Lightning Is The Only Way

"We'll assault the land," Gravis said to Shira. "Do you already have a plan in mind?"

Gravis wasn't sure, but he thought that he saw Shira smirk.

"This is not the first time I've been part of something like this," she said. "I know how these raids go, and generally, they go horribly."

"How come?" Gravis asked. He already had some answers in mind, but he wanted to be sure. Shira had first-hand experience in these things.

"Adaptation and strategy," Shira answered. "We are not adapted to fight on land. Additionally, the common strategy is a war of attrition. We just send beasts into the enemy until either they die, or we die."

Gravis nodded. "That's indeed a stupid strategy. What's your idea of a better one?"

"Using the Water Makers," Shira answered. "Water Makers are beasts with an affinity with earth. They are very rare, but their skills are invaluable. After the war ends, they can lower the ground and distribute it over a wider area. Because of that, the lowered ground gets flooded with water."

Shira knew that Gravis wasn't from here. So, she had explained the concept of a Water Maker to him. Gravis was a bit surprised about the Water Makers' affinity. By the name, he had expected that they had an affinity with water, not earth. Yet, the explanation of Shira made sense.

"But that isn't so simple, right?" Gravis asked.

"Yes. Water Makers are rare and, therefore, valuable. Sending them in while we're still fighting is putting them at risk. That's why they generally only come after the fighting is finished."

Gravis nodded. "And I guess the beasts on land have beasts that can do the same, correct?"

"Of course," Shira answered. "Additionally, beasts with an affinity for earth are more numerous on land. They create high walls and mountains to make it harder for us to fight. In general, the land dwellers don't do invasions but counterattacks."

Gravis rubbed his chin in thought. "When the invasion from the sea exhausts itself, they can take another territory by attacking. Yet, this forces them to survive the defense. Though defending is easier than attacking."

"Yes, but defending still isn't easy," Shira said. "There are fewer beasts on our level among the land dwellers. This means that we have a numerical advantage."

Gravis furrowed his brows. "But isn't the continent in the center of the world and also bigger? Why do they have less Spirit Beasts?"

Shira's eyes twinkled a bit. Not many beasts knew about the greater layout of the world. The fact that Gravis knew about this, but not about the concept of Water Makers or Hordes, interested her. Gravis wasn't simple.

"You're correct, but that doesn't hold true for beasts on our level. We have a far bigger territory with less Natural Essence while the continent is smaller with more Natural Essence. This means that we have more beasts on our level and about the same number of Lords. The difference comes into play at the next level. Kings and Emperors are more common for land dwellers."

Gravis nodded. "That makes sense. I also assume that the more powerful Lords and Kings aren't interested in territories this far away from the center of their land."

"Exactly," Shira answered. "They see these invasions as an opportunity to increase the power of their followers. After all, when we lose, we leave behind a lot of meat for them to consume."

Gravis fell into thought again. He remembered the map that his father had shown him of the world. There was a stretch of ocean that even touched the center of the world. When Gravis had seen that, he hadn't known about the existence of the Water Makers yet.

The existence of these Water Makers would allow the land beasts to reclaim that part of the ocean. Yet, they didn't. This could only mean one thing. There was at least one very powerful beast able to resist the land invasions in the core of the world.

"So, how do you plan to use the Water Makers?" Gravis asked.

"I plan on conquering very small territories and defending them. The Water Makers will lower the land on these territories, giving us a stretch of water that enters deep into their territory."

Gravis furrowed his brows. "This is a better strategy, yes, but there is a giant flaw."

Shira narrowed her eyes. She didn't like it when someone questioned her craftiness. "Which is?" she asked with a hint of annoyance.

"By defending the stretch of water, we can force them to attack us. That is true, but the issue is that they can attack our rear. Instead of attacking the stretch of water, they might go to the shore and attack the territory behind us. At that point, we would be stuck in that thin stretch of water, surrounded by land," Gravis explained.

Shira narrowed her eyes in thought. She wanted to refute Gravis' claim since she believed that her plan was perfect. Yet, she wasn't sure what she could do against such a counterattack. Sadly, her pride was in the way and disallowed her from acknowledging her mistake. Instead, she only glared at Gravis.

When Gravis saw that, he sighed. "Shira, if you want to become powerful, you need to remember that you are flawed."

"Explain," she said icily.

"Think back to your life up to now. Would you say that the you from ten years ago is as smart as the you today?" he asked.

"Of course not," Shira answered as if that was obvious.

"So, the you from ten years in the future will also think that you are stupid today?" Gravis asked.

Shira stopped glaring and fell into thought.

"The fact that the you in the future can look down on the current you means that you still have room to grow. You pride yourself in your intellect, but there are beasts just as intelligent as you that have the advantage of experience, and sometimes, even stupid beasts can find a better way. Always reevaluate if there isn't a better way, even if the beast telling you about it is beneath you."

Of course, Shira wasn't immediately convinced. Doing that felt like lowering herself to the level of common, stupid beasts. How could their plan be better than her own?

"I'll think about it," Shira said.

Gravis noticed this and sighed. Not everyone could be introspective. Admitting one's fault was difficult and required inner strength. Admitting that one was wrong inherently felt like they lost a fight.

Gravis remembered his first talk with Joyce after they have met in the Core-Continent. She had said that her clansmen were stronger than Gravis since they were able to confront their pain. If Gravis hadn't seen the reason in that and admitted that she was right, he wouldn't have been able to confront his emotions at home. After all, he would still believe that his old way was the correct one.

Gravis shook his head a bit when he realized that he was thinking about unimportant stuff. Finding a good tactic for the invasion was more important.

Gravis looked back at Shira and decided to unveil his plan. It was similar to Shira's but a bit different. "I'd like to share the plan I have," Gravis said.

"Please do," Shira said with an annoyed tone.

"We are also making channels, but not one going through the middle. I'm guessing that the land is also split into territories?" he asked.

"Yes," Shira answered. "We only attack one territory at a time. If we attack the border between two territories, we will be besieged by two tribes. This makes the invasion almost impossible."

Gravis nodded. "Can you explain the size of our enemy territory in these measurements?" Gravis said as he transmitted the concept and length of a kilometer to her.

"Our enemy is called the Sand Tribe," Shira answered. "By what I've heard, they had been quite powerful in the past but have declined severely until they could only hold a territory at the coast. The closer a territory is to the coast, the less Natural Essence there is. Therefore, they count as one of the weakest land tribes."

"According to your specifications, the territory is about 400 kilometers wide and 500 kilometers deep. It's a rather small one," Shira explained.

Gravis furrowed his brows. He hadn't expected the territory to be this big.

His original plan was thrown out of the window immediately.