254 Under Attack Yet Again (2/2)
”AAAAAHHH!!”
Jack's jolting scream was heard from across the camp, alerting the official and the captain of danger. Sadly for them, they were looking around the camp and near the manor walls, not behind them.
Without any noise, a dagger was thrust through the officials throat, forever silencing him without letting him know how he was done in.
The captain turned back to speak with the official about the sudden shout but was aghast at what he found.
Blood was draining from the official's throat, trailing off the dagger and dripping to the ground. And behind the official, he saw that same infantryman that delivered the message but the soldier's eyes were glowing bright red and flames were gathering around his outstretched hand.
”Cyclonic Flame.”
”Aaahh!” Being roasted alive and reduced to cinders caused the captain to spend his last breaths in agony, alerting the rest of the camp of another anomaly.
The tent also went up in flames, threatening to burn down the rest of the camp. However, the neighboring tents had no chance of escaping the fire as Daliea set fire to all nearby tents with no regard to who was inside.
With everyone focused on the fire and stopped the spread, Like Jack, Daliea altered her disguise and blended in with the confused troops.
*****
'I'm screaming in 3…'
Grateful for Jack's countdown, Rydel relaxed his breathing temporarily and easily followed Jack's timing.
'2…'
Not having to think quelled Rydel's nerves momentarily. His hands remained firm and on target.
'1…'
One last breath, long and deep enough to keep Rydel backing out of his portion of the mission.
*****
”Dirk, you know I trust you more than anyone, but you know that Loire is more than capable of such a simple task.”
”General, it's not that he can't complete the task. What I fear is that he's too easily goaded and distracted to understand the urgency of his assignments, especially during such a critical situation like now.”
General Toms leaned back in his chair, taking Assistant Dirk's words into consideration. ”Maybe you're right, but he's already left. All we can do now is wait for the man, though I think you're right about him getting distracted again, given how late he is.”
”General, I think we should back off and allow these troops to regroup with our units posted on the border,” reasoned Dirk. ”It would show that we haven't broken the war pact yet it would still provide the extra push we need to break their front lines.”
”Dirk, you misunderstand our objective.”
Toms scratched his neck and stood up, meeting Dirk's gaze at eye level. ”We're not trying to break their frontline. What we're after is a complete and total invasion. We've already proven that we can break the front lines, but with the aid of this secret army we can storm Trodar and burn it all as we pass over it.”
Slightly stunned at the general's frankness, Dirk blinked. ”You mean…”
”Correct. We're not trying to break their frontline. We're trying to cripple Trodar to the point that their people give up. So what if we break the war pact? That only matters if we fail, which is impossible so long as we strike now.”
”But General, what's the point of winning if we gain nothing from it?” asked Dirk.
With a chuckle, General Toms answered, ”Victory. That's all that matters. The winner is made king, and the loser is vilified. No matter what it takes, success is all that matters in the end. Don't let your own personal morals get in the way of results. That's something that Loire has mastered, unlike you.”
”I…” Unsure how to respond, Dirk took a moment to think.
”AAAAAHHH!!”
”What was--”
”Aaahh!!”
As Jack's initial shout reached their tent, both men turned toward the front of camp instinctively. Dirk's reflex to question the situation was fast, but not as quick as General Tom's shout in pain.
”General!” Mortified, Assistant Dirk caught the falling General Toms. He found the arrow that had pierced Toms back and attempted to remove it.
”N-no! Don't touch it!” General Toms gritted and went stiff from the pain as Dirk grabbed the arrow.
”But General--”
”This isn't an ordinary arrow… I can feel something… seeping out of it…” Toms broke into a heavy sweat. ”I'm not sure… What happens if you remove it.”
”But--”
”Warn… The camp… But don't leave me… It's happening again…”
Reaffirming his resolve through the general's pain, Assistant Dirk shouted at the top of his lungs and with all the might of a lv. 36, ”WE'RE UNDER ATTACK!”