Wente City
The blonde girl sat among the wounded while a nurse bandaged her arm. Bright red blood stained her fair skin and seeped through the snow-white bandage.
A blood-red butterfly rested on her shoulder, its wings partly folded.
She turned to the officer beside her. "Did the request for help get through?"
"No." The officer shook his head. "We've sent out three groups, but none got past the blockade set up by Rockwell Energy Group and the Federal Central Army."
"How's the wall holding up?" The blonde girl looked toward the towering city wall.
"We've shot down three Sky Behemoths," the officer said slowly, "but they keep sending more. The wall won't hold much longer."
He paused.
"Just say it," the blonde girl said quickly.
"We're running low on supplies in the city," the officer said quietly. "For the past year or two, Rockwell Energy Group has been squeezing our trade routes. We've barely had enough to get by. Rock City sent us supplies, but transport across the Northern Ice Plains has limited capacity. A city as large as Wente City can't last long on what we have."
He sighed. "No one expected Wente City to be the first city the Consortium Alliance attacked with its full strength." "Wente City is in the northwest, surrounded by Rockwell Energy Group's territory. Dawn City is too far away to help us in time, and Rockwell Energy Group has always seen us as a thorn in its side. It's no surprise they came for us as soon as the war began. We just weren't prepared enough."
The blonde girl took another breath and looked at the officer. "How long will the remaining supplies last?"
"A day or two, perhaps," the officer said. "Our soldiers are already running short of ammunition, and we've