Chapter 52: They’re breaking through

His brow was furrowed into deep, hard ridges. "A war between House Draken and House Morvayn... if their Yellow-tier generals are openly clashing in the trade cities, the political landscape of the lower country is a powder keg. They could throw the whole region into chaos."

"What do we do next, Lord?" Telarin asked, having quietly joined the group after handing the watchtower shift to his squad. "If a war breaks out, the trade routes will freeze. The supply lines will be cut off completely. Travelling to the city will also be even more dangerous..."

"We do exactly what we’ve been doing, but faster," Bramm rumbled, turning back to the group with absolute, grounded authority.

"We are too weak to openly step into a clash between colossal houses like Draken or Morvayn. If their armies spill into the valleys, our small encampment will be crushed in the crossfire. We need our own pillars of power. We need our own commanders to anchor this domain."

Bramm didn’t waste another moment. He turned around and raised his voice. "Mestin! Adara! Come here!." his voice boomed over the chorus of sounds ringing around the training ground.

The two, who had been resting near the training grounds during their squads’ sparring match, rose and hurried towards the cabin. Their eyes instantly fell on the box in Bramm’s hand. Excitement seemed to flood their faces.

They had known about Resven’s goal in the city this time and had been waiting all the more anxiously for his return and to finally advance to a higher realm of strength.

"The orange tier blood," Mestin whispered, a rare, dead-serious look crossing his massive face.

"You both have reached the limit of Dark Red and now it’s finally time for you to shed the power you possess and advance into a higher realm," Bramm said. His voice could not keep his own bubbling excitement from appearing as he opened the box.

"War is upon us and now, more than ever, we need warriors in the orange tier capable of command and protecting us from those who would harm us. Take the vials and break through your limits... I pray for safety and luck, may you return to us with even greater prowess." he gave them the vials, his eyes warming as he stood before them.

Mestin said nothing, and Bramm did not need to hear to understand what the man was feeling.

Adara, on the other hand, took her vial of blood, and for one of the only times he could remember, she stood there solemnly and gave a nod in a no-nonsense manner.

Without another word, the two commanders took their respective catalysts and marched towards the cabins, where they would be able to break through with protection surrounding them from all sides.

The heavy timber doors slammed shut behind them, and within minutes, a faint, trembling pressure began to seep through the wood as they ignited their internal forces.

The moment the seclusion doors locked, the entire encampment transformed. The casual, resting atmosphere vanished in a heartbeat, replaced by a cold, calculating military efficiency. The warriors didn’t need to be told; they jumped into action with mechanical precision.

"Lock the camp down!" Telarin roared, stepping out towards the cabins, his voice threatening and cold. "Every man and woman on high alert! We are completely blind to the outside world until they break through!"

The twenty-five warriors scattered across the area moved like a synchronized machine. A group of men hurried to the watchtowers, their gazes locked onto the forest ridges and tree lines, watching dutifully.

Keren’s group had disappeared beyond the walls of the encampment, blending into the forest, patrolling in stealth. The strike force squad basically grabbed their weapons and spread out around the cabins in a perfect circle.

They all knew what was at stake, and they didn’t need to be reminded of how important the breakthroughs of the two of them were. The warriors took on a defensive stance without any command or hesitation.

Resven, Telarin, and Keren themselves took up positions directly outside the two cabins. They stood like three unyielding statues of iron and steel, their weapons drawn, their eyes fixed on the surrounding area.

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From their vantage point near one of the smaller cabins, Lady Elspeth and Torin watched the sudden flurry of movement with tense, quiet eyes. The easygoing atmosphere of the afternoon had vanished in an instant. The rhythmic, reassuring sound of wood-on-wood sparring was gone, replaced by the heavy clattering of metal and weapons.

Elspeth pulled her heavy fur cloak tighter around her shoulders, her eyes tracking Keren’s scouts as they slipped past the iron-oak gates in a flawless, silent vanguard formation.

"Look at them," Elspeth murmured, her voice barely carrying over the whistling mountain wind. "I’ve never seen them move like this. Not even when the beast tides hit the palisade. It’s as if they’re expecting an entire army to march up the pass."

Torin stood a half-step behind her, his arms crossed over his chest, his gaze fixed entirely on the far edge of the encampment. His eyes narrowed as he watched the heavy timber doors of the isolated seclusion cabins slam shut, followed almost immediately by a faint, trembling distortion in the air around the roofs—a familiar, heavy pressure that made his own internal energy stir.

"They aren’t preparing for an external attack, milady," Torin said softly, an amused expression crossed his weathered face. "At least, not yet. Look at the cabins. Look at the way the air is bending around the timber. The giant and the lady commander... they aren’t hiding. They’re breaking through."

Elspeth turned her head slightly, her brow furrowing. "A breakthrough? At a time like this?"

"Not just a standard advancement," Torin replied, his voice dropping to a low whisper. "They’re stepping into the Orange tier, El. Lord Bramm must have secured the catalysts they needed to advance to the Orange realm. With the ongoing beast attacks and the growing number of them, this increase... is sorely needed."