Everyone looked at each other. That was an unusual demand from Reina. Maybe despite her blank expression, she was a bit annoyed by the fact that she had to leave her territory to help the plains folk. Hei didn’t say anything about that, but it was clear that he didn’t like the idea of letting Heirina participate on the front lines in her first battle to defend the borders.
“Fine by me. I take it that we will be paid well enough if we survive until the end. Right? What are we going to have for dinner?”
The group felt like sighing, thanks to Zelos’s nonchalant attitude… they stayed in the front earlier, but that one had been an ambush. Things would be different tomorrow, but it didn’t look like he cared that much about it. As usual, he had steel nerves. After clearing her throat, Heirina decided to ask something.
“We can do that, but aside from that, what can we do, and what will be our goal?”
“We will lure the enemies’ leaders. Once they are killed, the rest will go down easily. Since one of them has a grudge against you all, we should be able to pull that off easily.”
The group wasn’t as sure of that as Reina was… Still, they could only try, and if the plan fails, they will be able to tell her to be a bit more reasonable and follow more common tactics. Hopefully, that won’t cause them too many losses.
“At the same time, we will attack the enemies instead of waiting for them. The hill gives us some advantage, but as I said, I want to finish this tomorrow. My people and I will lead the charge, and the rest of you can follow by the sides. Only these here will have to be with us in the front.”
“... I will inform Lua and the other captains of the plan. They will probably think that we have lost our minds, but they will do anything as long as they don’t have to deal with the most troublesome issues.”
“All right, that is all.”
Reina left the tent with her underling and then joined her other allies. The other stayed behind to talk about the situation, even though there wasn’t much to say or change about that.
“Tomorrow will be difficult, but you all will have to focus on staying alive no matter what. You are only the bait to lure Elmer, nothing else.”
“I don’t think that we can afford just to watch everyone fight and die, Dad. This is a good chance to make up for the dark history of our country and the natives. Even if we can’t do that, as long as we fight together, our clan can become their allies.”
“That sounds good on paper, but it isn’t that easy. Reina is a bit different from I expected, but even so, this plan is too risky. While having strong people like them as allies is reassuring, it just counterbalances the fact that their plans are just too reckless for ordinary clans.”
Zelos wanted to say that perhaps that was the problem. The clans only worked to defend the territory, and every time they fought like that, thousands of them died. They had been protecting their lands like that for decades, and that never stopped the enemies from trying again and again.
“Did you see her fight, Dad? I don’t think we will have to worry about that too much. In one way or another, those two will have to show themselves, and we will just have to grab that chance without hesitation.”
“The enemies must have some other tricks up their sleeve, and we can’t be too cautious about them. Moreover, while you are fine with that, the others might not be fine with it. Seeing the enemies looking at you just as someone they had to kill was very different from letting them see you as someone that they truly hated. Elmer and his brothers will make everyone under his command target you all with that in mind.”
Heirina looked at Edea for a moment. She tried to look composed, but it was clear that she wasn’t… she knew how it was to be hated by people who were supposed to be allies, but things would be very different on the battlefield.
In any case, Hei wanted to be more methodical about it since the other captains, aside from Lua, were being too cautious. Still, since Reina wanted to finish the battles as soon as possible to return home, anything could happen. The situation could reach a point that would be impossible to predict. That was why Hei was worried. Unlike the clans, Reina didn’t participate in battles often, so she didn’t know what the enemies were capable of doing in all senses.
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“Rest and eat while you can and then wait until morning comes. I will make sure to reach you all in the middle of the battle before Elmer does it. So, my orders until then are to focus on surviving and don’t take any chances. That is all.”
After hearing that, they couldn’t say anything to Hei. Orders were orders, and a chain of command was useless if the underlings couldn’t follow the lead of those who were supposed to lead them. In the end, the group left to have dinner… since Zelos believed that the battle would truly end tomorrow, he didn’t hesitate to eat as many rations as possible. The taste wasn’t that good, so he decided to at least fill his belly. As usual, since the mood was a bit heavy, Irlan decided to break the silence.
“In the end, the captain is right. This is our real first battle on the front lines… we should focus on gaining experience instead of getting carried away.”
No one said anything in response, so Irlan felt a bit bothered by it. The group was also split about what they should do… Some wanted to be cautious for obvious reasons, others wanted to take their chances because the natives were also risking their lives and it wouldn’t be fair not to share the risks with them.
“... What do you think, Zelos?”
“I don’t know.”
“Meaning?”
“Everything can happen on the battlefield. You should know that. When doing something out of the norm, any plan quickly becomes useless since we can’t predict that far ahead in chaotic situations. Besides, I can’t imagine many people recalling what they heard on the previous day in the heat of the moment while blood, sweat, shit and piss surrounds them. While the enemies charge at them with a vicious look that shows that you are only a target to them.”
After hearing that, the group felt troubled and didn’t know what to think anymore. Zelos wasn’t someone who liked to waste time, so he truly wanted to finish things tomorrow if he could as well. However, the idea of fighting and risking his life to protect that damned place truly annoyed him… in one hand, he could focus on the future and do his best, on the other, he could stay attached to the past and let that drag him down and waste time… for the first time since he found freedom, he didn’t know what to do.
When morning came, Zelos woke up and wondered if he should look for a horse. With all his weight, most horses would fall behind, after all. Perhaps it would be better to stay on foot and surprise the enemies like that.
Everyone was close to each other, so they soon regrouped and got their horses. They looked a bit surprised that Zelos didn’t want one, but it made sense since, thanks to his dark sword, he had the shortest reach.
“Let’s get going. We don’t know when Reina is planning to attack, but it should be soon.”
The group soon went to look for Reina and then they found her watching in the distance the enemy's camp at the top of the hill. The enemy’s camp was three kilometers away, they would have plenty of time to notice their approach, but she didn’t look troubled over that. In any case, Hei, Lua and the head of the current Carli clan went to talk with her, but she quickly dismissed them.
“Be ready to follow us at any moment. I don’t know when we are going to depart, but when we do, we will leave immediately.”
Lua and Carly Junior were left completely astonished… Hei warned them about her, but that was even worse than they had expected. Fortunately, he warned them not to say anything too hasty since they knew how powerful the natives were. In the end, they left her alone and then Hei looked at her daughter and nodded before leaving.
All the natives were also looking in the same direction… It was almost like they were waiting for a message or something to know when they should attack. Considering that and Reina’s behavior, Zelos assumed that her trait was another defensive one that focused on counter attacking… but it seemed way better than Irlan’s. Or maybe he was just too inexperienced to compare. Regardless, during that time, the remaining forces soon positioned themselves around the hills.
“What do you think her trait is, Zelos? It seems like it is a better version than mine.”
“I was thinking the same thing, but considering how she fights to perfection, maybe we are wrong. Her trait might actually be offensive or something, and her quick judgment makes it look like it isn’t.”
Irlan stopped to think for a moment, trying to understand it… it made sense, but he still couldn’t think of any trait that could do that. In any case, they didn’t have much time to think about that because Reina suddenly raised her spear and then shouted all of a sudden.
“Charge!’
They didn’t have to hear it twice, the natives began to charge down the hill without hesitation… The enemies were three kilometers away, but they already looked like they could see them and were itching to crush their heads. Half of the natives decided to charge on foot while the others began to ride the horses. Still, they weren’t falling behind.
For all intents and purposes, leaving the high ground in any kind of battle would be foolish, so Zelos wondered why Reina gave up on that when the enemy tried to take it over so much. While looking in the distance, Zelos couldn’t see any reason for that. Nothing changed in those few minutes that could have explained that, but Reina found something that was worth her decision.
“Hey, Zelos. Are you sure that you want to run all this distance? I can give you a ride.”
“This will be a good warm-up for me.”