(Erica)
Erica was ticked, not only was her base trashed by dragons, but the Haxorus SHE converted was taken by another squad in the confusion.
She had lost three buildings in the process, and gained a greater dislike of the dragons. Sighing, she ordered the remaining troops to stand down as Grant and the dragons left, there was no need for further conflict. She assessed her troops, 57 injured, but thankfully no casualties.
It was simple enough to psychicly repair the damage to the structures and quickly heal the damage done. After repairs were made, Erica retreated to her command tent to assess the situation.
Her plan had failed, the dragons at this moment knew of the alliance with the poison locals, but it also served to help the poison locals realize the threat of the dragons. Her numbers had been increased and the local leaders granted access to all land and resources the locals had to offer. She immediately got some of her veterans to begin combat training with the locals, some of which were already combat savvy. Her total amount of troops added up to roughly 4,000 now and because this was most importantly a diplomatic mission it could arguably be a success. The locals had also begun construction of multiple fortifications including two decently sized forts which would be useful to further maintain possession of the forest.
That, and she also noticed a certain Kirlia with clay wings, imitating that of a dragon, earlier that month. Obviously a spy for the enemy, it was useful to send false information to the dragons through that means.
Erica was most of all perplexed, in the past she had experienced battles by organized dragon forces of stunning proportions, but recently it had been limited to small scout squads, most of which were fairly easy to capture. She had captured a total of 34 dragonic scouts, and only these had caused any problems, were the dragons just becoming weak in numbers? Oh well, it wasn't her question to ask. She would hold the line in the dead forest and its surrounding areas and continue to increase her number of trained troops. And at the rate she was gaining followers, she would have 10,000 by next month!
(Shard and Evo)
Shard could be found many miles back in the capital of Aurum, enjoying a plentiful dinner of soup and salad in the royal dining hall with his second in command Evo. Shard sat in his red velvet arm chair at the head of the long solid copper dining table that sat in the middle of the iron chamber. On the walls were colorful textiles that told the stories of the kingdom, matched with four solid silver chandeliers on the ceiling. Evo sat to his right, slurping away some water from the snow water from the nearby mountains in a golden chalice. One may question how Aurum was able to afford such luxuries on its royal, although it is easy to explain as Aurum was the main supplier of metals, crops, and many other supplies that were needed in order to sustain an army.
A messenger Pawniard abruptly ran into the hall. "My liege! We have reports of another minor skirmish near the Toxic Lake! As a result the locals have now completely allied with the fairies! Also, a Haxorus mutinied to the fairy side but for what reason we don't know. That's what we gained from our informants my liege!"
"Thank you, you are dismissed."
Evo scoffed as soon as the young messenger left. "This is ridiculous! The Fairies have gone too far this time! They use propaganda tactics to take control of the natives, and it leads to suffering! Exact same thing the dragons do!"
Shard stayed silent for a second, "I will send a envoy requesting the Fairies to withdraw from the area. If they refuse, we will request to take in any innocents that want to leave. If they fail to do that, the Aurum Imperial Army will be forced to evict the Fairies from the Toxic Lake and may be forced to ban all trade to Fairies, which would devestate the fairy war effort as they would fail to provide supplies such as food themselves. Evo, prepare the envoy and send it off, I will prepare the troops just in case."
"Understood Shard"
A delegation of 300 metal troops, 200 non-metal troops, along with the Aurum ambassador to the Fairies, a Mawhile named Felicity, made its way to the fairy capital. After entering Fairy lands, a small contingent of Fairy troops escorted them to the main camp.
They continued until they got to the courtyard of the fairy camp, and they assembled themselves in straight military lines with Felicity in front, waiting to have audience with the Fairy leader Angel.
(Sorry, didn't know it was a camp instead of capital)
