novelzi Chapter 27: Debrief Meeting
Chapter 27: Debrief Meeting
Chapter 27: Debrief Meeting
A silence followed, heavy and suffocating.
"Understood."
The word carried the weight of reluctant acceptance, a truth he had to bear but could not afford to linger on.
"And these summons?" he asked as his gaze flicked to Boy, his tone unreadable, neither dismissive nor acknowledging. But there was something in his eyes- a weight of consideration, as thought he was trying to piece together what Darius had seen in him.
"He carries the commander's final messages, sir," the soldier spoke.
And hearing that, Boy spoke to the feline to drop the crystal ball which it did and it was revealed to the High Commander before it brought it back into its mouth.
Callen's expression remained unreadable, but he turned around, motioning for them to follow as he spoke, "Then we debrief in full. Now."
The group moved swiftly from the teleportation chamber, their footsteps echoing against the polished stone floors of the Grand War Hall.
The atmosphere grew heavier with each step as they approached the main war chamber, a vast circular hall dominated by a massive strategy table etched with enchanted maps and tactical plans.@@@@
As they entered, the officers took places around the table, and the tension settled like an unspoken weight upon their shoulders.
The head scribe of the stronghold stepped forward, clearing his throat before speaking, "High Commander, I will report all that was witnessed at the stronghold."
All eyes fixed on him as the scribes at the table began to use their magic to write down whatever he was going to say.
The scribe had described him, as the one who had turned the tide of battle among the summons, made them look at him differently.
"The Commander saved this summon and killed the enemy general but it was then that the dragon broke out. I do not know what the commander said during his final words but I know that he spent his final words with this Hyena," the scribe continued before a more downcast yet proud expression appeared on his face, "Commander Darius fought like a man who had already made his peace, as if nothing else mattered but ensuring that he would use all the means at his disposal to take out the great beast. The last I saw of him was him rushing into battle with the rest of the army after he gave a wonderful speech, rallying back motivation to all the troops."
A heavy silence settled over the room. Some officers clenched their jaws, others lowered their gazes, and a few barely suppressed their grief. One officer muttered, "This battle has cost us one of our greatest commanders..."
Callen remained still for a long moment before finally speaking, "His final words?"
The scribe hesitated, then looked towards Boy and the feline, "They are most likely in the recording crystal."
Callen's gaze sharply shifted to the feline, his eyes narrowing. He took a slow step forward, and as he did, the air around them thickened. His presence pressed down like an unseen weight, a suffocating force of sheer authority.
The feline flinched.
"That crystal holds the commander's final words. It belongs to Eldoria," Callen spoke with no room for negotiation.
The feline's ears flattened and its posture wavered. The weight of Callen's will was overwhelming, demanding submission, and compelling obedience. It found itself beginning to subconsciously move towards Callen.
Then, a low growl rumbled through the chamber.
Boy did not move, but his presence surged outward- somehow, despite the overwhelming weight of Callen's will, he was able to act on his own.
His mind locked onto the feline as he passed along one simple message, "Do. Not. Obey."
The feline tensed, resisting the pull of submission. A sudden shudder ran through its form as Boy's voice in its mind suddenly shook it back to self-control. It straightened once more, its golden eyes, though still wary, met Callen's gaze without breaking.