Inxialot's usual ragged mage robe was replaced by a colorful feathery dress and his body was back to its human appearance. Raagu thought it was his way to lighten the mood and appreciated his silly appearance and random movements.
Only Leegaain knew the truth. The Lich King was performing the mating ritual of the extinct crystal peacock. He had completely forgotten how to court a woman and he believed to be making his move on Raagu.
"Shouldn't we just ask Tyris to intervene and leave the Kingdom in the case she refuses?" The elder said and many nodded in agreement.
"We called you here to receive your input, not to give up on our ancestral home." Raagu said with a snarl. "Does anyone have something useful to say?"
"I have." Athung Soranot, Raagu's ex-apprentice and Regional Lord of the Distar Marquisate said. "I admit that our situation is dire, but it's far from hopeless. The Council holds millennia-old legacies and artifacts of untold power.
"Even though our enemy is nigh-immortal, our collective power is dozens of times greater, but only if we really pool our resources together. If we fight Thrud as individuals, we are doomed to fail.
"If we fight her like a real army, instead, we can drive her forces out of the cities. Once Thrud and her Awakened are amassed in the Golden Griffon, we just have to destroy it to kill them and her in one fell swoop."
"Your words are not without merit." Raagu nodded in agreement with her protégé. "But how do you plan to put them into practice?"
"The elders and the representatives of the Council will keep following the old plan, lulling Thrud into a false sense of security and buying us time. The main force of the Awakened, instead, will immediately start a boot camp.
"They don't need to share everything of their respective legacies, just enough to allow their team members to know the full scope of their abilities and complement them with their own.
"Every one of us knows how to fight and is an accomplished spellcaster, but to beat an army of Awakened, we must become one a well. We must learn strategy, teamwork, and build bonds of trust." Athung said.
"All in favor?" Feela asked while raising her hand.
The beasts followed her lead as one just like the members of the other races followed their respective representatives.
"It's unanimous then. Now, to appoint an instructor-"
"With all due respect, how many of you have led troops?" The youthful voice that had cut the Behemoth off belonged to Phloria Ernas, who had been sitting quietly beside Athung until that moment.
The representatives glared at her for a few seconds before raising their hands along with several other members of the Council in reply.
"I mean in the last century." All hands came down. "No offense, but military tactics and strategies have evolved just like magic. I'm certain that most of you kept themselves updated, but theory and practice rarely match on the battlefield."
"Exactly." Athung nodded. "That's why I brought Awakened Ernas here. I nominate her for the role of drill sergeant and field instructor. She has been trained her whole life in the art of war and her track record as a leader is spotless."
A wave of Athung's hand conjured copies of Phloria's service record. While the Kingdom considered Kulah a failure, the Council considered surviving such a nightmare scenario a success.
"Do you have the permission of your master?" Raagu asked.
"Yes." Phloria hated referring to Lith as if he owned her, yet she managed to keep her cool.
"I suppose he wants something from us in return for your help. Correct?" Raagu wanted to agree with Athung's suggestion, to boost the status of both master and apprentice.
Yet Lith's greed was well known and she needed to read carefully the price tag before buying anything from him.
"Yes, but nothing outrageous." Phloria replied. "During the mission in Urgamakka, we admired your disciple in action and how skilfully Athung cast arrays. I request you to teach Awakened Warden magic to Tista Verhen."
"Are you insane? I'm not going to share my legacy with a stranger!" Raagu replied, holding her own emerald green robe tight as if someone might try and steal it from her.
Unlike normal enchanted items, Raagu's clothes didn't hold spells but arrays whose runes had been woven along with the fabric. Even Manohar's trick with Light Mastery wasn't comparable since the robe allowed Raagu to store any kind of spell indefinitely and even to shorten their cast time.
"Not your legacy nor your personal spells." Phloria shook her head. "Just the basics of Awakened Warden Magic that you would teach to any of your apprentices. Our group lacks a Warden and our knowledge about arrays is limited to fake magic.
"As Athung said, if we want to win, everyone has to share. As the leader, you should set the example."
"Fine." Raagu replied. "How long will the boot camp take?"
"Usually it takes six months, but that only applies to complete scrubs whereas your apprentices are all trained in individual combat. Taking into account the fact that they can recover their strength instantly with Invigoration and train non-stop for days, the boot camp will last two months at best and three at worse." Phloria said.
"Remember to send everyone with the equipment they actually intend to use while risking their lives. It's the only way to allow their team members to exploit each other's strength and cover for their respective weaknesses."
"I agree with those terms." Feela said.
Her heart tightened at the idea of sharing even the smallest of her secrets but for the plan to work they had to shed the old bad habits. The arena grumbled a lot, but in the end they agreed unanimously.
"I have another candidate to propose." Athung said. "Phloria can be a great drill sergeant and a leader, but she's no strategist. We need someone to plan ahead and coordinate our moves as a whole.
"I believe that Aalejah Eventide is the perfect person for the role." She waved at a tall, blonde figure with long pointed ears who stood by her side.
"I was a Chronicler for the former World Tree and even though our connection is lost, I still hold their knowledge of the past." Her blue eyes scoured the arena as she clung to her staff to keep her knees from wobbling. "Also, I've still got my Yggdrasill staff."
"What Aalejah means to say is that between her wits, knowledge, and equipment, she's the best-suited strategist we could hope for." Athung inhaled sharply to contain the annoyance at the elf's social awkwardness.
Yet she couldn't blame Aalejah for that. Most Awakened still had a poor opinion of elves due to the ancient war they had waged against the humans and treated Aalejah with cold indifference at best.
On top of that, many people coveted her staff and had tried to buy the elf from Athung. Aalejah's body held the secret of a longevity on par with Divine Beasts and humans hoped to be similar enough to elves to replicate their bloodline abilities.
If not for Athung's position as the Regional Lord and Raagu's influence, Aalejah would have long since disappeared and died on a surgical table.
