Back at Ironclad Bastion, the mood was somber. Soldiers patched their wounds while engineers worked around the clock to repair their damaged machines. Yet despite the losses, Juri’s sharp blue eyes burned with determination.
The nobles thought they could wear the rebellion down with superior numbers and overwhelming firepower. But Juri had other plans—plans to turn the nobles’ hubris into their downfall.
In the war room, Juri stood before his core leadership team, the map of noble territories spread out on the table. Fresh marks denoted the nobles’ supply hubs and troop movements, thanks to intelligence gathered by scouts and defectors.
“We can’t let them dictate the pace of this war,” Juri said, his voice steady. “If we wait for them to attack again, they’ll crush us. It’s time we hit them where it hurts.”
Kira leaned against the table, her expression skeptical. “After what happened at Redvale, do we even have the resources for an offensive?”
“We don’t need resources,” Juri replied. “We need precision. The nobles are overextending themselves, trying to contain us. That means their supply lines are vulnerable.”
He pointed to a cluster of towns on the map. “Here—Marrowpoint, Stoneveil, and Brightshade. These are critical nodes in their supply network. If we take them out, we’ll starve their forces and force them to pull back.”
Halrick grinned. “A few quick strikes, and they’ll be scrambling.”
Valeria Eldryn, ever the strategist, studied the map with a calculating gaze. “Marrowpoint is the most fortified of the three. If we attack there first, it’ll draw their attention away from the other two targets.”
Juri nodded. “Exactly. Marrowpoint is the key. If we hit it hard enough, the nobles will divert reinforcements from Stoneveil and Brightshade, leaving them exposed.”
The rebellion mobilized quickly. Engineers worked tirelessly to restore the Dominion-class Mech to fighting condition, while Eren Vas introduced a new experimental weapon: the Arc Pulse Cannon, a short-range energy weapon capable of disabling enemy machines and magical constructs.
“It’s not a permanent fix,” Eren explained as he installed the cannon on the Dominion’s modular arm. “But it’ll give you a chance to close the gap against their Sentinels.”
Juri nodded, his sharp blue eyes focused on the task ahead. “Good. We’ll need every edge we can get.”
Kira, Halrick, and Garrick each took command of smaller strike teams, coordinating their roles in the upcoming operation. The plan was simple but risky:
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- Juri and Kira would lead the assault on Marrowpoint, drawing the nobles’ attention.
- Halrick would take a smaller team to sabotage Stoneveil’s weapon stockpiles.
- Garrick would infiltrate Brightshade with a team of sharpshooters and drones to cut off communications and secure supplies.
“We move fast, we hit hard, and we’re gone before they know what hit them,” Juri said during the final briefing.
At dawn, the Dominion led the charge toward Marrowpoint, its reinforced frame gleaming in the early light. The town’s walls loomed ahead, bristling with defensive turrets and patrolled by elite noble soldiers.
As the rebels approached, the nobles opened fire, their cannons thundering and mages launching volleys of fire and lightning.
“Hold formation!” Juri shouted through the comms. “Drones, take out those turrets! Ground teams, cover the flanks!”
The Adaptive Drones swarmed the walls, their Repeaters tearing through the nobles’ defenses. Kira’s ground team advanced under the cover of the Dominion’s firepower, using grenades and Repeaters to neutralize enemy positions.
Inside the cockpit, Juri guided the Dominion with practiced precision, the Arc Pulse Cannon crackling to life as he targeted a cluster of Sentinels guarding the main gate. The cannon released a burst of energy that disrupted their mana cores, leaving them vulnerable to follow-up attacks.
“Gate’s clear!” Kira shouted. “Moving in!”
The rebels stormed Marrowpoint, their speed and coordination overwhelming the defenders. Within hours, the town was under rebel control, its supplies confiscated and its garrison neutralized.
While the battle raged at Marrowpoint, Halrick’s team infiltrated Stoneveil, using the cover of night to avoid detection. The town’s armory was heavily guarded, but Halrick’s men planted explosives at key points, using distraction tactics to keep the guards off balance.
When the explosives detonated, the resulting chain reaction destroyed the nobles’ stockpile of enchanted weapons, leaving the defenders scrambling to contain the chaos.
Halrick grinned as he led his team into the forest, the flames of the destroyed armory lighting the sky behind them. “One down,” he muttered.
In Brightshade, Garrick and his team used a different approach. Posing as traders, they infiltrated the town and identified key communication hubs.
Using silenced weapons and drones, they disabled the nobles’ relay towers, cutting off the town from reinforcements. When the time was right, Garrick’s sharpshooters picked off the garrison’s officers, leaving the remaining soldiers disorganized and easy to overwhelm.
By the time dawn broke, Brightshade was in rebel hands, its supplies loaded onto carts and its defenses dismantled.
Back in the capital, the nobles’ council was in disarray. Reports of the rebellion’s coordinated attacks flooded in, and the sheer speed of their strikes left the nobles scrambling to respond.
“They’ve taken three towns in a single day,” an officer reported, his voice trembling. “Our supply lines are collapsing.”
Lorian Vehr slammed his fist on the table, his gray eyes blazing with anger. “Winkler is turning this war into a nightmare. If we don’t stop him now, the entire region will fall to his rebellion.”
Lady Alarice Vorell’s expression remained icy. “What do you propose, Lorian?”
“We need to consolidate our forces,” Lorian said. “Pull troops from the outer territories and form a central army to crush them in one decisive battle.”
“And if that fails?” Alarice asked, her tone sharp.
Lorian’s jaw tightened. “It won’t.”
“This was a good start,” he said to Kira and Valeria. “But the real fight is still ahead. The nobles will respond with everything they have.”
Kira frowned. “Do you think we’ll be ready?”
Juri smirked faintly. “We don’t have a choice. If they want a decisive battle, we’ll give them one. On our terms.”