A Counterintuitive Attack

Leaving was easy. Getting into the enemies camp was the hard part. They made full use of their five minutes of grace time. Char’s grip on Piper had left one with a white hand and the other with a blue one; Piper tried to shake his mother’s grip but it was far too strong and his hand too numb. Their presence had not gone unnoticed. Every soldier they passed instinctively turned their head to watch Char and Piper pretend they were stealthy. Eventually, the leadership called time and deemed enough was enough.
“You’re one of us… You don’t need to hide that.” They held out their arm and revealed a darkened mark. A quadruple helix, encompassing Quatarr.
“I never got the tattoo.” Char looked somewhat confused. “So how do you know we’re Easterners?”
“The Northern and Southern groups are neutral in this conflict and no Westerner could make their way through our camp as confidently as you did. Tell me I’m wrong.” They crossed their sizable arms.
“We’re actually from the Western camp. But we bring something you’ll probably want to see.” Their admission had raised more than eyebrows with the locals levelling their weapons.
“You’ll want to see this.” Piper echoed. He removed the cannon from his mother’s bag. “I expect you’ve been expecting more than a few of these.” The Leadership gestured for their troops to lower their weapons. They reached out for the cannon. Piper gently pushed them away. A jolt of static arced between them.
“I assume then, there is a catch.” They shook their hand and stared Piper in the soul.
“Take the day off.” Piper’s tone was deadpan and serious. “Your enemy has an incredible advantage but with this, you’ll turn the tide.”
“Those Westlewr scum’s only advantage is that they are easier to kill.”
“And the time loop.” Char covered Piper’s mouth. The troopers rushed the pair and held them apart.
“Time Loop?” Somehow, The Leadership’s stare intensified. “Tell me of this time loop.”
Piper smiled. “On the second day of this conflict, the weakened west set up a failsafe. If they are defeated or lose too many troops, they can simply reset the day. While you’ve been fighting for ten days, their leader has seen almost as many years of combat. Losing every time.” Despite their confusion, The Leadership couldn’t draw themselves away from Piper’s words.
“If they lose every time, why haven’t we won?”
“Because you can never open the loop in time. With these cannons, you’ll be able to do just that.” Piper’s smile grew, he knew what he was doing despite his mother’s constant look of worry. “All you need to do is devote today to making more.”
“But they’ll just reset the day.”
“Why would they? A whole day without casualties. That’s not happened and with these, it won’t happen again. You spend today building these weapons and by tomorrow, you’ll have more than made up for not killing anyone today.” The Leadership couldn’t argue.
“You have my interest. Tell me more of these cannons. I wasn’t privy to the details but I understand they are the most devastating weapons we have developed yet.”
“You’re right there.” Piper was enjoying himself, acting as a salesman. “These arm cannons are designed to phase out your clunky and inefficient rifles and pistols. Designed for intuitive use, they require almost no training and can be run all day without the twenty thousand calorie requirement of your current arms.” Char’s worry turned to confusion. Then she realised what he was doing.
“What are the downsides then? It seems you’ve brought me the wonder gun so what are its drawbacks?”
“As with every Rejuvenation weapon, the first day’s use will absolutely knacker you but after a short teething period, you’ll be good to go with the power of a god on your arm.” Piper knew exactly what to say.
The Leadership nodded. Piper, who had been held slightly above the ground fell as the troopers withdrew. As his feet reunited with the floor, something clicked within The Leadership’s mind. Their entire attention was on Piper. A smile crept across their face.
“Gai dy Duwrn. You’re an Oracle. The last surviving Oracle is of The East!” They held their arms to the sky and let out a cry of vindication. “In our hour of need, the last surviving Oracle came to us with a gift to deliver us to victory. Thank the Gods indeed.” They couldn’t contain themselves; they knelt before Piper and lowered their torso in a bow. Some of their fellow officers followed suit. “Weaponsmith, you are to use anyone you need to ensure that all of our troops have one of these on their arm by tomorrow morn.” They handed the cannon to a helmeted officer. “All troops, tynnu’ziehen. Our day of salvation is upon us. Effective immediately, you are on weapons duty. Rejoice though, for tomorrow we ride to certain victory.”
The camp erupted in cheers. Piper bowed to The Leadership and slowly began his withdrawal. Char followed suit, following him to an empty corner of the main camp.
“Ok, we’ve given them the cannon, now what?”
“By tomorrow, they’ll have given one to every member of their army. Every trooper carrying a replica of your beefed up super cannon.”
“Beefed up?” Char hushed their tone. Piper was drawing attention.
“Lore modified it for your personal higher energy output. The moment they fire, well, at first they’re going to feel amazing but after that… It’s not going to be pleasant.” He hesitated, moving closer to his mother before finishing.
“We just helped them commit suicide?” Char was prepared to ruin everything.
“No. Mum, it’s fine, it’s just going to hurt. They’ll assume it’s teething issues like I told them. They’ll fire a few more times and, eventually, they’ll wear themselves out. The war will be over in a weeks-time thanks to them having the superior firepower.”
“Fine but I want my cannon back.”
“I didn’t think you liked it…” Piper shot a judgemental glare.
“It… It’s grown on me.” She paused, embarrassed. “It’s useful when I’m using my powers.” They both smiled. I Fought Lore.