The Greatest Sin [Progression Fantasy][Kingdom Building]-Chapter 570 – Grey Souls

The Greatest Sin [Progression Fantasy][Kingdom Building]-Chapter 570 – Grey Souls

Force Spark , first battle of Orripoli: Save for urban expansion, the local geology is largely similar our maps from the Great War. Geological weathering on Arda proves to not be as large a factor as on Tartarus. In regards to this, the maps of Epa within the archives can be brought out in and relied on to design basic battle-plans. The largest change is the urban sprawl itself, the city is factors larger than what is displayed onto the old maps. On the way to the north, Force Spark has also come across small towns and villages which were not even hamlets in the past. It can be safely assumed that Arda’s population has grown at least ten times over since the Great War simply based off the increased housing.
Arascan warships bombarded Force Spark from shore. Whereas standard magical support was assigned for a probing army, they were overwhelmed on the very first volley. I forward a suggestion that we massively increase the presence of magicians or develop other measures of protecting our troops from their artillery for any sizable force. Ardan Hero Doctrine could be adopted when it comes to a short term fix. Although unsustainable, major Lords and Flameborn should be able to provide better cover. Likewise, Archdemon shock doctrine should be largely scrapped if they are able to fell our greatest without Divine support. I suggest that for the first phase of the war, we adopt a strategy of decisive battles rather than trying to saturate their lines as had been done in the past.
Prince Semirge’s comments on Force Cinder being shelled by artillery from behind a mountain should be taken seriously. Force Spark was shelled from an estimated range of four miles long. Likewise, there was a pre-emptive engagement of Cinder’s Flying Section suggesting some sort of foresight. Maybe they have spies behind our lines? This seems doubtful. This happened during the first assault on Rilia too, when Archdemon Raphim was slain. We should operate on the principle that Arascan forces are able to see over the horizon, somehow.
Likewise, any doubters of these being purely chemical weapons should be silenced. Force Spark was overwhelmed without a shred of magic, the presence of mages on ships was detected as well. Ardan magic has either weakened or their technology has advanced to match their fearsome magicians. Apologies for this being so negative but one thing has been made clear.
We have pre-emptively charged in to bring prevent a second Arascan War and have thoroughly underestimated the rate of advancement on the Epan surface. The current force on Arda is too weak to effectively push into the Empire, it is only through the devastating power of Ashen Skies that they are not on the defensive already. I firmly sign my name on this letter because with the rate of advancement that Arda has, it will only be a matter of time before they develop a way of penetrating the Ash front. Arascus has made his opinion on our kind known back then, now that we have revealed ourselves, attempts at diplomacy will prove fruitless.
Additionally, the troublemakers in North Arika have disappeared since the destruction of Spewer Twelve.
Save for military tactics, I suggest one grand change that should prove popular back home: The population controls should be lifted. Tartarus should understand that the second Arascan War has already begun.
- Force Spark , written by Prince Draendal.
Anton, Lukas and Miklas all stood on the dock as they watched the Ammunition Ship Ella return to Arseille. In the very south of Rancais, it held a major restocking station for the ship ports. The men stood on the as the local garrison set up barriers. The Rilian cities had proper centres built for handling the refugees from Arika simply because of much closer that country was. The only reason the Ella had returned to this city was to load itself up with ammunition so that the fleet in the middle of the ocean could keep working, there was apparently a battle ongoing near Orripoli, a siege or something. Anton did not know the details and he didn’t have the time in the day to research.
Anton pulled out a packet of cigarettes from his black SIS coat. Normally, there were procedures to handle these operations but normally, refugees did not come back to military ports. At least the amount of soldiers here made it easy to organise a temporary holding barracks for the people the Ella had brought from Orripoli. The Ella sounded its tremendous horn as Anton took a drag of his cigarette. He looked to Lukas and Miklas, both men shrugged. The three SIS men, dressed in black uniforms and smoking, watched the front of the Ella open up, its entire frontal bow dropped lowered forwards as pistons hissed. None of the three men had any intention to interfere with the loading of the ship, nor was it their job to do so. After being the men who kept watch on the barriers in the Second Expedition, the SIS was not too popular with the Imperial military. The fact they could waltz into any base and immediately outrank all but generals did not help either.
But that did not change the fact that Anton, Lukas and Miklas all had a job to do. Arseille was supposedly a grand city with plenty of history, it was obvious in the train station being built like a palace, the ancient fortress that had once served as a Guardian stronghold, the statues to various Divines all over the place, the new statues that were going up of Arascus and his family. It stretched on for miles in all directions but that did not matter. It had taken an hour to inform the local commander, some Lieutenant Ballaibaise, about the fact that a refugee ship was inbound and to set up a holding zone. That had been Lukas’ job, along with organizing the transport to bring them further in land and spread them out across the Empire. Anton had scouted the local schools and universities for testing equipment, Miklas had done the same in the hospital. They had found a few, but the Arseille Imperial School of Medicines had equipment that could do field testing. Those had been chosen, along with several classes number around sixty students in total. Their leader professor, a short balding man in glasses, some credentialed Doctor Renais, was put in charge.
And so the three SIS men were just here to keep watch. Frankly, the Imperial Army would do a better job at herding the civilians than the SIS. They were quickly marched to another part of the dock which was fenced off. Anton looked at the robed women and children as soldiers in Imperial garrison-black handed out bottles of water to them. A soup kitchen had been set up, military too, for those who were hungry. It seemed to be all of them, already the food truck had been sent off for another delivery to the base local warehouses.
A huge green tent was near the soup kitchen, the students were already streaming out of it. Anton had give it one quick inspection before the Ella actually arrived. It was a laboratory. That was all he could say on it. There were gizmos and computers and glass bottles and plenty of other fancy things, and Anton did not even pretend to have a damn what went on in there. The student girls had been pretty though. Miklas whistled and pointed at a crane that was bringing lowering a huge containing into the Ella. “Look at that.”
“Cool.” Lukas replied. Anton watched the students scatter throughout the crowd. Rancais did have pretty girls indeed. They knelt by the refugees with syringes, handed out some of their own confectionary and took samples of blood. Anton noticed that even the children didn’t cry at the needles. It took some two hours for the students to work through everyone. Long enough for Anton to get through half his pack and for Lukas and Miklas to start talking about what place to eat today. “There’s a fish-fryers close by.”
“Have you found the Arseille Bouillignon?” Miklas asked.
“There’s one in that place.” Anton joined in on the conversation. “I was asking about in the school, they recommended it for local cuisine.” The SIS may have had a price to pay but it certainly had its perks too. Anton had singlehandedly out-travelled his entire family at this point.
“So it’s good?” Miklas asked.
“I don’t know.” Anton said. “I’ve not tried.”
“Well I’ve not eaten anything all day.” Lukas said. “After this do we have a ship?”
“The Big Pig is coming in during the night. Two or something like that.” Miklas said. “Fuck me, food then nap.”
“Big Pig?” Lukas asked jokingly.
“Do I name the ships?” Miklas asked. “Ask them yourself.”
“I found a picture of it yesterday.” Anton said, pulling out his phone. “Look at this shit, they actually have a pig on the side.”
“This is why I’m not a sailor.” Miklas said. “Tin cans like that make you go coo-coo.”
“You need a brain to be able to lose it.” Lukas said and the three men chuckled. “Your man is out Ant.”
“Eh?” Anton had been waiting for the slow piece of shit in his hand to load the gallery. He looked up and decided to forget it. From where the students had set up their laboratory, a short skinny spectacled fellow was marching in a quick, frantic pace towards them. “Don’t laugh now lads. Serious faces, serious business.” He tried to keep the smile off his face.
“They produce types like this in a lab, don’t they?” Miklas whispered from the side. “Grown right out of a fucking test-tube.”
“Professor dot jpeg.” Lukas said and Anton fought to keep his smile down. He couldn’t even disagree with the men. The fellow was even bold, a man could not live up to be more of a caricature if he tried to. He must have found something. Definitely must have, the face said it all. The eyes staring down at the ground and the black binder he held so tightly in front of his chest that it could have been a lifeline. In a white coat, there was a small splatter of blood across it. Probably an internal accident in the lab, he didn’t seem injured. Anton decided not to comment.
“Doctor Renais.” Anton reached out his head when the man came close. No need to be impolite, even if he did not personally respect the fellow’s career choice. “Just Anton is fine, we’ve met before.” He took a step back and the other two SIS men extended their hands to shake.
“Miklas.”
“Renais.”
“Lukas.”
“Renais.” The doctor said, obviously nervous. “Thank you for your time.”
“It’s our job.” Anton kept his thumbs over his belt as he took a step towards the crowd that had just been brought in from Orripoli. “We decided to stay out of your way.”
“Of course, thank you gentlemen.” Renais replied, his head low.
“Don’t be so nervous Doctor, it’s bad for your skin.” Anton said and chuckled. “Are you running the tests?”
“Yes!” That sparked some life into the man. “Yes yes, of course! If we could take it back to the university for PCR analysis, that would be even more helpful of course but we’re running basic tests. No abnormalities, a few are coming up with vitamin deficiencies. My students appreciate the chance to do something for the war effort and they wanted to say thank you as well.”
“My pleasure.” Anton replied. He shot an exasperated face to his two partners in crime. Both men were holding it in well. “Have a bottle ready for next time we visit and we’ll take you round the block Doctor. But whether it’s scurvy or syphilis, send that off to Bark if they’re here already.” Bureau of Aid, Relief and Compensation, in charge of managing of the refugees. The official acronym was BARC, but the words sounded no different.
“Are they?” Renais asked and Anton shrugged.
“Doctor, not to be rude but I am SIS, not Bark. They’ll be here eventually because they’re here.” He nodded to the people who were sitting down and talking in between themselves. Most of the soldiers had peeled back to the soup kitchen where a line had formed. Another truck was pulling in with more chow. “Now about the tests
we
asked for.”
And Doctor Renais seemingly was defeated. “Most are clear.” He said, his tone grim, his hands wrapping tighter around the black binder in front of his chest. “No obvious signs of any dangerous disease or anything like that in any of them, but most are clear. Almost all of them in fact. I didn’t know what I was looking for until I found it.”
“Most?” Anton asked. He may have been a stupid man, but even he knew that
most
and
all
were two very different things.
“Like I said.” Renais said, obviously unhappy with what he was saying. “Most. Do you want to see the ?”
“We asked for quarantine risks and for humanity.” Lukas said quickly. Anton turned away so that Renais wouldn’t see him smile at the fact he was dismayed. “I assume no dangerous diseases passes the quarantine risks. What about the question of humanity?” Renais sighed heavily.
“And what are we looking at here?” Anton asked.
“Cells.” Renais replied. He showed off the two images. “Do you see it?” Anton looked to Lukas and Miklas, the other two men just shrugged. What did they know of cells? There was a reason they were SIS and not biologists. Lukas turned back to the papers. It was different black and white images of cells. That was were his knowledge and where it ended.
“Skip the shit and what am I looking at?” Lukas quickly barked. “Different pictures? This one ill?” Tapped the image that had considerably larger cells.
“This one.” Renais said shook the piece of paper. “Human blood.” And with that word, Anton knew what the other slide. “This one.” He held out the other. There was a name above it:
Salaila Van.
Probably an alias, although Van? That didn’t sound native to Ibya either. “Not human. We don’t know what it is frankly. Not animal either. I have secondary tests running for better analysis but like I said, a PCR would be the best way to analyse it.”
“This is enough for us.” Anton replied. They found what they were looking for and they weren’t here for a biology lesson. “How many have you found like this?” He took the paper from Doctor Renais.
“Two.”
“That’s all Doctor.” Anton said. “Thank you for your cooperation, you have done us a great service.” He saw the intellectual little man staring up at him, expecting something more. “Bring the other paper.”
“Ah yes.” Renais said. “Of course, of course special agent.” He turned and ran off to the tents. Miklas and Lukas came close to look at the piece of paper. Hands on their belts as they leaned into the image of cells.
“Do you know you’re looking at here?” Anton said, flapping the paper.
“Course.” Lukas said jokingly, tapping the paper with the back of his hand. “Fucking cells mate.” That brought a chuckle from the two other men. It didn’t last long. His tone dropped immediately into cold professionalism. “So? How?”
“As a three.” Anton said. “One, then the other.”
“I’d take them away first.” Miklas said.
“Mmh?”
“Panic.” The man explained himself.
“True.”
“Good thinking.” The civilians running off would cause a stampede, the civilians realizing they had succubi in their midst would be paranoia. Neither was good. “So? Reasoning?”
“Adoptive family’s waiting already, they’re on the way, we’ll take them.” Lukas quickly spoke and shrugged. “Why not? We’re helpful little lads. You do the talking playboy.”
“Police station or where?” Anton proposed his idea.
“I was thinking outside the city.” Lukas said.
“I’d do police station.” Miklas backed up Anton.
“Why?” Lukas asked.
“Can’t they fly?” Miklas asked.
“Good thinking.” Anton asked. The men stared at the piece of paper as Renais ran out of the tent. “That’s all then? Right?”
“Why make it complicated?”
“Why indeed?” Lukas asked no one in particular as he felt the pistol on his belt.
Good plan. Time to get to finish this job and prepare for the next ship.

.
!
Chapter 570 – Grey Souls