Build Up
It took the companions many more hours of following the trail before they eventually found the enemy camp. Their speed was impeded slightly by remaining in the trees, just in case, but the hewn trail was otherwise completely clear.
The wildlife even here was very scarce, as if the whole forest knew about the opposing sides destined to clash here. The uneven spans of silence it left was eerie, and made Logan feel jumpy. Still, they arrived at their intended destination without being harried.
On their journey, Logan had wondered what the enemy base would look like. He still didn’t know exactly who they were fighting, but he remembered that the country to the North had been called Grecia, but Logan also knew that their Capitol had been overrun. Were they fighting the remains of their army, or the ones who had beaten them? Maybe even a bandit group now that the government would be in shambles?
Logan couldn’t tell from seeing the encampment, but he could tell the Legion was in trouble. The companions had abruptly run into the edge of the forest in front of them, and had gazed out at the space beyond. The first thing they noticed was the sea of tree stumps, stretching out for well over a hundred yards.
The second thing they noticed was where all those trees had gone. A huge fortification sat in the center of the cleared space, made of treated logs and easily thirty feet tall. The differences between this fort and the unorganized tent city of Fort Errstile were stark, making the Legion base’s name sound like a sick joke. They could see the tops of heads poking out from up on the palisade, forcing Logan and Remy to stick to their location in the trees.
Still, what they had learned today was enough. They had found the location of the other base, and now all Logan and Remy had to do was skirt around both of them, and find somewhere else to go. Jeremiah had mentioned his family came from Svell, so maybe Logan could head there.
The two companions were just turning to leave, satisfied with their results, when the fort’s huge wooden doors began to swing open.
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Rows and rows of troops filed out, pouring from the door like ants from their hill. Logan and Remy scrambled back into the woods, but maintained line of sight on the door. Luckily, it didn’t seem like they were paying attention to the trees at the edge of the clearing, as the soldiers formed into quick, neat lines, facing back towards the encampment.
They stood at attention, before saluting someone standing in the center of the gates. Logan could only see the top of some sort of vessel, but he assumed that there was someone speaking in front of it. Whoever it was spoke out to the soldiers decorated in white and black as they patiently stood there. At this distance, Logan couldn’t quite make out the words, but he knew someone who could.
Hey Remy, can you make out what he’s saying?
-Sure Remy can! Something… south… and attack tonight. Lots of longer words, too!-
Logan could hear his heart beating like it was inside his head. He had discovered the enemy's base, just as they were setting out for the first attack of the war. A pit formed in his stomach. He slowly backed away further from the clearing.
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Come on Remy, we have to go.
-No dinner from there?-
No, we’re better off catching our own again.
Logan left it unsaid that they might not get a chance to hunt today. If they wanted a chance of outpacing the army that would inevitably be on their heels, Logan and Remy would need to keep teleporting through the day, as Logan’s walking speed wasn’t too fast yet.
In short distances, he could push himself, but if Logan strained too much his back was likely to reopen. The companions started moving back along the path at their respectably fast pace. Logan almost fell several times, as his head was still back in that clearing, wondering what to do next.
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After ten minutes of putting distance between themselves and the enemies’ camp, Logan finally made up his mind on what to do. When he had started breaking it down, he had slowly realized that it wasn’t much of a choice.
On one hand, Logan could abandon everyone he currently knew except Remy, travel by himself across country lines during the middle of a war. Or, he could try and sneak back into Fort Errstile, and warn Gregor or Major Frear about the impending attack, and run away. Logan knew one option would leave him with lifelong regrets, even if he managed to survive.
With his choice made, Logan let Remy know where he wanted to head. For now, the two would stay on the trail made by the enemy. Then, the Rizzel would use his fine tuned senses to find Fort Errstile after they reached the end of the path, but that was many hours away, as the sun was just now setting.
Now that it was urgent, Logan had started to push himself, equally increasing the strain on his raw back and their pace as they headed back towards Errstile. For now, he was managing to hold up, but even now, Logan wasn't sure he could maintain his current vigor for their entire return trip. Still, he had to try, as the minutes he saved may well turn out crucial for the Legion.
So he kept going, forcing Remy to wait for him occasionally, but the companions continued to make great time. Teleporting, once again, was pretty much a cheat code for traveling distances.
After a couple hours, and the sun had long fled the sky, Logan and Remy heard the group who was making the trail hacking away ahead. Really, it was just Remy that heard them, as the Rizzel’s ears could pick out a sound much farther than Logan’s, but Logan picked it up soon after.
They weren’t making any effort to be quiet. Instead, Logan could hear loud grunts and strangely resonant clangs. It was almost closer to the sound of steel on steel, instead of chopping wood…
Rushing forwards, Logan decided to abandon stealth. From the noise, it sounded like a battle had broken out, and he was still in time to intervene, one way or the other. Teleporting ahead, Logan dove into the chaos.
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Amar’s second scouting mission had been going slowly, not that her first attempt had been any faster or more interesting. All told, she had spent much of the time walking with her eyes closed, giving as much cognitive function as possible to the task of holding her Root Ability. Normally the Ability was simple to focus on.
Now, however, it was feeding her back an ecosystem’s worth of data, and it was taking everything Amar had to process it. A fuzzy black and white overhead view formed in Amar’s mind eye, allowing her to track her surroundings in a 360, even if it was almost impossible to see something that wasn’t moving.
Amar was the only one in the group with any Divinity that expanded her perception, so she had been moved to the center of the scouting party’s formation, to stay better protected in case of an attack. The decision had been made by the leader of their party, Lieutenant Raster.
So far, his competence had impressed Amar. Although the scouting party was a temporary group, he had effortlessly taken charge, and effectively situated them in a combat formation, taking into account their various strengths and skill sets. Lt. Raster even had them remain cautious throughout their entire trip, something that definitely hadn’t occurred on Amar’s first mission.
She had slightly been lamenting that difference, when she caught a glimpse of movement, and her mental model shrank just a little. It took Amar a quick second to realize the implications. They must have found the enemy.
Calling out, Amar alerted her group to the danger. They didn’t have to do much to get ready, but Amar heard several prayers from the others. Then, battle was upon them.