The trio of Mars, Sera, and Lucy moved like ghosts through the night as they headed back to Port Blackwood. 

 They had spent much more time than anticipated in the surrounding forests, as such they hurried in leaving the meadow near the cave where they once were.

With the use of Lucy and Sera’s shadowjumping ability their travel time was greatly expedited taking less time than before to reach their destination of The Resting Tree Inn. 

At this moment it was well into the night and even the old drunkards around the Southern sector had gone home to sleep. But due to Mars’s unfortunate nakedness they still had to sneak him into the inn using Lucy’s hooded robe.

But seemingly in no time the trio were sitting cross-legged together as they feverishly discussed possible battle plans for their coming assault on Nour.

“I think guerilla strikes are the way to go.” Said Mars resolutely, “ If you, Sera, and I all attack a different part of his compound in succession his focus and forces will be splintered.”

“No, we need to strike fast and hard” countered Sera with a crimson glare, “I say we all ambush him when he least expects it before melting back into the shadows. He’ll never see us coming”

Mars and Sera continued debating on which plan was the best course of action as Lucy silently listened on. 

Right now if one were to look at her face they would be able to see the gears turning in her head as her mind churned furiously.

Lucy was taking in everything they had said and trying to work on a plan of her own. She knew they only had one real shot at this.

 The way things were now Nour’s breakthrough could come even tomorrow as such Lucy was starting to feel the pressure.

In her previous life she had sat in on many war council meetings with her father, the late king of Morgana, and his head knight Sir Robert. 

The meetings would sometimes drag on for days with hardly any intermissions as they discussed strategies, supplies, alliances, etc.  but Lucy stayed alert and attentive as was expected of her at that time by her father.

As a result, Lucy had picked up valuable  knowledge and experience with commanding and running strategies behind the scenes. 

She just never imagined this knowledge would  need to be used now.

“Poison would never work Sera” said Mars wearily, “it’d be impossible to get that close without him even realizing it. I don’t see why I don’t just take him on mysel-“

“I’ve got it!” interrupted Lucy suddenly, “Find. Fix. Finish”

Mars and Sera shared an inquisitive look as they waited for their master to elaborate.

“First of all, we need to make sure he isn’t a Great Mage yet. We have been gone for a bit and I don’t like surprises. We must find and gather as much intelligence on him as possible. We must know where his residence is, how many entrances and exits there are, and what type of resistance to expect.”

“I can do that master. I should be able to gather some intel on him in a couple hours at most”

“The first or ‘Find’ phase of our operation consists of locating him. I’m sure he won’t be the only one in his residence so we must locate him specifically. And if he makes any movements or actions we must know about it”

“Mm I can help on that part master, I’m sure my telepathy can track the thoughts of him and whatever guards he may have. I’ll never forget the feel of his mind.”

“Perfect” said Lucy as she continued where she left off, “ The next and most important phase of our plan will be fixing him right where we want him. In this case taking him out at his residence would be ideal as their may be some spoils to snatch but whatever the location we must ensure he has no escape routes and no one to save him.”

“I can take care of that as well” said Mars with a crack of his knuckles, “No one will be able to get through my flames”

“Excellent, the last and easiest phase of the plan would be finishing him off once and for all” said Lucy as she gazed at her two coven members, “As of now you and him should have comparable strength Mars, but I’d rather not take any chances, so we’ll all take him on together"

The trio spent the next couple hours trying to concrete their formal plan of assault. 

Working together, they built upon Lucy’s already pretty solid plans. They made several alterations as well as created back up plans for just in case things didn’t go as planned.

In the end they settled and agreed upon a course of action. Mars would convince Ambrose to mobilize their forces in an impromptu attack tomorrow night. 

With Mars’s improved strength and cultivation Ambrose would definitely agree to the attack. After the first spell is cast and both sides are locked in conflict, then Lucy and Sera would appear to enact the ‘Find, Fix, and Finish’  plan.

They felt this was the best course of action as they could get rid of two birds with one stone.

 During the chaos of battle, Ambrose would be taken care of before the trio moved on to finish Nour. 

This way if anyone asked or any questions came up then it would just look like they both died in the fray of battle.

With this new addition to their now solidified plans, the trio had effectively tied up their loose ends and were ready to strike.

“Make sure you get me that intel before dusk Mars” said Lucy as she rose from her previously cross-legged position.

Joining his master in standing Mars nodded as he excused himself so he could begin right away.

Soon after  Mars left Lucy heard a grumble from Sera’s stomach as The Thirst slightly tickled the back of her throat. 

With a wave of her hand she pulled a jar of blood from her space ring for her and Sera.

“Drink up. We need to be at full strength tonight” she said as she tossed the jar to Sera.

As the two vampiresses drank their lukewarm meals Lucy couldn’t help but be excited for the night’s coming events. 

This would be her and Sera’s first major battle in Aleria and there was much at stake. 

Their enemies this time would be mages and Lucy knew from experience they were much more craftier than magic beasts.

‘But I have a feeling..’ she thought as she finished her lackluster blood with a gulp, ‘that battling and draining a few mages may be just what we need...’