The air inside the tent was thick with tension as Kristoff and Loraine finally stepped back inside the tent.
The private conversation had concluded and it was ti to discuss their next strategy in regards to the floor war.
Adam sat at the head of the table, one hand resting on the worn-out surface, the other idly tracing a circle against it.
His face was unreadable, but there was a sharpness in his eyes as though he was thinking deeply.
"There's a main Orc settlent under the Undead's control."
His voice cut through the silence, steady and precise.
"A key foothold. They hold prisoners there, convert them into the undead, and use it as a supply hub. If we take it back, we accomplish three things at once."
He raised a finger.
"One, we cripple their expansion by destroying one of their resource centers."
A second finger.
"Two, we strengthen our forces by rallying Orc warriors who are still capable of fighting."
Then the third.
"Three, we strike another Undead settlent at the sa ti."
Kristoff frowned, crossing his arms.
"Hold on. We barely have enough forces to split our attack. The Stream Hunters on the Undead's side outnumber us six to one."
Adam t his gaze without hesitation.
"No need to divide. We're focusing everything we have on the second Undead settlent."
Loraine narrowed her eyes.
"What do you an?"
"I an I'll attack the main Undead stronghold alone with Leila."
A sharp intake of breath.
Leila froze. "Huh…?"
Kristoff's expression twisted into anger.
"You… are you trying to send my cousin to her death?!"
The mont he said that, Adam turned his head and shot him a glare.
Kristoff clenched his jaw but fell silent under the weight of it.
"Don't question it too much, we already discussed what we'd do earlier."
Adam said, his voice firm.
"Your job is to gather every available Stream Hunter and focus on the other Undead settlent. Do you have contact with them?"
Leila hesitated for a second before nodding.
"Most of them are under my command... T-they trust my visions."
'That's fair enough...'
Adam thought. If he were an ordinary Stream Hunter who didn't have much ability, he would've also blindly followed what a prophecy-user would say.
"Good."
Adam leaned forward, placing both hands on the table.
His expression darkened, not with hesitation, but with certainty.
"Now, here's what we're going to do..."
The night was cold, but the tension running through the camp made it colder.
The firelight flickered against the map spread across the table, casting long shadows over the faces of those gathered.
Adam's gaze remained steady, his finger trailing across the worn parchnt as he outlined their approach.
"The settlent is surrounded on all sides, but there's a weakness we can abuse."
He said.
"The southern periter has fewer guards, likely because they don't expect an attack from that direction. The terrain is a rough and dense forest with uneven ground.... but that works in our favor. We'll move under cover of darkness and slip in before the patrols can notice."
Leila sat across from him, arms folded, eyes scanning the map.
"And once we're inside?"
Adam t her gaze.
"We find the Necromancer first, he's a main component that should be eliminated... Without him, the Undead lose their ability to reinforce. The Orcs they've turned can't act independently, and any new conversions stop the mont he's dead."
Kristoff leaned forward, frowning.
"You're sure there's only one?"
"There's always only one."
Adam said.
"Too many, and they'd be stepping on each other's control. The Undead work in a chain of command, and a settlent this size doesn't need more than a single overseer."
Kristoff exhaled slowly.
"Fine. So we take out the Necromancer. Then what?"
"We release the prisoners."
Adam's voice was firm.
"They've got at least fifty warriors locked up, maybe more. So of them might even be battle-trained mages. To them, they're just captives, but to us... they're an army waiting to be freed."
[Disciple of Ice] : How does this strear even know all of this? I don't rember him exploring the second floor this much...
[nonexnihilio42069 has donated 15 coins]
[nonexnihilio42069] : We've already seen the nurous abilities he's shown. Perhaps one of them involves being able to discern terrains, see into the future, or anything that involves being able to gather information passively.
[Nalyd has donated 30 coins]
[Nalyd agrees saying that its pointless to question a person's capabilities when their personalized ability allows them to copy others]
[Experienced Old Knight] : That is true. Do any of us have terrain or future seeing abilities? Perhaps he copied one of our abilities again...
[Bird Hunter says he has a terrain-information ability]
[5th Style Sword Master shakes his head saying his abilities are all for combat]
[Hazardous Combatant has donated 50 coins]
[Hazardous Combatant is excited for the strear to solo an entire undead settlent!]
[Devil_Debi58 says he'll give a soul core if the strear succeeds]
[pockyslee] : I'll give out two!
[Nalyd says he'll give three tis the amount of that]
[Frog Eater] : Do you people not have uses for your soul cores?! Give them to !
Kristoff ran a hand through his hair.
"And how do you expect them to fight after being starved and tortured?"
"They won't have to fight for long."
Adam tapped the table.
"By the ti we free them, the Stream Hunters will have begun their assault on the second Undead settlent. That's going to force the enemy to split their attention. They'll be caught between defending their stronghold and reinforcing the outpost. In the confusion, we hit them from within."
Leila's fingers tightened on her sleeve.
"A-and what about the Death Knight...?"
Adam leaned back with a calm expression.
"I'm not fighting him."
Silence.
Kristoff's brows furrowed.
"What?"
"I'm not fighting him."
Adam repeated.
"I'm trapping him."
Leila narrowed her eyes.
"Explain."
"There's an underground chamber beneath the stronghold. It was once a ritual site, reinforced with spellwork to contain whatever was inside. If we can lure him there and collapse the entrance, he'll be sealed in. The magic woven into that place will keep him locked away for good."
Kristoff let out a low whistle.
"That's assuming he follows you."
"He will."
Adam said.
"The Death Knights are bound by duty. If I make myself enough of a threat, he won't let escape. I'll lead him straight into the chamber, and once he's inside, Leila will seal the entrance with an explosive rune."
Leila flinched.
"Y-you're trusting with that?"
"I trust you to get it right."
Adam said simply.
She let out a soft nervous chuckle.
"Got it..."
Adam nodded.
"If this works, the Undead lose a Necromancer, a Death Knight, and a foothold in this region. And we gain an army."
Kristoff exhaled.
"Alright. I'll gather the Stream Hunters. But if this goes sideways..."
"It won't." Adam's voice was calm, confident.
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