Cleon relaxed as the map finally stilled. They had survived another night, but it was a close thing. Poniria almost reached their wall undetected, another nearly bulldozed their way through. Neither escaped, but it was only good fortune that both were in close vicinity of Eris. If they had approached from opposite sides, one would have surely learned the truth and gotten away.

  Cleon shivered at the notion. They all knew that tales of their sudden weakness would spread and that a series of probes would follow soon thereafter, but they didn't expect the speed or extent of it. Five separate groups had tried to infiltrate them in just two nights. Two of those groups had Blesseds among them.

  The fact that they ruthlessly killed each and every one of them should dissuade more probes in the immediate, but it would only save them a bit of time. They couldn't hide for long. Eventually, the others would find out. Eventually, they'd come. Whatever Alexander and Fedon were whispering woul—.

  Another?!

  The map vibrated again, alarming Cleon. Not just because of the presence of the sixth group of infiltrators, but because of their location. They were on the opposite side of the base. And they were uncomfortably close.

  He called to Ewan, "Who?"

  No answers arrived.

  "Ewan?"

  He pried his eyes off the map to see Ewan slumped over the projector.

  "You fool!" He rushed over immediately, "If the strain was too much, you should have spoken! This is not the time!"

  Cleon continued to berate him as he disconnected him.

  "You know we can not afford mistakes. You know!"

  "I..mu...do...om..ing."

  Cleon couldn't understand what he was saying, he'd clearly exhausted his ahjer operating the projector, but he felt like he knew.

  Mentally, the ambush hit Ewan the hardest. He wasn't a warrior, or really a fighter of any description. He actively shied away from the prospect of combat. As such, when their convoy was attacked his section saw the most deaths. It had the highest numbers and the least Blesseds. There just wasn't enough protection. In fact, many had jumped in the way of lethal blows to protect his own life, including his wife. Unlike the rest of the Blessed, standing or fallen, he dealt no killing blows of his own. He had to watch as everyone around him died for his sake.

  It may have been but one chilling tale out of the many being shared, but it really stuck with Cleon. They both shared an interest in scholarly pursuits, but in his heart Cleon was a soldier. The loss stung, sometimes unbearably so, but he couldn't even begin to imagine how he'd feel if he had to watch his people die around him while he could do nothing about it. It just… no. Learning the full details of Ewan's experience heavily softened his response to his earlier bouts of cowardice. They had yet to speak with each other about it, but his actions were speaking for him.

  "It's okay, just rest." He awkwardly pulled Ewan onto a cushion, "We’ll need you again soon.”

  They desperately would. Though Cleon could operate the projector as well, Ewan did so with a proficiency that none of them could match. Cleon was just a substitute for when the strain became too much for him.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  “Rhoda!”

  After a few seconds, a young female dashed into the room, “Yes Arch C—”

  “Take care of him.”

  Cleon quickly connected himself to the projector while Rhoda handled Ewan. Though she was youthful, she was the best healer they could spare. A large number of them had died trying to save as many lives as possible, and of those that survived the greater portion of them were in need of healing and recuperation themselves.

  Thankfully, their greatest healer was still alive and active, but his role kept him stationed at Eris' side.

  "Eris!" Cleon projected an image of himself next to them.The only sense he could spare ahjer for was sight, and even with it the vision was heavily blurred. He could only assume that her turning in his general direction was a que to continue, "More infiltrators, close east. At least ten, but likely more. Ewan didn't confirm who, so move with extra caution. I'll delay them as much as possible."

  He thought he received a nod of acknowledgment, but he repeated the message just in case. With Eris notified, he immediately got to work. Whoever this sixth group was, they managed to get within four hundred meters of their capital before tripping any of their sensors. Given that they'd already encountered the Poniria, there were only two other tribes with sophisticated enough stealth squads to accomplish that. Both would be a handful though. One because of their communication abilities and the other because they never traveled with less than three Blesseds.

  Aegeus forbid they both approach tonight.

  He put that thought away and refocused on his task. First, he reduced the number of projections in the west by a third. Then he shaved a fifth from the north and south. With those extra he could double the amount of 'patrols' in the east and sprinkle in more fake foliage. So he did. Outside their walls, tens of 'panthers' suddenly poured out of their eastern outposts. He was tempted to send them all together, but hastily reminded himself that they were merely diversions. Instead, he staggered their release. Some he sent in threes, some in ones, but most in twos. Pairs were less likely to be attacked.

  With that complete, he honed in on a few of the projections they already had in the region. None of them could see or sense anything out of place. Unlike Ewan, he couldn't perceive all of them simultaneously. He had to switch between different sections to get a full picture. After doing that thrice to make sure, he sprinkled their areas with even more fake flowers, trees, and rocks. He wasn't sure how much extra security they'd provide with himself at the helm but he did it anyway, taking extra care in making sure they were tucked away in ways that would avoid something or someone coming into contact with them.

  Finally, he ordered a few of their remaining real soldiers to spread out in that direction. If all of the projections failed at both delaying and identifying the enemy, the soldiers were the last line of defence.

  Cleon was confident they wouldn't reach that line though. Considering their ability and desire to stay hidden as they approached, he knew they would much rather avoid the patrols than engage them. And. They were skilled enough to do it. He may have flooded the area, but the paths the patrols took wouldn't make them unavoidable, just an incredible nuisance. Four hundred meters was a long distance to travel when you take three steps back for every four forward.

  Time ticked by as no new updates rolled in. While that could be considered a good thing, maybe a sign that they were truly being delayed, the silence made him tense. He calmed his nerves by watching Eris charge into the region. She hadn't moved when he originally gave the report, but she was making good pace now.

  Soon she reached the general area he estimated the group to be in. Once she did, Cleon altered his strategy. He shifted the paths of the fake patrols to have them cover a greater surface area of the region. At first he uncovered no clues to help him guide Eris, but then the projector flashed. One of the patrols was attacked.

  It was the best case scenario.

  He immediately projected the image and location of the formerly feared Hollow Whispers. Khromios’ assassin unit was an unexpected, but welcome surprise. They had wanted to eliminate them for decades now, but never had the opportunity. Despite the surrounding circumstances, Cleon had a smile on his face as he watched Eris wipe them out one by one.

  We may yet survive this.

  I can't say whether I'll stick to 4k+ chaps or go back to 2k. Give me some time to work through it.

  Thanks for reading and see you in the next chapter!