The Fire and The Storm - The Nexus of Kellaran #2
Chapter 174

Part 25

"The warehouse was a huge stone dome half buried in the ground with no windows and only one entrance that wasn't a tunnel to the lower levels, and that entrance was just a tunnel from the building next doo with big double doors at the end. We had more than enough assigned to it to beat the demons inside there, but only a few of us could get through the doors at once, and we couldn't just bring the warehouse down on them, because it would take too long to dig through it after, and the demons in the tunnels would probably breach the secondary defenses before we did.

"Everyone the Sylvan had sent down the tunnel to the doors so far had been slaughtered by all the demons inside, and that's when they disobeyed orders to send any more in. They'd formed a perimeter outside the tunnel and they were all trying to shoot arrows and whatnot and cast spells into the door, but the demons had it pretty well Shielded so they weren't killing many of them.

"I got there and explained that we had to get in there and kill those demons or we were going to lose the whole city and all the civilians in it. I came up with a plan where we'd breach the roof of the warehouse in three places, because that was all I figured we could do without bringing the whole thing down, then we'd rush through all four openings into the warehouse, and I ordered them to get to it.

"Their commander flatly refused, and he asks who the hell I am that he should have to listen to what I said, when I was obviously just a child. He also pointed out that we'd probably lose twenty thousand of his Sylvan before this operation was finished, and I knew he was right.

"And suddenly it struck me, maybe he was right? Was I given command just because of my family and my power, both of which were of little use right then?

"I thought that there must be some of them who realized the necessity of doing what I was saying, and I scanned them to see if there were any who would speak up to support me. There were none. They were all right on the edge of either throwing themselves into the breach in a berserk and suicidal attack with no strategy, or just quitting the battle and running away. They'd taken too much pain over too many hours, they'd all have been dead a dozen times without my Healing spell, and the fact that they knew it was just an exercise wasn't enough to make the difference.

"We'd been fighting for more than sixteen hours already then, and I was really hungry, and I really had to pee. I was angry and scared and tired, and I knew there were a lot of hours left in the battle yet. "And I faltered completely. I almost started crying standing there. In the middle of a battle, while I was supposed to be exerting command, I called my mother. Some commander I am."

"And all I had to do was cast a mild Tranquility on you." Alilia pointed out with a smile. "That was enough for your determination to overcome your doubts. You told them rather forcefully that you were Princess Valentia Longstrider of Hilia, that you were duly authorized to command them by the military authorities of The Just Alliance, that you had a combat effectiveness score of over two hundred and forty million with an intellect to match, and that while the stupid rules of this exercise prevented you from using that power against the enemy, no one had said that you couldn't use it to discipline some stupid and insubordinate troops, all of them at once if necessary. And they shut up and listened.

"And you enacted your plan and led them in a costly but victorious fight to plug the breach into the city."

"Yah." Val giggled as she wiped her tears away and tried to get her mood back to normal. "And I cast a little funnel of Force inside my underpants with a tiny Gate in the bottom to the ocean just outside this cove, and I had a nice pee right in the middle of the fighting. And after that I went and got something to eat."

"Which you wolfed down in five minutes and got back into the war." Alilia said with a laugh. "You're an incredible little warrior and commander, and we're very proud of you, all of you. All you children were incredible today."

"Seven-year-olds are allowed to have moments of weakness, you know." Mark told her with a chuckle and a gentle caress to her cheek.

"And I want you kids to know something. Like all parents, we are determined, and have been since before you were born, that we were going to do everything in our power to keep you out of danger. But we knew that it might not always be possible, so we decided that we were going to do everything in our power to ensure that you could defend yourselves against anything, in case we couldn't be there to protect you. That's why we've had you, or should I say let you, engage in all the military training you've had.

"But know this and know it well; you are only seven years old, and there is no way I am going to allow you take part in any real battles like the one we fought today until you're at least sixteen years old, which is the minimum age for military conscription for humans. You're too powerful and valuable to our military effort to leave you out completely, so you can float out in the void near the sun where the power is strongest, far from the enemy, and cast millions of automated attack spells to your heart's content. Which is where you're most valuable anyway. But we also have your personal and emotional development and well-being to consider, and I think that no seven-year-old should even have to go through the exercise we went through today, let alone the real version of it.

"If I had known what today was going to be like, I'd have seriously considered keeping you kids out of it. I probably wouldn't have prevented your participation if you'd insisted on it, but I'd have considered it. "Having a better idea of what close combat with demons is really like, there's no way I'd allow you to face it in reality until you're old enough, unless it was absolutely and completely necessary."

"I agree. I'm not doing that again." Val stated decisively. "We're good commanders, but our leadership isn't so crucial that others couldn't have done it. I'll take part in the exercises for Strike Wizards and the ones with the gods, but not ones like today. As you say, I'm only seven years old, and no one can make me do it. I'd do it if they let me use all my power and not hold back, but not otherwise."

"Me too." Fire nodded as she wiped away fresh tears.

"Me three." Six added with a giggle.

"You know Val," Karz mused, "Fire and Six have their own command style, but when you're leading troops it's almost like you're speaking for your parents."

"Oh?" she asked.

"I've noticed the same thing." Povon agreed. "When you're being encouraging you sound like a young female version of Mark, and when you're cracking the whip you sound just like Alilia commanding her elves."

"Oh, well that's good then." Val smiled. "Of course, Karz' command style is exactly the same as Kragorram's."

"I do try to emulate Father exactly that way." Karz chuckled. "I like Mark's style, which seems firm but friendly, wise and decisive yet almost inappropriately casual. When he goes into battle it's like he's saying; all right everyone, lets go deal with this problem.

"Alilia has a somewhat regal and demanding expectation of obedience that's entirely suited to her, and her people respond to it eagerly since she's so decisive and her tactical judgment especially is amazing. She instantly knows to a soldier how much force she needs to deal with a problem with the minimum of losses to her forces, and she sends that many and not one more.

"They both lead from the front and are inspiring fighters, even when limited as they were today.

"But when Father goes into battle, you know that he's determined to make the most valiant, brave, and noble effort against the forces of injustice that anyone has ever engaged in. I just love his old-fashioned, consciously and inspirationally valiant nobility, and the almost spiritual outlook he has toward his craft as a warrior and commander.

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