Chapter 35: Chapter 30 – The Smoldering Fire

Strange dreams have started to plague me as of late. Not nightmares per se. I don’t feel exhausted, either. But a certain theme repeats itself.

There is a being I don’t recognize, looming over me. It’s hard to look at. I can discern its silhouette. It’s vaguely human in form, but that’s all I see. Not quite shadows, not quite static. As if my vision of it is compressed to a point where all detail is lost.

The location changes each time. I feel the being wants me to observe my surroundings. We have gone from verdant fields to the darkest tundra. The views are breathtaking.

It tries to speak to me, but I don’t understand its words. I feel I should, but I don’t. They sound garbled. Somehow familiar, but something’s... wrong.

It doesn’t seem like it wants to harm me.

No. It feels concerned. A feeling that seems to increase with each passing night. It desperately wants me to understand it, but what does it really want from me?

I tell it I don’t understand. With each failure, it seems to become frustrated. But it seems like a frustration pointed at itself, not me.

And again, we change location.

The dream ends as the being points to the ground.

Words appear for a moment.

‘YOU WILL.’

I save an imprint of each encounter to my brain. Surely with time I will find out what it is that I’m experiencing. But I have too much on my plate to think about it too much.

Then I continue with my day as if nothing happened.

-*-*-*-*-*-

Ugh. I really didn’t think Karine would put her plans into motion this fast. You’d think she’s been sitting on them for ages!

Knowing her, she probably has. She seems the type. I haven’t asked.

“Where are we going this time?” I can’t hide the annoyance in my voice. Not that I’m really trying to at this point. She’s really been testing my patience!

What does Karine think I can do if she keeps interrupting me like this every single day? She may have declared that I’m a ‘summoned hero’ to the leaders of the rebellion, but I’ve had just three weeks to learn anything! Which part of me having been an office worker and having never fought in my life doesn’t she understand? Even though she keeps saying I’m not going to have to fight and I’ll just have to be present to boost everyone’s morale or something, even the best plans can fail!

Most of the combat training I’ve had so far has consisted of me mimicking things rather than learning them outright. It’s not nearly as good as having had actual training, but… Sure. It’s something. I’ve only had the chance to even do that for this week.

Proper summoned heroes seem to just know these things sort of instinctively, I’m told. I don’t. That should tell you something, Karine. Why do you keep insisting on bringing me with you?

“To the guild,” Karine says apologetically, “There’re a few people there we need to talk to.”

I can’t believe it’s been just a week since Avilia and I had our talk. It feels like it’s been ages. We haven’t had much of a chance since. We’re both just too tired when we get back to the inn. At least we don’t keep to our own sides of the bed anymore. Cuddling up with her until we fall asleep sure is nice...

Have to focus.

Considering the hustle and bustle in the village, you’d think we’ve been preparing for something for months at the very least. But no, it’s been just a few days. What started as a trickle on the day after Karine’s declaration has turned into a flowing river. People and equipment coming and going.

It’s not very different to how home was in some ways. I should stop calling it ‘home.’ There’s no going back.

“Again? What do they need this time?”

Hey, at least I’m not entirely without teeth. Finding out that I can cast and cancel enhancements super fast has been… Interesting. It’s all thanks to my augments, too. Who would’ve thought having software strapped to your brain would allow you to do things that wouldn’t be possible for a normal person?

It’s great that casting these things doesn’t have a massive upfront cost. Activating a protective shield or something for the split second you need it instead of a minute or so is really something. Too bad it doesn’t work with most offensive spells. Makes sense, though! You can’t keep feeding a fireball magic particles once it leaves your hands.

Karine glances at me. “Seems like our preparations are going unexpectedly smoothly. They still haven’t noticed we’re literally at their doorstep.”

She still calls a day’s march being ‘literally’ at their doorstep. Compared to the distance we’re at it sure is, but it’s still a fair distance to cover. A lot can go wrong in that time. A lot hinges on them not noticing anything until we’re at least on the move.

I’ve voiced my concerns over this overreliance on teleportation magic for her plan to work at all. But she’s been adamant it’ll work out.

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They don’t have any reason to keep an eye on literal wilderness outside intermittent patrols through the roads, she says. The mages will keep everything cloaked, she says. They don’t think much of the ‘peasant uprising’ and see the beastfolk as their main concern, she says. They won’t even notice us disrupting major portions of the national transporter network until it’s too late, she says. It won’t disrupt ours, she says.

I’ll believe it when I see it. Could they really be that overconfident and incompetent?

How have they stayed in power this long?

“That doesn’t answer my question.”

Avilia’s kept herself busy by helping out at the guild. Apparently it’s not as fun as it used to be, even if it’s technically more important.

“I mean, the second phase of preparations is almost complete. We’re moving to the next phase.”

If I remember right, the first phase was having some of the mages in her employ move out and deploy some transporter rings a bit away from the capital and keeping them hidden. Second phase was increasing their capacity and hauling equipment. Next phase is… Deploying troops?

Wow.

“Already? Didn’t you say it’d take at least a few weeks, if not months?”

“Based on my original plans, yes.” She smiles. “But thanks to you, the uprising has had an outpouring of support never seen before. Everyone wants to fight alongside the ‘people’s hero.’”

“Seriously? I haven’t even done anything that special!”

“Except gone into a town overtaken by undead surrounded by a forest filled with monsters and come back alive, with proof in tow.”

It always comes back to that, doesn’t it? I can’t really argue with it, either. I did do that, even if it was by pure chance. There’s no way I could put that on Avilia. It didn’t sit right with me when Karine tried to share the dubious glory between us two. I don’t want them to put unreasonable expectations on her, too.

I sigh. “You do realize your lie could come bite you later, right?”

“Only if we fail. Otherwise, no one’s going to care.”

Her attitude sure reminds me of home, too. Opportunist through and through. The end justifies the means.

I really need to stop that. This world is my home now.

“It takes just one informant to unravel everything.”

“And I think you worry too much. You don’t know how much the people hate the royals. And there’s a reason why we’re going through these phases.”

Karine’s unwavering belief in her plan is a bit unsettling.

Once we get to the capital, it relies heavily on us being able to storm the place fast enough for the royal army to not be able to relieve it in time. That’s a huge question mark. Will we be able to do it? Sure, majority of their army is scattered all over the kingdom. Those plans to disrupt the transport network are there. It’d take them at least days, if not weeks to reach the capital on foot. They don’t have enough mages to transport themselves quickly and safely to the capital, either.

And if we succeed. If. Even if the royals would somehow manage to flee, with the capital, we’d have control of the entire country’s transport nexus. That’s why the plan is to disrupt the transporters, not destroy them outright.

Sanctioned transport nexus, that is. Karine’s been saying that’s why we can keep transporting things with impunity. Having one of these private transporters isn’t cheap or even entirely legal, but she doesn’t care.

But even if we manage to take the capital, we’d still have to hold it, too. I bet it’d be too much to ask for the royal army to just surrender at that point.

… It’s going to be a bloody affair no matter what.

“I hope you’re right.”

“I’m sure I am.”

Finally, we’re at the guild. Time to put on my serious face.

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