Chapter 309 - The Long Road

Reivyn casually rode his horse behind the column of mercenaries ahead of him. Civilians traveling the other way continued to glance at the passing soldiers walking in lockstep. There was a certain beauty to a large column of men and women moving in perfect sync. The rhythmic sound of their feet falling added to the aesthetic.

Reivyn wasn’t interested in staring at the mercenaries ahead of him, but he had also long gotten used to the cosmic splendor surrounding them. It didn’t matter how many different teleport circle tunnels they passed through, the view was almost exactly the same. There were only a few, tiny variations each trip.

That wasn’t to say the view wasn’t breathtaking. It was, and Reivyn enjoyed it every time. It was just temporarily getting old. It didn’t detract from the wonder of the sight, it was just no longer novel and constantly in his focus.

The trip to the next kingdom that sought assistance from their Mercenary Corps was quite a bit further than the last couple of deployments. The journey had been optimized with agreements between the various kingdoms they traveled through, but it still wasn’t a straight shot. Reivyn and the others had been making the journey for over a week, and other than resting in designated areas in interim cities, the entire trip had been inside these teleport circles.

One thing it had done, though, was finally erase any lingering doubts Reivyn and the others had of the monster stalking them. Whatever had drawn them out of the Dungeon they had surrounded the Party in had also resulted in the creatures losing their trail.

Reivyn could see the light at the end of the tunnel, and shortly after he followed the mercenaries out into the open air once more. The sight before their eyes was a bit different compared to the other cities they had so far traveled through.

Instead of being in a wide open area surrounded by busy markets, the area was completely bereft of any buildings or random crowds at all. There were people waiting for their turn to use the teleport circle, but those were the only random civilians in the area. Other than that, everywhere Reivyn looked, military tents and camps were sprawled across the area.

A quick scan allowed Reivyn to spot the foundations where buildings used to be, but in their place, there were just tents and open spaces filled with people decked out for war as well as refugees. There were more refugees than soldiers, but the space was pack full of both.

As Reivyn watched from his vantage upon his horse, still following the mercenaries as they were directed to a place they could wait for the next leg of their journey, Reivyn saw some of the soldiers he suspected were from the local kingdom accompanied by a smaller contingent in different armor escort a large group of refugees to a spot they could wait for the portal to switch.

“It looks like they’re evacuating people from the target kingdom to various other kingdoms,” Reivyn commented as he watched the people shift about.

“That’s what I gathered, as well,” Kefira nodded in agreement. “It makes sense if you think about it. A small contingent of soldiers escorting a larger group of civilians, spread out across dozens of different kingdoms. The burden on each kingdom is lessened, and they can still maintain some sort of accountability among their people.”

“Not everybody here is part of that machine, though,” Reivyn tilted his head toward different groups of soldiers outfitted in different armors and colors, different standards placed among their tents, surrounding the area. Juxtaposed against the clear military units were groups of people outfitted in eclectic gear and armor. Despite the mismatch in their look, Reivyn could tell they were adhering at least to a military-esque organization.

“It looks like groups of Adventurers,” Teilon commented. “You think other mercenary companies have formed, copying your idea?”

“Probably,” Reivyn answered. “I mean, we haven’t kept our Mercenary Corps a secret by any means, and I don’t have some sort of monopoly on the idea. We’ll probably know the truth in just a moment.”

As they were discussing the surroundings, the surroundings were apparently discussing them in turn. A group of mounted soldiers trotted over on their own horses. They looked like one group, but Reivyn could see a distinct division. The front soldiers were all wearing resplendent armor with matching barding on their horses similar to various military camps surrounding the teleport circle. They were followed slightly by another group wearing what Reivyn would consider Adventurer Gear.

They were together, but at the same time, they weren’t. Reivyn suspected there was a bit of elitism or something going on, preventing the two groups from giving off a more cohesive vibe.

Reivyn and the others were outfitted in their matching mercenary garb, so they resembled the more regular military style as compared to the clear Adventurers despite also being mercenaries.

It’s more ambiguous than that, though, Reivyn thought. Our officers are technically part of the regular imperial army, holding official commissions. I doubt the other mercenary companies have the same backing as we do.

The mounted soldiers came to a halt next to Reivyn’s group. The lead officer glanced about, looking for something, but Reivyn didn’t know exactly what.

“Greetings, General Makvaun,” the lead soldier said after not finding what he was looking for, holding an open palm up toward Reivyn. “May I inquire as to which kingdom you hail from?”

I think he’s assuming we’re regular army, Reivyn mentally chuckled.

“Major Reivyn,” Reivyn returned the greeting and open-palm gesture. “We’re part of the Wispan Mercenary Corps.”

General Makvaun’s face remained neutral, but several of the other military officers behind him frowned at that admission. The expressions on the Adventurers behind them brightened up as they inspected Reivyn and the mercenaries behind him with increased interest.

“You’re mercenaries?” General Makvaun asked, a note of doubt in his voice.

“Our situation is a little different than what you’ve probably experienced with any other mercenary groups,” Reivyn replied. “Our officers are actually commissioned with the Imperial Army, and we train with the regulars, but the men making up the company are Adventurers acting as mercenaries.”

The faces of both the military officers and Adventurers shifted, many taking on a thoughtful expression. They didn’t quite know what to make of the situation. Reivyn had clearly indicated he was one of the military officers, but at the same time, he wasn’t. General Makvaun took everything in stride and simply nodded, his face remaining a stoic mask.

“I see. Well, let me be the first to welcome you to the staging camp. As we’ll be working together for the foreseeable future, we’ve deemed it a worthy endeavor to get to know each other and build a rapport. I invite you to join us.”

“That’s an excellent idea,” Reivyn said. “That being said, even though I’m the ranking officer of my company, I’m not actually its commander for this deployment. That’ll be one of my captains.” Reivyn turned toward Teilon. “Would you go inform the captain to come meet with the general?”

“Yes, sir,” Teilon replied, wheeling his horse around to trot off in the direction the mercenaries had headed.

“If you’re not commanding the company as the ranking officer, what are your plans for involvement?” General Makvaun asked. “If you don’t mind me asking, that is.”

Even though the general kept a blank expression on his face, Reivyn was fairly adept at reading the stoic expressions of military professionals. It wasn’t always in the facial expressions. The wording and tone could give a lot away. Reivyn could tell that the general was genuinely curious and subtly digging at Reivyn for not commanding.

“We’re constantly looking for ways to improve our combat effectiveness,” Reivyn explained. “We’ve designed various training exercises for amphibious combat, cavalry, close combat with Mage support, among others. This is more of the same. I’m going to be leading a smaller group for special missions, working out the kinks to create a specialized unit.”

“Interesting. What sort of ‘special missions’ are you talking about?”

“Different things. Like disrupting enemy supply lines, ambushing patrols using hit and run tactics, securing breaches for avenues of attack.” Reivyn gestured toward the Marching soldiers. “You have the main infantry that lines up and fights it out on the open field, but what if a smaller unit, one not adhering to the rigid formations of a larger battlefield, is running around causing problems for the enemy all the time?”

Reivyn could see the wheels turning behind General Makvaun’s eyes as he contemplated the information. The other officers had various expressions ranging from outright dismissal to curious excitement. Some of them rolled their eyes while others leaned forward to hear everything being said.

“You could capitalize on the expertise the Adventurers bring to the table,” General Makvaun finally said. Reivyn’s expression brightened as the man seemed to grasp the key detail. “They’re more used to such movements and forms of combat as compared to the regular military. You’ve given me quite a bit to think about. If you don’t mind, would you be willing to share the ‘kinks’ you work out once this is all done? If we’re able to meet up, that is.”

Reivyn nodded his head, appreciative of the other man’s attitude.

“That’s not a problem,” Reivyn agreed.

As the two men were talking, Teilon finally came back with the captain in charge of the deployment in tow. The captain offered a quick salute to Reivyn before offering an open palm toward General Makvaun.

“Greetings, General,” the captain said. “I’m Captain Caivel, Second Wispan Auxiliary Company.”

Auxiliary Company was the “official” designation of the mercenary companies.

General Makvaun extended another open-palm salute, addressing the captain.

“General Makvaun. A pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“Likewise.”

“Alright, I’ll get out of your hair and let you gentlemen get on with your meeting,” Reivyn said, turning his horse toward where the mercenaries had gone.

General Makvaun nodded his head while the captain offered a departing salute. The rest of the Party turned and followed Reivyn. They passed several different camps on their way to where the company was temporarily encamped. There was a clear difference between the various groups: The regular military camps were neat and organized, the refugees were a garbled mess, and the various mercenary Adventurers were in various stages in-between.

Reivyn didn’t know how he felt about finding numerous other Adventurer Mercenary Companies also headed toward their destination. On the one hand, any extra help was welcome, but on the other hand, how effective would they be? It was possible that if they didn’t perform up to standards, they could very well cause more problems than they solved.

The same could be said of the regular armies too, though, Reivyn snorted. They’re all untested in battle against other humans, after all. We won’t know until the first engagement who we can trust and who needs to be watched out for. General Makvaun seemed like a good leader on the surface, at least. Time will tell.

—

Gulley finished driving the last spike into the dirt to hold his tent in place. From what he had heard on the rumor mill, they would be camped out for another three days before the portal opened toward their destination kingdom. He didn’t have butterflies in his stomach, yet, but he could feel the mounting tension build inside him. He was equal parts anxious and eager to finally get there and get into the action.

A quip from one of the veterans of the previous deployment flitted through his mind as he straightened up to survey his work: “Hurry up and wait.” The other man had said that even after they finally arrived at their destination, they would probably have nothing to do for weeks on end, depending on the situation. Despite knowing that there might still be considerable time before anything actually happened, just getting close to the end point on their journey was enough to affect his mental state.

Gulley stowed his mallet back into his storage pouch. Everyone had one, even if they weren’t all very large, so they didn’t have to worry about carrying all of their gear on their backs. He pulled the strings tight to close it and stretched his back. Walking, or Marching, for hours on end would cause cricks in anyone’s joints.

He saw Major Reivyn and his entourage slowly walk their horses along the road, deeper toward the center of their camp. He felt a pang of jealousy for their mounts, but he quickly squashed it. Part of the Life Experience of being a mercenary was all the little things that came with it, and if that meant he had to March more than was comfortable, he would do it.

He glanced at his original Party member who had ended up in the same squad with him. She was likewise watching Major Reivyn and the others as they passed by. He couldn’t get a read on her expression, though. He shook his head and resumed stretching as he thought about his future in the Mercenary Corps.

His Horsemanship Skill was among the upper tier of those in the Mercenary Corps, but he didn’t think he wanted to volunteer for the cavalry unit when it was formed. He enjoyed being in the infantry, but he would assess the changes and make a decision at that time. It might be more worthwhile for his goals to join the cavalry company. It might even be the path toward more responsibility, possibly a commission.

He didn’t know how long this deployment would last, though, and whether or not the cavalry unit would be formed and needing more volunteers at that time. He couldn’t stay with the Mercenary Corps forever. He had his own responsibilities at home, after all.

He glanced at his squad, noting their progress on getting their own tents set up. It didn’t take them much longer than him to get completely squared away. The same was true for the rest of the company. In short order, the entire area had transformed from an empty foundation lot to a proper encampment, minus the defenses they would put up in the field, that is.

A sense of pride filled Gulley as he compared their neat and squared away camp against the others surrounding them. Not even the other regular military units were necessarily more neat and clean than their setup.

Gulley paused and examined the emotions filling him. He hadn’t expected such a thing to affect him when he had first joined the Mercenary Corps. It was interesting how such little things gradually snuck their way in.

Gulley motioned to his squad members to come to him with a gesture. The men and women of his squad quickly assembled in front of him, taking a knee. They watched him with expectation as he addressed them.

“From what I’ve heard, we have three days of rest before the portal opens to our destination,” he said. “I’ll let you all know when I get official word from the Platoon Leader. He did tell us we didn’t have any duties for the rest of the day, considering we’ve been on our feet Marching all day.

“That being said, nobody is allowed to leave the encampment without express permission. We can’t have people wandering all over the place, unaccounted for. This isn’t like the free time we got before the deployment.

“You don’t have to do anything, and you don’t have to stay in or around your tents, but don’t leave the designated area. If you’re not sure if you’re leaving our camp or not, err on the side of caution and turn around. We will not be the only squad that isn’t ready for muster any time it’s called, understand?”

“Yes, Corporal!” Came the response.

“We just have to wait three days for the last leg of the journey, and then finally, finally… we’ll probably have to wait some more.”

Several of the squad members chuckled at the humor. Gulley nodded his head to them.

“Alright, you know what’s expected of you. Dismissed.”

The squad members dispersed to go about their own business. Gulley didn’t have anything in particular to do, so he just crawled into his tent space. He pulled a book from his storage space, got comfortable, and started to pass the time.