Aetherios System [Slow Build OP MC, Isekai LitRPG/Cultivation] Chapter 225: Book 3: Chapter 76: Battle Plans

Read chapter 225 of Aetherios System [Slow Build OP MC, Isekai LitRPG/Cultivation] by TTReynolds on NovelPedia.

Book 3: Chapter 76: Battle Plans Chapter 76: Battle Plans “We have time,” Alex said. “A day, maybe a day and a half before the heavy reinforcements arrive. That’s not long, but as we know, that is practically an eternity on the battlefield. Everyone should sit and cultivate. Patch yourself up and push hard. Alchemists, brew everything, throw every potion into the mix. Enchanters, you prep talismans and set traps. Ranged fighters, start to practice chain shots and combos together. And tanks, rest and tape those wounds. Lastly, healers, plan triage rotations because we’ll be burning pots until dawn.” He snapped his fingers and a dozen little mental checklists lit up in his vision for him, Obby's help allowing him to reduce the world down to tasks and outcomes. Obby piped up in his mind as well, “ Glorious. Revenge flavored with logistics, my favorite combination, how did you know? And this plan... finally, a reasonable path toward death.” Alex almost growled, but kept spinning through the gears in his head as he thought of various details of the battle-plan; the supply lines, fallback points, kill zones, rankings on who could burn their aether fastest and how long they can hold out. “No mercy is our only option,” Alex said. His tone was cold, leaving no room for arguments “There will be no last-minute heroics which get us all sacrificed for a few names etched in an epitaph after all this. We will take their power houses out, then break their ability to reproduce, and then we burn the corpses until even their bones are ash. No queen leaves this fight. Not a one survives.” A chorus of voices answered him, affirmation, doubt, followed by various nods. Selka’s eyes were still wet but her gaze held a burning desire for revenge that Alex more than understood. Cole’s arms still trembled, but Alex saw his hands grip tight into fists like he was ready to use them, like he’d tear the world down with them. Alex turned toward Malric. “Take me to Karsali. We need to coordinate everyone, the cannons, siege magic placements, line rotations, all of it. I want her at the table while we plan. We’ll need the Empire’s reach, but I won’t let them bully us into sitting and waiting. And I have a few other demands as well.” Malric studied him for a heartbeat, then inclined his head. *** The command tent smelled of blood-dampened canvas and old woodsmoke. Dim lantern light wavered against the fabric walls, making shadows ripple like uneasy water on the inner surfaces. A rough map dominated the center table, its parchment smudged and creased from many hasty hands at work. Miniature markers of carved wood and shaped lead dotted the map's surface showing lines of troops. There were barely-functional cannon emplacements over mountain-cliffs, their position marked by scratched ink. Alex waited patiently with some of the team in the tent, Selka, Cole, Eric, Allie, Holly and Kate. The flurry of movement happened around them as they all watched and listened. Malric and Karsali had already dug into a short conflict, their voices came as a relentless grind of argument. Malric jabbed a finger at Karsali, then Alex, before gesturing at the map where there were varying choke points sketched out. He began tapping with the precision of a scholar making the most important point of their career. Karsali countered with broader strokes, moving little soldier blocks like pieces on a game board, her tone was clipped short, and harsh as if the battle could be won with perfect unshakable Empire born pride. Alex stood beside them with his arms folded, listening to both talk as though numbers and ranges could keep people from dying somehow. He let them spar for a while over trajectories and blast radii. They were somewhat right of course, logistics did matter to some degree in large conflicts like this, but all the while Alex’s eyes lingered on the carved markers. Each block was a soldier who might not see another dawn, a person who had brothers, sisters, mother, fathers and ch