The first day of the weekend was great. Everyone celebrated the end of their 4th year together, taking over a large spot on the river and partying late into the night. On the morning of their 2nd day however, Sven pointed out that there were many things missing from the packs they had received for their trip. Each pack had half the pieces needed for a tent, an axe, some rope, a canteen, and a few trail rations. There was also an assortment of tools such as hammers, saws, picks, and small shovels, spread randomly amongst the different packs, but no pack had more than one of those items.
“This is probably part of a test,” Sven suggested. “We don’t have anything for making a fire, nothing for bad weather, nothing to sleep on, there isn’t even a compass.”
“But do we need that stuff?” asked Yaric. “How do you know that stuff isn’t with teachers?”
“I don’t. I think it’s unlikely that they would carry everything else for us, but it doesn’t matter. I’m not taking the chance. I’m going to go shopping today to make sure I have everything I need.”
“You know that you will have to carry extra if you don’t need it? We are also carrying our armor and weapons.”
“Don’t care. I’ll throw it all away if it really becomes a problem, but I’m not going to risk getting stuck on an expedition without essential items. It’s not worth it.”
“I think Sven might be right,” Lauren added, concerned, “We should at least get the most important things.”
That led to the four of them spending most of the day shopping around Lekton. There were many discussions and arguments along the way, all revolving around exactly what was necessary. The items that everyone agreed on were bought by all, but each of them also ended up buying things that no one else bought.
Yaric got himself a second canteen, a bowl, large utility knife, fire starters, a bed roll, cloak, sharpening kit, and compass. He also found a small bag that contained items for emergency medical care. There were basic instructions inside on how to bandage wounds in various places. None of the others felt it was necessary, as any of the teachers that would accompany them would be able to heal them in an instant. Yaric felt that he would rather not take the chance.
Sven ended up with an extra pair of boots, as he was concerned about damage during the battles they would be having during the excursion. He explained that he’d had a bad experience once. Lauren bought a small handheld telescope, and Li Na got a small iron pot, which she filled with additional utensils.
They headed back early to repack everything with their new purchases included. There was a small queue at the armory, since everyone was booking out actual weapons and they had all left it until evening. Yaric took a large, circular, 2-point shield. He would be able to secure it to his pack by tying it to his armor. He also took a short sword and spear like everyone else. Well, everyone except Li Na, who took a mace instead of a short sword.
After some consideration, Yaric also took a bow and quiver. The other three were surprised at this, but Lauren eventually joined him, while Sven and Li Na both agreed to carry an extra quiver each. Every quiver held between 50 and 60 arrows, so Yaric and Lauren each had at least a hundred available, when counting the extra quivers.
Sven ensured that everyone had their canteens filled that night, after which he helped everyone else to pack properly. Things were originally packed wherever they had fitted best. Now, items like their cloaks were packed for easy access. Each of them also made sure that they were able to get their cloaks on after picking up their packs, so that the cloaks would lie over their bags if needed. It wasn’t ideal; they would definitely end up getting wetter than if they would if they wore them properly, but it would ensure that their packs and everything inside would stay dry. Quite a few of their classmates copied them after seeing what they were up to. Yaric noticed that more than a few had also packed items that clearly hadn’t been issued to them.
It was a massive relief to find out that he could leave his affinity cubes behind. James had laughed when he'd asked what to do about them, and explained that leaving them behind for the expedition would delay his recovery, not make it worse. Leaving such heavy and valuable items behind made the whole expedition feel much easier, and they hadn't even left yet.
The whole class ate well that evening, though everyone was both excited and nervous at once. There was a lot of talk late into the night, but they all ended up in bed eventually. No one wanted to be up too late.
The morning dawned cold and clear. There was no sign of the mists that had been laying thick on most mornings, even the wind had abated. The students found themselves assembled in the square by the main entrance, standing in formation under a bright, clear sky.
Twelve Academy staff members stood together with packs as well, although Hiawatha was not among them. Yaric didn’t have to wait for long, as one of the staff members stepped forward to address the class.
“All right everyone, pay attention! I am High Mage Lennon Strenger. You will all listen in silence while I explain what will be happening today. Once I am done, and only once I am done, you will form up into a column, 4 abreast. You will be marching in column of fours for most of this trip. I don’t want to see anyone falling out of formation or embarrassing this Academy!”
“Today we will be leaving the city, and making our way out into the countryside. Once we arrive at our planned camp site, we will spend the afternoon teaching you how to make a proper camp. Your education during the evenings will also extend to lectures on the various creatures that can be encountered out in the wild. Take note now! Things will change as we get further from Lekton. There won’t be well used camp sites when we get closer to our final destination. There won’t even be clearings! You will be making camp in natural terrain, under combat conditions.”
“And make no mistake! You WILL be in a combat situation! There are no patrols where we are going. We are heading to a region of the Kingdom that is known for its wild creatures. You will be in serious danger if you are not able to build a secure camp or organize proper guard rotations!”
“This year will also be very different from last year’s trip. I’m sorry to disappoint those who’ve been looking into the trip we had last year, but we are not going to be eradicating an imp infestation as they did. That was one of the easiest expeditions we’ve held in a long time. This year we are heading to the foothills of a mountain range to the East. There have been numerous reports of kobold attacks, and multiple appeals have been received from villages and towns nearby. Some caravans have been badly mauled. Some have even disappeared.”
“For those of you that aren’t aware, eradicating kobolds is a far more difficult task than clearing out imps. They breed very quickly, and mature in just 4 years. This means that you will be facing large numbers. You will also be doing so while in difficult terrain. We expect you to remember your training and to maintain discipline at all times! Now, form up!”
Yaric lined up next to Sven, with Lauren and Li Na directly behind them. Ten minutes later, the entire class was marching their way through the entrance and down Lekton’s main road. People moved out of the way quickly, while many of those in the stores lining the road came out to watch the procession.
Lekton is a large city. The main center eventually gave way to large residential areas, with row upon row of houses and small buildings. Beyond those were the industrial areas, filled with tanners, blacksmiths and workshops. This area was home to almost any business that made a lot of noise, smelled bad, or just needed a lot of space. After marching so far, it didn’t take long to build up a sweat, even in this weather.
It took the students 2 hours to reach the outskirts of Lekton. The buildings finally gave way to countryside, with gentle hills stretching out to either side of the road. There were still houses and cottages in view, but they were spread far around. Even these eventually disappeared, leaving only the occasional country manor or large estate.
The march continued in silence. No one had said a word since they’d left, but that hadn’t been so bad with everything to see as they went past. Now though, the countryside became monotonous, with every hill looking the same as the one before. Boredom started to set in. Yaric was grateful to Sven though, as he was able to access his canteen while staying in formation. The jealous glares thrown his way indicated that not everyone had done the same thing.
Lunch time came and went, and the sun had clearly passed it’s zenith when they were finally led off the road and into a large clearing. The ground was flat and almost entirely ringed with trees, leaving an open field of grass over 100 meters across.
“Stay here and wait in formation!” High Mage Strenger ordered. Yaric watched in amazement as several of the staff members ran to the trees at the edges of the clearing, cut some down and trimmed a few of them with various spells, then picked them up, 2 to a tree. The trees had to weigh several times their combined weights, but the Mages carried them easily. The trimmed off branches floated along behind them.
“Drop your packs where you stand and gather around! We are going to demonstrate how to set up basic fortifications first!”
Everyone was relieved to take off their packs, and they quickly surrounded the instructors. The lesson only took 15 minutes, but by the end of it the students all understood how to chop small stakes and stack them for later use.
The instructors next explained how to measure out the camp boundaries, before taking the students out in groups to make the measurements themselves. Ropes were staked out, shovels brought forward, and the students spent the next half an hour digging a 3ft deep trench, piling the dirt up on the inside to form a rampart.
More trees were chopped down with their own axes, which were then cut into stakes. The Mages supervised their use in the construction of a barricade on top of the rampart. Despite not having eaten yet, the lessons continued as the Mages showed everyone how to put up their tents, and how to measure out their placement within the camps. Once they were done, the class took turns making the measurements themselves, before being sent off to set up their own tents.
“Which tent parts do you have?” Sven asked Yaric.
“I have the canvas.”
“Great! I have the poles and fittings. We can put up a tent together.”
Neither of them had ever assembled a tent before, so it took much longer than it should have. There were only three poles and a bunch of ropes and pegs, but setting it up took a lot of trial and error. They eventually got their small tent up, and stowed their bags away before going to check on Lauren and Li Na. Not only was Lauren and Li Na's tent already set up, but they had also thought of taking out some of their trail rations to snack on while they worked.
The class was taken around the camp as their instructors inspected their work, pointing out issues and things to improve for next time. They also explained the reasoning behind various features. Guard rotations were discussed and set up, including for the next camp, before the students were dismissed for an hour in order to eat and rest. It was late evening before the class was assembled again for their first daily lesson on the creatures they could expect to face.
“Today we will be discussing kobolds. As I mentioned before we left, the purpose of this excursion is to eliminate a kobold infestation in the foothills around The Dragon’s Fang. This will not be an easy task. Kobolds are famous for the speed with which they multiply. Unfortunately for you, the area we are going to is very remote. Who can tell me why this would be an issue?”
“It will be difficult to get there sir,” answered Stewart.
“Yes, it will. But that would be the case no matter the creature we faced.”
“They have likely been there for a long time before they were discovered,” Lauren added.
“Exactly! The longer they are left to their own devices, the greater their numbers will be when they are finally dealt with. You will likely be facing a very large number of kobolds. Now, this doesn’t make any particular battle more difficult, but it will mean that you will have to fight more battles before the kobolds are cleared out.”
“Kobolds form tribal communities. They are able to process animal skins, and their tools are made from wood and stone. However, kobolds are unable to work metals. They are also unable to understand how to cultivate crops - this limits the number of kobolds that can survive in any particular area of land, forcing them to spread out as their populations grow.”
“You will be hunting for their villages, where they build very basic shelters; usually just branches leaning against a rock or tree, and woven with leaves. They aren’t able to set up defenses, and they won’t have guards. But they will attack relentlessly. Kobolds defend their villages to the death. They will never retreat, neither will they ever work together other than to attack in a disorganized mob. But they will always have a numbers advantage!”
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“The weapons you can expect them to use will be simple clubs and spears. Most spears are just sharpened sticks, but some will have stone spear heads as well. I want you to keep an eye out for any kobolds using slings. They are not very common, but they are often the most dangerous. It’s easy to be injured by a slinger if you are focused on the ground in front of you. Remember, kobolds are usually 2.5 – 3ft tall, so you will find that your shields will often be held lower than what you are used to. This makes you even more vulnerable to ranged attackers than usual. If any slingers are spotted, I expect you to call out their location so those around you are also aware.”
“Now, the best way to clear the kobolds will be to find suitable ground for a spear wall. It is fairly simple to plow through any attack on your line in such a formation. Your only concerns should be maintaining your formation and protecting your flanks. To that end, 6 of you should be stationed on each flank to prevent envelopment. Those of you protecting the flanks need to be able to fight individually and in small units, and you will need to have the freedom to maneuver. A shorter weapon like a sword will work far better for those who guard the flanks. You will also be able to pair the weapon with a shield.”
“Remember, kobolds will attack as a mob, but they will not actively work to flank your line, they will simply attack whoever is closest. If they have large enough numbers, that can mean a few of them moving around the flanks to get at the nearest student. Simply being present on the flanks will ensure the spear wall is protected. It is a more dangerous position however, and its where your best fighters should be positioned.”
“Those fighters are also ideal for taking the lead when approaching a village. Kobolds create paths, and tend to follow their established paths to get to any location. This means that we are likely to run into a few while marching through their territory. It is essential that you are able to deal with them at very short notice.”
“Once a village has been eradicated, all structures will need to be torn down and burned. The same goes for any wooden tools or weapons, any stores they might have, and all animal skins you find. Do NOT leave behind a site that would be easy and welcoming to a new kobold tribe! You will be expected to gather nearby carcasses and pile them in their village center. We will burn them as well. You will find that doing so tends to be very effective in discouraging other kobolds from settling in the same location in the future.”
High Mage Strenger proceeded to explain the basic culture of kobolds, their social hierarchies, and the dangers they pose to anyone passing through their territory. Yaric was surprised to discover that they were so effective at killing things living in their territory, that the threat from any other creatures actually declined as you approached kobold land.
The students were dismissed once the lesson was over, and the class was sent to get fires started and to begin their guard duties. Yaric ran around lighting fires as the wood was brought in. Others gathered the wood and created piles to keep the fire going through the night.
Most of the class had been organized into 10 groups, each with 12 students, while the remainder formed a group separate from the others. The groups of 12 would guard the camp in 1-hour shifts, constantly rotating every 10 hours. They were expected to keep watch over a small area of the perimeter, and their patrol area was small enough to ensure that the guards nearest them were always in sight, even in the dark. They were also expected to make sure that any students that left the camp were protected. Bathroom breaks were no excuse to be caught with your pants down.
The remaining group would take turns guarding the staff tents. As if they needed it.
Yaric, Lauren, Li Na and Sven had managed to get themselves into the same guard group. It was good practice, even if it was almost as boring as the march had been. The biggest difference was the darkness. Having nothing to look at beyond the trees would leave Yaric fighting to keep his focus one minute, but then a sound from beyond the tree line would leave him awake and alert the next.
High Mage Strenger had explained that a proper camp site wouldn’t be enclosed by trees so close to the perimeter, and Yaric finally understood exactly why. They didn’t provide any concealment during the day, and no one would have been able to make it to the tree’s unseen. But it was a different story at night.
The sky had become overcast and cloudy earlier in the evening, blocking out the moon and stars and leaving everything shrouded in darkness. Fires cast enough light to reveal the area around the camp, all the way up to the trees, but did nothing to penetrate the darkness beyond. It was like an obstacle custom made for sneaking up on the camp and watching from the shadows. Yaric shuddered every time he tried to make out anything beyond the tree line.
The hour-long guard duty seemed to take all night, but it ended soon enough, and Sven remained on guard while Yaric went to wake up their replacements. Every rotation included both people sleeping in the same tent, making it easier to wake the replacements and ensuring that students returning from guard duty wouldn’t be waking their partner. Sven joined Yaric once he had been relieved, and they both crawled into their tent and quickly fell asleep.
The morning was very busy, as the students were taught how to break up the camp after breakfast. They also had extra work to do, as the instructors had them dismantle the barricades and refill the ditches, leaving the camp site much like they found it. The stakes were thrown in the fires before the class gathered for a briefing on the plan for the day.
It didn’t take long for Yaric’s group to discover that many students had only packed what they were given. People were complaining all around him. Most people had slept on the ground, and many had had no cloak to keep warm. Now that they were mentioning it, Yaric wasn’t sure how many others were even able to get a fire started; he had lit many of the fires himself.
Each day passed much the same way. They would have breakfast in the mornings, break up camp, then stand in columns of four while they were briefed. Then they would march through the morning before stopping for 45 minutes to eat and take a quick break. This was followed by another march through the afternoon, ending 3 hours before sundown. Another camp would be set up, and everyone would sit for the next class on the creatures they might face, sometimes ending with lessons on navigation and basic survival skills. Then they ate and went to sleep, getting up only for guard duty. The marches left everyone tired and eager to sleep.
The lessons were by far the most interesting part of the trip. High Mage Strenger covered gnolls, gnomes, goblins, naga, harpies and orcs. Then he moved on to the undead, covering ghouls, wights, revenants and wraiths. The focus here was on recognizing their presence and identifying them, as there was not much they could do to fight them as Prospects. Yaric found the creatures even more interesting. Learning about the various kinds of bears or wolf species was ok, but studying creatures like griffons and hydras was fascinating. High Mage Strenger also made it very clear that they would be studying these creatures in more detail at the Academy, as well as many others he would not be covering as there was no chance of encountering them on this trip.
The rest of the trip was mind numbing. Hours of marching in silence during the day was followed by a couple of hours digging ditches and building barricades, and there was always one hour of guard duty during the night. The only break in the routine was when they travelled through villages and towns. Everyone was allowed to resupply themselves, and those that had not thought to get things like bed rolls quickly bought what they needed.
The terrain also changed over time. The rolling hills slowly became dense forests before opening out into grasslands again. Rolling hills became flat plains. Flat plains became small mountain ranges. Still they marched on.
Five weeks after leaving Lekton, High Mage Strenger called them forward for a different briefing.
“Today we will be leaving the roads. From now on we are travelling cross country, and there will be very little chance for resupply. This creates new challenges. I want you all to nominate classmates for hunting and scouting duties. Those nominated will be relied on to find food for everyone else, as well as to go ahead and find camp sites. From here on out, you will need to have scouted possible camp sites by midday. The marching column will then make for the chosen site.
Be aware that you will need more time to set the site up. The ground will have to be prepared; trees will need to be cut down and brush will need to be cleared. You are now moving into dangerous territory. Due to this we will start running drills while travelling. You are all carrying spears already, but you will need to be prepared to form up in seconds in the case of an ambush.”
“Having some of you scouting ahead will do much to prevent ambushes, but anything can happen, and you must be ready. Once we have made camp, some of you will be given additional duties. Now that we are starting to hunt for food, students will be needed to prepare the food for cooking, and obviously for the actual cooking as well.”
“Those that are hunting will need to remember that you are not just finding food and catching it. Whatever you kill will need to be brought to the camp as well. When scouting for a campsite, I want you to focus on somewhere that is easily defensible but also has a good supply of water. Now, everyone come forward to one of the instructors, and nominate five or six of your classmates for the scouting position. Remember! You need to nominate someone who can recognize a good camp site, and who will be able to help feed the rest of us.”
The class split up and formed queues in front of the instructors. Yaric nominated Sven and Lauren – both should be very good at identifying useful campsites, and both of them were capable fighters. He chose not to nominate Li Na though. She could fight, be he was a little concerned that if she found something like an orc, she might choose to attack it instead of falling back to report.
To his shock, Yaric ended up being nominated as a scout. He had never even considered the possibility before then. Lauren also ended up as a scout, though Sven wasn’t chosen alongside them.
“Why the hell would they choose me?” he asked.
“You’re one of the better archers,” Sven answered. “And you’re far more likely to be able to shoot something than get close enough to stab it.”
“Also, you actually have a bow.” Li Na added.
“And everyone knows that you grew up near the borders, I think they all assume that you’ve hunted before,” suggested Lauren.
“Have you?” Li Na inquired.
“Uh, no, actually. I’d never even used a bow until the trip to Lekton, they had an archery range on the boat. That was the first time I ever shot an arrow.”
“Well, good luck,” Li Na said, slapping his shoulder, “You have to run back and forth ahead of us. By yourself. And we’re all depending on you now, so don’t let us starve! Or we will know who to blame!”
“Uhhh….”
Yaric ended up unpacking the things he would need to take with him, while Sven was saddled with the rest of his pack. Li Na was not impressed when the same thing happened to her.
“Sorry bunk mate,” Lauren laughed.
“Yeah well, I can see some things you don’t really need. Don’t worry though! I’ll help you clear out anything that’s unnecessary!” Li Na said enthusiastically, before pretending to dig through Lauren’s pack. “Huh, why does she need all this armor…” she mumbled.
“Lina! Mess with my pack and you’ll regret it!”
Li Na just grinned.
The rest of the class got back into marching formation, while Yaric, Lauren and 7 others got instructions from High Mage Strenger. They set off once they knew where the next camp needed to be located. They travelled for 15 minutes before they started spreading out. A couple of minutes later, Yaric could hear nothing but his own footsteps and the birds in the trees.
And just like that, he found himself alone. Alone in the wilderness. Looking for danger. Hunting...
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Prince Thurstan stood over the table in the command tent, staring intently at the latest map. The invasion was going well, almost too well. Wedal’s principal armies were 5 times larger than the total army King Novak was projected to be able to number. These were split into 2, and invaded Brackburn along 100 mile fronts, one to the north of Edomouth, and one to the south of Yustin. Their objective was to capture the hundreds of farming towns and logistics hubs that dotted the kingdom, in order to seize control of as much food and resource production as possible.
The vanguard had been sent in advance of the main thrusts, simultaneously pinning the forces stationed in both Edomouth and Yustin, exactly as planned. Their advance forces were almost 2/3 the size of Brackburn’s entire army, and that was when you included the estimated number of conscripts that they should have been able to call up. And the magical component of the advance force was drastically superior to the entire Brackburn army. The arcanists fielded by the vanguard outnumbered the total arcanists available to King Novak by 3 to 1.
Combined with the fortifications that the vanguard had built, King Novak would have been unable to leave his fortified cities, and would instead be forced to watch as Wedal’s principal armies captured huge swaths of land. It would be madness to attack the heavily fortified vanguard force when you only outnumbered them 3 to 2. It would be absolutely insane to leave your defensive positions to launch your attack when 2 other forces, each outnumbering you 5 to 2, were advancing on your flanks.
Yet attack they did.
King Novak battered their vanguard badly. His general, Mitko Floros, had led a brilliant assault against their fortified position, and forced them to retreat with heavy casualties. The dwarf even somehow managed to outmaneuver the retreat, using regular cavalry along with his mages to practically annihilate the vanguard’s arcanists. The entire vanguard was eliminated as a threat.
To no effect.
The main thrusts penetrated even deeper than Prince Thurstan had ever dreamed. Most forts were defended by greatly reduced garrisons, falling quickly and easily. The armies had been forced to slow down many times, sometimes even pausing entirely, when they advanced too fast for their own logistics to keep up. King Novak, meanwhile, had been compelled to retreat hastily, desperately trying to fall back far enough to get in front of the invasion forces that had now advanced past him.
The army of Kingdom of Brackburn was currently trapped in their cities, besieged on all sides. Much of their farmland had been captured, and there were very little resources available to them outside of what was already in those cities. It was only a matter of time before the Kingdom fell.
King Novak’s attack had been so poorly conceived that Prince Thurstan was still suspicious. The attack itself was carried out so flawlessly, how could they have been so foolish as to launch the attack in the first place? What was Novak up to? Or had he made a serious misjudgment? Either way, there was no other option but to continue following the invasion plans.
“My Lord, General Zeph has reported on his progress. They have reached the capital. His men are surrounding it as we speak.” announced Teodor Arron, Prince Thurstan’s chief advisor.
“Excellent. Send him new orders. He is to build heavy fortifications around the entire city, and once they are complete, he is to continue on with the bulk of the army. Only the minimum required troops are to be left to conduct the siege. I want as much territory captured as possible. Right up to their western borders if he can manage it.”
“My Lord, we have confirmation that King Novak has retreated to his capital. He is in the city; we have him trapped along with his army. Is this not your priority?”
“I don’t really care for the royal family. Capture them if you can, kill them if you must, but ensure that no matter what happens, we control both the territory and the population. Everything else will follow.”
“Understood my lord.”
“Is the territory around the Black Mountains fully under our control yet?”
“There is some resistance from the local population, but nothing organized, and none of them are properly armed.”
“Perfect. Send every available scouting unit into the mountains. They know what to look for. Every resource is to be made available to them, no matter what they need.”
“My lord?” Teodor questioned.
“Just send the orders.”
“At once.” Teodor said, turning on his heel and striding from the tent.
“And Teodor,” Prince Thurstan called after him, “make sure General Mitko Floros is offered good terms of surrender. He is to be shown every courtesy, understood?”
“It will be done my lord.”
Prince Thurstan turned back to his map, lost in thought as he stared at his supply lines with unfocussed eyes.
'This war has already gone well beyond all expectations. The only thing left is for the scouts to finally find the nursery. If it’s in these mountains, then the wars will finally be over. The whole continent will be in my hands!'