Demi-Human Encampment
Ashen sat comfortably on the plush chair that looked less like a chair and more like a throne.
A quill spun between his fingers, and an ancient-looking yellowed page sat on the desk in front of him.
"It sure is nice to have a roof over my head after all the nights sleeping under a tent..." He absentmindedly mused.
But soon, he got his concentration back on the current task: writing a convincing message to General Rowan that would make him allow demi-human scouts in his territory.
"But fooling General Rowan is easier said than done..." he muttered bitterly.
BAM!
The sound of the door being slapped open cut off Ashen's stream of thoughts. He lifted his head to find Alice taking long steps toward him, her tails swaying uneasily behind her.
"What's up? Barging into my room like this..." Ashen groaned, though he knew she probably had a good reason for coming here so hurriedly. But he could swear the perfect lie was on the tip of his thoughts before she came, and now it was gone.
"This is my house, so technically, it's my room." She informed nonchalantly and continued in a more urgent voice. "Did you already send that one-time message?"
"No, as you can see." He pointed at the still-blank page.
"That's good." She sighed in relief. "We're probably going to need it for something much more important."
Ashen straightened up. "What happened?"
"My scouts brought back news." Alice slid onto the side sofa. "They say that Narkal activities are suddenly spiking up."
Ashen's expression darkened. "Already...?"
Alice nodded. "Normally, this is usually the sign of tribes moving to harass us for a period of time. It usually happens after around a week of spotting them... If we defend long enough while trimming their numbers, the threat will pass, and that is actually what the scouts and the advisors also think..."
"...That's because the Narkals have never attacked on a massive scale, so they didn't even account for the possibility," Ashen figured.
Alice pinched the bridge of her nose. "Yes... and this time will definitely be the possibility that they hadn't accounted for. Persuading them will be a chore."
Ashen let out a bitter chuckle. "Tell me about it... Yours truly, here, now has to convince the human army that they're about to get wiped out anytime now..."
"What do you mean?" Alice asked, brows furrowing.
"Alice, historically, the human army was wiped away before the demi-human army. So I can only think that if the Narkals will take about a week to arrive here, then they'd be less than two days away from the Pride army..." Ashen explained in resignation.
"Ah..." Now Alice understood that things were worse than they'd initially appeared.
Her mind spun rapidly, and she arrived at the most logical conclusion. "You have to ask them to retreat and group up in the nearest fortress."
Ashen shook his head. "That will leave every human settlement free for the Narkals to destroy as they go..."
Alice, however, still stood by her idea, even if it sounded heartless. "If the human army stays there, history will just repeat itself. They will die, we will also soon follow, and the human settlements and beyond will not be spared then..."
"..."
"Since they'd be dead in either case, using them as bait to slow down the Narkals' advancement is better than them dying in vain." Her voice was soft, but the detachment in her tone wasn't lost on him.
Ashen once again remembered that the sweet and loving Alice was only for him to enjoy. Everyone else would only get her most pragmatic and emotionless treatment.
'Well, maybe not only me... the family and Sera are in that circle too.'
He felt her gaze on him and pushed the thought aside. No matter how dark she became and no matter how far she slipped, he'd still love her the same.
"Hah..." He scratched his head. "Well, we're in a fragment of history, so if we get technical about it, they're already dead in reality."
He then simply nodded. "I'll go with your plan. In the meantime, can I leave persuading the demi-human side to you? Even if the Pride army holes up in a fortress, they'd still eventually succumb before humanity can send further reinforcements from the inner domains."
Alice puffed her bountiful chest out, confidently exclaiming, "Of course, leave it to me. That was the plan anyway. The Pride army will try to hold out until we come to the rescue."
"Then it's decided." Ashen took the quill and started writing.
Alice stood up and circled behind him, curious what story he would spin to convince the other side to retreat because of a supposed threat that they could not perceive.
Scribb... scribb...
...But the more she read, the stranger her expression became.
Scribb... scribb...
"..."
"Do you mind if I write this?" Suddenly feeling sheepish, Ashen stopped writing and asked her.
Alice didn't seem to mind what he'd written, contrary to his thoughts.
She faintly smirked. "Why would I mind? It's not far from the truth anyway."
"Ehm, alright then." Ashen took the quill back and refocused on the letter.
When he was done, he casually requested, "Lighter," and Alice's body moved instinctively from the countless times she'd previously lit up his cigarettes.
Fwoosh—
Though this time the fire came in fancier than a mere spark from a lighter. Alice pointed her index finger, and from the tip, a blue fire manifested.
Ashen took the old parchment and let the fire lick its edges. Soon, the blaze swallowed it all, not even leaving ashes.
"Now, it's your turn."
"Don't worry, I won't disappoint you," Alice reassured him.
Ashen nodded and hoped that the plan would go smoothly; otherwise, they'd be dead.
But even then, unease still gnawed at him. The Narkal army was big enough to circle all of the Pride domain, leaving no retreat either to the demi-human empire or to humanity's other domains.
An army large enough to siege such a vast territory... will two armies and one fortress really be enough to resist it?
⛧
⛧
⛧
"Good work, you are dismissed."
"Yes, sir!"
The scouting soldier silently retreated from the general's tent under Rowan's creasing gaze.
"Narkals now of all times..." Morikawa sighed tiredly from the side.
"They're getting restless," Rowan nodded. "This is usually the prelude of one or two big attacks from that side. But we can't afford to be distracted now... Not with the cunning foxes eyeing us from the other side."
The moment he finished his sentence, he felt a burning sensation in his breast pocket. Reaching in, he pulled out a parchment, and when he opened it, he could see words etching themselves slowly across the page.
"Speak of the devil..." Morikawa's sleepy gaze sharpened at once, knowing the significance of that parchment.
Rowan patiently waited for all the words to fully manifest before starting to read slowly.
❖⛧❖
General Rowan, if you're reading this, then I trust this letter reached you before everything goes to hell.
As you've likely guessed, the fact that I used my one chance to send a report means the situation has taken a turn sharp enough to warrant it.
I'll start with what passes for good news. By a rather fortunate twist of fate, and after days of... persistent effort, I've managed to secure the Fox Queen's interest. Somewhere between my charm and my apparent questionable talent, she has grown completely infatuated with me. She listens to every word I utter and spares no effort to keep me pleased.
While amusing, this isn't why I write.
Through the Queen's hidden network, we've uncovered a Narkal force massive enough to obliterate any singular army marching straight in our direction. They'll hit the demi-human camp in under a week, but the Pride army camp lies directly on their path. By my estimate, they're only days away from you—perhaps less than two.
I suspect Cassius Asta, the Astrologer, is pulling the strings behind this sudden movement. I have no proof beyond intuition and the rather convenient timing of his disappearance from the demi-human side just before the Narkals began to mobilize.
General, I'll do everything I can to rally the demi-human forces and crush the Narkals in a pincer the moment they collide with your side. Between her affection for me and the simple fact that they'll be the next to die if the Pride army falls, the Queen will listen.
But I fear your forces won't withstand the Narkals' charge long enough for the plan to unfold. So I urge you—gather the scattered troops and fall back to the Pride domain fortress. Hold the line there and wait for my signal.
—AH
❖⛧❖
"..."
"It seems something big happened, huh..." Morikawa whistled, seeing the rare expression of unease on the general's face.
"...See for yourself." Rowan didn't bother explaining and simply passed the letter.
Morikawa took it and started reading with an intrigued look, and when he was done, his face was torn between amusement and resignation.
"How true do you think this is?" He asked the obvious question.
"Pretty low, if we analyze it logically." Rowan smoothly answered. "The chance of the fox Queen being the one in control here is honestly much higher, not to mention that the Narkals have never shown such a massive movement before..."
"...And your personal opinion?" Morikawa asked again, knowing that his long-time friend considered logic and facts only a facet of countless variables.
"The letter's contents are almost a hundred percent true." Rowan decisively said.
"Oh? What makes you say that?" Morikawa tilted his head.
"...The recent Narkal movements are one thing, but look at this." He pointed at the part about the Astrologer.
"Do you remember Cassius's last mission before he changed?"
"The Narkal infiltration..." Morikawa narrowed his eyes.
"Correct. Ash Harth suspects him due to intuition, but for all we know, he might have obtained a method to lure or even control Narkals from that mission..."
"...If that is so, then the so-called massive Narkal attack wouldn't be so far-fetched anymore..." Morikawa nodded in understanding.
"Also, you and I both know that our dear spy isn't so simple..." Rowan added, his lips edging upwards.
"So, you're willing to bet on him once again." Morikawa raised his eyebrows.
Crick—
"Yes," the general answered simply while getting up from his seat.
"Well, I'll just pray it's a double-up then." Morikawa sighed before lazily standing up in turn and following behind his general.