Chapter 205 - Leading the Charge (Patreon)

A/N My father in law passed about an hour after I published the last chapter, which is the reason for the delay. This is Friday's chapter.

Reivyn ran with the other three across the open plain. The rolling hills didn't start for some distance. The land was completely flat for about half a mile outside the city gates. Countless soldiers from all across the city were running across the open ground to reach the safety of the secondary defenses. More and more soldiers streamed out of the city gates or over the walls as time dragged on.

Reivyn could see the mercenary company as they reached the palisade walls of the next line of defense, so they made a beeline toward them. The fortifications set up to fall back to weren't nearly as extensive as the city walls they were fleeing. It would be much easier to envelope the position, especially considering the sheer number of troops the invaders fielded for the battle. It was just one more reason to only use it as a temporary resting spot to springboard their retreat from.

There were soldiers stationed at the simple gates waving people through, ensuring that the entrance didn't get clogged up with people stopping without know where to go. A platoon of soldiers had been dispatched at the start of the battle to prepare the way for the eventual retreat, and they had everything laid out for the fleeing soldiers to quickly find a place to rest.

Reivyn and the others quickly caught up with the mercenary company as they were entering through one of the gates. Jeckle had taken up the leading position in the front of the company, but the other officers were waiting at the rear for Reivyn and the others.

Reivyn shared a look with Xudrid and Vyria, nodding his head in appreciation toward them, and they made their way back to their platoon. He and Refix walked over to the waiting lieutenants.

"As soon as we get to our temporary berth, immediately conduct a head count," Reivyn ordered. "We need to be completely accountable to all of our personnel, and we need to know our casualties. Leaving one single person behind is unacceptable."

"Yes, sir!" The platoon commanders responded.

Reivyn and Refix didn't stick around at the rear of the company to wait for everyone to get inside the palisade. They moved along the edge to get to the front and then met up with Jeckle.

"Good job standing in for me," Reivyn said to Jeckle with a smile. There was more meaning to his words than just him taking charge of the company while they brought up the rear. "I've accepted command, once more. Take charge of your platoon."

"Yes, sir!" Jeckle offered a salute and hurried off to his men.

The company followed the directions of the soldiers dispatched to prepare the palisade without causing any delays to those behind them and immediately began the head count.

The soldiers formed up in their platoons, and at the direction of the NCOs' counted themselves off. As one soldier shouted out his number, he would drop to a knee, indicating for the person standing next to them to follow with the next count. With all of the platoons performing their counts simultaneously, it only took a couple minutes to get the full count of soldiers.

"We lost twenty-three, sir," Jeckle reported. "There are fifty-four severely wounded, and another hundred with minor injuries. There are zero missing or unaccounted for."

"Very well," Reivyn said.

He looked to the area behind the platoons where several bodies had been laid with cloth covering them. They hadn't left any of the deceased or wounded behind, a practice that Reivyn had drilled into their heads over and over again. He had witnessed the other companies leave their dead behind, but he had stressed to his men that it was absolutely imperative that no man, dead or alive, ever get left behind. They were all one family in their time together, and they would be taken care of and honored as they should.

"I don't know how long we have to rest," Reivyn addressed all of the officers. "We need to make the best use of the time, though. Have a minimum crew standing guard, and try to only select those that have the highest Stamina. I'll go and convene with the other commanders to get the Prince's orders."

"Yes, sir!" The officers chorused.

Reivyn nodded to them one last time before departing, once more leaving his father in temporary command of the company. He made his way back through the interior paths to the command center. The little fort had been designed with many open areas cordoned off for each of the companies to have a space to rest, but there wasn't anything more than that. These defenses weren't designed to be occupied for an extended period of time.

Everywhere he looked as he made his way to the command center Reivyn saw exhausted soldiers practically collapsed in their designated areas. There were hardly any soldiers still on their feet, other than the supervising officers. He shook his head. They hadn't taken their training serious enough, in his opinion, and they weren't able to operate at nearly the necessary capacity with low Stamina.

In many of the companies, Reivyn could see large holes in the formations where it was obvious that they had suffered either severe casualties, or they had left people behind. He had personally witnessed the fate of soldiers that fell behind their comrades, and while he was hopeful they were still alive, he didn't know if it was preferable considering what was known about how they treated the numbered brands.

A crew of healers was going about each of the companies, and they were hard at work in stabilizing the severely wounded that had managed to escape. Reivyn's mercenary company had their own dedicated healers attached to each platoon, and they were already working on their own wounded.

It wasn't common practice to have the healers embedded in the fighting unit, but Reivyn's memories and logic told him it made sense to have those able to apply first aid immediately. They didn't have anyone with a powerful healing Class, but those that had the Skills and auxiliary focus with their Class would be able to stabilize injuries to stave off an emergency until they could seek help from the more dedicated healers.

The strategy had paid off, in Reivyn's opinion, considering those that had been severely wounded weren't in any danger and were waiting as comfortably as they could for the healing corps to make it to their company.

There were still many spaces completely devoid of any soldiers, and Reivyn hoped that it was because the designated companies hadn't made it inside the palisade, yet, and not because they were wiped out. Only time would tell, but that time would be short.

The temporary fort was small and compact, so it didn't take Reivyn long to reach the command center. Prince Allik was issuing orders to officers as they came instead of waiting for everyone and convening an all-hands meeting. Reivyn patiently waited in line with some of the other captains for Prince Allik to shift his focus to them.

He seems to be taking it well that his retainer was a traitor, so far, Reivyn thought. It might only be surface level, but that's what's needed right now: a calm commander.

Prince Allik didn't take long getting through the orders for each of the company commanders. Most of the orders had to do with timing when they would leave the confines of the fort to continue their retreat. The reports from the company commanders about their casualties was given to one of the Majors in the command staff.

He could have left it to the chain of command to issue the orders, but he was killing two birds with one stone with doing it personally. He was showing that he wasn't panicked and that he was still fully in control of the situation.

"Captain Reivyn," Prince Allik eventually addressed Reivyn. "I've noticed that your soldiers seem to be the freshest of everyone. I'll have you stay behind to the last to cover the retreat of the more exhausted soldiers."

"Sir, may I have a word?" Reivyn indicated with his eyes to an empty spot a bit of a ways away. Prince Allik quirked an eyebrow at him, but he nodded his head and the two made their way over where they could have some privacy.

"Do you disagree with my orders?" Prince Allik asked.

"Yes, sir, but not for the reason you think," Reivyn answered. Prince Allik maintained a neutral expression as he waited for the explanation. "My soldiers aren't less exhausted than anyone else. The difference is that we've trained specifically to maintain our combat effectiveness for longer with lower Stamina. I would bet that the average Stamina pool of my soldiers is actually lower than the average of the rest of the companies."

"I see," Prince Allik said. "And so you think you're men aren't up to covering the retreat? You just said they're trained to last longer, and if what you say about their Stamina is true, then they should be able to accomplish the mission."

"That's not it, sir," Reivyn shook his head. "That was an explanation for why they don't seem as tired and for what I recommend. The reason I don't think we should stay behind is because we're being stared at by some high-Tier 5 enemy soldiers. We fought with one that followed the Vice Captain to the walls, and it took four of us to beat him. My Vice Captain himself is a high-Tier 5, and the other two and I are capable of holding our own against low-Tier 5 Classers.

"I fear that if we're the ones to stay behind, they'll intervene in the fighting to get to us and breach our defenses too soon."

"That's a valid concern," Prince Allik frowned. "And what's your recommendation?"

"All of my soldiers have the Forced March Skill," Reivyn answered. "With that Skill on top of their training to last longer with less Stamina, I think we should leave with the first batch to push forward to secure the next defensive position and set up the fortifications."

"I had planned on sending the cavalry ahead to take care of it," Prince Allik said.

"Instead of sending them ahead on that mission, you could use them as reconnaissance in force and a strike team. They can keep an eye on the enemy movements and break up any attacks on the retreating companies."

"Hmm," Prince Allik rubbed his chin in thought. "Let's do it that way, then. There's a river about a four hour march down the road. Rush ahead when it's time to go, build a defensive position on the other side of the river, and rig the bridge to be destroyed at a moment's notice.

"You'll have half an hour for your company to rest before it's time to go, hopefully. I can't guarantee that time, though. It depends on what the invaders do and how quickly they move on beyond the city walls to press the attack.

"And Captain Reivyn, thank you."

"Yes, sir," Reivyn responded with a salute.

Reivyn turned and made his way out of the busy command center as Prince Allik returned to his position to continue giving out orders. Reivyn knew that Prince Allik wasn't thanking him for the recommendation, but for doing so in a way that didn't undermine his authority by openly questioning him. Now was the worst possible time to sow doubt and discord.

Reivyn quickly returned to his mercenary company. As he had ordered, there was a squad standing guard around the resting men, and he could see that they weren't quite as tired looking as the majority of the men. He made his way over to the officers that were waiting for his return.

"We have half an hour, at most," Reivyn began without preamble. "In fifteen minutes, switch out the sentries so that everyone has an opportunity to get some rest. Have the men eat their field rations now, even if they're not hungry. We have a long March ahead of us, and we'll most likely have to dig deep with Forced March to get to our destination on time.

"We're heading straight to the next defensive position without stopping, and we're going to build the palisade and rig the bridge ahead of the rest of the soldiers."

"Yes, sir!"

Reivyn followed his own orders and sat down right there to pull out his own rations. He didn't have an appetite, but he knew he would need the energy. He also needed to set the precedent for his own orders. Refix sat down next to him and ate his own rations, and they were quickly followed by the other officers after they relayed the orders to the NCO's.

Now was as good a time as any to check his Notifications, so he focused his attention on the blinking light in the corner of his vision. He dismissed the report about the Experience he gained from the battle that the System deemed over for now. He was siphoning his Experience into his Bloodline at the moment, and because he had such a huge hole to sink his Experience into, it didn't matter how much he had earned.

He wasn't trying to unlock his next Bloodline Level before advancing to his Tier 3 Class, though. He had halted his progress temporarily to try and reach Transcendence with some of his Skills and Affinities. His Notification window would tell him in just a moment whether he had made some progress on that goal.

[Achievement!]
[Exceed Level 100 with any Affinity!]
[+10 Mental Stats]

[Achievement!]
[Reach Transcendence with any Skill or Affinity with a Tier 2 Class!]
[+20 All Stats. Bonus Skill/Affinity Experience while in Tier 2]

[Legendary Feat!]
[Be the first person to achieve Transcendence in a Skill or Affinity with a Tier 2 Class!]
[Increased System assistance in breaking the Transcendence wall]

Reivyn's eyebrows climbed to the top of his head and threatened to integrate with his hairline.

That... is unexpected, Reivyn thought. I've never heard of a Legendary Feat. If it takes being the first person in history to get a specific Achievement, though, it makes sense that there aren't very many opportunities to get one.

It makes sense, too. I have extremely unique circumstances with my Experience Siphon ability. All of the supreme talents since the dawn of history have had to fight against Leveling speed. If I think about it, combat and other situations that reward Experience are the best ways to gain Skill Levels. Without being able to halt Leveling, it's nearly impossible to reach a Skill or Affinity Level of 100, much less Transcendence, at Tier 2.

The reward for the Legendary Feat is overpowered, to say the least, Reivyn chuckled. Not only the official Legendary Feat, but the reward from the underlying Achievement is the most I've ever seen, too. He dismissed his thoughts and concentrated on the next message.

[Achievement!]
[Reach Transcendence with all four Basic Elements!]
[Increased effectiveness of Mana Skills]

[Transcendence: Obedience]
[Tier 1:]
[Air, Earth, Fire, Water]
[Ability: Command the Affinities within your influence, and they will obey]
[Helpful Hint: It will be easier to reach Transcendence with the same ability with other Affinities, though it might stunt gaining additional Transcendence Abilities in the future]

Reivyn read the last message in his Notifications several times.

It's been a long time since I've received a helpful hint from the Akashic Record, Reivyn thought. This warning is probably the best hint it's ever given me, too.

Reivyn instinctually felt that he would be able to advance his other Affinities in a similar way, and his Darkness and Light Affinities were ready for the next step. The warning came at the perfect time, though. He wondered what the consequences would have been if he hadn't gotten the message and had immediately added the two higher Tier Affinities to his established Transcendence rank.

It didn't take long to read through his Notifications. Even with reading the helpful hint several times to make sure he fully grasped its significance, he only spent a couple of minutes on the task. He dismissed the Notification windows and looked up.

"There he is," Refix said, clapping him on the shoulder. "You had quite the range of emotions on your face, just now. Get an interesting Notification?"

"You could say that," Reivyn said with a grin. "I'll tell you some other time."

Jeckle placed his hand over his heart and gasped.

"You don't trust us, sir?!" He asked.

Reivyn snorted.

"About as far as I can throw you," he replied.

Jeckle stared at him with a deadpan expression for a moment.

"I bet you could throw me all the way back to the city walls." The other officers chuckled.

"Yeah, but in the grand scheme of things, that's not that far," Reivyn said with a smile.

The other officers continued with some light-hearted banter. Reivyn eyed Jeckle out of the corner of his eye, nodding to himself in approval. Jeckle wasn't normally one to joke around so much. He was more the stoic type. The men all around had a somber atmosphere about them, though, and Jeckle's little bit of banter had broken the gloomy feeling up. The men loosened up a bit upon seeing their officers laugh an joke with one another.

He's really growing as a leader, Reivyn thought. He was a Party Leader before the war in Drallo to begin with, but being a Party Leader and an officer in a military unit are two different things.

Reivyn hadn't put too much thought into the future of the mercenary company, but Jeckle was giving him some ideas as to the direction it could go. With another competent commander, he would be able to expand the size and scope of the mercenaries and add more companies, turning the outfit into a mercenary battalion.

Those plans weren't a priority right now, though. Reivyn tossed them to the back of his mind, but he did keep note of being able to assign more responsibility to his friend in the near future.

Time waits for no one, and the clock kept ticking. Reivyn didn't know what the enemy soldiers were doing, but they allowed him and his company the full thirty minutes of rest. The sentries were switched out, and everyone ate some rations to refill their energy, whether they were hungry or not.

"Alright," Reivyn said as he stood up. The officers followed suit. "It's time to get going. I wish we had more time for everyone to rest, but we don't have that luxury. All the hellish training we've put everyone through is about to bear fruit."