Chapter 445: Netlo's Castle

"Hello Cake."

"Hello boss, it has been a long time since the last call, how may I be of help?"

"A very long time indeed," the courtyard emptied with only him stood amidst the grass. "I need a favor," said he.

"How so?"

"I've decided to help Elendor with the skirmishes against King Juvey."

"I understand, shall I call upon the private army?"

"No, I need but aerial support. Have the VT10-BSQD take to the skies."

"An airstrike?"

"Load them with the Pabruska V1. Before I forget, go into the vault and take out Orenmir as well as Tharis."

"Sire, might I ask how many men thee are to fight?"

"Around 120,000."

"That's it," she yelled across,"-Boss, I'll send supplies and a few members. This is a decision made by the co-leader of Phantom."

"Do as you wish," the call ended. 'Orenmir and Tharis,' thought he gazing upon the crescent moon. 

Far, far away from Elendor, inside Rotherham, the call finished with Cake deeply offended. 'Does he think going against that many people is simple?' the door barged with her powerwalking down the hall.

"Lady Cake, how can I help?" asked an assistant who stood with a black-suit.

"Prepare a car and contact the special unit. Tell them to meet me at the vault," the lift dropped as soon as she entered. The car outside was readied almost immediately. 

"Where too?" asked the driver.

"The Vault," said she toggling a holographic display, "-Noie."

"Lady Cake, how may I help?" 

"Noie, go request information on what the Boss is planning to do."

"I shall contact Éclair right away," said the lady vanishing into the night. Noie was a lesser yet intelligent A.I. Since Éclair controlled the whole of Phantom, Noie was based partly off him to help the workers around Rotherham. A convenient assistant who handled mundane tasks and such. 

The car continued into the farthest reaches of town. The road came to a sudden stop at a particular area behind one of the laboratories. "I'll take it from here," said she now in the driver's seat. *Beep,* flashing red lights came with a platform rising from the ground. A passageway heading underground with 'Vault 00' written beside above a keypad. 

'Vault 00,' the sound of engines resonated with the very much emptied passage. It went down for quite a while, '-the place reserved for the Boss.' Similar to the road above, the car stopped before a great empty wall. "Lady Elvira Stepania Haggard, Co-leader of Phantom has been granted access by the leader."

"Lady Elvira," returned a manly voice, "-welcome to Vault 00."

"Thank you, Éclair. The Special unit will be arriving soon. Grant them access as well."

"Yes, my lady," the walls unlocked with a heavy low thump. Hinges, machines, wheels, unknown mechanisms worked with one another, the harmony allowed for it to opened as if a normal door. The black road narrowed into a path of grey sterile floor. 

Now on foot, the car drove itself to park for a timely exit. 'I've not been here in a while.' The walls shut with the long corridor lighting per her steps. There was nothing, nothing for meters, it kept on going endlessly until another door. Sealed tight, Éclair took her fingerprints as well as the features of her eyes. 'Welcome yet again,' said he menacingly. If perchance the result came back negative, automatic guns were programmed to shoot on sight. Security was of utmost importance for a vault of this magnitude. 

Fondly enough, the door opened into a small compartment guarded by another door. '-the last one,' she thought with the AI now crosschecking her mana. 

A wide circular room stood oblivious to the harsh security. Dark and homely colors mainly brown and darker red. Wallpapers with stripes of black, the floor was carpet instead of tiles. A circular table rested with a holographic display of the world. Bookshelves made their way around said table as walls. A doorway to the right headed for the storage room.

"Orenmir," thought she coming to two closed compartments. Two black cases locked in an unknown manner rested with skulls and ancient writings. 'There they are, the boss's trusted weapons. A cursed sword and a pistol. I've heard tales of the former,' she wondered whilst returning to the main-room. '-He used that sword ever since the first one broke, I think. Asking for these two means that a tough fight is ahead. What kind of war is he going to wage?' laid atop the central table, the door opened with the Special Unit stood with salutes. 

"Yves, Elliot, and Lady Courtney," said she with a grin.

"Lady Cake," approached Courtney with a warm and tight embrace 

"Long time no see," said Yves staring about, "-security sure is tight before the vault."

"It was built to keep the master's weapons," said Elliot, "-lady Cake, I'm grateful you called."

"Please have a seat," she offered, "-today is a bit of a hassle."

"I see Orenmir and Tharis were taken out their compartments," commented Courtney, "-has my brother gotten into trouble?" 

"No," voiced Éclair, the bookshelves sunk into the floor, a massive screen materialized at the front. "Master has endeavored to fight in a war on the behalf of the kingdom of Elendor. I was given orders to relay information if ever lady Elvira decided to call in help from others." Thus, an explanation on the matter was given at a much higher level of detail. It told of how they met with a certain individual. 

The day passed without much happening at the border. Staxius arrived on the 8th. Castle Netlo stood immediate to a bridge out of the province. The land after was ragged and uneven. The thick forest with a faint path cutting across led towards the upper-plateau. The lands of the mountains and hill. Naturally, moving an army in such a condition would be foolish. Except, a dried gorge ran across the mountains until the flatlands of Juvey's territory. 

Guards ran patrol along the battlements of the castle walls. Snipers would remain on standby and pear towards the land of the unknown. The bridge, made of stone and very sturdy, had gone through prior battles. The castle was famous for nothing having been breeched even since construction. 

'So, this is Netlo,' thought Staxius closing the back of the massive walls. Troupes in uniform made regular patrols around the vicinity. They were hardened and ignorant of the boiling heat. 

"Good afternoon," approached an officer dressed differently, "-you must be the King of Arda?"

"Yes."

"I do apologize for the lack of courtesy; a battle can break out any moment. We can't afford to pull any men off their posts."

"Understandable," checking the strangely opened land to the right,"-drought?" 

"Good eye sir," said the officer, "-it's a dried lake."

They soon headed inside the compound. Tables stood with multiple radios, food, cigarettes, guns, and ammo. "Any battles lately?" 

"No," they took to the castle walls, "-we fought around a week ago. It's been dead quiet ever since. Intel suggests General Jei Lo's army is coming to take the castle."

"I see. Who's in charge of the fortress?" 

"A proxy of General Eji. Goes by the name Uthgare, a strange but talented fellow. You can catch him at the command post at the eastern wing." 

"Guess I shall make myself at home."

The 9th arrived impatiently. Shots were fired at the crack of dawn. The vanguard of Jei Lo's army hid amidst the thick forest. The command center soon filled with multiple squads and platoon leaders. Time had come for war, the battle began. The king of Arda remained calm throughout the briefing. 

Commander Uthgare's mindset came as one of caution and cunning. He voiced many o' counter strategies without ever stating retaliation. Fighting a defensive battle was harder on a country than leading the offensive. The soldiers in uniform and holding guns were at the ready. A squad died on their routine inspection of the borders. The men were anxious, the snipers reported faint shadows dashing left and right killing lookouts on the tower. 

A slender body, short hair, a cap, and a green uniform. The multiple scars on his face, a crooked nose, and the aura of a veteran, the Commander gave off a certain aura of destruction. The expression the face held wasn't normal, they were close to one of a beast, a starved wolf.

"Listen, men," said he loudly, "-we're not going to fight. They have rhythm and momentum. I want the sniper corps to be the only people on the lookout. Have a team be ready to storm and destroy the bridge. Worst case scenario, we break access to the frontier. Tis orders from General Eji. Any questions?"

"What is the status on provision and ammunition?"

"Who might you be?"

"King Staxius of the Federation. I came last night to aid in defense." 

"Forgive the insolence, majesty," said he with obvious intent at the insult,"-is it wise for royalty to be on the frontline?"

"Normally no," said he calmly, "-thee needn't worry."

"I'm afraid we can't afford men to assign to thy protection."

"I said to not worry," both spoke with harshness in their tone. The Commander subtly looked down on the king as if he were nothing but a spoon-fed noble weakling. "My answer?"

"We ran out a while ago. As for ammunition, we have enough for a few days," interjected lieutenant Bete, the officer who gave the warm welcome.

"Lieutenant, how dare you speak while the commander is talking?" gritted another giant with red hair and a peculiarly deformed visage.

"Captain Stalin, I apologize for speaking out of line," he bowed.

"Lieutenant Bete," said Staxius, "-there isn't a need to raise thine head. Commander Uthgare, the castle will be thy responsibility," at that moment, the frightful howl of a plane approached. "I shall handle the army of Jei Lo," a massive thump shook the very ground they stood upon. 

"COMMANDER, A PLANE DROPPED A WEIRD METAL BOX!" 

"WHAT?" 

"There's no need to be flustered now," said the king, "-those are ammunition to last a few months."

"Are you serious?" they stepped out to see crate upon crates of ammunition and guns with three figures stood in the middle as the dust settled. 

"Commander, tis a gift from the Federation. Leave the extermination of the army to us," he returned to his companions. 

"Brother," said Courtney holding the cases, "-here."

"Good to see you all," he nodded. 

"COMMANDER," screamed another lookout, "-IT'S THE JEI LO FORCES. THEY'RE CHARGING ON HORSEBACK."

"ON HORSEBACK?"

"Commander, order your men to mount the walls. If they cross the bridge the battle will be lost!" 

"DO AS THE KING SAID," and so, it started. Gunfire followed by the dying yelps of the unfortunate.

"King of Arda," approached he who had been disrespectful, "-I apologize for my prior behavior. I'm grateful you came."

"Let bygones be bygones." The seal of Orenmir's case broke with a shockwave. A cloud of heavy darkness nearly devoured the castle, those close were motionless. 'It's been so long,' a gentle touch of the scabbard subdued the nauseating aura. 

"Yves,"

"Yes, boss,"

"Go assist the Commander," he turned, "-my companion here shall prove helpful in case we need to escape."

"Elliot, go forth and lock our defense."

"Understood master," he leaped into action. Soon a thunderous shot of Knightfall blasted the charging troupes.

"What about me, brother?" tilted she lustfully.

"What else," he shrugged, "-you're with me. There's a lot of prey out there."

"Can I go all out?"

"Sure."

The arrival of the King boosted the morale of the Elendorian fighters. Part of the force had trained under the Federation's offshore military school. In total, 300 of the horseback warriors died from the acute shooting. Miira, Intherna, and Gophy soon materialize to stand by his side. The forest was compromised with the army being a mere ten minutes away. General Jei Lo's camp stood further down the gorge. 

"Time to fight," said he, "-go forth and enjoy the thrill of war!"