BXBX NOVEL Chapter 346 345: Occupying Goron (1)
Jahi PoV
Taking a deep breath of the acrid air, I sighed as I stared up at the towering gate that led into the Noble District of Goron, where the rulers and their equally arrogant peers were waiting for us.
If they haven\'t fled yet.
The rest of the Residential District had fallen in swift succession after we departed from the Armory.
We joined a few squads as they stormed the Barracks, before scaling the remaining Mage Tower and putting down the human that operated the giant crystal responsible for the Noble Districts arcane barrier.
Leaving behind squads to control each section of the city that we secured put a noticeable dent in the available forces, but when we regrouped at the gate I realized that didn\'t matter.
Mom, Lady Sker, Nirinia, Adelina...
Four incredible warriors were present, three of which were Knights of Cinder.
Each was worth hundreds, if not thousands of our normal legionnaires, and having four of them as we approached the Noble District was reassuring for our troops.
The Scorpionkin and Djinn had been bickering when we arrived, Nirinia glaring at the grinning Lady Sker as they exchanged quips.
When Adelina had appeared, Lady Sker\'s grin widened while Nirinia fell silent, causing me to sigh as I stared at her obvious focus on the golden Lioness.
Lady Sker tried to say something, only to have Nirinia slam her elbow into the woman\'s chitinous side, much to the woman\'s amusement.
Giving them an odd glance, Adelina remained silent as she waited for Mom, who appeared a minute or so later, followed closely by her squad.
Taking note of the blue skinned horned woman behind her, I raised a brow as Mom approached me, her ruby red eyes filled with curiosity as she asked "How\'d it go?"
Opening my mouth, I prepared to speak only to hear Leone say "She decided to fight an unstable, yet determined Praetor with just her bare fists. Even as he spiked in strength because of his near death state."
Glancing over my shoulder, I stared at Leone for a few moments, the Vampire ignoring me as she stroked on of Janus\' heads, the Orthus drooling slightly as his master scratched between his floppy ears.
"Oh?"
Just that simple sound from Mom made me sigh, and I turned back to see her staring at me with a neutral expression, while Lady Sker let out sharp peal of laughter.
"You\'ve yet to earn the strength to be so damn arrogant, whelp! Amusing, but..."
Focusing her black eyes on me, the Scorpionkin\'s smirk turned derisive as she added "Foolish. A foe near death is the most dangerous. It doesn\'t matter how weak you perceive them, how battered and wounded they are. Never treat a determined, dying foe with only arrogance surging through your veins. We\'ve stories of tales about the weak overcoming the strong for a reason, whelp. Learn from them, before you become just another story."
Mom nodded at that, her eyes slightly hard as she said "Jahi, you might be talented, strong, and blessed with a potent magic, but don\'t let that cloud your vision. Life is still balanced on a blades edge, and all it takes is one miscalculation for you to end up like Kat. Or worse."
I flinched at her words, and I felt a deep anger simmer inside my heart at her words, only to be pushed down as I took a deep breath.
"Noted. Now, can we continue forwards?"
Looking me over a few more times, Mom nodded as she gestured towards the gate, saying "Sker, knock the gate down for us, will you?"
Raising a brow, the Scorpionkin shrugged as she hefted that heavy Gurz of hers and walked towards the gate.
Raising it, Lady Sker swung the Gurz towards the wooden gate, the large spherical head splintering the wood slightly, while runes flickered out of existence around her impact point.
Grunting, she frowned before swinging her Gurz once more, this time shattering the remnants of the arcane barrier before knocking the giant gates backwards, a large hole near the bottom from her swings.
Chuckling as the gates fell and slammed into the ground, Lady Sker shouted "Shield Bearers, forwards! Rising Sun formation!"
The legionnaires shouted in affirmation and surged forwards, their large tower shields raised as they moved into the Noble District.
Spells splashed harmlessly against their shields, the various bolts of elemental mana leaving little damage shown for such a bright, flashy display.
Striding in behind the legionnaires, Lady Sker and Mom looked around the various towers and mansions that occupied the innermost ring, disdain evident on their features.
Soldiers stood across from us with a shield formation of their own, while Praetors and archers occupied positions above to rain projectiles down on us.
However, not a single lavishly dressed - or armored - figure was in sight, and quite a few of the mansions or spires were defended by large contingents of soldiers.
"Tch... always hated those that never earned their titles... damn nobles."
Lady Sker spat on the ground as an arrow shattered against her skin, while Mom raised a brow and said "Watch your tongue, Sker. I am a noble."
Turning, the Scorpionkin squinted as she looked at Mom before saying "Ah, that\'s true. Fuck you."
Sighing, Mom smiled wearily as she turned back towards the soldiers, before gesturing to Adelina.
"Well, we\'ve done our part, Commander. So... command. Or we could sit here and admire the beautiful light display they\'ve put on. Either works for me."
The Lioness\' tail swished slightly at Mom\'s words, and she nodded as she stepped forwards, shouting out orders to the assembled troops.
Watching as each group called responded instantly, I was given the privilege to see how one of the Empire\'s Legions moved like a well oiled machine.
However, my attention shifted as we watched the Commander do her job, and I turned towards Leone, who was still petting that dog of hers.
Sensing my gaze, Leone glanced over at me, her crimson eyes unapologetic for her earlier words.
Frowning, I glanced over at Anput next, gritting my teeth slightly at how the Jackalkin ignored my gaze and instead focused on the shifting formations around us.
Yeah...
We need to talk soon.