The Systemic Lands

Chapter 136: Day 326 – Viewpoints 11

Clarissa

“Unacceptable Doctor Katz.” I stopped myself from rubbing my forehead. Running this disaster of a city, was a lot harder than helping to run one of the top companies back on Earth. At least there my life and existence weren’t on the line and there were other people to help. Michael was off grinding, and everyone else was being difficult. I had no doubt when he showed up, they would all say yes, but for now there was just frustration.

“I will not allow for testing of unwilling participants.” Well, you clearly wanted Michael to melt you.

“Well, you haven’t gotten any results! We need results!” I shouted at him. He stared calmly back at me.

“I have had results. People develop a minor energy sense when subjected to negative energy. I have been working backwards from that, but whatever the Ritualist did to summon monsters was an intuitive leap.” That was not enough. We needed the secret to summoning.

“I don’t care if he leapt into hell. What about the blood powder? That clearly is the key.”

“I need more funding, restorations for blood donors is not cheap.” I was about to strangle this man and would probably have had him killed, if he wasn’t the only one that was making any kind of progress at reverse engineering the Ritualist’s abilities.

“Doctor, you have been given thousands of crystals and points.”

“There is nothing I can do. You have seen my testing protocols. We are eliminating options one by one.” I did see them and signed off on them. But there were no results, and he was having to try more and more. “I will have an answer by day 340 with my current schedule. At that point, well there are external factors in play. You know this.”

“I know, but I was hoping for answers a while ago.” I collapsed into my chair exhausted.

“Doing proper research takes time. I need to account for all the variables and test each of them one by one and in combination. I have been putting in 14-hour days.” I knew that since I had people watching him reporting to me.

“Very well-“ The bell began to ring from the plaza. Dammit. This wasn’t one of the regularly scheduled drills. I stood up and picked up the chair I was sitting on and then smashed it. I felt the mental alert that the building had sustained damage. Michael would get the same alert. The exact type of damage was unclear, limiting the alert to just that. A single alert.

“Well Doctor, we are now out of time. Your medical expertise will likely be required.”

“I will see to the medical station at the plaza,” he said and then left. I left my office as well, my two guards falling into step behind me. I made my way outside to the plaza.

I nodded at President Bob who had arrived and General Gerold. Laura showed up as well. “A massive force of monsters has been spotted to the East. The grinders are retreating, and an alert has been sent to all gates. Has the alert been sent?”

“As soon as I heard the bell ring,” I said. He had nominal command until Michael returned. I could only pray he was up to keeping us all alive.

“Then we just need to hold. Laura, what is the disposition of your teams currently?” Gerold asked.

“I have six teams out of the city and two present currently. They are gearing up. Their returns are staggered over the next 20 days.”

“Then we will engage at the walls and retreat to the plaza if necessary. Using the wall and tunnel to our advantage. Each team will take one flank at the gate, once it is broken. I will be deploying the rapid response squad to the East wall as well.” That was the group that had the best fighters with the highest stats in the guard.

“I will not be reducing the forces at the other gates. President Bob, the civilian volunteers?”

“Are mobilizing. Where do you want them?”

“The East gate like we discussed. Clarissa, our reserve funds.”

“What did you have in mind?” I asked.

“Bows and arrows for the top of the wall.”

“We have enough people trained?” I asked to get a sense of how much I should purchase.

“I have a small unit of archers, but arrows cost points and I suspect we will need a lot.” The treasury currently had 900,000 points worth of crystals. It should have been 1.25 million even after the gate purchases, but I had been authorizing the spending of crystals, so we didn’t near the 1-million-point mark.

Wood arrows were only 5 points each. “5,000 arrows, should be enough. We can always purchase more.”

“I also wanted to release the points to upgrade the Body stats of my men in the response squad.” I frowned at that. On one hand if the points were spent, Michael would probably kill me. If they weren’t spent, we might lose the city. The answer was obvious, only one outcome was guaranteed.

“No. The remaining crystals will be kept in reserve for emergency restorations and equipment if absolutely needed. Otherwise, we aren’t spending them until Michael returns. I will not be explaining why there are no points for city upgrades for the third time.” No one spoke out against this statement.

“Very well. I will be at the East gate. My second in command Smith will organize our response from the plaza.” General Gerold turned and left.

General Gerold

“Form up!” I shouted. My men and women of my fast response squad quickly formed two rows.

“Time is short. You will deploy to the rear of the East gate and over the entrance for when the gate is breached. Cover fire will be provided from the wall, but targeting monsters already inside the city will be limited. When you fall back, fall back in good order. Union teams will be covering either flank and may fall back with you or back to another gate as the situation dictates. Questions.” There were no questions.

I had come up with this plan to reduce the enemy numbers and give my people a taste of coordinated combat with a fallback point. I could only pray they wouldn’t scatter and break. They began to take up positions that had been practiced. The Union Teams were at the spots nearest to the wall, to anchor that flank on either side of the entrance.

The wood gates wouldn’t last long against slimes. It was frustrating there was no way to attack things inside the tunnel under the walls, but that was the hand I had been dealt.

No one spoke up. “Then God speed.” I went into one of the gate towers and climbed up to the top of the wall. Ten people from the archery unit were lined up. Barrels of arrows were already present, having already been brought from the plaza. There were spotters at a distance along the walls. The lack of any crenulations or guard rails was not for the faint of heart, but everyone in the RMPF had experienced the walls.

I looked out over the grasslands. No sight of the approaching horde. No grinders either. The bell from the guard towers had warned everyone in hearing distance, and everyone would pass the warning on.

I checked on the inside of the wall. Everyone was in position, both my people and the Union Teams. I nodded at that, the drills had been quite useful.

The tension continued to grow, but I didn’t say anything. Anything I said now would only be a distraction. This was do or die. I had only been a foreman back on Earth, not a military commander. I had talked with the good doctor and got several ideas from him.

He had refused command when I had offered, wanting to focus on the research and making sure basic medical services were available during the battle. “The worst part is the waiting.” The good doctor was here and had come up on the wall. There was fallback triage area on the way to the plaza to regroup if we lost the gate.

“All set up?” I asked.

“Yes, what I can do on the front lines I will. Trust in your men, like they trust in you.”

“I know.” I couldn’t let anyone overhear the doubts and fear I was currently experiencing. We stood up on the wall in silence.

There! I spotted a large group of things moving in the tall grass at a distance. “Stand ready!” I shouted. The good doctor gave a look at the numbers and descended back down.

President Bob

I looked over the spears and shields being handed out. If it came down to this militia we were doomed. But there would be no easy retreat as much as I tried to find one. Clarissa had even caught on and told me that a President goes down with his nation, like a Captain goes down with his ship. I suspected it was Michael speaking through her.

I didn’t agree with that, but apparently that was the case. At least I had eight personal guards and Carl. “Lady Shi.”

“President Bob,” she said as she was handed a spear and shield. Probably the only person besides Michael who could beat me in an election. She was quite popular and didn’t endorse any candidate, but she didn’t make waves either. One of the reasons a lot of people liked her.

“Everyone is accounted for.” Louis said. I had kept him on as my Vice-President when I had won. Another thing forced on me by Clarissa to ensure the continued stability of the city. I wasn’t complaining since he had managed everything for Ken.

Still, I wasn’t about to let him get any more power or control. Once the current crisis was resolved, I would retire him to the position of full-time welcoming guide and cut his authority.

The people were kind of lined up. “We go for the East gate to support the people there. Let’s move!” I was tempted to give a speech, but it wouldn’t do to show up late. I took the lead with my guards as over 500 people marched behind me.

It was a trek to the East gate, but it could be done in about an hour at a very brisk walk, which was the pace that was set. As we got closer, I heard shouting. Dammit, I would be expected to be seen at the front.

The last battle, it was safer to rally people in that chaos. That was a lot different than heading into a meat grinder. Hopefully Gerold knew what he was doing. I was not about to die today.

But I knew that most people who had died in war thought the same thing. No one died selling used cars. If I did manage to survive, everyone would have to call me President Bob from now on. The first President of Purgatory.

Hopefully I wouldn’t be going out in a blaze of glory. More George Washington and less Die Hard. I was not built for fighting or action. A nice desk with polite customers was all that I needed. Also, good food. That was my priority as President once this war was over. Getting good food developed. Ken had the right idea about that at least.