Reign exchanged glances with his team, each of them understanding the gravity of Amelia's offer. It was a significant decision, but the potential gains were enormous.
"We appreciate your offer, Amelia," Reign said, his tone serious. "But we need to understand the full scope of the situation before we commit."
"We'll help you push back the Shadow Serpents, and if we're successful, we'll discuss the terms of joining our faction."
Amelia nodded, relief mingling with the determination in her eyes. "That's fair, any help you can provide will be invaluable."
"Let's start by assessing your defenses and strategizing a counterattack," Shadow suggested. "We need to understand their tactics and find their weaknesses."
Amelia led them to a war room where a detailed map of the surrounding territory was spread out on a large table. Markers indicated the positions of their forces and the known locations of the Shadow Serpents' outposts.
"Two of these outposts used to be bases of two small factions ... they were annihilated by the enemy, now being used as outposts by those bastards, monitoring all of us and making sure we are not doing anything we shouldn't be doing."
Amelia's expression darkened as she pointed to the map. "These are the two, we should take them over first, they're not heavily fortified and the guards there are not that strong," she said, her voice tinged with anger. "They use them to monitor our movements and launch surprise attacks, but from what I know, they don't have a portal present."
"We need to reclaim those bases in order to make the other factions more motivated to help us."
"Right now, most are frightened by the fact the vampires are backing the serpent, the mere idea of the vampires joining the fray and getting angry at us is enough to make most afraid to take any actions."
"Even those who are working with us to defend against the serpent do not dare seriously injure or kill the important members of the serpent in fear of what might happen to them after that."
Reign and the others nodded as they understood what the other factions were thinking and why they were afraid to take action.
The vampires in New York were quite tame most of the time, they had to be as they weren't the only faction that had Tier VII combatants amongst them.
They might be more powerful than humans, but the vampires were crafty and well aware of how powerful humans can be. Thanks to that, as well as the fact vampires and humans look almost the same, made vampires quieter and tamer here as they would rather take the humans under their wing and manipulate them into working for them, turning them into slaves without them even realizing it.
Reign studied the map, taking note of the strategic importance of the outposts. "If we can take these back, we'll cut off their supply lines and weaken their hold on the area, not to mention that it will also send a message."
"What if the vampires truly make a move?" Laura asked as Reign, Shadow, Wolf, and Beast all shook their heads at once.
"No, the vampires could have subjugated all of the factions easily if they wanted to do so with force like this group is doing."
Reign, Shadow, and Wolf moved to the left, while Mia, Laura, and Beast circled around to the right. Tank and Jin remained at the rear, ready to provide support if needed.
On Shadow's signal, they struck. Reign and Wolf launched a surprise attack, their blades slicing through the guards with deadly precision. Mia and Laura used their magic to immobilize and disorient their enemies, while Beast picked off any stragglers with his bow.
The battle was quick and efficient, the element of surprise giving them a decisive advantage. Within minutes, the camp was secured, and the remaining guards were either dead or captured.
"Secure the perimeter," Reign ordered, his voice calm but commanding. "Make sure no one escapes to alert the other outposts."
The team moved swiftly, setting up defensive positions and checking for any hidden threats. Once they were satisfied that the area was secure, they regrouped near the central fire.
"We did it," Mia said, her voice tinged with relief. "The outpost is ours."
"Yes, now we move on to the next one, I want all the outposts that the enemy has in the area to be empty before morning." Reign said as Wolf smiled.
"So we're sending a message to them, huh?"
"Of course, the outposts here are weak, the strongest guards are merely Tier Vs, with two outposts having a Tier VI combatant, I want them all dead so that the enemy knows they won't be able to do as they wish any longer."
The team swiftly moved out, leaving behind the outpost with corpses in it. They approached the second outpost with the same caution, studying the patrol patterns and laying out their strategy. The element of surprise had worked in their favor once, and they intended to use it again, and they did as they took down three more outposts like that.
As they closed in on the fifth outpost, the presence of a Tier VI guard made them more cautious. Reign signaled for Shadow to scout ahead. Shadow's stealth skills allowed him to move undetected, providing valuable intel on the guards' positions and the layout of the outpost.
"There's a Tier VI guard patrolling the main entrance," Shadow reported upon his return. "He's well-armed and looks alert. We'll need to take him down quickly to avoid drawing attention."
Reign nodded. "We'll set up an ambush, Shadow, Mia, and I will take out the Tier VI guard."
"Wolf, Beast, and Laura will handle the sentries, Tank and Jin, you two provide backup."
The team moved into position, waiting for the right moment to strike. The Tier VI guard approached the ambush point, his attention focused on his surroundings. Reign signaled the attack, and they sprang into action.
Shadow appeared behind him, his daggers stabbing with lethal precision, while Mia cast a spell to freeze the ground beneath the guard's feet. The guard stumbled, giving Reign an opening to strike. His sword found its mark, piercing through the guard's armor and delivering a fatal blow.
Wolf, Beast, and Laura took out the sentries with precision, ensuring that no one had the chance to raise an alarm. The outpost was secured quickly and efficiently, just like the previous ones.