Chapter 152 - Revitalization

The declaration was as clear as day to everyone who was listening in: it was a declaration of a new government in Versia, helmed with Minister Dekar at the forefront. A surge of confidence and vigor washed through the citizens like a rushing gust of wind, inspiring the Ghosts and even the refugees who were split between leaving or staying. As soon as Minister Dekar had announced the establishment of the New Versian government, the Ghosts immediately deployed in force, already prepared for the event ahead of time thanks to Kyle's orders. Combined with the city's garrison, the four-division strong expeditionary force, armed to the teeth with arctech knight armor, marched down the main streets of Desham along with Aurtla planes flying overhead to the fanfare of the citizens. The sound of marching boots in locksteps, coupled with the roar of the Aurtla wings, reinforced the belief of those watching that Desham could handle anything that was thrown at them.

The impromptu parade showcased the full strength of the Ghosts, an entire arsenal of captured warmachines, repeaters, railguns, and armored wagons displaying a renewed Desham like never before. In a short year, the sleepy agricultural town once beset by refugees and rationing was now transformed into an industrial powerhouse. Kyle's influence and power over the burgeoning city grew even more and more, the Ghosts respected as the bulwark against the terrors of war and suffering out there. It's all a game of perceived living standards. I just have to make sure the grass isn't always greener on the other side. And so far, it has been a tremendous upgrade - no longer were the people in fear of food rationing, job security was at an all-time high, and with no burden of house mortgages or taxes, the people felt freer than ever inside the walls. Still, that wasn't good enough for Kyle: he needed a more drastic comparison.

While Dekar continued to be paraded about the city, talking to both citizens and refugees alike, Kyle and Feldon were already working hard behind the scenes to further worsen the image of the other cities beyond Desham's walls. There was already a radio network in the city providing the citizens with daily updates on the war. "Inform them of the shortage of food in Tenar and the casualty count within the Creuliz recruitment camp. I assume you know how to play it up." Kyle asked Feldon. "They have to understand just how different it is out there. Exaggerate the plight of those fools who left before Dekar's speech."

"Not a single listener would dare to close their ears." Feldon nodded vigorously. "Or turn their ears? Shut their ears? Some of them might have flaps in their earlobes."

In reality, the shortage was caused by them. This way, Kyle could position himself as the best option for refugees. Already more and more refugees who had been trying to get into Tenar for months on end were slowly streaming in toward Desham instead, making the long trek across barren fields and half-burnt forests. The available manpower was growing by leaps and bounds, and Kyle did not discriminate who could work: as long as they had opposable digits and a functioning brain able to execute menial orders, Kyle would treat them as workers. Children of all ages and even their mothers were slated to enter various industries, but he needed to solve one more problem before he could jumpstart the economy properly.

As soon as the parade and subsequent spontaneous festivities were completed, Kyle had Minister Dekar meet him alone in the governor's office, just the two of them. Kyle sat in the governor's chair, his legs crossed and leaning back while Dekar stood in front of the table, as though an army recruit was meeting a general. "Welcome back, Minister Dekar. Or should I say, President Dekar?"

"That name would ring a lot better if I was sitting in that chair," Dekar muttered, his mind reminding himself of just what kind of person Kyle was.

"Not until we're on the same page. I never keep those who bite the hand that feeds them."

"You're talking about the deal we had."

"I am. Now, should that deal be renegade upon..." Kyle leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "We both know what will happen."

"Don't worry, I know the deal. As long as you don't betray me and Versia like they did, you can have everything Harrison owned." Minister Dekar adjusted the collar of his uniform as he walked closer to the table.

"Good. You'll find me a much more amicable person to work with than Harrison is." Kyle stood up from the governor's chair, stepping aside and motioning for Dekar to take the seat. "Welcome back, President Dekar."

Dekar carefully eased himself into the chair, relishing in the return to power. The months of torture had only hardened his resolve to make sure such a thing never happened to him again. He didn't mind that Kyle was using him - he was using Kyle as well to get back the seat of Versian power. As such, he had no qualms unlike President Johan about using Kyle's powerbase to his own benefit. As long as the relationship remains a win-win. 

Now with Minister Dekar as the figurehead, Kyle began the process of ramping up recruitment as well as the businesses, organizing the different sectors into veritable powerhouses able to self-sustain themselves. He called the other leaders into the governor's office, none of them surprised at Minister Dekar sitting where Diya used to seat. "As part of our push to reclaim Versia and install Dekar as the President, we will need to build Desham up for the coming war. We have to sell ourselves as a bastion of survival, of safety and acceptable standard of living." Kyle explained.

"Yes, but we're still lacking the real machinery needed to really accelerate our production." Hayden pointed out. "We may have factories able to produce the knight armour and rifles needed, but the assembly speed is too slow. We can't possibly source manufacturing machines from Tenar, so we're trapped unless we steal the blueprints from Harrison Industries..."

"Not necessary. Feldon, has the return shipment from Raktor arrived?"

Feldon nodded with a wide grin. "Yes, sir. Fifteen heavy-duty etchers and everything needed to make one rifle assembly line the same as in the Aspis Weapon Factory is here."

"Good. Set it up with Hayden immediately. I have already asked for subsequent shipments to arrive each day. Within a week we'll have five assembly lines, more than enough to sustain our current force." Kyle ordered. "I assume the seeds from the Culdao Peaks have arrived as well - plant them as soon as possible in the old fields, I want non-stop food production. Increase hunting of the mammoth hogs as well. We have thousands of unemployed refugees, lets put them to use."

In this way, Kyle supercharged the economy, using the value of the gold extracted from the mineral ant's nest as well as the wealth pilfered from Ocra to sell it to Raktor. In reality, it was simply handing it into the good hands of Keith, while using the excess to purchase machinery necessary to keep Desham a credible threat, forcing both Harrison and Count Leon to think twice before attacking him.

"With so many people entering Desham, I don't think our food supply can keep up. At this rate, we'll chase off all the mammoth hogs." Diya raised her issues. "Logging is fine for now, but we're destroying their natural habitat and making it even harder for our hunters to lure them in. They are getting smarter."

"Not to worry. Feldon, two more things: have the men distribute the Sahusa Radish seeds into the fields and set up a deal with Count Perlis to purchase their food. I'm sure they will be more than happy to trade for a few pieces of heavy machinery." Kyle ordered. "What about utilities and construction progress?"

"Walls have been fortified - we've captured enough point defense engravings from the last attack to bolster our defenses. Rebuilding of the outer ring would take another three weeks along with the destroyed houses and broken sewage tunnels..."

"Too long. Have the new refugees all be redirected to construction. Put the city garrison on construction work along with any prisoners or slaves we have too. I want them rebuilt within a week." Kyle continued to give out orders, establishing directives and reorganizing the manpower of the city. Dekar simply looked on in awe, watching firsthand how Kyle knew nearly everything about running a city from the top to the bottom. This is no simple rebellion leader - he was not joking about his capabilities. 

With everything now falling into place like a perfect puzzle, Kyle held a small smile on his face, knowing that he was in the best position to profit from the war. While the other leaders carried out his orders, he took Sasha and Jaden to one side, bringing them to the barracks where the Ghost-mineral ants pairs were waiting for them. "Sasha, Jaden. You two will be in charge of the new mobile strike force - but we will need a significant upgrade to the mineral ants if we want them to enter a proper war."

Previously, he had already discussed with Hayden the possibility of upgrading the mineral ants before, but the weight-to-lift ratio would be severely impacted. Kyle had the impression that the current armor was sturdy enough, but already a few mineral ants had been killed in the Creuliz raid, which could be considered to be their first foray into a proper battle. While the raid had achieved all of its objectives, the casualty rate was not something Kyle would like - command shards to control the mineral ants were limited. What he needed to do was to improve the force's survivability, which would then make it a terrifying force that could quickly outmaneuver any traps or ploys set by either army.

"If we can't put on any heavy armor, how about we make them faster? Like super fast?" Jaden spoke up. "This is meant to be like a hit-and-run force, right? Light skirmishers? Get in, wreck havoc, get out. If we can move at double the speed, no artillery or cannon is going to be able to pin us down. It'll be like trying to shoot down a fly."

"Only if the riders can handle the speeds." Kyle pointed out the clear flaw. "Making them fast is useless if the controller is dizzy from the movement. Besides, the engravings required to build speed will also need an energy source. Let's try a simple modification by adding a battery first."

The battery in question was actually a crystal cylinder, the same as the ones used in Aurtla planes currently to extend their flight range. A simple jig to route the power onto an acceleration engraving copied by Kyle was attached to Jaden's mineral ants, while Jaden geared up in a protective test suit filled to the brim with foam. "Is this really necessary...?" Jaden grunted through the tight suit, his breathing shallow as other Ghosts helped him to strap down.

"If the entire battery discharges through the acceleration engraving, you will be pushed to two times your current flying speed in ten seconds. That level of acceleration could knock you unconscious. I'm sure I don't need to remind you of your first time flying." Kyle explained as he manually rigged the modified battery setup to the rear of the mineral ant, while checking the connection to the engraving on the ant's carapace. "Ready? Sasha, get ready to catch him if things go awry."

The test flight began in earnest in the bright blue sky over Desham, Kyle watching Jaden taking off normally in the outskirts. As Jaden sailed over the bustling city thriving with sounds of construction and yells between workers, Jaden had a big smile on his face, before finally recalling that he was supposed to test the engraving. "Right, activating in 3, 2, 1... sir? I don't think the engraving WORKKEE-" Jaden yelled as the engraving suddenly roared to life, both him and the mineral ant he was riding completely caught off guard by the rapid acceleration.

Kyle watched from below, his keen eyes tracking the progress of Jaden and watching the pair stabilize their flight trajectory, on the verge of falling into an uncontrolled tumbling to the ground. The acceleration didn't last for long, the battery only compromised of poor arcia crystals, which afforded Jaden three minutes of acceleration. A miniature booster of sorts. That should give them an edge in combat. What they need is high directionality impulse in all axes. Kyle considered providing more, but he was still afraid of the riders knocking themselves out from the boost. For now, this would be the best upgrade he could do for the mineral ant squadron to prepare them for an open conflict.

The technicians and Ghosts got to work copying Kyle's modifications, installing the engravings on all axes and coming up with a control sequence for riders to control the boost. It was different from simply mentally linking with the mineral ant through the command shard, as the ant had no control over the engravings. While Jaden and his squadron learned more about the new upgrade, Kyle returned to the governor's office alone, pondering over the state of the war.

As it is now, it is the perfect situation in Kyle's mind. He was making an obscene amount of money, though it was nothing compared to his heights in the Galactic Era. I could buy entire dark matter condensers with just a flick of my hand. This is just a minor step back to that. Still, Kyle knew he needed the war to last another two to three years, and there were still plenty for him to accomplish here in Versia.

Soren is still trapped, the Seven Snakes' fundraiser went smoothly according to Keith's letter, and the rebellion's legitimacy is growing day by day. He smiled to himself, knowing that his subordinates were finally competent enough to solve their own problems. When he had first arrived to Raktor and taken over the Seven Snakes, it seemed that he had to do everything himself. A crime lord shouldn't have to lift a finger. Kyle almost felt like he could finally relax for the first time in a long while since coming to Desham. He settled into the governor's chair, reclining a little as he looked over the war map, pieces of Versian and Count Leon's divisions all neatly placed in accordance with the latest scout reports. As long as I manage the balance between Harrison and Count Leon, I can gouge the entirety of Ocra and continue to mine in Desham. 

Just before Kyle could call the plan so far a success, he was suddenly interrupted by an urgent message on the arctech radio. [Reporting from forward scout point at Ocra Grid 7-7-A. We have confirmed intelligence that Count Leon is preparing for an all-out assault to conquer Ocra in three days!]

Kyle immediately shot up from his chair, whatever illusion of him being able to rest dissipating rapidly. This soon? However, this movement was not out of the ordinary. While Kyle would have wanted to prolong the war, either Harrison or Count Leon would have wanted to break the stalemate - it was merely a question of when. He gathered the leaders into the governor's office once more, planning their next attack to interfere in the war.

"We cannot let Count Leon succeed in Ocra. Once he takes over the city, Tenar will be next in line." Dekar asserted. "We should hit his forward camps that are currently sieging the base."

"Not possible," Feldon interjected. "Since our last raid, they have stepped up their defense systems dramatically. Any frontal attack on their supply bases will be catastrophic. And with so few mobile units available under us, any loss will be hard to replace. What's more, that mage is there protecting the area."

"Which means we have to intercept the supplies before they even make it to Ocra," Kyle concluded. "Get Sasha and Jaden geared up. I want the mineral ants squadron upgraded and sortie-ready by tomorrow. We're heading to the border."

***

Two days later...

The seat in the driver’s cab jostled as the arctech wagon rattled violently, the wheels rumbling over an uneven road. It was clearly made very recently, a simple road built through a small valley for convenience’s sake rather than out of comfort for anyone using it. The wagon commander had already lost count of how many times the driver had to swerve to avoid potholes and slopes of mud, loose from the torrential rain. He was about to complain about the condition of the road when suddenly, the entire cab jerked hard, the wagon coming to a complete stop, causing the Yual commander’s head to slam onto the dashboard. He groaned as he nursed a growing bruise on his head, waving frantically at the men sitting in the rear of the wagon. “What are you idiots still sitting there for? Move! Cover the convoy!”

The guards of each of the five wagons kicked into action, spreading out in a perimeter around the convoy, guarding it as the commander stepped out to see a landslide that had blocked the road. Machine guns mounted on the top of each wagon swiveled to scan the ridge, looking for any sign of movement among the dense tree line surrounding them.

“Fix the road now! Radio in the engineers nearby!” The commander barked at two of the guards, who clambered into the back of the wagon, speaking rapidly on the arctech radio. He turned back to look at the size of the landslide, which had blocked nearly two-thirds of the road. He knelt down next to it, his gloved hands fiddling through the mud to find an old net that had been placed to prevent such erosion of the walls. The net itself had been cut at a few places, the commander unsure whether it was artificial or due to the strain of the rocks.Strange...

“Sir, they say it’s going to take five hours for them to arrive!” One of the guards shouted from inside the wagon, on a call with the engineers.

“Ridiculous, we have to make it to the Ocra forward camp in three! We can't wait that long out here either. Start clearing out the rocks!”

The guards quickly grabbed whatever tools were on hand, immediately beginning to shovel the rocks and shift them out of the way. It was back-breaking work, but none of them wanted to be sitting ducks in a valley flanked by perfect ambush points on all sides. They propped up the remaining section of the landslide, ensuring just enough space for an arctech wagon to move past.

Throughout the next hour, the commander remained tense, with a third of his men on a continuous lookout, scanning the ridge of the valley for any potential ambushes. He even had two men scale up to the top to search for enemies, but to no avail. There was supposed to be a patrol squad here guarding the valley… where the hell did they go?

“Sir, the wagon can fit through now!” The driver of the first wagon exclaimed.

“Then let’s get moving!”

The convoy rumbled into life again, the machine gunners keeping a tight watch for anything suspicious as they squeezed through the gap.  The underlying tension permeated everyone, beads of sweat trickling down their face as they did not dare even to wipe it away, eyes focused ahead and around them.

Soon, they were out of the valley, entering a spare forest that marked the beginning of Ocra’s territory. “We’re one and a half hours away now; pick up the pace!” The commander urged through the radio but noticed that the arctech radio was crackling instead, with no response from the other drivers or guards in the convoy. Instead, the deafening sound of an arctech wagon blowing up rushed through the cabin of the commander, prompting his driver to slam the brakes, halting the wagon.

Before anyone could even move, a barrage of pellets from all angles pelted all five wagons, blasting them and riddling their metallic armor with holes. Yet another brilliant arcia explosion erupted as the fuel tank in one of the rear wagons was ignited, the friction causing the arcia energy to burn wildly. Its blue flames lapped the metal structure while guards screamed and cowered in the now disconnected cabin, hoping the wagon was sturdy enough to withstand the incoming gunfire. The machine gunners tried to fire back but could not pinpoint where the enemy was through the billowing smoke or chaos.

“Get out there and return fire, you idiot!” The commander roared to the guards in his wagon in an attempt to boost their morale. “Those Versian cowards dare to ambush us! Show them what we're made of!”

The guards tried to fight back but were heavily outgunned by sheer number of pellets and forced to take cover in the back of the wagon, unwilling to risk returning fire. They cowered behind the fallen wagons and in random ditches, shellscrapes left behind by the first battle between Versia and Raktor. Those who were brave enough to attempt returning fire were taken out one by one, the morale of the remaining guards dropping disastrously low.

“This is Supply Corps platoon 5, under heavy fire; request backup! Thirty kilometers south of Ocra!” The commander desperately spoke into his arctech radio, but there was no response nor any inkling of feedback. We’re being jammed as well! Soon, the machine gun fire finally abated, prompting the guards to peek out from cover and fire back at the tree line.

Instead, a fully armored arctech knight platoon bearing the insignia of the Versian Army rushed forwards from the outskirts of the sparse forest, firing back with rifles and handguns. They charged from the treeline with a ferocity, unlike anything the guards had seen before, resulting in a harrowing firefight, with pellets threatening to pierce right through their hearts and heads if they even stayed out of cover for a minute longer. Morale began to plummet even more in the convoy, and many of the guards were unwilling to fight. There was a reason why they had been placed in the Supply Corps, but little did they know it was as perilous as the frontline.

A shaken guard gripped his rifle tightly, flinching as another pellet pinged off the armor of the wagon, the sparks right next to his body. “No, no, no, like fucking hell, I’m going to die here in the middle of nowhere. My daughter needs me!”

His squadmate slapped his shoulder. “Hey! Focus and cover your angle! Otherwise, we’re all going to die he-“ Instead of hearing a finished sentence, the shaken guard could only watch as teeth and brain tissue were flung out of the squad mate’s head, the machine gun fire tearing through the perforated wagon armor and destroying their cover.

“AHHH!” The shaken guard panicked, rushing out from the wagon in the complete opposite direction, hoping to escape the ambush. Instead, he earned himself five bullets in the body, his vision spiraling as he crumpled to the floor. The road was a complete mess, the wagons riddled with holes and with a pittance of guards left. Those who remained tried to convince the commander to give up, none of them really wanting to die just to deliver supplies.

“Sir, we should surrender! There’s no point giving up our lives! I didn't sign up to be on the frontlines!”

“And be taken prisoner by the vermin of Versia? Never! If you cowards won’t do your duty, then I’ll –“

A mortar strike landed right next to him, blowing up his body and causing him to scream in pain as half of his body was torn right out with the ends of muscles and tendons scorched black, his arm already blasted to pieces.

“WE SURRENDER! WE SURRENDER!” The remaining guards waved whatever white cloth they had on hand, causing the gunfire to stop.

A loudspeaker bellowed from the tree line where the armored arctech knights were still waiting in cover. [DROP ALL YOUR WEAPONS NOW AND STEP OUT WITH YOUR HANDS ABOVE YOUR HEAD!]

The sound of clattering guns was prominent, with the remaining guards all complying with the order. However, the moment they were exposed out front, they were shot in the head immediately with no hesitation at all, their brains drilled through by the spiraling pellets as they fell in shock, the surprise evident on their frozen faces. Not a single guard from the original convoy survived, leaving the Versian knights alone with the destroyed wagons.

A squad leader from the Versian knights motioned forward with his hand, ordering the knights to secure the wagon convoy. “Call the rest in. Replace the mines in the road. Arm them once we’re done shipping off the supplies.”

As if on cue, a separate train of arctech wagons approached them, with workers leaping out from the convoy and grabbing the surviving supplies. The entire operation was done in just ten minutes like clockwork, with the knights moving back out with the new convoy.

Instead of heading towards Versia like one would expect, the convoy was aimed at going back towards Raktor instead. They travelled down the same road and path in the opposite direction, eventually leading towards the valley. This time, there was a Yual patrol squad on duty, watching the valley. But as they saw the approaching convoy that was clearly not the Supply Corps, they instead ignored it, allowing the convoy to pass through unimpeded.

“Who’s that convoy? Why aren’t we stopping them?” One of the newer members of the patrol squad asked the leader.

“Don’t ask too many questions, boy, if you still got family back at Raktor that you want to see.” The leader remarked before his eyes were drawn to a dozen shimmering blue glares that suddenly shot up from the canopy of the surrounding forest. “What the hell is…”

The patrol squad leader could only watch as a metal projectile suddenly shot forth from the unknown objects, impacting the front cab of the wagon and immediately killing the driver, the twisting projectile shredding through his spine. The wagon was knocked off course, spiraling and crashing right as it blocked the recently cleared landslide. It forced the entire convoy to stop, with the armoured knights immediately getting out and scanning the area.

“Where did the shot come from?! Machine gunners!” The squad leader roared.

“Above!”

“Huh?!”

Suddenly, a strange shape fell from the sky, crushing the rear-guard wagon and blowing up the flowing arcia fuel in an instant. The dazzling blue flames erupted and lapped at the edges of the valley, bits and pieces of metal fragments tossed into the air as the outline of a man riding a mineral ant could be spotted through the raging fire.

“What the…?” The knights were all confused, unsure of what had just hit them. However, as they looked up at the sky, they saw more than ten other mineral ants swooping down at them.

“Fire!” The squad leader ordered first. He didn't know what was attacking them, but he followed a modus operandi of shoot first, bury later. The knights and machine gunners blasted every incoming mineral ant with a withering fire of pellets.

To their surprise, the mineral ants suddenly jerked in erratic ways, their velocity changing rapidly as they were able to dodge laterally from side to side. None of the machine gunners were prepared for it, their stream of pellets missing the ants entirely. They didn't have the time to compensate, with the mineral ants already descending onto the convoy.

The blue metallic claws and mandibles ripped through wagon and knight with ease while anyone who managed to avoid the dive was shot by a Ghost riding above the mineral ant. "Regroup! Regroup!" The Versian squad leader yelled in the midst of screams and valiant fighting, trying to reorganize the knights and workers into a credible defense. Some of the knights managed to band together and pin down a mineral ant, one of them getting a lucky shot on the Ghost rider above and killing him.

However, as the knights converged together to form a bulwark, a single glint of black metal directed their attention above, the lucky ones catching a glimpse of Kyle's exosuit falling rapidly towards them. Kyle's metal boots hit a knight right on the head, the sheer weight flattening his skull and spine in a vicious downward crushing motion. As soon as he hit the 'ground', he spun his Spear of Defiance in a whirlwind, stabbing it out at the nearest knight who exploded instantly in a shower of blood and gore.

MG404: [System Message | You killed Ardent Cretin Soldier | +500 EXP]

MG404: [System Message | You killed Veiled Angels Soldier | +500 EXP]

What the…? Kyle didn’t slow down just yet, focused on wiping all of them out alongside Jaden and his squadron. "Don't kill all of them. Capture them!" Kyle ordered.

The Yual patrol squad at the top of the valley saw the entire battle play out before them, watching as Kyle singlehandedly killed the entire convoy. “We got to get out of here! Now!” The patrol leader urged the rest of his squads, who had their gaze locked onto Kyle.

“Where do we go?!”

“Anywhere but here! If any one of them finds out, we’re here; we’re dead!” The patrol leader frantically said as he tried to flee, but as he turned to face the forest, there was already another lady there aiming right at them with another handgun, shooting them right in the head.

The patrol squad that was caught off-guard was immediately killed without a chance to resist. [All clear on the ridges.] Sasha spoke through the telepathic channel as she used her feet to flip over the dead patrol leader, checking his body.

Down on the ground, Jaden and the mineral ants made light work of the unprepared knights. Kyle already had the squad leader by the neck, choking him and checking his body for any self-immolating engravings or any form of poison by which the squad leader could commit suicide. “Good work. Check their bodies for any signs of gang tattoos or relations.”

“So they really weren’t the Versian military…”

Kyle and Sasha were already planning to hit the shipment but were soon aware that there was another force attempting to ambush them as well. Kyle lifted the squad leader up, who struggled against the grip around his neck. “Who hired you? Who do you work for?”

The squad leader grinned with a set of bloodied teeth, two already missing. “Fuck you twat. Don’t even think about getting away scott-free. You don't even know who you're messing with.”

"The Ardent Cretins?"

The squad leader's eyes widened a little, but he quickly controlled his expression. "I'm not saying shit."

"Suit yourself." Kyle punched the guy right in the chin, knocking him out and tying him up with whatever ropes were around. Jaden and the rest of the squadron loaded up as many supplies as they could while an Aurtla plane was already being flown in to pick up the rest and the new prisoners. Kyle ripped apart their knight armor, revealing gang tattoos of every major gang in Raktor.

So they are pilfering Count Leon's own supply chain... Kyle could not really make up his mind on whether this was a good thing or a bad thing. For one, it slowed down Count Leon's advance without him having to do to much, but on the other hand the major gangs were profiting off the same war he was. That wasn't the real problem in Kyle's mind - it was the fact that the gangs were directly attacking Count Leon, the man who ruled Raktor.

And if they dare to attack his shipments with such a flimsy disguise, something must be happening under the surface. I doubt the major gangs would be too happy to see Count Leon win the war, which means... Kyle's mind raced through the scenarios and the possibilities before realization dawned on him. As soon as he reached back to Desham, he hurriedly wrote a letter, passing it to the next messenger en route to Raktor. "Deliver this letter to the Seven Snakes. This is urgent - They must get it as soon as possible!"