When the Roses Bloom Again by TheBlack'sResurgence

Chapter 52

Creature Discomforts

With the muggles having drawn their own battle lines and settling in for the duration, the land in which the wizarding forces was currently contesting had become decidedly less safe, and Gellert found himself facing quite the predicament.

He had seen what the muggle weaponry was capable of, and though several miles lie between them and his men, that was not nearly enough distance to ensure their safety from errant shells courtesy of both the Germans and Allied troops.

"We cannot shift our position unless we retreat," Weber sighed. "To do so would leave us immediately vulnerable to the ICW forces that would arrive. They have lookouts that will immediately alert them, wards that will take several minutes to disassemble, and traps that would be devastating to our numbers. Only yesterday one of my men was killed whilst he scouted the southern French border."

Gellert nodded his understanding as he eyed his map.

Marked out in red were what he considered to be danger zones, everywhere west of his men's current position in this case.

"So, you suggest we remain where we are?" he asked.

"I do," Weber replied, though not happily. "We risk potentially being bombed or otherwise inadvertently losing men to the muggles, but to make an attempt on a better position would see many more being slaughtered. I cannot even fathom how many would die from such a move."

Gellert hummed.

The numbers advantage was all he had, and he did not wish to risk losing that.

The size of an army could be a deciding factor in the months to come and losing so many would do little for the men's morale which was, according to Weber, on the decline.

Warding against muggle weaponry was an unpractised, and uncertain art.

Handheld firearms would present few problems to protect his men from, but the artillery was another matter entirely.

With how destructive, dangerous, and unpredictable these were meant there was little hope of nullifying the risk they posed.

Warding, as with all branches of magic, had its limits, and these hadn't even begun to be explored when it came to modern muggle warfare.

Gellert certainly didn't have the time nor resources to do so.

His focus was very much on breaking the stalemate between his forces and those of the ICW.

If such a thing was even possible, it could take a team of experts years to figure out how to ward against the newer muggle technologies.

"Then we must remain where we are until the deadlock can be broken," he muttered more to himself than the others. "The men of the ICW are at just as much risk. But how to wear them down enough that they're forced to give up their positions? We cannot continue to expect our men to hurl themselves at their defences without results."

"Then don't send the men," Cassiopeia broke in thoughtfully. "The filthy little man Perseus found who is obsessed with creatures…"