The group only consisted of Edelgard, Hubert, Monica, and Jeralt's Mercenaries—the mercenaries had enough numbers that the rest went unnoticed as they traveled. As much as they were able, Jeralt himself and Byleth stayed out of sight; she didn't entirely believe it would work, but it was a precaution of sorts to make sure those who slither in the dark didn't expect them.
This could be an important step forward, yet it could be a step back or lead to nothing. She made sure those who have already fought the mages understood that. Especially when it came to Thales's people, Edelgard preferred to err to the side of caution and accept disappointment if she had to.
It didn't take very long to reach Myrddin, and surprisingly Claude and the Alliance soldiers were already there. In the interest of time, then, the two forces moved together as soon as they were able. Their continued march wasn't interrupted.
For the most part, any conversations—about the battle or otherwise—stayed within the groups. Mercenaries spoke with the other mercenaries, Alliance soldiers with other Alliance soldiers, and Edelgard's little trio amongst themselves; the notable overlap was Byleth or Claude speaking with Edelgard. Claude did approach her when they were in Hrym territory.
"We're getting close, right?" Claude asked.
"Only a day or two out," Edelgard replied, glancing at him for a moment before looking ahead again. "I assume you have questions?"
"Anyone but you would," Claude said, frowning a bit. "But I just want to confirm a few things. First of all—do you know how much are in there?"
"I don't."
He blinked, pausing for a moment. "I assumed that you of all people would know how many people we'll be fighting in there."
"If I knew exact details, it wouldn't have taken this long to take some kind of action against them," Edelgard pointed out. "I know they have more people than their leader's ever given me—you need numbers to be careless with your soldiers."
"Or you just don't care."
"Once again: if that was the case, they'd all be dead by now."
"So what you're saying is that we're probably outnumbered?"
"It's possible. My goal here isn't to wipe them out—it's to hinder them. If I can force them out of hiding, that's still progress."
"And if they happened to be less trouble while they were safe in their home?"
"They would cause trouble whether or not they have a place to branch out from."
"…Just be smart when you start handing out orders. I agree that this is everyone's problem, from what I heard, but I'm not spending any lives on a battle I know we can't win. All of my soldiers will be returning to Garreg Mach."
"I understand. I'll do my best when in command." She would ask for trust, but she wouldn't give it herself if she was in his position. He made good points.
After a few seconds, Claude fell back a bit to talk with one of the Golden Deer he brought with him, ending the conversation. Hubert took Claude's place after a moment—she assumed he heard every word of it, but whether or not that inspired him to discuss exact plans she couldn't tell.
They could've made it there by night, honestly, but Edelgard didn't want to force a battle with little natural light. Instead, they partially separated—they went into smaller groups and stayed in or near one of the closer towns. Precious few people actually lived there, it seemed.
She wondered if the influence of Thales's people in the area was the cause, or if it was coincidence. The former was easier to believe.
The night passed with little event; she expected someone to notice and fight, but the mages never came. Edelgard led the group out as soon as they were ready the next morning—and while there weren't any mages in the towns, there were a few near the estimated area. It was the mages that attacked first, neither surprised nor seeming like they caught the upper hand.
The collection of mages held only a dozen or so; another five or six came from some area to reinforce them after the numbers began to lower, but they were still cut down like the rest. It seemed…a bit too easy. She couldn't hold back any suspicion—although she did know her own group wasn't the most indifferent about them. No one showed any mercy and it went rather painlessly.
The better challenge was locating the actual entrance—Monica was able to point out where the reinforcement mages came from, and from there they found a path to an underground city—as well as confirming they wouldn't be trapped inside. A few—those who did have some injuries from the first opponents—stayed outside, partly to rest and partly to help if something went wrong. The bulk of them still entered. Time to admire or disregard what the city itself looked like would come after the battle itself.
There were more mages inside, and a few of those things that Cornelia had in Fhirdiad—still, it wasn't as much as Edelgard expected. She couldn't exactly determine a true leader among them, either; they moved as if on orders, yes, but not ones actively given and relayed through the other mages. They seemed to have been told to defend, rather than adapt as necessary.
Unsurprisingly, the mages did attempt to attack Edelgard or Byleth more—Edelgard had Hubert and Monica to protect her, however, whereas Edelgard and Byleth continued to work together for both of their safety. The others—especially those from the Alliance—didn't face as much resistance unless they sought it first. The mages still fought the same regardless of who they were facing, however.
They continued on as the enemies went to rout; a majority of them died, while only a few used their magic to get away. Claude sent back any of his injured soldiers with escorts if needed, but many of the mercenaries who reached that point continued to fight. The corpses of mages and destroyed beasts did outweigh the number of ally lives lost.
Oddly, that concerned her. They shouldn't be this easy to kill, unless she underestimated the strength of her group. She expected more.
After a few hours, the mages' numbers dwindled and their creations slowed to a stop, to the point where they weren't fighting anyone.
"…There could still be more." There should be more, Edelgard felt, but she wanted to portray some kind of optimism. "It would be best to search the entire area. A more thorough look can come later, but for now if you see any mages, kill them."
Claude rephrased the order for his own troops, then they separated. Edelgard watched for any movement, any voices, but there were none.
She focused on searching the area. Considering the placement of the city and the people who lived in it, she could not find any reason or will to admire its strangeness. It felt too unpleasantly familiar for her to muster anything else towards it.
