Sector D7 was nearly completely destroyed, the newly promoted general Crendell handed the area over to the Malencia Devastators. The few powerful mages that joined up on the promises of forbidden knowledge made sure to be very thorough in their destruction after witnessing the resilience of the shamblers, pit fiends bouldered through the sector, crushing anything in their path. The eldritch devastators weren''t much better either, as they were larger than Esstrey and five times as hungry for the insides of their prey. Liquidators covered the advance of the devastators, mostly ensuring their less discriminatory colleagues weren''t getting hit from blind spots. During it, all the surveillance teams in the skies and the shadows were providing data on the location of hordes, and forwarding said intel to their friends on the ground.


    Esstrey herself left out west to find some kind of heart of flesh after hearing that the Faerune Grand Army was closing in, the army that would no doubt plan to reconquer Malencia from heresy after securing the territory of a nearby count first. Apparently, even with the latest incident, Malencia was doing unusually well for itself compared to the rest of the world. The only areas that do remotely as well are near world portals that seem to provide an endless stream of prospectors looking to make a name for themselves. Jake wondered why Esstrey would leave so soon after one disaster, and so soon before another, but she herself stated that to survive tomorrow will require them to secure today. Or at least, that''s what Jake tells himself what she said to make himself feel a bit more secure in the future, her actual words were ''gonna go grab that fucking heart those adventurers saw out west, it might solve some problems if I throw it at Faerune hard enough, I should be back before the party starts''.


    All that makes sense in its own way, as the county subjugation the grand army is planning is predicted to take at least two weeks, so they still have some time for preparations. If only the bloodrain was something they could have seen coming, then Jake would actually believe in that kind of luck.


    Jesse was moved to sector D7 as it became prime real estate for a sapling to grown, and Esstrey told the kobolds specifically to take good care of her as she values the dryad greatly. The only reason she could have possibly done that would have been to ensure a fast growth, as the kobolds are very one-minded. It certainly worked, as with a dryad''s fast growth and the backing of quite a few forces they might be able to put fruits and vegetables on the table soon again. Duchess Eliana had sent complaints, apparently the projected crop yield is much less than could be, and the foliage from the dryad is instead rampantly spreading through the middle-district already. The complaint had worried Jesse initially, right up until one of the kobolds tore up the missive when the scaly creature noticed the piece of paper had upset someone dear to their precious Draconic lord.


    Crendell in the meantime hasn''t been idle himself, since Esstrey would be gone for a while he would be in charge of the security in Malencia without an unstoppable force backing him. That would have worried him somewhat if he wasn''t given such valuable groundwork in the form of Cathy and Zha''klos. The duo of monsters had taken effective charge of major affairs, Zha''klos proving herself to be excellent in political maneuvering, while Cathy made for the perfect government official. The general appreciated Esstrey''s eye for talent more than anything, and could see why she goes through such great effort to keep the people she values satisfied. While not knowing how she kept Cathy satisfied with current affairs, it''s easy to see how Zha''klos stays loyal with her gone. The concessions given to The Infernal Host practically align with what closely allied nations would have. There''s even a clause in the treaty with it stipulating freedom of movement for migrants, which seems rather redundant considering the home dimension of The Infernal Host is energy-based, and thus is not very suitable for non-mages to exist in.Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    The people themselves have been doing rather well, the efforts of the new leadership has been producing plenty of wealth and job opportunities. As it turns out, people don''t care much about whether things are heresy or not when the groceries become more affordable. There is certainly still dissent with the administration''s associations, but the recent decommissioning of undead saw a reduction in said dissent when people were assured their loved ones will be given appropriate respect in the afterlife. Some liches and necromancers are still alive and in prison as of now, being treated rather well considering their position. Every day guns and cloaks for the liquidators are made, more demons and horrors join up with the city, and the plants grow further over the city. Life is improving, even with the regent off besieging a flesh-devouring heart.


    Or at least, it should have been until Cathy entered Crendell''s office. She never approaches Crendell out of her own initiative.


    "General, the punitive force sent by Faerune has cancelled its detour for the [nearby/proximity/arm''s reach] county. It is estimated to [arrive/reach/walk in] Malencia in two days." Crendell puts down his pen in shock, this wasn''t how the war with their former lord was supposed to go.


    "Thought we had more time... if we fold to their demands, most of our heads will be rolling as well. The entire city might be put to the torch if Faerune will stick with pre-merge behavior. Should we recall Esstrey? No... she''s solving a future problem, and adding it to our arsenal." Chewing on the feathered end of his pen, Crendell looks at the city outside his office. It has become unrecognizable from the Malencia it once was. Foliage, demons, moving shadows. Everything in Malencia has become built to last, built to survive. Troops have already begun training with experimental communication equipment made by the dryad.


    "Cathy, can you send a message to Esstrey? Inform her to return as soon as possible after retrieving that flesh-heart. Inform her of The Grand Army redirecting, and our intent to make them pay for every step of the way." Upon Crendell''s mention of the mermaid, Cathy has already gotten a stationary from... somewhere. He himself join in on writing letters to everyone involved in the defense. They would have to set up shelters for the civilians as well, his defensive plan would be incredibly risky even with Esstrey around.


    The next days, Crendell would have to pull everything hidden by the various powers out of the shelves, and get it all to the front. More supplies would need to be piled in the eastern sectors, bone cutting operations wrapped up, barricades in major streets set up. Sometimes he regrets the promotion to general, but those regrets are shoved aside at the fact that he can finally save Malencia with his own hands.