Chapter 16: Gambit
Under Valandus and his knights' protection Kyle and Mr Devro made quick time to the headquarters where the members of the united Guard had set themselves. The building itself was a large warehouse like structure that was set at the edge of the incursion grounds. The simple structure was now the sight of an unending battle. A powerful barrier had been erected around the local area pushing back the fog and outside it groups of knights created hunting parties made to thin the oncoming demons. Their quick attacks and rotations ensured their safety and energy as much as possible while they were supported by an array of riflemen and machine guns. Under the lead of the Captain they had managed to get as much equipment as possible to solidify the defences and seeing their success, it was clear the plan had been formed long before the event itself.
Still a way to go Valandus halted at the border of the battle hiding the group in an alley. He waited patiently and in response a flash of light glanced in their direction.
"Everyone ready!" he gestured forward commandingly. "Go!" On his signal they all began to run. The demons immediately caught on to their sudden appearance and turned to hunt the new isolated prey but before they could chains of light broke around them. Then came the burst of cannon fire blocking their path. The demons however were particularly agitated and from the depths of the fog beyond appeared in number.
"End it."
"Liar."
"Traitor."
"Join us."
"Free us."
"Let go."
Kyle blocked out the sounds of their advance and focused on running. The demons had come frightening close but at the same time supporting groups of knights joined them and fended them away. Finally they crossed they managed to cross the defensive line and the demons were forced back by the hail of bullets and magic.
"That was close," Valandus breathed heavily as they slowed to a walk reaching the barrier.
One of the knights nodded, "They were even more aggressive than usual. Why?"
"Don't know and it doesn't matter," Valandus responded. "In fact we should count it lucky. Their actions pulled them to their deaths. Kyle you okay?"
"Yeah I'm fine," the young man responded easily.
"Really?" Valandus eyed him dubiously. Even the knights who had come with them were out of breath.
"I've been through a lot, comparatively that was much easier." Kyle faced the knights around him, "Thank you everyone."
"Not a problem ma'am," they saluted proudly. Kyle didn't have the heart to correct their mistake and moved on.
"Where's the Captain?" he looked to the sky where Lillia was still fighting. Despite the thick fog she could still be seen and alongside her was the frozen Primarch. She had been up there for a long while now and although she looked fine he knew that time wasn't on their side.
"This way," Valandus gestured towards the warehouse. "Mr Devro you might as well come to."
"Oh can I?" the director who had just caught his breath was pleasantly surprised. "I'd love to."
Inside the headquarters the full extent of their situation became clear. The large spaces were filled with the injured and in some places the dead. The medical staff on hand simply weren't enough as they ran from end to end trying to ease whatever suffering they could. It was clear they were on their last supplies. Then there were the nervous civilians who had been trapped inside the barrier. There was a surprisingly high amount and possibly more still out in the city. Under the pressure of the battle outside many of them had already fallen to despair.
"At least we still have a place to run to," Valandus said as they walked through. "Our ammunition supplies aren't looking too good and at this point we have more injured than uninjured."
"But we still have a way to win," Kyle observed the room with firm eyes. "Lillia hasn't given up."
Valandus clasped his shoulder with a hopeful smile, "Exactly. I didn't join the Hero's Guard to die and neither did anyone else here. The Captain and the others are just past this way."
To call it a secure room would be a blatant lie. If anything it was slightly better than a marked off corner having the addition of some last minute walling. Two guards stood by the entrance and as Valandus nodded to them they stood to the side. The small space was enough to fit a decent sized table enough to hold a map and the people who stood around it. 1st Officers Bethial Vonteur, Leela Lin and Pelmont stood at the far end, beside them was another 1st Officer that Kyle didn't recognise. He had a handsome face and carried himself well, clearly confident in himself. Opposite the members of the Heroes guard were those wearing different unifroms. An older man wearing the robes of a magician with the emblem of Elmori City across his front. Then there was the representative from Lavise, a female knight with a serious expression. She wore the familiar black armour and had her helmet tucked beneath her arm. The other two wore the colours of Elleneste and Trentheim each donned with their particular armour. The four states and the Hero's Guard gathered in one place.
Bethial spotted them first and looked up with relief as Kyle entered. He nodded to Valandus in thanks before addressing them, "Kyle, Mr Devro welcome. We're glad you survived."
1st Officer Leela smiled to them both, "I'm so glad to see you right now. I can't even comprehend the fallout if either of you died."
"Well Kyle here protected me," Mr Devro gave him a nudge. "He's stronger than you give him credit for."
The remark caught 1st Officer Pelmonts attention, "Is that so?" His eyes looked Kyle up and down clearly spotting the marks of battle that had seeped into his skin and clothes. "Looks like you went through quite a bit."
"I did," Kyle nodded. "But that's not important right now. Do you have a plan to end this?"
"Hold on there," the handsome 1st Officer interrupted before anyone else could speak. "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm 1st Officer Urza of the Hero's Guard in charge of Central defence. It's a pleasure to meet you Kyle."
"Ah yeah...," Kyle nodded towards him awkwardly. Silence followed as no one else decided to introduce themselves, most likely too tired for pleasantries. "Umm, so is there a plan?"
The Lavise knight narrowed her eyes, "Exactly my question Captain Vonteur. Or are my knights simply going to sacrifice themselves for nothing."
"Calm yourself Irene," the old magician from Elmori said softly. "We're all stuck here together. The Hero's Guard has the most experience with the demons. Be patient."
"The only reason that's true is because they never let anyone else in unless they're desperate. And look where that's got us," she glowered.
"I agree," the Trentheim representative nodded. "We came to help but in all honesty our Guards aren't up for all this. We can't take much more."
The Captain listened to them patiently and in response addressed Reina who stood in the corner, "What's the current situation?"
The secretary nodded, "Our analysts are still trying to discover why the demons are appearing as they are. So far they've noticed it's some type of ritual spell which means there has to be a core. Where that core is however, we don't know. It may be moving."
"And our fighting strength?"
"We're running at less than 40% of our optimal levels. Due to the fog we've lost contact with many of our smaller bases and traversing the battle grounds has become almost impossible. Our supply lines were cut by the barrier. Within half an hour we'll no longer be able to defend ourselves as we have been."
The Elleneste representative frowned, "And our chances of escape?"
1st Officer Pelmost growled, "Escape? If we run now we give up the rest of Elmori City and if the fog spreads... who knows how much more we'll lose."
"I'm being real here Officer. I can't allow myself to die here. I still have my own city to protect."
"And if Elmori falls the demons will have a clear springboard to attack the rest of our cities."
1st Officer Urza raised his hand, "Allow me to suggest a plan then. Time is of the essence but we still have enough fire power to launch a powerful attack. Instead of looking for a core we can't find, why not throw everything we have at the Primarch? In the past we have not been able to injure them effectively as they move their core sporadically within themselves. However with the Hero freezing it in place, we'd have a good shot."
Reina paused in thought, "It could work."
"Do we have a visual on the Primarch's core?" Bethial asked.
The 2nd Officer flicked through her clipboard, she grit her teeth, "It's right by the Hero. If we were to fire, he would be in the strike zone." Silence filled the room. To fire at the Hero would be considered sacrilege.
One however accepted it. 1st Officer Urza with a seemingly grim face spoke, "It's our best option. To look for the ritual core could take who knows how long. If we can remove the Primarch this whole situation could resolve itself."
"You would dare to say such a thing?" the Captain glared at him.
Urza locked eyes with the Captain, "He is the Eternal Hero and has survived much worse. He is our saviour after all. We should have faith in his ability." Kyle flinched. What he said was true, but that was only if the Eternal Hero was just that. The Hero however was Lillia, someone much more fragile.
Irene the Lavise representative nodded, "It's our chance to end this. I say we believe in our Hero."
1st Officer Pelmont's muscles clenched, "No, that isn't something we can do. Urza you should know better. We cannot fire at the Hero."
"If he is as infallible as we believe it should be fine," Urza spoke calmly and the representatives of the other cities agreed. For a moment Kyle believed he couldn't have known the truth about the Hero, or else he would never suggest such a thing. It was when he noticed Valandus' glare of anger that Kyle realised the truth. As a 1st Officer he had to know. He was using the belief of the other states to agree with him, even knowing the consequences. Lillia would die.
"You can't!" Kyle shouted. All eyes turned to him. The old Kyle's nerves would have caused him to falter, but the him now couldn't fail. His brain began to heat, trying to find a new way out. "Ki-killing the Primarch won't end this."
"How do you know?" Trentheim's representative asked.
"That's-," he paused only for a moment. "Let's think about it. If that was all it took to end this then the Hero would have done that. A Primarch is strong but the time taken for the Hero to face it wouldn't justify this barrier. This barrier is to stop something else, something that would cause too much harm if the Hero had to be distracted by the Primarch."
The Captain was quick to latch on, "Petty Officer Barker is completely correct. There has to be something more. Killing the Primarch may even make things worse."
1st Officer Pelmont nodded, "To fire at the Hero and expend all our ammunition is too dangerous of a gamble. Whatever is spawning these demons seems to also be making that Primarch stronger. Our role is clear. Find the ritual core and break it."
The State representatives murmured but accepted the logic.
Urza however frowned, "And how do you suppose we find the ritual core. The fog has made it near impossible to navigate the grounds."
Kyle raised his hand, "About that." He had been thinking the entire time they had entered the room and hearing Reina's remark about the ritual, the pieces in his mind came together. The way the demons rose from the ground was different from before and while the others hadn't seen it, Kyle had. It was the same as the demons from his dreams. Though the two demons looked nearly nothing alike, their bodies were made from the same black substance.
"What is it Kyle, did you see something?" Bethial looked at him on equal footing. The representatives of the other states were clearly dubious but under the Captain's pressure said nothing.
"What Reina said was right. The core may be moving and most likely it's attached to a demon, probably a Type S."
"Did you see it?"
"No... but I think I saw evidence of it." He really hoped his assumptions were true. "On the way here I passed by several of Lavise's knights they were killed by a sword. What we're looking for isn't an ordinary demon but one that is more human. They'll be about three metres tall with thick black armour and in the centre of their chest should be a black orb." They were the same ones that he had seen Estile vanquish in his dreams.
"That's very specific Kyle, are you sure you didn't see it?" the Captain eyed him unsure what to think.
"Please trust me on this."
The Lavise representative Irene scoffed, "You can't really be thinking to use that information can you? There's no proof that-."
Mr Devro held his camera up, "Actually I recorded it. We did find your knights dead. Why they were there however we wouldn't have a clue."
The representative's eye twitched as if wanting to ask a question but held herself back, "Regardless it's too dangerous and even if that Type S demon does exist how are we going to find it? The central field is where the fog is thickest. The space out there is no longer normal. If we haven't seen it so far, it means it's hiding."
Bethial paused before making his decision with a nod, "We just have to look for it. Even if Officer Barker's information is off, it's something we can still use. No matter what, we still need to find the core."
Kyle hesitated before speaking and slowly raised his hand again, "Captain another thing. I may have a plan to find the demon."
"Speak."
"I think the demons are attracted to me. We could use that."
1st Officer Urza scoffed, "As if we could believe that!"
Valandus straightened beside him, "It's true sir. The demons, even those which kept their distance, came running once we were in the open. In fact we managed to clear a large number of them because of it."
The Elleneste representative frowned, "And you decided to hide this information from us?"
"We just arrived. Also having my comrade parade as bait is something no one else should decide," Valandus' stare caused the man to back down.
The Captain spoke calmly and slowly, "Kyle if what you said is true, you would be put at incredible risk."
1st Officer Leela showed her concern, "You don't need to do this. Your role isn't combat related. Are you sure you want to do this?"
"I do." Although the youngest in the room Kyle's determination was clear. "Of course I don't want to die but this will be the fastest way to find the core."
"That's assuming the core is on a demon like you said," 1st Officer Urza stated in clear disbelief. "If the demons swarm you and there's no core in sight, you and everyone who follows will die. Surely we can't risk everything on a plan spoken by someone barely an adult?"
Kyle hesitated. He could bargain all he liked with his life but he couldn't do this himself. Not just the members of the Hero's Guard but also the other states would go with him. Even if he was right, they could all die.
"It's a risk we must take," Bethial stood strong. "Our men have trained well. It's dangerous so only volunteers will be asked for, but Kyle you will not go alone."
"And if you fail?" Urza asked.
"Then do what you must," the Captain spoke firmly. "Reina ready the guard. We sortie in 10."
"Yes sir!" the secretary saluted and marched out of the room.
Kyle saluted as well, "For the Hero and our world."
"For our world and the Hero," the response echoed from everyone.