Hours had come and went by the time they were finished with the traps. They had converted a huge portion of the entire ndscape into one giant death scape. Though the traps aimed only to cripple or slow the soldiers, their fate wouldn’t be far worse than death. In fact, it would be worse than death. This endeavour would have taken days, but with Henry’s strength, size, and versatility, they completed everything in just hours.

  “We should have bought some food along,” Ani gasped in relief as she finally sat down. She had been on her feet since they began setting up and building the traps. Her vigour and stamina had been enhanced by her connection with Henry but even such an endeavour would take a toll on someone like her.

  “You’re weak, Ani,” said Rayne. “This is nothing.” Condescending as she might be, she was only slightly out of breath. She was still standing with her back straight with barely a hint of exhaustion.

  “How are you still standing?” Ani questioned in disbelief. If she wasn’t blessed by Henry’s grace, she would have long fallen unconscious from overexertion.

  “I was born in the northern mountains. The ascent and descent, while braving through snowstorms, are much more treacherous than his.”

  “I heard about your home. It snows all year long. How does your kind even thrive?”

  “...We don’t. My people have been dying faster than we can give birth. We are facing extinction.”

  Ani widened her eyes and stared at Henry, probing him for an expnation.

  Henry could only smile wryly in response.

  “You don’t need to worry,” Rayne said. It’s a problem for another day. We still have years before my people completely die off. Right now, we have rge and more imminent problems to worry about.” Rayne turned to Kiera, who had colpsed on the ground. “Such as our dead weight here.”

  Kiera looked up from where she was sitting, scowling. It would be more accurate to say she was slumping. “Shut your mouth,” she growled but she immediately gasped for breath afterwards. Unlike the other three, Kiera did not possess any impressive physical capabilities. She was only slightly better than the average human. She couldn’t even lift a log without using a spell.

  “Am I wrong? You stop being of any help halfway through. We did everything for the rest of the entire duration.”

  “Give me an hour and I will show you just how ignorant you are.”

  “I can give you two hours just to be certain. Or do you need one more hour in addition?”

  Kiera tried to stand up but she could not even push herself up.

  “Make that four hours.”

  “Alright, that’s enough.” Henry cut in before the banter turned into a brawl. “You two can kill each other when everything’s said and done. We still have things to do.”

  “We do?” Ani asked.

  Henry nodded. “Reinforcements for the army may be on the way. Since we’re already out here, we might as well ascertain the veracity of that information.”

  “Just ascertain?” Rayne questioned. “Nothing more?”

  “We can unch an offense if the circumstances permit us.”

  “Why wouldn’t the circumstances permit us?”

  “If they are expecting to be ambushed or intercepted, we may lose the element of surprise and this loss would extend the Lavans. We will only engage if we are sure we can destroy all of them without raising attention and without giving them the opportunity to retaliate.”

  “I expect them to be compcent.”

  “It will be your ruin if you think so little of the kingdom army,” Kiera said. “Do you think you can fight hundreds of Syers at once?”

  Rayne clicked her tongue.

  “Would they send hundreds of Syers?” Henry asked.

  “They will only send reinforcement if they have lost faith in the initial forces’ abilities. So, yes. Sending hundreds of Syers would be the least they would do. Moreover, there are also the Dregs. Combat puppet golems like the Syers. They are weaker and slower, but they are more in abundance.”

  “I have heard from Mika that their existence is still unconfirmed.”

  “They are real. Last I was aware, they are in the middle of construction, nearing completion. The kingdom might even be using this opportunity to test their capabilities.”

  “They are weaker than Syers,” Rayne said.

  “But still far stronger than an ordinary human soldier,” Kiera retorted. “Dregs wouldn’t need to eat or rest. The ck of those two needs is already a huge advantage over anything living.”

  “Well, we better get moving,” Henry said and assumed his true form. Without warning or asking the girls, she scooped them onto his back. Rayne and Ani had long gotten used to this but not Kiera, who let out a yelp as she was tossed onto his back.

  Clouds filled the night sky, which made it easy for Henry as he could safely traverse the sky without being spotted. Even from such a height, they could still see camp clearly. After all, it was brimming with light from the various fires set up around the camp and the mps that illuminated the field. More than just to give themselves a brighter view, it was to fend off the predators of the night. They weren’t in Ulrum yet but the beasts around these parts were not to be underestimated.

  “You truly did a number on them,” Kiera muttered. “There’s only around two thousand strong. If their enemies saw them, they would be ughed at.”

  “Two thousand is still a lot,” Ani said.

  “For one person. But to wage war? It’s not even the bare minimum. Adding to that, there aren't a lot of game near the Ulrum borders. No matter what kind of battle they choose, it’s their loss. They can only hope for their reinforcements to arrive.”

  “Which we wouldn’t allow them to meet,” Rayne added.

  “If the reinforcements do consist of those Dregs you mentioned, what are we to do?” Ani asked.

  “The Dregs have a huge weakness.”

  “Which is?”

  “They are not completely autonomous. They required a set of orders once every… full motion, shall we say? It’s like riding a horse. Without the rider telling the horse to stop, it would keep on running until it tires itself out. The same goes for the Dregs. Therefore, the one responsible for issuing the orders has to follow the Dregs into battle.”

  Rayne narrowed her gaze at Kiera. “How do you know so much about these Dregs?”

  Kiera grinned wryly. “Because it was my idea in the first pce. I was the one who proposed the concept of Dregs.”

  Rayne crossed her arms. “I see…”

  Ani was dumbfounded.

  “Figures,” Henry's reaction was mild.

  “What do you mean ‘figures’? Did you know about this?” Rayne asked.

  “She’s a Magus. An abundance of knowledge dwells in her mind. It would be odd if she didn’t have a hand in it. The Syers, I’m willing to wager that you are also involved in its creation process?”

  “I perfected it,” Kiera admitted unabashedly. “Without me, there would have been no Syers.”

  “You invented the Syers?” Ani asked, her eyes widened.

  “I didn’t, as much as I wish I did. The pns and concepts were products of a bygone civilisation, a Magi civilisation. The Syers and the Dregs are the brainchildren of my ancestors. Now, it’s in the hands of the humans and they have the galls to act like they made all of these possible.”

  “Is that why you came to our side?” Rayne asked. “To exact vengeance on the humans for stealing your credibility?”

  “Not the humans. Just this kingdom. I have no quarrel with humans. There’s a huge distinction there.”

  “What’s the difference?” Rayne scoffed.

  “Do you have something against humans?”

  “I have never heard a good thing about humans. And the few humans that I have met are… greedy, to put it lightly. We fed them. We clothed them. But it was never enough. They wanted more.” Rayne chuckled. “And of course, we obliged. We give it to them. We give them more than they ever wanted. I will never forget the faces when they realised what their greed had led them to.”

  “D-do you hate me too?” Ani asked hesitantly.

  “...You’re an exception,” Rayne answered after a short silence.

  “You hesitated there,” Ani pointed out.

  “Did not,” Rayne shot back.

  Ani fell silent with her gaze lowered.

  Kiera shook her head in exasperation. “What about you, Henry? Do you hate humans as a whole?”

  “Hate is a strong word.”

  “It’s a simple yes or no question.”

  “There’s nothing simple about it. I don’t hate humans but most of the humans I have met have not given me a good impression of them.”

  “That’s a no.”

  “Why the sudden curiosity?”

  “We will most likely be engaging with them soon. I will implore all of you to not give in to your grudge towards the kingdom or the humans, if there’s such a grudge.”

  Rayne snorted. “Even if I have a grudge, I’m not so stupid as to let it consume me.”

  “Definitely,” Henry muttered.

  Rayne stomped lightly on Henry’s head. “Shush,” she snarled softly.

  Henry chuckled in response.

  “I see them,” Ani cried. Her words drew the attention of the other two. Henry already had his eyes on them.

  The reinforcements were hard to miss even in the midst of the dark night. One could easily mistake them for a festival from afar without any prior knowledge. As they were in their own kingdom, they had no reason to be worried about being spotted by enemy forces. No bandits or thugs would be foolish enough to attack the soldiers when there was an army of them.

  “Huh, that’s fewer than I expected,” Kiera observed. “It’s only one thousand strong. Half of the numbers are the Dregs.”

  “I don’t see the Dregs.” Ani looked all over the marching army but nothing stood out as a bunch of combat puppet golems.

  “The vanguards. Those are the Dregs.”

  “Those are the Dregs?” Ani had a disappointed yet relieved look. “They don’t like puppet golems. They don’t even look intimidating.”

  “I concur,” Rayne said. “I would have taken them for ordinary soldiers. They’re nothing more than walking suits of armour, armour that the common soldiers wore. I wager I can take five of them down with a single punch. Those handful of Mages would be much more of a threat.”

  “There’s no Syers,” Henry pointed out.

  “Indeed, there’s none.” Kiera’s expression turned dubious. “This is strange. Is this hubris?”

  “What a disappointing result,” Rayne scoffed. “Henry, you can annihite them all with a single breath.”

  “I won’t be so sure about that. Mages are a cunning bunch, although the absence of the Syers is a huge comfort.”

  “The situation in the court may be more dire than we assumed,” Kiera surmised. “To the point they couldn’t afford to spare any Syers for the battlefield. I fear a war may be inevitable. The pyers may change but the game would happen regardless.”

  “One problem at a time, Kiera. Now, do you think we can destroy this reinforcement in one fell swoop?” Henry stopped right above the army.

  Kiera was looking down directly. “The Mages have not cast any shield or barrier. There’s no Arch Knight. They are all moving very close together. The Mages aren’t riding the Spiderack, just normal carriages. It will be their mistake.”

  “The Spiderack?”

  “Those rge golem carriages with legs like spiders? I’m sure you have already destroyed a few.”

  “Oh, those. I did destroy quite a few. They are very votile. What exactly do they use as fuel for these Spideracks?”

  “Ether, essence of Murux. It is what you get if you melt down raw Murux crystals. Of course, there are other processes to it but that’s the gist of it. They are highly explosive. A fme from a match could ignite an entire barrel and make it explode.”

  “Why would they use such an explosive substance?” Ani asked.

  “The convenience it offers far outweighs the risks,” Kiera expined. “To them, at least. There’s also power and control that comes from operating these machines. What’s a few tragedies compared to the might and convenience they can gain? These machines are the primary reason the Argon Kingdom is so feared far and wide.”

  “That’s… terrible,” Ani muttered.

  “So, can we?” Henry repeated his question.

  “I can,” Kiera answered confidently. “It will be quite easy and… messy.”