Chapter 730: Final Preparations

There was a palpable tension in the air that morning. It had been growing for weeks, a constant undercurrent that could be felt most in quiet moments. But as the sun rose over the camp that dawn, the anticipation rose with it. Everyone, from vaunted general to lowly cook, knew what had come. The day had arrived.

They had reached Kastoria.

The city was, technically, still ten miles away. A big enough distance that the demonic stronghold could not be seen over the hills, but also so small a separation that there might as well not have been one. And yet, it had been vitally important that the final campsite before Kastoria was positioned at the range that it was. That was because, once the fighting started, it wouldn’t stop. Not until one side, or the other, was defeated.

Demons didn’t sleep. They didn’t eat. They didn’t rest. Demons would attack, and attack, and attack until there was nothing left to attack. Or, if they were clever, they would wait. They could wait indefinitely, if they wanted to. Suspended in unnatural patience, a Demon could wait forever for the right opportunity. All of which meant that sieging Kastoria would not be like sieging a city occupied by mortal forces. They couldn’t block off supply routes and wait for the enemy to starve. Nor could they expect surrender. The attackers had to overwhelm the enemy defenses and take the city by force, crushing all opposition before their own power was bled dry by the defenders. The attack would be continuous. But that didn’t mean it had to be a foolhardy rush, either.

It would take the Voltonian army approximately three hours to cross the ten miles that stretched from the camp to Kastoria. Ordinarily, they could have done it in a third of that time, but they were forced to march at the speed at which Tiernan and the mages aiding him could make the ground safe. It was once they were within a mile of the city that they would be at their most vulnerable. Other than small parties of wild Demons wandering the desolated hills, the enemy was keeping its forces held back within the city walls. That would change once Volto’s soldiers were within range. And until they could set up defenses of their own, the army would remain vulnerable.

Which was where Jadis and Wilhelm came in.

“The priority targets are the colossal charybdis,” Wilhelm called out, his voice easily heard above the noise of the bustling camp. “Jadis’ efforts have already removed a fair number of those Demons, but our scouts estimate anywhere from ten to fifteen more inside the city. For the ground teams, remember that your first duty is to survive. The aerial teams will handle taking out the charybdis. You only need to draw attention. The more Demons you slay the less we will all have to fight later, but your lives are infinitely more valuable than any Demon’s death. Understood?”

“Yes sir!”

The shouted reply from the elites gathered was loud and strong. Standing behind Wilhelm, Jadis felt a swelling of something like pride at the sound. The feeling of purpose and confidence was contagious. They were ready to take on the world, and they would win.

Jadis would settle for a city, though.

As Wilhelm continued to review the plan, Jadis swept her gaze over those who were assembled before them. Including the avatars who had heeded the call for war, the Nox Clan mercenaries and the various other elite mercenary groups that had been hired, and the higher CLR soldiers who had volunteered for the duty, they had approximately one thousand individuals gathered for the mission. A small force when compared to the tens of thousands of Demons who defended the city, but a powerful one when you looked at the raw number of levels stacked across them. Wilhelm had spoken truth when he had said survival was more important than killing Demons. That was why only the strongest had been called for this pre-siege skirmish.

Naturally, that meant Fortune’s Favored were among the crowd.

“Alright, high-speed runners with me,” Noll barked out his order as he raised one fist in the air.

“Heavy defense here!” Ludger called out a moment later, moving to the other side of the assembly.

“Flyers with me!” Jadis shouted, seeing no need to hold up a hand when everyone could see her well enough.”

“Healers follow me,” Jocelyn’s soft voice struggled to carry over the growing din.

“Archers, get the fuck over here!” Kerr cursed while pointing a clawed finger at a small group of priests. “And you four! You’re with the Oracle! Move your fucking asses you putas!”

“Mages,” Aila shouted loudly enough that she could be heard over Kerr’s curses. “Gather on me!”

“Specialists, in your own time,” Sirio called out dryly, though it was hard for Jadis to tell if anyone heard the Lares’ grumble.

The participants of the forward assault had been divided up into seven teams that categorized the various purposes and duties that the individuals provided. Of course, just because they had made separate teams, that didn’t mean that they would be fighting separately from each other. The Heavy Defense crew would compromise the majority of the assault force, with the Healers, Mages, and Archers backing them. The Runners were the fastest overland and therefore would serve to cover weak spots and provide rapid transport as needed, while the Specialists would take advantage of unique situations that had the potential to appear, while otherwise serving as additional manpower if required.

As the woman in charge of the Flyers, Jadis would be leading an aerial assault against Kastoria, with a focus on taking out the remainder of the colossal charybdis Demons. The long-range acid attacks of the huge carbuncles were what had doomed the last two attempts to retake Kastoria, so neutralizing their threat was an absolute necessity. The other teams were, at their core, just distractions meant to divide the focus of the city defenders as well as draw out the charybdis Demons with juicy targets before the main military force arrived.

“I’m going to speak with the generals before departure,” Wilhelm said as he turned to Jadis. “Good luck.”

“Good luck to you, too,” Jay wished the Hero sincerely. “I’ll see you in the sky.”

Wilhelm had taken the role of overall leadership of the assault force. With the help of Sabina’s tele-buzzers, he would be able to coordinate the teams as well as keep the main military force advised. Of course, since he was literally one of the most powerful fighters in the world, he would also be lending his blade where needed. However, since he was himself a massive target of interest for the Demons, Wilhelm would be keeping away from the assault force as much as possible, to further divide the attention of the enemy.

As the Hero jogged off to meet with the generals for a final exchange before the battle began, Jay turned her gaze onto the only two of her lovers who would be by her side for the next few hours.

“Ready?” She asked Severina.

“Ready?” her Dys self asked Noct.

“Yes,” both winged women replied.

“Good, because this is about to get fucking crazy,” Syd mumbled so that the others who had started to gather around her couldn’t hear.

Jadis wasn’t entirely happy with how separated she would be from her lovers, at least for the start of the siege against Kastoria, but their positions had been chosen out of necessity, not personal comfort. All of them were as strong as they could be, which was both a point of consolation and disappointment for Jadis. She had not been able to power level everyone to their tertiary class. There just had not been enough time. Sabina was still CLR fifty-six, while Maeve and Noct were CLR fifty-seven. The two shapeshifters had each gained a level in their secondary classes, which had resulted in free attribute points for both. Still, they had all fallen short of the goal of CLR sixty, which Jadis considered to be her fault. Maybe if she hadn’t gone to Weigrun at the last minute, they would have been able to get one or more of them to their tertiary class. Then again, with the lack of free-roaming Demons in the area, it was entirely possible that they still would have missed the mark, regardless.

Either way, it was pointless to fret about it when there was no going back. They had done all they could to prepare as much as possible for the coming fight. That was all that could be asked.

While it was true that they would eventually pull back together to reconnect as a proper team, Jadis and her lovers were divided up for the initial assault. Jadis, Severina, and Noct were the only three who could fly under their own power, so they were the only ones to go on the aerial attack team.

Well, that wasn’t wholly true. Thanks to her unexpected transformation, Alex had wings now, and the power to use them. However, both she and Tiernan were stuck with the main military force, paving the roadway that would lead the army to Kastoria. Neither of them would be in the fight until the marching line had reached the city.

Aila and Kerr were leading the Mage and Archer teams respectively, thanks to their individual power and high CLR more than anything else. Sorcha and Ammy would both be sticking with Aila on the Mage team, while Kerr would be surrounded by many of her Nox clan archers. Noll and his Runners had Meli, Rein, and Terrance in their grouping thanks to their speed. Ludger had Thea, Bridget, Halvor, and Lucia with him, along with Tegwyn, Humbert, and Villum. While Jocelyn was leading the Healers, Eir and Cora were right beside her, as was the Golem Kalliope and the rest of her… troop.

The only assault team that didn’t have someone on it that Jadis personally knew was Sirio’s Specialist team. Part of that had to do with most of her companions and lovers being more suited to other roles, but there was also the fact that there were support positions that needed to be filled outside of the assault teams. Sabina would be piloting the Leviathan, while Maeve would be acting as the coordinator for the tele-buzzer communication system. Conversely, Nevan and Orla would be piloting the Roc. Both airships would be acting as both supply depots and overwatch and thus would be manned by dozens of archers and mages who had not been selected for the forward assault.

“Remember your orders!” Jay called out as she moved her attention from her companions onto those who would be taking to the skies by her side. “Stay out of range! Use your enchantments! Take out any enemy flyers you see! We rule the skies today! Make those fuckers remember it!”

The sharp cheer of agreement that came from the thirty Seraphim who had gathered around her was about as good a response as Jadis could have hoped for. There weren’t many who could fly other than Seraphim, which was why almost everyone on her team was one of Valtar’s children. There were two Dryads, though, who had made the cut thanks to their speed in the air. Eutychia, who could take the form of a huge eagle, and a male Dryad named Kleitos, who could transform into a wyvern.

“Severina,” Jay called out. “A quick prayer, before we go.”

Sev showed her surprise for only a moment before her face smoothed over and she confidently stepped forward. Raising her hands, the rest of the Seraphim bowed their heads, as did the Dryads and Noct. As Severina began a prayer to Valtar, Jadis bowed her own heads and silently made her own prayer to her patron god.

Jadis didn’t turn to D with the expectation of aid. He was a fickle god, prone to tilting the scales in whatever direction most entertained him at any given time. Still, for just a moment, she offered him a few silent words of gratitude. Whether because of or in spite of his interference, Jadis and her lovers had grown strong. Strong enough to handle any challenge that faced them. It was not only chance that had raised them to the heights that they had reached thus far, but at least part of it had been. So, Jadis gave luck his due.

“Thanks, D,” Jadis murmured as Severina ended her prayer.

Summoning her wings, the three of Jadis lifted off the ground, hovering several feet in the air. Around her, those who would be following her into the skies above Kastoria spread their wings and did the same.

“Fortune favor you all,” Jay shouted, her words meant not only for those on her team.

Then, the war began.