"Sir, we found something we think you should see," one of the soldiers informed Reivyn. Reivyn recognized the man. It was Jerzen, the first person Reivyn had sparred with when he took command of the platoon.
Reivyn was in his tent, writing reports of what the company had been through since the disastrous battle and retreat. There was nobody to send the reports to right now, but they would be necessary eventually. Reivyn had decided to go ahead and get the work done while he had some free time so that he could ensure that everyone got the credit they deserved. He would have the lieutenants and squad leaders make their own reports, as well, and he would cross-reference them to make sure nothing was left out.
"What is it, Jerzen?" Reivyn asked as he got up from his folding chair to follow the soldier out of his tent. Jerzen perked up at being addressed by name.
"There were some documents in one of the pouches we're inventorying. Most of them are manifests, but there appear to be notes and maps, as well."
Reivyn and Jerzen rushed out of the tent and headed over to where the soldiers were pulling everything out of the supply satchels they had snagged. It wasn't good enough to just sense the items in the pouches. Reivyn wanted the troops to see just how many supplies they actually had, and he made sure they kept a careful account of everything present.
They didn't have a supply chain leading back to Oreck, and they didn't have a reliable way to secure additional food and gear other than raiding the enemy at this point. Their supplies were their lifeline. Reivyn had sent out a group of four fast runners with their own supplies, now that they had enough, to run back to Oreck to report the situation. Hopefully, they would be able to re-establish communication and connect another supply line, but that would be in the future.
"What do we got?" Reivyn strode into the circle of men and women, meticulously inspecting the spatial pouches.
"Here," Jek handed over a sheaf of papers. "There's a map with obvious supply routes and depots marked on it. There's a lot more going on here than we thought."
Reivyn took the papers and flipped to the marked map. He unfurled it and laid it out on a desk that had been set up for just this purpose. Reivyn's eyes were immediately drawn to the lines connecting what were apparently several base camps of enemy armies. The map provided wasn't just local, either. It painted a picture around the entire desolate sands.
There weren't as many cities on the scale of Kirlon around the desolate sands, but that didn't mean there weren't any population centers. From what Reivyn had gathered from the direction of that first additional army he had spotted on patrol, they also weren't just attacking cities in the immediate area around the sands, either.
This is invaluable information, Reivyn thought. I was so focused on securing supplies that I completely neglected the opportunity to snoop for intelligence. We got lucky with this one. This is a good reminder that I'm not infallible.
Reivyn's Mana Skills once more began to tick, trying to synergize together to inform Reivyn of something. He still wasn't quite able to grasp it, but he began to put pieces together.
The enemy horde is completely barbaric, Reivyn surmised. They don't operate in a methodical, military manner. Instead, they're like raving lunatics.
There was a connection to the Abyss in the depths of the caverns in the desolate sands, and the Spider Matriarch, if that's who it was in that Boss Dungeon, was clearly tainted by Abyssal Mana.
Are they connected to the Abyss somehow? Are they trying to make a connection with the portal?
"I think I have some preliminary ideas," Reivyn said after a moment. "That will be for the Generals to think about, though. What we need to focus on, for now, are these supply lines and depots." Reivyn pointed to a particular spot on the edge of the map that had several lines leading off to army encampments, but there were no other connections other than that. It was outside of the circle that was drawn, surrounding the desolate sands. "What's this? Anyone have an idea?"
"Ahem," Lieutenant Laris cleared his throat, exchanging looks with the other officers. "It's only speculation, of course, but we believe this is the entry point to the Region."
"If the brands on their heads really indicate the Tier of Region they're from, and you've mentioned seeing a '4' brand last night, then they have to come from a neighboring empire," Lieutenant Grent added. "The only problem with that is, this Kingdom isn't on the border of the Wispan Empire. They would have had to travel across multiple, multiple Tier 1 and 2 Regions to get here.
"There's no way they would have made it all the way here, sacked several cities, and set up this elaborate operation without being spotted ahead of time."
"We believe this is a long-range teleportation circle," Jek said. "They've obviously been planning this attack for a long time. If I had to guess, they had some high-Level Mages infiltrate the Wispan Empire, and they had them travel all the way out here to set this portal up ahead of time."
"I see," Reivyn tapped the map with his finger as he thought. "Alright. That is priority number one. We have to figure out if that's the case or not, and if it is, we have to destroy it. As long as that teleportation circle exists, they have an infinite supply line and infinite reinforcements.
"Everything that we plan will be geared toward that number one goal. Continue with the inventory for now. Make a copy of the map and anything else you think is important, and we'll all review them on our own time. When Lieutenant Morrin gets back from his patrol with his platoon from the other company, make sure he gets a copy.
"On that note, make sure the men are always doing something. Once we get through the inventory, have the platoons rotate on doing drill and exercise. Rest is important, and we'll get plenty of that, but we don't want to get rusty, either."
"Yes, sir!" The officers saluted and returned to their tasks.
Reivyn returned to his tent to continue his reports as he waited for the copies to be made. Despite the difficulties they had faced, morale in the company was actually high. Giving the men tasks to focus on would prevent them from stewing on the debacle of the failed mission and their current circumstances of being separated from the battalion.
The copies of the maps and other documents arrived several minutes later, and Reivyn put his reports to the side. He focused his attention on the map and kept notes about what he felt would be good strike points on the enemy supply lines. He cross-referenced the timetables provided in the notes from the deceased logistics officer, as well as the distances involved.
The ticking from his Mana Skills once more intensified, and Reivyn had to stop looking at the map with a military, strategic eye. He sat back and frowned as he tried to let the Skills form together as he stared at the map.
He picked the map up on a whim, walked to the wall of his tent, and pinned it in place. He sat back down and stared at the lines drawn around the desolate sands.
Looking at it like this, it's almost like it's a Spell Pattern... Reivyn stroked his chin. If these lines are weaves, and these depots are knots...
New Skills Unlocked!
Tier 3:
Decipher (0 ->1)
Tier 4:
Runes (0 ->1)
Suddenly everything came together in Reivyn's mind. The Mana Skills synergized and extrapolated data that he hadn't learned before, and he recognized what was going on.
It's a giant Spell matrix! Reivyn was enlightened. It is connected with the Abyss somehow. They're creating this giant Spell in the desert, and they needed manpower to draw the weaves of the Runes. They're not invading in the traditional sense. They're just killing two birds with one stone. They don't want the locals to interfere with their mission, and they need people to do the work, so they just took the people!
It doesn't really change anything for us. There's no telling what their goal actually is or what the ramifications will be if they succeed. But at least we might be able to stop them now that we know what they're doing out here.
Reivyn quickly grabbed another sheet of paper to write his conjecture down. He wanted everything fresh in his mind after the epiphany. He wrote out two copies of his thoughts.
I'll keep one copy to go with my reports, but I need to get this information sent out to the higher-ups as soon as possible.
Reivyn stuck his head out of his tent and motioned for a passing soldier to get Lieutenant Jek for him. Reivyn only had to wait a short moment before his friend came running over. Reivyn handed him a sealed envelope containing his hypothesis.
"I think I've figured out what they're doing out here," Reivyn said. Jek's eyebrows rose to the top of his head as he took the envelope. "This is important information, and it needs to get to Oreck as soon as possible. I know we already sent out a group to inform them of what's happened to us, but we need to send another runner to either try and catch up or to get to Oreck on their own.
"Pick a few suitable people, and send them with this missive."
"Yes, sir!" Jek saluted and rushed off to get the mission accomplished.
Four people in the initial group sent off, and another four people sent off with this new information... Reivyn stroked his chin in thought. Eight people shouldn't hinder us, and their missions are imperative.
Now that I'm no longer being bugged about the Spell matrix every time I look at the map, it's time to make some plans.
----------------------------------------
Reivyn marched alongside the volunteers of First Platoon. The nights in the desert were never as dark as they were in his home Region, as there was rarely any overcast. The stars and moon shown brightly upon the ground, and the platoon made their way across the terrain in silence.
There was no glinting off of the metallic armor the soldiers adorned. One of the supplies they had confiscated, for some reason, had been paint. Reivyn had ordered all of the soldiers of the company to paint over their armor in the camouflage patterns designed to break up one's outline. Dulling the sheen of the metal was an added bonus.
Even Reivyn sometimes had a hard time spotting scouts returning to give their reports. One such man was walking alongside Reivyn, doing just that.
"Just like the schedule stated, there's an enemy platoon just on the other side of that ridge," the scout pointed forward and off to the side. There was a steep plateau that would be difficult for the entire platoon to climb in short order without making a racket.
"Good," Reivyn nodded. He dismissed the scout back to the platoon and turned to address Jekle and Paul. "Have the first four squads get into position just on this side of that hill. I'll take the fifth squad up the cliff with me. Remember, have the men cover their faces until I give the signal."
"Yes, sir!" The two men saluted and turned to obey the Command.
Reivyn gathered with the fifth squad, and they silently rushed to the cliff face. Each of the members of the fifth squad could be considered an irregular, and they had a wider Skill set than the main fighters of the platoons. They took out ropes with grappling hooks, and they tossed them up to secure them against some rocks and boulders on top of the cliff.
Reivyn ascended the plateau with the other ten people, and they low-crawled to the far side to peer down on the advancing platoon. The structure of the enemy army wasn't the same as Oreck's. The enemy platoon consisted of 100 men, whereas Reivyn's platoon had 50. Most of those people would be the fodder soldiers with 1's branded on their foreheads, though.
If the "4's" are in charge of the armies and overall logistics, then it makes sense that there would be "3's" at the battalion and/or company level, Reivyn surmised. I doubt we'll run into any "3's" in this platoon.
Reivyn watched the enemy soldiers as they continued to march closer to Reivyn's platoon, lying in wait. They were very specifically not "Marching," as they were more a disorganized mob than anything else. The member of the fifth squad reallocated the ropes they had used to climb the short plateau by tying them to rocks on this side of the ledge, but they didn't toss the ropes down just yet.
Reivyn had ordered the platoon to cover their faces, and he also ordered the soldiers from the fifth squad to follow suit. He waited until the enemy was almost to the edge of the plateau, ready to step out in front of his waiting men, when he launched the signal.
The signal was a giant, extremely bright orb that he manifested directly in front of the enemy platoon. It shown down on them, and its sudden appearance caused them all to reel back and exclaim in shock. Reivyn had the orb descend to just over their heads before he detonated it in a loud boom. The sound and brightness of the Spell caused the enemy to lose their sense of sight and sound temporarily, and that was the signal for his men to charge out.
The fifth squad leapt to their feet and began pelting them with arrows as the main infantry advanced on their position, and Reivyn joined them by hurling more Spells down from his vantage.
The first four squads of the platoon crashed into the disoriented soldiers. The enemy put up little resistance at first, but Reivyn could tell the back rows were slowly regaining their ability to function.
"Come on!" Reivyn Commanded the fifth squad.
Reivyn and the men flung the ropes over the edge, and they rappelled down the cliff. They gained their feet and charged at the back line of the enemy platoon. Reivyn used his Elemental Weapon Skill, but he didn't infuse it with anything flashy. He didn't want the light of his Spells to blind his own men. He simply infused the Sharpness Affinity, and his sword sliced through enemies with ease.
The battle only lasted a few minutes, and Reivyn and the fifth squad soon found themselves meeting up with the soldiers of the first four squads.
"Another flawless victory," Reivyn commended the troops. "Mop up!"
The soldiers of the platoon went about making sure all of the enemy soldiers were actually dead, and after confiscating the supply pouches from some of the ones with "2's" branded on their heads, they dug another grave and deposited the bodies.
"Let's go. We need to meet up with Third Platoon and get to our next destination as soon as possible," Reivyn Commanded.
The platoon once more formed up and Marched off, the scouts sent out to prevent any surprises. A Notification popped up in Reivyn's vision as they stepped out.
New Skill Unlocked!
Tier 3:
Ambush (0 ->1)
"Why don't any of them ever surrender?" Jekle muttered under his breath.
"They seem like they're brainwashed or something," Reivyn commented. Jekle looked over at his commanding officer, a question on his face. "They don't stop to think, they don't use any kind of tactics, and they never quit." Reivyn ticked the points off on his fingers. "Sounds like fanatics to me."
"Yes, sir, I guess you're right," Jekle sighed. "It just doesn't sit right with me, all of this death. It's like they don't care about their lives. I feel like we care more about their lives than they do."
"That's a good thing," Reivyn said, clapping Jekle on the shoulder.
"Sir?"
"Think about it. If you ever get to the point where you don't care about the lives of your enemies, you'll eventually turn into the monster you fight. It's hard, too, when they don't give us any other choice. We have to stay strong in our moral beliefs in the face of such actions. If, one day, you find yourself in another war with different people who do surrender, but you're so used to killing everyone to the last man, you might not even realize they've surrendered.
"So don't ever stop thinking about their lives, and don't ever embrace the emotions of unfeeling for them. Stare into the Abyss, and the Abyss stares back." Reivyn hadn't meant to utter that last sentence, but it seemed like Jekle didn't pick up on the deeper meanings behind the words. He just nodded his head as he continued to contemplate.
Jekle moved back to his position in front of the platoon alongside Paul, and Reivyn Marched to the side of the formation. Jekle might be more experienced in life in general, but the man, along with everyone else in the volunteer army, didn't have any experience with combat and killing. Reivyn's experiences and Dreams ensured that he was the wise one when it came to matters of warfare.
The strategy that Reivyn and his officers had come up with was equal parts safe and dangerous. It was quite daring for their situation. Reivyn recognized that the teleportation portal would be heavily guarded, so they needed to draw the defenders away. The entire scale of the enemy operation was huge, though, so they needed to create a good reason for them to do so.
They had decided to split the company in two and go in two different directions. They wouldn't wait for the eight troops sent to deliver messages to return. Reivyn's First Platoon and the Third Platoon moved north toward the hub they suspected was the teleportation circle. They weren't making a beeline, and they weren't planning on tackling it right away on their own. Reivyn needed to verify the situation, and he wanted to be there in person to lay eyes on it.
The second, fourth, and additional platoons moved out to follow the edge of the eastern border of the desolate sands to the south. They wouldn't immediately strike at the supply lines on the way, and they were given more of the supplies they had secured from the raid to account for that. They would travel to the far side of the desolate sands and begin wreaking havoc on the enemy over there.
Reivyn had split the company up in such a manner because he trusted Jek's competence more than any of the other lieutenants, and he was the Second Platoon Commander. That wasn't to say that Reivyn didn't have trust in his officers, just that he knew how competent Jek was for sure.
The two groups of platoons would travel together most of the time, but they would further split into individual platoons to raid multiple supply lines at the same time. They wouldn't keep a permanent base to return to, and they would have to build and move an outpost every time they stopped to rest.
Once Reivyn's platoons verified the information regarding the teleportation circle, they would loop around to the northwest of the desolate sands and do the same thing over there. The entire strategy was to isolate the armies that were already out there and starve them out. If they ever ran into a situation where it was feasible to rescue any civilians, they would try to do so, but that was no longer their priority.
It was clear that there was more than just the population of Kirlon that had been uprooted from their homes. Disrupting the supply chain would inevitably put a strain on the civilian population as well, but there wasn't much more Reivyn could do about it with his current military strength. They had to destroy the mechanism they received more food and troops from if there was to be any hope of stopping them.
The plan was very risky, especially since not only did they not have any communication devices, but even if they did, the distances involved would make it a moot point. It had taken Reivyn and Kefira's Party days to walk out of the desolate sands, and that had been in a straight line. The target of the enemy wasn't a circle by any means, but if looked out from a far enough distance, it was basically the same thing. The caves that housed the Lizaldons and cave spiders were located very close to the center.
The First Platoon Marched another couple of hours through the night, not running into any other enemy forces or armies. They eventually met up with the Third Platoon, led by Lieutenant Laris, and they grouped back together to find a place to hole up for the day. For the foreseeable future, they would be operating at night and resting during the day.
"Have any success?" Reivyn asked Lieutenant Laris as they Marched together.
"Yeah," Laris nodded his head. "They were exactly where the map said they would be, at the exact time it said they would be there. Like clockwork. Whenever it involves the plans of people with higher-numbered brands, the strategy, tactics, and execution are amazing, honestly. If their lower platoons consisted of these more competent people, then there would be no way to win."
"We'd find a way," Reivyn said. "There's always a way."