Chapter 12: All Ghillied Up


There's not much I can do but wait anxiously as evening falls, Springfield already having departed in her suit. I wish I had a radio transceiver that I could use to communicate with her, but unfortunately we're stuck with me using Spectre as a medium. As to minimize chances of detection, we're not using the speaker mode we utilized during the assault on the Academy, so that way Spectre can choose what to say and when to say it.

"It's downright terrifying how you can't see her. We'll have to find more of those things when we get the chance." Agnes says next to me, also concealed in the treeline with me.

"That's wishful thinking." I say back, hearing a snort of amusement in return.

"Springfield, remain still. Tally enemy patrol of three on your seven o'clock, fifty feet." Spectre says, looking through her pair of NVGs. "Commander?"

"Move when she's behind them and it's safe to advance."

"Copy. Forwarding to Springfield."

"It's also incredibly convenient that they can communicate without vocalizing it. Actually, it feels almost like straight up cheating. You should've told me when you mentioned what they were."

"Sorry, it must've slipped my mind since we generally act as a full squad." I mumble.

"True."

"Commander, Springfield is in position. She also said something about 'Kept you waiting, didn't I?'"

"Solid copy. Have her begin monitoring."

"...Roger. Springfield has begun monitoring."

Right now we're just trying to gather some data. Figure out what the patrols look like, what a possible vector into the city could be. It's a long and tedious process, but we'll need to do it.

PPK is sneaking off as well, but she's moreso positioned up higher when she can look for incoming airships. They're pretty massive, as it is, so it's not hard to see them coming in from the sky. Similar to airplanes' collision lights, they've got torches and lanterns on their decks, making them light up fairly easily in the sky.

"Commander, picking up some dots."

"Spectre?"

"Estimating it's a patrol of dragon knights coming from a return trip. Similar formation to when we were up in the mountains."

"Got it. Let Springfield know to hold still."

"Understood. All units, Spectre. Confirm dots coming in from northwest, over?" There's a pause. "Commander, PPK and Springfield confirmed, and Springfield is holding position."

I glance towards the sky, looking at the cloudless darkness above. Does look like I can spot some kind of movement, but it's hard.

"What are those 'dots' you keep mentioning, anyways?" Agnes asks, glancing around.

"Well, I said they were like advanced golems, right? They have to know how to determine friend from foe."

"Ah, I see."

"No further questions?"

"I'm just thinking that it's useful they can determine it from such far a range."

I hold back a chuckle, very thankful that radar doesn't seem to be a concept in this world. If it was, and the enemy had radar warning receivers, they would be able to tell they were being picked up on. I suppose it isn't the strongest radar in the world, but they were equipped with relatively short ranged ones to detect Sangvis forces more easily instead of just visual reliance.

After a short while, I can see the dragon knights landing in.

"Springfield is requesting permission to move to a better angle."

"Hold. If they're coming in, then there's likely a patrol to replace them."

A few minutes later, just like that, indeed another dragon knight patrol leaves the city. I wait until they're beyond visual range before allowing Springfield to move in closer to the northern entrance.

Based on the reports that come through the night, there don't appear to be any airships. They've still got a land supply route, so they're likely utilizing it while they can, meaning there don't have to be any airships diverted to supply runs. Which means of course, we can intercept them. Shame we can't suppress the muskets Agnes gave us, or we could stealthily take out the entire supply chain.

Regardless, we continue to observe their patterns of searching cargo coming into the city. It seems all cargo is left just outside the gates, where it is then inspected thoroughly before being brought in by soldiers inside the city. The merchants never seem to enter the city, meaning that only those who are already trusted can bring cargo in. No chance for us to slip in through a smuggled shipment, I think, or at least it's not a good option. Too risky.

"Enfield, what are the chances we can make a dent in the walls with an explosive?"

"They're likely magically reinforced. You're going to need a lot of mundane explosives to break through them."

"And we don't have the time nor expertise to tunnel underneath them. Tch. Getting inside the city is going to be pretty difficult. I wish we could utilize airpower, but that'd give away our…"

"Commander?"

"I've got something, maybe. We'll look into it tomorrow. Spectre, have PPK monitor for air patrols and get me a schedule on when they seem to come in and out."

"Copy, sir."

The hours tick on, with nothing much of note coming up until about one hundred hours.

"Sir, Springfield's hailing us."

"What's she got?"

"She's picking up something and claims they seem to match T-Doll signatures."

"Have her reach out to them and hail them. Use the channel Griffin had for us to identify each other on the battlefield rather than an open one, in case it's the worst." I say, feeling the excitement course through my veins. If we can secure additional firepower, let alone have some more intel with T-Dolls who have been wandering here, it'll really give us an edge.

"They're not responding… and according to Springfield, they're moving away. No response."

That basically seals the deal; there's something here that can pick up on those broadcasts and likely understand it. If it had been an open channel, I doubt it would've run away if it was Sangvis. The only thing that potentially scares me is if it was a Ringleader, but I'm hoping that isn't the case.

"I see. Let's keep observing, we can't do much without any more data."

There's not much else of note for the rest of the night, with Springfield quietly returning to our camp at about six hundred hours, just before the sun is going to start rising in about an hour. We've all been up for some time save for Agnes, who took a power nap and is the first one to take watch while the rest of us recuperate.

However, our data is pretty solid. So far, it doesn't seem like a direct infiltration is going to be possible. Their inspection of each of the carriages is basically stripped down to the very last crate. It's a slow process for them, but this is one of their last strongholds. They can't afford a mistake.

No airships, either. But, we've got to find a way into the city. Or do we…?

"Springfield, during our next recon gathering, I want you to go to the tower closest to the edge of the island."

"Sir?"

"We might not be able to get into the city, but we can still get a decent vantage point."

"Oh, I see." She says, smiling. "That's a bold strategy."

"It's all we've got."


"Sync clocks." I say as we see the dragon rider patrol leaving visual airspace, having taken off from the city.

All of us do so, with Springfield being the first to turn away. It's well into the night and almost into the dawn, approximately four hundred hours.

"Good luck, Springfield."

"Thank you, sir."

With that, we see her off, Springfield crouching low in her ghillie suit under the cover of night. With PPK acting as our guard along with us verifying that the patrols don't seem to come out this far, Spectre has switched to speaker mode, allowing me to communicate directly with Springfield in real time.

"Springfield, passing waypoint one."

"Copy, Springfield. Continue mission."

The timing is really bad, but it's about the only way we're going to get a glimpse of their commanders. Springfield identified them two days ago after climbing up on the furthest tower and observing them, disguised as a piece of moss that was starting to form on the tower, along with remaining mostly out of sight.

PPK, by observing the flight paths, was also able to determine roughly where their blind spots on the tower would be, giving Springfield an easier time to climb, which had been instrumental in determining their commanders, anyways.

Regardless, this was going to be our one chance. Having identified where they would be due to what appeared to be their living quarters in the city, Springfield was now advancing with her suppressed rifle. Only wish she had a scope to really seal the deal, but I had given her authorization to expend as much ammunition as she wanted.

"Springfield, arriving at waypoint two."

"Copy, Springfield. Begin the climb."

Despite the sun rising soon, there's still enough darkness where Springfield can climb unnoticed in her ghillie suit. Not to mention that because the ramparts have blind spots because the tower obscures their view, she can climb up without much issue. Plus, the tower is roofed in order to prevent against dragon riders simply going up and obliterating everyone manning a tower, meaning she can get a comfortable vantage point quite literally over our enemies' heads.

There's just one problem, and that is the further tower, the one Springfield is climbing, doesn't give enough of a viewpoint for her to get a clean shot off. Not to mention that Springfield is able to shave off much more distance if she goes to the next tower, lowering the range she's firing at, meaning a more likely kill.

"Springfield, arriving at waypoint three."

That means she's on the top of the tower. Here comes the trickiest part.

Based on what we observed, it's about a hundred and fifty yards between the towers. A lot of distance to cover… and a lot of distance to get caught.

"Commander, requesting permission to engage and eliminate the tower's guards."

"...denied. We're here ahead of schedule, hold."

"...copy, sir."

"I know you want to get into position, but we've got to take this nice and slow. It's twenty minutes until the shifts change. Wait it out."

It's a heart-pounding twenty minutes as we wait, both making sure no enemy patrols surprise us, but also waiting for that crucial window to open up.

"Springfield, confirm guards have changed shifts?

"Confirming guards have changed shifts, just like our gathered intel said."

"You're free to engage. Silently, no firearms."

"Copy, Commander. This will be just a second."

It's about thirty seconds later before I hear Springfield's voice again.

"Enemy squad of five downed, not a sound was made."

"Terrifying."

"Even so, it pains me as someone made to protect humanity."

"I know. Sorry for putting you through it. Make sure to hide the bodies somewhere."

"Thank you, Commander. Proceeding with the mission as soon as I do so."

With that tower's guards eliminated, Springfield can move unwatched, with the only real threat being the guards on the ramparts and the next tower. With only an hour to go, Springfield's going to have to move quickly.

Somehow, though, as she continuously advances, at one point hanging off the ramparts and scuffling over right above the guards at a gate, I feel more tension than I ever did during my usual operations at Griffin.

At six hundred and thirty hours…

"Springfield, arriving at waypoint four. Readying the shot."

"Copy, Springfield. Hold position and take aim. You are authorized to use all means at your disposal."

"Understood, sir."

I watch, with ever fading patience, as the clock continues to go on by. It's almost seven hundred hours, now.

"Springfield, target?"

"I have visual on the target. From previous observations, it appears to be their second in command. I do not have eyes on what we observed to be their first in command."

Cheh, that's not good…

"Sir, we have a narrow window. I'm going to lose visual in forty one seconds and counting down."

Alright, come on. This is already a good way to shake them up, but I'd rather attempt to decapitate their army by taking out the head. Taking out a second in command might affect the first, but overall I'd do more damage waiting for the head honcho himself as no doubt, with what I've observed, the petty squabbles of nobles will cause them to collapse in on themselves.

"Springfield, hold fire until fifteen seconds before losing visual. If you do not have eyes on their first in command, take out the second in command and bug out."

"Copy, sir."

It's the best we can do for now.

"Sir."

"Springfield?"

"There's a problem."

"Go ahead, we're losing time."

"The second in command is carrying a child in his arms, cradling her close to the chest, now. It seems to be his daughter. If I take the shot, we risk collateral damage."

Why would there be a child here…? Shouldn't anyone who comes to war know better?

But… Tristain's momentum is starting to really swing up in this war. As it were, there's Saxe Gotha and then the former capital left. The air corridor is likely occupied, preventing an aerial escape. That means that likely… this is that commander's home city.

A ground evacuation should be possible as well, but I couldn't say where they'd go. They could go to the former capital, but I don't know how long it's going to take to travel by ground, and then they risk capture. It's not exactly going to be easy.

But regardless, even with a child here, we could shake up this war...

I take a breath, reminding myself of who I am. We risked a lot doing this and with the bodies that are going to be found, we definitely won't get a second chance as they go on high alert. But I'm… not the demon lord that my mentor and friend was.

"Commander, I'm awaiting your orders."

"Are there any other hostiles in the area?"

"I see his guards."

We could try to cause a panic and have them run to safety, but I feel that he'll carry his daughter in his arms to safety, meaning that we can't just eliminate the guards to cause said panic.

"Do not fire yet."

"Losing visual in seventeen seconds."

I see Agnes looking at me out of the corner of my eye as I clench my fists. It's damn hard to let it go, but I don't know how I'll live with myself if Springfield hits the kid. How she'll live with herself, either. However, when I look at Agnes' face, well… I wish I could say I saw some kind of encouragement that I was doing the right thing, but there was nothing on her usual impassive, emotionless stare.

"Springfield, withdraw. There's no point staying and endangering yourself any longer."

"I'll remain to the end, sir. Just in case the commander pops up."


Unfortunately, in the end, the commander did not show himself, leaving us only with a raised alarm and several guards killed. Springfield herself was able to extract safely, but overall there's still a feeling of defeat.

"You made the right call, Commander." Spectre says as we sit around, hidden in the forest bathed in moonlight.

"Not much we can do now, though. Most we can do is take a look at what the patrols look like tomorrow and see if how much security's been tightened." I say, leaning back against a tree.

"But, you know…" Agnes says from the side, sitting down as she returns from her patrol. "...you shouldn't be talking to us. There's someone who definitely deserves your company right now."

"That's right, Commander~" PPK's voice says, also returning. "She's waiting for you."

Well, guess I just have to man up, don't I?

I get up quietly, to the encouraging smile of PPK, who gives me a light push as I pass by her. About a minute of walking later, I find Springfield sitting on a log, looking up at the moons.

"Hey." I say, getting her attention. Springfield salutes, but I wave her off. "Kept you waiting, huh?"

Springfield turns her gaze back towards the ground as I sit next to her. "Indeed you have, Commander."

"Sorry about today."

"There wasn't anything you could've done, Commander."

"I know, but… there's an odd heavy feeling in my heart."

"I… thank you, though, Commander. For making that call. I can't say if it was the right call; perhaps this war would've ended sooner if we had gone through with it, but thank you regardless."

"Well… I don't know if I could live with myself if we had taken a chance and… missed. Even if it wasn't me pulling the trigger, it might as well have been."

Springfield is silent at that, so I reach over and ruffle her hair a bit.

"I just hope that they're able to evacuate in time."

"Ah, that's true. The army is marching to eventually lay siege to the city, yes?"

"That's the plan." I say, nodding. "With the air corridor occupied, it's not hard to imagine they'll do an aerial evacuation while they still can. And it's not like we can intercept them so easily due to the anti-air platforms still there. If anything, it's going to be quite the brutal slog to break through, as they can send dragon riders to decimate our ground troops while we can't get in too close with our own air power to cover them."

I see Springfield clench her fists at that, so I take hold of her left shoulder.

"You're not at fault, Springfield."

"If, Commander, we lose the siege, and it is due to that general surviving, will you honestly be able to say that to me?"

"We'll find out, should that come to pass. But I have faith, Springfield. Faith in you, our allies, and the GK Team. We will not let all of our sacrifices be in vain. Including tonight's sacrifice."

I slowly move my hand, guiding Springfield's head to my shoulder, where I hear her giggle.

"I thought, Commander, that you did not get involved with T-Dolls because of Griffin policy."

"That is true, but we are not involved, are we, Springfield? This is me offering some comfort as I can. That, and I am no longer affiliated with Griffin, so I suppose I am free to do as I wish."

"My, Commander, that almost sounds like a confession."

"Please do not interpret it as such."

"It's fine, I am not doing such, after all." Springfield says as I lift my hand, where she stays leaning into my shoulder. "But you seem quite experienced, doing something like that so seamlessly."

"Well, I too, was a young lad at some point in time." I hear Springfield giggle at that. "So you could say that… I'm just using some of my… accumulated expertise, let us say."

"Hehehe, thank you then, Commander, for allowing me to share in it. But, I must confess… I often have begun to wonder why is it we were given such emotions."

"Well, many of you come from places of human service, don't you? It makes sense to be able to empathize with people, in a sense."

"Then… why do we continue to have them, knowing we'll be sent out against the Sangvis?"

"...I don't quite know, Springfield. Emotions can be a dual-edged sword at times. At times, when things we hold dear are threatened, our emotions can flare up and cause us to perform miracles and tasks beyond our wildest belief. But sometimes they can also cause us insecurity, hindering our resolve, and can cause us to trip up on the simplest of things. Ultimately, I never really questioned it. It wasn't that important to me."

"I see."

"To me, it was just another part of the job, of things I dealt with. I knew that someone in my position wouldn't be able to change things, so I did what I did. If the T-Dolls under my command were to have emotions, then so be it. I will listen to them, comfort them, and help them understand matters of the heart, as someone who had lived and experienced many of those things before I had met them. A wise man once told me, after all, that the less time you focus on things you can't control and more on what you can, the more fulfilling your life will be."

"It seems to me that you have had many wise people give you advice in your life."

"I've made many mistakes, so I had to be taught, after all." I say, getting a chuckle out of Springfield. "Regardless, please do not blame yourself for anything today, Springfield. If there is a semblance of guilt forming within you, then I'll ask that you take that feeling and know it well. When the time comes for us to storm that city, use it as fuel to fight harder, because all of you can save many lives just by fighting. Promise me that."

"That is unusually bold, coming from you, Commander."

"There are times I cannot be so passive, Springfield. This is one of those."

"I see, Commander. Well… I cannot say I am upset."

Due to how we're positioned, I can't really see Springfield's expression, but the mood somehow feels lighter.

"I'm glad. If there's ever anything else you'd like to talk about, I'll make some time for you. For now, we should rest. We've got to start making our way to the rally point, after all."

As I start to get up, I feel a hand on my leg.

"Springfield?"

"...may I have ten minutes of your time, Commander?"

"It's not like you to be so indirect, Springfield." I say, chuckling back as I sit back down. "But very well, I can spare ten minutes. Let us hope our enemies can do the same."

The time slowly ticks on by. The forest is dead silent in the winter, where not even the breeze disturbs us. Springfield remains almost perfectly still the whole time, just resting. Today must've been a very stressful day for her.

As it was back home, T-Dolls didn't have to worry about things like this for the most part. Our enemies were the Sangvis, pitted against the T-Dolls. Almost everyone was disposable, able to be rebuilt without a second thought. There wasn't anything to really weigh, for the most part. In a way, it felt almost like a game. But I suppose that's because lives weren't at risk every day, on that field. There weren't human settlements we were protecting, there weren't towns we were fighting to keep out of Sangvis hands, there weren't living, breathing people close to the battlefield that needed us to win or they'd all die.

And for the T-Dolls, it was incredibly rare for them to have human opposition. They were made for taking care and servicing us, after all. While they've all taken to fighting soldiers rather well, it's likely due to the mindset that we've all been ingrained with. An enemy soldier is an enemy soldier, whether it be Sangvis or a living person. As long as they're posing a threat, they need to be dealt with. But even so, thinking of potentially ending an innocent person's life, an innocent non-combatant's life, is definitely… not something T-Dolls think about, or should ever have to think about.

I quietly apologize to Springfield, who doesn't hear me. I'm sorry for putting you through this, Springfield.

"Springfield."

"Commander?"

"...do you mind telling me about why you were given Anti-Human protocols in the first place? As I recall, you were hesitant to tell me before, but I thought maybe you would like to say it now."

"Ah… well, it wasn't anything like this, Commander. It was meant just to be a very simple mission."

"I assume it turned out anything but."

I hear a giggle from Springfield, who still remains leaning on my shoulder. "Well, our targets were some… very foolish people who thought they'd sneak into the area to try to get their hands on tech to sell it off. They were assumed to be well armed and well funded, likely organized crime."

"I suppose it would take someone with considerable wealth and connections to even be able to successfully infiltrate the general area, yes."

"So, we were given those protocols. But perhaps we were just unlucky, in that as we were assaulting their hideout, the Sangvis attacked as well. A particularly larger group, too. I suspected a Ringleader wanted something from that base and was waiting for us to be off-guard due to the prior fighting, but we were unable to visually confirm one's presence. Regardless, they had those artillery roller units, and well… I'm here now."

"I see. Thank you."

"Was there any particular reason you wanted to ask?"

"Well, I just wanted to understand what you were going through, I suppose, or at least try. Having those protocols means you were going to turn your weapons on a human, so I wanted to know if you were used to that sort of thing."

"Ah… no, not at all. We were only given the mission due to its time sensitivity and that we were the closest group in the area. There was nothing special about it."

"Ahhh, I see, I see."

"I've already… become accustomed to it, as well, when I fought with Agnes. But we very much had the luxury of fighting criminals utilizing lethal force. There was no ambiguity to the situation."

"That is indeed a luxury."

"So, you don't need to worry about me freezing up when it comes to time to fight again. But, I am sure you are already familiar with what I'm going through, are you not, Commander?"

"I suppose humanity has had a rather lengthy history of bloody struggle against their fellow man, yes." I say with a nod. "But… it is one thing to fight amongst your own. I would think it's a different experience knowing you were made to help guard humanity, but then ultimately be commanded to take its life."

"That is true, yes… however, isn't there a parallel in how you were brought here?"

I give a snort of amusement. "I guess there is. Brought here to save one people, by the destruction of another. But I've chosen my side, so ultimately I lay in the bed that I've made. It's just… that's a willing choice I was able to make."

"...that is why I am very glad to have been discovered by you, Commander. Despite knowing that ultimately, we are constrained by your orders, you have done your best to give those orders in consideration of what we'd feel about them."

"Truthfully, it wasn't so selfless. Part of me considered what you would think, but at the same time it was because of what I would think of myself. Like I don't have enough on my plate to think about as it is. I'll take every chance I can to not have another demon haunting my sleep."

"Regardless, I am thankful, and I'm sure the others are, too." Springfield says, leaning more onto me and falling silent.

I don't say anything further after that and decide to just wait out the time. I suppose that for how composed she looks, being the de facto leader amongst the three dolls, that she's still carrying her own weight. But it's fine, as long as I am here, I'll do what I can to lessen her burden.

The minutes of the night continue to tick on by, but soon...

"Springfield, it's been ten minutes."

She slowly leans back, pulling away from me and standing up. "Ha… thank you, Commander. I am… much better now."

"If you don't feel you're ready for combat, don't hesitate to let me know."

She shakes her head. "No, I will be fine. We should move before we're discovered."

"Yes. Let's go."

When we get back, it's fairly obvious we were being watched, as PPK's smirk is too wide for anything good. However, it goes away with an elbow to the ribs from Spectre, who asks "What's the next move, Commander?"

"Obviously we're linking back up with the army. But we're technically a day ahead of schedule, so we're going to spend that day backtracking their caravans. The shipments are coming in almost daily from what we observed, so we're going to cripple that. We've got a map of the general area, and if we somewhat follow the roads, we can trace back where they're coming from. More importantly, we can intercept them and take what we can carry, stash some of it elsewhere, and torch the rest. We might not be able to completely decapitate their forces, but we can starve them out and make it easier for when our army arrives."

"Sounds like a plan." Agnes says, getting up. "Are we moving now?"

"We'll continue night operations, as I don't want to move when we're this close to the city. Once we're far enough away, we'll ease back into daytime operations."

"Understood, sir."

"Anyways, it's been a day. Let's get some rest."


"This almost feels unfair." I muse as the guards surrounding the caravan fall to the sounds of cascading musket fire. There isn't even so much of a battle as it is a one-sided slaughter, with the only people left standing a minute in just the caravan drivers.

In a few minutes, they're all rounded up and tied down. We're not in a position to really be taking prisoners of war, so we can't take them with us. From the previous caravan that we hit, we found out that most of these caravan drivers aren't even really nobles, they're just the arm of merchant families. They're all commoners who are just looking for a job and can't move to another kingdom due to the war; they'd just be looked under suspicion as a spy, and frankly with the winter setting in, they have to make ends meet somehow.

For the most part, we've let them go once we're done raiding the shipment; whether or not that's a mistake, I can't really say, but I don't have the heart in me to tell the T-Dolls to execute unarmed caravan drivers to keep them quiet about us. We do direct some of them towards Tristain territory, with Agnes playing the bad cop to scare them into doing so. Something about how she'll remember their face as a veiled threat, with the general implication being that she'd return for them if she found they still went to Reconquista controlled territory.

With some asking, it seems that Reconquista is being heavily funded somehow, which is how they're getting merchants to still supply them. It's almost triple what the current market rate is. Though, even if they go and sell it to the Tristain forces, they should still be able to make a profit.

"Looks like more munitions." Agnes says, prying open some more boxes, we're looking for more immediately dangerous things we don't want to risk falling into enemy hands such as ammo. "Got lots of cannonballs and gunpowder for cannons."

I've been having Spectre track where we stash everything, in case we need to go retrieve it later, or at least for the stuff that we can't hand-carry. But, always good to replenish our gunpowder reserves.

I wish we could at least find another Griffin shipment box, but the likelihood of that is fairly low.

Unfortunately, with only a day's buffer, we're only able to hit three caravans during our travels. However, that's still three shipments the enemy won't be receiving and three shipments of supplies we can take for ourselves.

Doubly unfortunate is the mood, though, when we arrive back with our forces and have to report the bad news. I can basically feel the jeers of the nobles as I disclose we weren't able to successfully remove the enemy leadership. I am however, able to report on their caravan guards, their way of guards, positions of the anti-air towers, and a lack of an aerial escape corridor, which prompts an inquiry from me on how our own air forces are doing.

To my surprise, it seems we're gaining an advantage in the aerial front, as their forces are preoccupied with trying to cut off our supply line. We've got to use this moment to take Saxe Gotha to give us an easier resupply point for our own airships to maintain it as well.

I also give the map data that Spectre handdrew for me to present regarding where we stashed what we raided from the caravans, giving a detailed list of all the supplies we've gathered. It seems the senior leadership is happy with that, and that I'll just be awaiting further orders from here on out.

It is more comforting to march with the army, as we're not all by ourselves.

A few days later, though, we're just outside the city limits, looking upon the city we just were infiltrating. As the camp is being set up, I decide to head to one of our elevated hill areas, where I look upon the city walls, lit with hundreds of torches.

"It's going to be a gruelling fight." I hear from my left, finding Gautier walking up next to me. "Even if they weren't on high alert, sieges are always ugly. Not to mention this is where they have to hold their ground."

"It was a mistake to leave this city for second to last. A cornered opponent fights harder." I say, hearing a huff of approval from Gautier.

"Well, we make do with what we have. I heard from the higher ups that we'll be working jointly again, though."

"They're not looping you in with another air wing?"

"Seems that we get results."

"I suppose I'll pass you our communication device, so we can communicate with you in the air."

"Appreciated. We'll be relying on you to keep those anti-air towers out of commission."

"It's going to be very tricky, isn't it?" I ask, chuckling.

"Indeed. But, it seems like we've got company. I'll take my leave."

I turn to look behind us, finding the GK Team there, who immediately salute.

"At ease, girls." I say, all of them relaxing. "What's the occasion?"

"We couldn't find you at your tent, sir." Spectre says.

"I see, I see. Well, we don't have our orders yet, but I'll head back if it'd make you all comfortable." I say, hearing Gautier chuckle as he leaves. "Are you all ready?"

"We are, sir."

I nod, giving them all a glance over. "I doubt we're going to do anything as foolish as a direct assault. We can afford to starve them out for a bit, but then again, I don't know how big their supply cache is."

"Keep in mind we're looking at glory hounds. Even with the pace of the war having slowed down, this is their chance at a big break." Agnes says, the spite in her voice evident.

"That's true. If that's the case… then we may have to have Gautier fly us in fast and hard. Walking across that battlefield is going to be hell."

"Artillery and air power raining down? You don't say."

"Regardless, we'll find a way to make it work. We always do."


Next time will be the Assault on Saxe Gotha.

Had a bit of fun with this chapter, but I don't have a ton to say. Felt nice to write a more stealthy-ish mission, and since most of the battles have really been "rock paper scissors GUN", I thought I'd put them in a situation that relies more on Oliver's morals being an obstacle and how the Dolls deal with it. After having quite a lot of focus on Spectre in the past, I thought it might be good to put the spotlight on Springfield for a bit here, too.

I did find it amusing when I needed to find a balance for Oliver, especially in the caravan situation. I wanted to portray it as Oliver trying to be somewhat pragmatic about it, but also with an element of humanity to it. I think it's definitely an interesting thing to explore, maybe down the line, in that Oliver and the Dolls are more mentally used to dealing with the Sangvis rather than normal human beings. So, while his war logic dictates to just torch the caravans completely and prevent them from making it, Oliver tries to get them to go to Tristain territory to sell their supplies so they can at least still make ends meet. It's a small detail that I ended up spending a lot more time trying to really iron out, as I felt it was really a crux of his character.

Either way, not much else to say after that. Next chapter is fairly lengthy as I went for some length on purpose. We're nearing the end of the first arc, so you know, why not go a bit extra?

Catch you all next time!