“Senior Captain Trodius Flamesworth.” I held out a gloved hand. “I didn’t think I’d have the pleasure of meeting you again so soon.”
The senior captain shook my hand with a tired smile and waited as I repeated the same gesture to the other two captains.
“General,” Jesmiya said curtly.
Albanth removed his armored gauntlet and shook my hand. “General Arthur. Pleasure to have you here.”
“Let’s head to the meeting room,” I declared, matching my pace with the large armored man in charge of the Bulwark Division, whose main duty was to defend the Wall. “My younger sister would like to contribute in this battle. Her skills as a magic archer should be of use to your troops. If you’d like to test her out…”
“No need for that, General. A lance’s word is plenty enough for me and my men,” Captain Albanth responded resolutely. “I’ll also have my most capable soldier guiding her.”
“Benjamin!” Without stopping, Albanth beckoned for a messenger and had him fetch the guard.
“I don’t need a babysitter, you know,” my sister complained, walking up to me. “I still have the pendant you gave me and Mom, remember?”
Ellie pulled out the phoenix wyrm pendant I had gotten her and Mother on Ellie’s twelfth birthday.
“I’ve let you come on this mission as I promised, but you’re not allowed to say anything about me taking extra precautions,” I chided. “That pendant only works once and it’s not something I can easily acquire again.”
By the time our small group had arrived at the familiar meeting tent, the soldier that had been beckoned for by Albanth was already there.
“Stella,” Albanth called out. “This is General Arthur’s younger sister…”
“Eleanor Leywin,” my sister finished with a salute.
“Eleanor Leywin. She’s a capable magic archer that I’ll leave under your direct care,” the captain of the Bulwark Division ordered. “Make sure she’s properly equipped before taking her to the top level.”
If the woman named Stella was discontent with being stuck protecting my sister, she did a great job of hiding it. Her scarred face was expressionless as she held her helmet in one hand and a mace in the other.
“Yes, Captain,” the soldier barked, clicking her armored heels. “Please follow me, Lady Eleanor.”
“Please. Just Eleanor, or even soldier, is fine.” My sister scratched her head in frustration as she followed after Stella.
“My apologies for having one of your soldiers guard my sister like this. She was rather adamant about serving and I thought the Wall would be a safe place to start.”
“Normally, I’d agree with you. But with the size and strength of this beast army approaching, I can’t say that for sure,” Albanth responded.
***
After everyone had settled into their seats around the table, we started the strategy meeting. Those present were Senior Captain Trodius, Captain Jesmiya, Captain Albanth, Callum, Gavik, Sylvie and myself.
“While discussing battle strategy is important, I believe getting a better understanding of our troops currently at the Wall, out in the Beast Glades, and those arriving should take precedence,” Trodius began.
With a silver croupier’s rake, the senior captain began sliding markers around the large map spread out on the table.
“Each large marker represents a thousand troops and small, a hundred. Does this look about right?” Trodius confirmed with Jesmiya and Albanth.
“Not including the freelance adventurers currently under my wing, we have just bit shy of two thousand,” Albanth confirmed.
Jesmiya used her sheathed sword to move around a few smaller pieces around in the territory of the Beast Glades. “One of my scouting units returned a few minutes before General Arthur arrived. The head will be joining us shortly to report.”
“Thank you,” Trodius said with a nod. “We have a few more adventurers making their way here but their numbers won’t be greater than a hundred so these will be what we have to make do with. General Arthur, I’ve heard many praises from Commander Virion about your strategic abilities. Would you like to offer a plan of action?”
Both Albanth and Jesmiya regarded me with surprise, most likely at the fact that I was not only proficient in combat but in military tactics as well.
I shook my head. “I’m unfamiliar of the inner workings of the Wall and its residents. I think it’d be best if you take charge, though I may offer some suggestions here and there.”
“Noted,” Trodius replied promptly before moving on to his plan.
While I bore little fondness for the man that had tossed his own daughter aside like a broken toy, I had to admit that Trodius’ efficient and callous nature adapted well into his position of power.
The basic premise of his plan was to slay as many of the corrupted beasts as possible before they reached the Wall. This meant that there would be several units sent out as cannon fodder out of range from the mages stationed on the Wall.
Trodius continued on with his plan, moving pieces around the map to indicate four units that would take a more roundabout way in their approach toward the beast horde.
“I believe our main advantage against the approaching enemy is that they do not appear to have a strategy, outside of marching through the doors with a few Alacryan mages to herd them in place.” the senior captain voiced, moving two large pieces on either side of the Wall. “Thus, while we send in a steady stream of normal soldiers and augmenters from the Bulwark Division to impede enemy movement, two units of the Trailblazer Division will move out early and get in position to flank on either side.”
The senior captain paused for a moment before speaking again. “With enough rounds of concentrated attacks on both the front and the sides, by the time the beast horde is in range of the mages at the Wall, the conjurers stationed with the help of General Arthur should be enough to finish it off.”
Captain Albanth looked blatantly dissatisfied with the plan of sending in his soldiers to their death while even Captain Jesmiya was thoroughly studying the map for a better alternative when I spoke up.
Something feels off.
‘While the lives of the soldiers sent out aren’t cheap, this plan seems fairly reasonable,’ Sylvie rebutted, staring at the map as well.
No, not that.
“General Arthur? Is something the matter?” Trodius asked.
“Huh?” I looked up to see all three of the captains, as well as the mages that had I come with staring at me.
“Your finger.” The senior captain pointed at my right hand. Unknowingly, I had been tapping my finger on the table.
“My apologies. I was just thinking.”
Trodius’ brow twitched. “If you are dissatisfied with the plan that I have offered—”
“No it’s not that.” I interrupted, raising my hand. “Whether this is a good or bad strategy, I’m not quite sure yet. However, I feel like this attack will most likely be their last on this front.”
“What do you mean?” Captain Albanth asked.
“The Alacryans have been sending a steady stream of corrupted beasts to the Wall along with their mages, and while effective, thinking from a strategic standpoint, that isn’t a feasible long-term strategy,” I answered.
“Captain Jesmiya.” I locked eyes with the blond-haired division leader. “You’ve stated that your troops have wiped out most of the dungeons that the Alacryans used to hide their teleportation gates in, correct?”
She nodded. “Yes. The few gates that my troops have been finding recently were those already broken.”
It was common knowledge that the Alacryan teleportation gates in the Beast Glades were rather limited in the number of times that they could be used. Even some of the more stable ones that the Trailblazer Division had found were deemed too unstable to safely cross. The fact that the Alacryans had to take a gamble each time they wanted to send their troops to our continent spoke volumes of their leaders’ ruthlessness.
“Having little to no gates available for the Alacryans to slip into Dicathen through, it’ll be nearly impossible for the Alacryans that have made it through into the Beast Glades to receive supplies,” I continued.
“With how untamed the lands are there, they’d be busy just trying to survive once they run out of supplies, let alone plan an attack,” Gavik spoke.
“Which is why I feel they might be devoting everything they have into this last attack,” I finished, my eyes studying the map with furrowed brows.
“Not that I don’t agree with you, General Arthur, but how does that change our current predicament? Trodius asked, his tone impatient.
I circled our current location on the map with my finger. “It means that we might have to rethink our plan of sacrificing soldiers to keep the Wall fully intact.”
Albanth spoke up. “If it means not having to send my soldiers in a single-file line to their deaths, I’m all ears, General Arthur.”
“As am I,” Jesmiya agreed.
“A moment, please,” Trodius stated flatly. “While I am all for preserving as many of our men as possible, I’d like a plan that isn’t based on a ‘feeling’ or ‘hunch’.”
“Fair.” I nodded. “This is speculation on my part as well but my stance is that, in this phase of the war, keeping more men alive is imperative. We can rebuild a wall, Captain. We can’t rebuild people.”
Trodius’ eyes narrowed. “That’s a rather crude oversimplification of the situation, General. What happens if an Alacryan army attacks shortly after the beast horde if the Wall is in shambles?”
“Would a fortified wall hold off mages better than mages themselves?” I retorted. “Captain, I’m not saying we should just freely forfeit the Wall. I’m suggesting we sacrifice parts of our fortress as opposed to our men.”
After a moment of silence, Trodius let out a sigh and slid the silver rake he had been using to maneuver the pieces on the map. “Please continue.”
Accepting the gesture, I stood up and began moving the pieces around, all eyes following my me. “So here is what I had in mind...”
Chapter 211: Awaiting the Horde II
“Your movements are too stiff,” I reprimanded as I thrusted the pommel of my practice sword into my opponent’s wrist. “You need to loosen your shoulders and wrists until the last moments of your swing. If you can’t do that, the sword you’re using is too big for you.”
The sharpened longsword clattered on the ground as the young soldier shook his armored hand with a grimace. “Thank you for the advice.”
“Next!” I called out to the few dozen soldiers standing in line a few yards in front of me.
A burly woman clad fully in plate armor, holding a buckler in one hand and a shortsword in the other, walked up and dipped her head before getting into a stance.
A dense layer of mana enveloped her body while tendrils of wind swirled around her blade.
“Same rules apply,” I said, raising my thin sabre-like sword at the woman. “Attack me with the intent to kill.”
Any sort of hesitation had been wiped clean on the armor-clad brunette’s face after watching her predecessors fail in even touching a hair on the fur-lined mantle that I hadn’t bothered to remove.
With a determined nod, she dashed forth with a tremendous amount of speed for someone weighed down by a full set of armor. She attacked with a simple horizontal swing, the reach of her blade extended by the wind magic imbued within the weapon.
Rather than dodging, I parried, deflecting her sword upwards which opened up her defense enough for me to fit an open palm into her chest.
The woman was quick enough to raise her buckler in time to block my strike, but she still ended up stumbling back a few steps.
I let out a sigh. “If you’re already hesitating, this match is over.”
“I’m not sure what you mean, General. I was able to block your counter successfully!” the woman responded, her brows scrunched together.
“It doesn’t matter. Even if you had landed that initial slash on me, it would’ve barely made a scratch on an augmenter or a mana beast.”
Anticipating her question, I went on. “ Why? Because your weight was already on your back leg before you even swung.
“Again.”
She approached me once more, this time with careful steps. With a sudden stamp of her feet, she advanced with a lunge, extending her blade’s reach once again.
I dodged with a simple sway of my head but by that time, the armor-clad soldier had already reeled back her sword. The stab I had expected was a feint in order to bash me with her buckler.
Letting the full force of her buckler hit my arm and lift me off my feet, I tried to see what she’d do but rather than continue her assault, she stepped back and raised her guard.
“Why did you stop?” I asked, dusting off my mantle. “You had me in the air where I’d be more vulnerable. You have your armor and buckler to make up for small mistakes.”
The soldier stood quiet for a moment before speaking confidently. “I was wary that you were preparing for a counterattack.”
“If I wanted to counterattack, I would’ve done so before you hit me with your shield, not after,” I retorted. “Your equipment and your fighting style are total opposites of each other. Your footwork, attacks, movements and feints all point to a speed-type augmenter, but your armor, shield and even sword says otherwise. I’m not sure if you’re doing this to confuse your enemies or confuse yourself, but pick a side, because you’re going to get tired real fast out in battle if you try to fight the way you are with all that on you. Next!”
Quite a few soldiers that had been relieved of their posts to take a break had lined up to spar against me. A small crowd of merchants and people not currently preparing for the beast horde had gathered as well, excitedly wondering if any of them would land a hit on me despite all of the limitations I put on myself.
So far, I had barely exchanged two or three moves before stopping my blade just short of a fatal blow and giving a few unadulterated pieces of advice to the soldiers about to face the horde of corrupted beasts.
Just as a new soldier stepped up into the stone ring I had conjured, Sylvie’s voice chimed in my head. ‘I thought you said you were going to try and get some rest before setting out?’
I looked back to see her descending the stairs with Gavik and Callum on either side of her. I couldn’t fall asleep so I figured I’d warm up my body and train a few soldiers while I’m at it. How was your trip up to the top of the Wall? Is Ellie doing okay?
My bond cracked a grin as she walked up to me before speaking aloud. “Ellie is adjusting pretty well. When I went to see how she was doing, she was busy practicing shooting from the edge with a few other soldiers. One looked around her age too.”
I looked up at the towering wall, surveying the bustling activity within it as everyone prepared for the plan I had suggested. “That’s good.”
Gavik spoke up, approaching the ring I was in. “Captain Albanth and his troops are following through and tearing down most of the support beams holding up the underground passages. Captain Jesmiya is reallocating her troops around the ends of the Wall but…”
The burly iron-clad adventurer shifted his gaze for a moment. “Is it really necessary for you and Lady Sylvie to go by yourselves?”
I raised a brow. “No offense to you or Callum, but are you confident in fighting alongside us without me having to worry about actually killing you?”
Gavik looked back at the curly-haired conjurer behind him before turning to face me. Both he and Callum steeled their gaze and nodded. “Yes.”
“You know, Commander Virion sent you out here to assist me in the Wall’s defense but I doubt he meant it in this way. Just stay here,” I dismissed, waving the two of them off.
I could hear Gavik grit his teeth even from where I was standing, but the two of them turned and left, weaving in between the mages and shovel-holding workers all filing towards th
e underground passages.
“We could’ve used their help,” Sylvie said after the two adventurers had gone off. “And they seemed really determined to go with us.”
I motioned for the soldier on the other edge of the ring to come and held up my blunted sword.
Gavik has a daughter that looked to be about my age or even younger, if the picture on that pendant is recent. I saw him sneaking in a kiss after the meeting, I stated to Sylvie while redirecting my opponent’s thrust.
I could hear my bond letting out a stifled laugh from behind before she spoke back to me telepathically. ‘And here I was beginning to think how cold my bond has been to these poor soldiers. It seems like you’re getting better at keeping your thoughts from leaking into mine.’
A man’s got to be able to keep a few secrets, I joked as my sabre proceeded to press against the nape of my opponent. “If I’m not wrong, you’ve had a big injury on your right side in the past, which is making you focus all of your defenses to that side. You’re leaving your left side too open because of that. Next.”
“Mind if I go next?” a familiar voice called out to my left.
Sylvie and I both turned towards the source of the voice and I could feel a flood of elation leaking from my bond as she dashed off.
With gunmetal-gray hair, a shade darker and still dripping with water, and bright turquoise eyes that seemed to nearly glow on their own, I saw my childhood friend wave in our direction.
“Tessia!” Sylvie cried as she basically ran straight into the elven princess.
I smiled, taking in the sight of the two of them. While Tess hadn’t physically changed much since the last time we met, I could tell at glance that she had grown due to manning the fields.
The princess shifted gazes between me and the child currently wrapped around her waist. It wasn’t until her eyes focused on the horns protruding out of the girls head that she made the connection. “S-Sylvie?”
“No more sparring for today!” I called out to the crowd of soldiers and adventurers waiting in line with weapons in their hands before I made my way toward my childhood friend.
TBATE Volume 7 Page 13