Foundation of Smoke and Steel

Chaptert 146

DanielDaniel looked down at the cultivators from the Li House as they mopped up the remnants of the Red Orcs and sword demons. He wondered idly about the power scale and where these fighters fell. They were big, strong, and durable, but they didn’t use mana very well, and that was a distinct disadvantage.

Li family cultivators moved with brutal efficiency, rotating formations, reinforcing one another with layered mana arrays, cutting down anything that tried to regroup.

“Brother-in-law!” Nathan shouted as he jogged up, armor dented, blood splattered across his chest and face, sword nicked and glowing faintly with Nathan’s patented thick residual mana. He looked like he’d just crawled out of a slasher movie and enjoyed every second of it. “You have to go to the whorehouse with me. Don’t you dare try to get out of it.”

Daniel grimaced. “Yes. I did say that.”

Nathan grinned and wiped blood from his cheek with the back of his hand. “That you did, Brother-in-law. I will introduce you to Sabine. She has been dying to meet you.”

Marissa coughed weakly and then laughed, the sound rough but unmistakably amused as the healers continued working over her. “Vivian is going to love that.”

Daniel opened his mouth to respond, then stopped himself.

That thought was way too personal to be saying out loud. Was he really going to say that Vivian didn’t like him like that and that they had an arrangement? Would she care? Did he care if she cared? He couldn’t voice any of that, especially not with Marissa lying a few steps away, bleeding and barely conscious.

“You shouldn’t be talking, you know that,” Daniel said instead, forcing his voice steady. “And don’t worry. Vivian’s not going to care about me going to see other women.”

She rolled her eyes despite her injuries. “Right.”

Daniel crouched beside her, careful not to interfere with the glowing sigils already stabilizing her wound. “Is she going to be okay?”

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One of the healers glanced up, eyes sharp and professional. “Yes. The blade was cursed, but the corruption didn’t reach her core. She’ll live.”

Daniel exhaled. “Good. Thank you.”

The healer nodded once and returned to her work.

Footsteps approached.

Gavin and Lucas came up together, both marked by battle with scratches, scorched cloth, and lingering mana haze. Despite this, they looked upright and focused.

“Well,” Gavin said, looking around at the aftermath, “I think it’s safe to say the Framework protocols worked.”

Daniel raised an eyebrow. “That sounded almost impressed.”

Gavin gave a short laugh. “Those tweaks you made to the array, Ethan? Genius. I must admit, when we tried this crazy plan of turning cultivators into coordinated units like that, I was skeptical. Impressed by your ambition, but still skeptical. But everything about it was spot on for the weaker members of the house, from spell rotation and reinforcement timing to the attack protocols. Truly impressive.”

Daniel gave a small bow. “Glad it didn’t explode.”

He turned to Lucas. “Both of you fought well. Your sword work was clean.”

Lucas beamed. It was the most openly pleased Daniel had ever seen him. “It’s been incredible. Actually being able to use the sword the way Father always wanted us to.”

Daniel studied him for a moment, then said quietly, “You were always enough without it, Lucas. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”

Lucas nodded, the smile softening. “I know. Still… it’s good to have.”

Daniel looked back at Marissa. Her eyes were closed now, breathing steadier.

“Marissa,” he said gently. “I know I just told you not to talk, but can you tell us what’s happening with the others? At the base?”

Her eyes opened again, just enough to meet his. “Yes,” she said quietly. “The situation is bad.”

She spoke in short phrases, conserving strength. The others were making a stand at an old dwarven fortress—Crescent Hyr—set in a bowl-shaped valley carved into the mountains. Once a major trade hub for dwarves and caravans alike. When the dwarves withdrew, the city declined but never fully died.

Now it was a patchwork of people: traders, mercenaries, guild remnants, and locals stubborn enough to stay despite all indications they should leave.

“They still have bowcasters,” Marissa added. “One of the few effective ranged units they can field.”

Daniel’s mind clicked into motion.

Bowcasters were rare. Expensive. Powerful. One of the only ranged forces capable of delivering mana-enhanced long-range attacks with precision against high-tier enemies.

That mattered.

He straightened slowly, eyes lifting toward the distant mountains where Crescent Hyr lay—and where Vivian was standing her ground.

“All right,” Daniel said quietly. “Then we’re not done.”

And for the first time since Marissa’s message had come through, he believed that they might actually arrive in time.