"Fuck where these filthy beasts are coming from! We need to fight them!"
The voice echoed throughout the garden, probably one of her mother's captains. She was descending the stairs and heading toward a gazebo just in front of the mansion. There was a main garden there, with a large fountain.
The gazebo was made of white wood, and someone had placed a large shield at the front. A black metal shield, with the head of a boar and elongated tusks. Right below it, a name: Steelboar.
The battalion her mother commanded in the army was called the Boars, and they thought it would be a good idea to call this new unit the Steelboars. Well, she wouldn't disagree. Steel was definitely something not lacking in their armor.
This gazebo had been used over the last ten days as a war room, and now, under attack, it was buzzing with people. Many officers and scouts bringing in battle reports from beyond the wall.
When Nikki entered, there were a few seconds of silence until her mother stood and looked at her.
Her mother's eyes were a deep green with a slight metallic glow. She had refused to say what had happened during her Initialization, but something told Nikki her mother had become even stronger than before.
Her skin matched Nikki's, but she had a light scar on her cheek. It was an old wound, from before the Initialization, and for some reason, it hadn't healed when she became an Elite.
Her mother wore no armor, just pants and a white fur cloak over her shoulders, along with a black top matching the pants. Her eyes stayed on Nikki for quite a while, and Nikki could see a subtle hint of concern when her gaze dropped to Nikki's abdomen. It was like she could see the wound.
Nikki had chosen not to reveal who had betrayed her. When she woke up, Samuel had already formed a small squad of paladins/templars, and infighting between her mother's troops would only bring ruin to this bastion of humanity.
Then she heard a long sigh from her mother, who gestured for her to sit beside her. At the center of the gazebo was a large table with a relatively well-drawn map of the city and several hundred meters beyond the wall.
"You're an Elite and your wounds are healed. I can't keep protecting you forever. Sit down and draw your own conclusions." Her mother's voice was painful to hear. There was clearly a deep worry, but she was still a leader and knew the weight of command.
"Yes ma'am." Nikki sat down promptly and looked at the map. Several tokens were scattered across it. White, black, and finally, red. The map looked like a crimson sea from so many red tokens, and very few black ones on the East side. A large number of white ones were on the West, along with a few blacks.
Her mother placed both palms on the table and looked at everyone in the gazebo before beginning her briefing.
"As the officer pointed out, the wolves are advancing from several directions through the ruins but regroup strategically in waves when they approach the gates. We can conclude that someone is leading them." She paused for everyone to absorb the facts, or maybe for Nikki to absorb them.
"We've had over 20 casualties and 70 wounded. The hospital is overwhelmed, and we barely have any soldiers with healing abilities. Even among the Paladins, few have learned how to heal."
A grim picture began to form, and it was clear from the officials' expressions that the news would only get worse.
"If we continue like this, we'll have to pull troops stationed inside the city, and I believe that's exactly what those behind this attack want, to leave the city center vulnerable." One of the older, slightly overweight officers said.
Everyone agreed in unison.
Nikki had never studied war strategy, but even she thought that was obvious. Still, just because you understand something doesn't mean you can stop it from happening.
Knock-knock!
"Permission to deliver a report on the Western front." One of the scouts knocked on the wood to draw attention and gave a military salute.
"Permission granted. Enter and deliver your report, soldier." Her mother's voice was firm and commanding.
"Ma'am, casualties have dropped to nearly zero in the last two waves, and the wounded were treated in the field. The hospital load was cut in half, and more troops are being sent to the Eastern front." With every word from the worn-out soldier, the officers' brows furrowed more deeply, and even her mother's serious expression changed to another...
Was it confusion?
"And to what do we owe this miracle, soldier?" That same overweight officer asked.
"Sir, I questioned Captain Sebastian, who is responsible for the front, and he laughed..." The soldier paused, as if what he was about to say would be hard to believe.
"He said... it was thanks to Elite Melissa. She was healing the soldiers' minor wounds and making sure damage didn't accumulate, but there was another factor..."
"Stop stalling and speak, soldier!" Another officer couldn't contain his impatience.
"A single man, sir... One man wielding a sword, ambushing wolves between houses. He alone took down nearly two entire waves before needing to rest on one of the rooftops."
Disbelief was clear on the officers' stunned faces, and her mother's deep frown showed she was not pleased with this situation.
"And what information do we have about this powerful Elite?"
"That's the problem, sir... We have nothing. All we know is that he arrived this morning, and the soldiers on the Western front are calling him Ember Lion, because when he fights, he looks like a lion hunting, and his sword glows like embers."
"Fire Lion?..." Nikki's mind spiraled and a smile very much like David's during Initialization spread across her face.
Aline had described the clearing battle in great detail and how Oliver looked like a fire lion.
"He looked like a lion, Nikki, a fiery beast burning in the shadows of the roots and the sunlight breaking through the canopy. He burned the ivory fang and fought his own father. You had to see it. He was beautiful... His eyes shone a honey brown and his face had the conviction. That he was the predator there!" Her words echoed in Nikki's mind and in that moment, she understood.
It had to be him! It was him!
Her fists clenched and the side of the chair exploded. Dozens of fragments scattered, and everyone turned to look at Nicole, startled.
"He's alive! HE LIVES!" She couldn't hold back and screamed in pure joy. She hadn't realized how much her heart ached from thinking he was dead until now.
"I'm going to the Western battlefront!"
She leapt from her chair and shouted without even asking her commander, her mother, for permission. She knew she had to find the man who saved her.