Steel and Mana

I had seen plenty of ruins by now, and Horringar was different, which was a godsend, so to speak. It was the perfect base of operations, from where we could coordinate the cleansing of the eastern end of the continent and finish off the beasts. It just needed a bit of spit and elbow grease to polish it up.

Yes, from the outside, it had the look of a corpse that hadn't yet realized it was dead, but... a bit of necromancy never hurt anybody, eh? Anyway... The outer city was overgrown; most of its houses and workshops had collapsed, and its streets were blocked with rubble. Many of the demolished buildings were salvaged by the survivors to repair the inner city and build the underground living quarters, which in turn allowed the inner rings to remain intact, more intact than they had any right to be. Still, the moment my men arrived... we had already begun cleaning space.

There was no time to waste.

Luckily, nobody complained, and the show my children and I had put on had done its job. The survivors were shaken to their bones, but they no longer doubted our intentions, and they were not complaining about what we were doing with their city. There are some strange things I have seen in my past life, people desperately clinging to ruined homes in a wartorn town that was nothing more than a burning carcass. I was afraid something similar would happen here, but luckily, we avoided that.

"This will be our new headquarters," I said matter-of-factly while standing over the map Oleg had set on a makeshift table in the keep's ruined hall, where we were currently having a meeting. "We will use Horringar as a base for the eastern campaign from now on. This place is already way deep into beast territory, so it will be a perfect spot to stage our skirmishes from.

Looking at them, Oleg simply nodded, his pen scratching notes in a small book as I spoke. Mirian pursed her lips but didn't object; she was more interested in moving forward already... just like the Khan, who only grunted, which I took for agreement. As for the others, like Emperor Attila and Sar... They were in command and leading the secondary army, which was still coming up from behind, but I had already informed them of our discovery.

"Lucca," I spoke, and he stepped forward from the shadows where most of the officers and aides stood, including Seltana and Rashira, who were also present in this meeting.

"Yes, My Sovereign?" He asked, saluting.

"You will be in charge of rebuilding the city, to your parameters. It will be your task to establish the defenses, lay out the perimeter, and also decide how we are going to handle rebuilding the bridges, leading over the river."

"Understood. I already have some initial observations." He saluted, and I just nodded for him to continue, "The first ring of walls had been empty for more than a decade... Its houses are nests for vermin, weak points for moving troops around the city efficiently, adapting to the directions monsters may come from. We must tear it down to the last stone. Every block that can be salvaged goes into patching the first wall. What is useless, we can utilize to erect barricades outside of the city, tunnels, and funnels for possible approach vectors of beasts."

"Demolishing an entire city ring?" Mirian asked, not in protest but in surprise.

"Better a cleared killing ground than a warren for monsters," Lucca nodded, "Once the wall is whole, we build workshops along the inside," He continued, pointing on the drawn map of the city, which was done by Seltana's expert hands, "Smithies, repair bays, medical tents. Whatever the army needs, we can put there."

"We will need an airfield," Oleg interjected.

"Western outskirts." Lucca replied at once, without pausing, "I surveyed the place. I was or am a mage, you know..." He smiled, which was rare, "I can set up a formation to mold the ground. I used the same thing to create the battlefield against the Geth Emperor, causing him to get stuck for a year..."

"Good thing he is not here to hear that." Mirian chuckled, making Lucca's smile widen a little, before returning to seriousness.

"I will level the ground, clear the brush, and make it as flat as possible. Then, timber and stone can be laid down for a temporary runway. Enough for the planes to land, resupply, and possibly even build temporary hangars for storage and repairs. The Eagle's Nest can serve as the control until we finish. Not to mention..." he looked at me, "The railway can run parallel with it and we can let it enter into the city, behind the first wall after we are finished. I even thought about laying a full circle of railways inside, so that we can connect up and lead back out. That way, we can then start laying a second loop back towards Avalon."

"Good..." I smiled, nodding at him, "Very good..."

"Do you have a wife, General Lucca?" The Khan chuckled, making both Seltana and Rashira stiffen in the dark, "I like men like you."

"I am committed to my Sovereign." He answered instantly, almost making me choke, but it was drowned out by the laugh of the Khan.

Luckily, there was no second question coming from him, and it was so that Horringar ceased to be a tomb and began to become a fortress one more time.

My army moved with the efficiency of a group of operators full of panzerschokolade. Half-trucks rolled in, lined up for unloading materials and troops, and then left, loaded with rubble. Soldiers filed into the abandoned first ring with hammers and axes instead of their weapons, prying apart houses that may have been built centuries ago, sweeping them clean at an incredible speed. Stone by stone, the ring was stripped bare, with its most intact parts used to reinforce the walls, which were being rebuilt and improved. This time, my cannons and artillery pieces would be placed on new parapets and extended protrusions... It would not fall so easily again.

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By around the fifth day, workshops had already begun to rise in their place, for now with only canvas roofs over wooden frames, but they would later be completed into proper buildings. On the western plain, the people were working on finishing the airfield, while most of the infantry had fanned out to clear the view, remove trees and bushes, and anything that would provide a hiding ground. They were also driving stakes and laying out measuring lines in the ground for the railway, which would eventually catch up to us. Within days, Horringar had already been half-transformed.

As for the survivors, we had brought food for them first, of course. It was the first thing they received, something that reminded them of civilization. I stood on the keep's wall as crates were pried open and my children handed out bread, something that wasn't monster meat, vegetables, fruits... even cakes. That was especially popular amongst the children. It was making me smile because, despite their current conditions, those kids could still enjoy the smallest joys. They were lucky they didn't inherit their parents' woes.

Also, they ate without waste, and without frenzy, showing that despite it all, there was a certain discipline in them, probably an ingrained reflex, as it was that which allowed them to survive.

"They'll need more than bread," Sasha said, coming up beside me, her voice forlorn, watching the survivors standing in line to receive care from us.

"They'll have it," I reached out, hugging her waist, pulling her closer, "I managed to buff you back up to health, didn't I? This is nothing."

"True..." She giggled, leaning against my shoulders, "Well, they are not as skinny as I was. Where are the others?"

"Mikan insisted on going down and checking on them, one by one. I didn't argue, because some fights are pointless."

"I agree with her," Sasha nodded, watching the crowd with me, "they need a proper medical checkup too."

"She also took Morgan and Meyli with her."

"They need experience," She said simply, "This is the best moment to gain that!"

"So far, the Khan has only rejected Jila. Hopefully it won't be a big deal."

"I heard about that." She pursed her lips, looking at me, "I don't like that guy. Although Jila doesn't show it, I bet she was hurt by the news..."

"Maybe. Maybe not... However, we are allies, despite our differences. As long as the Khan keeps it at that and doesn't escalate things, I can overlook it."

"That would be the best..." She shrugged, knowing that politics were not always about what one really felt, but what was best for a country.

As for Mikan and the two girls, they indeed checked up on everyone, including the tunnels, which reeked of smoke, close living, damp stone, and whatever else... She was, of course, appalled by the conditions and was already championing to rehouse them. But she never raised her voice with the survivors, as she moved gently, telling them what to do softly. Her and the girls' hands glowed faintly as they touched them, lowering fevers, pulling infections from wounds, and steadying a failing heartbeat. To the survivors, it must have looked like the manifestation of divinity... But I said nothing.

While Mikan dealt with the more serious issues or the weakest of the survivors, Morgan was mainly in charge of taking care of the young and children, doing it diligently. As for Meyli… she was the most unexpected.

She had been timid after arriving in Avalon, hiding behind her sisters. Yet, by now, faced with gaunt-looking children who suffered much more than she ever did, she forgot her shyness. Her hands trembled as she summoned a magic formation, but when it spread across a small boy's infected leg, cleaning the wound, she had never before had such a serious and determined face. As far as I know, she was healing birds back home... well... it seems she just needed a little nudging, and now she was slowly becoming a proper healer.

As the days became a proper week of us arriving in Horringar, Deyros came to visit me. Watching him, his eyes were red from exhaustion or from watching too much hope come too quickly. I knew he was taking part in the cleanup of the outer city, helping Lucca, and telling him all that he remembered about how it was before... He was watching the town he was born in slowly revitalize.

"You treat them as… people," he said, almost disbelieving when we sat down and Luna came to serve us coffee, "Not cattle... Not even as a burden. I thought… after so long… no one would care."

"There are times I am glad to disappoint," I laughed at that, making him smile and nod, "We save our allies, and you are, as far as I care, a friend to Avalon."

"Thank you... Great Sovereign of Avalon..." he bowed his head, making me shake mine.

"Sovereign is enough," I raised a hand, "Don't worry, I don't ask you to give anything in return."

"The only thing we could give are our lives."

"And I don't need that." I answered firmly, "That's yours. But, I do have some questions for you now."

"Please," He nodded, sitting up straight, "Ask them. I will answer to the best of my knowledge."

"Simple questions they are," I smiled at him, "One is concerning your people. I need to know who is willing to leave and who wants to stay."

"I talked about it with them," He began after a brief pause, "They all want to leave."

"Good." I clapped, nodding towards Luna, who silently slipped out of the room, heading to relay my already prepared orders if this was the case, "We will start moving them tomorrow. We can't wait for more as we have a campaign to finish. You will–"

"Excuse me, Sovereign," He interrupted me, and I just waited, raising an eyebrow. "I'd like to stay."

"Really?" I asked, leaning back in my chair, "It is fine if you want... but can I ask why?"

"I had everything here, and I lost it all here. I... Many times, I woke up and thought I was already dead, just lingering where all my memories were. My family, my friends, my lover... I... I think I am stuck in this place."

"I think I understand... Listen... You can stay, but please understand that the operations we are going to perform will be without your input. I need this to be clear."

"Of course." He said without arguing, "I just... I don't think I want to leave this city... It's... I can't explain it."

"No need." I raised a hand, "We will find you something to do, I am sure of it. And, if you find your peace and want to leave... I promise you, we will take you to Markoth. The new one..."

"Maybe." He smiled softly, looking into my eyes, "Maybe one day I will feel like starting anew... but for now... I just... want to see what happens to my home that I watched die, and now it's rising from its ashes again."

"Don't worry," I said, standing up and fixing my clothes, "It will be a glorious rebirth."