Vol. 4 Chap. 13 In The Shadow of The Phoenix

Truths Iron Horse sped down the freeway. Not quite a lot of visitors in one of the best of instances, and these have been something however. He wasnt shifting a lot sooner than he might run, however after operating a number of ultra-marathons in a row, he was able to let a demon do the sweating. At Degree 5, his concealment needs to be highly effective sufficient to make even the surveillance on trains endurable.

There werent any trains operating to the Jeon border nowadays. His iron horse carried him simply high-quality. Fact had by no means seen any cause to not go quick. He cherished feeling the wind whipping previous him. The way in which the few carriages and wagons appeared to be nearly standing nonetheless as he flew previous. The mountains is perhaps grey, boring and sinister below the deeping orange sky, however his scarf saved the ash out. It was ok.

He was blinking rather a lot although. The ash couldnt harm his eyes, however it was nonetheless irritating to have flecks of basalt instantly blocking your sight. He would want goggles. Humorous the way it had by no means occurred to him. He noticed individuals sporting them on a regular basis. Now. Was there anyplace remotely close to right here to purchase some? His street atlas was no assist. There have been little cities dotted alongside the street. Presumably, considered one of them would have a dealership or a retailer or one thing.

Lunch was disappointing. All of the little outlets he had been hoping to go to have been both closed or outright deserted. He checked his atlas. He was nonetheless 4 hundred kilometers from the border. Certainly wartime restrictions werent in impact this deep into Onis. Was it simply economics? Or have been the canny folks of Onis getting out forward of the smoke?

Both means, a sizzling meal was out of the query. He was caught together with his snack stockpile. It instantly occurred to him that there was actually nothing stopping him from cooking his personal meals. He used to do it for the sibs. He wasnt prepare dinner, however he might throw issues in a sizzling field and heat them up. Presumably it could be simple sufficient to dump powdered soup and water right into a pot and warmth it up. If he had a pot. And a hearth.

Fact took a second to look out throughout a forgettable valley and mirrored on his questionable stockpiling technique. He must make some changes. Maybe beginning with what was helpful. Folks lived off what they discovered within the mountains, proper? That was a factor in a few of his novels. There can be wild herbs, or one thing.

Seeking to his left, he had his alternative of rocks and timber. To his proper, he might select whichever timber and rocks he appreciated. He most likely couldnt determine a herb in a grocery store, not to mention on a mountainside. He would want a handbook of some sort. An identification information to meals elements and the way they went collectively, like a upkeep information for a carriage or an air conditioner. He couldnt be the one one who wanted such a factor, proper?

He almost threw himself off the mountainside in disgrace when the phrase cookbook lastly returned to his reminiscence.

Im Im not really dumb. I do know stuff. I’ve learn books earlier than. Ive traveled.

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He felt that he ought to snap again, however actually, that appeared truthful.

You can at all times spot the bases. The neat rows of spellbirds touchdown and taking off once more might hardly have been extra specific. In the event you nonetheless, in some way, werent positive, you possibly can at all times ask one of many drivers within the endlessly refreshing column of wagons headed there. Meals, water, provides went in, wounded and lifeless got here out. Tools casualties too, he supposed. Not every little thing was fixable within the discipline.

There was a lot. So, a lot. It felt like Onis had simply been ready for an excuse. Anticipating one. Fact didnt perceive why. It might have been a walk-over after the collapse. Actually. Jeon would have had a half dozen fight succesful individuals, eking out what life they might between scavenging the ruined cities and attempting to learn to farm on the fly. Onis might have actually buried Jeon in bodied. Stomach flopped the shattered nation into submission. So why now? And, given the sheer numbers distinction, why was he seeing a lot infantry?

You utilize your conscripts to attempt to take in the enemies finest spells, check their defenses, and make them spend down their materiel stockpiles. Fact slowly ran his two wheeler alongside the lengthy Military wagons serving as troop transports. Shifting quite a lot of males rapidly by the mountains was greater than only a problem. Fact might sort of comply with the logic. Marching so many individuals would clog up the roads, and make insultingly simple targets for Jeon airstrikes and curse bombardments. They have been effectively behind the entrance right here, however why be silly about it?

Fact was keen to guess money that the logistics have been the primary cause. Fairly presumably the one cause. The conscripts had a sure deadness of eye that, even in his Nationwide Service days, he couldnt recall. Was it boredom? Shutting down internally as a result of they have been being despatched to the entrance? Or possibly it was the martial music enjoying on repeat within the wagons, peppered with patriotic speeches.

That will kill his morale stone lifeless. Possibly it was the identical for them.

There was some logic right here he wasnt seeing. Some key truth he was lacking. Jeons benefit was its comparatively small entrance to defend, and its larger ranges of magical expertise. Solely a kind of elements was going to matter in a yr. So why throw your Military into that meatgrinder at present? They have been all Degree One troops, from what he might inform. Not thought of primary scrubs. These can be thought of (by the low requirements of conscript armies) prime quality models.

Not his drawback. However possibly the underlying cause can be related to his plans in Jeon. He determined to comply with them into their base. Simply nostril round a bit. He had discovered some attention-grabbing issues that means prior to now, and he actually wasnt ready to surrender on terrorizing the political cadres and inner safety Onis was deploying so closely. One thing about them simply rubbed him the mistaken means, and now he was robust sufficient to indulge his prejudices.

He rode straight into the bottom alongside one of many wagons. He remembered how Merkovah had described Incisive to him, and the way he might use it with the Blessing of the Silent Forest. He might simply maintain up a clean piece of paper and stroll onto a army set up. One thing extremely safe, possibly not. However some primary base? Simply into, say, the motor pool or the canteen? No drawback.

Now he didnt even have to pretend an id. The alarm spells and golems eyes slid proper over him. Degree 5. He can be a relatively excessive rating officer, a Main or one thing. Colonel, possibly. Was there a Degree minimal to be a Normal? He had no thought. He had by no means checked. It wasnt ever going to be related to his life.

He might homicide a normal, nearly actually. If he might ambush members of the C-Suite, he might actually ambush some random Onis normal. It was a Hell of a thought. They should have excessive stage guards to forestall that kind of factor, or give orders from some deeply defended bunker someplace removed from the entrance strains.

He had been a part of a decapitation assault, hadnt he? The drop on Fort Leucre. Fact seemed up right into a sky the colour of autumn leaves, and puzzled what was coming subsequent.