The Village Crisis

"I'm not lying, Eldrin!" Bell shouted at Eldrin. 

He sat on the couch in the guest room of his house, accompanied by two other elves. The room had a cozy compactness, evident in every corner. Polished wooden walls enclosed the space, and a small but effective window filtered in daylight. The couch, substantial yet unpretentious, could comfortably seat three.

Opposite the couch, a modest fireplace crackled softly, adding a touch of warmth to the room. A durable rug covered the floor, its simplicity reflecting the room's utilitarian purpose. On one side, a narrow bookshelf was crammed with well-used maps and scrolls, indicating its occasional use for strategic meetings. The atmosphere exuded practicality, a stark contrast to the tension that now hung in the air.

Bell was joined by Lisa and four other members of Spear Team 1, a sign that he hadn't honored his previous agreement, but for a good reason. Without them, they wouldn't have had the early warning advantage against the incoming undead assault.

"Then explain to me why ice drakes suddenly started attacking our villages right after your arrival. Isn't that too coincidental?" Eldrin countered, suspecting that Bell's appearance was somehow connected to the recent troubles plaguing the village. He had a point, one that even Bell couldn't deny, though he chose not to show it on his face, mainly because it didn't make any sense.

[Eldrin Aldranar: Angry, Scared | Hostile Relationship | -115]

"It's not our fault, Eldrin; it happened suddenly, and I don't even know why," Bell shouted back. "Look, you can either let your village be overrun by the undead, or choose to trust me and my team. Is that so difficult to understand? Your people's lives are at stake here!"

"Hey, watch your language in front of our village leader!" an elf advisor beside Eldrin interjected.

"Your village leader is failing his people right now, and you expect me to just stand by?" Bell fixed his gaze on Eldrin. He glanced at the timer on his phone, counting down the minutes until the undead would assault the village in the same way they had attacked their small encampment. He had fifty minutes left.

Lisa was on her radio, coordinating the defense with the main base. They would be on standby with their mortar and artillery, and Sergeant Tomas and his team of monster hunters would soon arrive to support the defense with two JLTVs equipped with M230LFs and an M3 Remote Weapon Station. They had a total of twelve soldiers, but it wouldn't be enough to defend a village nearly the size of the main base.

"Tomas is two minutes away. He'll arrive with two JLTVs equipped with M230LFs and an M3 Remote Weapon Station," Lisa added.

"That's one thing sorted. Now, Eldrin, please, for the last time, will you kindly allow us to defend your village?" Bell demanded again.

"No, for the last time, we can handle it on our own, just like before," Eldrin offered another excuse.

"This is getting us nowhere... Bell, let's get out of here. We're going to defend the village, and they can complain about it all they want," Lisa said as she stood up from the couch and headed for the front door. As she turned the doorknob, one of the elves unsheathed his dagger and hurled it toward the door. However, Lisa noticed and locked eyes with the elf. "Did you just do something incredibly foolish?"

The elf didn't realize that the four-person team accompanying Bell and Lisa had their rifles trained on Eldrin and the elves, thanks to the dagger stunt. These individuals were loyal to Bell and Lisa, and they wouldn't allow anyone to harm them.

This time, unlike before, Eldrin couldn't hide the fear on his face. Sweaty palms, trembling body; he was clearly terrified of being shot at. The demons had displayed nothing but sheer power until now, and nothing frightened him more than the explosive firepower and the thunderous railgun that Lisa held.

"I'll take my leave then," Bell said as he got up from the couch and exited through the door that Lisa had already opened.

Outside the village, two JLTVs were parked in front of Eldrin's impressive house. Eight soldiers had disembarked, including Tomas, who held the rank of staff sergeant. He was in his usual uniform, a thick winter combat ensemble in digital snow woodland camouflage, with a shemagh covering his neck, and a standard helmet on his head.

"Minister Radcliffe, good to see you outside of the office. So, what's the problem?" Tomas greeted Bell with casual familiarity, a stark contrast to their first encounter in the middle of the encampment. He also appeared much happier, chatting with the other soldiers as they casually sipped from their thermos cups.

"Get ready to spend the night here, Tomas. We've got a job to do—waves of undead will keep coming for the next twelve hours," Bell explained to Tomas.

Tomas chuckled lightly, exuding an easy confidence that seemed second nature to him. "Alright then, Minister Radcliffe, if we're going to tango with the undead tonight, we better be ready for a long dance, right?" He looked around at his soldiers, who nodded in agreement, their spirits lifted by his presence.

Lisa, joining them outside, added, "And we have less than an hour to set up defenses. The villagers are stubbornly refusing our help, so we're on our own."

Tomas raised an eyebrow, surveying the horizon. "Well, that's a challenging situation, isn't it? But no worries, we're skilled at handling tough scenarios. We'll establish a defensive perimeter around the village, deploying the JLTVs for substantial firepower to keep the undead at bay."

One of the soldiers, a robust man with a seasoned appearance, stepped forward. "Sergeant, should we try to collaborate with the village defenses, get them involved?"

Tomas shook his head. "It seems they prefer to handle it on their own. If this Eldrin is leading the elves, it's unlikely the others will cooperate. Alright, team, let's move out. We're racing against time."

"What resources do you think we'll need? I'm considering requisitioning an anti-aircraft gun, perhaps? Mortar support will come from the main base, including the M777 howitzer. Other than that, we're somewhat isolated here. What are your thoughts?" Bell inquired.

"We'll definitely need more firepower, sir. I recommend adding more M2 Browning machine guns and a few grenade machine guns for close support," Tomas suggested.

"Do you require additional personnel?"

"Two hands are better than one, sir," Tomas added, reinforcing his request.

"Couldn't agree more, Tomas," Bell said as he opened his summoning menu to bring in more soldiers. Given the size of the village and the potential for Eldrin and some of the elves to hinder their efforts by using demons, Bell decided to summon a significant number of personnel.

[Summoned Personnel Menu] [EP: 5,020,400] 

[Specialized Personnel Sub-Menu]

Standard Equipment: H&K 416, MG4, SR-25, IOTV Gen IV + Level IV Plates, PASGT, Basic Comms 

New Personnel Cost: 6,000 EP / 4,000 EP Equipment Only + 4,800 Training Cost

Training Add-on: ◄5 Level Upgrade► [Tier-3 Special Forces]

[Summon ◄36► Soldiers] [388,600 EP] 

Bell pressed the button to summon the soldiers and quickly organized the new team, assigning them to each direction of the village: east, west, south, and north. Each direction received a single M2 Browning machine gun and a single MK 17 grenade machine gun, along with ample ammunition that would be resupplied as needed. A member of Spear Team was assigned to each direction to act as a communication hub and coordinate the defense.

Among the summoned soldiers, aside from the usual demons, there were also some demonic elves. Bell didn't think much of it; he considered it a feature of his system, summoning demonic elves known as Fel'ey and Sa'el, essentially regular demons with full demonic heritage. They appeared as elves but with horns, often seen as cursed creatures created through dealings with the demonic race.

"Mister Minister, I trust you have a solid plan, right?" Tomas inquired as he directed the group to spread out into the different directions of the village. The JLTVs remained in the center of the village to provide support as needed and served as the backbone of the air defense against flying targets.

"That's the whole plan, Tomas. We don't need to overcomplicate the defense; we just need to ensure every opening is covered," Bell explained as he placed the last weapon emplacement in the elf village, along with an ammunition hub for soldiers to resupply their ammo.

Each soldier took cover behind a row of sandbags, offering protection against magical spells, particularly those from ice mephits. The grenade machine guns were positioned just behind the sandbags, providing ample space for the shooters to maneuver them as needed. The overall defense setup was consistent across all directions.

Meanwhile, the elves remained inside their houses, not out of fear of the undead but rather due to the presence of Bell's newly summoned army of demons. They had already witnessed the destructive power of two individuals and were not eager to see what forty-eight of them could do. Bell had invested a total of 600,000 EP in defending the village, which included supplies such as food and ammunition.

"Man, we might need some humanitarian personnel here," Lisa observed the elves from a window, her stern gaze alone causing the elves to retreat. Even though she had provided them with medicine for their ongoing illness just an hour ago, the mere presence of their group seemed to traumatize the elves.

[Trial #3: Off The Grid - Stage 2] 

[Hold Off The Group of Undeads For 12:00:00]

[Wave Will Come in 00:00:00]

Congratulations for your success in holding off the offspring of an ice-dragon, but the trial isn't going to stop anytime soon. Now, without the protection of the ice spirit, this village becomes more vulnerable to the massive attack of the undeads. Your job is to hold your ground until nighttime. 

You'll be attacked from all directions, air and ground. You better prepare your AA defense alongside with summoning more soldiers, even though Eldrin will certainly be angry about that because you put more modern technologies that will certainly enrage the ice spirits, if it still exist. 

[Rewards: None]

"Attention all units, the siege has started, good luck," Bell announced as he sat down on the porch of one of the houses in the center of the village, with drone FPV goggles on his head alongside with a drone to oversee the battlefield.