Count Leon fumed internally as he examined the war map. His generals were silent, afraid to antagonize the Count or fuel his rage any further.
“Explain to me again why we cannot pull back to Raktor.”
“Sir… our forces are already locked in battle at the front-lines towards Tenar. Giving up the invasion and retreating means wasting all of the lives, ammunition and equipment used so far.” A general meekly explained.
“Has the Duke responded?”
“He is willing to offer three divisions to help quell the unrest, though at a… cost. Of sorts.”
“A cost?”
“An increase in taxes paid to him on a yearly basis.”
“That fucking old scoundrel – on his death bed and still wishing to fleece everything I have? I already pay more than a quarter of my earnings! Reject the offer!”
“But sir –“
Count Leon waved his armored hand, cutting the general off. “He no doubt is going to utilize the incident to hold a favor over me, while increasing his influence within my own city. How fast can we push towards Tenar?”
“With the supply lines of Raktor compromised, we can’t make any big pushes now – the men would starve and run of ammunition as well as arcite fuel.”
“What’s the update on the siege of Ocra? Have they starved to death yet?”
“No sir, in fact, there have been reports of increasing standard of living in the town. Some of our spies report that there is a burgeoning black market in the town.”
“Is it by the same Versian special force that has been hitting our supply corps?”
“It is unclear sir, but whoever is behind it is able to evade our blockade with ease.”
“Haven’t we already blocked off all the smuggling tunnels, as well as controlled the river?!”
“Yes, we have…”
Count Leon’s anger soared even higher. Nothing was going right in this war – it was meant to be a blitz. Based on his original estimates, he should be able to seize Tenar within the first two weeks. However, it had already been more than a month, and they were only halfway to Tenar, unable to break through the resolute defences of both Ocra and Tenar.
“Sir, there is one piece of good news.”
“Which is?”
“The tunnels under Ocra are nearly completed. We should be able to take down the walls in one fell swoop completely.”
Just as Count Leon was about to smile for the first time in a long while, a sergeant burst into the command tent. “Sir, there’s an intruder in the camp!”
“Intruder?!”
“Yes sir, but he’s not attacking anyone. He claims he wants to meet with you alone.”
“How did he even get in?”
“That’s the thing sir, we don’t know either!”
Count Leon and his entourage rushed out, only to see an armored exosuit, standing in the center of the camp, his hand grabbing an obviously tortured prisoner, wearing a Versian military uniform. The Raktor soldiers all aimed their repeaters at him, ready to shoot at a moment’s notice.
A general was flabbergasted, quickly whispering to the Count: “Sir, that prisoner – he’s wearing the same uniform as the Versian military unit that hit our supply convoy. The Versian special force.”
Instead of giving the order to shoot, Count Leon’s smile became even wider than it had ever been in the last month of the war. “Stand down. All of you.”
“What?! But sir…”
“I’ll meet with him alone in my tent.”
The armored exosuit followed the Count, dragging the unconscious prisoner along the floor under the watchful eyes of his entourage, who all were extremely wary. Yet they could not help but feel a strange sense of danger – as though if they were to attack the armored exosuit, they would die in an instant.
As soon as the two of them were alone in the tent, Count Leon turned to face him, his hand on the hilt of his arctech sword. “If you’re going to try and assassinate me by using one of your fellow comrades as a gift, I suggest you think twice.”
“Not here to kill you. To negotiate. I heard you have issue with your supply network.”
“So you’re the one running the black market. Let me guess. Ghost of Tenar?”
“Astute.” The armored exosuit took off his helmet, revealing Kyle’s face for the Count to see directly. The Count’s eyes widened before a wide grin appeared on his face yet again. “This should be the first time we’re meeting face to face.”
“It is, Count Leon.”
“I’ve heard many things from Baron Cain about you and your gang.”
“I hope it is only good things.”
“I’m afraid not.”
“The military contract for weapons was just business. I had nothing personal against you.”
“And what about the raids on my supply convoy?”
“A side-effect of the nature of war. Let’s cut to the chase – you’re in trouble.”
Count Leon glared at Kyle. “Thanks to a certain someone.”
“We both know I was not the only one targeting your supply convoys. Both the Versian Military and the major gangs had a hand in it too. The way I see it, there are four players in this war.”
“You consider yourself a player? You have nothing other than the prisoner to negotiate with. As far as I am concerned, I should have you killed right here and now.”
“Instead of fighting against each other, I can help you take Tenar in one single push. Before even any of the other Counts can follow through.”
Kyle wasn’t wrong – the three Counts were effectively in a sort of race to capture Tenar or as much of Versia as possible. Each of them were invading from their respective borders, trying to gobble up as much land as possible before any one of them took over the capital.
Naturally, this meant that the level of cooperation between the three of them was very light, with only information being shared among the generals who led the three separate warfronts. If Count Leon could rush forward and capture Tenar before the other two, he would have a de jure right to any existing territory, redrawing the borders to suit him.
However, he remained skeptical of Kyle’s proposition, who seemed clearly unbelievable and impossible. He scoffed in reply: “Many of my generals have said that before. How are you going to do better than them?”
“I’m sure you are curious as to how am I getting into Ocra to supply the black market while evading your blockade. What if I can do the same for your troops? Imagine your forces with unlimited supplies. You can wipe out the Versian military with a series of rapid strikes.”
The alluring prospects tempted Count Leon slightly. It was true that he was currently stalled, with no clear way of pushing through the defenses of the Versian military. The inability to capture Ocra also made the supply lines tenuous at best, forcing Count Leon to divert resources to protect them.
If what he is saying is true, then my troops will have the ability to fight harder than ever. However...“You must have made a lot of money from this war, with your profiteering for the black market.”
“Only reason why I can stand in front of you now today.”
“And yet you are offering to end the very cause of your increased wealth.”
“I too am at my wits end, Count Leon. Just a few days ago, I was attacked by the Versian Military.”
Count Leon racked his brain, trying to recall all the prior movements reported by the Versian Military. “You... you were the ones who repelled the Versian military at Desham?”
He had already known about this battle, himself being incredulous that a peasant uprising was able to thwart an offensive operation by the special Nest division of Versia.
“So I believe we have common ground. A common enemy. We are both taking losses in Versia and in Raktor, to a combined alliance of Versia and the major gangs of Raktor. If we do not help each other, we will lose in totality.”
Count Leon didn’t want to admit it, but he had drastically underestimate the ambitions of the major gangs. He was already well prepared to face the Versian military, but he did not expect the major gangs to turn against him and be on par with the enforcers.
“What exactly do you want out of this alliance? What’s your goal?”
“Survival. I too am being attacked on all sides. It is in my best interest, and perhaps yours as well, to unite our different strengths.”
Count Leon pondered for a moment, silence filling the tent.
“Explain how the plan would work.” Count Leon finally spoke, with Kyle grinning internally, knowing he had already hooked the Count.
“I will redirect supplies from the black market directly to your troops. Food, water, basic supplies, potions, weapons, you name it, I’ll get it to the front-line. I will also provide information and observation on movements of the Versian military in real-time, giving you a clear advantage.” Kyle explained.
“That’s not going to be enough to crack the walls of Tenar.”
“I have people inside already that can assist in letting Yual soldiers infiltrate. You can capture the government buildings in a single raid, effectively netting you a win.”
“Timeline?”
“In one single week. Starting from now.” Kyle stated.
Week?!“That’s ridiculous.”
“Not really. Your troops are only a few dozen kilometers away from the capital. Three victorious battles away from routing the military and having them retreat to Tenar. While they are scrambling in retreat, your infiltration squad will work with my insiders to overthrow the government.”
Count Leon considered the plan again, but until he saw tangible results, he was reluctant to put all his faith in Kyle. Kyle no doubt is seeking his own gain – I can tell he is not one to listen to orders.He had zero trust in Kyle as a person, the two of them never having worked together at all. He did not even trust his fellow Counts; how could he trust a small-time gang leader?
Though he admitted that Kyle seemed to be dependable. Count Leon had no doubt Kyle was competent. He recalled that Kyle had only appeared in Raktor not more than a few months ago, and for a man to rise to this station to become a significant player in a war, he had to be of certain aptitude. Count Leon also could not deny the military strength of Kyle, who was able to force a Versian military division to retreat.
“Fine. I agree to the plan. But I will only execute it when the supplies come in – not before.” Count Leon finally relented.
“Not a problem. You will have your supply network ready by tomorrow.”
They hashed out the smaller details, with Count Leon assigning representatives to handle the logistics and delivery timings as well as list of requested items. Count Leon knew that most of it was going to be simply things that were originally from his own supply convoy, stolen by Kyle.
However, the alternative was a failure on either the Versian Front or the Raktor uprising. He needed to crush the Verisan state in one complete move and swing back to quell the uprising. With Kyle’s help, he could accelerate the timeline and get out of this rut.
Kyle soon left the camp, walking away into the distance and disappearing through the forest. The Raktor observers and scouts failed to catch Kyle as he picked up speed, shaking them off immediately.
“He must have some form of transportation – a fast one that can traverse great distances without being caught.” Count Leon explained the details of the new plan to the generals.
“Perhaps it is a wyrm of sorts, one that can camouflage into its surroundings and be well hidden.” One of the generals wondered, but the others were far too excited at the military possibilities that this new supply network would bring.
It meant that they were no longer restricted to roads nor infrastructure to push the army forward, reliving the strain of logistics on their shoulders. Despite the infectious enthusiasm, they were still worried about Kyle himself. “Sir, would he not turn around and betray us eventually? Once we capture Tenar and solidify your rule, the biggest thorn in your side will be him. Allowing him to grow will be detrimental in the future.”
“Of course it will be. Which is why once we capture the government of Versia, all of your orders are to kill him immediately.”
