Vlad watched from the side and couldn’t help but slowly nod toward the young lieutenant. A man capable of controlling his emotions was necessary to lead people in such a cruel era.
He then turned his gaze back to the town. While the horde destroyed many buildings, many still stood, and there could be people inside. However, they could not emerge with the streets full of demons.
The small yellow cat heard his name and, seeing Vlad’s eyes focused on the town, immediately understood what he needed to do. He jumped off Lieutenant Mitchel’s shoulder and moved into the town without hesitation.
Lieutenant Mitchel couldn’t help but frown as he saw that. Even though General Anglius had instructed him to be careful around Vlad, he couldn’t allow someone to completely oppose what he had just ordered his soldiers to do.
However, just as Mitchel was about to speak, his eyes widened as the leather armor around Jormungandr began to glow. This generated a small cloud of obscuring smoke that covered the small cat, blending with the darkness to the point that it became practically invisible.
Lieutenant Mitchel and the soldiers were shocked by that sight. It was truly an impressive ability, and the origin came from those strange runes.
"Jormungandr will survey the terrain and look for people hiding. Once he returns, we will have a better idea of our next move."
Vlad uttered those words before adopting a meditative stance on the ground and beginning to draw the surrounding energy into his Soul Dimension, enhancing the amount of Force Water. He was not concerned about something happening to Jormungandr, as there was no Champion demon in the town, so even if he was discovered, he could easily make his way out.
All the soldiers could not help but stare at Lieutenant Mitchel as they heard those words. It was clearly the best possible plan, but their commanding officer was the young lieutenant, and even if Vlad was stronger, the lieutenant had gained their respect through his military feats and bravery.
"It is a good plan. You will take the first guard, Malary, Reinold, and Gomez."
All soldiers nodded, while some guarded, the rest rested, restoring their strength for the incoming clash.
At the first light of day, the soldiers and Vlad were staring at a crude representation of the town built on the ground. Three hours after he left, the small yellow cat returned and recounted all the places he detected life.
To the soldiers’ delight, many people were still alive, having managed to take refuge in attics or basements before the horde of demons could overrun the town. However, they would not last long, as they were running low on supplies, so the group needed to act fast while they still had the strength to move.
The group discussed for nearly an hour until they finally devised a plan. The demons were not exactly intelligent, and if you presented them with a target, they would march toward it blindly, forgetting everything else. At that moment, the soldiers would march into the places marked by Jormungandr and begin the rescue operation.
Someone would have to act as bait, drawing the demons out of the streets, and that person would be in immense danger. Of course, the only one in the group who could do that and survive was none other than Vlad. No one could force the young man to do it, but luckily for Lieutenant Mitchel, Vlad volunteered.
Vlad was satisfied with the plan. It was simple, which was good since it meant fewer things could go wrong. Nearly five hundred demons covered the entire city, and while individually, none could pose a threat, they could easily overwhelm him. Luckily, it was not an open field, and there were many things he could use to prevent being surrounded, not to mention he only needed to draw their attention, not kill them.
"Jormungandr, you will remain with Lieutenant Mitchel. Your mission is to cover their retreat in case something goes wrong and signal when you are out of danger."
The small yellow cat nodded, his eyes sharp as he understood the importance of this mission. It was not just about saving those people but also about improving the stature of the young man and small cat as their saviors, entities that people could rely on.
Lieutenant Mitchel was very wise and understood Vlad’s intentions. Still, he did not care about intent, only action, and the duo was doing a fantastic service right now, helping them save all those civilians.