Soul of the Warrior

Chapter 116: Price of Arrogance

"The enemy troops use human wave tactics, as far as I can determine," Reivyn addressed the other lieutenants of his company. "The lower class soldiers will rush into the flanks to tie down your weapons and bodies to try and make an opening for the troops behind them. That includes throwing themselves on shields and swords. They will try to use their body weight to prevent effective fighting.

"They don't back down, and they fight until the last man. They will rip javelins out of their own bodies and use them as weapons for themselves. We've only fought against one patrol, but it's better to assume the whole will act similar to the part."

"So we need to keep them at length with the use of the pikes?" Lieutenant Grent, the third Platoon Commander asked.

"Yes," Reivyn nodded his head. "It seems simple enough, and it's what we would usually do, but there's a difference here. The enemy will charge through the pikes and use their bodies to prevent the troops from recovering them to continue using them. The first rank of soldiers has to be prepared to immediately abandon their pikes and switch to the shield wall.

"Against a small patrol, I had the second row kneel down to allow better access to the third-row halberdiers. That won't be tenable, though, as we'll need to maintain our maneuverability. When we make contact, we'll need to hold the position for a moment to cause some damage, and then back up several steps to allow the second-row pikes to continue working.

"Have them rush in, stall out and take damage, then back up to make some room and start over. Rush in, stall, back up. Rush in, stall, back up."

"What about protecting the flank of our ally company next to us?" Lieutenant Laris spoke up.

"That's a good point," Reivyn said. "The platoon closest to them will have a harder time of it. I expect the numbers of the enemies to be enough to outflank us outright, so we'll have to adjust the angle of our line to account for that. We'll engage with three platoons on the line, and the fourth platoon will be in reserve. The third platoon will have to take more steps back and turn, just like the wheel right exercise we did, but the anchor will be the point between First Platoon and the other company.

"Any more questions?" Reivyn looked back and forth between the other three platoon commanders and Jekle, who was in command of the first platoon. They all shook their heads. "Alright, dismissed. Take charge of your platoons and await further orders."

The battalion was already in column Marching toward their destination. The tracks were abundantly clear to follow at this point, even in the dark. Reivyn had his little impromptu strategic meeting with the other lieutenants as their men marched in the final position of the column.

Despite having been in many life-or-death struggles, and many organized military battles as well, Reivyn's heart was still beating hard in his chest. He didn't have nerves or butterflies in his stomach, but he could feel the adrenaline already pumping through his veins. His high Stamina would have prevented him from feeling fatigued at this point, anyway, but even if he didn't have such high Stats, he was sure that any tiredness would have been washed away.

The battalion of volunteers marched for an hour in the dark, and the sun wasn't even starting to peek over the horizon by the time they spotted the enemy camp. It was a huge, sprawling mass of tents and bodies, and Reivyn spotted zero fortifications or entrenchments. There were obvious scouts keeping watch, as a horn blew in the distance.

Reivyn's heart sank, as, like an ant nest being agitated, tens of thousands of people scrambled to emerge from their rest to defend their camp. From Reivyn's estimate, gazing at the enemy force, there had to already be three forces equalling the original one already combined, not even including the reinforcements only about an hour away.

There's no way! Reivyn thought. The Major has to see that this is a hopeless cause.

Reivyn waited for the order to pull back to come down the line, but it never happened. He grit his teeth in frustration as the battalion started to veer to the left so that they could orient their flank for an engagement.

Already, pockets of enemy troops were sprinting towards the battalion in a completely disorganized way. Before Reivyn could even get his company up to the front line, the company in the front was already engaged with the enemy, and more and more were already pouring forth towards them.

If they attack us piecemeal like this, we might stand a chance of not getting totally overwhelmed, Reivyn felt hope surge, but it was just as quickly dashed as he continued to watch. More troops were forming up in ranks than were rushing at them. It seems those disorganized soldiers aren't just rushing us because of bloodlust. They're probably to prevent us from forming up properly as their own main force gets situated.

Reivyn had to begrudgingly approve of the harassing tactic, but it didn't make him feel better.

"Company! Double Time! Move, move, move!" Reivyn Commanded at the top of his lungs. "Get your men up there! Now!" Reivyn yelled at the platoon from the nearest company in front of him.

The lieutenant in charge noticed Reivyn's urgency and his orders for the company to rush forward, and he followed suit without hesitation. His actions, in turn, caused his fellow lieutenants to do the same, and soon the entire back half of the battalion was rushing forward to get in line instead of Marching methodically.

The battalion formed up its line quickly, and a horn sounded from the Major's position, ordering the advance. The soldiers didn't need the individual direction of the lieutenants, and the battalion Marched forward. Reivyn's fourth platoon held back, and as the commander, Reivyn Marched next to them so he could view the entire line.

Suddenly, the night sky erupted in bright light as magical projectiles came screaming at the battalion from the rear of the enemy encampment. The volunteer Mage Corps answered with their own volleys, and the Spells lobbed over allied soldiers to come crashing down on the advancing troops of both sides.

The soldiers had practiced combining their mana into platoon-wide shield Skills, but Reivyn didn't put much trust in it. The amount of firepower approaching them was magnitudes higher than what was being launched against the enemy.

Reivyn watched a large fireball arc through the air, and, even at this distance, Reivyn could make out the Spell structure within it. He had an instinctual feeling course through him, and he reached out with his will, seizing control of the Spell. He was momentarily surprised as his willpower simply brushed the Mage's will aside, and he took control of the Spell at the cost of close to 100 Mana.

Reivyn didn't let the momentary surprise stall him out, though, and he immediately controlled the Spell to crash down on the advancing army. They hadn't taken long to form up their own ranks, and shouts and horn blasts could be heard as they also advanced in a huge wall of people towards the much smaller battalion.

Everything about this is screwed up, Reivyn thought as he picked more Spells out of the air to use against their own people. What three-to-one odds for an assault? It's like fifty-to-one against us. I understand that Levels, Skills, and Classes can make a huge difference, but not that much.

Sweat broke out on Reivyn's brow as he simultaneously kept watch over his company and snatched enemy Spells out of the air. He didn't only catch Spells launched towards his own company, though his range couldn't encompass the entire battalion. His intervention made the Spell battle closer to even than the one-sided bombardment it would have been.

We have to do something more to suppress those Mages. We can't just use our Spells on the troops only. Especially against psychos like these who don't care about their own casualties.

It was conventional strategy, according to what he had learned in the classroom training, that the Mages would disengage as the melee combat started. Reivyn watched as the battalion finally made contact with the enemy force, but the enemy Mages never stopped hurtling their magic.

As the distance decreased, Reivyn's proximity to the Spells increased, and he could grasp the feeling of being able to interfere with the enemy Spells on a wider front. He was having to struggle a bit more against the closer Spells, as the Mages that had encountered him overpowering them had wizened up and begun putting up a fight, though it was like a child instead of a fly in the face of Reivyn's willpower. A hundred children, though, could exhaust him far more than a hundred flies.

Reivyn formulated a plan, and he checked his Mana pool to gauge the feasibility of it. His total Mana pool had exceeded 5,000 after transitioning to a Tier 3 Class, and he was down to about 3,000 already. Spending close to 100 Mana per will-battle only allowed him to act so much.

Instead of trying to commandeer control of the next Spell, though, Reivyn analyzed the tether connecting the Mage to his Spell, and he reached out with his own Mana, connecting himself to it without taking control. He used his own tether to the Spell as a conduit, and he pumped Lightning Mana, wrapped in Veridical on a hunch, along the lines.

Reivyn watched in satisfaction as it worked as he had hoped, and the Lightning Mana shot through the improvised Mana circuit. He couldn't see the end result, but the Spell he used winked out, and another one didn't immediately follow.

Looks like that maneuver only cost about 60 Mana, Reivyn noted, glancing at his Mana pool. Alright. I can afford to do that several more times. Let's get to work.

The sounds of men screaming and yelling, weapons clashing, armor clanking, projectiles whistling through the air, and the overall sounds of combat echoed out over the landscape as Reivyn kept a careful watch on his company while actively suppressing the enemy Mages.

"I don't know how long you can keep that up."

Reivyn was startled at the sound, not having noticed anyone approach him. He quickly glanced to the side and noticed Kefira standing next to him, but Serilla was nowhere to be found.

"What you're doing is amazing, but it won't be enough," Kefira looked at him. "I have a better idea. Draw your sword, and take my hand."

Reivyn didn't hesitate or stop to ask what she meant. He did as asked, drawing his sword with his right hand while placing his left hand in hers.

"This might be... disorienting. Here we go."

Reivyn felt a tremendous burst of Mana from Kefira, and the world shifted. He found himself suddenly surrounded by men in tattered robes, launching Spells into the air. Several of the closest ones stumbled back in surprise, and Kefira started blasting them with magic. Reivyn quickly understood what was going on, and he activated his Elemental Weapon Skill across his entire body and sword.

He stormed into the enemy Mages, becoming a whirlwind of death and destruction. Reivyn wasn't able to reach everyone with his sword alone. He used his sword and fist while simultaneously launching Spells of his own. He didn't hold back like he would in the Academy. He pumped his Spells full of Mana, using a deadly combination of Affinities, and he aimed for vital parts.

His sword would slash through the neck of a robed man while his fist drove into the gut of another, the fire wrapping his body leaping to immolate the enemy, and while he was doing that, a blade of Metal and Wind, empowered by Sharpness, would launch toward the neck of yet another Mage.

Kefira rained death and destruction around her, as well, and she made sure to keep up close to Reivyn. The enemy Mages began to take note of the two harbingers of death within their midst, and Reivyn had to switch from using his Mana offensively to defensively. Kefira rushed up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Time to go," she shouted. Mana once more stormed through the area, and they shifted back to their original position. Reivyn was slightly disoriented, having been in the middle of swinging his sword, but he quickly recovered. He looked at Kefira with a raised brow. She simply winked and put a finger across her lips.

Serilla finally showed up, rushing forward from out of nowhere with a glare leveled at Kefira.

"Don't. Do. That. Again!" Serilla hissed.

"It was necessary," Kefira argued back, turning her head in a huff.

"I'm not talking about the teleportation! I'm talking about leaving me behind!"

"Oh," Kefira said, looking properly chastised this time. "Well, you know that I only have enough control to take one other person with me, right now, and I felt Reivyn would be the better choice. Not only is he more proficient at combat than you, but it might also have been dangerous if he was still shooting lightning down on the Mages when we went over."

"No more excuses. Let's go back." Serilla jerked her head back toward the center of the battalion.

"You're right," Kefira gave Reivyn a sheepish grin. "I need to be with my unit in case they need me, and you obviously have your own duties."

"Be safe," Reivyn nodded, turning his attention back to his company completely as Kefira walked off with Serilla.

Reivyn surveyed the field and noticed that his platoon commanders were operating under the instructions he had given. The line wasn't perfectly straight anymore, but that didn't matter. If they had tried to keep their position perfectly, they would have been flanked by the massive horde of enemy soldiers already. The First Platoon, his platoon, was managing, but he could tell that they were losing Stamina a lot faster than the other two.

"Lieutenant Laris! Lead Fourth Platoon to relieve First Platoon!" Reivyn turned and commanded the other lieutenant standing nearby, ready to go.

"Yes, Sir!" Lieutenant Laris didn't technically have to refer to Reivyn as sir according to their ranks. Still, his position as the acting commander of the company had been cemented in everyone's mind by this point.

The Fourth Platoon Marched forward, and the soldiers of the First Platoon made space for them to maneuver their way to the front line. First Platoon disengaged in an orderly manner as the Fourth Platoon took over their duties.

The plan is to distract them long enough for the specialized unit to rush in and get the civilians moving out of the camp, Reivyn thought as he kept watch of the action. The battle has only been going on for several minutes, now, and it's already apparent that it's not going to be enough. Why hasn't the Major issued the order to retreat?

Reivyn glanced to the center of the battalion where the Major and his staff were sitting on their horses. Reivyn could see the man calmly watching the action, and Captain Sanjin was attempting to talk his ear off. Reivyn shook his head. At least the Major doesn't seem to be letting himself get distracted by that idiot.

Reivyn inspected how the other companies were fairing in the combat. He could already see that they had suffered casualties against the enemy tactics, despite Reivyn having explained them to the Major. He had assumed the Major would have someone pass the information down to the other captains, but that either hadn't happened, or they hadn't come up with a proper response before attacking.

From his position, Reivyn could tell that the men of the other companies were flagging much more than even his First Platoon had been. None of the other captains had ordered a reserve platoon, either. Everyone except his platoon was currently engaged in fierce combat with the relentless enemy.

Reivyn's mood continued to worsen as he was impatient with the Major and his orders. There wasn't any relief for any of the other troops, and there weren't any units on standby to seize opportunities.

Reivyn looked back toward the enemy camp, and he noticed that it was finally almost empty. He could see where the civilians were corralled, and he frowned as he noticed that they were hunched over, attending to some sort of task being overseen by some soldiers who didn't seem to care one way or another about the battle. They were being put to use to do something, and Reivyn could only imagine what it might be. His thoughts wandered to the Skills that tried to form an idea for him while he looked over the map previously.

Reivyn noticed movement out of the corner of his eye, and he spied the specialized unit finally making their move to infiltrate the camp and rescue the captives. It seemed like everything was actually working out how they wanted it to, but Reivyn knew that there was no way they would be able to maintain their pace to keep their attention long enough for the civilians to make it far enough away to escape.

Some might get away, which is better than nothing, but we don't know how the enemy is going to react to losing a portion of their captured workforce, Reivyn thought.

As he kept a careful eye on his own company and watched the infiltrators make their way through the camp in the distance, light finally began to peek over the horizon in the distance. Something about it felt off, though, as Reivyn watched the sky lighten.

Wait... that's the west. The sun rises in the east... Reivyn turned to look at the horizon in the east, and it was still dark. There was no sign of the sun rising, yet.

His stomach fell as a horn blast sounded from the direction of the light, and the cause of it finally came into view.

Another enemy force, holding torches to light their way, crested a dip in the ground. That's not even the enemies that I spotted on the patrol! They're coming from a completely different direction!

The infiltration force paused in their movements to look up and see them, and then the reinforcements charged into the camp. The infiltrators turned to flee, but they were drowned in the bodies of the new enemy unit.

Not only a hopeless failure but a complete and utter defeat, Reivyn thought, his mouth making a line. What the hell is wrong with the Major?!

Reivyn was ready to sound the retreat for his men, and he looked toward the Major and his staff. Reivyn's eyes bugged out at the scene before his eyes.

Cloaked men moving about in the shadows had materialized, and they were laying waste to the battalion staff. The Major's horse stood, saddle empty, as the staff members engaged in fierce combat all around. Reivyn searched a bit further and spotted Captain Sanjin galloping away in the opposite direction of his company, not even turning to see if anyone was pursuing him. There wasn't.

"Company! Disengage!" Reivyn Commanded. "First Platoon! With me!"

Reivyn began moving forward to engage the enemy with his platoon as the other three began walking back, trying to build space between them. He noticed the lieutenant of the closest platoon from the next company that had followed his lead earlier turned to look at him as he reached the back row of the men engaged with the enemy. Reivyn didn't have time to explain anything, and he simply pointed insistently toward where the Major had been.

The other man looked where Reivyn was pointing, and then he frantically began trying to order a retreat, as well.

"Jek!" Reivyn motioned for his friend to rush over before he took charge of the fighting. "Take the men and run! Set up a defensive line with one of the platoons fifty yards back as the others continue to escape! We'll set up a leapfrog escape as we attempt to retreat in an orderly fashion."

Reivyn felt a tremendous accumulation and release of Mana off to the side. A huge explosion and small quake nearly knocked Reivyn and the men from both armies off their feet. Reivyn looked toward the center of the line to see a smoking crater. Bodies and body parts littered the ground where the center of the combat had just been taking place. It didn't matter that far more of the enemy army had been decimated in the attack. Others from the opposing army were already sprinting through the hole in the center of the line.

"Go, go, go!" Reivyn yelled.

He launched himself forward, infusing his sword with his Mana once again. He had regained a considerable amount of Mana in the short time the battle had been going on, and it should be enough for his purposes.

The other three platoons managed to break away from the melee combat as Reivyn charged into the enemy, laying waste about himself with his magical sword. They turned and began to sprint under the urging of Jek, and Reivyn held the enemy back, almost single-handedly. He stood off to the side of the platoon, not directly with them, and he extended the flame of his weapon to a degree that he could swipe tens of yards at a time.

Reivyn didn't have time to focus on the rest of the volunteer battalion, but he could see that they were in full rout. There was no organized retreat happening elsewhere, other than the one platoon right next to him.

The fact that there was about to be no protection on either flank, with a huge force able to make use of that weakness immediately, forced Reivyn's hand.

"Jekle! Take the platoon and get to Lieutenant Jek! I'll buy some time! Go, go, go!"

Reivyn accumulated as much Mana as he ever had before, and he drove it down into the ground. Over 2,000 Mana points slammed into the ground, creating a huge shockwave of Mana and Earth, explosions of Fire with shrapnel from the destroyed ground infused in it, launched toward the enemy force.

The rampaging enemy was thrown through the air, hundreds of them being torn apart in the massive Spell, and hundreds more were tossed about like rag dolls. They careened through the air, and they fell to the ground, unable to get up.

He had succeeded in creating enough space to allow for his company, and the itinerant platoon, to get enough space to turn and sprint away.

Reivyn felt exhaustion threaten to take over, and his mind exploded in a splitting headache. He didn't have time to let it slow him down, though, and he turned and followed the platoon that had already begun sprinting away. His company was in much better shape than the rest of the battalion, but that didn't mean they hadn't suffered casualties of their own.

Bodies of men he had just been spending time with were strewn about the ground, and Reivyn had to crush the emotions creeping up to distract him from his responsibilities over the survivors.

Reivyn quickly caught up to his company with his superior Stats. He was relieved to see that they were mostly calm while running for their lives, and he would be able to assert command over them in such a state of mind.

There was only one thing that was really dragging him down and distracting him.

There's no sign of Kefira.