89 Shifting Tides

The destruction of the demon army had come as a great shock to the demons. Even now, many of them could not believe what had happened.

Within a special realm, a meeting took place.

"Your Majesty, I am afraid I have most terrible news. The army we sent to crush the humans is no more. It was utterly annihilated."

The other lords instantly burst out into a commotion. "That is absurd, how could an entire army be destroyed so quickly. There is no way that it could happen."

The king raised his hand and everyone fell silent. "Are you absolutely sure of this?"

"Unfortunately, I am. We sent numerous scouts to find out what happened to our army. The flying contraptions used by the humans had killed most of our Devilbeasts, but several of them made it back to tell me what they saw. The base where the army was assembled is no more. Nothing but ruins stands there now. Even if our army had somehow managed to survive, they would soon be dead as they were dependent on the base producing Red Mist to sustain them."

All of the demon lords were silent. This was a catastrophe of massive proportions. None of them knew how to deal with this.

Finally, the king spoke. "The humans are the greatest threat we will ever face. They are even more dangerous than the Sky-Sea Realm. There is only one thing we can do. We must send a force to the east to fight the humans and crush them before the humans kill us."

"Your Majesty, we have almost no troops left on that front since they were all sent to strike at the humans. To assemble a striking force there would require pulling our soldiers from the front with the Sky-Sea Realm. It would greatly weaken our defenses and it may even be possible that armies of the Sky-Sea could break through!"

"It is a risk we must take", the King said. "We have no other choice. Inconceivable as it might be, humanity is now our greatest threat. If we defeat them, even if we cede land to the Sky-Sea Realm, we will emerge victorious in the end. Perhaps we can find whatever allowed the humans to become so powerful and we shall grow stronger as well. Strong enough to defeat the Sky-Sea Realm"

"What if the humans deploy their weapon again? Won't all of those soldiers we send be annihilated again?"

"Such a powerful weapon probably cannot be used so easily", the king said. "Perhaps it needs time to recharge. During that time we must destroy the humans."

"And if it isn't restricted in such a way?"

The king sighed. "Then we have already lost."

*************************************************

Meanwhile in Neverwinter a huge ceremony was held.

Roland gave a speech in honor of the deceased air force pilot, Jason Grant. The citizens gathered listened to Roland speak.

"A great blow has been struck against the demons. The massive army that had been poised to invade our lands is no more. We can rest easy knowing that we have accomplished a great victory."

"Yet, such a victory was not without cost. Jason Grant, the heroic air force pilot, is the one who allowed this to happen. He delivered the weapon to the demon base. In the process, he lost his life."

Roland paused for a moment as the message sunk in. "Jason Grant was a true hero. He put mankind before himself and gave his life so that you all may be protected. A soldier's true mission is to protect the people at the cost of himself. Jason truly knew the meaning of the word sacrifice."

"Jason Grant died so that you did not have to. He died to save his comrades who would otherwise have had to fight the demons in battle. Through his heroic act, he saved many lives. In recognition of his contribution, I will grant him the medal of honor, the highest distinction possible for a soldier. I hope that Jason will be remembered forever as an example of courage and honor."

"Now, we shall give a moment of silence to our fallen soldier to honor his sacrifice." Everyone fell quiet as they paid their respects.

After a minute, Roland spoke once again. "We all have our duty. We all must serve in our own way. Do not let Jason's sacrifice be in vain. We still have a long fight ahead of us and we must all put forth our best efforts so that we may triumph over our enemies."

A funeral was held for Jason and finally, everyone dispersed. One person who was particularly saddened was Jason's friend Logan. Jason had been a good friend and Logan was sad to see him go.

After the ceremony, Logan was approached by Roland. "Logan, your friend Jason had one request before he went on his mission. He wanted you to be able to succeed in your dream to start your own business. In accordance with your requests, I will gift you the funds needed to start your business. You will also find all of your paperwork expedited."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Logan fell to his knees to express his gratitude.

"Don't thank me", Roland said. "Thank your friend."

Jason's sacrifice had changed the course of the war. The demon forces that had already entered human lands soon died. Without a supply of Red Mist, they could not survive in hostile lands. The lands of humanity were secure. The threat of an invading army was no more. The last remnants of the marauding demon forces within human lands had been eradicated.

With the threat of the demons vanquished, the army could now step away from defense and move onto offense. The human armies soon arrived in the Fertile Plains. The armies gathered as they prepared for their assault. Soon, the humans would no longer be defending. The counterattack was about to begin.

After the demon army had been wiped out, Starfall City and Arrieta had been left almost devoid of demon forces. The demons quickly transferred more soldiers to defend the two critical cities. Soon, the two armies would clash.