"As we speak, Ruiell is building the fortifications and expanding. I issued the evacuation order for all towns and villages in the coastal area. Even those equipped with barriers will have to be abandoned. I realise that this is going to be a serious blow to our production capabilities, but the lives of people are far more valuable than infrastructure." I said as I looked at their grim faces. "How are the Guardsmen training with the new weapons going, Tia?"

  "The technological jump between towed field artillery and self-propelled guns was less drastic than I feared. The crews, who previously manned the 12 and 24-pounder guns, had no problems with their new weapons once they were finished their theoretical classes. Thanks to the advanced illusion systems integrated with each Crusader, they could train almost all the time." Tia presented everyone with the image of a SPH Crusader along with its most relevant data. "Unfortunately, due to material shortages, we only have thirty Crusaders in service. Twenty of them will be deployed in Everlight. Galahad has the remaining ten Crusaders to maintain a no-access zone near the foothold. We won't be able to introduce more armoured vehicle types so our Guardsmen will remain mainly stationary forces. We are working on tanks and armoured personnel carriers but the Naval Forces have materials priority."

  "Thank you, Tia." I smiled at her. I heard her well-masked complaint but, unfortunately, I couldn't constantly spend my mana on resources. "The war has barely begun and we will need the recruits. This means that most of the Guardsmen in Everlight are going to be redirected towards the front line. Elisabeth, Raphael, Pyonta, and John, you will need to raise local militia forces to fill in for the absent forces. We will slowly get more Guardsmen but we have to train new recruits from the ground up."

  Elisabeth nodded slowly, made some notes, and looked at me. "What about our allies?"

  "I am going to inform them about Vestargo." I responded. "However, there is very little they can do to help us."

  "On the contrary, my Dear." Tia firmly disagreed with me. With a wave of her hand, she produced the usual war table to display the lands of Arcadia and our allies. "Invoke Article 5, Theon." I looked at her in disbelief while she was focused on the map. "If we ask for their help and assistance, we can deploy most of the Third Fleet directly to the front with Vestargo. The Empire of Metaka shouldn't have any problems with dispatching most of their army to the southern borders or even creating a task force to patrol our borders. It's only an air policing mission as you would call it, Theon. I doubt that anyone would be stupid enough to actually attack us during an absence of the Third Fleet but we could leave a single destroyer on patrol duty. With the help of Metakan airships, a single Destroyer would be more than enough to inflict serious losses to any enemy army."

  Everyone but Janet and I looked at her with shock. I slowly flexed my fingers, watching the new unit deployments if our allies agreed to aid us.

  "I will need to initiate negotiations quickly. Thank you, Tia." I smiled warmly. "With the ships of the Third Fleet present in this theatre, we could show Vestargo that he can't expect an easy win."

  "Even with our superior weapons, I don't imagine this war will be as easy as previous ones." Tia sadly shook her head. "We must prepare for a prolonged conflict."

  "Indeed. The enemy will be, at most, slowed down only by their soldier respawn rates. Besides that, I believe Vestargo is prepared for a long war." I slowly looked across their faces and smiled. "However, there are a few factors that give us hope. First of all, is the fact that Vestargo desired to subjugate Ruiell so badly that he gave her, like, five last chances to surrender. That may indicate that he is aware that his makeshift rafts can't cross the sea. Having that in mind, I want every single Dungeon near the front line captured and subjugated. I have already sent Gavain to secure the Dungeon in Navell, if there is one."

  "It's going to be costly, my Lord." Raphael shook his head.

  "Not nearly as costly as fighting more minions if those Dungeons have pledged their loyalty to Vestargo." I disagreed. "At least Xariinta and Ruiell are here to help you."

  "My basic denizens are ill-suited for offence, my Lord." Ruiell chimed in with concern. "After my Flying Monkeys succumbed to madness, admittedly, because of me, my remaining Denizens consist only of Rats and Spiders."

  "Don't worry. I have already placed a Legionnaire spawner inside the castle barracks. Within a few days, there should be enough Legionnaires to form a proper battalion. The problem is, that we don't have a few days, so, I will be forced to spend a lot of mana to force spawn the soldiers. Another alternative is to deploy Legio Aegis and, considering that every mana point is precious, I might dispatch them. Raphael, you are going to coordinate with Xariinta and the Navy and develop the most viable plans for capturing these nearby Dungeons. They are our top priority right now. Much more important than the survival of Galahad's forces because, for all intents and purposes, he has become a diversion."

  "I see..." Tia nodded with understanding. "While the inland operations are far more vital, Vestargo can't afford to allow our forces to dig too deeply in the Ancient Forest. If Galahad found another enemy Dungeon, subjugating them might drastically change the power balance in the region."

  "That's why I gambled while I was strong-arm negotiating with Tixlon. I offered to protect his Master if she surrendered to me." I revealed. "While she has not contacted me directly, I know that she is incredibly afraid of Vestargo. To be honest, she is equally afraid of him as you were, Ruiell. I don't know why."

  "Vestargo rules by fear, my Lord." She said with a trembling voice as if the memory alone could push her back into the hysterical fear from before. "Didn't you feel the numbing madness when Tixlon demanded your surrender?"

  "Not really..." I tried to recall that moment and shook my head. "I'm sorry... I felt his power, which was nothing to scoff at, but I replied in kind. I wasn't under the impression that he even attempted to intimidate me."

  "I'm speechless..." Ruiell's pearl flashed with colourful lights. "I hid myself behind your spectral form in order to not risk succumbing to that fear once again. But in your shadow, I felt extremely safe, my Lord."

  "I’m starting to believe, Ruiell, that you are much more special than I thought. I will need, at least Luna, to investigate your special abilities." I shook my head as I looked at the Core. "But I digress. Arcadia is at war with the Dungeon Empire and I expect you all to proclaim that to our citizens."

  "Of course, my Lord." Elisabeth nodded.

  "Any questions?" I looked at the gathered people but they slowly indicated their understanding.

  "Very well." I nodded. "How much time do you need, Tia, to coordinate everything with Raphael?"

  "About an hour." The Empress slowly nodded.

  "Blackbeard, you have less than an hour to explain everything to your people. Our schedule is tight, so once we are done here, we are returning to Avalon. Make sure that everyone you picked for the training is ready at the harbour. The rest of your fighters need to help Fraser with delaying Vestargo's attacks until, hopefully, the Third Fleet arrives."

  "Yes, my Lord!" Blackbeard saluted and stormed out of the chamber immediately.

  "I need you and Fraser to create a feasible mission plan, Janet." I looked at the Elf who nodded.

  "Yes, Sir!" Both of them saluted and moved to the smaller war table.

  "I'm going to review the building plans for the City. Let's get to work, everyone!" I clapped my hands and teleported away to a private room.

  Alone, I made myself comfortable on the bed as I closed my eyes and switched to the RTS view. There were little details I wanted to confirm before the building process went too far. Fortunately, everything seemed to be in order and I just needed to make a few adjustments, like making the lake to the harbour shape allow individual wharfs to be premade and ensuring the size of the Middle Castle would have enough living space for this location.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  "My Lord?" Ruiell's incorporeal voice called for my attention. "May I ask you some questions?"

  "Go on." I slightly smiled as I recalled how each Core wanted to ask me about something once they were pledged to me.

  "You are not native to this world and, yet, you fit in so perfectly as if you were born here." She started and I felt how other Cores' attention split to listen. "You are unlike any Hero I met prior. They stood out, never matching this world, never seeming to find their place. So, why? Why are you different?"

  "Because, instead of being, essentially, kidnapped from my world, I was offered a deal. That might be part of the problem as to why other heroes failed, if you think about it." I pointed out as I adjusted the agricultural zone. "Most of them had lives they were ripped away from. Families, friends, even their hobbies or pets they cared about and loved. So, I understand why most of them stood out. Most of them carried deep regrets or felt the loss of their previous lives."

  "Weren't you... Killed in the process?" She hovered somewhere out of my line of sight. "Shouldn't that cause some resentment?"

  "How do you know I was killed?" I stopped what I was doing and stared straight at her Core deep within the Castle despite the physical obstacles.

  "That's the rule of the Heroic Reincarnation. Only a life that didn't end in a natural way might be given another chance." She explained, making me hum.

  "Who told you that? Is that some rule or something?" I resumed my work.

  "I was told about it by one of the Ancient Heroes... I believe his name was Ragnar Amund. He explained to me that he was instructed by a Valkyrie who guided his soul to Odin."

  "Thank you..." I nodded and made a note in my diary to ask someone else about it. Most probably Hestia since she might know something about other Heroes but, for the moment, that had a really low priority. "Answering your question, no. I hold no grudge about the death of my previous body. My life was coming to an end anyway and, while I was robbed of many memories by enemies I didn’t know when I first came to Nilmerthis, I am sure that my former life was far longer than it should have been. I found a new family in Aderon and I have built my home in Arcadia. I'm tasked with protecting Nilmerthis, Ruiell."

  "So you truly ARE from the world where heroes lived!" She was ecstatic. "Can you show it to me?"

  "I..." I tried to focus on some places but I found it extremely hard to create an image. I managed to bring forth some places I dimly remember visiting, like some places in Europe or the United States. "I lost many of my memories, Ruiell. I'm afraid there's not much I can tell you about my old world. I'm not focused on it anymore because there is nothing that calls me back. This is my home now, Ruiell."

  "You want to protect us?" I almost chuckled as I noticed that she recreated perfect copies of the images I showed to her and she hid them.

  "Yes." I simply nodded as I resumed my work.

  I felt her hanging near me before she took a ragged breath and floated in front of me. She didn’t present herself as a pearl but looked like the ghost of a young woman. Her long hair was gathered into a thick braid and she was wearing light travel clothes which were typical for fantasy adventure stories. She was slightly transparent and, mostly, had a pearl colour except for her blue eyes. Her pointy ears indicated that she could be, or have been, an Elf.

  "I... I thank you for saving me from that madness, my Lord." She bowed to me and she smiled slightly as she pointed at her face. The gentle lines of the classically attractive Elf surprised me. "I see that you were not expecting something like this." She grinned and put her hands behind her back, leaning in. "It's a perfect copy, including her quirky behaviour, of the Hero of Athena, Sage Luminaria Starshine, who was my dear friend. Thanks to her, I never became blind to the suffering of the Mortals."

  "I see... You don't have to thank me, Ruiell." I nodded.

  "It's just... So frustrating, my Lord." Her hands dropped powerlessly on her sides as she straightened. "I'm very old and I should have been powerful enough to stop someone like Vestargo but I wasn't good enough... I was too weak. I have been sitting here for ages and... Instead of growing in power, I felt trapped."

  "That's something that happens to most of us." I heard Ceallach's voice and turned my head to him while Ruiell gasped in shock. My jaw almost dropped when I realised that he had a different appearance in my RTS mode than in reality.

  He looked like a formidable Human warrior but his Celtic-like tattoos, somehow, made me think of him as some kind of Fighter-Druid. Ruiell looked at him in shock. "How?! You are a Dungeon and yet you are here!"

  "That is one of the less obvious gifts we all obtained from our Lord. We can freely move between the Dungeons in service of the Emperor." Ceallach grinned. "However, I'm not here to chat, Ruiell of the Crystal Forest. My Denizens are ready to attack; my Lord, just say the word. Time is of the essence."

  "Hmmm..." I looked at him.

  "Using Legio Aegis, while certainly effective, might prove fatal if they are needed at Avalon. However, I, Twilight, and Bob can contribute most of our forces to the attack and subjugation of the remaining Dungeons. In fact, we should send all available Scions to declare our intent to the Dungeons in this part of the continent."

  "All right." I nodded in approval and checked the time. As always, time flew faster in the RTS view, and almost an hour had passed. "Inform Freya that I want her to coordinate the JDF and start taking over the Dungeons closer to the border with Navell."

  "I... I don't think that Lady Freya will be pleased..." Ceallach made a painful expression.

  "Why won't I be pleased?" Freya popped right next to me still wearing her garden clothes.

  "My Lady." Ceallach bowed with respect.

  "No! No! Please, don't hit me!" Ruiell shrieked in horror and covered her head.

  "I want you to gather JDF armies and begin to take over the neutral Dungeons closest to the Ancient Forest," I said, ignoring the cowering woman, however, I looked at Freya and pointed behind me with my thumb at Ruiell and Ceallach. "Also, is that normal?"

  "You mean their forms? Dunno? Maybe? It's the first time we can talk so freely with each other. It's not like there is a book about being a Dungeon." Freya shrugged and gently helped Ruiell to stand. "I'm not going to hit you needlessly... The last time was... emergency. Yeah! Totally an emergency." Freya looked at me. "So you want me to stop what I am doing right now and begin to attack Dungeons?"

  "Do you want those Dungeons to be subjugated by Vestargo?"

  "Oh..." Freya scratched the back of her head, ruining her hair. "I totally forgot him..."

  "Don't get distracted anymore. Sooner you finish that, the sooner you will be able to return to your hobbies."

  "Sorry, Theon." She lowered her head miserably. "I should have secured those Dungeons a long time ago."

  "No one knew that Vestargo would prove to be such a threat," I kneeled on my right knee in front of her and embraced her in a hug. "It's not your fault."

  "Thank you..." She hugged me back and smiled as I let her go. "Ceallach, inform everyone that we are going to war. You can go with him, Ruiell, and learn how to freely move between the Dungeons of Arcadia."

  "At once, Your Highness!" Ceallach bowed to me and Freya.

  Before Ruiell could respond, he grabbed her hand, and they disappeared, but I noticed the excitement in my newest subordinate's eyes. I was still holding Freya's hand as I returned to my body.

  "I feel bad about it, Theon." She was sitting on the edge of the bed with a sad face. "I hope it's not too late to fix that..."

  She wiped the tears that started forming in her eyes and jumped on her feet. In a flash, her dirty garden clothes were replaced with shining, silver armour and the winged helmet of a Valkyrie. She grabbed my hand and moved us back to the war room.

  "Theon, Tia, you can go. I will take it from here." Freya sat at the head of the war table while Tia stood up, gracefully approached me, and took my arm.

  "Good luck, everyone." Tia smiled.

  "Empress Freya is going to use the Joint Dungeon Forces during our subjugation campaign." I announced and the gathered people simply accepted my words without any questions. "Let's go, Admiral."

  After a short visit to the, newly established, Crystal Forest docks we took Blackbeard and everyone he assembled. In a flash, we moved to the Royal Military Academy of Avalon.

  "You are no longer pirates. From now on you are free people of Arcadia. Once you cross those doors you will become recruits and, one day, hopefully, the Royal Marines." I looked at them and cracked a smile. "Is that enough, or do you want me to give you some sort of special speech?"

  They all laughed and saluted us. Some of them fixed their duffle bags while others simply looked determined. I nodded at them and turned at Janet.

  "They are yours, Grand Admiral." I nodded. "Unfortunately, I must revoke your leave. The First Fleet personnel are currently returning and I expect them to be ready in forty eight hours."

  "Yes, my Lord!" Janet saluted me with a very professional expression.

  Tia and I vanished only to move to the main War Room of Arcadia. All my wives, including Freya, were sitting on their thrones while every Arcadian Noble, City Lord, and all the military commanders were present in flesh or as a hologram. I walked alone to the war table, over which hung the Sword of Marcus, and slowly let my gaze sweep across everyone.

  "Arcadia is at war."

  Thank you all for reading.

  I wish you all a great day and as always I wait for your comments.

  A big thanks to who edited the chapter!

  The map of Aderon is on the Discord :)

  https://discord.gg/G6SVrBeDdG