The Fire and The Storm - The Nexus of Kellaran #2
Chapter 159

Part 24

"The Hilian forces had good success fighting in open void in their last bout." Grakonexikaldoron pointed out. "They used three hundred and twelve attack wizards in the initial stage of it, and that seemed close to an optimum number to deal with the magnitude of the enemy they faced. It gave them more than enough eyes on the scene, and enough variety of attacks to keep the demons scrambling, while being few enough that their support corps could keep their Shields almost impregnable.

"It was a higher concentration of power than we used in the joint Xervian exercise yesterday, and it was measurably more effective.

"However, in both of those cases the magnitude of the enemy was known. All we were told today was that we would face 'a force of demons'. Those operating the recent large-scale exercises have tended to try to make the exercises almost impossible, according to their most recent evaluations of us. And since they have fresh evaluations of both our forces from the exercises we've fought within the last three days. we can't expect them to underestimate us again.

"Today, we can expect the exercise to truly be almost impossible."

"Look, the whole thing is a fool's errand." Six stated as he Translocated into the center of the clearing. "It was worth it for the demons to defend their base on Dehrla in our exercise because they'd dug warrens for more than six billion of them. They'd invested a lot to build them, and they were extensive enough and deep enough to provide effective cover for almost their entire force.

"In this situation, some of us or all of us are going to get trapped on the surface with insufficient cover, and a big force of demons are going to have the high ground against us. The demons are often sneaky in how they attack, according to the Triax battle records that I've reviewed, but they've got no need to be sneaky now, and I very much doubt they'll hold anything in reserve today. They'll throw everything they've got into it in hopes of a quick, overwhelming victory.

"I say we fill the bases with as many of us as we can send as Simulacrums in the time we have. They'll be bait, but they're just Simulacrums. As long as those in them are protected against backlash when the Simulacrums are destroyed, none of us get hurt, and we can just re-cast them whenever they get overwhelmed. We'll also put one or a few real Strike wizards in each base to channel all our power through. Their task will be to put up a convincing fight and kill a lot of demons while drawing all of the demons in as close to the bases as possible without being completely overwhelmed. Then we plant hidden destructive measures, enough to destroy the entire area, and abandon the bases, taking everything of value. We let the demons occupy them and get packed in tight around them, then blow the bases and attack from without with everything we've got to mop up, while we've got the high ground and they'll be trapped against the surface. Even if they abandon the surface and fight us in the void, that's still better than having them above us. If the rest of it goes well we'll only be mopping up anyway, and it should be no problem to kill them all.

"If we can accomplish that much in seven hours, with the amount of help we have available today, we'll have enough time in the exercise's remaining hour to rebuild the twelve bases and restore the surface of the moon.

"Then we win."

"I'll vote for that." Povon announced after a short pause.

"As will I." Somonik agreed.

"And I." Mark nodded.

"And I. We have command consensus." Tithian stated.

"We'll help with casting Simulacrums, we're getting pretty good at it." Fire offered.

"You will, and you and your father and brother will be our Strike Wizards at these three most critical of the forts." Somonik decided as he indicated the three spots on the map. "If your sister was with us she would be most useful, but the importance of her work excuses her."

In another four minutes everyone's place in the plan was decided, and they began to fill the forts with Simulacrums.

In the minutes before the exercise began, Mark toured the twelve forts, considering each of them most carefully with all his concentrated awareness, and magically augmenting his memorization of their construction and contents.

"What was that all about?" Kragorram asked in the final expectant seconds, as Mark took up his station above the central fort.

"Just some insurance." Mark chuckled in reply.

As it turned out, it was a valuable precaution. Almost every member of the Xervian forces were extremely formidable, and while there were only about a billion of them they were bolstered by the Drawn power of The Hidden Nation. They wielded power almost equal to Mark's forces, almost doubling the power of the Kellarani taking part over their previous exercises.

But the enemy was more than twice as numerous as Mark's forces had faced in their previous war game. Worse, the greater demons were almost half the enemy force, rather than a tenth as they'd been the last time, and there were hundreds of DemonLords, rather than dozens. In total, they wielded eight times the power of the horde Mark had last faced.

Six's plan worked as well as could be expected. They held the forts as long as they could, killing demons by the tens of millions, and with the occupation of the forts by the demons and their subsequent destruction, only half the demon force survived. In the final minutes of the exercise they'd lost only twenty-seven Strike Wizards as well as innumerable Simulacrums, but there were still over three billion greater and lesser demons and most of the DemonLords remaining, all of whom had abandoned the moon to fight in open void. The six hundred or so Kellarani Strike Wizards had to Translocate randomly and constantly to avoid becoming englobed.

In the very final minute Mark cast his 'insurance'. He expanded his collection field to thousands of kilometers wide and cast a simple but supremely powerful Restore spell on the destroyed forts. There was just enough time to occupy them with a few hundred personnel each before the exercise ended.

The simulated demons both living and dead vanished as time expired.

Mark quickly checked with the organizers, then called to everyone in the Command Link; "We are triumphant!"

He was answered by the mighty cheering of the victorious billions; a thunderous psionic shouting in the silent void.

Far less than a thousand of them had been physically present at the battle, but they were all called up to the surface of Blenda to see for themselves the devastation around the newly-Restored forts before the area was cleaned up, to get a feel for the place where they'd battled remotely, and to take part in the debriefing and evaluations.

Once that was done, those who had attended the command meeting before the exercise were called back to The Valley of The Senate by Pakdag.

"That was an impressive demonstration." the war god stated, but both his gravelly voice and his grim expression showed that he was displeased.

"We won't hold your literal interpretation of your objectives against you. Though you did not hold the forts for the entire exercise, it could indeed be said that you held them at the end. More importantly, if this exercise had been a battle, the demons would have obviously fled or been slain to the last, eventually. You were steadily devastating them in the closing minutes.

"You slew over nine billion greater and lesser demons and thirty-four DemonLords while sustaining losses of only twenty-seven personnel, and without divine assistance. That is a far greater achievement than we expected of you. It seems the probability of our victory over the demons grows greater every day.

"But less than seven hundred of you actually took part in the battle. And while your use of Simulacrums was brilliant, fighting as a Simulacrum is not the same as being present in the thick of warfare. It doesn't train your forces' courage and determination to as great an extent, since all those who fight that way are comfortable and safe from harm, and only a few million took part in even that limited manner.☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐☐

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