit the workshop to tell Feldon to keep it down, until he realized that he had already sent Feldon away to lay traps in the Keru Forest. Then who is it?

Outside on the training yard, soldiers huffed and panted on all fours as they threw up on the ground one after the other, while the source of the scream came from a hapless soldier being lifted up by Sasha and swung round the exercise field. The hapless soldier had long been knocked unconscious by the sheer amount of swinging he had endured in the last fifteen minutes. Sasha noticed her current target's limbs flailing wildly, immediately dropping the soldier and running off to catch the next Ghost. Immediately the other Ghosts began to scramble, as if they were playing a game of tag.

Unfortunately for them, none of them were fit enough to escape Sasha at full sprint. The smarter ones immediately retreated to their bunks, citing sickness and concerns of suddenly not feeling too good. So this is how she tests for acceleration resistance. Kyle could hardly disagree with the method, approving of her criteria. Soon enough, twenty dizzy but still conscious Ghosts stood as steadily as they could in front of Kyle, Sasha having a big satisfied smile on her face with the selection, completely ignoring the wheezing and puking soldiers left in her wake. "I didn't even ask to be tested..." One of the groaning soldiers moaned in despair from the abrupt spinning.

The twenty soldiers were brought inside the workshop, Kyle leading them to a series of armored coffins that were slightly larger, big enough to contain a human. He had them choose their coffins, the order sending a wave of horror through the Ghosts, some of them wondering if they were choosing their own instrument of burial. Still, Sasha's glare was enough to get them to comply, and each of them found a coffin that fit their size.

Kyle cleared an area in the very center of the workshop, shifting the workbench areas and donning his exosuit fully. The confused soldiers were still in their coffins when Kyle motioned for Sasha to close their lids tightly, sealing the coffins fully as if they were now the supplies to be delivered to Ocra.

Before one of the soldiers could complain, Kyle grabbed his coffin with one hand and lifted it up with ease, his Version 0 exosuit hissing from the heat expended by the arcia crystal. "Don't faint," Kyle ordered the soldier inside, who was utterly lost as to what was happening. Yet he had no chance to ask a question, his coffin being shot upwards all the way to the high ceiling, eliciting a panicked scream from him as he began to fall. The other soldiers stared with wide eyes through the slit in the coffin while watching their comrade speed toward the ground.

Just right before the coffin hit the ground, Kyle caught the coffin in one hand, spinning the coffin over to his other arm and launching it high again. He repeated this for a few times until the soldier inside stopped screaming, before moving onto the next soldier.

Strangely, as he swung the second coffin right up, he heard a shuddering boom, a tremor rocking the ground a little as dust shook off the high ceiling, wafting downwards in streams. Don't recall throwing that hard. He deftly caught the returning coffin, but looked up to see no hole in the ceiling.

Instead, Feldon's voice came in urgently over the radio. "Sir, we have already laid a few traps, but there's a problem!"

"If Count Perlis is attacking now, stall him until I arrive. The traps should hold him back long enough."

"No sir, Count Perlis isn't making a move - Our scouts are reporting that a Versian army is approaching Desham!"

<---Chapter 137 - New Front | Table of Contents | Chapter 139 - Battle of Desham (1)--->