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"Oh, Diane, what are you doing here?" Dave asked, stunned to find her in the mage\'s association. 

Dave was Eldrian\'s first magic teacher, who, admittedly, had used Eldrian in an experiment to try and better understand Magic Crystals.

Eldrian, of course, had known it was an experiment and had willingly participated. Though, it had taken a while after the first time for Eldrian to return. The process had been so harrowing. That Eldrian had agreed to do it, well... it simply shows his insanity. 

While the process had been painful, it had been what had unlocked the doors of magic to Eldrian. Whether this was for the best or not, no one can say. But Dave had undoubtedly set in motion the current present. 

Diane, like her daughter, had auburn hair. She had come to the association after hearing the rumors of a new expedition being organized. The last had cost her her husband, and her daughter was still in the foreign kingdom. Communication was scarce, only coming once a month, if that. 

Should the rumors be true, Diane hoped to join. Staying at home, alone, was torture. Every day she worried for her daughter and her safety. 

"I heard rumors of a new expedition and came to hear if it is true." She said, her determination shining through in her clear eyes. 

Ever since the news of Old Sword\'s death had arrived, Diane had struggled to make it from day to day. That she had cleaned herself up enough to be presentable clearly showed how seriously she took these rumors. Hope had returned to her eyes. 

"Th-they are, but..." Dave hesitated. There was no plan to take non-combatants. The plan was to send a rather elite force. Dave had significantly progressed in his magical studies and climbed from Tier 5 to Tier 7 in the past three years. 

As such, he had some authority. And since he had been acquainted with Old Sword and Eldrian, he understood where Diane was coming from. But still...

"Diane, you know how dangerous the journey is, right? We have to cross the Choas lands. A journey that will take a week at best. Every day will be filled with danger."

"I won\'t hold you back!" She replied, a fiery determination burning in her eyes. To Dave, her determination had only grown at his soft refusal. 

At a loss, Dave tried to think of what to say. He didn\'t want to come off as mean or cold, but things weren\'t so simple. Sadly, he didn\'t find the words. He did not know how to deny her without causing her further pain.

Realizing what his silence meant, Diane tried to think of a request which might be easier to fulfill. "What if... would it be possible to organize permission for me?"

"Permission for what?"

"To teleport over."

"Diane..." Dave wanted to advise her against it, but, again, he couldn\'t find the words. This was a mother\'s wish to see her daughter after years of separation. 

He didn\'t know where she hoped to find the money, but that was the least of his concerns. Her wish to head right into danger was almost insane. But again, it was a mother\'s wish to see her daughter. Dave couldn\'t argue against it. 

Honestly, Dave thought Eldrian should have known better and brought Vivian with him at the time he had come for a short visit. Better yet, Eldrian could take Diane to Taurus safely. 

Dave, of course, did not know of Eldrian\'s situation nor that of Taurus. Bringing someone to the kingdom before now would have been unthinkable. After all, the kingdom had been on the verge of destruction just a few weeks ago. 

It had been the sudden move from the devils which had weakened themselves. Allowing Taurus to breathe and also giving the empire the opportunity to act. Phallos was one of a dozen kingdoms that were readying expedition armies. 

Their job would be to secure a path to the frontlines. Further armies would then come from the kingdoms behind them. And the empire\'s army would move to where help was most needed. 

eaglesnovɐ1,сoМ This had all been organized quickly, shockingly so. Within a week, everything was already in motion. Today was the last day of ironing out details. Within the next few days, they would set out. 

This time, their numbers would be about seven times that of last time: seven legions, each legion of about a million soldiers. Of the total 12 million soldiers in the kingdom, a little over half were planned to move for this expedition. 

Under normal circumstances, this would be unthinkable. After all, Phallos has been pressured on the sides. Its neighboring kingdoms of Curia and Tedal had mostly fallen. Allowing some of the pressure from the west and east to fall onto Phallos. 

Also, since the Chaos Land separated Taurus from Phallos, enemies moved from the south into the kingdom too. 

While the attacks had been limited to skirmishes for the most part, they had started whitling down the kingdom\'s numbers. Indeed, their losses were nowhere near Taurus\'s or their neighbors, but they needed their soldiers to protect their borders. 

Thus, sending such a force would be madness under normal circumstances. But these weren\'t normal circumstances. Their hegemon, the Empire of Floria, had declared the mobilization of the entire imperial domain. 

Curia and Tedal were to receive aid from the kingdoms safely behind them, and Phallos would receive the same help type of aid from the Ailarean Kingdom.

The soldiers from Ailarean would help secure their border, and after a secure path had been made between Phallos and Taurus, they would use that to send soldiers and supplies as time permitted. 

That had been the original plan for the first expedition too. However, things had quickly gone south. The outpost created to serve as resting points and safety zones had been raided soon after the army had arrived in Taurus. Cutting off the plan before it ever fully bore fruit. 

And since the situation of their neighbors had worsened, Phallos had decided against forming another expedition. They decided it was best to save their strength to preserve themselves.

They had given up on both Taurus and the soldiers they had sent to her aid. 

The current plan, unlike the former, was to form multiple roads through the Choas Lands. One would connect with Avgi, or so the plans were. Each route was planned to head towards one of the northernmost cities. Duron, Belenar, Elomir, and Hrothbor. 

This way, reinforcements and movement of supplies should be much smoother. A raid on one outpost also wouldn\'t endanger the entire operation. And unlike last time, each outpost will be manned by a sizable force capable of fending off a typical horde or two. 

In all, two legions were planned to stay in the Chaos Lands. And one might think the cost of keeping them fed and armed would be insane. After all, just in numbers, it was like feeding two entire cities, with those cities providing no resources. 

Phallos wasn\'t possible for this. But with the aid of Ailarean and the empire, it wasn\'t too unfeasible. And depending on how things went, the soldiers might be able to hunt to lessen the burden they placed on the supply lines. 

After all, the Chaos Lands are the land of monsters. At best, small tribes of orcs, goblins, or kobolds call it home. There is no kingdom. And while many monster meats taste terrible, they are all edible if prepared correctly.