Soul of the Warrior

Chapter 112: Wheelin' It

"Look at the map," Reivyn said to Jekle. "See, your forces are here and their forces are there. Look at the terrain and devise a way to engage the enemy. Where should we go, and how should we attack?"

Reivyn had brought Jekle with him to lunch with his officer group, and as he had suspected, none of them had begun to delegate authority to smaller groups within their platoons. They had asked about Jekle's presence, and for his part, he had been a bit hesitant to engage in conversation with the commissioned officers. That was fine with Reivyn, as he wasn't trying to make them become friends or anything, he just wanted him to get familiar with them.

A platoon didn't typically have an XO position, and Lieutenants didn't have aides. A Platoon Sergeant was the closest thing they had, but Reivyn felt Jekle's abilities would be wasted in such a role. Jekle might have himself been slated to attend the officer candidate training if he had already unlocked the Charisma Stat or had some more Skills associated with commanding or leading people.

Jekle was a quick study, already having the Map Reading Skill, and it didn't take more than a few examples until Jekle picked up on the way Reivyn devised his own tactics. Reivyn had worked with the other officers over lunch to continue educating them on movement under fire and suppression tactics. They already had a good foundation, and the company commanders would come up with most of the tactics to accomplish the strategy the Major came up with. It wasn't much of a stretch to introduce the ideas to them.

Reivyn and Jekle had continued where they left off after Reivyn had Paul put the platoon through drills. Reivyn split his attention between instructing Jekle and watching the platoon do their maneuvers. It had only been several hours, but Reivyn was impressed with their ability.

"Here, I've prepared some more scenarios for you to evaluate," Reivyn pulled out more copies of the maps that he had drawn on. "Continue to familiarize yourself with these tactics. Tomorrow, we'll join up with the other three platoons, and a couple of Mage Corps Units to practice some more ideas."

"So, the enemy is entrenched on that short plateau over there, and we need to get up there and engage them," Reivyn was standing in front of four platoons from the Martial Units and Fira's platoon from the Mage Corps. Well, it's more like a squad, Reivyn thought, glancing at the fifteen Mages. It's not even half the size of a regular platoon, but it's the standard size of a Mage Corps "Platoon."

"Conventional tactics would have the Mages and archers bombard the defensive position as we Marched up the slope to engage," Reivyn continued. "Cavalry wouldn't be as effective, and they would probably be used to prevent the enemy from forming up ranks in another defensive position. That won't change; that's not what we're going to work on.

"What we're going to do, instead of just Marching up the slope where it's easy to line up in a regular formation, is we're going to split up into squads and move up the gulleys. Instead of lining up all neat and pretty and painting a large target for the enemy defenders to attack us as we move, we're going to form smaller bands that will leap-frog over each other as our Mages work on suppressing the enemy Mages.

"Sure, it would be somewhat effective to do the traditional bombardment with our Mages, as that itself would give some suppression to returning Spells, but moving under semi-cover while deliberately targeting their ability to fight back will result in fewer casualties.

"I'll have my platoon go first, and I and Senior Sergeant Jekle will lead the first two squads. After that, each squad in each platoon will have a go.

"Fall Out!"

Reivyn led his troops away from the gentle, wide slope over to a narrower ravine that led up to the same position. The sides of the gulley were steep, and it would offer the enemy position on top of the hill less visibility. He walked up to the entrance of the gulley where he would be concealed from the defenders and squatted down.

"Here's the basic concept," Reivyn addressed the first squad that was also crouched down beside him. "One squad will be on one side, the other squad on the other. Each person will be in a staggered position from the person in front of them. We'll sprint up the hill while chanting in our heads 'I'm up, he sees me, I'm down,' and when you finish the chant, you'll drop to your bellies.

"This is the time when you would use any ranged Skills you have available. The Mages will be launching Spells overhead from behind us, but we can add to the suppression of returning Spells and arrows as well.

"While we're on our stomachs launching ranged Skills, the other squad will sprint forward, chanting the same thing in their minds. They'll do the same thing, and we'll take turns rushing up the slope.

"We don't have to have the entire platoon rush at the exact same time, though. The purpose is to get up top as quickly as possible, with as few casualties as possible, and secure a position to form up. The other squads will be following behind in the same manner, but once we secure a defensive position and the pressure on the troops moving up the hill lessens, they'll be able to just sprint the rest of the way up and form up the platoon.

"Let's make it happen."

Reivyn ordered the troops to follow him out into the open, and he signaled for Fira to begin having the Mages launch their spells. To simulate a realistic scenario, Reivyn had the Mages arc Spells way overhead to land in the middle of the plateau as well as have some launch their spells straight up the ravine. They weren't using powerful Spells in case of accidents, but he did tell Fira to make sure they were flashy. He wanted the troops to be used to Spells flying right over their heads as they moved.

At first, the troops were a bit hesitant in their movements. They hadn't practiced anything similar before, and they weren't used to a barrage of Spells flying by their heads so close. They ran with their heads ducked, but Reivyn was actually approving of it as long as it didn't hinder their speed. Making themselves smaller targets was a sound idea. It would only be a problem if it interfered with the assault itself.

"I'm up! He sees me! I'm down!" Reivyn shouted, falling to his stomach at the last word. The squad followed suit, and Reivyn launched a few fireball Spells of his own. He didn't have time to notice if there were any reactions from the troops at his display of Magic, and it wasn't that big of a deal, anyway. His Class was never a secret, to begin with.

Jekle led the second squad forward, shouting the same slogan. The two squads performed the maneuver in concert, taking cues from each other for proper pacing. The other squads lined up to begin their practice assault immediately after, and there was no downtime between them.

The four platoons practiced the maneuver until the Mages ran low on Mana. Reivyn called the four platoons up to the top of the short plateau after thanking Fira and her Mages, and they left to go do their own practice after recovering. They wouldn't be needed for the next part of Reivyn's practice.

"Ok, so we've practiced rushing up the hill," Reivyn said. "Now, once we get to the top, as I said previously, the mission is to establish a defensive position so the rest of the platoon can be formed up properly once more. What we'll do now, is have two platoons practice reaching the top while holding off a melee assault and as the other platoons rush up to join them again.

"We'll have the two squads face off against one of the other platoons over here before rotating, and the other two platoons can also practice the same drill over at the gentle slope. The actual positioning for these drills doesn't matter as much as the drill itself.

"The point is not to press forward and further engage the enemy. You'll be too busy to do that. The point is to get the platoon formed up properly. Can anyone speculate why this is?"

Reivyn looked over the soldiers intent on his instruction. He had already explained the reasoning to Jekle and Paul, but they weren't going to supply the answer. Most of the soldiers had a blank look on their faces, but a few raised a tentative hand. Reivyn selected a soldier from Jek's platoon.

"Umm, if we engage the enemy's flank first, then they'll turn, and now the slope is the flank?" The man ventured, more a question than an answer.

"Exactly," Reivyn nodded his head to the man. "Everyone understands the importance of flanking maneuvers. Using conventional tactics, moving up the gentle slope would be the initial engagement, and then we could assault up the ravine or another side. We flip the script a bit, though, and allow for less incoming damage by switching the flanks around.

"Once the enemy has shifted their focus, even before the squads have fully made it up the ravine, another platoon can begin marching up the slope to flank the enemy. We only need to secure a defensive position long enough to pincer the enemy."

"What if the enemy doesn't shift?" A man called out.

"Excellent question," Reivyn said. "In that case, the platoon at the gentle slope will be a distraction, and once the platoon that moved up the ravine is formed up, they'll be able to press forward under less resistance. If they still don't shift focus at that point, they'll get decimated, so they'll have to. If they still don't, then the platoon up top will make sure their ability to suppress our own troops is destroyed first so the platoon on the gentle slope can advance.

"Either way, we're going to have a pincer attack. That would be true even with conventional tactics. Just know that the platoon in the initial assault really needs to focus on their squad-shields or they'll suffer.

"If there are no more questions, let's move on to the next exercise. Once we've all practiced forming up the platoon while engaged, we can move on to the final step of putting it all together. We'll have two platoons up top with two attacking platoons, and then we'll switch.

"Let's begin."

The next several hours were spent performing the tactics that Reivyn had laid out for the company. Even though the Company Commander hadn't made an appearance yet, and Furok and Derik's platoons were in a different company, they still operated as one for the sake of the practice session. Reivyn would be sure to pass the ideas on to the other platoons in his own company, and he was sure Furok and Derik would do the same.

"Alright, we've been together for several days now, and I'm immensely pleased with your willingness and ability to perform your tasks," Reivyn addressed his men in the dawn light. "Today is the first day we'll be meeting our Company Commander. Even I haven't met him yet, though some of the other companies have already had their captains get involved in their training.

"We'll spend two days out in the field, and this will be the culmination of our training. I don't expect we'll be doing much more of what we've been focusing on in the past couple of days moving forward, but it's good that you have a basic understanding of my tactics. You never know if we'll need to call upon it someday in the future, and a couple of days of practice and familiarity is better than none."

The other companies were already formed up with their captains already taking charge. Reivyn's captain had yet to appear, even now. Major Dobrik gave the order to the captains to move their men out, and Reivyn and the other Lieutenants shared confused looks with each other as the battalion began to leave without their captain.

After the last company had already started to move away, and Reivyn was about to go ahead and order his platoon to March, three young men on horseback appeared. None of the other officers were mounted, and Reivyn didn't know who any of them were, but he heard a groan come from Jekle standing next to him. He turned his head to give the man a questioning look.

"That's Yorik," Jekle nodded to the lead horseman. "He's the oldest son of Count Yaolo."

"Our captain is the son of the Count?" Reivyn asked, surprised. Jekle shook his head.

"Nope, he's a dandy. He's not associated with the military in any way, but the other two... the one on the right is Zokkan, the son of Colonel Zok, and he's alright. But the last one is Sanjin. He's best friends with Yorik and Zokkan, and I'm pretty sure he's going to be our captain."

Reivyn nodded his head as turned back to watch the three young men approach with their horses. He could see that they were each a bit older than him, but they were younger than the average volunteer in his platoon. The three youths stopped their horses and stared back at the formed-up men for a moment.

"Well, come here!" The one pointed out as Sanjin shouted toward the Platoon Commanders.

"Stay here," Reivyn ordered Jekle before rushing forward. The others also broke into jogs, and the four lieutenants converged on their captain.

"Here," Sanjin pulled out a folded-up map and tossed it on the ground at Reivyn's feet. That's the location we're Marching to. I'll meet you there."

He turned back to his two friends, and the three of them cantered off, laughing and joking. Reivyn bent down and picked up the map, opening it to share with the other three Lieutenants. The destination wasn't anywhere they hadn't been already, and Reivyn knew exactly how to get there. He wouldn't have to find his own way, any way, he just needed to get his troops caught up with the rest of the battalion. They had only been waiting for the order from their absent captain.

"Alright, I'll get my platoon moving. It looks like we're basically on our own, though," Reivyn said, folding the map up and storing it away. The other three lieutenants just nodded their heads and ran back to their platoons.

"He didn't even introduce himself," Reivyn muttered under his breath before reaching his platoon. He kept a stern face and didn't display any discontent. It wouldn't be appropriate for those under him to see him dissatisfied with his superior.

"Senior Sergeant Paul, take charge of the platoon. We're going to catch up to the rest of the battalion."

"Yes, Sir," Paul saluted before about-facing, taking charge of the platoon.

Reivyn motioned for Jekle to walk with him, and he headed to the front of the platoon. It was his job as the commander to set the pace, and they needed to go a bit faster to catch up.

"See what I mean?" Jekle asked under his breath.

"He's our commanding officer," Reivyn replied. He left it at that as he assumed his position in front of the platoon. Senior Sergeant Paul ordered the men forward, and Reivyn stepped off, leading them forward.

The first half day was spent mostly on getting to their destination, and the second half of the day was spent Marching about in formation under the command of Major Dobrik. They performed several maneuvers against stationary targets, getting a feel for what it would be like in a much larger formation that spanned multiple companies at once.

Captain Sanjin had ridden to the destination with the sons of the most powerful military figures, and they appeared to just be there to spectate the goings on. Sanjin finally departed from his friends with some reluctance, and he "took command" of his company. His orders to Reivyn and the other Lieutenants were to listen for the orders of Major Dobrik and to take any cues from the other platoons in different companies.

Reivyn internally shook his head as the man just kept up appearances by walking nearby. He didn't do anything after telling Reivyn and the others to go along with the commands of the Major.

Reivyn was worried about the effect the man would have on the morale of his troops, but he was pleased to see his men perform well during the exercises.

At the end of the day, the battalion was split into several groups, and multiple companies were sent off to bivouac in different locations.

"Our mission tomorrow will be to locate and engage another company," Reivyn returned to his platoon after getting the information about the next day's main exercise from the Major's staff. "We'll begin tomorrow on the move, and then in the afternoon, we'll set up a defensive position as the opposing company takes their turn.

"Excellent job today. Get some rest."

Reivyn looked around for Captain Sanjin. He hadn't been at the briefing for the next day's exercise.

"He took off with the other two about an hour ago," Jekle said, noticing Reivyn searching for the company commander. "There's a village an hour away. They're probably going to sleep in a comfy bed tonight."

"Very well," Reivyn responded. "Let's get our own tents set up. Senior Sergeant Paul, confer with the Squad Leaders and set up a fire watch."

"Yes, Sir!" The two men saluted before everyone began making camp.

Reivyn and the other three lieutenants in the company stood in a circle, conferring with each other.

"We can't wait any longer," Reivyn argued. "He doesn't seem to care, either way, and it's time to go."

"I'm with Reivyn on this," Jek said.

"Ok, fine," another lieutenant, Lieutenant Grent, said.

"I don't have an opinion," Lieutenant Laris replied.

"Then I'll get the men moving," Reivyn announced.

The four men separated and moved back to their platoons that were formed up and ready to go. It was well past dawn, and they should have already been on the move long ago, but their captain was nowhere to be seen. They had argued about whether to wait or go without him, and they had decided to wait a little longer. Time kept marching on, though, and he never showed up. They couldn't wait any longer, and it was time to begin the exercise.

"Senior Sergeant Paul, take charge of the platoon and move out. Senior Sergeant Jekle, you will lead the troops," Reivyn ordered.

"Yes, Sir!" The two men saluted. Jekle took off to the front of the platoon as Paul faced them to begin Marching.

The troops stepped off, and Reivyn moved along beside them, the other platoons following suit behind them.

"Wait!" A call came from the distance. Reivyn looked up to see Captain Sanjin galloping forward on his horse. "Wait, wait, wait!"

He charged toward the company and dismounted. He stalked up to Reivyn, a furious look on his face.

"You do not move the men without me!" He screamed. Reivyn stood at attention as he was shouted at.

"Yes, sir!" Reivyn replied, not making any excuses. Captain Sanjin glared at him for a moment.

"Halt the troops."

"Yes, sir." Reivyn about-faced to address Paul. "Senior Sergeant Paul, call a halt."

"Yes, Sir! Platoon, Halt!"

The other platoons followed suit, and Captain Sanjin adjusted his uniform as he watched them all stop and turn to face him once more.

"Well?" Sanjin asked after a moment. Reivyn furrowed his brow in confusion. "Get them moving!"

"Yes, sir." Reivyn mentally rolled his eyes. "Senior Sergeant Paul, order the men forward."

"Yes, Sir!"

The company once more began Marching forward in the early morning light. The three other lieutenants Marched in front of their platoons, but Reivyn had Jekle assume that role for him. He Marched alongside the captain, who seemed to be pleased with himself.

The company moved through the countryside for a couple of hours, converging on the location they had already been told to search out the competing company. Reivyn kept his head on a swivel, identifying the areas he would choose to set up a defensive location.

"They must be just over that hill," Captain Sanjin said, pointing to the distance. Reivyn looked in the direction he indicated, almost directly in front of them. It's like he just wants to March forward or something, Reivyn thought. There are much better locations to set up a defensive position.

"Sir, I think..." Reivyn began.

"No, they're over there," Captain Sanjin interrupted him. "I'm the captain, and I know how the other captains operate. Get the men formed up to assault that hill."

"Yes, sir," Reivyn replied, sighing to himself.

He ordered Paul to turn the men so their flanks would be aligned in the proper direction for an assault, and the other lieutenants followed suit. Reivyn stayed with the captain as Jekle and Paul assumed their positions, leading the platoon forward.

The company leveled their spears and Marched forward toward the hill directly in their original path. The Captain didn't order any forces to break away for flanking maneuvers, and he didn't hold any of them back to act as a reserve unit. He just ordered the entire company to march forward on the position.

A shadow on another hill to their right flank caught Reivyn's attention, and he looked up to see a man standing by himself, skylining himself. A loud whistle burst forth from him, and Captain Sanjin finally looked up to notice the soldier.

"Ahh! They're on that hill!" Captain Sanjin declared, pointing. "I was pretty close, huh? Have the men Wheel Right to engage."

"Wheel Right?" Reivyn asked. It wasn't a maneuver they had practiced.

"Yes, don't you know?" Captain Sanjin asked skeptically. "Have the center maintain their position as they turn, have the right flank move backward, and have the left flank move forward. Wheel Right. Maintain the line and face the company.

"Yes, sir." Reivyn turned toward the company and raised his voice, infusing it with Commanding Shout. "Company! Wheel Right!"

There was a lot of confusion among the troops as they looked back and forth between each other. They began to awkwardly attempt to carry out the order as Reivyn once more mentally sighed. The men eventually got the movement down, and the entire line rotated in the center, changing direction.

"Good, good," Captain Sanjin seemed happy with the movement. Reivyn wanted to face-palm, but he kept his military bearing. "Continue the assault."

The company continued Marching forward up the much more defensible and less traversable slope. The point of the exercise wasn't to actually engage in hand-to-hand combat, though, so only a token defense was put up before the other company retreated from its position.

The opposing captain came up to Captain Sanjin as his troops packed up and Marched off.

"Excellent job locating us and assaulting our position," the man said with a vacuous smile. "You'll be sure to take over Major Dobrik's position one day."

"General," Captain Sanjin shook his head. "I don't have any ambitions for taking over such a small-scale operation. I'm going to move to the capital one day, and I'll be a General."

"Of course, of course," the other captain said, his smile straining. "I'm sure you'll lead many victories one day." He gave Reivyn a nod before turning to catch up to his own men.

"Alright, Lieutenant Riven, it's time to move on," Captain Sanjin pulled out another map. He opened it up and showed it to Reivyn. There was a location with a large box drawn on it, indicating where they should go to set up their own defensive position. It wasn't very far away, and the other company they had just interacted with wasn't the same company that would be assaulting their position.

Reivyn studied the map and noticed several places that could make excellent camps. He ran his fingers over several, prepared to offer his opinion.

"We'll take the troops here," Sanjin placed his finger right in the exact location that Reivyn would choose dead last for a defensive position.

"Sir... that's a valley... surrounded by hills," Reivyn pointed out.

"Exactly!" Captain Sanjin replied. "It will offer excellent concealment, and the men will be fresh and ready to fight. It's a great place to set up a defensive formation. Get the men moving."

"Yes, sir," Reivyn said.

Reivyn ordered Senior Sergeant Paul to get the platoon moving before rubbing his temples.

"Everything ok, sir?" Jekle asked on his way to assume his position at the front of the platoon once more.

"Yes, Senior Sergeant. Everything is great."

We're all going to die.