Chapter 142 - Next Steps

"Thirty tenars Yona doesn't come out alive." A veteran Ghost joked as he twirled a silver coin between his fingers, the surface adorned with the face of the former President Johan on it. He leaned against a wall in the basement corridor, waiting outside Yona's interrogation cellar with Feldon, his rifle slung loosely in front of him.

Feldon barely raised an eyebrow when he heard the bet. "Thirty tenars it is. You got yourself a bet." He replied almost instantaneously.

The veteran Ghost was taken aback by the speed of the response. "You crazy? That bitch ain't getting a second chance. Not from the boss himself, at least, and certainly not from me."

"She has the information we need. And Kyle will keep her alive until she gets it. And as far as I know, Yona isn't dumb enough to give it away immediately."

"Yeah, then what? Let her run away again and break another slave engraving? Fucker knows how to slink away easily. If she takes so much as a single step out of that cell alive, I'll kill her myself." The veteran Ghost grunted. "She's half the reason why I joined the Ghosts, and this time, she's far beyond redeeming."

Before Feldon could reply, an ungodly shriek erupted from beyond the insulated walls of the cellar, followed by a sickening twisting sound of bone cracking and snapping. A wide grin broke out on the veteran Ghost's face until the thick, rusted door to the cellar opened fully, revealing a Kyle slightly splattered by spurts of blood. "Bring food and water for her."

The veteran Ghost's face darkened as Feldon began to gleefully slap the veteran Ghost on the back. "Drinks on you tonight, yea?" Feldon grinned as he moved off to carry out the order. The veteran Ghost's hand was about to move to the trigger of his rifle, preparing to finish off Yona himself, until he noticed what Kyle was carrying in his hands.

His expression turned from anger into shock as his eyes made contact with Kyle, who had a knowing smirk on his face. "Don't worry, she won't be taking a single step out of that cell. Not without this." He tossed a pair of human calves that had been hacked off at the knees to the veteran Ghost, who unconsciously let go of his rifle to catch it. "I'll venture as much to say that she wouldn't be walking anymore without permission."

Leaving the flabbergasted veteran Ghost behind, Kyle left the interrogation cellar, having already gotten what he wanted. He headed straight back for the governor's office, though the other leaders were still preoccupied with dealing with the fallout of the battle. Diya was hunched over stacks of papers laid on the central desk, as well as detailed reports of the damage sustained by the city to both the outer ring and the infrastructure. She let out an exasperated sigh as she flicked through the countless reports, a small map of the city's various districts in the outer ring marked with red ink. "Weeks of progress, wasted." She complained the moment Kyle entered the office. "Now we have to start from scratch again."

"Far from it." Kyle disagreed. "The inner city is barely touched - our entire industrial base is still up and running. Not a single factory nor even our logging industry was touched in the slightest. The prefabricated houses can be rebuilt with minor inconveniences. Recovery will only take a month or so, maybe two."

"And what if the Versian Army attacks again? Now that they know we are here, they will be certain to take action with a much larger punitive force." Diya countered. "Can we survive the coming storm?"

"The storm will never happen."

"But even you couldn't predict this attack..." Diya stopped herself halfway, realizing the truth. "You knew this attack was going to happen."

"I knew it could happen; it was just a matter of time. The clock had already begun ticking from the very moment we took over Desham." Kyle had never assumed that his occupation of Desham would go unnoticed, especially when he had already stolen two Aurtla planes from the airfield near Tenar. Only a fool would ignore such a blatant act, and Harrison was far from a fool.

As such, the preparation of the Ghosts and the garrison, as well as the construction ring, all served as a buffer zone for a defensive battle. The original fields of Desham would be near impossible to defend, so Kyle had to create his own favorable circumstances. The best defense is a human population. The chaotic nature of close-quarter combat in the urban environment allowed Kyle and the Ghosts to wear down the attacking Versian army far easier, albeit at the cost of human lives.

Diya could hardly conceal her shock at the ghastly sinister nature of Kyle's battle plan. "You sacrificed the outer ring to bog them down, but we still lost soldiers and civilians in the opening salvo when we tried to control the outer wall. We could have just let them enter freely."

"There is more than one battle to win here." Kyle walked over to a nearby glass window that extended from the ceiling to the floor, motioning for Diya to look outside. To her surprise, there were even more refugees signing up to join the garrison and the Ghosts, while those who were ill-fitted for combat were directed to worker brigades dedicated to the restoration of the city. Diya was flabbergasted at the scale of the recruitment, far outpacing the months before. Just the day before the battle, she would have struggled to find even a single soul willing to be part of the garrison.

"The best method to unite a population is to create an external enemy, but the enemy must be vulnerable. With the destruction of their own homes in the outer ring, they are now firmly against the ruling Versian government more than ever. Their hate has been directed at Tenar, and we have shown that Tenar is not unstoppable. Once people see the possibility, action becomes far more viable." Kyle continued. "This battle is merely the first step to show those living under our banner a potential future Versia. One stronger than ever."

Diya could only nod slowly, her brain still trying to grapple with Kyle's plan when the other leaders began to enter the governor's office, gathering under Kyle's request. Hayden was the first to enter, her face haggard from the long battle where she had barely slept. Feldon and Sasha soon entered, and all four leaders under Kyle assembled for the next step of the plan. Still, the fallout of the battle had pending issues to deal with.

"I've checked the thirty artillery cannons that we accumulated, and it seems we overestimated their current durability. More than half of them are on the brink of breaking apart into pieces. We don't have the requisite materials to repair them." Hayden reported.

"And we can't make new ones based on the design, seeing as we still don't have a source of iron and coal locally," Kyle concluded.

"Not until we launch a second expedition to subjugate the mineral ants. I bet there's tons in their nest, we just have to flush them out." Feldon pointed out.

"You want to get our soldiers into another battle? When it's been less than 12 hours? Are you crazy?" Diya shot back. "If we push the populace too hard, whatever goodwill we earned from the battle will be for naught."

"No need to argue," Kyle interjected, raising his hand to stop Feldon and Diya from arguing. "With the battle concluded, the smuggling route through Perlis back to Raktor can be established. We will be able to trade the goods pilfered from Ocra and Desham in exchange for resources."

This was the crux of the entire operation, the entire essence of why Kyle entered Versia, to begin with. With the opening of the smuggling route, Kyle can finally monetize his efforts and supercharge the Seven Snakes' growth back in Raktor. Countless luxurious goods and rare jewels had been traded for food and basic necessities by the refugees of Ocra and Desham. All Kyle had to do was transfer this wealth into his own pocket, while supplying a few crates of iron ore from the Culdao Peaks back to Desham and paying off Count Perlis to keep him quiet and docile.

The wealth of the refugees was not the only thing being traded - dirty money paid by the soldiers of Count Leon was also being funneled back into Raktor in exchange for addictive potions produced in Desham. By Kyle's estimates, the sheer amount of money being repatriated back to the Seven Snakes would dwarf even the weapons contract that they were still earning from Count Leon. He pays us, and we steal from the wages of his soldiers. A good deal, if you ask me.

Still, it would be far better if Kyle could find the local source of iron ore. That would make the smuggling even more lucrative without the need to expend his resources in the Culdao Peaks. The local source of iron would also boost the industry at Desham and create a self-resilient economy that is not dependent on other cities, a desirable state for a land at war. Either way, he would be getting his source of iron, so he was not too worried.

The other leaders too began to simmer down, though its clear that they had plenty of doubts regarding the future of Desham. "So we won the battle, rallied the people and we can get our source of iron - what next?" Diya asked.

"We should just sit and wait out the war. Let both sides wear each other thin." Hayden offered her opinion. Clearly, she had no love for either Harrison's government or Count Leon. "If we can build up a stronger industrial base to rival Harrison, then we can eventually overwhelm him and take over Tenar within a year."

"That was my original plan," Kyle replied. "But overtaking Tenar requires legitimacy. The Versians will not accept a government ruled by 'no-names.' And in their eyes, we are all 'no-names'."

"No-names? I was the lead engineer for the revolutionary forces under President Johan!" Hayden scowled. "I fought tooth and nail to overthrow the Yual nobles for years on end! Those damn catacombs you came from were all kitted out by me! I'm far from a no-name."

"Diya, you're a Versian who lived through the revolution. Have you heard about her before?" Kyle asked.

"If I'm being honest... not at all. I only know of President Johan, Vice-President Mornero, and Minister Dekar." Diya numbered off, using her fingers to count. "They teach us in school that the revolutionary trio."

Hayden sucked in her ego, trying her best not to burst out in an indignant outrage while Feldon and Sasha smirked at her expense. Kyle didn't bother wasting his energy trying to belittle Hayden, forging ahead. "The reason why Harrison's government stands is because of his title as the 'Genius of Versia' and Acting President Mornero's legacy. In order to establish a counter-regime, we need equal legitimacy, one that cannot be easily dismissed by the people. And unfortunately, we do not have the time necessary to build up the reputation of any one of us. We need a name that even those living in Tenar know intimately."

"You're talking about Minister Dekar." Hayden got the gist. "Last time you said he was in Creuliz, but I gather that he isn't in a good spot, not with Yona appearing here."

"Dekar is imprisoned in Creuliz by Nest. He's in the Crowley Dungeon, whatever that is." Kyle explained his findings. "Yona lured him to a Nest ambush, and they broke her slave engravings easily."

"If Yona is telling the truth, this is terrible." Hayden let out an exasperated sigh. "Crowley Dungeon is the most heavily guarded prison, where the worst criminals are captured and interned forever. The inner workings are not even known to me."

"Can't we use Yona to tell us how to get in? She came from there, surely she knows how to get back in." Diya suggested.

"We've already moved way past trusting Yona in anything. Not even Dekar's location can be trusted now." Kyle explained. "Whoever sent Yona will know that we 'know' once news of the defeat reaches back Tenar. This information could be a trap."

"Maybe just torture her a little more. Do your usual stuff." Diya shrugged.

"Torture only works so far, and who knows if Yona 'thinks' she's telling the truth. I wouldn't put it past Harrison to have given her false information." Hayden interjected. "We're better off playing this slow and verifying the information first before making any moves."

"If the information provided is false, then Harrison is expecting us at Creuliz. He would have no doubt laid a trap with his best forces in an ambush, waiting to ensnare us." Kyle continued. "We would have no hope of facing his troops in a direct confrontation, and certainly not in a city we know little about."

"Then how are we going to rescue Dekar? Send an infiltration squad?" Diya asked. "If Yona told Harrison everything, then he'll know the extent of our capabilities as well."

"This is exactly why we are not going to Creuliz. We will instead re-enter Tenar." Kyle announced, tapping the table. The other leaders were already about to open their mouths in protest, but the concept immediately stuck with them and made them pause for a while, thinking carefully.

Feldon was the first to get it, much to Kyle's surprise, snapping his fingers in realization. "If Harrison has his forces concentrated in Creuliz, then Tenar is ripe for the taking. We can infiltrate the local population with Ghosts and begin to recruit the dissatisfied. And the very instant we are ready to rescue Dekar..."

"We foment unrest in Tenar days before," Kyle concluded. "This will force Harrison to reallocate his troops and ambush plans in Creuliz. Understood?"

The other leaders nodded vigorously in understanding, a certain air of confidence shared between all of them. Kyle held a small smile on his face, everything in the war having gone well so far. With this final flourish, he would be on the cusp of controlling the entirety of Versia from the shadows, all the while earning more money. He could already imagine the reactions of the Seven Snakes when the first smuggled shipments would reach Raktor. Keith would faint from the sheer amount of jewelry

"Now, here are your next orders." Kyle began to wrap up the meeting. "Feldon, reopen the catacombs path and find a way back into Tenar. Take three Ghosts squads. If you encounter Nest, you are authorized to kill on sight. We're far past hiding."

"Diya, organize the reconstruction and get the smuggling route up and running. I want at least one Ghost squad per convoy. Do not let any of Count Perlis's men get close to the convoy save for the payment. I will provide further instruction to the squad on the dropoff points and destinations."

"Hayden, work with Diya on the reconstruction and boost our industrial capabilities. I would prefer if we finally have the capability to produce our own artillery cannons and Aurtla planes."

"Only if you find that source of iron, or get it back from Raktor. There's no way I can work with the diminishing supplies." Hayden reminded.

"Which is why Sasha and I will launch a second expedition to the mineral ants nest tomorrow." Kyle glanced at all of them. "Are we clear?" Diya, Hayden and Feldon nodded, the meeting adjourned as they got back to work. Kyle and Sasha both focused on arming themselves for a second expedition the very next day to the mineral ants nest, gearing up along with seven other Ghosts that had joined them previously.

[Sir, we shouldn't bring metal armor, not with how they reacted the last time.] Sasha warned. [They might bring far more than we expect, and we might be overwhelmed again.]

"No. We should bring more so we can lure them out better. We'll be able to handle them this time around." Kyle shook his head. He wasn't about to let the second expedition squad have any chance of failure - Kyle had them all bring their heaviest armor-piercing weapons. Everyone brought a railgun equipped with the bunker-buster projectiles designed by Hayden. Kyle took a step further to tweak the limiter on the basic arcia crystals that were engraved onto them, ensuring maximum penetration power.

The second expedition squad brought far more people now: three squads of Ghosts armed to the teeth with Aspis MK1 armor and the bunker buster railguns, while another trailing squad of logistic workers lugged supplies enough to last two weeks of camping in the Keru Forest. Kyle had no idea how deep the mineral ants' nest extended, but he wasn't going to take any chances, getting the workers to carry arctech radios as well for communications. Each of them were also equipped with gas masks, Kyle prepared for the worst.

The next day, the expedition squad gathered in the parade square within the barracks, having rested an entire day after the battle. Kyle had Sasha select a mixture of veterans and recruits, hoping that this could also serve as a training exercise. It was also a way to hedge his bets in the event of a catastrophic failure. He let out a sigh while he watched the expedition squad gather their gear. If only I still had combat drones under my command. We could build veterans in three hours instead of training them for months and years.

The expedition squad moved a little slower than the first one, an expected outcome when there were far more logistics involved. A path was forged through the dense undergrowth of the Keru Forest, the countless treading of human feet creating a small winding trail between the ancient oak trees. Mammoth hogs and other wildlife had long learned to avoid Desham, which forced the hunters to venture even deeper. Kyle estimated that there were enough mammoth hogs to feed the whole of Desham for three years, but it was an issue of distance and effort over time. Still, that was a problem for a later date.

In terms of navigation, it was easy enough to return back to the hill where they had slain more than a hundred of the mineral ants. To Kyle's surprise, the bodies were missing, with almost no mark on the ground, save for a few footprints that belonged to the previous Ghosts. "Not even a stain left... did something eat all of them? Maybe a mammoth hog?" A Ghost asked as he knelt down next to a footprint. "Even the supposed blood is gone."

"I don't think a mammoth hog could clean up that nicely. Besides, they haven't left any tracks at all." Another Ghost pointed out to him. The various squad of Ghosts continued to scour the hillside, noticing that the previously collapsed hole had been fully sealed off. It was as if the mineral ants were never there to begin with. One more hour of scouting still left nothing of use, with almost no leads to even follow. The iron outcrops that had been on the surface were all sliced off cleanly, leaving nothing left for Kyle to even grab in his hands.

Instead, a strange pit hole the width of a house had opened up on the far side of the hill, the Ghosts gathering around the edge, peering into the seemingly impenetrable darkness. One of the Ghost tossed a nearby pebble into the depths, watching it fall till it disappeared from view, and even then not a single echo of a thud could be heard. A strange fungal stench wafted from below, causing the Ghosts to recoil in disgust at the rancid smell. "Goddess alive, this is like a direct hole to hell."

Kyle looked over into the hole, whose walls were jagged and sharp as if it had been excavated by claws and sharp mandibles, recognizing it as clearly dug out by the mineral ants. "Did we see such a hole the last time we came?" Kyle asked the other Ghosts and Sasha, who had been with him the first time around.

"No sir, the only hole we had was the one near the top. It's fully collapsed now though." A Ghost replied.

"Search for other holes in the vicinity. Check under the trees nearby too for any holes." Kyle ordered. It took another hour as Kyle stood guard over the exposed pit hole, waiting for the Ghosts.

[Sir, there's nothing else like this hole nearby. This could be our only way into the nest.] Sasha reported.

"Assuming it even leads to a nest," Kyle replied, thinking hard. It feels like they are funneling us into a trap. These ants are not mindless after all. "Prepare to set up camp right here. Make sure we still have communication with Desham, and establish a defensive perimeter around this pithole." Kyle got the Ghosts and workers to set up makeshift cover and fortifications around the pit hole, attempting to provide at least some measure of hindering mineral ants that might come out to attack.

Kyle didn't rush headlong into the pit hole just yet, working tirelessly with the rest to build up a proper camp. Workers ferried prepared lumber from the nearby logging factories, setting up a simple wooden palisade that fenced off the hole, though Kyle reckoned it wouldn't do much against the strength of a mineral ant. Still, he had no time to do a proper wall, instead preparing to scout out the hole bit by bit.

"Loosen the rope!" A Ghost called out as he was selected to go first, an arctech lantern strapped to his body as he rappelled slowly down the wall, scanning the area slowly bit by bit. He gave his report via arctech radio, Kyle and Sasha listening intently while other Ghosts were directed to begin installing lumber 'steps' into the walls of the pit hole, creating a staircase slowly.

[I don't see anything just yet; it looks like a normal hole filled with dirt and clay.... hold on, I'm seeing something here... it looks like there's a gigantic root extending across the pit hole...]

"You mean the oak trees' roots?" Kyle glanced over his shoulder back to a nearby Keru Forest tree, the size of the root not being much larger than a human at best. "How big is the root?"

[It's more than ten humans wide, that's for sure. And I see that there's a strange gap at the very top that looks like it's bitten out... Sir! The root is hollow inside!]

A hollow gigantic root deep underground.... "Keep going past the root."

[Understood.] The Ghost continued his descent, reporting at regular intervals. As a few more minutes passed, his breath began to sound more and more ragged. [Sir, I still don't see anything, but it's getting harder to breathe. It's like the air is burning my lungs.]

Even with the gas mask... "Pull him up, quick!" Kyle urged, two Ghosts immediately tugging the rope back in a concentrated effort and lugging the scout back up. Within minutes, the scout was clambering back over the edge of the hole, gasping for air as he ripped off his gas mask, inhaling sharply. There was a human limit to how far humans could go underground without air conditioning, and without the requisite tools, Kyle couldn't expect the Ghost to go any deeper.

Kyle was surprised the scout was not attacked at all. He would have assumed the mineral ants would attempt to at least snip off the rope. While it did not happen yet, he began to put together a plan to enter the hollow root. If my assumption is right, the roots are the main method that the mineral ants use to travel around the forest. He had no idea how far the network of roots extended, but he still intended to figure out where the source of iron was.

He organzied the Ghosts to build an elevator platform of sort, hoisted and supported by nearby oak trees with thick sturdy ropes. Measuring the depth and width of the gigantic root based on the scout's report, he made sure the elevator platform was wide enough to not fall all the way through if the ropes were cut off. It took two days for the elevator platform to be complete, in which the mineral ants hardly even made a move towards the camp.

With the elevator platform ready, Kyle, Sasha, and one squad of Ghosts loaded up, slowly descending as the other Ghosts were tasked with defending the camp. Workers grunted as they lowered the elevator, slowly controlling the ropes while Kyle and Sasha kept an eye out for any signs of mineral ants appearing. Despite their alertness, no mineral ants appeared at all, confusing Kyle even further as to the actual plan of the mineral ants. Or am I thinking too far? Maybe the mineral ants were eaten by something else?

"Gas masks on. Weapons ready." Kyle ordered as the elevator reached the gigantic root, its arctech lanterns illuminating the sheer scale of the roots. Kyle had seen such gargantuan flora in his former life, but to see one so deep underground was still a strange sight to behold. The surface of the root was rocky and scaly as if it were the remains of a long-dead lizard. Sasha gingerly unsheathed her new falchion, using the tip to poke the surface of the root. There was no response at all, allowing Kyle and the others to step directly onto the root and head to the gap.

Lights flashed, shining a beam through the gap into the hollow interior, showing nothing much except a smoother interior within. Using a rope, Kyle carefully entered the root, his lantern slowly scanning the surroundings. The root led both ways, each leading into impenetrable darkness. However, Kyle finally found a clue on the floor of the hollow root, bending down to take a closer look with Sasha.

[That's a mineral and claw. It seems to be heading this way.]

"Then that's where we'll go. Form up behind. Sasha, take two and cover the rear." Kyle motioned with his hand, the Ghosts quickly assembling themselves into a linear fashion as they traversed down the tunnel. Their steps echoed through the hollow root while they carefully pressed forward, the floor slightly sloping down a little and bringing them deeper underground.

Soon, their footsteps were not the only sounds in the dark, damp, hollow root. "You guys hear that? That's running water." A Ghost pointed out. Sure enough, within a minute, they came across a problem - an underground stream was flowing right into an exposed gap in the root. Thankfully, the inclination of the root meant that the water swirled downwards, and it was only feet deep. Still, the strong current was enough to sweep an unsuspecting human off his feet, so Kyle and the rest proceeded with great caution, their progress slowing down tremendously.

Ahead, the hollow root diverged into three paths, the water flowing in all three directions. With the water masking the floor, it was hard to see any of the mineral ants' track, though Kyle could see some sign of chipping and scratches along the wall of the leftmost path. Sasha made a mark on the junction, indicating the direction they came from before Kyle led them further down the left path.

As they continued walking, they could hear the rushing sound of water increase dramatically. Light, too, began to stream from ahead, Kyle suspecting it was the same radioactive crystals that dominated that of Tenar's catacombs. They soon reached a bulbous-like chamber, water pooling in great amounts before filtering out towards an exit root while light streamed in from another exit root. Kyle spotted a few more mineral and claw marks following that of the water, but to his surprise, the exiting root bent downwards right toward the ground, causing a waterfall that led to a bottomless chasm. "Do we still have rope?" Kyle asked the other Ghosts, but didn't get a reply. He turned around instead to see both Sasha and the whole squad enthralled by the view at the other exit root.

[Sir, you need to see this.]

"We don't have time to waste gazing at crystals - we already saw them at Tenar." Kyle internally groaned.

[Sir, you don't understand, there's a war going on here!]

"What?" Kyle moved over to Sasha, joining them at the other exit root.

The other exit root led out to a cliff that provided an overview at the top of a vast underground chamber. It took a while for Kyle to properly register what he was looking at, especially when he noticed that the light-emitting crystals were slowly moving like buds on the branches of a tree. There were millions of them spreading across the ceiling, growing out of the rock like weeds that swayed without any wind. If Kyle didn't know any better, he would have combined all of them and categorized the whole system as a humongous upside-down tree.

Yet beneath the beautiful scenery, Kyle saw the reason why no mineral ants were attacking them despite them having entered the heart of the nest - they were already fighting off another enemy, one familiar to Kyle. "What the fuck are the rock spiders doing here?" A veteran Ghost who recognized them exclaimed.

Hundreds of rock spiders and mineral ants clashed in a furious struggle, their bodies nearly blanketing the base of the chamber - mountains upon mountains of metal ores in stockpiles, all surrounding what Kyle could only describe as a gigantic arcia crystal outcrop, the largest he had ever seen in his time on this planet. The bulk of the mineral ants' forces were concentrated around the outcrop, their blue metallic bodies blocking the extent of the outcrop from view while they fought with claw and limb against the hoards of rock spiders. Mineral ant commanders stood atop, overseeing the battle, while ravenous rock spiders threw themselves in a seemingly never-ending onslaught. Already, countless corpses littered the underground battlefield, marking what seemed to be the second day of the conflict.

However, Kyle's vision managed to spot something strange at the very top of the outcrop: a small, dazzling, iridescent crystal unlike any other he had seen before. The more he stared at it, the more he knew for a fact that the crystal was a prize unlike any other. The trails of blue sparks emitting from it only verified his assumption. It's an Advanced Arcia crystal! Kyle's eyes began to dart across the battlefield rapidly, his head swimming with plans.

"We should retreat, there's no way we're going to fight hundreds of mineral ants! We need more firepower." The Ghosts suggested.

Kyle was inclined to agree, until his keen eyes spotted a unique rock spider's tentacle-like mouth munching on a basic arcia crystal, crunching and breaking it apart. Its rock shell was metallic and patterned, clearly a notch above its brethren in both size and weight. It let out a screech as it motioned towards the top of the outcrop, seemingly trying to carol the others into charging the heavily defended arcia crystal outcrop. Kyle immediately knew what the rock spiders were up to, and he had no time to waste.

"You two, go back and call for reinforcements. The rest of you, gear up." Kyle ordered. "Sasha, you're with me. We're heading straight for that crystal."