Valerian, The Legendary

204 Struggling.

Valerian landed Linea in a relatively open space at the city square and he asked a guard, “Where can I find Prince Ignis?”

The guard bowed and relied, “Your Highness, Commander is in his bunker, please allow me to guide you there.”

Valerian nodded and the guard quickly led him to the bunker after informing his superior. The city was like a maze, and the bunker was made in a relatively common location. Valerian nodded when he saw the protection detail of the place and also how this place was not easy to find. They had deliberately collapsed a few walls and made this area akin to a maze.

When they reached the bunker, the guard was about to call out loudly to inform the people inside, but they saw Ignis walking out of the bunker to greet Valerian. The red headed prince chuckled and said, “You finally came, Val.”

Valerian raised his eyebrow in askance, since when did I allow you to call me Val. The first prince winked at him, as if saying, just play along and we will discuss this later. The fourth prince did not wish to slap the elder in front of his subordinates and nodded.

The two entered the tent and Ignis had already told the rest of the people to leave them alone. Valerian asked, “What is going on here?”

Ignis sighed, “Things were quite tough before your arrival. Now, the tables have turned. The flying units can attack the enemy and I intend to let the mage units to deal the final blow and take out as many enemies as possible to prevent future attacks. While the ground soldier units will protect the reoccupied grounds. We do not know how many Grandmasters they have so chasing them does not seem to be a feasible option.”

Valerian nodded, “It is good, however, do not use the mages just yet. We do not know what other tricks they might have. What if the Centaurs have lend them with mage support? They might be waiting for our mages to go out and then these guys can sneak attack when they are tired. This way they will claim the city even quickly and the death toll on our side will outweigh the entire motive.”

Ignis was shocked by this deduction. They have been so focused on defending the current situation that they did not speculate the situation that can befall them in the future. Valerian had pointed out some really crucial details and they had to take them into account. After all, a sudden attack from enemy mages will render them helpless.

.....

He did not wish to loss the war, so Ignis took quick action. He called the Mage unit commander and told him the plan. The mage commander could not agree more and the attack was stalled. The mage corps was going to play a key role in the defense now. The main attacking force was the ground units.

Valerian used them because they had an abundance of the soldiers in the ground unit and they could all guard the reoccupied land easily. If this stalling meant that they will have to let go of more enemies, then fine, they can always deal with the enemy later as long as they had the strength. The communication division was relaying the messages throughout the battlefield with great efficiency.

Suddenly, they received a news that the Valkyrian troops were moving to another city in the border region. This was a worrying matter, as they were busy defending the city here. How will they deal with a second attack.

Valerian replied, “Have the scouts gather a good sizeable unit and lure the berserks here. Make sure that they enrage them properly and keep torturing them throughout the way. This way the berserks will lose their intellect. Also, have a special troop check who is the mastermind leading the troops.”

Ignis asked, “Will this luring not make things difficult for us here, and what about the scout division that will be forced between the two armies?”

Valerian cast him a glance and said, “Pick them up with the flying units, the wraiths can use the shadow spells to run away and regroup. As for the difficulty, not if we use things to our benefit.”

Ignis did not understand and Valerian said, “Lend me two shadow mages from your troops.”

Ignis opened his eyes wide and said, “You intend to use traps?”

“You are quite sharp for an airhead. Yes, I do. If the warriors and the grandmasters fall for traps, that is indirect assault and not a violation of the rules.”, said Valerian.

Ignis ignored the fact that he was called an airhead, but this plan was really crafty and it could make a significant difference for them. The troops of the Valkyrian army were higher in number than them. The first prince agreed and the battle continued.

The troops outside attacked the berserk forces with al their might. The flying units trained by Sapientia were very proficient in their skills, they were using bow and arrows to deal with the enemy flying units at the same time as they dealt with the ground units. The berserks were capable of fighting with people on the ground level, but they were weak in mounted combat.

Centaurs were known for their mounted cavalry skills, Stella nation were known for their mage attack and siege tactics. The Sapientian nation was famous for their flying units and archery skills. While Lumen Empire was an all-rounder. That was why they were known as the strongest.

Valerian had no intention to let go these people go. As he waited for the sun to go down, he began thinking what Fortuna would be doing now.

...

The dragon princess was standing at the peak of a mountain. Suddenly, she sneezed and said, “That guy must be thinking of me again. If only things here were easy to deal with I would have brought him along.”

Suddenly a deep voice echoed in the surroundings, “Get moving. You cannot rest here for the entire time. If you wish to claim the identity of the royal dragon, you must step at the peak and cast your strongest magic spell.”

Fortuna snorted and said, “Do you think I do not know the rituals? You better shut up and stop disturbing me.”

That said, she did not care and began climbing the mountain again. The surrounding area was covered with clouds, and Fortuna was climbing the mountain with her claws. The trial was simple, the royal blooded dragons were asked to climb the highest mountain while withstanding the pressure from the remanent consciousness of the dragon god.

The contender was not allowed to fly in the sky while they climbed the mountain. Only using the physical strength and grasping the mountain with there claws could they climb. The location of the test was the center of the dragon kingdom.

Yes, Fortuna had flew all the way to the dragon kingdom to take the trial. She wanted to forces of the dragon clan to be at her beck and call. Only after she cleared this trial would that be possible. More than that, she would be able to find all sorts of resources for Valerian too.

Although she said that she would acknowledge him when he is strong enough, but she did not mean that she will not support him in getting stronger. Their bond was stronger than something that could be put in words. Valerian had staked his life for her in the trial to get her powers to awaken.

Fortuna wanted to return the favor to him. This was why she came this far and way before she was completely prepared to take this on. The reason for this rush was Valerian’s pursuit of strength. He was rushing at the best speed that he could to reach a level where he can find the answers to his questions.

She climbed the mountain with great effort, the pressure was pushing against her, making if seem as if she was climbing with ten dragons pushing against her. Fortuna had climbed three quarter of the mountain with her strength. It took her an entire day, and now she was climbing with sheer will and gritted teeth.

Her claws were injured and a shallow trace of blood could be seen on them, but she did not give up. A royal dragon who could not pass this trial will be reduced to the lowest ranking magical beast in the clan. She did not want that to happen, her parents were the most revered king and queen of all time, how could she let down their name.

Fortuna raised her head and let out a roar. The roar was not of desperation, but it was a challenging roar. She was displaying her dignity as the princess of the dragons, and challenging the dragon god. The pressure against her body was reduced slightly, and Fortuna took advantage of it to climb higher and faster.

However, the pressure came back stronger, and Fortuna realized that the Dragon god was not going to back off like this, and she pressed her tail against the mountain to climb. The struggle had just begun.