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“This will not sway us,” said the Lady Evangelina Stroud. “Terrible though this may be, we have a responsibility to our own citizenry--one that is just as urgent, if not even moreso. Many among us feel that we have already tarried too long here in Vantalay as it is.”

“Moreover,” followed up Horatio Blackburn, “what need would you truly have for us? It seems to us that the famed Field Marshal Graves has proven himself more than capable of handling whatever remnants of Abolish may remain in this region by himself. If anything, I believe we are collectively of a mind to leave even sooner than we were originally anticipating.”

“Ah, that is news to me,” said Graves. “Well, well. I seem to have become a victim of my own success.”

“This is ridiculous,” said Rayen Merlo, apparently not in the mood for japes. “Stop wasting our time.”

“My apologies. Allow me to address your concerns in rapid succession. Please observe.”

And the scene before them shifted. It zoomed up and out, giving everyone a view of the battlefield from far above.

“See the battle lines?” said Graves, and the vision darkened, save for a few select areas which remained highlighted.

Indeed, Diego could see columns of soldiers forming up in the distance, flanked by tented encampments and standing behind large walls for cover.

There were large clusters of forces. One to the east and one to the west, judging by the position of the sun. And considering the geography, the one in the west must have belonged to the Vantalayan Armed Forces while the east belonged to the Czacoan Defense Force.

And their names, Diego realized, were unfortunately quite apt, what with the VAF being pluralized and the CDF being singular.

The CDF was clearly outnumbered here. Maybe by a hundred to one. Hell, maybe even more.

It made sense, of course. Vantalay’s population dwarfed that of Czacoa. And the VAF was comprised of multiple military organizations while the CDF was really just one group.

“This is but one of the Vantalayan battlefields,” said Graves. “Here is another.”

The scene shifted again, this time blacking out first before revealing a different landscape with an apparently similar story unfolding thereupon. The battle lines were highlighted again, though this time there was a large stretch of open water in the middle and scores of warships included in the mix. “This one is farther north, and it is largely between the Vantalayan and Yena Marian navies, though I have also noticed a few groups scattered along the coastlines. Perhaps scavengers. Hard to tell for sure. But we must speed this along, allow me to show you another.”

And again, the scene changed. This time, it was almost all sea, with land only on the horizon. Dozens of warships dotted the shimmering waters, and active missile, torpedo, and cannon fire was visible. “This one is Naos--”

“We get the idea,” said Rayen. “And still, it makes no difference.”