Chapter 45 Plans and Preparations

I woke up the next morning. I was still hugging Astra and Ana, and their tails were still wrapped around me. Even though I was the one who needed sleep, I still woke up before them. If I tried to move, I would almost certainly wake them up. I didn't want to do that, so I just stayed in bed. Since I couldn't do my multitasking training, and mana link training yesterday, I decided to do that now. This would also help me pass the time while Astra and Ana are sleeping.

"O spell of wind flow through my body to reinforce myself. "O spell of wind spread with me as the center to detect my enemies. O spell of wind come forth as a breeze to blow away my opponents."

I chanted my reinforcement spell, detection spell, and wind breeze. The first 2 were continuous spells used to help lower the amount of wind mana within me, and cancel out my natural mana regeneration. The wind breeze spells were just used to help me accelerate the process. In the past, I could use our mana links while 85% of my mana was gone. However, I had a feeling that I would be able to use the mana links with 75% of my mana gone.

As such, I stopped once I had 25% of my mana remaining. I kept channeling the detection spell, so as to counteract my natural mana regeneration. With that, I then began trying some fire spells. The only one I have that won't do serious damage is the fire arrow spell. My other spells aren't really suitable for training, especially when I am being held by others.

"O spell of fire come forth as an arrow to pierce my opponent."

I began firing the spell multiple times, and my control was good. I would miss my intended target, but not by much. This means that I had improved in my handling of the mana links. Although I think my progress is slow, it is still progress. I would still like it to be faster, so I decided to think of ways to make it faster. It was then that I thought of using both Ana and Astra's mana, while using my own. This is basically what I have been doing, but worse. The rejection should be even greater, since I am trying to use 3 people's mana at the same time.

"O spell of water come forth as a jet to pierce my opponents. O spell of wind come forth as a breeze to blow away my opponents."

Since I decided to do this, I went all in on my idea. I used my water jet spell, breeze spell, and fire arrow, while still channeling my detection spell. As expected the rejection was intense, trying to cancel out the other spells. This would be tougher than only trying one, but it would also quicken my progress, which is why I continued. While I was doing this, I was also working on my multitasking spell, as I was trying to also resolve the problems I was having on magic circles. However, I just couldn't do that, as I had little reference to form any kind of idea, and I'm not that good at doing 5 tasks at the same time.

I continued to do this, but I eventually ran out of mana. After all, I had already left myself with only 25% of my total mana. I was also counteracting my natural mana regeneration through the use of the detection spell, while I was using a plethora of spells. It really isn't surprising that I had run out of mana. Astra and Ana practically woke up the moment I had run out of mana. I believe that they were awake for most of it, since they most likely felt their mana drain from them, it I cannot be certain.

However, they woke up, and untangled their tails from my body. I also let go of them, prompting them to leave the room. I'm sure that Astra has left to go create our breakfast. I'm not entirely sure on what Ana is trying to do though. Maybe she is trying to help out Astra who is cooking. Either way, that doesn't really matter to me. What does though, is finishing my exercise routine. I need to do them, as they are the only thing allowing me to match the foxes in terms of strength and stamina.

I didn't have time to pick up the weights after the fight, so I just exercised without them. I doubt they would have helped me, as the fight really damaged them. After all, there were some attacks that I could only block using the weights. This exercise was just to stay in shape, it wasn't meant for me to gain strength. This meant that it wasn't as intense. Once my exercises were finished, I went to the kitchen. It seems like Astra was just putting the finishing touches on her dish, but Ana wasn't anywhere in sight.

"Where is Ana?" I ask while Astra is setting the table.

"She is at the cave entrance," Astra replies. "She wants to make sure Diego and his crew don't come back."

"I'll go call her then, since breakfast is ready," I say. After all, food is best when enjoyed with people you know.

"Okay," was the curt reply that Astra gave in response.

With her response, I made my way to the cave entrance. There, I saw Ana in her fox form, right at the entrance. She didn't notice me, as she was too focused on the outside.

"What are you looking for?" I asked to try to make my presence known.

"Ahh," she suddenly screams before realizing it was me. "You scared me sylvi."

"I'm sorry, but breakfast is ready," I apologized, before saying why I had come.

"I'll stay here to look out," Ana says. "I want to make sure we don't get caught off guard. With me here, we'll at least have an early warning."

"I don't think having an earlier warning will be of much help," I say. "After all, they know our location, and can attack at any time they wish. I feel like it will be better if we are well fed, and well rested. Besides, eating food together makes it taste better."

"Okay," Ana meekly replies before heading towards the dining room table. Astra had already set the table, and put everyone's portion of food onto the plate. With the food placed before me, I began to eat. The food is delicious, and is finished quickly.

Astra goes to wash the dishes, but I say, "wait."

"Yes Sylvain."

"You can wash the dishes later," I reply. "We need to talk about what we are going to do."

"Sure." "Yes."

"Okay, as I see it we have a couple of options," I say. "We can move home bases. We would once again be hidden, but we won't be getting rid of the root of the problem. However, it will all be over once the new king has been decided. The second option is to kill Diego. We will solve the root of the problem, but will probably be getting a backlash from the others in the rainbow fox clan. The third option is we play a defensive battle until the new king is decided. We can keep our home in this one, but it will definitely be hard."

"This is our home, I don't want to leave it," Ana says passionately.

"I also feel that it would be a shame to get rid of this place," Astra says.

"Okay, looks like option one is a no go," I say. "What do you guys think about the remaining options?"

"We don't know how bad of a backlash we'll get," Astra says. "While option 2 does give immediate results, it also adds an unknown factor. I feel like option 3 is the best since there are no hidden dangers. While it is going to be hard, it won't be impossible."

"Okay, what about you Ana?"

"I'd also want to focus on our future, rather than getting immediate results."

"Okay, looks like we'll be in for a defensive battle then," I say. "The most important thing we need is food. We should have 5 weeks worth in storage at the moment. It can probably last 10 if we stretch it out. However, we need a reliable way to get food after that, since an empty stomach will be a detriment in battle. Does anyone have any ideas?"

"We have to hunt for our food, since we can't grow it," Astra says. "Our hiding spells will be of great help here, and I'm pretty sure they don't know we have them. However, this is not a viable option in the long term, as they will grow suspicious. I'm sure we'll be able to last for a year or two though. It will probably take them that long to figure out, and come up with a countermeasure for our hiding spell. So keeping that in mind, we'll be able to last about a year and a half, if we stock up our storage to full capacity."

"Okay, that means we'll have to think of something for the remaining 3 years."

"Uh, why only 3 years?" Ana asks.

"Your mother told us the succession ceremony would be in 5 years. Since that time, around half a year has passed. If we can last a year and a half with the hiding spell, we'll only have to wait another 3 years. Speaking of time, winter should be coming in a couple of months, so we should also prepare for that."

"That's not our main concern, since the hiding spell will help us there," Astra says. "We should figure out what we are going to do for the remaining 3 years."

"Why don't we make another exit?" Ana asks. "They'll only be guarding this one, so another exit will allow us to hunt when our hiding spell is ineffective. It can also be used for our escape, if we need it."

"We'll just have to be careful while we are digging this exit, as we don't want them to notice this," I say. "That isn't really that big of a problem though, since we can use my detection spell to check their location."

"True, but what are we gonna do about them?" Ana asks. "We don't know when they will attack. We probably won't be able to drive them off unless we have everyone."

"We can just watch in shifts," I say. "When someone is out hunting, the other two will use their mana links to warn them of an attack."

"That should be fine," Astra says.

"Okay, we know what we are gonna do, so let's wait here," I say. "To minimize our risks, let's go hunting once all of our stockpiled food is gone. We should also only use the magic bag to carry bodies, as the others might leak the smell. Once we finish the 5 weeks worth of food we have, let's then stockpile for winter. I hope they lay off us during the winter months."

"Sure." "Let's hope."

"Oh, I'll start digging," I say once everyone has separated. Even though we should have a year and a half, it's better to prepare early. After all, once we finish one, we could make multiple exits to help us. Also, our estimations could be off, and they could find out about the hiding spell earlier than anticipated. It just isn't bad to prepare earlier.

"O spell of wind spread with me as the center to detect my enemies."

I chant my detection spell, and get 4 hits from it. No other demonic beast should get near, since the warding barrier formation is still in place, so those 4 hits must be from Diego and his crew. I'm still not sure how they got past the warding barrier, but they did They seemed to be grouped up to the north, probably discussing their next plans. I head down to the storage/dismantling area, and get to the furthest point I can from them. After that, I began to dig in that direction.

"O spell of wind, form from my hands a mighty blade that follows my movements to destroy my enemies."

I chant my spell sword to help me dig through the dirt. I could probably transform this spell to make a shovel, but the sword does help me dig, so it isn't that much of a problem. Plus, it will just take more time to modify the spell, which could be more effectively used. I don't know how far out they will patrol, so I won't be digging the exit. I'll just be digging the tunnel, and only dig the exit once we are ready. We can also cover it with a trap door, covered in dirt to hide it. I don't think I'll be able to make a good trap door though.

I continue digging for quite a bit of time. However, even though I was digging for a long period of time, the hole I had created wasn't that long. There was a lot of loose dirt that got in my way, and transporting the rocks was a pain to do. To speed up my process I had even chanted my reinforcement spell, but that caused my mana to drain. After all, all 3 spells were ones that continuously drained my mana. While the reinforcement spell did help speed up my process, it forced me to take a break now. After all, I can't use my detection spell, so I won't know their positions. While I am taking my break, Astra and Ana come down.

"Are you taking a break?" Ana asks playfully.

"Need us to help?" Astra asks seriously.

"I'm out of mana, so I recommend against digging," I lazily replied. "Also if the both of you are here, then who is watching the cave entrance."

"I doubt they'll attack the day after their failed attack," Astra says. "They still need to recover from the previous failure. They will also need to get food, and move bases, so we should be fine for today. As such, today is the best day we have to create the exit."

"Okay, we'll then let's keep going then."

"Didn't you say you ran out of mana?" Ana asks.

"I have some back," I reply. "I'll only use the detection spell, while you two dig. Don't worry, I also move away rocks, rubble, and loose dirt. My mana will naturally regenerate, even if I am using one spell. It will only be at a slower rate, however, once I get enough mana, I'll be able to help you guys out even more."

"Okay," Astra says, before she starts heading down my small tunnel.

"O spell of wind spread with me as the center to detect my enemies."

I quickly chant my detection spell, and nod to Astra to indicate she is good to dig. With my nod, Astra starts to dig out the tunnel. I believe her claws make it much easier for her to dig, since she is going faster than me when I had my spell sword out. I quickly followed behind her, and started moving whatever she dug out of the way. I could only use my hands, so I left the loose dirt, while mainly focusing on the rocks and rubble. In the end, Ana was forced to move out the loose dirt, but it wasn't really that big of a deal for her. Her water spells were able to gather the loose dirt, and dump them down the underground river. We continued to dig like that, and I soon recovered all of my mana. Usually, I wouldn't be able to recover my mana, since a continuous spell would cancel out my mana regeneration. However, by limiting the range of the detection spell, my mana regeneration, can exceed the drain.

"O spell of wind flow through my body to reinforce myself."

When I recovered enough mana, I chanted my reinforcement spell. This made it easier for me to carry, and move the rocks. Because my work was easier, I was able to have some free time, which I used to help Astra dig. I would also stop using my reinforcement spell during these free times to savage mana. Whenever the detection spell detected someone above us, I would immediately say that out. However, that didn't happen often, which allowed us to dig a pretty big tunnel. We still had to take a couple of breaks through the process. Even though I tried to conserve my mana, it just didn't work. It wasn't long enough to be used as an exit, but it was a start. My stomach suddenly rumbled, signifying lunch.

With that, we stopped digging, and went to the kitchen. I went to the entrance, to keep watch. I didn't want us to be caught by surprise, even though they most likely won't attack us today. However, there is still a chance that they might. I also kept my detection spell active, to keep track of their movements through it. They had already left the vicinity of my detection spell, but I still kept it up, since I could regenerate more mana than it used.

"Lunch is ready," Astra says while I'm at the entrance.

I return down to the cave, and begin to eat with them. It isn't that elaborate, but it still tastes good. However, there does seem to be less ingredients than usual. Even though it is less than usual, it is still satisfying. I'm guessing we are already starting our rationing of food. Once we have finished eating, Astra goes to wash the dishes, and I head back to the cave entrance. While there, I continue my multitasking training, and my use of only one element through the mana links.

"O spell of wind flow through my body to reinforce myself. O spell of wind flow around my body to hide myself."

I chanted my hiding and reinforcement spell to lower the mana within me. The detection spell was still active, so I had 3 spells active at the moment.Once I had gotten rid of 75% of my mana, I stopped channeling the reinforcement and hiding spell. This way, I would be able to regenerate some of my mana, which will be needed if we do have to fight against Diego and his crew.

I think it might have been the looming threat of Diego and his crew, but my multitasking skill upgraded. I could now do 5 tasks at once. Only 4 more, and I'll have my goal of being able to multitask 9 things at once. It also seems like my mana links improved, and rapidly. I now only had to get rid of 50% of my mana. Soon enough, we would be able to use the mana links just like Astra and Ana, which would allow us access to many more spell possibilities.

While I am thinking of this, my detection spell gets some hits. It seemed like Diego and his crew came back into the range of my spell. They seemed to be staying in one spot, but my detection spell couldn't tell me what they were doing. I'm guessing they were building, or moving a base, like Astra had said earlier. If that is the case, ambushing them might prove to be beneficial. We could destroy what they have made, which would set them back a little. We probably shouldn't do that too often, as if we do, then they might just not prepare a base, and instead, attack us straight out. Either way, I'd first need to tell Astra and Ana of what I am going to do, so they know.

I enter the cave, and I don't see Astra or Ana. I think they might be in their rooms so I went over to check. I didn't see them there, but I began to hear some noise coming from underground. From that, I realized that they were continuing the tunnel digging. They also must have made some serious progress, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to hear them digging from their own rooms. I head down to the dismantling/storage room. There, I see the fruits of their labor, which looks pretty impressive.

"Nice work," I unconsciously say after seeing how long the tunnel has become.

"Why have you come here Sylvain?" Astra asks, fearing the worst. "Did they actually attack us the day after their defeat?"

"No," I reply, calming her down. "It seems like they are building a base, but I don't know. I came here to tell the both of you that I will go over to see for myself. If they actually are building a base, then I'll destroy it to buy us some time."

"Oh, okay," Ana says. "Be careful."

"Don't worry, I will be," I reply. "I also will refrain from using the hiding spell, since that is something that really needs to be kept a secret."

With that, I leave the cave and go to where my detection spell says the group of 4 is. I don't use any spells. While they might be useful, I am running low on mana, due to my mana link training. That's why I don't use any spells, since I need to conserve my mana. They are right there, and it seems like they are cutting down trees. Since they are doing this, it seems like they are making a new base. It seems like they are clearing out an area, and collecting material at the same time.

I continue to observe them from my hiding spot. Luckily they don't see me within a nearby treetop. I'm guessing the leaves are helping to cover me from sight. Soon enough, they finish cutting down trees, giving themselves a pretty large clearing. They set the wood to the side while they then work on flattening the land.

I sneak over to the wood pile that they have left unattended, before deliberating my next course of actions. I could light it on fire. They might think they are unlucky, or something, but they would put out the fire. I could also use the fire tornado. This would guarantee the wood is burned, but they would also realize that I, or think Astra, was the one who did this. After some thinking, I decided to use the fire tornado. We are already enemies, and this will lead to results, which is what I want.

"O spell of fire, combine with the wind as a tornado that comes forth to burn my enemies."

I quickly chanted the tornado, before sending it to the pile of wood. It flows to them, and the winds pick up the pile. They are then caught on fire, and begin to burn. I could see Diego and his crew trying to stop the tornado, as they are using a lot of water spells. I could have done more, but I thought that this was enough. The sun was also setting, which was a factor in my decision to stop. I quickly head back to the cave, being careful to erase my traces. It doesn't really matter at this point, but I still do it. I come back to the cave, and see Astra and Ana waiting for me on the tree.

"I'm back," I say to them.

"How did it go?" Astra asks.

"I'm not sure, but they'll definitely have more work after the fire tornado I used," I replied honestly. "Either way, what's for dinner?"

"Just some soup," Ana cheerfully replies.

"We'll, I'm famished, so let's go eat."

With that, we all head back to the cave. There is a lot on the table with bowls surrounding it. We all grab our bowls to serve ourselves. The food was once again good, but felt like there was less than usual. Once I had finished eating, I went to my room. Of course, I trained my multitasking skill, and the use of one element through our mana links before going to bed. However, once I was in bed, it felt like something was missing, but I fell asleep before I could dwell on it.