Chapter 48 –Test of Strategy
"Hey, this is just like the good old days," Viktor said jovially. He took a deep swallow from his mug of beer.
"Yup," Humphrey replied. He took a slightly more moderate pull from his mug.
Flik shrugged his shoulders noncommittally. If they were really trying to recreate the "good old days," then Odessa would've been there too. Not that he was unhappy to be reunited with Humphrey. In fact, seeing his old comrade riding alongside Riou with the Matilda Knights had been a huge and pleasant surprise.
Humphrey had changed very little in the two years since the Liberation War. The warrior was tall and powerfully muscled, wearing a green tunic, dark brown pants, and a tan cloak over his shoulders. His giant sword, the Muramasa, was leaning against the back of his chair.
There was a sudden burp and gout of flame across the table, causing both Viktor and Flik to flinch. Humphrey took it all in stride. When Viktor recovered his composure, he yelled at the fourth person at the table, "Come on, Futch, get your dragon to stop doing that, or I'll jam the Star Dragon Sword down its throat!"
The Star Dragon Sword rumbled in its sheath. "I do not appreciate being used as a device for cheap threats."
Futch was much younger than the other three men around the table. Thin and gawky, he had not yet attained his adult height or musculature. He was dressed in a long purple tunic, black pants, and a winged band that held his brown hair in check. Blushing slightly, he answered, "Don't get angry with Bright. It's not his fault that he can't control everything yet."
Futch was another veteran from the old Liberation Army. He'd been an apprentice Dragon Knight two years ago, but had lost his dragon during the war. Flik knew that Futch and Humphrey were interested in going to Harmonia to research dragons. Somewhere in Matilda, Riou had helped Futch acquire a new dragon. The dragon was young; Futch could hold it easily in both arms. Befitting its name, Bright was completely white, except for a pair of bright blue eyes. Futch was feeding it chunks of meat that had been carefully cut up.
Viktor felt at his forehead. "Damn. That thing nearly singed my eyebrows off."
"They'll grow back," Humphrey observed.
"Bright is not 'that thing,'" Futch objected. "He's a baby dragon. He'll probably end up smarter than you are."
Flik observed that he'd knocked over his drink when Bright burped. He wondered if he could signal to Leona for another, but at that moment the door to the tavern burst open. Nina bounded in.
"Oh! Sir Flik, this is where you were. I thought you said you'd be training your men this morning. I went down to the practice fields and waited and waited, but you never came."
That would be because he had lied. Humphrey's eyebrows briefly shot up, maybe even a quarter inch. For him, that was an expression of complete astonishment.
Nina would not be deterred. "There's going to be a cook-off at the restaurant. Let's go, Flik! It'll be exciting. Maybe they'll even pick one of us to judge."
Flik looked at his compatriots for help. Humphrey judiciously took another swig from his drink. Viktor started chuckling. Futch asked, "Isn't she a little young for you?"
Nina glared at Futch. "I'm older than you are, that's for sure!"
"Maybe, but I'm much more mature. I've taken care of dragons and fought in battle."
"I helped Lord Shin and Lady Teresa stay hidden from the Highland Army."
Futch stuck his tongue out at Nina. She reciprocated. Bright wriggled out of Futch's grip and jumped on the table, sniffing at Flik's spilled beer. That drew Futch's attention.
"No, Bright! That's not good for you." He snatched the dragon pup back before Bright could taste the liquid.
As Futch was collecting his dragon, Flik heard the deep muffled gong of the signal bell. He tilted his head in the direction of the noise, as if that would help him hear better. That first strike meant that Shu was summoning people to a meeting. The number of following strikes would determine who needed to attend.
The bell sounded again. A few people stirred in their seats. Then the noise rang out a third time. Viktor and Flik stood up; the meeting would include them, at least. There was a fourth gong. The conversations in the tavern grew quieter. Flik started walking towards the door. The fifth sounding stopped him cold. The tavern was nearly silent, except for the scraping of Humphrey's chair as he got up. The commanders of every unit in the army had just been summoned.
And finally, the bell signaled the sixth time. Everyone in the tavern started moving again. The soldiers quickly chugged down the remainder of their drinks and started collecting their equipment. Flik ran over to the door, pulled it open, and sprinted down the entry hall with Viktor and Humphrey at his heels. The Tablet of Stars stood without its guardian. Soldiers rushed past the three men, called to their barracks by the sixth bell.
The great hall was crowded, the air brimming with nervous anticipation. Shu glanced quickly at Viktor and Flik as they entered, motioning the two men to join him on the dais with Riou, Fitcher, Ridley, and Nanami. As the two men stepped up onto the platform, Gilbert slunk into the room, the last to arrive. Shu cleared his throat and the room went still.
"Lord Riou, I have called this meeting because I have just received distressing, though not unexpected, news. The ships arriving from Radat have told me that the Highland Army has appeared on the east banks of the Dunan River."
"Have they occupied the town?" Viktor interrupted.
"They don't know," Fitcher answered. "We were expecting another report in a few days, but they might take the town before then. All indications are that this army is formidable."
Shu nodded. "It is the Highland Third Army, commanded by General Kiba Windamier and his son, Klaus."
"A full Highland army?" Flik asked. "How many soldiers will that be?"
"They will need to leave some men behind for garrison duty, but yes, it is essentially a full army. I expect that we will be facing nearly twenty thousand soldiers."
There was some nervous shifting among the assembled commanders. Luc, leaning against the back wall, muttered, "Great. At least we aren't outnumbered by too much."
"Enough!" Ridley growled, taking a step forward. "Now is not the time to hesitate. We must put aside our selfish fears for the sake of all. We must strike the Highlanders as a united army, and we must strike immediately."
"I agree," Shu said, much more subdued than the kobold. "Lord Riou, our best chance to defend South Window province is to fight the Highland Army at Radat. If they make it any further into the region, we will find it difficult to stop them short of Dunan Castle."
Riou nodded and spoke to the commanders. "I want to thank all of you who have agreed to fight alongside me. Many of you have given up position, comfort, and peace to come here and liberate this land. I am grateful for each of you. Now the army is assembled. Now we take the first step to stopping Luca Blight's madness and ending the war. Today, I order the New State Army to the field. We will fight!"
Flik cheered, pumping his fist in the air, hearing cheers all around him. Only Shu and Nanami were quiet, the former rubbing his chin and pondering some plan, the latter frowning unhappily.
"You are dismissed to your units," Shu announced. "Tai Ho, Amada, take the fleet out. Interdict any Highland moves across the lake. The army will march in two hours. Flik, your men will provide the forward scouts. That is all."
There was much to do in those two hours. Flik ran a quick inspection of the men, their equipment, and the horses. His unit had grown in size, now up to five hundred men. He had the spare Fire Spears distributed. Tengaar and Hix arrived, ready to join him in battle. Satisfied that everything was in order, Flik led his mounted archers out beyond the gates.
The army was in the process of assembling. Looking on the soldiers, Flik was struck by the assortment of people Riou had brought together. He saw a squad of Zexens running past infantry in the colors of South Window. The Red and Blue Knights of Matilda trotted next to a company of Ridley's kobolds. Archers from Greenhill were gathering arrows. Somewhat surprisingly, Teresa had insisted that she would lead her people in battle, though Shin was with her to help. Nearby, a company of veterans from Muse was taking directions from Humphrey. The Winghordes were scattered about, but ready to take to the air as soon as the army began moving.
There were also civilians, mainly women, waiting to see the army off. Yoshino was tightly hugging a very embarrassed Freed. Nina came charging over to Flik, holding a long pink ribbon in her hands. She held it up to him.
"Take this into battle, Sir Flik! It's my token for you."
Reluctantly, he accepted the ribbon. Nina began to say something else, but Barbara and Leona suddenly shoved her out of the way.
"You look after Viktor," Barbara demanded. "If anything happens to him, I'll beat the stuffing out of you."
"I'll see what I can do," Flik said.
"Don't you die either," Leona added. "Viktor would probably go to pieces if you died."
Flik looked away from the two women, out across the field, to where Viktor was organizing the mercenaries. The fortress in East Muse seemed like it was years ago, rather than a few months past. Viktor turned in his direction and waved jauntily, as if they were planning nothing more than an afternoon stroll. Flik waved back.
When everything was in order, Riou appeared. Nanami walked on his right side, and Eilie was at his left. Rina and Bolgan were a few paces back. Shu and Apple came last, Apple whispering fiercely to the senior strategist, who nodded in return. They arrived at the head of the army. Eilie spoke some words to Riou, but Flik was too far away to hear them. She looked as though she wanted to hug him, but held back.
As Riou moved to mount his horse, a murmur passed through the men. Something had appeared on the road in front of the army, forming out of thin air. Flik recognized the equine figure immediately. Tengaar also recognized it, and she avoided looking in its direction. This was the unicorn of Unicorn's Forest, who had proclaimed Hix a True Warrior and had promised to aid Riou's cause. Now that same white unicorn approached Riou and bowed down on his front legs before him, so that his long horn touched the ground.
It was an invitation, one that stood at variance to the unicorn's own law- that only a maiden might mount the unicorn. Riou did not hesitate in accepting the invitation. Nanami quickly followed her brother, mounting behind him on the unicorn's bare back. The unicorn stood back up to his full height, and the noon sun flashed off his ivory horn. The army cheered, thousands of voices stirring the air, and Riou pointed down the road. The campaign had begun.
Flik spent most of the remainder of that day rotating among his squads, making sure that everything was running smoothly. The day was hot, and he was glad he was riding up with the scouts. Looking to the rear, he could see the huge plume of dust that the army was kicking up. His men weren't the only scouts in front of the army. Overhead, the Winghordes kept watch as well, gliding from tree to tree, or staying aloft for longer periods of time.
Occasionally one of them would appraise Flik of people they saw further down the road. These turned out to mostly be merchants or people travelling towards Dunan Castle to set up residence there. Flik encouraged the travelers to wait at the side of the road for the army to pass, so that they wouldn't foul the march.
Another one of his duties was to select a suitable location for the army to encamp for the night. Once they were beyond the scattered forests near the Cave of the Wind, this job became easier. He choose a flat field just off the road, with no large hills or forests to block the sight lines. As evening fell, his men served to guide the units of the army to the location. Stragglers continued to arrive long after that.
There was a dinner for the unit leaders at Riou's command tent. Here Shu explained he expected the army would arrive outside of Radat the following evening, and the battle would take place one or two days later. When the meal was finished, Flik retired to his unit's tents and slept.
At the first hints of dawn, Flik was ready to lead his mounted archers out. Another day in the lead position awaited them. They covered ground at a steady pace, passing in front of South Window City before noon. The gates to the city were closed, and men stood on the walls, grimly watching the surrounding land. The great estates around the city were also very quiet. A few field workers fled at the approach of Flik's men, leaving olive trees unattended.
To the east, the land became hilly, with long belts of woods meandering along streambeds. Further on, the forests became denser, and the hills in the south built up into a bluff. Following the road to the top of a gentle ridge, Flik looked down and saw distantly the broad, sluggish Dunan River.
A Winger flapped out of the sky, settling down next to Flik. He looked over and saw, much to his displeasure, that it was Sid. Sid cocked his head towards Flik and laughed slowly. "I see…" He laughed some more. "Soon to be corpses. They ride towards you. Twenty marked for doom. Just beyond the next rise." He cackled darkly. "Do you enjoy…feeding the worms?" He took off before Flik could answer, not that Flik had thought of a response.
He cast Sid from his mind. Flik knew he had only a couple of minutes to prepare for action. He ordered his men back below the reverse side of the hill, screening them from view. When the Highlanders came over the crest ten minutes later, Flik and his men were waiting to spring the ambush. After a sharp, but one-sided skirmish, he made sure his men took prisoners.
He detailed a few men to send the captives back to the main army, then rode further on with the rest of his unit. Now his approach was more careful. With the sun in the west, he didn't want to blunder over any larger Highland pickets. The Winghordes proved invaluable in this effort, finally warning him of a much larger force blocking his path forward. Flik halted his men, sending a message back to Shu informing him that Radat town was in enemy hands. An hour later, Shu himself rode up to observe the situation. Viktor, Riou, Nanami, and Apple were also with him.
Shu observed the town and shook his head. "I wonder, will they come up out of the town at us, or do they intend to try and make us attack?"
"I could walk down and try to find out," Viktor offered. "What about it, Riou, want to check on Radat with me?"
Shu forestalled any answer from Riou. "What are you thinking, Viktor? Do you really believe I'd allow you and Riou to walk into such danger?"
"I'm good at these sort of things. Did I ever tell you about the time I got Tir McDohl out of Gregminster?"
"Out of the question," Shu said tersely.
Viktor looked down at the ground. "Just making a suggestion."
One of the Winghordes dropped down with a report. "A group of Highlanders approaches under a white banner."
Riou looked at Shu. "What do you think?"
"Let us hear what they have to say," Shu answered. "I do not think Kiba is the type to spring an underhanded trap."
Within a quarter hour, the Highland delegation had arrived. Flik, having been given a description of Kiba Windamier, was surprised to see a man fitting the report leading the delegation. The leader's eyes quickly swept Flik and his group, appraising them all. Then he spoke. "I am Kiba Windamier, here to speak with Riou, adopted son of Genkaku."
The commander of the Third Army was a robust man in plate armor that reflected the red light of the sun. His bald head was uncovered, and his blond beard made his face look stern, though not cruel. A slightly built, younger man rode next to him. This was his son Klaus, the reports said. Klaus' demeanor was not particularly martial, with his black hair trailing into his closed eyes and a calm expression on his face. He was wearing blue pants, a beige tunic, and a purple jacket overtop of the tunic.
Riou was still astride the unicorn. He rode out in front of Flik and met Kiba's challenge. "I'm the one you seek. I'm Lord Riou, commander of the New State Army."
Some of the Highlanders had recoiled at the sight of Riou riding the unicorn, but Kiba remained unfazed. "Well met, Lord Riou. I had thought that you would be hiding in your castle while others do your fighting, but here I find you at the head of your army. Good man!"
Riou met Kiba's gaze. "Why have you come here? Surely you don't think I'm going to surrender?"
Kiba laughed once. "Surrender? I wouldn't insult you like that. I came to see what sort of man my opponent was. Now I have seen the resolve in your eyes. And, as we are each here with our armies, we should at least have a decent battle. I hope that you will provide a good challenge, it's what keeps me going these days."
"You shouldn't underestimate him," Klaus warned softly. "He is here because he has confidence in his army. He is here because he believes he will have victory." Klaus opened his eyes and glanced at Shu. "Isn't that your reasoning, disciple of Silverbergs?"
"I have already defeated you once, whelp," Shu answered. "If you can reason that far, then you should save the lives of your men and retreat at once."
Klaus' cheek twitched slightly, but he gave no other visible sign of emotion. "You should not despise my abilities. Don't think you are so much greater than I am simply because you got lucky once. You may have studied under Mathiu Silverberg, but I went to Soledt in Harmonia."
"Enough," Kiba interrupted, looking at Klaus. "You must not let him rattle you, my son." He turned his attention to Shu. "Whatever you may think of your skills, is it not best said that battle is the true test of strategy? Tomorrow we shall see whether your presumption is correct or whether my son will triumph."
"Fair enough," Shu said. Kiba turned his mount and led his delegation back towards Radat. When they were out of earshot, Shu spoke. "Flik, you will join us back at the main camp for a strategy meeting. Tell your pickets to be vigilant for any Highland moves."
Viktor was smiling. "Look's like we're finally going to have a big battle. I haven't been this excited since we charged into Gregminster."
"Yeah, but that was at the end of the war," Flik replied. "I don't think tomorrow's battle will be the last of this one."
"I know," Viktor answered. "Still, if everything goes right, we'll be that much closer to the end."
He left with Shu and the others. Flik remained behind to give orders to his men, then rode back along the road to the main encampment. Even with night having fallen, the camp was full of activity, with men checking their weapons and armor. Undoubtedly others were blowing off steam by gambling on dice or cards. If they were, they kept those activities out of Flik's sight.
Riou's command tent was a large pavilion, and the generals had assembled around a table that had a map of the region. Flik was the last to arrive. Viktor nudged him in the ribs when he took his place. Shu coughed once to gain everyone's attention and motioned to Apple to begin the briefing.
She nervously finished cleaning her glasses and then started speaking. "If you will look at the map, I will address the current situation. A significant percentage of the Highland Third Army has crossed the Dunan River, occupied Radat, and taken up positions outside the town. The Winghordes have estimated their numbers to be around fifteen thousand. They are a mix of heavy cavalry, mounted archers, and basic infantry. Furthermore, a detachment from the Highland Fourth Army has also been spotted to the south of the town. The estimates for that force are five thousand men."
"That's a lot of enemies," Viktor interrupted. "How are we going to stop them, strategist?"
"It does not matter what they do," Shu responded. "If they wish to attack frontally, then we'll meet their attack with one of our own. They may have a lot of men, but their lines of defense are dangerously shallow. We will focus all of our efforts on driving into the town and dividing the Highland forces in two. Then we can easily eliminate the separate groups."
He began placing lead figurines on the map. "These are the positions you will assume tomorrow morning. The infantry will lead this operation, with the Matilda Knights to cover our southern flank, and the archers and mages in a support position. This will be a general advance straight at the Highland positions. Nobody is to stop until we are in the town or you receive countervailing orders. Are there any questions?"
Flik looked at the map. His unit would be in the support line, directly behind Viktor's men. It was not a bad location, though he would not be able to use the Fire Spears at all during the fighting. While he was thinking about that, Ridley spoke up.
"Lord Shu, I would like to express my reservations regarding the role you intend to have my kobolds play in the upcoming battle."
"What would those reservations be, General Ridley?" Shu asked, his voice holding a bit of an edge.
A quick perusal of the other positions showed Flik that Ridley's kobolds were in the very center of the infantry line, and slightly in front of it. If Shu's plan was executed with the kobolds in that position, they would certainly suffer many casualties. Flik understood what Ridley's concerns were even before the kobold general voiced them.
"If I may speak freely, Lord Shu, I do not think that the temperament of my men is suited for the plan you have given to me. Specifically, I wish you'd explain your reasoning in more detail. I don't think either my men or my fellow commanders will understand my movements-"
Shu cut him off harshly. "Understanding is not important. Lord Riou has entrusted me with the tactics of this battle and I intend to win it. In order to do so, I need you to follow my plan exactly, General Ridley. You must follow it without hesitation and without doubt. If you cannot do that, I will have you replaced with someone who can. Now, will you or won't you obey orders?"
Flik blinked uneasily. Shu was being a little overbearing, in his opinion. While the strategist had every right to the placement of troops, making sure that the concerns of the generals were met was also an important duty. He had the impression that Mathiu would've handled this differently.
Ridley growled in displeasure. "I know how to obey orders, commander. Your plan will be followed out to the letter." He stalked bitterly from the tent.
If anyone else had any concerns, they did not voice them. Shu's stern expression faded, replaced by the hint of a smile. "Well then, I believe this briefing is finished. I assure you, tomorrow you will see my strategy in action."
Flik looked at the retreating figure of Ridley. He hoped Shu's statement was fact, and not bluster. Then he shook his head. In the end, the battlefield would decide the truth of the matter.
