- - -

『』= Info

《》= Attribute

『』= Skill

【】= Sub-Skill

〘〙= Status, Combat Arts & Magical Spells

〚〛= Internal Thoughts

- - -

Chapter 8

The Strands Linking Good and Evil

- - -

Part 1: Intervention

Part 2: Duty

Part 3: Carnage

- - -

Part 1: Intervention

At the Phoenix Consortium’s Monitoring Centre they run an uninterrupted 24 hour schedule. The over 80000 units of the 8 AIVRE Systems distributed throughout the Major Financial Centres of the world are coordinated at Phoenix Consortium’s Monitoring Centre. The AIVRE Systems are located at the Major Financial Centres in order to Guarantee Electricity and Internet Connectivity.

The Phoenix Consortium had spent an incredulous 1.25 Billion Dollars on 8 AIVRE Systems while other VR platform operators bought 1 or 2 AIVRE Systems. Simulating an entire galaxy required a ridiculous amount of computing power and the 8 AIVRE Systems with over 80000 units arranged to parallel process were barely enough to meet Phoenix Consortium’s requirements.

Realm Eternal had to succeed. The Phoenix Consortium and others had invested an unreasonable amount of money in Realm Eternal and thousands of employees livelihoods were at stake; the leaders of Phoenix Consortium had to make Realm Eternal a financial success.

- - -

And so at Phoenix Consortium’s Monitoring Centre there was a little more than consternation and concern as they watched the current situation unfold; a major war was brewing in the Realm Eternal and the system supervisors and operators at every level held a crisis meeting.

There are at least 75 line managers in the room. COO John Bernard signals that everyone who’s supposed to be there has arrived; CEO Donald Wiseman speaks once everyone is in the room.

CEO : " So how bad is it?"

COO : " It looks like a war is about to break out in the middle of Open Beta"

CEO : " No chance the users will simply take it as something we put together?"

Manager 01 : " Sir; Realm Eternal is supposed to be a simulation, and so it will look bad if people think we can create something like a large scale war!"

Manager 21 : " Sir; The selling point has been that Realm Eternal is not a Game!"

Manager 41 : " The Users must be made to understand that we can’t control what happens in the Realm Eternal."

CEO : " Why did we make it so that we have no environmental Control?"

COO : " It was the only way to create a Simulation that the Natives of the Realm Eternal would believe to be real"

Manager 07 : " We tried other methods but the AI’s quickly picked up on the inconsistencies."

Manager 15 : " So we put together a completely realistic Alternate reality simulation."

COO : " To the Native Inhabitants the Arello Galaxy is real!"

CEO : " From what I understand that’s the problem isn’t it?"

Manager 01 : " Yes; the Demons are reacting to the introduction of users!"

Manager 03 : " The Demons were planning an attack but events forced their hand!"

CEO : " You didn’t see this coming?"

Manager 09 : " The Data coming out of Realm Eternal is enormous! We didn’t build a God program because we didn’t want the problems associated with an overarching control program that the other VR platforms are experiencing."

COO : " We wanted it to look and feel like a natural occurrence!"

CEO : " I see why the others chose to make VR Games!"

COO : " Unlike an Alternate Reality Simulation VR Games are relatively easy to manage and construct."

Manager 51 : " You could populate a VR Game with simplistic NPCs that don’t break their constraints."

Manager 67 : " The First group of Natives were actually Users Employed by us, and we used their brief time in Realm Eternal to map their personalities in order to use it as a basis for the Real Natives of Realm Eternal."

CEO : " And the Natives don’t remember?"

Manager 34 : " To the Natives that was more than 3000 years ago"

CEO : " We can’t use those options again?"

Manager 01 : " Once the Alternate Reality Simulation went active we could no longer interfere."

CEO : " If a large scale War breaks out a lot of users will have a Bad Experience; Bad Experiences are Bad for Business!"

COO : " We’ve employed 32000 people at $450 a month to act as our Eyes & Ears and where necessary our Hands. They are like other users in the employment of companies, and the use the bulk of our 40000 linked Pods.”

Manager 01 : " However the Phoenix Legions won’t be combat capable for at least a year in Realm Eternal"

CEO : " Then we have to warn the Users!"

Manager 21 : " Warning them may interfere with their role playing experience, but if we don’t warn then the natives will use them as cannon fodder."

COO : " Our Intel says that in 9 Towns the Users have all but taken control of the Town’s defence."

CEO : " Famous Guilds from MMOs?"

Manager 42 : " In 8 of the cases but the ninth is an enigma"

Manager 37 : " Starlight Spark; It’s the only User Clan to survive an encounter with Demons."

COO : " Didn’t some of our Legions survive encounters?"

Manager 42 : " Yes but our legions have some of the best Gear money can buy; so Starlight Spark achieved what can be called a real victory"

Manager 37 : " 2 of the other 8 User Clans use similar tactics to Starlight Spark"

CEO : " Which ones?"

Manager 12 : " That would be The Crimson Hand and Winged Sage Falcros."

COO : " Isn’t Winged Sage Falcros lead by the woman they call the Lady of Nora Lake?"

Manager 17 : " The very same! She was famous in Ancient Magic and was declared a Supreme Beauty at COMICON 2 years ago."

CEO : " You said something about similar tactics?"

Manager 37 : " They use poison Gas Grenades; all three have generated over 500 Gold using this method"

CEO : " Are we looking at an Alliance of Clans?"

COO : " If they gain more influence than our Phoenix Legions we will have no choice but to ask them for assistance in the future. We must make sure that our Phoenix Legions have the most influence with the Natives!"

CEO : " Are you thinking about starting a User War?"

Manager 05 : " The Phoenix Legions might get a Bad Reputation and we would loose our ability to influence the events."

Manager 01 : " A better option is to cooperate with this Alliance of Clans and any Future Alliances. There’s no gain for us if our Phoenix Legionnaires are sent to Chaos Island for Unlawfully Killing Users or worse Natives."

COO : " Then we reach out to them!"

CEO : " Especially this Lady of Nora Lake; someone with that kind of Star Power amongst Users can be very useful."

Manager 01 : " Understood!"

CEO : " Warn the Users about the War!"

COO : " That’s all for today!"

The crisis meeting was brought to an end.

- - -

Part 2: Duty

In the bunker that is the headquarters of the Vhon Garrison Elrick, Lord Marques Vhon, Sir Norin Vhon, Sir Jove Valding and a few other Clan Chiefs were watching Holographic Screens that streamed images generated by Runic Detectors from around Vhon. Elrick now understood why the first instinct of Vale officials was to pull back to the safety of the Towns; they had superior Situational Awareness.

The Runic Detectors were doing their job and from the safety of the Town they could monitor up to 50km around Vhon with relative ease. Elrick wondered if the Vhon official were watching the Battle of Twin Peaks from this bunker, and he cringed as he thought that Lord Vhon and the others were watching as he casually sacrificed a User Group in order to save his own skin.

Elrick looked at the clock

『Clock』

『07:50』

By Elrick’s reckoning they were under an hour from their attack. They would hit the Demons just as they were about to settle in for their morning sleep. Sir Vhon and Sir Valding had confident expressions, and it relieved Elrick’s heart to know that proper veterans had such confidence in his planning. Though skilled in information analysis Elrick’s isn’t a Soldier and he knew it.

Suddenly something on the screens roused Elrick from his thoughts.

- - -

Right before their eyes a Darkness was rolling in. A Darkness was closing in on Vhon from all sides; starting some 5km from the edge of Vhon’s Psionic Barrier. Elrick immediately noticed the look of horror on everyone’s face and at that moment he knew that something horrific was underway. The speed of the Darkness left no room for hesitation; action had to be taken.

Elrick thought that it’s best to break the tension in the room.

Elrick : " Well that’s a thing!"

Sir Vhon : " That’s too much 【Shadow Magic】 for Serpent-Men!"

Elrick : " So that’s 【Shadow Magic】?"

Lord Vhon : " It’s called 【Shadow Cloak】, but there’s too much of it; more than I’ve ever seen!"

Sir Valding : " That means the true source of Evil is about to Reveal Itself!"

Elrick : "Shouldn’t we be taking action?"

Sir Vhon : " We don’t have sufficient 【Light Magic】to contain that much 【Shadow Cloak】; the Psionic Barrier will stop it!"

Elrick : " I’m not talking about the 【Shadow Cloak】, I’m interested in the ones producing the 【Shadow Magic】."

Lord Vhon : " But our Runic Detectors can’t locate someone using 【Shadow Cloak】?"

Elrick : " Then we Use Area of Effect Attacks!"

Sir Valding : " Elrick; I like the way you thing! We’ll detonate the furthest Runes!"

Elrick : " Why not all the Runes outside?"

Sir Vhon : " An explosion that size would level …!"

Lord Vhon : " Everything Outside!"

Sir Valding : " And the Vampires with it! Excellent! Brace yourself it’s gonna get a bit rough!"

Alarms go off as Sir Valding starts the count down to Detonation.

5….4 …3 ….2….1 ……….

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!

GUGOOR! ….. GUGOOR! ….. GUGOOR! ….. GUGOOR! …..

The entire Town shakes as the Psionic Barrier reflects the blast energy outside shielding the Town from the massive Explosion. Fire, Smoke and Dust form a mushroom cloud that rises to the skies around Vhon. A concussive wave spreads out in all directions; simulating high level 【Sound Magic】 that destroys everything in its path.

Elrick : " Are the detectors still operational?"

Sir Vhon : " No!"

Sir Valding : " Lieutenant; have the Mages use their Familiars to drop Fresh Detectors!"

Elrick : " Pin down the Main Army!"

Sir Vhon : " Yes; best not to let them take a breath!"

Lord Vhon : " Target main Army; Fire Artillery!"

Sir Valding : " Rockets; Fire!"

ROOSH!..... ROOSH!... ROOSH!...

DOOM!..... DOOM!..... DOOM!..... DOOM!.....

Rocket launchers and Artillery Cannons Fire.

As the attack on the Serpent-Men Army begins ahead of schedule Elrick focuses his attention on the displays, he recognizes that the Serpent-Men Army isn’t the immediate threat; the Vampires outside the Gates are a more formidable foe than Elrick anticipated, and he believed that survival was impossible.

Elrick : " Why would the Vampires be leading the Serpent-Men Army?"

Sir Valding : " They are High Level Demons After all!"

Lord Vhon : " It explains the Wyverns!"

Elrick : " High Level Demons?"

Sir Vhon : " They are not Devil Spawn like the other Demons; like Dragons they are Elf-Born!"

Elrick : " Devil Spawn?"

Lord Vhon : " It’s a sin that goes back to the First Age!"

Elrick recognized the phrase First Age; he had read about it in evaluator references, but there weren’t much further details. This was information relating to the activities of the Ancients.

Elrick : " First Age?"

Lord Vhon : " Right; you Atlantians aren’t versed in the history of the Arello Galaxy!"

Elrick : " I’m afraid not your Lordship."

Sir Valding : " Some things are Shocking!"

Sir Vhon : " Prepare yourself!"

Lord Vhon : " The First Age of Civilization in the Arello Galaxy began with the Arrival of the Ancients some 170000 years ago! When the Ancients landed on Ado they found a Galaxy devoid of sentient life, and so the Ancients decided to populate Arello with a life-form they had encountered some 20000 years earlier; Humans. They used the Eldar Stones to transport the Humans to Ado. In the records of the Ancients they claim that they were surprised to discover that humans were so pliable."

Sir Valding : " Claim!"

Lord Vhon : " Yes; it’s a claim few believe! However they say that the humans that came through had been transformed into all manner of Beastmen leaving the Ancients no choice but to modify them in an effort to restore them to their pure human form; and thus began the Great experiment!"

Elrick : " They made more didn’t they?"

Sir Vhon : " A lot more!"

Sir Valding : " They produced all kinds of Monstrosities!"

Lord Vhon : " In their experimentation they uncovered a powerful secret; an unexpected discovery they were compelled to exploit."

Elrick : " What was it?"

Lord Vhon : " Humans have a low SP, but as if in compensation they have something else!"

Elrick : " What?"

Sir Valding : " The power of Faith!"

Lord Vhon : " While this ability is mildly useful on Earth in a Mana Rich Environment The power of Faith showed it’s significance; humans could somehow transfer to each other. When you have Faith in another human you give that person power in the form of energy. To increase the potency of The power of Faith the Ancients created the Titans of the First Age! The Titans of the First Age were the First of the truly Enhanced Humans, and with the energy garnered from their followers Titans could conquer their environment. With their environment conquered the Titans proclaimed themselves Gods of men and Gods of Beastmen respectively; in the aftermath the swift enslavement of Human and Beastmen began. The Ancients declared the Titans a Failure and moved them and their followers to Sealed Worlds; worlds unknown to us. The Ancients started again with a new group of Humans in what we believe is the Second Age of Civilization, but they hadn’t given up on making an advanced human and so from human they made Dwarves, then Elves and then they made many-many types of Beastmen including something called the Blood Imp; the Blood Imp was made by mixing Human and some kind of blood-sucking Leech. Surtur’s Race the Red Dragons mixed with the Blood Imp to produce the extinct race known as the Nephilim, and by mixing Nephilim and Night Elf the Blood Elf known as Vampires were born!"

Elrick : " Wait? Vampires are Blood Elves?"

Sir Valding : " I told you it’s Shocking!"

Before Elrick could query further everyone’s attention shifted back to the screens.

Sir Vhon : " What the hell is that?"

Lord Vhon : " Are those snakes?"

Sir Valding : " Not just snakes! Lizards, Spiders, Centipedes, Ants, Rats and other small creatures"

Elrick didn’t hesitate and immediately sent word to Bowden who’s on the wall via the Clan Communication System.

Elrick : " Bowden; Deploy the Carbon Dioxide and Poison Grenades! Cover the whole town starting with the area between the Wall and the Barrier; you have incoming in the millions."

Sir Vhon : " Heavy Machine-Guns; target the Area just outside the Barrier!"

Sir Valding : " Riflemen; to the wall!"

Sir Vhon : " Theatre Defence Artillery; your target is the Vampires!"

Lord Vhon : " Elrick; is this what you were afraid of?"

Elrick : " Yes! My Lord; is the no way to stop the animals coming in?"

Lord Vhon : " The Psionic Barriers were designed to let small creatures through!"

Elrick : " Can the Vampires raise the dead through the Psionic Barrier?"

Sir Vhon : " Ah!"

Lord Vhon : " It can’t be?"

Sir Valding : " So that’s their plan!"

Elrick : " Sir Valding; How many Vampires do you think the Explosion killed?"

Sir Valding : " If we are lucky 2 thirds!"

Sir Vhon : " The 【Shadow Cloak】was meant to blind us to the creature attack!"

Lord Vhon : " The 【Shadow Cloak】 is still coming; though not as potent!"

Sir Valding : " Vhon should be covered in Darkness in 5 minutes!"

Sir Vhon : " Our explosion caught the Vampires by surprise; we won’t be so fortunate a second time!"

Elrick : " I must return to the wall; if they try to raise the dead creatures my Light may be able to impede the necessary 【Shadow Magic】!”

Sir Vhon : " That would be useful!"

Lord Vhon : " Chief Elrick; Before you go let me acknowledge your efforts. By bravely stepping outside the Psionic Barrier and placing Explosives all around you have greatly contributed to the killing of Vampires; High Level Demons. Starlight Spark has Honoured its commitment to fight the Demons and in so doing you have fulfilled your obligations in terms of our Agreement! I therefore authorize the purchase of Starlight Spark Combat & Combat Related Equipment at market price."

Lord Vhon then started the money transfer and Elrick can see as the Agreed Upon Funds enters the Starlight account and that brings relief to Elrick’s heart.

Elrick : " Thank you my Lord! With this Acknowledgement Starlight Spark’s First Ranger Cavalry will fight to the Bitter End"

Lord Vhon : " We are grateful Chief Elrick!"

Elrick : "Lordship; I’m confident that if the same privilege is extended to the other Chiefs of Atlantian Clans they would also fight to the Bitter End."

The other Chiefs of Atlantian Clans nod in acknowledgement of Elrick’s words; Indicating that like Starlight Spark they will fight to the very end.

Lord Vhon : " Understood; I will extend the offer to purchase Combat & Combat Related Equipment from Chiefs of Atlantian Clans at market price!”

Elrick : " I am thankful your Lordship!"

Lord Vhon : " Is there anything else you need?"

Elrick : " My Lord; I ask that if the Atlantian Clans cannot hold back the torrent of enemies you not hesitate to evacuate."

Lord Vhon : " Abandon Vhon?"

Elrick : " My Lord; Vhon can be reclaimed at a later point. However the lives of the people are irreplaceable!"

Lord Vhon : " Rest assured Chief Elrick; I guarantee you that I will not hesitate to evacuate Vhon when it becomes necessary!"

Elrick : " Lordship; for our part we will hold them back as long as we can to give even Sir Valding’s Soldiers and Sir Vhon’s Guards to retreat; we won’t die in vain."

Sir Valding : " Good luck Chief Elrick!"

Sir Vhon : " Good Hunting!"

Lord Vhon : " Thank you for your service!"

Elrick : " It’s been an Honour!"

With that Elrick and the other Chiefs of Atlantian Clans left the bunker.

- - -

The sight outside the bunker was more daunting than Elrick had anticipated; the Military Grade Theatre Defence Artillery seemed to be firing continuously and the larger Military Grade Medium Artillery could clearly be heard as it is significantly louder than Theatre Defence Artillery. The Military Grade Medium Artillery rang out like thunder as it targeted the Serpent-Men Army.

Elrick was a little taken aback by the darkness covering Vhon, and Elrick could feel the intense tension in the air. Elrick could feel that a surge of emotions was rising from the pit of his stomach; fortunately for Elrick the body of a High Elf allowed Elrick to compose himself. The other User Clan Chiefs were not so fortunate and most were visibly shaken by the scene unfolding before their eyes.

Vhon that had been an Idealic Town on the frontiers of Ado Civilization had been turned into a War-Zone. With Artillery and Heavy Machine Guns firing the peace of the town had been broken and heavily armed men and women roamed the once peaceful streets of Vhon. As Elrick made his way to Bowden’s position he was somewhat relieved to see that most of Vhon was being covered by Carbon Dioxide and Poison Gases.

As Elrick went up the stairs of Vhon’s Protective Wall he noticed a system message.

~ Ding! ~

『System Warning!』

This is a Phoenix Consortium Warning:

•

There is a large scale Military Conflict in the Realm Eternal.

•

For User Safety the Phoenix Consortium is recommending that all users not wishing to take part in a major war should Log-Out and return to Atlantis.

•

Those wishing to preserve their Items for resale they should immediately use the teleport system to directly return to Atlantis.

•

Please note that once the particular Town you’re in comes under attack you won’t be able to Log-Out.

•

The Phoenix Consortium will not take responsibility for any loss of items or pain & suffering suffered in Realm Eternal.

•

The Phoenix Consortium is not responsible for the current situation; this is not an EVENT Created by the Phoenix Consortium!

•

This is a WAR!

Upon reading the system notice Elrick realized that Demon attack had to be far larger than just a few towns in the Knox Continent to warrant an intervention from the Phoenix Consortium.

〚Elrick : " The Crisis must be far Greater than I believed!”〛

Elrick began to think about the reasons the Phoenix Consortium would take the unusual step of informing all the Users that there is a War Situation and even take the further step of advising the Users to Log-Out. It then occurred to Elrick that the Phoenix Consortium has very little control if any of Events in Realm Eternal, and he knew that there was an opportunity.

〚Elrick : " The Phoenix Consortium has no control over what happens in the Realm Eternal and that means it’s everybody’s game!”〛

Elrick had just realized a very important clue to the structure of Realm Eternal, and immediately Elrick recognized that in all likelihood he was not the only one who had seen through the structure of Realm Eternal; meaning that the others would move to take advantage.

〚Elrick : " If the Phoenix Consortium isn’t in control then those with power will try to carve out their own peace of Realm Eternal”〛

Elrick understood that Governments that could not afford their own VR systems would notice this turn of event and use this opportunity to establish a foothold in Realm Eternal. The Governments may even establish City States in Realm Eternal; major corporations may do the same and that would make it difficult for small scale operators to gain ownership of Towns and cities.

〚Elrick : " I have to re-evaluate some of my plans”〛

Elrick had arrived and he could see Bowden.

- - -

Part 3: Carnage

Everyone was horrified by the scene of a swarm of Snakes, Lizards, Spiders, Centipedes, Ants, Rats and other Small Creatures breaking through the Psionic Barrier. Because of the 【Shadow Cloak】 it wasn’t possible to see outside the Psionic Barrier but once the creatures came through the Psionic Barrier it looked like a Wall of Small Creatures.

Fortunately Starlight Spark’s First Ranger Cavalry had already deployed their Gas Grenades and a few meters into the barrier the leading edge of the Wall of Small Creatures began to collapse. However to Elrick’s dismay the Wall of Small Creatures started looking more like a Flood of Small Creatures, and even as the leading edge of creatures collapsed a new wave simply rolled over them.

Elrick’s assessment of the situation meant that they had an initial defence from the Flood of Small Creatures, but by Elrick’s estimation the Layer of Gases would not be sufficient, and Elrick was more concerned about yet another Flood of Undead Small Creatures. To Elrick and the other Clan chiefs the Flood of Undead Small Creatures was a far more daunting prospect.

The problem was that Elrick had depleted all of Vhon’s Runic Fire Stones Mines setting fire to the area around Vhon, and that meant that Vhon was in no position to defend against the Flood of Undead Small Creatures. Fortunately Vhon mages believed that the casualties taken by the Vampires meant that they lacked the numbers to create the Flood of Undead Small Creatures.

- - -

Nonetheless the Wave of Small Creatures inched closer and closer to the walls of Vhon.

Elrick : " Bowden; Deploy another layer round of Carbon Dioxide and Poison Grenades!"

Bowden : " Shouldn’t we use incendiaries?"

Elrick : " Let’s save the remaining incendiaries for once they come over the wall"

Bowden : " Understood! Cannons; Fire Second Round!"

Axil : " They are endless!"

Grinder : " It’s a good thing the Lord decided to pay beforehand because we are so dead!"

Swordin : " Not without a fight though! Not without a fight!"

Elrick : " Bowden; we have orders to support the Theatre Defence Artillery in targeting the Vampires"

Bowden : " Cavalry; Lay down Runic Suppression Fire at 7km"

Vava : " Will do sir!"

The entire Starlight Spark’s First Ranger Cavalry arm Runic Arrows provided for Vhon’s Defence.

VROOM!.... VROOM!.... VROOM!.... VROOM!.... VROOM!.... VROOM!....

The Runic Arrows strum through the skies as they head-out to find their marks.

- - -

There is a tense atmosphere as all those on the wall restrain themselves from opening fire on the Flood of Small Creatures; Users, Soldiers, Guards and Local Hunters are all waiting patiently on the wall. Everyone can see the Flood of Small Creatures and even though it unnerves them they all recognize that it’s best to let the poison gas deal with the Flood of Small Creatures until they reach the wall.

Every now and then a flying or jumping creature makes it to the wall but it’s swiftly cut down by the Machine Gun Rifle Fire of the Guards or Soldiers. When Elrick looked over to the people around him he realized that even though they were terrified by the Flood of Small Creatures rolling in on them there was a lot of resolve in their eyes.

When Elrick decided that Starlight Spark’s First Ranger Cavalry would fight to the bitter end he expected all of them to be killed; a complete wipe-out. Elrick believed that it was necessary that they all experience death at least once during this open beta; he wanted all those around him to experience a Realm Eternal death despite having worked hard to avoid it until this point.

In Elrick’s mind experience is the best teacher.

- - -

While Elrick was pondering his impending virtual death Arvin the Alchemist came flying in.

Hammerin : " Telekinesis!”

Bowden : " So he’s a Psionic Mage as well?"

Elrick : " Looks like it!"

Arvin lands in-front of Elrick.

Arvin : " I’ve found you!"

Elrick : " Mr Arvin; what’s wrong?"

Arvin : " When I saw the foggy gas around Vhon I guessed your plan against the Wave of Small Creatures."

Elrick : " You could sense the Flood of Small Creatures coming due to your Psionic Magic."

Arvin : " I can also feel the Psionic Magic directing the Small Creatures, and that’s why I’m here; I have a plan to stop the Small Creatures from being raised once they die"

Elrick : " That would be very helpful"

Arvin the Alchemist takes out a Magic Chest out of an Inventory Bag.

Arvin : " This Magic Chest is filled with Light Magic Rune Stones I just Acquired from Vhon’s Armoury; they’re usually powered by the Light Mages at the Adventurers Guild but since they are busy keeping the 【Shadow Cloak】from interfering with the Teleport System you’ll have to power the stones."

Elrick : " How much Mana are we talking about?"

Arvin : " 400"

Elrick : " I only have 241 MP"

Arvin : " The rest will come from your HP."

Elrick : " My HP?"

Arvin : " That’s why I brought ample amounts of Recovery potions"

Elrick : " I see!"

Arvin : " The stones are like the grenades we’ll need a lot, and we’ll have to cover a large area, but every covered area keeps the Small Creatures from turning into Undead."

Elrick : " Understood! Bowden; I’ll have to be immobile so you’ll see to things?"

Bowden : " Got it!"

Elrick : " As soon as each rock is filled you’ll deploy it!"

Bowden : " Promptly!"

Elrick : " Then Mr Arvin; let’s begin!"

Then Arvin places the stone on Elrick’s Chest while placing another hand on Elrick’s forehead.

Arvin : " Elrick; This will hurt a little!"

Elrick : " I’m ready!"

Arvin : " 〘Light Drain〙!"

Elrick : " Ah!"

Elrick experiences pain as the stone placed on his chest glows as it is filled with 【Light Magic】. Once the stone is filled Arvin hands a drowsy Elrick a potion to drink.

Arvin : " Drink!"

The Stone filled with 【Light Magic】is given to Bowden who then passes it on to one of those operating the Grenade launcher cannons.

Once Elrick recovers another stone is filled with 【Light Magic】 the same way. Elrick passes the time when his body recovers by talking with Arvin.

Elrick : " How long will the stones last?"

Arvin : " About seven to ten hours!"

Elrick : " What happens then?"

Arvin : " Reinforcement should arrive by then."

Elrick : " Why would the Vampires attack Towns on Knox? Do you think they have a base here?"

Arvin : " Oh! I heard from my Father that the Asgard Continental Republic has mobilized its Armies"

Elrick : " The Continental?"

Arvin : " This attack is on a planetary scale; the casualties on Grandeur are Extensive!"

Elrick : " What?"

Arvin : " The Alvs, the Dark Elves and the Light Elves are off-world dealing with the problem at the source."

Elrick : " What do you mean at the source?"

Arvin : " Apparently a 200 strong Dark Elf expedition to an unknown planet stumbled upon a Vampire Base; Hundreds of millions of them along with Billions of their Food Source the Devils."

Elrick : " Food Source?"

Arvin : " Oh! Devils exist primarily to serve as a Food Source for the Vampires. Devils were made by Red Dragons to be a Dragon food source, but the female Devils were useful as breeders for new types of Demons."

Elrick : " Devils Spawn?"

Arvin : " So you’ve heard about it? All the lower level Demons are Devils Spawn!”

Elrick : " So that’s what they meant."

Arvin : " Anyway the 200 strong Dark Elf expedition took heavy casualties and only about 107 made it out of that world. The Dark Elves aren’t used to taking a beating, but the sheer numbers of Vampires made it impossible for the 200 Dark Elves to handle. Once the Vampires were discovered they launched a large scale attack on Ado."

Elrick : " A pre-emptive Attack!"

Arvin : " They are using a tactic the Continentals had never considered!"

Elrick : " It worked?"

Arvin : " Hundreds of millions are already dead on Grandeur, and on Knox entire Towns have been wiped out."

Elrick had heard the True strategy of the Demons. The Armies showing up on the outskirts of Towns and Cities were simply subterfuge meant to force people to cower behind the Psionic Barriers where they would be vulnerable to the real attack.

- - -