Chapter 75: Battle Plans
Perspective: Amanda
Amanda only realised how crowded Shelter had gotten when she realised she was about to be late to a major planning meeting and had to tuck and roll between the throngs of people. In addition to the normal humans and occasional villagers, towering Mencur-Besh, stern-looking Pigmen and even long, winding dragons now seemed to fill every hall.
As she ducked between the pattering legs of Steve's pet Enderdragon, Drake, she wished she'd just waited for Helix to finish up his training. He could have just flown her over and saved time. Then again, she wasn't actually sure he'd go. And Drake playfully snapped at her as she ran past, so she could only imagine how excited he'd get at the sight of two people flying by. Ozen was already struggling to keep him focused as it was.
Helix had been getting better. He was eating his usual six tacos a day again and he even insisted on calling that a diet in what she hoped to Light was a joke. But he still avoided contact with most people other than her or Shadow, and he never voluntarily started a conversation with anyone other than her. He'd completely given up on his demonic training and no one felt comfortable pressuring him into continuing. Instead, he had dedicated his entire time to training with Rose, or if she wasn't available, the Mencur-Besh. All dodging and punching and chucking swords everywhere. And he'd developed this weird obsession with trying to summon lava that he couldn't always magic away - some of the Coven mages were actually starting to complain about having to constantly clean up after him. Never to his face though.
This time he'd been about to finish up when he caught a glimpse of Herobrine walking by with a group of his Blackshell troops - whose faces were hidden completely behind heavy obsidian armour - and then immediately went back to sparring with the nearest Mencur-Besh. Having a living reminder of the long journey ahead of him even if they beat Freak really wasn't helping Helix's emotional state.
She passed the infirmary and saw a patrol of hunters being patched up. They had gotten restless pretty soon after arriving and so Tyron and the others had decided to let them set up their own encampment nearby and send out packs to track down any Tower scouts or patrols. Unfortunately, they found more than expected and kept coming back pretty dinged up. So far, they'd killed twelve endermen. She knew because they kept bringing the bodies back and mounting them outside their camp. She really wished they'd stop because that was really gross and kind of sinister. People were actually starting to miss the Jackals.
Then she heard a snippet of conversation from inside.
"And you're certain there's no chance Claw could return? That he's not hiding amongst them?" asked a male voice.
"No, Claw died with the Entity. I assure you, Destiny did good work."
Kay walked out from behind a divider, rubbing his knee. The husband and wife leading the hunters followed him out, looking concerned.
"So you keep saying," said the wife. "But you must understand our concern that we were enlisted to kill Claw only to be greeted by a portal filled with creatures exactly matching his description."
"And how can you be sure he's not lying dormant, waiting to seize control?"
"We can't, but we do have enough force to contain him this time. Claw was strong. Herobrine is stronger."
Amanda realised she'd stopped. She also realised her hands had clenched preemptively into fists. She started walking away before Kay noticed her.
"Herobrine and that guy in the one room," she thought. "Helix is not coming today."
She walked past Lucy, who smiled genuinely at her. Amanda tried to reciprocate and felt happy enough that she succeeded.
Inside, Amanda scanned the room quickly before deciding to lean against the wall next to Rose. Together, they observed the people at the table and those continuing to enter.
Astro and Shadow sat with one seat between them, clearly intended for Tyron who was using ice magic to adjust the temperature of the furnace. Fire stood behind Tyron's chair, head craned down to hear their conversation. Astro leaned over, Shadow remained perfectly upright, smiling serenely. She seemed to have recovered some of that air of confidence she had back when Amanda first met her.
Then, Steve and Jennifer sat together, Steve worrying about Ozen's ability to steer Drake through the Shelter. Jennifer saw Amanda looking in their direction and rolled her eyes as she tried to calm him down without giggling.
"He's just not used to that many people…" Amanda picked out of the general chatter. "... And he's only what, like a year old? Basically a baby."
"I'm sure that is much higher in dragon years," said Jennifer as she flicked through some blueprints.
Next, Kir sat on a cushion, pulsing happily. He had been put there to relay messages to and from Tyron's army of dragons.
Voidblade and Urist sat together. The dwarf chatted away and the enderman really seemed to be making an effort not to look that tormented. As much as Voidblade tried, adapting to non-End culture took more than a few months of living among them.
Just on from them were the first real representatives from outside the Shelter. Two humans and a Water Mencur-Besh. Amanda had seen them before, the humans Andras and Brad were old friends of Fire, and Stream the Mencur-Besh apparently was one of the oldest of her kind, aside from Fire.
After that, two empty chairs struggled to remain upright under the weight of heavy cloaks made from furs and pierced through with bones. Obviously for the hunters. Right beside these vacancies, a pigman and a pale man with purple tattoos conferred with each other, with Herobrine towering behind them. He had a hand clamped onto the back of the pigman's chair, making it look like a doll's chair in comparison. Lucy came up and offered to get a chair that might fit him better, but he declined with surprising politeness.
Then came a smattering of people from Kay and Astro's world who Amanda didn't really care about. All she knew was that their leader was a thin, bureaucratic-looking guy called Ryan, and that Astro had been really reluctant to let them all in. Apparently, most of them would usually hate each other and they all had a tendency to argue over "stupid, tribal crap." However, Tyron had decided that they would probably try and play nice in front of Herobrine and maybe be a little daunted by the general situation, limiting the likelihood they would derail things.
Amanda noticed that one of them had a hood which obscured his face with supernatural darkness, like Helix. She suddenly felt very alone, despite Rose being right next to her, and wished he were there with his red eyes, his soft robes…
Anyone else at or around the table was internal to the Shelter. Raphoe skulked around near the hunters' chairs in his red scarf, not quite sure where he fit into everything now that Kay's boss had shown up and the former King in Ash kept doffing the hat to everyone under the sun. A fast-builder from resource-gathering here. Talita and Iridia from the Coven there. One or two infantry and combat mages. Lucy flitted between everyone, checking them to her list.
Finally, Kay entered with the hunter-chief power couple, Lucy made some ticks, and she took up a position next to Fire.
Kay saw Raphoe's aimlessness, grunted and gestured for him to follow him. Kay took him around and leaned against the furnace, slightly into the shadows but firmly within the eyeline of Herobrine and the hunters.
Then, unnoticed by most but greatly appreciated by Amanda, Helix entered. His red eyes looked dimmer than usual, but he had a slight smile on. He came up beside her and slipped his fingers in between hers. She felt warm.
"Hi," she said.
"Hi, sorry I'm late," he responded, making sure not to look over in the direction of the furnace.
Tyron cleared his throat, and the session began.
"So, I guess the first question is, what's our situation?" he began. "Well, I can tell you we're glad for every last person we've gotten. After the Prophet's Hill Massacre, we fell somewhere below fifteen-hundred trained soldiers and then began to slowly recover after gaining access to portal technology. Now, you all have graciously devoted yourselves to our cause, and we can safely say our forces number somewhere around forty thousand, the highest they have ever been. Thank you for your support."
There were polite murmurs of approval around the table. The hooded man even banged on the table with his fist and cried out "Hear, hear!", unconcerned that his raucousness did not match the general tone.
"Unfortunately, I've got to acknowledge that we are still, in fact, outnumbered. The Tower is an interdimensional organisation, in some places it could definitely be called an empire. It has a lot of troops at its disposal and a lot of places it can draw them from. However, that means, even though they've consolidated all their troops within Nexus, they have a lot of their conquering forces spread out across the multiverse. Thanks to the efforts of the internal scouting corps under Voidblade and the…" Tyron checked his notes calmly. "'Most honourable librarian pirates of Woobly' under… Scrumping Pup, as well as a Tower-internal source, we have been able to confirm their numbers at around one hundred thousand.
"Still outnumbered, but bear in mind, the Entity is dead, the Ender is dead. The endermen are tough but leaderless, and as far as we are aware Freak can't replicate the abilities which made the Entity such a threat in combat. Most of the rest are mercenary forces, a lot of whom got stuck in Nexus by accident. We have skill and experience on our side, and we will win this."
The hooded man yelled "hear, hear!" louder still and this time several others cheered in response, mostly from the same world but Urist also offered some typically dwarfish encouragement. Tyron smirked slightly then continued.
"Of course, this brings us on to the matter of strategy. The Shelter is some ways out from the Tower by design. Previously we had floated plans of attacking villages near the Tower to establish a beachhead from which to launch a full assault. However, with the machine so close to completion, and with the risk that the Tower would call for reinforcements from its off-world holdings, we cannot waste time on that. We propose a full-frontal assault."
No cheers went up this time. The hooded man assumed a pose of great contemplation. Steve looked disappointed he hadn't joined in when he had the chance.
"Glowstar asks: 'So, they'll see us coming?'" chirped Kir.
Tyron sighed.
"Yes."
A general feeling of discomfort descended on everyone in the room. Amanda reshuffled her fingers and held Helix's hand all the tighter.
"So, we're going to loudly announce our presence to the enemy? Is there no prospect of a sneak attack?" Asked the male hunter chief.
"We have investigated that possibility," answered Tyron confidently. "There was a route into the Tower that the enemy were unaware of, but it was too small for a large-scale attack. And, since Destiny used that portal to get in and kill the Entity, Freak was aware of it and has sealed it off."
"Excuse me," said Herobrine calmly. "I was under the impression that the Entity was 'usurped' by Freak, I believe that was the word you used, Fire. Am I to understand that the Shelter deliberately installed Freak?"
Tyron looked directly at Herobrine for the first time since the meeting had started and gritted his teeth. It occurred to Amanda just how weird this must be for him.
Fire ended up replying: "While Destiny's actions have resulted in a significant edge for the Shelter, it was a plan of her and Freak alone. I'd hazard a guess that Freak betrayed the Entity and used Destiny to get rid of it, which happened to align with our goals, but that is where our 'collaboration' ends. Now Freak is in the same position as the Entity, but he is individually much less powerful than it."
Tyron shuffled in discomfort, realising the questions this raised.
"So, this plot occurred without the knowledge of Shelter leadership? How was this allowed to happen?"
Kay cut in: "The Shelter was under my administration in the lead-up to the assassination, during Fire's captivity. The failing was mine, my lord. Freak is a phantom and can, when he wishes, be visible to only one individual at a time. Precautions have been taken - a benevolent phantom known as the Lady of Dreams has been contacted - and this error will not be repeated."
Herobrine nodded, satisfied but still obviously concerned to receive confirmation of the mildly chaotic recent history of the Shelter. Amanda was just glad he didn't ask why Kay wasn't leading any more. Helix definitely wouldn't have been able to keep quiet about that. Or maybe he'd just have stormed ominously out of the room, which might actually have been worse.
"So," declared Tyron in an effort to regain control. "We have the outline established. Now for specifics. We're currently planning for the Mencur-Besh to take the lead on the ground, serving as a vanguard under the command of Fire, followed up by a broader force under my own direction. Of course, we will have combat mages as skirmishers, a sizeable ranged corps comprised of conventional archers and firearms users, and a mixture of magical and non-magical artillery in support.
"Our goal will be to use range to our advantage to disrupt the Tower's defences, allowing our infantry a chance to force their way through the main gate and make it to the Tower proper, which unfortunately only has one entrance. Once inside, in addition to attempting to seize control of as much of the structure as possible, a contingent shall break off to fight its way down to the Deep Labs with the goal of locating and disabling the machine. Shadow and a collective of mages from our various factions shall be a priority asset in this situation, as they are most likely to be able to figure out how to stop it from activating to begin with.
"At the same time, an air assault under the command of Herobrine will be conducted. Guarded by the dragons of Minecraftia, our airships will attempt to infiltrate the Tower's upper floors. This will help relieve pressure from the force on the lower floors, but more importantly this force shall attempt to locate the machine's activation mechanism and prevent Freak from using it. It is believed to be within the Entity's former throne room and is supposed to be guarded by a particularly advanced breed of golems. Our internal source suggests they are made of bedrock, but otherwise we are unclear of their capabilities. Be extremely careful when engaging them."
Herobrine smirked and stroked his adamantine sword.
A man in a steel mask scoffed, "Tricked-out golems? A machine with a ticking clock? Megalomaniacs in pursuit of godhood? Forgive me, I'm feeling downright nostalgic."
Astro glared at him.
"Don't worry, Brother Chrone," he said. "You will be in the ground assault, so you shall be as far away as can be from your fear of repetition."
"Wonderful," he said. "Very considerate of you."
His face was invisible beneath his mask, but his eyes assumed the glazed quality of a smirk.
Astro chewed his lip and looked at his notes, clearly a little embarrassed.
"Well," Helix whispered to her. "At least we know Astro's above all that 'stupid, tribal crap'."
She snorted with laughter a little harder than the joke merited. It was nice that he had his sense of humour back. Unfortunately, Herobrine turned his head at the sound, and while the blind guy looked at them with nothing but good-natured bemusement at the thought of two kids in a war-room, Helix glared back fiercely until he returned his attention to the table.
"With the plan firmly established. That brings us," Tyron said. "To the matter of division leaders. All very dry troop assignment stuff, but necessary."
He began to recite the assignments. It reminded Amanda of the travelling storytellers who would sometimes come through the villages, when they would recite ancient poems, and then to give a sense of grandeur and maybe to avoid having to describe any elaborate battle scenes for a while they'd list everyone involved for a full chapter. Except somehow more boring.
Long and short of it, Brad, one of Fire's buddies in the Eye-and-Claws had the air, coordinating the attack until they made an entrance in the side of the Tower, at which point Herobrine would take over the infiltration force. Glowstar would lead a dragon escort. Steve and Jennifer would initially be part of the escort on the back of Drake Junior, then join the infiltration force alongside some of their usual divisions, using their fast-building abilities to help prevent loss of ground. Astro would do much the same, flying around until they found an opening, at which point he would take partial command of a group called the "Guild of Twenty-Four Diamonds", who she assumed were the heavily armoured dunk squad who always jeered playfully at him when he ran by on an errand.
Voidblade and Urist would also serve as officers in the infiltration force, the former helping to locate and harass Tower forces, the latter helping to flesh out Steve and Jennifer's quickly built fortifications into real footholds. Rose smirked as her role was explained. Her duty was to help make an opening for the infiltration force, both by killing anyone who tried to impede them, but also by literally making an opening in the wall of the Tower where artillery fire hadn't created a wide enough gap. She explained in a mutter that they had found the alloy they used to coat the Tower. Apparently, her blades made it look like crap and cut through about as easily.
Tyron would, of course, coordinate the ground forces, with Fire leading the Mencur-Besh in the vanguard. Amanda and Helix would be accompanying Tyron personally, but if their last outing had been any indication, that meant they would be part of the attack with Tyron lending a handy assist any time they got overwhelmed. The hunters would attack from a slightly different angle, hoping to hop the fortifications and engage the forces within, with the goal of disrupting internal defences and engaging the enemy in tight spaces where proper formations became more difficult. Notionally, they were independent, but they would also be accompanied by a brigade comprising Kay's remaining loyalists in the Shelter and a small group of Herobrine's pigmen. So, basically the naughty corner crew.
Amanda considered making a quip about that to Helix, but one look at his face confirmed he was not at all ready to joke about that.
Shadow would, of course, command her Coven of mages and provide any aerial and ground support needed throughout, then hand over operational leadership to Talita after the Tower was breached so she could focus on locating and disabling the machine. Lucy had the duty of co-directing the artillery and generally running logistics for the ground assault. This unfortunately put her in the unenviable duty of making sure the rear-guard - a group called Legion - held firm and prevented the Tower from encircling them. When Lucy heard about her responsibility she nodded, then immediately took on the look of someone mentally preparing several comprehensive checklists for the tasks ahead.
"Well, you know your duties," said Tyron gravely. "We attack in three days. Do what you can to prepare. May Notch be with you - or whoever you worship. Sorry, didn't mean to be exclusionary, Notch just seems to be common across a lot of places and - I'm getting off topic."
Tyron sighed and Amanda heard Helix mutter "Light be with you," under his breath. Rathina placed a hand on Tyron's shoulder, and he recollected himself, and looked strangely pleased with himself as he said the next sentence.
"You are brave for being here, your bravery will be remembered, let's make sure it's rewarded. It's about time we all got a happy ending."
Amanda caught his eye and smiled reassuringly, shooting him a smirk and a laid-back thumbs-up. He smiled slightly but warmly and left with Rathina.
Helix had his head hung like he was observing a moment of silence. She squeezed his hand.
"Hey, you heard him, happy ending's on its way."
He smiled.
"Yeah, it sure is," he accepted.
They left, still holding hands, ready for what was yet to come.
