We marched out with the morning sun.

“So what now?” Fang asked from his Nightmare’s saddle.

“Sorry, what? I didn’t hear you call out to me.” I refused to answer until he said it. Hakim grinned in anticipation, his destrier all dolled up for battle. The beastman let out a loud sigh, and I laughed. “Come on, Lieutenant you need to address me properly.”

“I swear to the spirits, you behave like a child now.” He shook his head and kicked his mount into a canter. “Besides, Captain sounded much more natural. It fits in better with your eyepatch too.”

“You can argue, but if I risked my life and worked so hard for nearly half a decade, people better use my correct rank when they address me.” I shrugged, struggling to suppress a smile. “So what now, Fang?”

“So annoying…” He shook his head but decided to join the game once I raised my nose. “I mean Major Dioneras, sir, your behavior annoys me.”

“Good, Lieutenant Fang, I reward you with the command of our left wing for your honesty.” I giggled and urged my horse into a faster pace as well. “I put Exagus in charge of our right, and you, Hakim, stay with us and hide our movements as we practiced.”

“Aye, Major!” The bard yelled in good spirits.

“See, he knows how to answer me.” I glanced back at the wolfman when I overtook him. The rest of the Twelve Champions split evenly between the two platoons, what remained of them anyway.

“What, I called you Major too.” The wolfman complained and rode off to the side to address his men. I had confidence in our plans but knew that none survived contact with the enemy. I needed to trust my judgment and the people underneath me.

We spent the last week drilling this new army that the Demon Lord assembled. I worried needlessly about leading the troops because he took command personally, but I had my assignment too. He put me in charge of the cavalry and tasked me with aggressive reconnaissance. That fit the expertise gained as the chief of staff, I controlled the scouts, explored the enemy formations, and enjoyed free reign over the attacks of opportunity.

“I want two wyverns circling above us at all times.” I gave the orders to my lieutenants before Fang returned. “Make sure they cover our escape routes if something goes wrong.”

I led the only mounted company, but it also differed from the infantry in other ways. Their formations consisted of orcs or beastmen at the front, supported by goblins as auxiliary troops, but not this one. I commanded goblin riders and their enormous wolves bolstered by kobold auxiliaries on raptors. They used speed instead of raw power.

“Don’t get dragged into fair engagements. Avoid contact if you don’t outnumber the enemy unless I order you specifically.” I gathered my officers around and went over the plans one last time. “Let the battles to the infantry. The lizardmen run fast, but your mounts need to outpace them. Never allow yourself to get stuck, or their swarms will overwhelm you. Keep an eye out for their shamans and don't down.”

“You entered us into a race or something?” The beastmen asked to break the tension.

“The only competition I care about is who survives the longest,” I answered in kind and stressed it once more. “We came to pacify these reptiles and not to slaughter them. Especially not to get killed by them. Follow my orders and your instincts to survive. Don’t play the hero to impress your folks back home but don’t let your guard down either.”

“Aye Cap… I mean Major.” Fang nodded and the other officers followed suit. “We can’t compete for the title of the toughest unit, but we run fast enough to survive.”

And I found speed essential. We might command the largest army, but feeding them in the long run proved difficult. All the carriages we mustered ran back and forth between the nearby bases, and the further we advanced, the worse the problem became. We needed quick victories and soon. If the lizardmen foolishly engaged us in open battles, they stood no chance against our infantry, but with the slightest strategic expertise and delaying actions, our supply lines might stretch too thin and fast.

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“Harass their stragglers, cut off their retreat, and find their forces. The faster we break them, the sooner we return home.” I confirmed their tasks. I talked confidently but still remembered the news from Nateaser. “They don’t speak the common language, but once you disarm and restrain them, they’ll understand who’s boss here.”

I read the reports sent by Gorgon but earned no battlefield insights against the reptiles. I knew that Avalon’s company ceased to exist. With sheer numbers, the lizards overwhelmed them and employed powerful shamans. The message I received gave me no clear explanation about what urged them forward but indicated a powerful being in control.

And my own experience with them suggested something else. I ran into ones that seemed peaceful and not too cunning. In fact, during our exercises, we already captured a few. We sent them back to the dunes of the old Appenon kingdom and established a camp. They cooperated with us as much as the language barrier allowed it.

“Try not to kill them,” I suggested to Fang. “I want to avoid bloodshed until they don’t try to attack us. Disarm, then let the infantry handle them.”

“You’ll never become a general if you behave like a pacifist.” The beastmen shook his head, but I knew he shared my concerns. “How far do you want me to ride ahead today?”

“Just don’t get yourself cut off. I trust your instincts.” I said and watched him ride off with half my men. “I need sorcerers, a lot of them. Life with a few telepaths that decimate the battlefield on my command would be much easier.”

“Sorry to disappoint you.” Hakim rode up to my right. “But you’ll find me useful in other ways, I promise. And hopefully, I’ll get promoted next.”

“Oh, you got me wrong. I just traveled thousands of miles in the last month or so and got the short end of the stick multiple times. Wolves nearly ate me, fought humans, and lost an eye against abyssal monsters.” I highlighted some of my adventures since I left the Ghell fortress. “If a half-decent sorcerer aided me, half the journey wouldn’t happen in the first place. Give me a healer or a telepath, and I won't complain again.”

“I play songs that speed up healing, and my roar travels ten miles.” The bard offered his talents as a substitute, but neither satisfied my needs. “Turning your troops invisible counts as a bonus, not to mention the moral boost they enjoy if I play for them.”

“Again, I find you useful, Hakim. But your roar or invisibility matters little when I need to contact someone a thousand miles away or want my eye grown back.” I noted with a grin. That said, not even the Demon Lord returned my sight when he counted as the most powerful magician.

I wondered how he fared against the Goddess in that regard. From Gorgon’s reports, she got no mentions, but I knew she also commanded immense powers. I never talked about her to the Demon Lord, hoping this wouldn’t be treason.

I wished that horned beastman wrote something subtle to explain what happened in that village. The lizardmen decimated them, and the Elder’s knights got involved in an attack against Nateaser. The crossbows saved them, but that woman nearly killed everyone. I failed to put the pieces together without the vital information about the Goddess.

“If I had a telepath, the lizard's language barrier wouldn’t matter either. And I can’t find the answers I seek here.” I sighed and looked at the sky in search of our wyverns.

“Why not use the old kobold?” Hakim asked a valid question but probably knew the answer already. “I understand he embellishes some facts, but he’s still a warlock.”

“A sorcerer at best. He always overcompensated his lack of talent and small stature, but I don’t blame him.” I shook my head and followed the flying beasts with my gaze. “I simply can’t trust him, but that’s my fault.”

“That sounds like a problem.” The bard nodded. He held his lute at arm's length and started a song. “Looks like you need trustworthy friends and men that follow.”

I felt wary about his tricks but the accords helped me calm down. My senses remained sharp too so I let him continue. His smile told me that he anticipated my reaction, and tried to play the good subordinate so I felt the need to reward him for it. Right before I opened my mouth though, I caught myself from saying something stupid. He messed with my brain, even when I knew about his capabilities.

“Don’t play your mental games with me, bard.” I gave him a warning once I shook off his spell. His expression turned into a frown as he lowered his instrument. “I told you, no mind tricks on us, even if you mean no harm.”

“My bad, Major, I thought you needed to relax.” He bowed his head and put his lute away. I didn’t feel particularly anxious, but I had my worries, most concerned with the village and not our present situation. If anything, his attempt to charm me pulled me back to the present, and I focused on the task at hand.

“I relax once we figure out how to defeat the lizards,” I noted while I searched the distance. “Or what spurred them to attack Avalon’s company? I suspect some mind trick like your own but on a much larger scale. I felt like the reports lacked some details.”

“You mean our beef is not with the reptiles but someone who controls them from the shadows? An entire nation’s worth from afar…” If anything, he seemed intrigued to me. “I know how one might pull that off, but you need expensive dungeon crystals and strong magic to go with it.”

“And you just say that now?” I raised an eyebrow and pulled back on the reins.

“Well, this is the first time I heard of this since I wasn’t allowed to participate in your briefings.” He sounded genuinely offended.” But what you described matches what I know about Domination Stones. To search for them, you only need me…”