Spiritbound [Spirit Magic, Military, Progression] (Book 1 Complete)

Tucker stared at the sealed door with a heavy heart. They had managed to close it in time, but now they were trapped and isolated from the rest of their forces. It wouldn't be long until the Empire's forces gathered their men and laid siege to their building. The only comfort he could find was that the structure was designed to withstand heavy attacks. So there were numerous different engravings used to reinforce the walls.

He glanced at the fatigued soldiers on the ground and then at Jones and Nemo. Everyone was exhausted and stressed beyond belief. The only one who seemed unfazed by the situation was Brian.

Tucker walked closer to Brian and whispered, "What do you think of the situation?"

"Honestly, Captain Welford, I think we're in a decent spot," Brian replied.

"Are we?" Tucker raised a brow and gazed at their surroundings. The Empire's men had retreated, but that was only temporary. There was no telling when they would return, and their hundred or so men had been cut down to eighty. "I thought our situation was pretty grim."

"Yes, but if this storage building is like the ones near my platoon, then we'll be able to hold out until someone of my caliber appears." Brian cracked open one of the crates and peered inside. He then raised a vial of crimson liquid and tossed it over to Tucker. "We have ample supplies and time to treat the wounded."

Tucker examined the liquid in the vial and widened his eyes. It was a mid-tier healing potion. One they had run out of in their previous encounters. "Nemo, Jones, come here and take these potions. Distribute it to the wounded and see if you can find anything useful in the other crates."

Both of them nodded and soon gathered a group of able-bodied men to check the supplies. As the soldiers went to work, Tucker tore off his broken chest plate and dropped it to the ground. The metallic clang rang in his ears, followed by a long sigh. They had made it this far, but that was nothing more than luck. Now he needed to figure out what their next course of action was.

Tucker turned to Wilfred. "I don't suppose you have any suggestions as to what we could do now?"

Wilfred shrugged his shoulders. "Afraid not."

"Does anyone have suggestions?" Tucker asked, only to be met with silence. "Then I have a proposal. For now, we'll hold out here and take four-hour shifts to keep watch through the night. Any complaints?"

Seeing no one respond, Tucker nodded. "I'll take the first shift. Does anyone else want to join me?"

"I'll do it." Jones raised his head.

"Alright, get yourselves situated and form pairs. Captain Morgan, are you fine with being the next pair after us?" Tucker asked.

"That's fine with me." Brian turned to Nemo. "You're my buddy for the shift."

"The fuck—" Nemo raised his voice in protest, but before he could utter another word, Jones quickly dragged him away.

The Captain of the Thirtieth chuckled. "Your men have character."

"Sometimes too much if you ask me." Tucker shared the sentiment as the other men smirked. "Get some rest. We'll start the watch now and wake you up if anything happens."

"Sounds good." Brian sat down on one of the wooden crates. It softly creaked as he closed his eyes.

The sheer speed it took for the other captain to fall into a slumber was astonishing. In a matter of seconds, Brian was already in a deep sleep, and a few other soldiers had done the same. The only ones that were still struggling were the younger ones. For good reason too, after all, it was uncertain whether they would live to the next day.

Tucker climbed to the second floor with Jones close behind. The wooden boards creaked beneath their metal boots. He crept towards the window, peering through the slits in the metal shutters. Not a soul could be seen in the streets of their once-thriving city—just a hollow shell of its former glory. The magic lanterns hung without a trace of life, leaving the area in darkness. Only the distant echoes of battle remained.

He clenched his hands with bitterness. Tucker would be lying to himself if he said he wasn't worried about his men. They had no communication and only a handful of the Thirty-First were with him. Most were either behind the inner walls or trapped outside, like them, but there wasn't a way to tell.

"Sir, can I ask a question?"

The voice came from Jones, who sat on the ground with his legs drawn up to his chest. A trace of sadness and fear lingered on the young man's face. Seeing this, Tucker nodded.

Jones's gaze fell to the ground. He took a deep breath before slowly exhaling, and his shoulders trembled. "Captain, have we lost?"

Tucker stood still once he heard Jones's words. He didn't ask if they were losing, but if they had already lost. Like the battle was already over, a pain struck his heart. They failed to hold the walls for more than a day. One section of the bastion had already fallen, and the men sent to help were abandoned. Everything they had done may seem meaningless, but Tucker knew that wasn't the case.

Battles were being fought throughout the fortress city. The Everheart soldiers were putting their lives on the line to fight for every inch of ground, and to say they had lost before their fight ended was insulting.

"No. We haven't lost," Tucker replied.

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"Then…" Jones took a moment to steady his breathing. "Are we losing?"

Tucker closed his eyes and slowly exhaled. "Yes… We are losing."

Jones fell silent, unable to utter another word. He didn't move a muscle, his gaze lost in the darkness. Yet, upon seeing this, Tucker walked in front of him.

"But that doesn't mean we're done. We still have a chance to turn things around." Tucker held out his hand. "Get up Jones, you can't fall into despair."

"How can I not?" Jones weakly asked.

"By thinking of those you have to protect and what's important."

Jones thought of Liam and Nemo. His friends were from their small village on the outskirts of the Everheart Kingdom. They had come to the bastion to make a name for themselves. To contribute to their country and send money back home, but the reality of war was far more frightening than expected. It felt like they were trapped in a room that was slowly flooding, with the ceiling falling upon them inch by inch.

Yet as the pressure and despair pressed against their bodies, they desperately fought back the force that came crashing down upon them. They found strength in the presence of their captain and the other watchmen. Not everyone had forgotten about the common folk, and it was proof that someone still cared.

Jones grabbed hold of his captain's hand before getting pulled to his feet. "If the bastion falls, what would happen?"

Tucker moved back to the shutters and gazed through the slits. "If I had to guess, it would be used as the Empire's base of operations. Their spearhead into the Everheart Kingdom."

"Would we be able to retake the fortress city?"

"In what context? If we were to fully lose the city and have to lay siege or right now?"

"If we were to fully lose the city."

"No… I doubt it," Tucker answered truthfully.

"Why?"

"Because we would have to do what the Empire is doing, but with far fewer troops." Tucker motioned for Jones to peer out the windows. Along the stone surface of the outer walls were the flags of the Avalon Empire. The crimson banners of three silver swords crossing one another.

Tucker pointed at the walls and then at the nearby structures. "We would need to secure a perimeter around the city and cut off reinforcements. Then take each section while cutting the defenders into smaller groups or try to push them into one end of the city."

"And the reason you don't think it's possible is because we still have the other bastions to defend?" Jones asked.

"Correct."

Jones clenched his fists. "So what can we do then?"

"Make them suffer," Tucker replied. "We'll make them regret coming to this bastion."

"How would we do that?"

"By inflicting such devastating losses on them that they'll think twice about attacking." Tucker stared at the battle-hardened soldiers on the first floor. Only a handful of them were scared, but most of them were filled with rage. They were being driven into a corner, but from the emotions on the soldiers' faces, it wouldn't seem like it. There was no fear, only a quiet resolve that fought against the odds.

Jones was caught off guard by the sight. But soon forced a smile. "I guess I'm the only one with these useless thoughts."

"Your thoughts aren't useless. They're valid concerns, but you can't let it drag you down."

"I'll keep that in mind." Jones focused on the streets outside of their building. His mind was full of thoughts that weighed heavily on his conscience. His friends were still in the fortress city, but while Liam was safe, they weren't. There was no telling when they would reunite with the others in the Thirty-First, or how many of them had gotten separated. But for now, the only thing that eased his mind was the fact that they were with the captain.

After four hours had passed, Nemo emerged from the side with Brian. His black curly hair was a mess, and the dark circles under his golden eyes revealed how little sleep he got. Meanwhile, Brian was in peak condition with his blonde hair perfectly combed back and a refreshed gaze.

"Anything out of the ordinary?" Brian asked.

"Nothing so far," Tucker replied.

"That's good, we'll take over from here." Brian swapped spots with Tucker and grinned at Jones. "Try to get some rest kid, you don't want to be like your friend here that didn't get an ounce of sleep."

Everyone stared at Nemo, waiting for a snarky remark, but seeing the young man shrug it off without a care in the world revealed how tired he was. He muttered something beneath his breath, like a grumble of sorts, but soon gave up and shooed them away with his hand.

"Too tired to even say something." Jones grabbed hold of Nemo, trying to steady his friend.

"I guess we'll keep you company for a bit until he's fully awake," Tucker said.

"You don't need to, but I suppose it wouldn't hurt until this lad has his bearings." Brian nudged Nemo and watched as the soldier fell asleep on the ground. "Perhaps the battles had taken a toll on the younger soldiers after all."

"Are the other soldiers still awake?" Tucker asked.

"Most are, only a few of the older folks decided to sleep. The rest seemed to have been on edge since we've entered the building." Brian gazed at the soldiers as they listened to their conversation. "Though I don't blame them, it's normal to be antsy given the circumstances."

"Well, what would put their mind at ease?"

"Hm…" Brian leaned against the wall to the side of the shutters. "If I had to guess, I would say credibility. They're following our orders only because of rank, but they would probably need to see some proof that we're capable. After all, the previous plan with the advisors has caused quite a stir."

"Yeah, the entire plan was fucked." Nemo yawned and stretched his arms while reaching into the air. "Those bastards are assholes without a doubt."

"Nemo, you can't say that," Jones pointed out.

"What? It's true, besides, we're all thinking the same thing," Nemo refuted. "You're quick to tell me what not to say, but you didn't say I was wrong."

"That's cause you're not," Tucker said.

"Thank you. I'm glad someone is brave enough to say it." Nemo waved his hand in the air and gazed through the gaps in the shutters.

Tucker held his chin. If there was one thing they could do to show they were capable, it would be to create a plan. One that everyone could agree on. "For now, we should probably figure out a plan."

He motioned for the soldiers who weren't on watch and couldn't sleep to huddle around. The sun had set beyond the horizon, and it was pitch black outside. None of them dared to light any torches, even if the enemy already knew where they were. There was a chance they hadn't pinpointed their exact location.

Unlike the advisors who didn't involve others in their plans. Tucker figured that having everyone go over the plan and agree on it would inspire confidence. They all pitched their own ideas, but were met with fair counterpoints and arguments. There was no plan that was foolproof, and solely defending the storage building would only be effective for so long.

"Why don't we just leave the doors open?" Jones asked. "Make them think we've left."

Everyone stared at Jones with a dumbfounded expression.

"Are you stupid?" Nemo stared at his friend with deadpan eyes. "Why the hell would we ever want to do that?"

"I mean, I just figured that the Empire's forces would be used to sieging buildings by now. If we catch them off guard, it might throw them off," Jones added.

"That'll never work!" Nemo protested.

"No… he actually might be onto something." Tucker fell deep into thought and examined his surroundings. "We may actually have a plan."

He gathered the men around him, and they all listened carefully to the plan. One by one, they were all nodding their heads. Some were hesitant but after the sound arguments and defenses by the other soldiers, their thoughts aligned with one another. Soon, they all signed off on the plan, and Brian, who was standing to the side, acknowledged Tucker's decision-making.