"Zeus. Enumerate the available units."
I knew that, despite having many houses, many units had been lost.
I needed a clear sense of how many I could still count on — because, now, it was the kind of battle in which every unit mattered. One advantage I had was that, since the supplies would be made available from the other side of the wall, I didn't necessarily need to keep workers. I used the entire first day to reallocate all of them to finish the construction of the three new blueprints.
The simplest of all was the Thorn Wall.
Its construction was quite straightforward — nothing more than a rustic upgrade of the standard wall, with metal spikes driven along the structure. I didn't expect something like the Burmans' Living Wall, of course, but I confess I had imagined something a bit more sophisticated. Even so, it wasn't as though it wouldn't help. It was a rare blueprint, and the best part of all: I wouldn't need to sacrifice anyone to raise it. In the end, it wasn't all bad.
It was then that Zeus's screen materialized before my eyes.
[ FORCE INVENTORY — SPARTA ]
HEROES AND CREATURES
Morgana — Legendary
Livina — Unique
Arachne — Yokai | Young Adult A+
Prince — Griffin Adult A
Young Griffins — pair | B-
Urskra — 5 units | D+ to B-
Pegasus — Cockatrice Young S-
FireWood — Owlbear Adult B+
SOLDIERS AND UNITS
Armored archers (latest generation) — 92
Armored knights (latest generation) — 5
Yokai eggs — 50
Idle workers — 237
Understanding my own strength was the main advantage I had.
And, honestly, I felt I should be more prepared. In terms of active combat, I only had archers — and nothing more. Of course, tied to the magic towers, they would make an enormous difference in defense. But that was it.
Even so, the comparison gave me some comfort.
It was clear to me that, even if the previous protector had five thousand units, they were obviously level 1 and lightly armored. He probably believed he would have total control of the defense using only common archers — and didn't count, in any way, on what came from below. My archers, on the other hand, were stronger, more agile, better prepared, and with a far superior rate of fire. They also had a resistance and a power that didn't even compare to those of mere light archers.
But not even they would handle creatures in close combat.
And that was where another pleasant surprise came in.
✦ ✦ ✦
"She didn't stop laying eggs. Not even after everything."
I had been postponing that for too long.
Maybe it was fear of what I would have to say. But, even at a distance, even with my absence, Arachne hadn't given up at any moment. The time to talk with her had, finally, come.
"Girls, I'm going to see Arachne. No… my daughter."
After everything we'd been through, I was beginning to nurture a true feeling for that great spider.
A creature that knew little of the world, but that saw in me the only person capable of giving her what she most needed: presence. And, in the end, I had abandoned her to solve my own problems. Maybe out of fear. Maybe out of apprehension. I postponed that reunion as much as I could. But that ended now.
I entered the stable, which inside was even larger than before.
She had grown. The webs covered any view, so I advanced blindly until, finally, I found her — observing her own eggs. The scars that marked her body indicated, with a painful clarity, everything she had been through. Some were deep. Others left marks she would probably never forget. And, even so, when she noticed me, all she did was smile.
"Papa. You finally came."
"Hi, daughter… I took a while. Forgive me, I…"
My mouth went dry, and I felt my chest tighten.
But the creature simply extended one of her enormous legs, and with a delicacy impossible for something that size, touched my face.
"I'm glad you're well. While you were away, I kept laying eggs. We'll have much greater power now — so great that we'll destroy all our enemies before they manage to kill any of us."
I could feel the fear in her voice.
She wanted to never fight again. To never again see one of her own die without being able to do anything. And, at the same time, that awoke in me a ferocious desire to be strong — strong enough to defend everything and everyone who mattered to her.
"Thank you… and I think I can help your children become strong."
The Incubator had finished being built. All that was left was to test how it worked.
I knew that, beyond speeding up the process of raising the young creatures, it would also give a direct boost to their power. It was exactly what we needed.
"Really, Papa? How?"
"Follow me and see for yourself. And bring your eggs."
✦ ✦ ✦
While I waited outside, Arachne finally came out of the stable.
She was already the size of her own mother. Her beauty was fascinating — the white mixing with the black, forming a creature unique in beauty and power. Attached to her abdomen, with the help of her own web, all the eggs formed what looked like a living belt. She accompanied me through the kingdom, taking the utmost care not to destroy anything with her own size.
"We've arrived."
In truth, it wasn't only Arachne who was fascinated with the place. I was too.
Because what rose before us was an enormous statue of a giant boar, sculpted in stone. And, beneath it, on its belly, eight spaces lined up under what seemed to be stone teats. The construction resembled less a machine and more a sacred sculpture — and, according to the Codex I had read, it looked a lot like an Ammit.
"So this is what I needed the blood for. Zeus, how does this construction work?"
The Incubator allows the allocation of up to 8 eggs per cycle. In this space, the incubation time and care will be gradually increased, according to the quality of the egg. At the end of the process, the offspring's level can be raised by up to one, subject to the restrictions.
From what Zeus said, the Incubator was simpler than it seemed.
The good news was twofold: the eggs hatched there wouldn't need to be fed, and would still have their status raised by one level. Which meant that an offspring like a level B- Yokai soldier could become A-. That still needed to be tested, of course. But, if it worked, the only bad news was the limitation of eight at a time — and, since it was a blueprint that couldn't level up, that would never change.
"Let's place eight eggs, one in each space. They'll help take off you the burden of caring for all the young ones alone — and they'll come out stronger too."
"Does that mean they'll have more chances to survive?"
Like every mother worried about her offspring, Arachne wasn't thinking about the work she would have. She was thinking about the strength of the young ones.
"Yes. Exactly that. This way, they'll be capable of becoming as strong as you."
Arachne quickly detached eight of her young, and I positioned them, one by one, in each space under each available stone teat.
As soon as I finished, a dome of light closed over the stone boar — which seemed to move, enveloping the eggs as though it embraced them into itself.
"Now, let's wait. Do you want to stretch your legs a bit, get to know the new territory?"
While we walked, I observed how lost Arachne seemed in the kingdom.
Everything there was new to her. She liked the stable, but now, as a young adult, the curiosity she felt about the kingdom was evident — and, mainly, about where, exactly, we were.
"Yes, Papa."
"Just try not to leave the kingdom. We're not in a safe place."
She saw the seriousness on my face and nodded, before beginning to stroll.
My kingdom wasn't large enough for me to lose that colossus from sight — but I thought it important that she feel the freedom to discover things on her own. It was during that interval that Morgana and Livina finally arrived.
✦ ✦ ✦
"Sir, the Thorn Wall has been finished. And the workers are idle."
"Perfect. Right on time."
I had many workers. And, with my strength so depleted, I needed to transform them into soldiers.
I could build more archers, but I knew that wouldn't be enough to protect the territory from within. I needed to invest in at least fifty spearmen to be mounted on the Yokais. And I needed, too, armored soldiers — because, unlike the Infernals, who were absurdly strong, the Tyrin were more numerous than powerful. I would throw all my defensive power on top of the magic towers. But, for that, I first needed to protect the main tower.
"If there's one place we're going to have to protect at any cost, it's the Magic Tower. Without it, all the other towers lose their magical power and also our main force to counterattack."
While I spoke, I observed the construction.
It was another one I hadn't followed closely — but, from any point of the kingdom, it was impossible not to see it. It was at least four or five times larger, and twice as thick, as the common towers. It also attacked, but, unlike the others, it possessed four attack slots on each floor: fire, ice, water, and wind. It was as beautiful as it was lethal. And it was the one that would allow me to create something unique.
"We're going to focus on building mages."
Honestly, I still didn't know how strong mages were compared to archers.
What I had was the theory of other races that possessed them — and they didn't value them for the range of the attack, but for the quality. The mages' range was much shorter. But the power was much greater, and in an area. And that was what I urgently needed: if the attack came in mass, as everything indicated, I would need area strikes to wear down the enemy force before it buried me with its numbers.
"I understand they're important, but do you think they'll be strong enough?"
"As long as they're within the Magic Tower's range… yes."
Unfortunately, my mages would be limited to the tower's radius.
It was the tower that would feed them with magic. From what I understood from Zeus, the nectar stones would be the source of that power — and I would need a massive quantity right on the first day. But there was a light: after that, I could supply the energy with the very stones of the slain enemies. The problem was that I still didn't know how to extract those stones from the creatures. They said that, before dawn, all the bodies were captured. I would need to devise a way to collect the bodies, or at least the stones, before the enemy did.
I comforted myself with the idea that maybe it was only the flesh the Tyrin wanted. But there was no way to be sure.
"What we need is capital. I hope Eris managed to get what I asked for."
✦ ✦ ✦
The second day hadn't begun yet, so I still hadn't seen Eris return.
Honestly, I didn't think she would abandon me. From the little I knew her, she seemed a woman of honor. At most, she would come back only to say she hadn't managed to get what I needed.
"I hope she doesn't abandon us."
Morgana spoke without thinking, the fear showing through in her voice.
"Don't worry. It's all going to work out. Besides… I feel they need us much more than we need them."
Deep down it wasn't only that girl's honor that reassured me, I knew.
Level S+ missions become, over time, increasingly difficult to have accepted. The prize that was handed to me in advance, even before the period began, already showed the desperation of those seeking someone. They had probably begun to realize that throwing just anyone onto that wall no longer worked. They needed someone capable of holding out more than a few short days.
And, deep down, I knew they were willing to invest everything they had for a single light at the end of the tunnel.
I was that light. And they needed me.
The question was… until when?