Chapter 24

“You too, Harlow?”

“Fuck this place,” the Veteran Sergeant spat. “Fuck it with a crooked, rusty spear. Should just burn it all.”

“We won’t be here forever,” Rangobart said. “What’s the damage?”

“One snake…no, I don’t know what it was. Like a chicken, but with teeth. Found ‘em inside a log and one of my men tried to pet one. Thing nipped his fingers before the lot ran off into the trees.”

“You’re reporting a nip?”

“It was a nip. Then his whole damn arm swelled up.”

Rangobart sighed, adding the incident to the casualty report. After taking the man’s name, his healer and the treatment, he scratched his temple with his pen.

Just being here feels filthy…

It was muddy, humid, and it stank. Every second thing was venomous, poisonous or both.

Rangobart glanced over towards the aid station, mentally updating the mana reserves of the company’s Clerics. Group mana management was one of the few officer-related things that mage officers were trained in, but he never imagined that he would be dealing with something like this.

“There’s one other thing.”

He sighed again, looking back at Sergeant Harlow.

“Poison,” Harlow said.

“Do Imperial Knights just stick anything in their mouths?”

“Now I’ll admit it probably wasn’t the best idea,” Harlow crossed his arms, “but it’s good to know what you can eat and what you can’t wherever you are. We’re going into this hellhole completely dependent on outside supplies. If those supplies are disrupted…”

The Sergeant reached into a belt pouch, placing a cluster of bright red fruit resembling grapes on the table. Roughly half of the berries had been picked off by some idiot.

“We should have kept some Rangers in the camp to identify all this stuff,” Rangobart scowled down at the poisonous fruit.

“Shoulda, coulda, woulda. That’s just how it is. Command comes in with their big plan and we work out the little things that they missed.”

“These ‘little things’ are going to cripple us before we fight a single battle,” Rangobart leaned forward to pen out the incident. “Which dumbass ate these?”

“Harlow.”

Rangobart stared across the table at the Sergeant. After a long moment, he looked back down at the report.

“What was the treatment?”

“Cure Poison. Lesser Restoration.”

Two Second-tier spells. They were going to be out of mana before they were ready to move.

“Effects?”

“Tingly. Cleric said somethin’ about a ‘paralytic toxin that has progressively detrimental effects on coordination’ or some such.”

Rangobart waved Harlow away before heading over to the aid station. The Cleric on duty gave him a dirty look.

“You too, Roberbad?”

“I’m not here for that, Chara. Can you check over these numbers?”

The auburn-haired woman took the proffered report. Her thin eyebrows drew together in a scowl.

“I don’t see anything wrong with it,” she said. “Or more like what the hell is wrong with these men? Do Imperial Knights just stick anything into their mouths?”

“I’ve asked that question six times in the last hour.”

“Maybe we should issue them something harmless to chew on. Like wax. Brightly-coloured candles or something.”

“Candles are expensive,” he told her. “Swap out when you’re at half mana. Hopefully, we’ll have something left for healing when we actually do head in.”

Rangobart went back to his table. To his surprise, Harlow hadn’t left. Across from him was…

A goddess of victory...

Commander Enz’s words were more apt than he knew. She was as a heroine from fantastic tales; a beautiful warrior who prevailed against creatures of legend. Clad in pure white armour with black and silver trim, Lady Zahradnik was chatting amicably with the Sergeant. As Rangobart stared, she turned her gaze towards him.

“I keep getting looks like that, Officer Roberbad,” the young noblewoman said. “Enough to make me start searching for a log to crawl into.”

Rangobart blinked. His mouth clamped shut as he forced his eyes up from her legs.

“It just so happens that one nearby was recently vacated,” Harlow said. “Roberbad’s just smitten, though. You look good, m’lady.”

“Thank you, Sergeant,” Lady Zahradnik smiled. “Everyone just stares, so I was wondering if I had something strangely equipped.”

“Well, that ain’t nice of ‘em. You look great – I mean it.”

Rangobart peered at Harlow with a frown.

“Is there something we can help you with, my lady?” Rangobart asked.

“I came by to pick up my attaché,” the Baroness answered with a smirk. “Though by the look of things on my way here, you probably have your hands full.”

“Yes, well…come to think of it, you’re a Ranger aren’t you?”

“I’m not familiar with this terrain,” she replied, “but I should at least be able to sense the hazards.”

“That would be much appreciated, my lady,” Rangobart nodded.

“The General should arrive shortly after the stockade is completed,” Lady Zahradnik said. “So you have me until then. Can you make yourself available by the time we need to leave?”

Rangobart handed his reports over to the mage working nearby.

“I am at your service, my lady.”

He followed Lady Zahradnik out into the area still being prepared for the company. A squad of the First Division’s engineers was busy at work levelling the ground already cleared of vegetation.

“Do the army’s engineers help with civilian infrastructure, as well? They’re quite impressive.”

“They do,” Rangobart replied. “Arwintar was paved by the army. As were the imperial highways.”

“Who pays for construction and maintenance?”

“They were public works projects organised by the High Nobles about four generations ago. Arwintar was paid for by the crown three generations ago. Maintenance is still done by our military engineers and is a part of each territory’s budget.”

"That must be nice. Re-Estize couldn’t convince most of their Nobles to pave their highways. Concerns over security and expense always arose."

A pair of mages walked by, reshaping the ground. Holes filled in and rough, uneven terrain became flat and smooth. A group of men followed up to pack the soil and lay tarps over the damp earth. They didn’t seem to notice the Baroness, so she must have concealed herself again. Rangobart was divided between watching her so he didn’t lose track or looking away so he wouldn’t be seen as gawking.

“Having a professional, centralised army has many advantages,” Rangobart said. “If I understand it correctly, the Nobles of Re-Estize are responsible for their territories and not having access to something like our engineers is bound to mean that the construction of large scale public works is inefficient and unreliable. Each Noble would have to cobble together labour out of their subjects and hope that the guilds have experts to hire. In the Empire, an administrator can just contract the army.”

“Does the imperial army possess sole licence for this type of work?”

“No,” Rangobart replied. “The guilds exist and their members aren’t barred from the same projects, but they just can’t compete with the expertise and cost-effectiveness of the Imperial Army. Demand for the work of our engineers is high and the proceeds from completing projects help out with the budget.”

“Who decides which projects get attention first?”

“Generally speaking, the army favours large projects because we have a lot of manpower and the work means more to the Empire as a whole. Small projects tend to be taken care of by the guilds. If a specific project is deemed a priority by the central administration, they’ll direct the army to get it done. Once local administrations figure out things on their end, it’s just a matter of submitting a work order.”

“So the locks on the River Islein…that’s what Commander Enz meant by it being a simple matter before?”

“That’s right,” he nodded. “All they require is financing and supply when it comes to construction. Count Enz and the Margrave of Oberislein can easily provide it without needing to wrangle the support of their vassals.”

Lady Zahradnik moved past the worksite and went over to where the men were clearing away the brush. Captain Germund stood with a boot on an uprooted tree, looking out over the landscape with a frown.

“Not the fight you were expecting?” The Baroness asked.

“We had a vague idea that it would happen, my lady,” the Captain answered, “but certainly not to this degree. It’s–”

Captain Germund turned to address the Baroness, then froze as his eyes fell upon her. Rangobart cleared his throat.

“It’s something we have a better idea of now, however,” the Captain looked out towards the trees again. “The other divisions will be using their Rangers to survey their campsites before sending them out. I suppose we were too eager with ours.”

“Will the First Division’s companies still be sent in tomorrow?”

“We’ll see how things look once we get set up here. Do you need a place for your tent?”

“Commander Enz had his men set it up at the division headquarters,” Lady Zahradnik said. “General Kabein wanted me on hand for the opening stages of the army’s advance. I just came by to pick up Officer Roberbad…there’s still some time left so I thought I could help identify some of the hazards out here.”

The Captain nodded. Lady Zahradnik soundlessly disappeared into the bushes.

“Not going with her?”

“I tried following one of our Rangers through the woods once on a patrol, sir,” Rangobart replied. “It wasn’t pretty. I was more a hindrance than a help. Moving with the entire company in this jungle is going to be a mess.”

“I’m not keen on dealing with more of this, either,” Captain Germund said. “If it’s like this in a clearing, I don’t want to know what it’s like in there.”

Dealing with even greater hazards while fighting Monsters and Demihuman tribes felt like a recipe for disaster. The plan presented in the Captain’s briefing was essentially adapted from the mock operations conducted in large-scale field exercises. These exercises were held during winter in the cleared fields of the countryside, however – not the jungles of The Blister. It seemed like everything was scaled according to broad assumptions of what would be possible.

Though one might be led to believe that the opposite was the case, the Imperial Army had never conducted a major campaign after consolidating the Empire’s territories. The annual battle with Re-Estize happened in a predetermined place and was more a relaxed skirmish than a war. Taming the frontier happened in bits and pieces that involved a division at most. If large Demihuman incursions occurred, fighting was done in the developed lands of the marches where their opponents were deprived of terrain advantages and the army could use their powerful cavalry.

Professional army or not, Humans were a race that dwelled in the plains: they were at a disadvantage everywhere else.

“At least we won’t be here for long,” Rangobart said.

“If we succeed,” the Captain said, “We’re going to be seeing a lot more of this place over the years.”

Rangobart furrowed his brow.

“I can see us pushing the forests back around the outside of the mountains, but in here? Who’d move into this death trap?”

“You can bet that they’ll at least try,” Captain Germund told him. “It’ll be crown land and some bureaucrat behind his comfy desk in Arwintar will come up with some crazy scheme to turn it into productive territory. We’ll naturally be sent along with the settlers for security.”

Mucking around in a steaming jungle for the rest of his career was far from the image presented by the Imperial Army’s posters. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad once civilisation was brought in.

Thirty minutes later, a formation of Hippogriffs circled over the clearing. Lady Zahradnik reappeared, looking no less dazzling than before despite tromping around in the bush.

“Is that the General’s escort?” She asked.

“It should be, my lady,” Rangobart answered. “He should be arriving with his bodyguard soon.”

They made their way to the centre of the encampment, where a large stockade had been raised. The General’s flag flew over the fortification and a hundred heavy infantry were organised neatly at the gate. The officer on sentry duty stopped Lady Zahradnik in front of the entrance. Rangobart couldn’t decide whether it was suicidal or admirably dutiful to bar the way of someone who had just chased off a Dragon Lord. Maybe it was both.

“Baroness Ludmila Zahradnik with Officer Rangobart Roberbad, here to see General Kabein.”

The Captain looked over his shoulder to another Imperial Knight, who turned and walked inside. The knight reappeared with Commander Enz a minute later.

“You’re just in time, my lady,” the Commander said. “The last of the command staff just came in.”

Lady Zahradnik stopped at her tent before joining them in the General’s pavilion in her usual outfit. Aides moved around carrying boxes of documents and setting up dividers to shield the table within from the wind.

“It appears that Dame Verilyn was right,” General Kabein said. “According to the reports from our air wing so far, that Dragon is still meandering around the jungle.”

“How does the air wing fare with their raids, Your Excellency?”

“They’ve already hit two dozen settlements on the far side, so the day’s tally seems promising. Burke will be back with his men once evening falls. Also, we contacted the Sorcerous Kingdom: replacements for the lost Death Warriors are on their way.”

Several freshly-made maps had already arrived from the Rangers on short-range assignments. The terrain was unlike anything that Rangobart had seen before. Along with the dense undergrowth and rugged terrain, streams, lakes, rivers and swamps were marked everywhere.

“Are you advancing as planned?” Lady Zahradnik asked.

“No one has come up with a working alternative,” the General said. “We’ll do as much damage as we can before this Dragon decides to show her scaly face again. We can only pray that she doesn’t come back out too quickly.”

“This first push should be the safest part,” Commander Moen said. “The Second, Third and Fourth divisions are already a kilometre in and our screens have been very effective. These Demihumans don’t know what’s hitting them.”

“Will you be operating at night?”

“Only as long as it takes to achieve our day one objectives,” General Kabein said. “Skirmishes with the tribes have already started, but reports so far indicate that they’re not banding together. Since they’re isolated from one another, there will be little that they can do when our forces roll over their settlements. Using the transfer of the tribute to gather their leadership for us to eliminate appears to be working perfectly: there has been no effective resistance to our advance.”

“Demihuman Lords aren’t the only threat,” Lady Zahradnik noted.

“We’ve been able to scout Monsters and such in advance,” Commander Levres said. “The Rangers mark them for the Death Warriors, while the Death Knights move to support companies when they encounter substantial tribal threats. It’s a pretty comfy arrangement, to be honest.”

“So casualties have been low?”

“Combat casualties are low, yes,” General Kabein grimaced, “but we’re still struggling with environmental hazards. Fortunately, the Death-series servitors are saving us mana fighting these tribes, so it roughly balances out.”

The command staff continued to review the opening results of their assault. Tentative attitudes from the planning phases melted away, replaced by confidence that grew with every report of success. Baroness Zahradnik appeared content to observe the General and his men at work, though her lack of reaction towards anything made Rangobart wonder what she was thinking.

A recess was called before dinner and Rangobart went back with Lady Zahradnik to her tent. Taking a seat to rest his weary feet, Rangobart tensed as a magic item was placed on the table and all sound vanished from the outside. Lady Zahradnik let out her hair before sitting on her cot, stretching out her legs. She caught his gaze and held it in hers.

“I’d like for you to be honest with me about something.”

“…what about, my lady?”

“This operation; the discourse between the command staff’s members…how did you feel about it?”

Rangobart frowned, shifting in his seat to more comfortably face the Baroness. Had she taken issue with something?

“I’ve not been privy to any command meetings until my assignment as your attaché, my lady,” he said, “but I didn’t feel that anything was amiss. If anything, things seem as ideal as can be expected…was something the matter?”

“Dame Verilyn recently shared an observation with me,” Lady Zahradnik said. “Tell me: in the event that we succeed here, what will happen to The Blister?”

“Broadly speaking,” Rangobart said, “it will become a new frontier. As with any frontier, development will, of course, be contingent on economic factors. In time, however, it should be turned to productive use by the Empire.”

Lady Zahradnik released his gaze to stare at her boots with an unreadable look.

“I see.”