Training #3

Brrrmmm…..

Loose dirt rained from ceilings, support columns shook, infrastructure walls cracked and the great outer wall that surrounded Oasis City was gouged and carved. Soldiers and Sentinels atop the walls were geared and armed, the magicians beside them clasping their wands and staffs with anxiousness– both, bracing and surveying the surrounding desert sea of sand for signs of the creature.

Their waists were tied by supporting rope, so that in the instance the monster crashed hungrily against the wall, they would not fall into the grinding vortex within its jaws. Wealthier inhabitants evacuated through the portal, the merchant immediately fled from the danger; but the inhabitants that couldn’t afford escaping the city, could only duck under tables or chairs as the earth rumbled from underneath them.

Terror and fear ran rampant amongst the remaining inhabitants within Oasis City, the soldiers themselves starting to feel like cornered rats, as a monster of unimaginable size surveyed their city like a vulture– waiting for its prey to succumb to its anxiety.

Despite the fear-inducing threat, the leaders and the Heroes assigned to oversee such an operation must stand fast, unwavering despite the weight of reality. Or so Olivia wished.

“I wanna’ go home!”

The Magician’s brows irked with annoyance as her ears were assaulted by high-pitched wails and sobbing. But before she could open her mouth to spit a cutting remark, her neighboring professor gave hers first.

“You are Heroes!” Mary retorted sharply, her tone bitter with venom. “What kind of example are you showing with this attitude of yours!? Are you even Heroes!”

Olivia nodded softly at Mary, who huffed sharply, pinching the bridge of her nose. She looked at the group before her, most were bracing themselves, their knees tucked underneath their chins or huddled over next to each other like shivering chicks next to their mothers. Or in this case, Haruto or Masashi.

“I can’t handle this.” Olivia grumbled, rubbing her temples together. “If I listen any longer, I might light them on fire.”

She stood up with a stop of her heels and she turned away from the room, exiting it and entering the neighboring one. There she found the two students whom Kaiser had been paying much attention and care to. The three figures were hunched over a table full of manuscripts and records, while other strategists circled around them, silently planning amongst themselves too.

“H-Here are the records, Chief Knight.” Men and Women in long white robes bowed deeply.

The handsome knight in the middle nodded quickly, dismissing them with a wave of his hand. “Thank You.”

Olivia just arrived in time to observe the happenings of the room, the record keepers and scribes scampering to the outer edges of the room, and away from the center.

Beside her fiance were his two, dearest students, hunched over the procured documents like he was– a spitting image they were of him.

Ayama held out an unrolled scroll, reading its contents before showing it around to the other strategists. “According to this record, the monster outside the walls is called a ‘Sandworm.’”

Akiro picked up the manuscript below Ayama’s and read aloud the information within. “The Sandworm,” He punctuated, “--Are nomadic species of monsters that roam the underground desert.”

“Not bad.” Olivia hummed, leaning against the doorway, listening intently as Akiro’s voice authoritatively read out the file, demanding silence without explicitly asking for it.

“They are incredibly sensitive to light, with the younger brood of immature young hidden underground by their parents. When sandworms mature, their outer skin begins to harden scales, heat-resistant layers of incredible durability; and only until this layer has formed will the sandworms depart from their hiding hole.” The strategists leaned in, taking in every word that he spoke. “Sandworms are notorious predators, that even sub-human species like lizardmen have been observed to flee at the slightest signs of one. They are also cannibals, as they devour their rivals for territory and mating rights.”

Akiro scanned the page, skipping information that wasn’t tentative and useful, “Found it—” he said, “The Armor of a Sandworm is an eight the length of the diameter of its mouth, and the age is gauged by the segments of its entire length– with each segment requiring ten years.”

Kaiser nodded, enlightened by the information he was seeking. “Alright, finally something we can work with. Do we have an official measurement of the bite? The one on the Eastern Wall.”

Olivia turned her head, looking around the room, another scribe scuttling over to his side, with a paper report in her hand. She squinted her eyes as the woman blushed, walking away.

Kaiser received the report with a smile and a nod, reading the measurement displayed on the scale drawing. “Thirty meters…” He read out, his eyes darkening with unnerving disdain, “Three and seven-fifths…That is how thick the outer scale is.”

Akiro and Ayama turned to the strategists looking around to see their murky faces. They exchanged glances, the same thought passing through wordlessly. “This is not good.”

Akiro looked back at the crowd of strategists, noting how they all wore the same expression. They all looked focused, solemn and committed to the task at hand. Kaiser raised his right hand, and the strategists formed one large circle around the table, pushing Akiro and Ayama to the edges of the room next to Olivia.

The three watched with keen interest as the discussions started, slowly but surely gaining traction as ideas were proposed and discarded. Kaiser himself sighed with annoyance as the death toll of many of the probable ideas were too great.

“I can see the success, however there are too many variables at stake. Too many will be lost.” He rejected the strategist frowning bitterly unlike the others. Akiro squinted, not having to exert effort into seeing the man’s obvious disdain. He became curious of the man’s identity, and why his robe was different compared to the rest; but Ayama asked first.

Ayama turned to the dashing young woman and nodded courteously, “Olivia-Sensei” he greeted, breaking the silence between the three. “Who is that man, and why is he acting like that?”

The older woman sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose before she answered. “That is Elias EarlsHide, the King’s oldest and only living cousin.” Olivian frowned obviously with annoyance, “Basically a man drunk on power he was bestowed, rather than earned or deserved.”

Ayama learned to look at them, “If he doesn't deserve it, then why is he a strategist?”

“Unfortunately for many deceased soldiers and concripts, He has great intellect; and he climbed the ranks, making a name for himself in the upper echelon of noble society.” The mage replied simply.

Akiro and Ayama nodded, but Ayama lifted an eyebrow. But as he said that, the discussion table started to become heated. “I’m sensing a large ‘and’ in that statement.” He said, making the magician smile slightly in annoyance as the center table began to erupt, specifically between Kaiser and Elias.

Kaiser raised his voice, slamming his hands strongly on the table, the contents thereof jumping slightly, “Elias, Sir. Your methods are effective, Yes– but we are not in a war, neither are we in a siege! We are subjugating possibly the last, deadliest Sandworm in Earlshide’s 2,000-year history!” He objected, “

“You are too naive! Everything has a cost! and Victory is expensive!” Elias rebutted, “Open your eyes, young one! Can’t you see the gravity of the situation!?”

“And he is known for his incredibly taxing methods of warfare, both in terms of resources and manpower.” The magician chewed on her inner cheek. “Logic would dictate that such methods would be deemed too much, but his spotless track-record keeps them in place.”

Ayama gasped, his eyes going wide as he pictured the carnage that monster could inflict. If Akiro’s description of it were even half true, the cost of victory would be too great. “I-Is there a way to stop him?”

“As it stands, he is the only one standing between Oasis City’s annihilation— so no, there is none.” Olivia deadpanned. She turned to the two boys after an interesting thought, “Unless of course, you can propose a better plan. Use those heads of yours, you kids are more imaginative than us adults.”

The other joined the former on the ground, also adopting his swift but thorough check on the documents. They hurried on quickly, despite the hours swiftly passing, even within the room’s loud arguing, and were still keenly focused on the task even under the Ancient monster’s throaty rumbling.

Grawwwwllll……