Chapter 340 - 333 — Avarran Now
For several seconds after Aurethar spoke, nothing came through the communicator.
The formation hummed steadily around them, its pale light unchanged despite the silence from the other side. Aurethar waited beside Lucien without saying anything further.
When Venn finally answered, disbelief still roughened his voice.
"It really is you old friend."
"You already knew I survived."
"We knew you were alive. That is not the same as hearing your voice after all these years."
Aurethar accepted that with a small nod.
Before he could begin asking questions, Venn continued.
"Karrek is alive. So are Threll, Vaen and Ugarr Mok, because I know exactly where this conversation is going."
Aurethar stared at the communicator for a moment before a quiet laugh escaped him.
"You truly have not changed."
"Neither have you."
The brief reunion ended there.
Lucien stepped closer to the communicator. "You two can catch up later. I need to understand Avarran as it stands now."
The humor disappeared from Aurethar’s face, and Venn’s tone shifted just as quickly.
"Good then Mr. duke of elarion you need to understand how the front is organized first."
"Go on."
"Avarran is divided into five major military sectors. Each sector is held by a field army containing Avarran forces, Alliance formations and attached magical units."
Cedric moved closer.
"How many troops?"
"Current effective strength across all five armies is almost exactly four and a half million combat personnel."
Lucien’s expression remained still.
Venn continued before anyone could misunderstand the figure.
"That already includes the reinforcements we have transferred since Vale left. It does not include rear-area personnel, fortress garrisons, replacement formations or units still travelling toward Avarran."
That was finally the scale Lucien had expected from a continental war lasting years.
"Start in the north," he said.
"The Northern Army holds approximately seven hundred and sixty thousand troops. Since Vale crossed the shield, it has surrendered sixteen miles of ground."
Cedric asked, "Only sixteen?"
"The terrain helps us. The approaches are narrower, the fortifications are deeper and the demons cannot use their numbers as effectively there."
"Stable?"
"For now."
Venn moved on.
"The Northwestern Army has roughly eight hundred and eighty thousand troops. It has fallen back forty-eight miles and abandoned thirty-four permanent defensive positions."
Lucien frowned slightly.
"Were those positions taken?"
"Some. Most were deliberately abandoned during two withdrawals after the flanks became too exposed."
Cedric understood immediately.
"You shortened the front before the demons could get behind them."
"Yes."
The next sector came without prompting.
"The Central Army is our largest single concentration at just over one million and fifty thousand troops but it has has lost twenty-one miles."
Aurethar folded his arms.
"That sounds comparatively good."
"It cost heavily to keep it that way."
Venn’s voice hardened.
"The demons continue feeding forces into the center because they know we cannot afford to let it break and we have done the same."
Lucien looked toward Cedric before asking the question both were waiting for.
"The southwest?"
A short pause followed.
"The Southwestern Army has approximately one million and fifty thousand troops. It has lost seventy-six miles since Vale departed."
Cedric’s expression changed immediately.
"Seventy-six miles."
"Yes. Forty-six permanent positions have either been abandoned or destroyed during withdrawal, and two complete defensive belts are gone."
Lucien asked, "The third?"
"Under direct pressure."
Venn moved to the final sector.
"The Southern Army has roughly seven hundred and sixty thousand troops. It has lost thirteen miles. Heavy fighting, but nothing comparable to the southwest."
Lucien took a moment to fit the five fronts together.
Every army had lost ground.
The northwest had been forced into major withdrawals.
The southwest had been pushed back farther than all the others combined.
"How many demons are deployed across Avarran?"
"Our current estimate is between twelve and fourteen million combatants."
Nobody around the communicator spoke immediately.
Aurethar finally broke the silence.
"So after all the Alliance reinforcement, the ratio is still roughly three to one."
"Depending on the sector, yes."
"You reinforced heavily."
"We did."
"And they simply sent more."
"No choice."
Lucien looked toward the communicator.
"What exactly has the Alliance added since Vale crossed the shield?"
"Fifty Knight regiments, thirty-four battle-mage cohorts, eleven heavy ward formations, six formations commanded directly by Archmages, five dragon contingents and approximately six hundred and eighty thousand conventional troops."
Venn paused briefly.
"All of those are included in the four-and-a-half-million figure I gave you."
"And what is still coming?" Cedric asked.
"Twelve additional Knight regiments and roughly two hundred and forty thousand conventional troops. They are not included in current strength."
Lucien glanced toward Aurethar.
"And despite that, the Southwestern Army lost seventy-six miles."
"Yes."
Aurethar asked, "Losses among those reinforcements?"
"Thirteen Knight regiments have been pulled from the line after taking severe losses. Five have since returned. Eight remain below half of their combat strength."
"And the mage formations?"
"Four battle-mage cohorts destroyed badly enough that they no longer exist as formations. Six others are below half strength."
That was enough to make even Aurethar go quiet.
Lucien shifted the subject.
"Now the Warhounds."
Vale’s attention sharpened.
Venn answered immediately.
"When the demons first began producing them, our estimate was no more than five machines a month."
That matched what Vale had known.
Venn continued.
"They have improved since then. Better tooling, more production sites and fewer failures. We currently estimate that between twenty-five and thirty-five new Warhounds reach Avarran each month."
Lucien frowned.
"How many operational now?"
"We cannot give an exact number. Our best estimate is between three hundred and five hundred across the continent."
Vale looked toward the communicator.
"That much growth from five a month?"
"They have had time, and the increase was gradual rather than sudden."
Venn continued.
"The Southwestern Army currently faces the largest concentration. We estimate between one hundred and twenty and one hundred and seventy Warhounds operating in that sector."
Cedric asked, "Largest number used in one attack?"
"Sixty-four confirmed."
The number was far lower than the hundreds Lucien might have expected from the overall war, but concentrated into one assault it was still formidable.
Venn added, "Scouts believed another ten to fifteen remained behind the main attacking line."
Maerath spoke from beside the mana feed.
"How many have you destroyed?"
"Since Vale departed, ninety-six confirmed destroyed across all five sectors."
Lucien caught the important part immediately.
"And operational numbers still increased."
"Yes."
Which meant the demons were not merely replacing losses anymore.
They were slowly accumulating armor,Conventional soviet tactics "Quantity has a quality of its own".
Cedric asked the next question.
"What have you developed against them?"
Venn did not hesitate.
"Our old cannon doctrine was built around demon numbers. Most of our guns were intended to tear apart massed infantry, beasts and clustered magical formations."
That part required no lengthy explanation.
Lucien already understood the consequence.
"They were not built for armor."
"No."
Venn continued.
"So we developed another cannon."
Cedric leaned slightly closer.
"How far along?"
"Past the experimental stage, but nowhere near the numbers we need."
"The new gun concentrates its force into a much smaller impact area. Under favorable conditions, a good side hit can breach Warhound armor."
Venn paused.
"More often, it cracks plates, damages tracks, breaks external components or knocks the turret out of action. From the front, penetration remains unreliable."
Lucien nodded slowly.
That sounded like an adaptation, not a solution.
"How many?"
"One hundred and ninety-two have reached Avarran. Another two hundred and eighty are currently being assembled."
Aurethar gave a quiet breath.
"For five armies."
"Exactly."
Cedric asked, "Confirmed kills?"
"Thirty-seven Warhounds destroyed directly by the new guns. More have been damaged badly enough to leave the battle, but we do not count those as kills."
Lucien understood the problem immediately.
The weapon worked but the Alliance simply did not have enough of them.
A cannon that could hurt a Warhound was useful. A hundred and ninety-two guns spread across a continent defended by four and a half million troops were not enough to reshape the entire war.
Aurethar looked toward the communicator.
"So what is happening in the southwest right now?"
Venn took a moment before answering.
"Three days ago, the demons opened a new offensive across two adjoining stretches of the Southwestern front."
"How large?"
"The initial attacking force exceeded one million combatants."
The room went quiet.
Venn continued.
"We have confirmed fifty-eight Warhounds in the first assault. Another group was sighted behind them yesterday."
"How many?"
"Between twelve and twenty. We do not have a better count yet."
Lucien looked toward Cedric.
"How much ground?"
"Twelve miles in three days."
Cedric’s expression hardened.
"What are they aiming for?"
"A major logistics junction behind the third defensive belt."
"How far from their closest forward units?"
"Just over fifty miles."
That gave the earlier numbers meaning.
Lucien asked, "What passes through it?"
"Approximately thirty-seven percent of all supplies entering the Southwestern Army."
Aurethar’s expression changed.
"That is not simply another position."
"No."
Venn continued.
"If the demons seize the junction, four army groups lose their primary supply routes. We can redirect some traffic, but not enough to sustain them at their current strength."
Cedric asked, "How many troops?"
"Just under three hundred thousand would be at immediate risk of isolation if the withdrawal began too late."
Lucien frowned.
"And if you abandon the junction before that happens?"
"We pull the front back another twenty-five to forty miles."
Another major retreat.
"How long will it take before the junction itself is threatened?" Lucien asked.
"Our current estimate is twelve to eighteen days."
There it was.
Not simply another description of a war spanning an entire continent.
A deadline.
Cedric asked, "What reserves can reach the sector?"
"One hundred and forty thousand troops within ten days. Four Knight regiments are already moving."
"And after that?"
"Anything substantial means stripping another army."
Aurethar looked toward the communicator.
"Which one?"
"That is the argument currently occupying half the High Council."
Lucien could imagine why.
The Northern Army could spare troops only by weakening a stable line.
The northwest had already lost nearly fifty miles.
The center could not be allowed to break.
The south was stable, but pulling enough strength from it could change that.
Avarran did not lack soldiers.
It lacked soldiers it could move without creating another crisis somewhere else.
Venn spoke again.
"You wanted to know what changed since Vale left,well you know noww."
Lucien looked at the glowing crystal.
"Yes."
Venn gave him a moment before asking, "Does that change anything?"
"It changes what I need to calculate."
"Meaning?"
Lucien glanced toward Cedric.
"What Elarion could provide without compromising its own preparations, and what would actually matter enough to justify sending."
Venn did not immediately demand troops or weapons.
Instead, he answered carefully.
"I do not know enough about Elarion to tell you what you can spare."
"That makes two of us until I see the numbers."
Lucien continued before Venn could misunderstand.
"I know what we possess. I do not yet know what portion of it I am willing to commit to another continent."
"That is fair."
Vale remained silent nearby.
Venn had learned that Elarion built the Warhound.
Vale knew considerably more than that.
Lucien had no intention of opening Elarion’s entire arsenal over a communication crystal during their first proper conversation.
"What do you need from us?" Venn asked.
"Current maps for all five sectors. Unit strengths, confirmed losses, your reinforcement schedule and Warhound concentrations by sector."
Cedric added, "The Southwestern defensive lines, routes feeding the threatened junction and the last month of enemy movement behind that front."
Lucien continued.
"I also want the deployment of your new cannons and their combat reports."
Venn was silent for a moment.
"That is a substantial amount of operational information."
"Yes."
Lucien did not bother softening the answer.
"You wanted to know where the Warhound came from. Now you do. If you want me to consider helping deal with the consequences of those stolen plans, then I need enough information to make a real decision."
Venn did not argue.
"I can have the Southwestern operational package prepared first."
"How long?"
"Several hours. The complete five-sector reports will take longer."
"Send the southwest first."
"I will."
Lucien stepped slightly away from the communicator.
"We review it tonight."
"And after that?"
"After that, I decide whether Elarion can offer anything useful without weakening itself."
The channel remained quiet for several seconds.
Then Venn spoke again.
"Lucien."
"Yes?"
"Twelve to eighteen days is our estimate for the junction."
Lucien looked toward the glowing crystal.
"I heard you."
"The estimate assumes the current rate of advance."
Meaning it could be less.
Lucien understood.
"So send the reports."
Venn answered immediately.
"I will."
Lucien’s expression remained unchanged.
"Then we will see what Elarion can do."