You wake up before Morena does and don your armor as silently as you can manage. Leaving your tent, you find the camp already in hurried motion. There is a sense of urgency in the air which moves everyone with extra speed. There is no idle chatter or food breaks. Instead, people eat their rations as fast as they can before going to work.
And as always, Weiss is in the thick of things, with a ration pack of her own in her hands much to your shock. You watch as she takes a bite in between directing groups of workers and while her hood covers her face, you can see the way her lips tremble as she tries to force it down.
"Good morning Princess." You greet her as you swiftly take your place at her side.
"Good morning." Weiss forces out.
"I see that you decided to give common people food a try." You tease her.
"I would hardly call this food. How do people even eat these? It is like I am eating cardboard and sand."
"Those are probably among the ingredients." You laugh.
In the end, she is only able to eat through a third of the pack. You finish the rest for her. Morena joins you with her own ration at some point and soon after the expedition starts the day's travel.
It becomes quickly apparent that luck is not on your side today. The expedition faces many setbacks and delays that ranging from pack beasts being uncooperative to cargo boxes not being properly secure and spilling out. Then Weiss gets involved personally. You get to witness her people management and leadership skills as she directs people with skill and experience that you haven't thought possible for a noble. Under her orders, every issue is solved swiftly and precautions are taken for future ones.
"Honestly, sometimes it feels like I am surrounded by idiots." Weiss confesses to you after getting Expedition back on track for the seventh time that day.
You shrug. "They are actually being pretty competent for your average worker."
"Please tell me you are joking." Weiss replies, disbelief evident in her voice.
"Afraid not."
Towards the end of the day, your scouts return and report that your pursuers have closed some of the distance. You kinda expected it considering they aren't burdened as much as the expedition. Still, according to the scouts, there is still a considerable distance between you and them.
Bad luck continues to plague you the next day. Once again the expedition faces many delays much to Weiss' chagrin. It is only her involvement that turns what would be a snail's crawl into an acceptable pace.
Unfortunately, your pursuers don't seem to share your luck. They make great gains, closing the distance between you and them even more. Your scouts predict that they will catch up by tomorrow or the day after if this keeps up.
Seeing that a confrontation is inevitable, Weiss gathers her captains once again to decide on a course of action once expedition sets camp.
Weiss' refusal to use workers as bait or allow you to lead a bait squad stops any ambush plan in its track. It is also pretty clear that outpacing your pursuers is not possible and a forced march would only make things worse. Your suggestion of picking a location and hunkering down is opposed by the trio of captains.
In the end, Jezka convinces Noff and Markov to a night attack. With all her three captains in agreement, Weiss gives in, accepting the plan for a night attack though you can clearly see that she is not sure of the plan.
"We will have to move under the cover of night and strike when they are resting. As it is, our pursuers are too far away for us to do so. So we need to allow them to close the gap as much they can without actually reaching us." Jezka explains, displaying a tactical ability you haven't expected of her.
"We also have to do it without alerting our enemies." Markov adds. "If they get suspicious of our movements..."
"They won't, thanks to the abysmal pace of the last two days." Jezka cuts his fellow captain off. "That will be the easy part. Difficult part will be getting as close as we can without alerting their patrols. Problem is if these fuckers are half as good as we suspect them to be then they are gonna respond fast once start our attack. We will only have a brief window of opportunity to break them. We miss it, and it becomes a brawl."
"That really fills me with confidence about this plan of yours." Noff grumbles.
"It is either this or letting them have the first move."
"Right."
Then the question comes as to where you and Weiss will be. It is obvious that you need to participate in the attack as the best fighter in the entire expedition. While leaving Weiss behind is something you loathe to do, it is the better option in this case.
Except Weiss disagrees. "I am coming with you." She states much to your chagrin.
"No, you are not." You shoot back.
"Yes, I am." She stubbornly insists, drawing a frustrated sigh from you in return.
"Look, this will be a battle, Princess. Even if I accept that you can defend yourself, this will be an environment where danger may come from any or all directions. It will take everything I have just to survive while also making sure that the plan doesn't fail. I will not have time to protect you." You explain.
"I don't need you-" She tries to argue but you cut him off. "All the cats you are paying me tell otherwise."
She huffs, a surprisingly cute noise coming from her but you are unmoved on your decision. She will be staying behind where it is safe. Question is, will you leave her alone?
"Morena will remain with you." You inform Weiss.
"I don't need a babysitter. And you will need her much more than I will." She replies and you can just tell that she will not be convinced otherwise.
Regardless, you still try and waste an hour doing so. Honestly, your employer can be pretty stubborn when she wants to, stubborn enough to make you want to tear all your hair out. In the end, you give up in defeat and just leave her be.
At least she agreed to stay behind.
Next day, finds you back at Weiss' side. Scouts are sent out in force once again to keep you informed of your pursuer's advance. You will need to keep ahead of them one more day and hope they do not decide to start a chase. Otherwise, Jezka's whole plan would fail before it can even start.
Honestly, there are lots of things that can wrong with the plan, many different points in which it can break. Except it is too late to do anything now but follow it.
Worse comes to worse, you will save who you can, get Weiss then flee.
"What do you mean we are going too fast?" Weiss asks, consternated.
"Well, you see, boss... The assholes chasing us, they haven't been able to catch up to us," scout explains, shrinking under Weiss' gaze.
"Is this some kind of joke?" she demands.
"Afraid not, boss." scout fearfully replies.
"Great! Just... great," she rants before turning her attention to the scout. "Dismissed."
The guy scurries away from your employer's presence, leaving you two alone once again. This time you speak up first, "Guess we will have the attacking force detach from the expedition now."
Weiss lets out a sigh, "It seems like it."
"Look at the bright side. As it is, there is no way people pursuing us will try to steal a march," you try to cheer her.
"Yes," Weiss replies, "Instead, you will actually have to travel straight towards them through the remaining half of the day."
"Will you be alright?" you ask her.
"I will be fine. Just..." she takes a breath, "Be careful, okay?"
You nod then leave her side to start your own preparations for the upcoming battle.
All the merc squads swiftly gather under their captains. Some light provisions are packed, ammunition is distributed along with the few precious explosives the expedition posses and orders are given. Weiss has given permission to go all out and the captains take advantage of it.
It takes somewhere around twenty minutes for the mercenaries to get ready. You yourself use that time to double-check your gear and grab a quiver of arrows for your borrowed longbow. You are done in ten minutes and spend the remainder waiting.
Once everything is ready, the assault force departs. You can't help but worry as you are essentially leaving the rest of the expedition defenseless but it is too late for doubts and second-guesses. You have a battle to win.
The fighting under Weiss' payroll currently totals to eleven men not counting you. Those eleven are then divided into three squads though somewhat evenly. Though you are not under any squad yourself though your skill set means you will be among the vanguard alongside Jezka and Markov. Noff's squad consists of scouts and sharpshooters whom Ezra and Nines are part of. They are to provide covering fire while everyone else advances.
The expedition forces will be facing two to one odds. While you can take on such odds alone or even with a small squad, you're a lot less confident when it comes to the fighting abilities of the mercs on your side, not to mention their reliability.
At least you will have Morena watching your back.
You and the mercenaries march until the sunset. Then Markov brings everyone to a halt. You hold position until scouts return and report that the enemy has made camp. Afterward, the marching begins once anew.
It is two hours later the enemy camp comes into sight.
You see the light of torches, set around the perimeter. The first mistake you spot. At night, torches would only give your position away at best and hinder your sight at worst.
You sneak closer to the enemy camp under the cover of darkness using sand dunes to hide your approach. Morena, Jezka and Jezka's squad are right at your heels.
You manage to get close enough to take a good look at their perimeter and what you see simply astounds you. There are only a few people on watch, each one standing next to a torch, the absolute worst position for a night watch. What is even worse is that their perimeter is so full of holes that you are almost convinced that it is a trap.
Then you find out it isn't as you creep closer and reach the perimeter without getting spotted.
Faced with this level of incompetence, you don't know how to feel. I mean it is great that your enemies are utter morons yet you can't help but feel somewhat offended. These guys were supposed to be professionals after all yet there is nothing even remotely professional about this defensive perimeter!
There is no overwatch, night watch aren't posted in pairs, torches are placed at worst possible locations and perimeter itself isn't even!
"Hey, what is the problem?" a voice comes from your left.
You turn to find Jezka giving you a questioning look. "Nothing," you spit out. "Just that we are facing a bunch of morons, that is all." you mutter.
"Do you think we could sneak in?" she asks.
"We could sneak a whole fucking GARRU HERD through and they wouldn't even notice until it is too late," you respond.
Jezka grins, "Well then, let's see how far we can go."
The answer proves to be too fucking far as you and the mercs following manage to sneak past the perimeter without raising any alarm. Once inside the enemy camp, you turn to Jezka.
"What now?" you ask.
"I honestly have no idea. I was expecting them to force us out of stealth two miles earlier," she answers. "We could just start killing I guess," she offers.
"Do you want to see how many throats we can cut before we are found out?" you ask.
Jezka gives you a bloodthirsty smile in return before turning to her men and starts whispering orders. Morena, on the other hand, seems less than pleased with your choice of action.
"There is no honor in this, Battlemaster," she whispers, her voice a low rumble.
"This is survival, Morena. Lives depend on us," you answer. At her uncomprehending look, you explain, "We are not here to earn honor or glory but victory and ensure that those under our protection do not come to harm by slaying those that seek to do so. This is our duty and failing it would lead to shame much greater."
Your words seem to placate Morena. She nods at your explanation before moving to draw a knife of her own but you stop her.
"Having said that, it is best you wait for real combat to begin. We need someone on overwatch in case the alarm is raised," you add.
Morena nods again, and you let out a sigh in relief before turning your attention back to the grim task before you. You notice that Jezka and her squad slipping into tents with unsheathed knives. Drawing your own, you pick a tent of your own and sneak in.
You move slowly, years spent as a Jonin making sure that each of your footsteps is silent. The tent itself is pretty small, not giving you much room to maneuver. The heavy armor you are wearing also restricts your movement a bit though you are able to handle it, something you are capable of thanks to its flexible nature.
You find a single target inside the tent, asleep on a bedroll. A set of mercenary plate is on a nearby armor stand and there is a quality steel combat cleaver nearby. You approach the sleeping mercenary, creeping ever closer until you are standing above him with your knife in hand.
Then you strike.
You fall on your target, your free hand clamping on his mouth as you thrust your knife into his neck just at the point where all the major arteries are located. The merc wakes up as the steel slices through his flesh, trashing in pain for a second then another. Then he goes limp as his brain shuts down due to blood loss. His eyes remain open after his death, reflecting the confusion and terror the man has felt in his last brief moments.
You pull your knife out from the dead merc's neck and wipe it on the bedroll before standing up. You never really expected to put your assassination training to use and you really don't know how you feel about it, but again you can sort that out later after the mission is done and everyone is safe.
Just as you are about to leave the tent, you hear a loud shout coming from outside. Abandoning stealth and swiftly making your way outside, you find one of Jezka's merc wrestling with an enemy merc next to a collapsed tent. Jezka herself comes out of a nearby tent with a bloody knife, displaying an impressive repertoire of curses swears.
"Time to go loud. Signal Markov!" you order then sheath your knife before drawing...
...your katana from its sheath.
Jezka pulls out a flare gun and fires it into the air before moving to assist her squad member. You, on the other hand, turn around to face the mercs coming out of their tents.
Only to find one of the perimeter guard coming in to check the noise.
You move. By the time guard realizes what is happening, he is already in your reach. You don't give him any chance to react and slash open his throat with your first swing. Your second swing severs his neck completely, separating his head from the body.
You flick the blood of your blade and look around, spotting movement in multiple tents. A second later four mercs leave their tents, all of them clad in armor though few dangling clasps suggest that the process was rushed. One among their number moves in a way that suggests skill and experience, at least compared to his comrades. He is also equipped with higher quality weapon and armor.
Four against one. Kind of odds only a few people would take and win.
You are one of those people, much to the misfortune of your foes.
The first rule of fighting outnumbered. Strike first and hard. Reduce the enemy numbers as much as you can before the retaliation comes.
It takes three steps. Three lightning fast steps and they are in the reach of your katana. Your first swing comes as a natural extension of your last step, the force of your momentum added to your own strength. Steel slices through metal and flesh with ease and your target screams, his weapon falling to the ground with his severed hand stilling gripping the hilt. You end his pain swiftly, thrusting the tip of your sword deep into his brain through the left eye socket.
Then you pivot around on single foot, turning around and wrenching your sword in one single movement. Before you stands your second target who has raised his cleaver for an overhead strike, leaving himself wide open. It is a mistake that costs him his life for your blade is already in position for the next strike.
One second he is about to bring his weapon down on your head, next, a flash of steel. You carve him from hip to shoulder in the time it takes for the eye to blink. You blade goes through armor, flesh, bone then internal organs spraying blood. Death is near-instant. Handle of the combat cleaver slips from your targets fingers as he stumbles forward a step, then falls down, dead.
You don't stop moving, flowing from one motion to the next. You don't have the time to admire or acknowledge your kills. Every second counts here. Your sword rises up for a block as the dead body hits the ground followed by the sound of steel clashing against steel.
The opponent you face now is much more skilled. His strength is much closer to yours and his skill is leagues above the first two targets.
He is still not a match for you. But he doesn't need to be. He just needs to be good enough to interrupt your flow, hold you in place for a single second and that accomplishes as a saber crashes into your back just after you shove him back.
Your armor holds and you barely feel the force of the blow. Nonetheless, the momentum is lost. You can't press the attack with a foe at your back and must pull back, getting all the targets back into your sight.
A momentary reprieve for both sides.
A swift glance reveals you that a fierce battle has sparked inside the camp. You spot mercenaries fighting each other all over the place with more combatants for both sides joining in while bolts fly overhead.
Turning your focus back to the foes before you, you find them both warily watching you. The one who attacked you from behind takes an involuntary step back as your eyes land on him. The other foe is much resolute before your sight but you yet you can see the hesitation in him.
Unfortunately, it is at that moment three more opponents arrive and join the fight against you. What is worse is that the sight of one of the new arrivals, a warrior in a custom full plate that screams somebody important, is enough to bolster the resolve of the two mercs facing you. It seems you drew the personal attention of the enemy leader.
It is now one against five, except, three of the opponents you face now are real threats.
Leader and one of the actual threats approach you with weapons drawn while the other three fan out in an attempt to flank you. And on a lesser opponent, their tactic would have worked.
An opponent wary of numbers.
An opponent with less experience or skill.
An opponent that is not you.
You take a deep breath, raise your sword, then move.
You reach the duo of grunts who are trying to flank you from the right in a second. Rest of your opponents will reach you in three seconds. Thus you only have a second for each strike for a total of three strikes before you have to go on defense.
Three successful, uninterrupted strikes. Even if one of them misses its mark or is blocked, then you will be surrounded.
A test of skill where even one misstep can land you in fatal danger.
It is fortunate then that you don't misstep. You first swing lands nearly unopposed, your speed catching your opponent off guard. You gut your target, slicing apart the stomach and the intestines. Then Yyu switch targets and your second swing carves a deep wound on the other target's chest, steel grinding against bones but not reaching the organs underneath. Not a fatal blow, allowing your second target to stumble back outside of your reach. With no time to pursue, you turn your last strike on the first target that you have gutted and end his misery.
Three seconds. One dead, one wounded. A threat left alive at your back.
Not the ideal position but you can work with it.
The first attack comes from the actual threat one. But you have his measure. You push his blade away and slice at his stomach in one fluid motion. Your counterattack lacks the power of your usual strikes but still manages to penetrate deep enough to part skin and sever veins, unleashing a torrent of blood.
Then you face an attack from the Leader himself who steps in to cover his underling. You meet his attack head-on, your swords clashing against each other, creating a ringing noise. It becomes a contest of strength for a moment and yours win out and you shove him back just in time to meet the third attack from actual threat two who is caught unprepared by your quick reaction, allowing you to turn his blade away.
Last attack comes from the threat at your back. Wounded but still alive, the grunt from before once again tries his luck at a backstab. Except this time, you are prepared for it. You swiftly turn around and bat away his thrust with your own sword.
And once again you find yourself in a position to strike.
First things first, you need to eliminate the threat at your back. Injured and reeling, the grunt is easy to dispatch. A single swing is all it takes.
Once he is dead, you turn your full attention on the three actual threats. Threat one heavily injured and is bleeding out. The leader is wary of you but and from your earlier exchange, it is clear he will be a tough nut to crack. Plus, if you want the option of taking him prisoner, you need to take out his underlings first.
As such, you target actual threat two who is still combat-capable. He is still off-foot from your parry and you capitalize on that, not giving him a moment to recover. With momentum on your side, you proceed to dismantle him, removing his sword arm from the shoulder before slamming your sword deep into its chest, impaling his heart. He dies with a gasp.
You wrench your sword free with a wet squelch and turn your attention to the remaining two foes, ready to defend yourself.
Instead, you find both of them running away, in different directions.
Leader is the bigger prize here so naturally, you chase after him. Despite the head start he gets, you catch up to him with six steps before tackling him to the ground.
Now, it would be easy if killing had been your goal here. But with the attention Weiss has been getting, you figure it is time to get some answer and for that you need this guy alive. Thankfully he doesn't need to know that so you just climb on top of him and put your knife to his neck. He stills once he feels the cold steel on his skin, allowing you to easily tie his hands behind his back without any struggle. Then you strip him of the weapons he carries before hauling him up to his feet.
The battle seems to be nearing its end. All surviving mercenaries are in full retreat, running off into the night, away from their camp. There are some half-hearted attempts at a chase from your side but for the most part, allied mercenaries seem to be content with sacking the enemy camp.
Letting out a sigh, you set out in search of the squad leaders, dragging your prisoner behind you. Morena joins you at some point and casual glance reveals no significant wounds so you keep walking. You find all three squad leaders in the middle of the camp, treating themselves to the alcohol and food supplies of the enemy mercs along with their men. Jezka notices your approach first, turning to you with a smile.
"And look who it is! The bloody hero of the hour!" she crows, grabbing the attention of everyone around. Looting spree stops as you find yourself suddenly the center of attention. "So who is the extra?"
"A prisoner. I have some questions that need answers," you reply.
"I see. I see. Well, suit yourself. Me and my boys, well we are going to have ourselves some little fun. You are welcome to join of course!"
"I will pass, rather prefer to be sober for the march back to camp. Don't let me stop you though, you guys are welcome to celebrate however you would like," you reply.
Jezka shrugs, "Your loss." Then she turns to the mercenaries around her, "Well, you heard the man. It is time to party!" she yells to the cheers of others.
You leave the mercenaries to their entertainment and search for a place to settle in for the night. You find a suitable shelter in one of the still-standing tents at the edge of the camp, out of the way of everyone else. You leave the prisoner there along with Morena and task your follower to keep watch.
Then you set out to do a little bit of looting of your own.
Since you are limited by what you can carry, you decide to go for the most valuable items. Most of it is weapons and armor scavenged from dead bodies along with some small trinkets and money purses. Still, there are few items that do stand out. You pick...
A scale cloak, a compact cooler and a Longbow. No one dares to contest as you pick the lion's share of the spoils.
The cloak is made from the scales of some beast that you don't recognize. Scales are held together by a wire mesh from the inside which is covered with leather. Overall, it is sturdy yet flexible. Scales also blend very well with sand and rocks, much like the cloaks employed by the Sand Ninjas.
Cooler is a small thing. It is half the size of your backpack and has a simple latch that is keeping it closed. It has few slots for a belt to go through for further ease of carry. Inside is filled with all kind sweets and desserts. You are convinced that whoever paying these mercs must have been paying enough that they didn't consider such a luxury spending a waste.
Troubling...
Then you have the Longbow. It is as long as you are tall, strung with steel thread and possesses a frame made of composite alloys. You test its draw weight and find it higher than standard, allowing for shots far beyond the usual range of a longbow.
(Wolf gains specialist longbow. Damage(SB 5), Damaging, Range(100 30))
With your looting done, you return back to your commandeered tent, making a brief stop on your way to grab food and drinks both for yourself and Morena.
Upon your return, you find Morena watching the prisoner like a hawk. The prisoner on his part remains silent though you can't read his expression due to his helmet.
Now, you have two options. You can try to interrogate the prisoner yourself and employ some Jonin interrogation techniques. On the other hand, a softer approach first may yield better results in which case it would be better to let Weiss handle it. You can still put your interrogation training to use if she fails.
"You are a fortunate man for I am too tired to interrogate you now. Play your cards right and you may yet keep your life along with your limbs. Having said that, I would advise against any escape attempt. Consequences of such actions might be pretty unpleasant for you." you speak to the prisoner. He doesn't reply but that is alright with you.
You pass the food you brought to Morena and two of you eat in silence. Then, after making sure that prisoner is secure, you go to sleep, leaving the first watch to your Shek follower.
Morena wakes you up when it is your turn to take up the watch. A quick glance at your watch reads 2:00. That leaves you with four hours of nothing.
Very boring four hours. It feels like the first month after the boot camp. All those day-long watch duties.
You should probably get a book or something to read for such occasions like this. Or maybe learn to meditate.
As it is you are limited to counting imaginary bottles. Morena wakes up somewhere around three thousand. Checking your watch, you see that it is 6:00.
Shaking of the numbness from your everything you climb out of your tent.
Silence greets you outside much to your consternation. A quick walk through the camp reveals that all the mercenaries are still sleeping, scattered around the camp.
Just perfect!
Now, you have a camp full of hangover mercenaries to deal with.
You march through the camp, searching for a certain person. You find her slumped on a makeshift throne made from crates and blanket in the middle of the camp. Swiftly making your way over, you grab Jezka by her shoulders and shake her awake.
She tries to stab you in reflex but you easily grab her wrist, stopping the knife dead in its tracks.
The merc leader flutters her crusted eyelids as she wakes up. "Urgh... Wolf, is that you?" she mumbles as her consciousness returns.
"Yes. Now wake up and gather your men. We are leaving." you respond before letting go of her.
She slumps back into her throne with a groan, "It is too early for this shit Wolf. Go to sleep."
"No. You and your men should have been on their feet by now. Princess expects us to report back and we are not going to keep her waiting because you and your men forgot the meaning of restraint. Now get moving!"
"What crawled in your ass and died?" she asks.
"Your sense of professionalism and discipline," you snap back. "You have fifteen minutes. If you are still aren't up by the time I return, I am dropping a flashbang on you," you add before leaving.
Thankfully you don't have to make good of your threat as Jezka gets her shit together and starts waking the others up and gets them into marching order...
Or at least as close as a bunch of hungover mercs can get to marching order. Such poor showing would have gotten your whole training squad flogged back at boot camp disregarding the fact that it took them a half hour.
March back to the camp takes way longer than it has any right to be. Honestly, you barely hold yourself back from leaving the whole of these dumbasses behind. Only ones who aren't hungover and not moving at a snail's pace are Nines and Mask. You would have at least expected the squad leaders to set an example and not get drunk the night before a march.
The crates full of loot mercs are carrying also doesn't help.
Suffice to say, what should have been four hours of march takes a whole day. By the time you reach the expedition camp, the sun is already setting.
Weiss is the first one to greet you as you enter the camp. She takes one look at the sorry state of the mercenaries following after you before assuming the worst.
"What happened Wolf? How bad is the situation? How much time do we have before the enemy arrive?" she starts bombarding you with questions.
You raise a single hand to stop her then start speaking once she falls silent.
"We won. Better than what these assholes make it look like and you don't need to worry about our pursuers anymore," you answer each of her questions.
Weiss relaxes visibly. "That is relieving to hear," she tells you. "And I am glad that you returned safe," she adds in a much lower voice.
You smile, "Just doing my job, Princess."
Princess' lips curls into a smile. "Of course you are. Well, for your diligent work, you earned yourself a day off. Go and rest. I will take care of everything else."
"As you command," you salute her playfully. Then as you are about to leave, you remember about the prisoner.
"By the way, I brought you a present," you tell her and signal Morena who drags the mercenary leader you took prisoner before her.
At Weiss' questioning look you explain, "One of the enemy mercs. A squad leader I think. Not really sure. Thought that you might want some answers."
"That was very thoughtful of you Wolf," Weiss praises you.
"Like I said, just doing my job," you respond before heading to your own tent, leaving Morena and the prisoner behind with Weiss.
Some extra sleep is just what you need after this whole debacle.