The young Legosia delivered this man to his king. But the words never escaped him. Arneshal sent him on further campaigns regardless, stretching the Remont beyond his limits.

He spoke further to other learned men, mingled with them in gatherings, gaining knowledge until he bloomed into a scholar in his own right. Though the King was blessed with hallowmancy, it was Legosia who led his wars.

Those same words would find him again many years later, when Legosia looked upon his men, scarred and stranded in distant lands. They had been wrung dry, without time in between to live. They had claimed the bounty of the world, but enjoyed none of it.

-From the 8th Chapter of “The Remont of Elneshe”

There were two main settlements at the frontier of the battle. On the eastern end lied the Ravenishtani camp, full of the pride of their Forms, while on the other end was the Phasgorian camp, made of those who considered themselves the living tools of the Gods themselves.

But a third settlement had cropped up in between the both of them. This settlement would be Dolish’s new encampment, consisting of only a few tents that were hidden under a canopy.

The forest protected them from being spotted, and white clothing helped them to blend in with the snow. What little supplies they had were hidden inside of the trunks of trees, under bushes and out of sight of any but the keenest eye.

It was in these camps that the General now stood, around a table that had been procured for him. This single tent had been dedicated to him. Although it was smaller and not as decorated as his previous, Dolish much preferred it. Comfort was never his highest priority. Though looking at the expression Borne gave him, it seemed he minded much more.

“And where is the scouting party headed?” Dolish asked Borne.

“Around Latren, towards the mountains.”

He looked at the map spread out in front of him. His own pieces were few and far between, hidden among the Ravenishtani camp, awaiting his orders. His liaison with the camp was none other than Amarna, who helped him set up the entire operation.

“You better not drag me down with you, Venastian,” Amarna told him.

She’d been slow to believe, but thankfully had desisted.

“I won’t soldier.”

“Still, what caused your sudden change in heart. I’ve never seen you disobey His Sharpness before?” she asked with a glare. A test, then.

“You know as well as I that the Armon isn’t in his right mind, Amarna. Ravenishtan won’t live to see another day if Yennel is left to his devices,” Dolish told her.

She sighed, rubbing her forehead.

“On that, I can agree. He’s suspicious, and His Sharpness has ignored it one too many times,” Amarna admitted.

“I take no pride in being right.”

“Doubtful,” Amarna snided.

“You are right. I take some pride,” Dolish admitted. He smirked slightly at the Lieutenant General, who shook her head.

“What Devourer took your place; I wonder? The Venastian I knew would’ve never cracked a joke.”

“I am trying… to be a little more open to the suggestion of those around me. My honour guard is to thank for that,” Dolish admitted.

All except Borne were on their own missions, sent out to scout, sabotage or steal whatever Dolish had ordered them to. The room was empty save for himself, Amarna and Borne for the time being.

“Dolish, the plan?” Borne asked him.

“We should intercept them. If they’re moving under the cover of darkness, we can lay an ambush for them. Borne, how many of our Afterburners will the Armon not notice?” Dolish said.

“We can only spare a few, three to four of them I suppose.”

“And the Devourers?”

“Five of them.”

“That will work. This is the setup…”

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

Dolish launched into a spiel about the upcoming ambush, positioning and timing his troops quickly enough that it amazed the Lieutenant General.

“Your Form’s not rusted at all, has it?” she asked him.

“A good general keeps his mind ready at all times,” Dolish replied.

“And as long as Dolish isn’t senile, he’s sharp,” Borne added.

****

Colonel Zeshi of the Ravenishtani army had a hard night ahead of her. She and her team had to sneak around the mountains of Sanasira, keeping their presence undetected all the while they searched for hidden ruins.

The Armon had entrusted her with this mission, yes, but she didn’t serve him. She served the promise of a greater future instead. And with that devotion came certain privileges.

Her team crested around a hill, a river in front of them spreading out. It was frozen over at the top, a sheet of ice insulating the inside. She and her Bladeborn walked alongside the normal troops, to keep attention away from them.

Their steps left tracks in the snow, but it was the least of their concerns. The growing cold and the darkness of the night helped them not when it came to finding their path. Zeshi consulted the map provided to her by Yennel.

She breathed out a misty breath, folding her black hair backwards with a gloved hand. but to her, all the peaks and valleys looked the same. She shook her head, annoyed at having to expend bewl.

Zeshi raised a hand and quickly carved a hand sized portal in the air. A similar one appeared far into the sky, pointing down towards them. it provided her an astonishing view of the landscape, and she pinpointed her location through the river.

“Across the river, then westwards!” she told her men, before stuffing the map back into her pocket.

It was only after the first step she realized her mistake. Because on that step, the ground blew up. An ear shattering explosion shook the ground, kicking up dirt and grass. Zeshi fell backwards into the base of the hill. Her head shook with pain, even as she cycled bewl to rejuvenate herself.

She looked down at her mangled foot, leaving her incapacitated on the ground. And then blue pillar of light beamed into the sky.

****

Dolish was swift in his execution.

Throw the tar grenades.

Afterburners flew like red fireflies, dropping the bombs onto the enemy. In an instant, they were covered in it, and their own Afterburners struggled to take off. He hadn’t had enough of his own to run the attack, which is why he had substituted Devourers in their place.

Those same Devourers dropped back to the ground and turned back. Take steel and charge.

The soldiers Devoured as Dolish ordered them, bracing their hands as they ran into the crowd of worried soldiers. They moved in a line, tackling the enemy to the ground. Dolish barked a few more orders at his team, aiming to restrain the enemy as best as he could.

Borne and Bark took care of any Afterburners that had taken off, forcing them to the ground and putting them to sleep.

Eyeleak bombs.

More grenades fell in between the enemy, obscuring their vision as they exploded. Smoke expanded outwards from the area of impact, causing coughing among the enemy. But Dolish’s forces had worn masks over their mouth, and they continued the fight.

And then came his part of the battle. He had no need to bolster his own soldiers. No, they were motivated enough. But the surprise of the attack had caught Yennel’s soldiers off guard. A seed of despair had been planted in their chest that Dolish cultivated throughout the battle.

He stifled any hope or confidence they had, enhancing that same despair until he had them all subjugated. Most thought Commanders could not control the minds of others. Dolish disagreed. It’s just the reins of the control took practice.

By the tenth minute, not a single one of their force was left standing. They were either dead, unconscious or sitting gagged and bound. He stomped towards their leader, a Colonel he vaguely recognized from Yennel’s part of camp, eyeing her up and down.

“Remove her gag,” Dolish ordered.

The Colonel snarled at him, but Dolish put his foot down.

“What did Yennel send you out here to do?” Dolish asked her.

“You’ll be hanged for this, Venastian! He’ll parade your corpse around the entire city once he’s done!” she barked at him.

“Are you feral, or fanatic?” Dolish asked her.

“Reminds you a little of someone else, don’t it?” Borne remarked. Dolish shot him a glare, before turning back to the Colonel.

“If you’re not telling me, I’ll just have you searched. Saeda,” Dolish waved her over, bringing the girl towards the bound colonel.

“Search her. See if you find anything important. I will interrogate the others,” Dolish told her. Saeda nodded, getting to work.

Dolish gleamed no more information from the rest of the soldiers. He sighed, knowing that they’d have to bring these prisoners back with him to the camps. The Armon’s deadline was coming soon, and he would need his troops in top shape for it.

The only solace he found was that they weren’t actively searching for him. He could hide the soldiers in his camp, where they couldn’t hurt anyone else.

Once they were done, they gathered everything they’d found. Chief among them was clothing. But of a Phasgorian style. It was similar to the uniforms that their soldiers wore, red and orange. Tight fitting to the skin but manoeuvrable.

“Why carry this? To blend in?” Alef asked.

“No, but it does confirm what we already know of Yennel’s benefactor,” Dolish replied.

Saeda brought a piece of paper over to him. It was an intricate drawing in black, showing Sanasira from up above. And overlayed ontop in blue, was a running network that Dolish could guess at.

“Vaness, what do these look like?” he asked her.

“Sewage systems?” she guessed.

“Are sewage systems that large?”

“No…no, those are too intricate,” Vaness conceded.

“Tunnels, then,” Dolish told. “He lied to the Armon about his numbers. Yennel must be planning on using these to bring his entire army into the city.”

There were marks made on the map, where Dolish suspected Yennel wanted explored. His thoughts were stopped by the appearance of a Planar, walking through a portal that had opened beside the General.

“Sir, the Phasgorians are not far behind. We should leave,” he told Dolish.

Dolish nodded at once, flaring his Commander aura only as long as it took to issue a single command. Immediately, his soldiers formed up, Planars in front while other Bladeborn carried their prisoners on their back. Portals tore in the air, and Dolish walked through them, glancing one last time back at Sanasira’s mountains.

No, not now, he thought to himself as he went through.