Three days after the massacre on the road, Kai's army approached the outskirts of Colrisa. The mood among the troops was different now, grimmer, more focused. Losing 347 people in thirty minutes had a way of stripping away any illusions about what they were facing.
No more direct assaults. No more letting demons choose the battlefield. If we're going to win this, we need to be smarter.
"Scouts returning, Your Highness," Darek reported, pointing toward three riders approaching from the south.
Kai watched them approach, noting their careful movements and the way they kept looking over their shoulders. Whatever they'd seen in Colrisa had them spooked.
Time to find out what we're dealing with.
The lead scout dismounted and saluted quickly. "Your Highness, we've completed reconnaissance of Colrisa. The situation is... complicated."
"Complicated how?" Kai asked.
"There are survivors, sir. Maybe two hundred civilians trapped in the old temple at the city center. But they're surrounded."
Survivors. People we can actually save.
"Surrounded by how many demons?" Commander Thorne asked, stepping forward with his usual professional concern.
"Roughly one hundred and fifty, sir. But they're different from the ones that hit us on the road."
Different how?
"Explain," Kai ordered.
The scout pulled out a rough sketch. "These demons seem... newer. Less coordinated. They move in smaller groups, and don't respond to complex tactics. Our assessment is that they're mostly transformed civilians and recent converts."
Althea leaned forward. "Recent converts would be lower rank. Probably the first star level."
First star demons. That changes everything.
"You're certain about the rank assessment?" Kai asked.
"Yes, sir. We observed several encounters between the demons and wildlife. They're stronger and faster than humans, but not by much. Nothing like the monsters that ambushed us."
One hundred and fifty first star demons versus experienced soldiers and magician knights. Those are odds we can work with.
"What's the city layout?" Naris asked, studying the scout's map.
"Narrow streets, lots of buildings for cover. The temple is on a hill in the center, surrounded by residential areas. Good sight lines for archery, plenty of concealment for movement."
Perfect for guerrilla tactics. Hit and run, use the terrain, avoid direct confrontation.
Kai studied the sketch, an idea forming. "How are the demons organized? Patrols, sentries, or just wandering randomly?"
"Mostly random, sir. Some small groups near the temple, but no organized defensive pattern. They seem to be following basic instincts rather than military training."
Newly transformed. Still human enough to be predictable, but demon enough to be dangerous.
"Commander Thorne," Kai said, "what's your assessment?"
Thorne studied the map with the same careful attention he'd shown during previous planning sessions. "A direct assault would work, but we'd take casualties. Maybe fifty to seventy soldiers lost, even against first star enemies."
Fifty to seventy more deaths. After what happened on the road, that's fifty too many.
"I have a different idea," Kai said. "We don't attack the city. We will infiltrate it."
Time to see if all that stealth training actually paid off.
Two hours later, Kai was strapping a pair of curved daggers to his belt instead of carrying his usual spear. The weapons felt more natural than he'd expected, lighter, more precise, better suited for silent work.
These feel familiar. Maybe all that court training included more weapons than I realized.
"Your Highness," Yeldvi said, checking his own gear, "you sure about those daggers? We've all seen you with a spear."
"Spears are for open combat," Kai replied. "Tonight we're hunting, not fighting battles."
The plan was elegant in its simplicity. Four small teams would infiltrate Colrisa from different directions, using stealth and precision strikes to clear paths to the temple. The main army would remain hidden outside the city, ready to respond if things went wrong.
No more charging into demon claws. Tonight we use our brains instead of our bodies.
"Team assignments," Kai announced to his core group. "Althea, you're on overwatch. Find high positions and pick off any demons that threaten the civilian extraction."
Althea nodded, pulling arrows from her quiver to check their points. "Overwatch position... right." She tested the wind direction with a wet finger. "These fire arrows should work for silent kills at this range."
"Yeldvi, you're with the extraction team. Use earth magic to create escape routes through buildings if we need them."
Yeldvi knelt down, pressing his palm to the earth and closing his eyes briefly. "Underground routes, got it. Soil's soft enough that I can tunnel beneath the main street without making too much noise."
"Darek, communication and misdirection. Keep our teams coordinated and the demons confused."
Wind currents swirled around Darek's fingers as he tested his ability. "My Air Whisper can carry voices about two hundred yards accurately. Should be enough range to coordinate everyone." He paused, considering. "I can also send false sounds to different locations, making the demons think they're hearing things where they're not."
Perfect. Everyone knows their role.
"What about the main distraction?" Naris asked. "We need something to draw demon attention away from the infiltration."
Commander Thorne stepped forward with a tactical suggestion. "I could lead a small force to create noise on the eastern edge of the city. Make them think we're attempting a conventional assault from that direction."
Always helpful, always professional. Thank the gods for reliable officers.
"Good thinking," Kai said. "But keep it light with just enough noise to draw attention without committing to real combat."
"Understood, Your Highness."
Time to see if stealth tactics work better than brute force.
Midnight found Kai crouched in the shadows between two collapsed buildings, watching demon patrols move through Colrisa's empty streets. The city felt wrong, too quiet, too still, like death itself had settled over the buildings.
This used to be someone's home. Families lived here, children played in these streets. Now it's just a hunting ground for monsters.
Through Darek's Air Whisper ability, Kai could hear position reports from the other teams. The wind-carried voices came through clearly, like someone speaking directly into his ear from a few feet away.
Darek's getting good with this ability. Much more reliable than hand signals in the dark.
"Team Two in position," came Althea's voice.
"Team Three ready," Yeldvi reported.
"All teams, beginning infiltration," Kai whispered, knowing Darek would relay the message to everyone.
Let's see if we're as good at stealth as we think we are.
Kai focused on his shadow powers, feeling the familiar cold darkness respond to his will. His shadow detached from his body, stretching forward to scout the next intersection. Two demons were wandering aimlessly near what looked like a bakery, their movements jerky and unpredictable.
First star demons. Newly transformed. They're still figuring out how their bodies work.
Moving with fluid precision, Kai slipped from shadow to shadow, his daggers ready. The first demon never saw him coming, a quick thrust between the ribs, angled upward to pierce the heart. The creature dropped silently.
The second demon turned at the sound of its companion falling, but Kai was already moving. His left dagger severed the creature's throat while his right punched through its chest. Both strikes were precise, lethal, silent.
Two down. One hundred and forty-eight to go.
"Eastern edge, making noise," came Thorne's voice through Darek's Air Whisper.
Immediately, distant sounds of steel on steel echoed through the city. Not a real battle, but enough commotion to draw attention. Several demon groups began moving toward the distraction, leaving clearer paths to the temple.
Perfect. Thorne's distraction is working exactly as planned.
Kai advanced through the empty streets, his enhanced shadow allowing him to scout ahead while staying hidden. Every few minutes, he encountered more demons always in groups of two or three, always uncoordinated enough for silent elimination.
They're acting more like wild animals than tactical enemies. Recent transformation really does reduce their intelligence.
The curved daggers moved efficiently in his hands, quick thrusts and precise cuts that left no time for the demons to alert others. Each kill was silent, clean, professional.
Through the Air Whisper network, he could hear progress reports from the other teams. Althea had eliminated six demons from her overwatch position. Yeldvi was carving underground passages for civilian evacuation. Darek was successfully misdirecting demon patrols with false sounds.
We're actually pulling this off. Stealth tactics work against disorganized enemies.
Twenty minutes into the infiltration, Kai reached the temple district. The old stone building rose before him, its walls showing claw marks and battle damage but still standing strong. Torchlight flickered in the windows, signs of life inside.
Two hundred civilians. People who've been trapped here for days, maybe weeks, waiting for rescue that might never come.
But between him and the temple entrance, a dozen demons prowled in loose formation. These ones seemed slightly more alert than the others, possibly drawn by the sounds and smells of the people inside.
Twelve enemies. Too many for silent elimination. Time for coordination.
"All teams, converging on the temple," Kai whispered. Darek's Air Whisper ability picked up his voice and carried it to each team member individually.
"In position," came Althea's voice.
"Ready underground," Yeldvi's voice followed.
"Simultaneous strike in sixty seconds," Kai continued.
Now we find out if our teamwork is as good as our individual skills.
Kai positioned himself behind a stone memorial, daggers ready. Across the square, he could see Althea's position on a rooftop, her bow already drawn. Underground, Yeldvi's earth magic was preparing to erupt beneath the demons' feet.
Three, two, one...
The attack was poetry in motion. Althea's fire arrows took down four demons in the first seconds, each shot perfectly placed and instantly lethal. Yeldvi's earth spikes erupted beneath three more, impaling them before they could react.
Kai launched himself from concealment, shadow-enhanced daggers finding their marks in quick succession. His movements were fluid, instinctive, each strike precise and deadly.
In less than two minutes, all twelve demons were dead. The temple square was clear, and the way to the survivors was open.
First real victory. Clean, efficient, minimal casualties.
"Temple secure," Kai reported, knowing Darek would relay the message to the other teams through his Air Whisper ability.
"Copy that," came Althea's voice. "I can see the temple entrance from here. No movement."
"Tunnels are ready," Yeldvi added. "Safe passage underground directly to the extraction point."
Time to save some lives.
The rescue operation took another hour, but it went flawlessly. Two hundred and thirty-seven civilians were evacuated through Yeldvi's underground tunnels and Darek's misdirection routes. Families, children, elderly people who'd been trapped in terror for weeks.
People we actually saved. Lives that won't be lost to this nightmare.
The civilians were weak, scared, and grateful beyond words. Many wept when they saw imperial soldiers, finally believing they might survive this horror.
This is why we're fighting. Not for politics or territory, but for people like this.
"Your Highness," an elderly woman said, clutching his hand with trembling fingers. "Thank you. We thought... we thought no one was coming."
Someone was always coming. We just had to figure out how to do it right.
"You're safe now," Kai told her. "We'll get you away from this place."
The extraction was completed with zero military casualties and all civilians successfully rescued. As they prepared to withdraw from Colrisa, Kai felt something he hadn't experienced since this campaign began with genuine optimism.
We can do this. Maybe not with brute force, but with intelligence and coordination. We can actually win.
"Outstanding work, Your Highness," Commander Thorne said as they regrouped outside the city. "The stealth approach was exactly right for this situation."
Professional as always. I'm glad to have officers who can adapt to new tactics.
"It worked because the enemy was disorganized," Kai replied. "Next time we might face more experienced demons."
"Then we'll adapt again," Thorne said confidently. "That's what good soldiers do."
Exactly right. Flexibility and intelligence over brute force.
As the army prepared to resume its march toward the next objective, Kai felt his spirits lift for the first time in days. They'd proven stealth could work. They'd saved civilian lives. They'd accomplished their mission without significant losses.
Maybe we actually have a chance of stopping this Death Panel ritual after all.
While Kai's army celebrated their first clean victory, a different kind of meeting was taking place in the ruins five miles south.
A figure in imperial armor moved through the collapsed stones of an old watchtower, his boots making no sound on the debris-strewn floor. The cloaked stranger was already waiting in the shadows, studying a map spread across a broken table.
"The rescue was successful," the armored figure reported, his voice carrying the precise tone of a military professional. "Two hundred and thirty-seven civilians extracted with zero casualties."
"Interesting," the cloaked figure replied. "They're learning. Adapting their tactics."
"The prince shows more capability than anticipated. His stealth operation was... impressive."
"That complicates things. We expected brute force approaches that would result in heavy casualties."
The armored figure nodded. "Shall I arrange for more... direct opposition? The next city has stronger defenses."
"No. Let them have their small victory. It will make them overconfident." The cloaked figure studied the map spread between them. "When they reach Helverton, they'll find a very different reception waiting."
"The trap is prepared?"
"Everything is in place. Let them celebrate tonight. Soon they'll understand that saving a few civilians was the easy part."
The meeting concluded with both figures departing in different directions, leaving only shadows and the promise of future treachery among the ruins.