Affinity: Chaos

Chapter 2208: Prepare The Army

Grey and Reynolds were summoned only about an hour later. Whatever Sir Astarot had said to the Thunderbird leaders, it had worked. They agreed without further argument.

When Grey stepped back into the large orange-leafed tree, the atmosphere had changed. Five additional Thunderbirds and two Dragons now stood inside, all of them Peak Sovereigns. Their auras pressed quietly against the space, steady and battle-hardened.

The blue Thunderbird did not waste time on greetings.

”Tell him what he wants to know.”

A pure black Thunderbird with cold, sharp eyes stepped forward. ”There are thirty-three Peak Sovereign Gnomes and fifteen Peak Sovereign Necromancers.”

Grey’s expression remained calm. ”And our side?”

”Thirty,” the black Thunderbird answered. After a short pause it added, voice laced with contempt, ”But without their puppets, most of them are trash.”

”Noted.” Grey gave a small nod, then laid out his plan without embellishment. ”Gather as many of their Peak Sovereigns and ensure they bring out their puppets. When I appear, we kill as many as we can once I create an opening.”

For a moment the tree was silent.

The silver Thunderbird tilted her head slightly. ”Just like that?”

”Yes,” Grey reiterated. ”Once the fighting starts, pull their strongest together. The closer they are to each other, the better.”

”And how do you intend to arrive without being noticed?” the silver Thunderbird asked. ”The only humans on this battlefield are Necromancers. The moment a human appears, they will grow suspicious. Your name is not unknown among them.”

Grey reached into his storage ring and took out a small, pure black crystal shard. ”I’m a Space Elementalist. This will solve the problem.”

He had spent a great deal of time experimenting. The shard was one of the results. It could lock onto a precise location and carried a compact array capable of tearing open the void in that area, provided the seal was not set by someone far stronger than him.

He tossed the shard to one of the two Dragons. The Dragon caught it, turned it over once with clear curiosity, then stored it away.

Sir Astarot looked at Grey. ”Are you ready?”

”The sooner this is finished, the better,” Grey answered.

The blue Thunderbird’s voice cut through the tree again, sharp and commanding. ”You seven will return to the front. Inform the others and raise hell. Remember, do not summon him until the Gnomes have brought out their puppets. We have only one clean chance. There is no room for error.”

The five Peak Sovereign Thunderbirds and the two Dragons inclined their heads. The black Thunderbird glanced at Grey once more.

”Expect us soon.”

”I’ll be waiting,” Grey replied.

The seven turned into streaks of light and shot out of the tree, vanishing into the forest in the direction of the front lines.

...

Deeper in the Thunderbird territory, the forest changed.

The seven Peak Sovereigns flew low and fast between the trunks. The further they went, the more the land showed the scars of prolonged battle. Trees stood shattered or burned down to blackened stumps. Smoke still rose from old impact sites, and the usual constant thunderstorm of the region was weaker here, as if even the weather had been battered into submission.

They eventually reached a massive tree stripped of almost all its branches. The trunk was nearly fifteen meters wide. Several Thunderbirds stood on the broad, broken top, their feathers ruffled by the wind.

The two Dragons separated without a word and flew off in another direction to rejoin their own forces. The five Thunderbirds landed on the bare treetop.

One of the waiting Peak Sovereigns looked over. ”What was so important that the leaders called you away in person?”

The black Thunderbird did not answer directly. Instead it asked, ”Have you heard of the human boy the Gnomes want dead?”

A cold light flashed through one of the Thunderbirds’ eyes. A closer look showed that several feathers on its left wing were missing, the scars old but still visible.

”The son of Lucas Dawson?” that Thunderbird said, voice tight.

”The same,” the black Thunderbird confirmed. ”He is here. He will help us take back our territory.”

It gave a concise summary of what had been decided in the orange-leafed tree: Grey’s ability, the plan to force the Gnomes to deploy their puppets, and the order to gather as many Peak Sovereigns as possible for the opening strike. The five of them had been pulled from the front only long enough to provide the numbers Grey requested and to receive the final instructions.

The listening Thunderbirds reacted with varying degrees of surprise.

The one with the damaged wing let out a low, harsh sound. ”What can a single human boy do?”

The black Thunderbird’s eyes turned colder. ”The Clan Leader has already given the order. If this works, we will kill a large number of their Peak Sovereigns in a short time. Both the Clan Leader and Sir Astarot will be watching this place closely to keep the Half-God Gnomes in check. Do not do anything stupid.”

Another Thunderbird, standing slightly apart, gave a short, mocking laugh. ”You lost to the father, so now you want to take it out on the son? Pathetic.”

The scarred Thunderbird’s feathers bristled, but it did not reply. The coldness in its eyes only deepened.

”What now?” one of the others asked.

”Call the rest,” the black Thunderbird ordered. ”Prepare the army. We move soon.”

From their elevated position the battlefield stretched out ahead of them. A vast, scarred clearing ran for kilometers, the ground littered with the corpses of Magical Beasts and Gnomes alike. Broken weapons, shattered armor, and dark stains marked the earth in every direction. The air still carried the faint metallic scent of old blood and the sharp tang of residual elemental energy.

Roughly a hundred kilometers away, the Gnome camp dominated the horizon. Millions of them filled the area. Hundreds of thousands of tents stood in ordered rows, interspersed with larger, solidly built structures that showed the Gnomes had no intention of leaving anytime soon. The scale of the encampment made it clear this was not a temporary raiding force.

....

Inside the largest building at the heart of the Gnome camp, two figures sat across from each other at a low table.

”What do you think made them pull back earlier?” one of them asked, voice mild.

”I do not know,” the second replied. ”But given how quickly they returned and the activity we are sensing now, they are preparing for a major assault.”

The first Gnome’s eyes narrowed slightly. ”I can feel that annoying Dragon’s gaze.”

”Good,” the second said, a cold smile touching his lips. ”It seems things will be more interesting this time.”

A knock sounded at the door. It opened to reveal a middle-aged man with deep, steady eyes.

”My Lords,” he reported, ”the Thunderbirds and Dragons appear to be marching in this direction.”

Neither of the two seated Gnomes showed any surprise. They simply nodded.

”Prepare the army.”