The plane touches down, and Helios and 003 step out. "It seems we didn't die," 003 says in a calm voice, scanning the crowd waiting for them.
This bastard could have at least told me we were going to be attacked, Helios thinks, the memory of the missiles still fresh in his mind.
"Please follow us to the camp, Supreme Commander," a man in a military uniform says, gesturing toward a vehicle. Helios nods and follows him to a car. He and 003 climb into the back as the soldier takes the wheel.
They soon arrive at a sprawling site filled with rows of tents and bustling personnel. "This is the camp," Helios observes flatly.
The two began to walk through the grounds. "Yes, and you are expected to lead the people here," 003 reminds him. Helios looks around, noting the frantic movement of soldiers transporting crates of rifles and ammunition.
"It seems everyone is busy," 003 remarks, keeping pace beside Helios.
"What makes you think that?" Helios asks with a sarcastic edge to his voice.
"Nothing much," 003 replies coolly. "Just the observation of people running around."
They reach a large tent situated in the center of the base. Upon entering, they find four men waiting. One of them bows slightly. "Greetings, Supreme Commander."
"Who are you?" Helios asks, his voice steady.
"We are the Commanders assigned to assist you," Commander 1 explains.
"We've already gathered intelligence on the rebels through our spies," Commander 2 adds, pointing to a map of the Nether Principality spread across a table.
Helios walks to the table and picks up a briefing document. "The rebellion was started by a Seeker, and half of the rebel army is made up of Seekers," Helios reads aloud, his expression turning intrigued. "Is this all the information our spies could find?"
"Yes," Commander 2 admits, his jaw tightening. "Several of our spies were killed. It seems the enemy has informants in our camp as well; they knew our flight path, and we've lost the element of surprise." He slams his hand against the table in frustration.
"How many men and what kind of weaponry do we have for this war?" Helios asks.
Commander 4 hands him a ledger. Helios scans the figures. "Five thousand men, small arms, artillery, and tanks," he muses, falling into deep thought. "First, we need to breach the walls around the Principality using the artillery."
"We've already tried that," Commander 2 says, his tone growing exasperated. "They have Seekers who can manifest defenses against our shells."
"Have you tried engraving the shells with runes that nullify abilities?" Helios asks calmly.
"Finding an effective runic language is difficult," Commander 1 answers. "The scripts we currently possess aren't powerful enough to break a Seeker's defense."
That would be the case—if I didn't have my knowledge as a historian, Helios thinks. He hesitates. But should I help them? They might report my knowledge to the Royal Family.
"Supreme Commander, what do you think?" Commander 3 asks, snapping Helios out of his internal monologue.
"What?" Helios asks, blinking.
"We were suggesting that if we can't destroy the wall, we should dig a tunnel to get through," Commander 3 repeats.
"That's a moronic idea," Commander 4 snaps. "You think they won't spot a massive excavation project right under their noses?"
"Do you have a better idea, or are you just here to argue?" Commander 3 retorts.
"I can handle the runes," Helios interrupts, his voice cutting through the bickering.
003 looks at him, eyes narrowing. "Where did you acquire a runic language like that?"
"None of your business," Helios says dismissively. He then glances back at 003. "And what are you doing here if you aren't going to help?"
"My job is to evaluate your performance on this mission, not to assist you," 003 says in a flat, robotic tone.
"Then get out. Your presence is distracting," Helios says, pointing toward the exit. Without a word, 003 vanishes.
I don't care if the Royal Family finds out I have a new runic language, Helios thinks, his mind drifting momentarily to Sara. I just want to finish this mission quickly and go home.
"Even if we get through the gate, what then?" Commander 3 asks grimly. "Our Seekers are limited; most can't summon artifacts and only have increased physical attributes. We don't know the full extent of the enemy's power, but they clearly have Seekers who can use active abilities."
"What is their weapon capacity?" Helios asks.
"The Principality is supplied by the Kingdom for invasions, so their own stockpiles are limited," Commander 2 explains.
"We are forgetting something vital," Commander 1 says, his face darkening with concern.
"What is it?" Commander 4 asks.
"The citizens of the Nether Principality," Commander 1 says. "We can't just go in and start shooting. There are innocent people who might not even know a rebellion is happening."
Helios's expression softens into a worried frown. He's right. If we go in guns blazing, we'll kill civilians who have nothing to do with this.
"We can order the soldiers not to fire on anyone unarmed," Commander 3 suggests.
"Seekers can summon artifacts out of thin air," Commander 2 counters. "It could be a trap to lower our guard."
This is exactly like the scenarios I faced in the Fake World, Helios thinks, remembering a similar strategy meeting. But they didn't have Seekers there. This is going to be much harder.
"What do you think, Supreme Commander? Your word is final," Commander 2 says.
"I have an idea for that," Helios says. "How many of you here are Seekers?"
"All of us," Commander 4 replies. "It's a requirement for the command tier, though in the past, we weren't allowed to reveal our status to commoners."
"How long will it take you to find two birds?" Helios asks suddenly.
"That's a strange request," Commander 1 says, sounding confused. "But... no more than ten minutes."
"Good. Find two birds for me, and make it quick," Helios commands.
"Your wish is our command," Commander 2 says, heading outside. A few minutes later, he returns holding two ravens. "We found these. I hope they suffice," he says, struggling slightly as the birds flap their wings against his grip.
"Good. Now, hold them still for a moment," Helios says. He summons Circlet, which appears floating above his head.
In a swift motion, Helios manifests a blade of spiral energy and kills the two birds. Commander 2 lets the lifeless bodies fall, but before they hit the ground, they begin to transform. The ravens shift and warp, turning into two of Helios's Nightmares. They take flight, each landing on one of Helios's shoulders.
"You two will be called Robin and Tina," Helios says with a small, cold smile.
"How is this supposed to help us?" Commander 1 asks, staring at the creatures.
"I can share my sight with these two," Helios explains. "Furthermore, they can utilize my abilities. This means I can identify if someone is a Seeker even if they pretend to surrender. And if that isn't enough, I can place my Nightmares within the shadow of every soldier."