Inside Ironclad Bastion, the rebels celebrated their hard-won triumph. The sounds of laughter, cheers, and clinking cups filled the halls, a brief respite from the unrelenting war. But amidst the revelry, Juri Winkler sat in the war room, his sharp blue eyes fixed on the map of noble-controlled territories.
He wasn’t celebrating.
Kira entered the room, her expression softening as she saw Juri hunched over the table. “You should be with them,” she said, leaning against the doorway. “They’re celebrating because of you.”
“They’re celebrating because we’re still alive,” Juri replied without looking up. “But that won’t last if we waste this momentum.”
Kira sighed, pulling up a chair beside him. “You’re always ten steps ahead. So, what’s the plan this time?”
Juri pointed to the map, his fingers tracing key noble strongholds. “The nobles are fractured. Losing the Ascendant wasn’t just a military defeat—it was a blow to their morale and their resources. Their armies are scattered, their supply lines are in shambles, and their leadership is scrambling to maintain control.”
“So, we press the advantage,” Kira said, a hint of excitement in her voice.
“Exactly,” Juri said. “We hit them before they can regroup. Take their fortresses, liberate their towns, and turn their people against them.”
Far away in the capital, the nobles’ council convened in Castle Vorell. The mood was tense, the room filled with heated arguments and accusations.
“You assured us that Project Ascendant would end this rebellion!” one councilor shouted, slamming his fist on the table. “Instead, it’s lying in pieces on some battlefield!”
Lorian Vehr stood at the center of the room, his face pale but his voice steady. “The Ascendant failed because we underestimated Winkler. He’s not just a rebel; he’s a tactician unlike anything we’ve faced before.”
Lady Alarice Vorell, seated at the head of the table, tapped her fingers on the armrest of her chair. Her green eyes were icy, but her voice remained calm. “And what do you propose, Lorian? Another machine? Another grand experiment that drains our coffers and yields nothing?”
Lorian’s jaw tightened. “No. Winkler’s strength lies in his machines and his leadership. If we can’t outfight him, we must outmaneuver him.”
“What do you mean?” Alarice asked.
“We divide his forces,” Lorian said. “Spread rumors of noble defections, create false opportunities for his rebellion to splinter, and use spies to undermine his alliances.”
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
“And if that fails?” another councilor asked.
Lorian’s gaze darkened. “Then we do what the nobles have always done: remind the people who holds the power. If Winkler wants a war of attrition, we’ll burn everything he’s trying to save.”
At Ironclad, Juri finalized his plans for the next phase of the rebellion. His strategy was simple but effective:
- Phase One: Strike at key noble fortresses to secure more resources and destabilize their remaining power base.
- Phase Two: Liberate major towns and cities, turning their populations against the nobles and bolstering the rebellion’s numbers.
- Phase Three: Target the capital itself, cutting the head off the snake and ending the war.
“We start with Graymoor Keep,” Juri said during the strategy meeting, pointing to a fortress on the map. “It’s heavily fortified, but it’s also the gateway to the nobles’ heartland. If we take it, we open the path to the capital.”
Halrick grinned, his sword resting on his shoulder. “Sounds like my kind of fight.”
“It won’t be easy,” Valeria Eldryn warned. “Graymoor is one of the oldest fortresses in the region. Its defenses are layered, and it’s manned by elite soldiers.”
“That’s why we’re going to turn their strength into a weakness,” Juri said, his sharp blue eyes gleaming. “We don’t attack the fortress directly. We cut off its water supply, sabotage its defenses, and turn the surrounding towns against it. By the time we move in, they’ll be too weak to resist.”
The plan began with precision strikes on Graymoor’s supply lines. Rebel saboteurs destroyed bridges, ambushed supply caravans, and spread rumors of noble betrayals to sow discord among the defenders.
Eren Vas and his team of engineers worked behind the scenes, infiltrating the fortress’s outer defenses to disable its mana-based security systems. Using modified Mimic Mines, they created illusions of large rebel forces, forcing the garrison to waste resources defending against phantom threats.
Inside Graymoor, panic began to spread. The soldiers, once confident in their invincibility, found themselves cut off and surrounded.
When the rebellion’s main force finally arrived, the fortress was already teetering on the brink of collapse.
Juri led the charge in the Dominion-class Mech, its upgraded railgun tearing through the fortress’s outer walls. Kira’s ground forces swarmed the breach, using explosives and Repeaters to dismantle the nobles’ defenses.
Halrick charged into the fray, his sword flashing as he cut down enemy soldiers with brutal efficiency.
By nightfall, Graymoor Keep was in rebel hands.
The fall of Graymoor sent a powerful message to the region: the nobles were no longer untouchable. Towns and villages near the fortress began openly supporting the rebellion, offering supplies, recruits, and intelligence on noble movements.
Juri worked tirelessly to solidify these alliances, meeting with local leaders and convincing them that the rebellion wasn’t just about fighting—it was about building a better future.
“We’re not just tearing down the old system,” Juri told a gathering of townsfolk in Graymoor’s courtyard. “We’re building something stronger. A world where power belongs to those who earn it, not those born into it. But we can’t do it without you.”
The crowd erupted into cheers, their hope reignited.
Back in the capital, the nobles’ council was on the verge of collapse. Infighting had reached a fever pitch, and Lorian Vehr struggled to maintain control.
“Graymoor is gone,” Lorian growled, slamming his fist on the table. “Winkler is at our doorstep, and we’re still arguing over petty politics!”
Lady Alarice remained calm, but her expression was colder than ever. “Then perhaps it’s time we stopped fighting among ourselves and focused on eliminating Winkler once and for all.”
“And how do you propose we do that?” Lorian asked bitterly.
Alarice smiled faintly. “By giving him exactly what he wants—a clear path to the capital. Let him come to us, and when he does, we’ll destroy him.”