Chapter 1004: The Outpost (1)
Chapter 1004: The Outpost (1)
One month passed since Erik, June, Mira, Amber, and Emily left New Alexandria.
The group was still halfway through their journey, but luckily, things hadn't been problematic.
Thaids were relatively few on the path Erik had taken, but that was because half of the journey had been spent traveling through Frant's controlled territories.
That was thanks to the Chimaeric Demons. Since the others couldn't hunt these thaids as easily as them, given they were from the Eldraith Mountain Range, the Chimaeric Demons got ordered to eradicate them all, at least those on their side of the front lines.
This made Erik's and the others' journey very smooth. Things would not go on like this forever, though, because soon Erik and the others would end up in enemy territory.
There, the situation might be different, or the same, at least on the thaids' front, but the group also had to consider the enemy troops. They had to be added to the equation.
Erik and the others were almost at the front lines at that point, and they all decided to make a stop at one of the Chimaeric Demons' outposts before crossing them.
There were two reasons. The first was because Erik needed to resupply; the second was to get info about the front lines themselves.
Based on what he got told by Fischer and Van Dyke through the phone, the battlefield was changing. Hin's and Etrium's troop started getting aided by the blackguards on a greater scale than before.
In fact, for the past week, Becker had been able to conquer several cities in the south, since the blackguards presence there lowered.
The pricks moved. They decided it would have been best to make a united front against Becker's troops instead of splitting the battlefield in two.
For sure, it would have split Frant's forces in two, but it was likely they didn't have the troops to keep a double front on. That was further testified by the increase in thaids attacks in the past weeks.
Fischer told Erik, in fact, that the Chimaeric Demons reported a massive increase in monsters' presence.
That made him think the blackguards were moving troops to Mur.
Given the situation, Erik was forced to make a stop. The outpost was nestled in a small valley, its location chosen to make it impossible for the enemy forces to find it, since the valley was a vast jungle.
The group rode there and approached the outpost's entrance.
One of the sentries, a Chimaeric Demon, stepped forward with a crisp salute.
"Welcome, Master," he said, his voice filled with dutiful respect. "It's an honor to have you and the others here."
Erik returned the salute, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Thank you. It's good to be here."
"We got told you were coming. Might you tell us how we can serve you?"
"We need to restock our supplies and gather some information. Can you bring us inside?"
The sentry nodded, standing tall. "Of course, Master. Right this way."
The group followed the sentry into the outpost.
The place was well organized, but Erik didn't expect less from the Chimaeric Demons. The outpost didn't have buildings, since the Chimaeric Demons preferred using tents, since it would be easier and faster to move in case problems arose.
In the main area, rows of labeled and neatly stacked supply crates housed food and ammunition.
There were also wooden walls covered with shelves displaying tools, medical supplies, and other necessities.
In a corner, there was a kitchen tent with several tables where meals were prepared and served.
Racks of rifles, pistols, and bladed weapons lined the walls, while a workbench with repair tools stood in the center.
There was also an infirmary with beds, medicine cabinets, and medical instruments, but it was small since all the Chimaeric Demons had healing powers.
<I can't understand how the hell the enemy troops are still standing against the Chimaeric
Demons.>
Of course, how could someone fight against someone who could not only easily kill their enemies but also heal their comrades?
However, that was a more rhetorical question, because Erik knew well the reason. It was because of the number of enemy troops. Considering that, the real question should have been, how could the Chimaeric Demons resist this horde?
Erik turned to the sentry. "Who's in charge of this outpost? I need to speak with the leader about the current situation on the front lines."
"That would be Commander Zephyr-71-E, sir. I'll bring you to him right away."
Erik nodded. "Oh, make someone bring Amber, Emily, Mira, and June to restock while I talk with Zephyr-71-E."
"Yes, sir!"
The clone made a gesture to another one; he quickly told him what he had to do. Then Erik turned to Amber and the others. "Go with them."
Finally, Erik and the sentry reached the commander's quarters, a small but well-organized space filled with maps, charts, and other documents.
The sentry didn't even announce himself. "Master Erik is here." That confused the commander, but once he saw Erik entering inside the tent, he got straight up.
"Master," the commander said, bowing his head in respect. "It's an honor to have you here. How can I be of help?"
Erik smiled. "Commander Zephyr, we need to restock our supplies and gather any information you have about the situation on the front lines. The first is already on the way to be done."
The commander nodded. "This leaves us with the second task. Of course, Master i will gladly
help."
"What did you want to know?"
"Well... considering we are heading behind enemy lines, I would like for you to tell me the
situation."
"Yes, of course. But I'm sorry master... I'm afraid the news is not all good."
"Tell me everything."
Erik and Commander Zephyr-71-E sat across from each other. A map of the front lines was spread out on the table between them. The commander's expression was serious as he began
his report.
"Master, I have both good and bad news," Zephyr-71-E said.
"Let's start with the good. We recently destroyed a battalion on the east, 20 kilometers fromn/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om
here. The enemy casualties were high."
"Good." That meant enemy forces were going to be less concentrated on the east. Erik
expected to be relatively free from attacks from that area.
"I need to reach this place." Erik pointed at the shores where he was thinking of going. "I'm going to take this route, stopping here."
Erik pointed at the map again. "Is there a place where we could prepare for our assault?" The commander then pointed to several locations on the map. "Our defensive positions are here, here, and here. They remained intact, but we got attacked often. If you need to rest, the best thing you should do, given where you are headed, is to stop here." The commander pointed to a particular area on the map.