The battle raged on well into the night. Unlike before nobody bothered to stop. It was now a battle of supplies as both sides bombarded each other. The enemy camp was still in a hurry to set up, but Aene could only force them to burn supplies faster so as to constrain their supply lines. Attrition loses outside of consumables… ok, non-living consumables, was minimal to non existent. They would be non existent if the cavalry didn’t rally back and forth between the lines, raiding each other. None of the infantry bothered going out into the hellscape of magical elements. Not because they were afraid, but because even the stuck up silk pants that were voluntold into the skirmish realised it would be pointless.

This left the cavalry free raigne between each other. Some, many, would be lost to the bombardments, friendly or otherwise, most actually, most of the time they were simply running from the bombardments themselves as a free target.

Supplies, were for once, not constrained. The fortified camp was well stocked with supplies while the enemy was still working on fully setting up theirs. This meant that the big spells were being launched on an average of two to one against theirs. This allowed some minor interception fire to constrain their giant volatile spells like fireballs, some even being detonated in front of their own shields damaging them instead.

It was a truly mesmerizing sight to see so many siege class spells being launched against each other. The territory in between was a modern art piece of elements clashing against each other. How the cavalry was truly able to navigate these territories was artistic and masterful of itself. It truly demonstrated their skill and [Bond] with their mounts… It did not show their brains though.

However, this was not conducive to his command. Nothing was truly going on here. He couldn’t judge how many supplies they were using as opposed to his own troops, though more than his at the moment as they were burning through them quicker in order to truly build up their fortifications. This would soon change, and then it would be a never ending slug fest. This wasn’t what Micky wanted, as the prize territory would be open for the empire to take. Instead he would wait until they were weakened.

The small base of operations couldn’t do that. Each side would be holding each other off here while they assaulted their supply lines. He would need to keep these children focused to the task. First though, he would need to bring that cavalry back in. Prin hadn’t gone out even though she was bonding fairly well with the forest lizard. His little qilin came back, only slightly perturbed and annoyed at the fact.

Micky was pouring over his notes in a discussion with a small group of raiders ready to ride up the slot when a messenger came in with an emergency message for him.

The enemy was splitting its forces. This was strange in and of itself, but they were also attacking.

Micky figured that their entrenched position could hold on. No, he wanted to know what they were doing riding back. His first thought was the empire, but that was impossible. Next he thought that there was some kind of monster invasion, or maybe one of their royals came for a ‘visit/inspection’/(escape). The later one being good news as it would be a high value target.

No, he would find out some time later, it was a dungeon war. They were attacking each other in order to get each other’s core and expand. As they didn’t have access to civilisation the easiest way to expand was to kill each other and consume the core. Or, convert the core into their own and use it as a resource. This was kind of dangerous as [Desecrated Land] can spontaneously create dungeon cores of the war type. One of the favorites of nations as they could train entire armies at a time. It would be dangerous if the monsters created a core there.

Regardless Micky laughed. He remembered when he had received that missive basically telling him and his enemies to basicaly fuck off when he was a junior legate all that time ago. Now, the enemy kingdom had their supply lines stuck right in the middle of two rampaging dungeons on the war path. Their monsters were hardly ever intelligent enough to tell friend from foe, and they would never be able to keep the sides from fighting.

As for assaulting the new enemies in his path that were preventing Aene from getting ‘revenge’? Fuck that. There had been pressure for Micky to launch an assault for some time and take back the land that was lost. Not a small amount from the noble faction he had gained distance from as a senior legate. However, Micky was in command, and he didn’t have to listen to shit, least of all their ‘polite’ suggestions of how to command. Not that it wouldn’t come back to bite him. However, Micky was already aware his career was sunk, he just had to focus on commanding.

It wasn’t all bad for him. He had risen quite fast, from a centurion all the way up to senior centurion. Most noble families would require a massive investment first. Micky had not, and if he pursued the military career he wasn’t he would ruffle some feathers. Not that a centurion position was very costly to those types.

Now Micky just had to sit back and watch. He gathered up all the cavalry, they would be needed soon and he couldn’t have them galavanting. The infantry was also drawn up. The enemy was using an all out assault and they would be met with force. They knew they were only buying time until Aene took the land, but they didn’t know that Micky himself was buying time. This was playing like a dream. It was the first time something in his command swung his way entirely.

The two sides faced off, and it was a simple if slightly costly win for Aene. Now that the enemy was fully on the back foot this side of the dungeon war Micky dealt with them leisurely but methodically.

The enemy army launched foolhardy assaults to try and force their way through to the other side to establish a foothold. But it was pointless. Micky was more than happy to allow them to beat themselves up, and thus it became a sort of three way with the two dungeons for the enemy.

Now a dungeon war can last for several years and be just as protracted and methodical, if not more since dungeon monsters listen to their masters like a limb listens to the brain, as a regular war between the races. Micky was sure that this war would be very inconvenient later on when the prince was here. And he now knew who was to be the new commanding officer. The 11th prince of Aene 25th to the throne.

Yes, the Ation monarchy was interesting like that. The 11th was of a mistress that later became a concubine. Most children between monarchs are planned for before they are even born, some even before their parent’s birth. The 11th prince, is 25th on that list, though luckily for him not behind any of his aunts and uncles like some bastards are. The royal line and royal claim to the throne is convoluted at best and a confusing mess at worst. Though miraculously no coup has been accomplished by a royal or otherwise. Though the 1st and crown have not always been the new king.

The 11th however, somewhat knew his place as he supported the 8th’s claim. He maneuvered to take the throne, and was loosely a part of the noble faction. The noble faction did not technically support any royal’s claim as they wished for a puppet they could have as their own. 1st-7th did not need their support with the royal’s split power being enough to countermand any that they could give, and more specifically would give. The 8th’s claim wasn’t strong enough to contend with them. However, they were also not interested in becoming a puppet as the power they did wield would not justify what little they would gain.

Instead, the 11th sought achievements to further their agenda and reinforce the 8th’s claim.