The next morning I wake up and I am honestly happy… Truly happy for the first time in a long time… All of the pressure of being the leader seems to disappear when I'm with Leaf… I smile and look at her… Last night must have been rough on her because she didn't move at all like she normally does in her sleep. I get up and get dressed. With so much to plan for the battle today. I'll need all the time I can get before the fight.

I let Leaf sleep in. I would rather her not get upset because of me waking her. I am up before everyone except the guards on night watch… Leon is one of the few people normally up this early… The fortress seems like a ghost town… A husk of itself in the morning… As if it isn't inhabited by over 1000 people. The few people I see walking the hallways greet me as I make the last minute preparations. Filling as many containers with my poison as I can. Inspecting the gear for weaknesses while cleaning some of it… Checking the weapons for dents and chips that will be fixed before the fight.

Troll would normally take first watch in the morning but is sleeping at the moment. He will be fighting so Rock has taken his shift. Rock doesn't sleep so he can do this. The three towering monsters in my army are going to play a huge part in the intimidation factor of this fight. Even being completely outnumbered like this will make the enemies falter at the sight of them. They are also the few creatures that can pierce the thick walls of the main pirate building. Dozens of explosive and acid bombs barely pierced through the walls… Meaning that the base is a strategic strong point that is the only reason we haven't won this war already.

I empty out my void bags. The weight of hundreds of pounds has been lifted from me… Looking back… I forgot to give Swift the items he had purchased. Altogether, I remove about 600 pounds of weight from myself including Swifts items… I start filling the void bracers on my arms and legs with all the items I might need for this battle. Dozens of potions, scrolls arrows and bolts for Gear's crossbow. I equip Gear and fill him with all of my mana. He should be activated for a day or two with that amount.

If it wasn't so difficult to use Gear… I would like to make them for my other generals as well. The biggest thing is it takes fighting in a certain style to work. Unless you actively work in a certain way he will only get in your way. Like if I swing a sword, it might connect with him on accident or any of his arms to ruin my swings… It takes someone who understands tactics and those who understand complicated mechanical intricacies to operate a Gear. Only Trice can operate one of these… Maybe Kora but she doesn't fight… Perhaps going for a more simplistic design would be better off as more people could use them.

Everyone is awake now. The sounds of people walking down deserted hallways is now blotted out by the sound of people talking… Everyone seems more energetic than normal. Perhaps psyching themselves up for the fight. It is already getting close to the time we attack... The feeling of being prepared is slowly fading… I start to get nervous as I go through the portals to the boats, what if I'm not prepared for today. Then I look around at all of my generals on the boats…

None of them have that look, it is a look of determination in each of their eyes. One of the looks as those of leaders… My men are looking to me for guidance and I am worried… I can't allow myself to be nervous. I have to be a good example. I steel my emotions… Today will be a day of steeled nerves, tomorrow will be a day of mourning. I can't let a single death throw me off. Everyone will be relying on me and if I do. More people will die because of that.

All of the generals start going through the portals to the ships. All of them are now docked on the southern shore of the island. Far out of reach of the mana cannons, the pirates must know we are coming. Only around 100 pirates had surrendered from yesterday… I wish it was more… Bringing the total pirates we're going to have to face to approximately 3900… This is without including the casualties we inflicted in our bombing run as well. With no concrete proof that anyone had died in the attack, it would be best to assume that no one did and work accordingly on the projected numbers of that. 3900 is still a lot, more than most could hope to defeat… I'm hoping we won't have to kill all of them.

We exit, the next hour is spent waiting for the entire force to make it through the portals. Our numbers are approximately 950 now… Compared to the casualties and deserters of the pirates, we are faring far better numbers wise. Losing around 60 men to their 1100… When you put the two numbers beside each other you can clearly see a victor but it doesn't feel like that. Each of those 60 men who have died feel like a needle pricking into me while the 1100 mean absolutely nothing to me.

Some of the pirates have come outside… They are slowly getting into position for what I assume is an attack but some drop their weapons and make a run for it. Their own mana cannons firing on them as they flee… What is happening? Gold must have put a new rule against deserters because of the high numbers of them.

Another 100 pirates make it… 10 are killed by their own cannon fire… What an awful way to lead an army… We tie them up for now and I send a few men to ask for some provisions to be made as the men look to be starved almost to death. For now they will have to remain heavily tied up. If any attempt to break loose, they will be killed as to not free the other captured pirates and open our backs up to a sneak attack.

Last minute preparations are done… None of the remaining pirates make an attempt at getting to us… Either because of the fear of the attacks from the mana cannons or the resolve that if they are captured by us, they might become food or the ghouls that Gold has been creating. We start to move up, slowly but surely moving forwards wall by wall. Taking our time and moving forwards as we place more barriers. Just as we are about to reach the limits, I hear a few call outs from my sides. Jumping into the air to see the battlefield and what the calls were talking about.

As if on cue, several hundred pirates come down from the destroyed second floor… Slowly as more trickle out, I try to do a quick count… Judging by the density of the groups… I would guess at least 1000 of the pirates are now visible. More continue to pour out of every opening as they have been called to attack…

I can almost feel the fear in these people… The fear of losing… The fear of dying… They are more than determined to stay alive now. Starved to a feral ferocity… The men all look like this will be their last stand… They'll fight until the fall over from exhaustion and hunger by the end of today. But they will fight none the less.

The mob we had fought against the first night raid is no more. They all break into ranks… It is odd to see pirates form ranks but they do. All standing side by side. Giant rows have been formed. Leaders calling out orders but no sign of the lich or her blood knight… They will most likely not participate in this battle… Most generals don't, instead giving orders from the comfort of their own room… I feel Gold has preparations in place for an attempt at her life because of this. Not wanting to exit this trap she had laid… I am very nervous because of this and fear for the lives of my generals.

Zergnar's aerial troops make another pass, it appears he is using his own improvised ammo for this mission... He flies overhead and his troops unload buckets of shit covered rocks onto the enemies… Some panic, some are pelted by the feces and rocks dropped from hundreds of feet up… Some stand their emotionless. Almost defiantly not looking up at the attack as to show no signs of fear… Almost as if they have the resolve to take a rock to the head just to not drop their guard against the troops pushing forwards.

Even with so many outside, more continue to come… Even with so many shown… I still have the feeling that the bulk of their numbers is still hasn't been revealed yet… Hidden inside that building or somewhere else waiting for the fight to start. This will be a quick attack, depending on who takes the advantage it will be over before anyone even realizes it. Gold must have been making plans for this day since the first attack… I am not sure what to expect… What could she have in her head.

That is what scares me the most. Even though we will be fighting the final battle, she feels safe enough not showing herself that she will win this fight… It almost feels unnatural. Like I've been playing into her hands from the beginning. Every attempt I've made at swaying the situation into my advantage, she's parried and counterattacked against… Is this just another parry?

I can't… I can't think like that. I need to be more determined. Nothing bad will happen in this fight. We finally push passed the threshold where we are in range of cannon fire before they begin. Walls have been made but barely hold against the constant barrage of the cannon fire. I feel like they've been slowly, stealthily moving more cannons to this side while we had prepared as the cannon fire is far thicker than it was any other day.

They are also using different types of ammunition. Some still firing rocks, but others firing body parts and small rocks to cover larger areas… I think about the body parts for a second and start to panic.

“Don't let any of the liquid from the corpses touch you! They could be infected with that same liquid that transforms you into ghouls!”

The wall I am leaning against is getting pelted. Dirt falls on top of me in huge chunks but it is better then rocks or body parts. We continue pushing forwards, some of my men act as if they are on fire and I quickly realize that they have been infected. I yell out again.

“If anyone has a burning feeling head back to the main base now! You might still be able to get treated with your flesh being cut off and healed before you turn!”

This sends a look of fear through some of my men. At least the ones I still have eye contact with. Another two to three walls made as we move forwards. Staggering the walls as we move forwards, the army can't hide behind a single wall. I finally see Zergnar's troops moving into the drop off position. The stealth assault group will be going into their base by using acid to open a hole into the middle of the building from the second floor.

Men call for aid. I hear the screams of my comrades all around me as some get struck with rocks shattering or are covered in the bodily liquid of a diseased corpse. Leaf notices how desperate the situation is... She had remained at my side this entire time but now speaks.

“We need healers to be able to find the injured quickly. Can you do anything to increase my speed or the speed of other healers so we can try to heal the wounded?”

I think for a second… I can give her the levitate spell… Thinking harder I can also give her my shadow wings. It takes her a second to get accustomed to the wings but she does. Even in the middle of this battlefield she still has a smile on her face. She flaps her wings at full strength testing it and flies up just as cannon range just as they go off… I start to get nervous, why is she flying into danger!? STOP! I call out to her.

“GET BACK DOWN HERE!”

It is already too late, she is struck with cannon fire! The newly acquired wings are shredded in an instant. She falls back down 20 feet right in front of me. I cry out at what just happened.

“LEAF!!!”