Living in Me (Sequel to Not Gonna Die)

|Chapter 24| Are you up for it?

          The meeting room in Team Crafted's castle was usually a good size, with a table large enough for everyone to sit down and have their notes out in front of them and still have room for a large map of the surrounding land to be laid out flat. But today, with the Lords and Captains and Generals of seven different armies present, the room felt quite small and cramped.

          Present were all the Generals of Team Crafted, Lords Ghetto, David, Gizzy, Patrick and Dan, Steve, Notch, and finally Captain Andreas, although technically he was General Andreas now, having forgone the titles of Lord or King (the latter makes more sense as Anne was the Queen of the Snow Strikers). Each leader had a second in charge, most of whom were standing to allow the Lords and Generals to sit, with the exception of Mitch and Jerome who leaned side by side with their backs against the wall, watching the conversation from afar.

          The room was a constant hubbub of voices and the scratching of pens as they decided where the final battle would happen and whose armies would move first and what order and what would signal the retreat and the charge and who was assigned to carry what and so on. For a few hours, they were locked away working out the details and when the door to that meeting room finally opened, it was go time.

          Orders were called, items were assembled, carts were loaded, horses were saddled, weapons were sharpened, armour was burnished, hands were shaken and troops marched out for the battlefield. The journey was only a day by horseback but with the added dely of the sheer number of people meant that evening was approaching on the third day when they finally reached the camp of Lords Vikk and Noah, who had been attacking this base over the past weeks, where they would make the final preparations for the battle.

          "You were right," General Mitch said quietly the night before the final battle. He was looking out towards the enemy base that lay silent and dark in the distance, save for the occasion flash of red or green like headlights in the night. Or eyes.

          Steve, standing beside him, hummed and leant on the cart in front of them. "Whatever they're planning, what with the synthetic magic and all, none of the other bases had their equipment, so this one has to have it. That means that they'll defend it with everything they've got and to nearly any cost."

          "Are you sure you can handle them?" Ty muttered to Adam, the two standing on the other side of Mitch.

          "I'll only be fighting Entity," Adam reminded. "Seto and Aramis will be taking on Dreadlord and Acid."

          "And none of you will be fighting them alone," Steve added. "That's the most important thing to remember, that no one takes them on alone. We have to work as a team."

          The three men mutely nodded. This was going to be the hardest fight yet. They had the feeling that not everyone would survive.

          The thought was only reinforced by the constellations of Anne and Hero hanging high above them.

          Morning dawned cool but with a thin fog surrounding the world that was burned up as the sun rose into the sky, already promising a hot early summer's day. The warm light beamed down on the lines of warriors that were forming up at the edge of the ridge that dipped away to create the valley that the black creatures were assembling on. Entity, Dreadlord, and Acid were there, doing final checks as their warriors stood silent, facing the allies.

          Adam nervously fiddled with his leather bracelets as he watched the enemy, making sure that they wouldn't accidentally slip off. The last thing he needed was to lose control of his magic during the battle. He saw Entity look up at the army of Team Crafted, who were going to be at the head of this charge, and turn to speak to Dreadlord, having a small conversation that seemed to end with Dreadlord nodding and Entity slipping into his army. Adam made a mental note to keep watch for red-eyed man as he flicked his eyes across the enemy lines to land on another figure who was striding along.