Chapter 24

“This ravine didn’t look so steep when we started.”

“It wasn’t,” Frank muttered in response to Pol’s griping. “Now it is.”

“Shut up!” Destin hissed, “You’re gonna get us heard.”

Not that the sound of their plate armour wasn’t loud enough. Joachim could cast Silence, but he couldn’t maintain it for hours on end and it would deafen them to their surroundings as well.

Making noise was but one of many issues that plagued them as they made their way up the rocky, overgrown mountain gully. The fine mist sent up by the rushing waters nearby slicked the stones and made footing treacherous. There was essentially only one route up, which sometimes narrowed into canyons barely wide enough for a single man. Needless to say, they couldn’t bring their mounts with them.

He looked over his shoulder at the long line of men coming up the trail behind them. Far below, the battalion outpost could still be seen at the bottom of the valley. It had taken most of the morning to make it as far as they did and they were still far from the top of the small pass that they needed to secure. They hadn’t yet encountered resistance, but Joachim had doubts as to whether they could make their way up by evening.

The plan at least seemed reasonable when presented before dawn that day. Then again, it may have been because he had never done anything like it before. It was not something that anyone in Joachim’s family would have considered a valid move…no, it was more accurate to say that it was a move that only General Ray would have committed to. The Imperial Army had more than a few aggressive officers, but they generally stayed within the bounds of convention and only stepped beyond those bounds if absolutely necessary.

What they were doing right now would be far from necessary in the eyes of most. The three outposts that they had established in the valley now served as base camps for three different approaches to the range east of their base camp. Openly fighting their way up the mountainside as a whole battalion was an impossible prospect; they needed to secure one of the narrow passes and hold it so that everyone else could get through. From there, they would have the high ground as they worked their way down the valley on the other side.

One company was assigned to each approach. The first departed an hour before the others in the hopes that it would be detected and become the focus of their enemies’ attention. The battalion’s two flights patrolled overhead, employing their Invisibility cloaks as they swept low in their search for Demihuman threats.

If any company was discovered, they would dig in and fight defensively. After that, they would be taking advantage of what opportunities presented themselves. Ideally, the company facing the least resistance would receive the most air support and complete its ascent.

A ‘reasonable’ plan. His legs already felt like water from the ascent alone, so Joachim didn’t want to know what ‘unreasonable’ felt like.

“Will our voices even carry over this stream?” Redwyn asked.

『It isn’t about what you can hear, it’s about what potential scouts can hear. Just because you can’t notice them doesn’t mean that they can’t notice you.』

The men who had the spare breath to whisper to one another stopped talking, focusing on their surroundings and trying to muffle the sounds of their armour. Joachim looked up the slope, then promptly turned his head away.

This angle is really...

For the first time in his recollection, Lady Zahradnik had donned her armour. It fit her image perfectly, but, at the same time, he wasn’t sure that it was something that someone with her demeanour would wear. A part of him noted that if she was finally using combat equipment when even an Ogre Lord had been so casually dispatched without it, he should be worried over what was to come. However, all of that was drowned out by the idea that a beautiful figure that should only exist in a Bard’s tale was ahead of him.

She walked just behind Frank and Igvel, who were in turn following Destin. The rest of their squad couldn’t help but glance up at her legs clad in thigh-high stockings as the slope grew steeper and steeper. Some just silently stared the entire way, making it look like they were being pulled along by hips that swayed as she smoothly negotiated her way forward. Her skirt seemed to taunt them as it never shifted to reveal anything as they went over the rugged terrain, so it must have been a part of her magical equipment. Joachim could almost feel the men’s resentment growing for the silken pleats of fabric as time went on.

Their pace slowed as the company came to yet another narrow canyon cutting its way through the stone. Joachim knelt as they stopped to wait for their turn, thankful for the reprieve.

“We’re about halfway up,” Destin said. “It’s strange we haven’t run into anyone yet.”

“Didn’t you tell us to shut up back there?” Frank frowned.

“Yeah,” the Ranger replied, “but now I’m talkin’. That means you can talk now too.”

“Did the General say anything about the Demis?” Gaston asked, “There hasn’t been any sign of ‘em.”

“We know that they withdrew up into this plateau,” Lady Zahradnik answered, “but we don’t know where they’ve positioned scouts. Even if there aren’t any around, however, you need to consider why that is.”

The squad ahead of them funnelled into the canyon, boots sloshing through the half-frozen mountain stream. Joachim took a deep breath before rising to take his place in the line. The sound of the water echoing off of the high sandstone cliffs filled his ears with a cacophony so loud that he felt that his other senses were being impeded.

『Hold.』

The men froze. Joachim craned his neck, trying to look ahead. Destin and Lady Zahradnik nocked arrows to their bowstrings.

『Can you tell what it is, Destin? Gaston?』

Destin shook his head.

“I can feel it,” Gaston’s shout came from behind, “but no idea what it is, m’lady.”

“Euyrgh?!”

A man from the squad ahead was lifted into the air. Startled cries rose from below him as a creature with hairy legs seemed to materialise with its attack. Crawling on the canyon wall was a spider four times the size of a warhorse. It skittered off with unnerving rapidity, the man fixed firmly in its fangs. Arrows bounced off of the stone in its wake.

『That thing just ran off with your Cleric!』

The Baroness’ voice snapped the men out of their dumbfounded shock and they surged forward. They spilt out of the canyon entrance, fanning out to search for the eight-legged ambusher.

“Over here!”

They followed the voice, finding a Ranger from one of the other squads standing above a jagged crevice. Joachim leaned forward.

“Where is he?”

“Under that bigass spider,” the Ranger pointed directly below.

He still couldn’t see anything but a film of webbing lining the interior. Then again, he didn’t notice the Giant Tarantula until after it came down and snatched the man away.

“What the hell happened back here?” Captain Hawke came jogging up from behind.

“Priest Pelas got stolen by a huge ass spider, sir,” the Ranger said. “He’s wedged into this crack with it now.”

“He’ll be paralysed from the venom,” Captain Hawke muttered. "We need to drive the thing out so we can go down and get him. Can we hit it without hitting Pelas?”

“Yes, sir,” the Ranger replied. “Just give us the word.”

“Let’s get some shields up here first…”

A half-dozen Rangers spread out along the crevice, aiming their arrows towards where Joachim assumed was the location of the Giant Tarantula. Several heavy infantry stood ready to intercept in case it came charging out.

“Loose!”

Bowstrings hummed, immediately followed by a sharp hiss and the sound of many legs scrabbling up the cliff.

“「Fortress」!”

One of the infantrymen braced his shield against the opening. The Giant Tarantula went face – eyes? – first into it. The massive arachnid body seemed to bunch up as it was arrested by the Defensive Art and more arrows found their way home.

“Let it up!” Captain Hawke ordered, “We don’t want the damn thing falling on top of Pelas.”

The soldiers backed away, forming a wide encirclement as the Giant Tarantula recovered and made its way out. Several more arrows feathered it before Captain Hawke charged forward, spear brandished.

“「Ability Boost」,「Thrust」!”

Thirty centimetres of the Captain’s spear buried itself in a faceful of black eyes and bristly brown fur. The huge spider collapsed, leaving the three squads of men around it staring with weapons at the ready.

“Uh,” Captain Hawke nudged the Giant Tarantula with his boot, “that was unexpected. Thought there’d be more fight in it than that.”

“It’s just a spider, Captain.”

Lady Zahradnik’s voice rose from the crevice and Pelas’ body was rolled out in front of them. Joachim rushed forward at the same time as several other Clerics to tend to the spider’s victim. He lay pale and unmoving; there were two holes in his armour – one through each of his cuisses. ‘Just a spider’ could puncture steel plate.

“Will he live?” Captain Hawke asked.

“He’s hit pretty bad by the poison,” one of the Clerics replied, “but it’s nothing we can’t fix.”

“Good,” the Captain sighed in relief. “Let his squad handle it, we need to keep moving.”

As the company reorganised, Captain Hawke examined the surroundings. The stream that they had followed from the valley floor cut through an escarpment which gave them a commanding view of the surroundings. Above them, the pass could be seen above the tops of the trees and the way seemed much easier than their ascent so far.

“This spot looks good for a waystation,” he said. “Let’s keep Pelas’ squad here and have the Wizards fly up.”

“Has General Ray said anything about the other two companies?” Lady Zahradnik asked.

“No, my lady,” Captain Hawke answered. “We–”

The Captain paused mid-sentence, turning his gaze down towards the base camp. After a moment, he looked back at Lady Zahradnik.

“Strike that: the Second Company just started fighting on the northern approach. Hopefully, that means we’re clear to take our pass…should we slow down a bit so the Demis around here leave?”

“Their runners will move faster than your company, Captain,” Lady Zahradnik said. “Also, even if they divert their sentries, they may reinforce the entire range in response to the attack.”

“Right. Well, back to it, then.”

Their march resumed and the company split up several columns that trudged up the thinning cover of the mountainside. Halfway to the pass, Captain Hawke sent Rangers ahead to scout their objective. The atmosphere grew tense as they closed in the late afternoon, sunlight beating down on the slope. They stopped to wait for their scouts to return a kilometre below the pass.

Joachim checked the condition of the men around him. Though they had been climbing for nearly nine hours, they didn’t have the beaten look from the first half of the ascent. Soldiers quietly inspected their weapons and consumables, taking the opportunity to adjust their belts and harnesses.

The first of the Rangers sent ahead returned fifteen minutes later. Joachim walked over with Lady Zahradnik, catching Captain Hawke’s discussion with the man partway.

“…are you sure about that? No tricks or traps?”

“We got pretty close,” the Ranger replied to the Captain. “A hundred metres, maybe.”

“There’s gotta be something else to it…”

“If there is, we couldn’t see it. Top of the pass is bald, so if something’s waiting it’s either really powerful or on the other side out of sight.”

Captain Hawke nodded, turning his attention down the slope. After a moment, he cursed, squeezing his eyes shut several times.

“Are you alright, Captain?” Lady Zahradnik reached out to grasp his shoulder.

“Yeah,” he shook his head. “Just found out I was out of range the hard way. The pass is guarded, but it’s two dozen sentries at best. One second…”

He called one of his Clerics over, instructing him to relay the information to their base camp via Message.

“The more ideal it seems,” Captain Hawke said, “the more like a trap it looks. I want to take it right now, but with my luck, there’ll be a thousand Trolls out of sight on the other side.”

“You don’t have suitable flying summons?” Lady Zahradnik asked, “Spectral Undead, perhaps?”

“Th-that’s Necromancy, my lady!” Joachim nearly shouted, “None of our Clerics will have anything of the sort.”

He cringed at the tone of his reply. It couldn’t be helped, however – Lady Zahradnik sometimes made the most absurd statements or suggestions. The way that she casually talked about the Undead or a few other topics served as a periodic reminder of how different she was from an imperial Noble, despite everything else.

“Summon Monster, then?” The Baroness asked, “A Minor Air Elemental would suffice.”

Joachim shook his head. The first summoning spell he considered was a Third-tier spell to summon Angels, but that would require decades of service assuming he could reach the Third Tier of magic at all.

“I have a reply from the General, sir,” the other Cleric said. “The Second Company’s having a standoff at their pass with a Demi tribe and our Dragoons are tied up supporting them. General Ray’s orders are to secure our pass as quickly as possible so he can have Captain Cheswin withdraw.”

“Alright then…”

Captain Hawke looked out over his company.

『Form up! We’re storming this pass. Scouts say a couple dozen, but there may be more lurking nearby. I hope you look forward to freezing your asses off tonight.』

The men came together while Lady Zahradnik’s bodyguard gathered behind them.

“Are we fighting too, my lady?” Winson asked.

“Only if we need to,” the Baroness answered. “General Ray is still minding how gains are distributed between the battalion’s companies. Keep your shields up and your heads down, though – not fighting doesn’t mean that rocks can’t come flying over.”

It felt silly that they were still minding achievements with such a critical objective ahead of them. At what point would the General decide that losses to a company weren’t worth the cost of being ‘equitable’?

Captain Hawke’s company set off at a brisk walk, no longer making any attempts at concealment. Their pace brought them above the treeline ten minutes later. Joachim eyed the bare slopes leading up to the peaks on either side of the dry gully, his gaze stopping at every boulder and rough patch of terrain. Rationally speaking, the Rangers had gone ahead and there wouldn’t be anything he could detect that they couldn’t, but he couldn’t help but imagine Goblins with bows behind every piece of cover.

The formation narrowed and what felt like a light pace turned torturous as they reached a steep defile below the top of the pass. Joachim kept his heater shield over his head, resisting the urge to peek out and see how many Goblins were looking down at them. His breath heaved as he stared at the loose gravel and jagged rocks kicked loose by the soldiers ahead.

『Clear.』

Joachim nearly lost his footing at Captain Hawke’s unexpected call. The slope grew gentle as the defile opened up into a narrow saddle strewn with the bodies of Goblins and Ogres.

“Sorry,” one of the Rangers in the pass sent a smug look their way, “we got greedy.”

“So that was really all there was?” Captain Hawke asked.

“Yeah, but I doubt it’s gonna stay that way for long.”

The Ranger pointed eastward, across a shallow valley that was dominated by dry, rocky terrain and sparse woodland. Joachim’s gaze was drawn to the trails of smoke rising from the mountain ridges beyond.

“Those camps are pretty far off,” the Captain said. “We should have plenty of time to prepare.”

“They’re not camps, sir,” the Ranger replied. “They’re smoke signals. Those Demis might not have Message or whatever, but they won’t have any problems talkin’ to one another. Everyone up here’s gonna know our every move.”