Hildesman was almost surprised to see that the walled heretic town was real.

Brother Davvis had managed to get his experimental skimmer in the air again. It wasn't as smooth of a ride as it had been before the damage, but Hildesman wasn't complaining. He didn't want to be anywhere near that direwolf's territory, even if it had left to tend to its new stump leg. Setting down on purpose had been a refreshing novelty as well.

Now, Hildesman was finally able to do his job. He had taken his steambow and the remaining cartridges of the advanced mixture that Brother Davvis had made, and he was scouting the perimeter of the log and mud wall that had taken the place of nearly a full square mile of forest. The young engineer was in cover a few yards back, studiously following Hildesman's guidance on where to hide and when it was safe to move. He was armed with his bolter-gauntlet again, and another device was strapped around his left hand tattooes that Hildesman hadn't recognized.

Other than the wall itself, the oddest thing Hildesman found was a complete lack of anything resembling scouts. A few platforms had been built into the wall, and he could just make out the shapes of people on them, keeping a watch for anyone approaching the wall. But as far as Hildesman could tell, nobody was actually leaving the little heretic town to patrol.

He signaled Brother Davvis to approach. The engineer wasn't stealthy, but they were far enough away that even keen eyes would likely miss them in the forest. And Hildesman had ensured that they were both camouflaged well before they got close to the town wall.

"How's our time?" Hildesman asked quietly. The forest would dampen any echoes but he could still be wrong about the patrols. Or they could just be that good. He hoped it wasn't the latter. He was tired of being ambushed.

"Having to put down for emergency repairs last night put us well past when we were supposed to return. The Vice-Marshal knew my estimates for how long it would take us to get here. Our report should have arrived near midday today. By sunset, he's going to assume that we were captured or injured beyond our ability to finish our task."

Hildesman considered that. The task they had been given was just one of several attempts to scout this area, but based on the travel times the other groups would need to take, he and Brother Davvis should have been the first ones here. The other scouting groups should be arriving soon, followed by the assault team not far behind.

Besides the scouting information, Hildesman and Brother Davvis had been tasked with stealthily removing any sentries or patrols they could. But with the only sentries posted on the walls of the city, there was no way for them to remove anyone without raising an alarm.

"How long until the assault team starts?" Maybe if they were too late to report in, they could hunker down and be prepared to take out a few sentries when the main attack started. Hildesman wasn't sure if that was a good idea or not. He'd fought heretics in the past, but always in a more personal sense. Rarely had he ever seen more than three together, and those were usually perfectly willing to let a lone trapper go about his business without violence.

Brother Davvis shook his head. "I'm not sure. The Vice-Marshal didn't say, and I didn't ask. What are you thinking?"

"I can't find any evidence of patrols. And we couldn't take out the sentries on the wall without alerting the whole town. You've had a good look at the wall, and I assume you've got whatever information you were looking for that I wasn't told about."

Brother Davvis hesitated only briefly, then nodded. Hildesman had figured as much. Why else would the Vice-Marshal tell him to bring an engineer with barely any fieldcraft experience on a scouting assignment?

"Well, right now our choices are to try to report back, or to stay here and try to help when the fight comes. We're a too far outside of the plan for anything else."

"You want to stay and fight?" Brother Davvis nearly forgot to keep his voice down. Hildesman waited several seconds before answering. A squirrel chattered from a nearby tree. No humans approached, and the silhouettes on the wall didn't turn in their direction, so far as he could make out any details.

"I don't want to, but I know I'm capable of it. I'm trying to figure out what my responsibility is in this situation."

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

"We should report back," Brother Davvis said instantly. "The Vice-Marshal will want to know about the defenses. And--"

"And the other thing. Order business." Hildesman sighed. "Alright. Let's get back to the skimmer, then. We can't do any damage here."

Brother Davvis tapped a couple of buttons on his left-hand device, then pulled his practical helmet snug around his forehead. "Alright. Lead the way."

---

An hour later, Brother Davvis's skimmer lifted into the air, shuddering and shaking, but otherwise mostly silent. Hildesman was seated in the gunner's chair again, and kept watch on the treeline as they flew back, staying close to the canopy as they circled the spot that had been cleared in the forest floor.

About halfway back to the city, according to Brother Davvis's rangefinder, they had to set down again and perform another patch job. At least it wasn't an emergency landing this time. Hildesman kept his ears perked for signs of direbeast activity while the other man worked, but there was nothing recent. After an hour, they were able to take to the air again, and this time Brother Davvis took them well above the canopy and sped them back to the city. All told, the return trip took less than ten hours. Brother Davvis's skimmer design was going to seriously change the way the people of Mett Vell did things.

Vice-Marshal Wascot wasn't on the wall when they returned, but Hildesman hadn't expected him to be. It would take time to get the assault team in position, and the large man would be needed to coordinate the front. Instead, Hildesman and Brother Davvis were directed to report to the Marshal of Eastgate directly.

Marshal Messenne was somehow nearly as imposing as his Vice-Marshal, despite being smaller in every physical regard. Hildesman was impressed. The Marshal was an older man, his hair gone mostly gray except for a few streaks of darker hair near the back of his head. He seemed to keep himself clean-shaven, though it was late enough in the day that a light dusting of gray stubble was decorating his jawline. His default expression seemed like a scowl on first impression, but after a few seconds, Hildesman decided it was more like the piercing stare of a bird of prey.

"Sir," Brother Davvis said, when prompted. "Junior Engineer Charles Davvis, reporting along with Volunteer Woodsman Hildesman."

"You're late," Marshal Messenne observed. His voice was steady and calm, but the implied question hung in the air nonetheless.

"Yes, sir. There were operational difficulties with the experimental flyer. We were forced to make an emergency landing. It cost us most of the first night."

Marshal Messenne merely nodded. Brother Davvis continued. "Though behind schedule, Volunteer Woodsman Hildesman and myself were able to complete our scouting assignment following the emergency repairs. I'll let Mister Hildesman share his findings himself."

"The wall surrounds a section of forest just under a mile square," Hildesman explained at a gesture from the Marshal. "It's log and mud, approximately six to eight feet tall. Every hundred yards or so, a platform has been built just inside the wall, and of the ones we were able to approach safely, each was manned by at least three sentries."

An aide was recording all of this in one of the Order's shorthands. Marshal Messenne glanced down at the notes, then nodded for HIldesman to continue.

"Per Vice-Marshal Wascot's orders, I attempted to locate any patrolling sentries outside the wall and eliminate them. However, I was unable to find any evidence of patrols leaving the wall's perimeter. There was no gate on the section of wall I was able to approach."

"No patrols?"

"None that I could see. But heretics spend all their lives in the forest. Many of them are as skilled as myself at fieldcraft. Some of them moreso. The trails could have been hidden. But the patrols themselves did not pass our position either during the two hours that Brother Davvis and I spent in hiding near the wall."

Marshal Messenne leaned in and muttered something to the aide, who tore off a new sheet from his pad and quickly scribbled some more shorthand on it. "Continue, Mister Hildesman."

"It was daylight when we approached, so I wasn't able to get a precise position of the city from the stars, but I can give a relative map of the eastern part of the wall and notable cover in the forest outside. Other than that, I did not see any reasonable means of removing sentries without causing an immediate alert. Brother Davvis thought it best that we report what we found, even if we were later than expected. We returned to the city as quickly as was safe."

"Thank you, Woodsman," The Marshal gestured to his aide, who produced a small wooden box filled with more tokens similar to the supply chits. The Marshal pulled two out and passed them to Hildesman. "Hold on to these. We'll set up a compensation plan for professionals drafted to duty as soon as the emergency has passed." He pointed to a tent set up near one of the winch lifts. Hildesman was certain that was new. "Give your map details to the logistics team in that pavilion. The supply officer downstairs can receive any Order resources that were issued to you. Thank you for your service in this time of need."

"Sir," Hildesman answered, taking his hat off and bowing slightly in respect. He turned to leave, then paused when the Marshal spoke again.

"And Mister Hildesman, please stay in the city for a couple days. I won't bother with the line about your own safety considering your line of work. But we may need to call upon you again."

Hildesman nodded again, only turning halfway back to the Marshal. "Of course, sir."

He went to draw out his maps for the logistics team, leaving Brother Davvis to report on whatever it was the Order was looking for that wasn't sentries.