thefictionvixens Page 192
Page 192
Unless their revered Lord Losanda personally descends and uses his divine authority to summon pure fire to burn away all the land and the demons sealed within.
Unfortunately, that was impossible back then.
Casalos hovered above the plains, overlooking the ruins of the battle. It slowly opened its massive jaws, revealing sharp fangs, a deep, satisfied growl emanating from its chest. As the mastermind behind this battle, it was quite pleased with the tactical coordination displayed by its combatants. (The last sentence appears to be unrelated and possibly a fragment from another context: "You Lin didn't think of emptying your Lin's eyes...")
This was not merely a battle of annihilation, but a meticulously planned live-fire exercise—the feigned anomalies were simply bait set by Samass to buy time, and the campaign to wipe out the undead legion was ultimately just a large-scale tactical exercise. The true purpose of the exercise was to allow the metal dragon horde to adapt to cooperation with the mounted Bahamut dragonborn paladins, and to master new tactics and methods such as multi-dragon coordinated combat and high-altitude dive bombing.
Judging from the battle just now, the effectiveness of these tactics was basically in line with the expected predictions. When the first wave of metal dragons swooped down from the clouds in formation, the undead legion reacted like ancient infantry facing modern air strikes for the first time—complete chaos and helplessness.
A vanguard consisting of five ancient golden dragons and more than twenty golden dragons of mature age or older launched the first attack. They divided into two formations, sweeping across the core of the undead legion from the flanks and rear respectively. The dragon flames they spewed together poured down like a curtain from the sky, instantly burning tens of thousands of undead creatures to ashes.
Heat accumulates, and the positive energy field created by the exorcising power that the paladins riding on the dragon's back imbue the dragon's breath also amplifies. As a result, the concentrated firepower delivery is far more efficient than the traditional single-dragon combat mode. The dragon flames left on the battlefield cannot be extinguished for a long time, forming a wall of holy flames that separates the undead army.
Following closely behind were medium-sized formations—the Bronze Dragon Knights from Imptu, the Bronze Dragon Swarm led by Uriel, the Athene Dragons led by Fiona, and a chaotic mix of Brass and Copper Dragon Gates. Divided into several waves of attack formations, group after group began to launch regional strikes on the battlefield powerfully divided by the Golden Dragon's flames. Lightning, fire, and acid intertwined, killing large numbers of undead while also acting as fuel thrown into a boiler, making the Golden Dragon's flames sky even more intense.
The Knights of the Claw of Justice made their final appearance. This elite force, composed entirely of silver dragon paladins, split into fourteen squads of three dragons and three knights, using frost dragon breath and the Demon-Slaying Slash to roam and reap the rewards. Their multi-layered, multi-wave attacks annihilated the main force of the False Anomaly within just a few tens of minutes.
Despite their sheer numbers, the undead army proved utterly ineffective against this new, multi-dimensional attack tactic. Traditional undead tactics relied heavily on numerical superiority and negative energy spells, but these advantages vanished when faced with high-speed, mobile, and heavily armed aerial attacks. Negative energy barriers were no match for the combined dragonfire spewed by the golden dragons. When the core controllers were destroyed by the dragons' cross-shaped breath attacks, and the battlefield was divided by walls of fire, the undead, now without control or command, became mere sitting ducks, unable to do anything but try to shoot down the dragons. Skeleton archers' arrows were utterly ineffective against the dragons high in the sky, and the spellcasters' spell range was far too short to create any real damage.
Most fatally, the False Avatar, already abandoned by Samaster, lacked effective means to deal with aerial threats. Although it inherited considerable magical abilities, it could only evade hastily in the face of such a large-scale coordinated attack. When Galos rode the silver dragon Jerlist directly towards it, the False Avatar couldn't even mount an effective defense... Not far away, Galos, riding the silver dragon Jerlist, slowly landed in the center of the battlefield littered with bone fragments. This legendary paladin held a holy sword burning with sacred flames, the flames on the blade still leaping, as if celebrating the victory just now. Just minutes ago, he had personally burned the False Avatar—an avatar meticulously crafted by Samaster—to ashes.
"Too easy." Galos frowned, tumbling off Jeralest's broad back, his boots scraping lightly on the scorched earth. "This imposter doesn't even have half the strength of a true Aberrant. Samaster's avatar-making skills seem rather mediocre."
Jerester turned his massive head toward his partner, the silver dragon's head gleaming with a divine light in the sunlight: "Indeed, as you say, Gaelos. If Samaster truly believed this place needed a heavy defense, he wouldn't have left such a weak guard. It's more like a hastily abandoned outpost."
Jerlester's words carried the unique sense of justice and keen insight of a silver dragon. As a mature silver dragon paladin who had traversed the abyss, it not only possessed formidable combat power but had also developed considerable strategic vision, enough to detect the insidious nature of Samaster's scheme.
"Otherwise what?" Casalos landed near Gaelos, shook his head, and folded his wings. "Are you suggesting we send you to fight Samaster's main force in the very first battle? Don't you even know..."
"Isn't that enough?"
Many of the "leader" dragons descended one after another. Hevilan, who was familiar with Casaloz and remained humble enough, heard Casaloz's words and then asked him questions.
"Although there are still many flaws in dive control, wave transitions, battlefield entry, and timing of the kill, if you have to say whether it's enough or not, it's actually more than enough." Casalos looked at the massive dragons surrounding him and shrugged his shoulders. "After all, once we have a way to deal with the dragon frenzy and gain strategic and tactical advantages, those minor loopholes caused by insufficient training become insignificant in the overall situation—our individual strength advantage can completely make up for those mistakes."
Bronze Dragon Uriel quickly asked, "I understand the tactical advantage, but you're saying we've gained a strategic advantage?"
Casalos couldn't answer the bronze dragon's question when a rapidly moving figure appeared on the horizon. Razor pierced the clouds at incredible speed, its dragon form leaving a gray trail in the air. As it plunged into the group of dragons, it crashed down without any sign of slowing down. The moment the fanged dragon archmage landed, a ripple of force field spread across the ground, completely absorbing its immense weight and speed, bringing it to a steady stop right in front of Casalos.
Excitement flickered across the dragon's face, which was covered in jagged, menacing thorns. It opened its mouth, and a mage's hand materialized, reaching into its vast dimensional pouch and pulling out a book bound with coarse hemp thread. The book looked incredibly ancient; the parchment bore the marks of time, the hemp thread was stained a dark gray, and there were small holes from insects along the edges. Yet, this unassuming object carried extremely important information.
"The mission at the Yellow Rose Monastery is complete!" Toothpick, foregoing pleasantries, eagerly reported the results. "All sixty-three colorful dragons that defected to the Dragon Cult have been apprehended; not a single one escaped. More importantly—"
Shaving paused, seemingly organizing his thoughts, before continuing, "Just as you predicted, after Eisen brought Dorn Greybrook to Yellow Rose Abbey, that half-god displayed the luck of a bastard child of Lady Luck… Over fifty thousand volumes, all meaningless scriptures and literary works. It might take us months to find the spells hidden within those texts… But Dorn, that magical idiot whose head is made of iron, casually flipped through two books and discovered what we were looking for."
Shaving Tooth shook his head, incredulous at Dorn's "luck": "That guy didn't even find the spell; he just randomly picked up a couple of storybooks to kill some time—I did as you said, snatching the books he touched immediately, and lo and behold, there it was!"
64. Tactics and Strategy
The words that Shaving Tooth uttered were full of information, leaving the several dragon overlords with many questions.
"What happened at the monastery?" Hevilan was unusually concerned about the Yellow Rose Monastery, because it was the monastery in her territory.
But Tamarand was more concerned about the spell. It stared at the parchment scroll in the mage's hand, its beard bristling: "What kind of spell is this?"
"What's with annihilating all sixty-three chromatic dragons?" The bronze dragon Uriel, however, was focused on a battle unknown to it. Seeing the spectacle, the ever-noisy brass dragons also gathered around, chattering amongst themselves: "Wow, a half-golem! I've never seen anything like it before! Can I meet that Dorne Grey Creek you mentioned?" "The bastard son of Lady Luck? Teasing him would be so much fun!"...
“It’s a long story,” Casalos said, taking the parchment scroll, shaking his head to stop the dragons, and turning to Hevilan. “After discovering the unusual activity of the Dragon Worship Cult last time, I began to investigate and organize clues related to the continent, and found many traces that resembled Samaster’s. After screening, it was confirmed that three years ago, Samaster disguised himself as an ascetic monk and visited the Yellow Rose Monastery, where he stayed in the library for several months.”
As he spoke, Casaloz's mage hand unfurled the parchment scroll, handling it with the care of a precious work of art, for such an old and ordinary book was far too fragile for a dragon: "Why has the leader of the Dragon Cult, a chosen one of the goddess of magic, been quietly staying in the library of an ascetic monastery for months? There are no magical books there. Does he intend to become a priest or a bard?"
“If he really had that thought, this disaster wouldn’t have happened…” Draco sighed. “Was he looking for this book inside?”
“Who could have known back then?” Casalos shrugged. “But his behavior was always abnormal, so I continued to investigate and monitor the Yellow Rose Monastery. Not long ago, we discovered some strange things: most of the chromatic dragons who had joined the Dragon Cult, including the two giants, the ancient green dragon Ishnarle and the unusually powerful red dragon Marazan, were gathering in Bloodstone Pass… Coincidentally, our ally, the Northern Dragon Klaus, was also keeping an eye on these chromatic dragons.”
"Huh?" Lin isn't here. Is Lin here or not...?
The metal dragons all turned their heads to look at Klaus, who was lying not far away, and the blue and white dragons beside him. The ancient red dragon grunted and turned its head away, seemingly too lazy to pay attention to these metal-clad creatures.
"It's better for it to explain the situation to everyone, since it's the dragon in question." Casalos, however, didn't "let go" of the proud ancient red dragon.
Upon hearing this, the latter bared his teeth and glared at Iron Dragon, slowly getting to his feet. He immediately began to mock, "If everything depended on a bunch of shiny, stupid fools like you, all of Faerûn's dragons would have been killed by Samass long ago... Kid, I was already investigating the Dragon Worship Cult when you were still a dragon egg!"
The crowd erupted in uproar.
Klaus was very satisfied with the metal dragon's reaction. After a brief pause, he continued, "Ishnarle is one of the pawns I planted in the Dragon Cult. Their every move—well, that's not quite right, those skeletons are too good at scheming and plotting. Without converting into dragon liches, there's only so much Ishnarle can access... In short, those scum who joined the Dragon Cult but refused to convert into dragon liches have been given a mission: to attack and completely destroy the Yellow Rose Monastery."
"Because of this?" The metal dragons looked again at the parchment scroll opened by the mage's hand. The words on it looked like an ordinary old collection of poems.
Klaus didn't reply. It lay down again, curled its neck, and teased the pure white dragon, clearly unwilling to say anything more.
Casalos lowered his head, his indigo vertical pupils focusing on the parchment, scanning the lines of poetry, then using a combination of copying and illusion magic to display the words in mid-air, constantly breaking them down and combining them according to specific rules...
"After learning of my actions, Klaus gave me Ishnarle's secret contact information... I sent several top intelligence agents to cooperate with Ishnarle, and with their combined efforts, we finally obtained crucial information from a careless purple-robed wizard."
Casaloz's tone was strange, a mixture of admiration and anger: "Sammaster threatened all the dragons of Faerûn with Dragon Frenzy, intending to force them to become dragon liches—because dragon liches are immune to Dragon Frenzy. But now that Dragon Frenzy has begun, why are those colorful dragons who have joined the Dragon Cult but are unwilling to become dragon liches still willing to serve Sammaster?"
“Quell Sands, that bronze dragon traitor from Inbutu, its last words before going mad were ‘You deceived me!’” Fiona realized something: “Could it be…”
"Yes, that's right." The disassembled letters have been reassembled, revealing a spell composed of dragon runes: "Samass has found a spell that can suppress dragon madness!"
Dragon madness is the most terrible curse for any dragon—losing its mind and becoming a crazed beast that knows only killing and destruction, first and foremost destroying its own treasures and cherished possessions. This is something no dragon can tolerate, and Samaster has precisely grasped this point.
Casalos continued analyzing Samasser's methods, "After finding this ancient spell of unknown origin but remarkable effect, he disassembled and modified it to create several different spells. Some can suppress dragon madness, while others can directly affect the dragon soul to awaken its deepest madness, or have a limited influence on the consciousness that controls the dragon!"
He used spells to suppress dragon madness as rewards, so that obedient dragons could temporarily maintain their sanity. As for those disobedient dragons who had other ideas in mind, it was hard to say what kind of spells they would receive... The colorful dragon thought that it was cooperating equally with Samass, but in reality, it had already become a puppet in his hands.
Of course, this wasn't the end, because Samass's magic wasn't created out of thin air; it all stemmed from the ancient dragon language incantation buried within the Yellow Rose Monastery. As long as the original incantation remained in the Yellow Rose Monastery, other beings could use it to create similar or even targeted spells, and Samass couldn't rest easy. Therefore, he dispatched all the colorful dragons that obeyed his command to the monastery, intending to completely destroy this original prototype.
"Despicable!" Azak couldn't help but let out an angry growl. The Silver Dragon Paladin could not tolerate this vicious spell targeting all Faerûn dragons: "If you hadn't discovered this incantation, when we faced the Dragon Cult army head-on..."
"Baseness is the passport of the base, nobility the epitaph of the noble. In my view, the power contained within this inverted spell is enough to bypass Bahamut's blessing's shield against the Dragon's Fury Curse, unleashing a more primal dragon's rage. If we hadn't discovered this spell..." Casalos paused, "then the scenario Lares foresaw might have been the end!"
It raised its head, displaying the dragon language runes and incantations to the dragons present: "But they have no chance. After figuring out the Chromatic Dragons' plans, the Deepwater Dragonflight set a trap at Yellow Rose Monastery. Then, at Ishnarl's introduction, Razor transformed into an ancient blue dragon and joined their ranks. He then challenged Marazan for command, and together they killed the most threatening red dragon. Then, leading the Chromatic Dragons unsuspectingly into the trap, they joined forces with the Dragonflight and the ascetics of the monastery to annihilate the Chromatic Dragon army."
Now, this spell has become another layer of protection for us against the dragon's madness!
"It's a pity the Nexus didn't come with us. With our arcane skill level, it's difficult for us to dismantle and modify spells like Samasser..." Hevilan sighed. Every dragon is indeed a born master of magic, but that depends on the comparison. Aside from rare arcane dragons and legendary dragon species, even the most powerful golden dragons, without a secondary or advanced arcane spellcasting profession, still fall below legendary level in terms of pure spellcasting ability and understanding of arcane magic upon reaching the Primordial Age.
There were no arcane professionals among the metal dragons present. Even Klaus, who possessed legendary spellcasting abilities, was skilled in divination magic. Modifying this ancient dragon language rune magic, which was clearly unrelated to the modern Netheril magic system, would likely require decades of research.
However, Casaloz winked at the silver dragon: "Lady Hevilan, have you forgotten that I am also a chosen one of the Goddess of Magic? Besides, Samaster's magic teacher is currently in Damara. Not only his teacher, but also his lover and his sister-in-law and uncle... and this toothed dragon in front of you is also an archmage, and also a chosen one of the Goddess of Magic!"
"Excellent!" Dracol exclaimed with satisfaction, tilting his head back. "In my long life, I've witnessed far too many intrigues and conspiracies, but I've never seen such a meticulously planned strategy! Imbutu, Damara, the Yellow Rose Monastery, the ancient hermits, the betrayal of the Bronze Dragons, the destruction of the Colored Dragon Legion—everywhere Samaster left its mark, you've leveled and rebuilt, turning disadvantages into advantages..."
"Is this what you meant earlier, that we have a strategic advantage?" Uriel added, picking up where Jinlong left off.
“No, these are all tactical advantages created.” Casalos also looked up, but instead of chanting, he silently looked at the sky, his gaze seemingly piercing through the heavens and the void, staring directly at the comet that was getting closer and closer to Torriel and Faerûn: “As for the strategic layout, it is at a higher and more macro level.”
A ready-made group of metal dragon followers, who have grown strong enough over thousands of years to continue the war against the chromatic dragons; or a newborn group of dragon hatchlings born from dragon eggs that fell from the sky after a cataclysmic disaster, which will take hundreds of years to grow up.
What will Bahamut choose?
65. Preparing for War
The timeline has already changed. Under Casalos's influence, the metal dragons, represented by the Golden Dragon Court and the Claws of Justice, are no longer an obstacle to Bahamut's faith returning to Faerûn. Instead, they are gradually becoming the core pillar of his faith. The disturbance born from the timeline change—the Death Hunter Cyrek—has also been abolished by Casalos. So, at the crucial juncture of the final Dragon Frenzy, Bahamut will naturally make the right choice.
Although this unique platinum dragon in the world of Toril is cunning and treacherous, it is definitely a ruthless and ambitious character who is willing to endure humiliation and bear heavy burdens, and will not hold grudges in the face of absolute interests. It will not be angered by the fact that its own plan has deviated from the more favorable situation.
Even if He were to escape from prison and reclaim His divine position in the future, He wouldn't need to hold Casalos's past and present petty actions against Him. Bound by His new divine authority and considering His own glorious and righteous image as the Lord of the Good Dragon and the future Trinity of Justice, He might even bestow divine grace upon Casalos, allowing Casalos to continue to contribute to His eternal cause.
It's not that Casalos is criticizing dragons, but if Garugsingo had had even a little political acumen in ancient times, and had proactively and quietly expressed a slight intention to cooperate with Bahamut instead of always acting like he was the best in the world, Athelon wouldn't be in the state it is now.
Bahamut's mortal enemy is Tiamat, and Garughsingo's mortal enemy is also Tiamat, so why can't they cooperate?
Just because you, Iron Dragon, think that precious metal dragons are not orthodox metal dragons, you're fighting for such a ridiculous title?
Casalos will not do that, in any case.
It is not an ancient dragon overlord from the same era as Bahamut. It may complain, steal divine power, and wave its banner, but when it comes to facing Bahamut directly, Casaroz will not lack the respect due to him. Even ignoring Bahamut's current status as a dragon god, its status as the ancestor of the pan-metal dragon bloodline in the world of Toril is enough for Casaroz to find its rightful place.
The theory it used to persuade the Claw of Justice might just be one of the true thoughts of the Iron Dragon, a subspecies of the Pan-Metal Dragon. Who knows...
In short, the attitudes of Tamarand, Azak, and Jerleist towards Casalos essentially indicate that Casalos now stands on the same side as Bahamut, which is the true strategic advantage it claims to possess. At a deeper level, Samaster is a pawn chosen by both the already deceased Bane and Tiamat, who was resurrected during a turbulent year. From a broader perspective, Samaster's ultimate dragon frenzy is actually a purge of the dragon race—a race outside the established order—by a series of non-dragon gods—human, elf, dwarf, and gnome deities of the pan-Faelion pantheon, seeking to expand their own faith in Fael'Thalas. But a deeper look reveals that the ultimate beneficiary of all this is only one person: the platinum dragon god Bahamut!
Bane wanted to use Samass to control the dragons, the most powerful species in Faerûn. Tiamat wanted to use Samass's power to eliminate the metal dragons in order to monopolize the faith of the dragons in Faerûn. The non-dragon gods of the pan-Faerûn pantheon, however, were delusional enough to use this to eliminate the dragons, a species that neither believed in them nor did they allow them to significantly reduce the living and development space of their followers.
Only Bahamut knew—or perhaps guessed—that these seemingly successful plans of the gods would ultimately end in failure!
Because the world of Toril, under the control of AO, is ultimately still a world created by the Nine-Headed Dragon God, a world for the dragons to reproduce and survive.
Casalos didn't know what was going on with the AO he had witnessed, the millions of beings like AO, and the beings that AO served like servants. He also didn't know the relationship between those untouchable beings and the Nine-Headed Dragon God. But he did know that even in this world of Toril, AO could only control half of it…
Of course, these things are not convenient to tell other metal dragons or even any mortal, and can only rot in Casalos's belly forever, just as it fabricated all sorts of things about Bahamut in its heart.
Even if Casalos becomes a being beyond the gods in the future, he will take these secrets away from the mortal world.
To reiterate, the rules created by AoE dictate that for the Argent Dragons to continue in Faerûn and Toril, they must have a chief god. Regardless of Bahamut's past misdeeds, under AoE's new rules, He is the most suitable dragon god for the Argent Dragons.
At that time, Casaloz might have to help Bahamut and elevate Him to a higher divine position.
Those things are too far in the past, Casalos shook his head and brought his thoughts back to the present.
Samasser has taken the bait, the Colored Dragon Army that might have stabbed him in the back has been wiped out, the last line of defense has been completed, and the dragons are ready to strike. There is no time to lose. The next step is to launch a full-scale war against the Dragon Worship Cult!
The dragons have returned to Damara. In the royal palace's strategic command hall, a three-dimensional sand table constructed of illusion magic occupies the center of the room. The terrain of Sosar, the Great Glacier, and the Nofralong Mountains appears in the air as holographic images. Every explored peak and every scouted crevice is clearly visible. As for areas that have not yet been explored or are irrelevant, only basic terrain features are displayed.
Inside the sand table, red dots mark the known enemy positions, while blue arrows indicate the planned routes of friendly forces.
Casalos stood in front of the sand table, tapped his tail lightly, and coordinate data appeared.
"Gentlemen, the intelligence briefing was delivered last night," Iron Dragon's voice was steady. "Now, let's begin formulating a concrete battle plan."
One advantage of golden dragons is that even proud beings like the Primordial Golden Dragons, once they acknowledge your wisdom and stance, will willingly accept your command, until something conflicts with their understanding. Clearly, after several days of training and interaction, even a golden dragon crown prince like Tamaland gave Casalos sufficient recognition, and the other golden dragon lords had few objections—the three Primordial Golden Dragons who would oppose Casalos or Tamaland in handling the final Dragon Frenzy incident didn't even come to Damara.
Shaving Tooth, acting as his "second-in-command," manipulated the magic array of the illusion sandbox, inputting the latest gathered intelligence into the sandbox system. The distribution of the White Dragon Legion updated instantly, with Qislindo's location marked in dark purple.
"First Combat Group." Casalos traced an arc on the sand table with his tail. "Codename 'Front.' Composed of the main force of the Golden Dragon Royal Court, the Knights of the Claw of Justice, the Bronze Dragon Knights of Imptu, and the Bronze Dragon Group, Copper Dragon Group, and Brass Dragon Group led by Uriel. The attack route is as follows: Enter from area a-7, coordinates 71°32′N, 42°18′E. This is the narrowest point of the Great Glacier, only 47 kilometers wide."
Tamarand, recalling the latitude and longitude coordinate system she had just learned the night before, carefully observed the marked route: "Glacier thickness?"
"2100 meters on average, 1800 meters at the thinnest point," Shaving replied immediately, while displaying a detailed cross-section on the sand table. "The known magical traps are distributed in these areas." Dozens of red crosses appeared on the flight path.
Hevilan surveyed the enemy's distribution: "The main force of the White Dragon Legion is concentrated in areas B-3 to B-5. According to intelligence, there are currently about sixty dragon liches and around one hundred and forty ordinary white dragons. This number will change as the dragon lich legion battles with Sosar's army."
"The firepower configuration needs adjustment," Dracol said in a deep voice. "The frost breath of the dragon lich is very disadvantageous to fire-type subspecies, and transforming into a dragon lich makes them no longer afraid of fire... Gold dragons, brass dragons, and tungsten dragons should avoid direct combat with dragon liches."
"Correct." Casalos nodded, and the sand table immediately displayed a new formation plan: "Silver dragons will lead the attack, with bronze and copper dragons providing support. Gold and brass dragons will concentrate their firepower on the ordinary white dragon horde. Specific formation: Forty-three Silver Dragons of the Claw of Justice will be divided into seven combat groups, each with 18 Bahamut paladins..."
Casalos wouldn't follow the outdated tradition that a dragon can only have one dragon rider. Besides, the Paladin's Holy Mount Contract doesn't prohibit multiple paladins from simultaneously binding with a single mount. A dragon's back is so broad; carrying three paladins to enjoy triple buffs, along with unobstructed vision and active defense, wouldn't that be great?
As tactical details are adjusted, data continues to flow on the sand table, with each formation's flight path, engagement zone, retreat route, and hiding places after being shot down being precisely planned and marked.
"Second Combat Group," Iron Dragon continued, the sandbox view switching to the Norfra Dragon Mountains, "Codename 'Breaking the Ice.' Gaelos leads the Damara Paladins and the Athelon Dragon Knights, Eisen leads the Deepwater Half-Dragon Legion, with the Dawn Cultists providing support. Mission objective: Rescue the enslaved personnel in area C-2."
Raine Snowcutter walked to the sand table, his rough fingers gesturing in the air: "Here, my people are here. Three tribes, about four thousand people. There are also two clans of frost giants, and roughly ten thousand humans."
Gallos meticulously recorded the data: "What is the defensive deployment like in Iraqi territory?"
"The main force is in area D," Casalos pulled up another intelligence report, "but she will definitely send troops to intercept them. The expected enemy forces encountered are as follows: 300 members of the Orluel Priests, 12 ice elemental summoning arrays, 1,000 ice golems, and approximately 20,000 controlled cannon fodder troops."
Looking at the dense array of enemy markers, Eisen said, "The Half-Dragon Legion excels at rapid assaults. We're outnumbered; a head-on confrontation won't work."
"That's why we need the Paladins of Damara and the Dawn Cultists." Casalos zoomed in on the terrain near the landing point. "Divine dispel is very effective against elemental summons. The Paladins can hold the line, while the half-dragon legions will quickly infiltrate and cut off the enemy's command chain. The specific route..."
Arrows extend across the sand table, marking the marching routes and timelines for each unit.
"Third Operational Group." The screen switched again, displaying the complex terrain deep within Sossal. "Codename 'Dark Blade.' Composed of Ilminster, Elasdra, Kelburn, Lyra, and Razor. Infiltration route: Enter through E-9 area, avoiding all known outposts."
Elminster stroked his beard: "The position of the Chief Archdruid of Sosar?"
"The Oak Sanctuary in area F-4." Shaving marked a green dot on the sand table. "But this intelligence is from three days ago. The dragon lich army of Qislindor is launching a fierce offensive. Those 'savages' of Sosar haven't received formal military training, and they're supported by their faith, making it difficult for my men to infiltrate. They can't stop the White Dragon at all; he's constantly shifting positions. You'll only be able to confirm the exact situation after you arrive."
"Can't you say something nice? What do you mean by 'savage'? If he hears that..." Elminster blew his beard, grumbling about meaningless things.
"The harpists still have two active contact points in the area," Elasdra added. "Although they're not on our side, they should still give us some face and be able to get the latest intelligence."
Casalos adjusted the sand table display: "The three operations must be precisely coordinated. The timeline is as follows: at x hour, 'Front' takes off; at x+2 hour, 'Icebreaker' begins; at x+6 hour, 'Front' enters the Great Glacier; at x+8 hour, 'Dark Blade' begins its infiltration..."
"Communication methods?" Hevilan asked the crucial question. "The polar regions are under the control of the Frost Queen, and magical interference is very strong."
"Communication crystals from the Deepwater Territory." Casalos produced three specially crafted crystals. "Arcane and psionic dual-channel, tested to have interference resistance in the magic network area dozens of times greater than ordinary communication spells. Usable in the Dead Magic and Dark Magic zones. Each combat cluster is equipped with three main crystals as backups, and each participant carries two sub-crystals, forming a cellular communication network. The maximum effective distance between individual crystals is 80 kilometers."
"What's the weather like?" Uriel asked.
The system immediately retrieved the data: "In the next seven days, the Great Glacier region will experience two naturally occurring blizzards, occurring at x+15 and x+72 respectively. Wind speeds could reach up to 200 kilometers per hour."
"Adjust flight altitude," Casalos noted on the sand table. "During the blizzard, 'Front' needs to climb to over 12000 meters. The temperature there is -60 degrees Celsius, but the blizzard's impact is less, and the fluctuations in the silver dragons' wind control cannot be detected from the ground."
The discussion lasted a full four hours. Every detail was scrutinized repeatedly, and every route was simulated multiple times. The markings on the sand table grew denser, and the battle plan became increasingly refined. (The rest of the text appears to be random characters and symbols, possibly a corrupted file or a corrupted file.)
"Regarding Qislindor," Casalos surveyed the dragons before finally saying, "I will deal with it personally. Samaster was present during the battle of Silvermoon City, and it concealed most of its strength... According to reliable intelligence, this dragon lich's true power surpasses that of Tamarand, Hevilan, and Klaus."
Klaus suddenly spoke up, chuckling, "What if it kills you?"