TBATE | The Brightest Light and The Darkest Night [Discontinued]

A Test of Strength II

||Arthur Leywin||

I walked out of the portal which evaporated behind me. My eyes returned to their normal appearance and we were right in front of the meeting room.

"So this is where you guys have been." Mika said in awe as she scanned the entire underground city. 

The Staff Headquarters is positioned in the middle of a sloped wall of of the city where we could get a good but not entire view of the city. The Quarters itself was like a bunker, drilled into the wall itself and the only way to get to the top here is a set of stairs that is fortified and guarded at the entrance and up here.

I presented my lance ring as well did Mika and we were allowed to enter the room without that much issue.

I knocked on the door with a specific patter before pushing the two doors. We were met with the usual faces of high command, the officers, the heads of their respective departments, and the lances of course.

Everyone was very busy that they didn't give Mika that much attention, but Virion and the o lances stared with a comforting gaze at her.

"Just watch for now. There's a lot to catch up after all." I informed her.

She nodded and instinctively went with towards the other lances, while me and Sylvie went to the right side of the large table. The table, like before, had a detailed map of Dicathen populated with little figures signifying each unit or adventurer's party. The frontlines of the map were drawn in blue while the tunnels were in a red color. 

Despite the bustling atmosphere that signified a sense of urgency and tension the meeting was yet to start. Finally Virion stood from his seat and cleared his throat like always.

"Now that everyone is here, we shall continue with planning for 'Operation Javelin'", Virion said glaring at everyone across the room then staring back down on the map "To start things off, I've heard that the three generals have something urgent to share with us all."

Fraust Fauvim, the chief of operations stepped up first.

"Yes, it concerns about the foundations of Operation Javelin, commander." 

"It's about the Alcryans, something is off. We all know that Alcrya has more might and manpower than us, estimating of 1 Dicathian soldier to 2-4 Alcryan ones. Yet despite this the only massive armies we have observed were about at least twenty thousand confirmed numbers at the battle near Maybur City, another force consisting only this time of fifteen thousand near Shidj and a few thousand in each encampment and city we took only had ten thousand soldiers per garrison." Shultz quickly followed up.

"We believe that the Alcryans-" Orcrad anxiously suggested.

"Are planning on a feigned retreat. Our limited manpower despite our exceptional speed in logistics can be seen by the enemy, they plan on giving us a false hope that we somehow weakened their army and will counterattack once we extended our front already." I continued, I was expecting I would get a cold glance from them, but surprisingly the three generals agreed with me.

"Exactly." Shultz replied.

"So it was the right call that we went on the defensive then?" Varay inquired across the table.

"Correct, although we should make adjustments to the plan. There's no telling that waiting the enemy out would work, they'll attack either way." Meliquis said, joining the discussion.

"Etitsin, despite its constant resupplies won't hold out for much long." Virion added stroking his small beard, "Its obvious that they'll use it as a means to coax us to attack."

"Our options are tight here then." Marcus said with a sigh.

"That won't be that much of a case." Fraust replied after pondering for a while.

The rest of us perked up and glanced at him. I wondered what he could've been thinking but then I realized it.

"They bait us, we bait them back." I muttered under my breath.

Despite my whisper Fraust clearly heard me.

"Exactly Leywin, it's like you can read my mind. They bait us, we bait them back" He complimented me with a smile.

"Not exactly sir, it was just an obvious answer after all." I replied.

"We give them exactly what they want, they fall for it thinking we've fallen for their scheme." Orcrad added to further explain.

"The question is though, how will we convince them that we're committing a single point of our forces towards an attack?", Bairon inquired us pointing at the map, "The enemy is smart, I'll give them that. Surely they would sense something is wrong if we just focus an army on one point, its too good to be true for them."

We all pondered and discussed how it would be done, the brainstorming didn't take that much of a long time and the plan was almost complete. Operation Javelin was a foundation of countless hours poured in by us, we made every plan detailed as much as possible and made countless contingencies. I ditched the making the plan half-baked, realizing it was such a foolish mistake, and a complacent one.

"This is the final stretch of the operation, this plan will be carried on a week from now. So prepare now while you can gentlemen. I see to it that there will be nothing else left to be added, Raise your right hand if you are satisfied with the plan." Virion said with authority.

We all raised our right hands in response. I could feel the determination emanate from everyone around here. Everyone in this room had a major role for the upcoming final assault.

I had a habit of being the last person in the conference room because I simply admired the atmosphere it brings and the overall look of the room. Sylvie and Regis went off to the house, I could hear their thoughts and feel their emotions, always excited when coming home.

"Brat, being here for all day long won't get you anywhere. Although I must thank you for all that you've already done. You alone helped us get to where we are now, and in such a short amount of time." I hear Virion behind me.

"Thanks. Although you're right, I've got a lot of time to do things."

"I assume training is one of them. You may be strong but you always had this discipline within you. I wonder where you got that?" He said to me. I short a smirk back at him and continued to walk and study the whole room, each step having a faint creak as I step on the wooden floor below.

"Arthur, I know I keep repeating this but.... What are you exactly?" His tone was now serious, I felt the sudden change in the mood.  I stopped walking, and the creaking stopped as well.

"What do you mean by that?" I turned around to face him.

"Rinia didn't expect you at all. She revealed something, you're the only person she knows that she can't read. She expected the Indrath to help again, but she didn't expect you. Because you weren't in her vision, only a silhouette of a man."

I was silent and looked on the ground.

"Arthur, I'm sorry", Virion approached and reached for my shoulder "You don't have to answer me if you don't h-"

"It's fine Virion." I stroked his hand placed on my shoulder, "I wasn't being honest with you this whole time. I, I'm different." I responded to him with a hesitant voice.

He gave me a puzzled look.

"Gramps, my story begins, well before I was even born." I leaned on the counter behind me. I was reluctant at first but I knew it was time for him too, to know about King Grey.

"Would you believe me if I say that this isn't my first time living?" I stared at him, my sharp gaze piercing his eyes despite the sorrow residing in it.

"The truth is like the sun.  You may be able to hide it, but it will never disappear. There will come a time that it will shine at everyone, and the more people look at it the more blind they will become; For the world seen in the dark, will look different once the sun rises."
                                                        -A random shower thought I made-