With the sacrifice of the stragglers the centuri had a small lead on the enemy but it wasn’t enough. They had already hunted down the Aene soldiers simply coming here. This meant that they were going to chase Micky’s soldiers down, and chase they shall.

Micky was only glad the enemy was using infantry units in the chase. The heavy infantry would not be able to keep up with a prolonged march. It had nothing to do with the [Stamina] metric, they simply weren’t capable of keeping up with sheer speed. However, this did not mean they wouldn’t be able to keep up with what mounted units they hadn’t already wasted on the now disappeared units of the Aene kingdom.

Unfortunately that still meant little to Micky as he had to deal with the 4 units himself. He simply had hope to lose them over large distance if he was able to keep his lead. But that was not helping since he was constantly being harassed by enemy mounted units. Tigers and leopard mounted units hid in every bush. Spider mounted units leaping from trees. Many a comrade would suddenly disappear to one of these mounted units and more stranger ones. Like the near formation of soldiers riding the back of a snake that turned into and almost fortress. Or the sudden appearance of a pygmy elephant.

Panic was starting to set in quickly. Instigators were rampantly yelling to split up and regroup later. However, the commanders and leaders of the soldiers were quick to quash this. If for no other reason than they would make for an easier target should they separate into smaller groups. It would simply be doing half the work for the enemy. It was no wonder this was the exact tactic the enemy was using while the main army was catching up. To simply scare them into splitting up and making silly and stupid disisions.

Micky was nervous. He had been no closer to capture in his entire campaign and he had been completely surrounded and encircled several times. This time, he was stuck in a simple chase that could mean everything to him. He couldn’t wait years for nobody to ransom him back. He couldn’t count on the counts to invest more or to cut their losses and skin his hide if they ever get the chance. No, he needed to get out of this and he needed to do so quickly.

But every soldier lost was another soldier closer to panic. Every soldier lost was another stab of pain in Micky’s heart. He had already failed once. He should have known, they were acting weird. Why didn’t he notice that the commanders of his army were in full retreat. Or at least these ones were. No, he failed his soldiers when it was something so blatant and something he himself had been looking for. Something he warned them about the entire time.

An arrow shot past his face. There was a spider centaur up in the trees. Quickly it was taken down by Maymay and co, but that didn’t stop it from launching more and more arrows. Micky wasn’t even the first. He just hadn’t been paying attention. There had been many close combatants and he was bing stupid for worrying.

Ah, this was the time to lead wasn’t it? Micky sighed internally. This was the moment that made or broke those historical figures. It was the moment that made or broke heroes, not [Heroes]. Well, we’re doomed, Micky thought.

Calling for a magically amplified wand so that his voice could reach every one of his soldiers Micky started his speech. “Soldiers, countrymen, now is not the time to panic. We must retreat so we can teach these goblins to fear us, so we can avenge the already fallen, so we can show those traitors who they messed with! So uh, let’s, let’s run? We need to run, but stay together!”

Welp, there it is, the moment that could make or break a hero and he broke it. At least him becoming flustered at the end sent waves of nervous laughter and all the captains and other leaders and soldiers decided to launch into their own speeches. A round of moral boosting boasts and speeches were soon launched. Well at least he didn’t break the whole army, only becoming the but end of every joke and speech. ‘Can’t have it said you are more of a coward than the centurion now can we?’ that one stung ‘I ain’t cowardly enough to not know when to run like the commander!’ that was simply hurtful. Many, many more were said at his expense. But he allowed it now. He would have to remember the more boastful commanders though for later. This wasn’t the end.

But even with his rousing speech, the Aene’s unbreakable army under his command had only stopped actively trying to desert. There were still many that were trying to desert, though they were picked off rather quickly. In a way, Micky was glad that they did, they were basically volunteering to waylay the rest of the enemy for their own army. It was honorable if it wasn’t tragic.

Micky looked out at these men and women and almost cried. They were done for but he couldn't be prouder to have led them.

Maymay had other ideas. Seeing all of her friends she had gained from fighting in this useless war over land that would never be theirs she screamed at the top of her lungs, turned around on her mount and called the forest with her spiritual powers. The trees responded, but unlike the legends they did not come alive or anything. No, they instead launched into the air like some kind of forest missile spell. Micky did not know what they did when they landed, however, he did hear the entanglement spells go off, and the explosions.

Now, a vast tract of the forest had been cleared. However, Maymay suddenly started turning transparent and almost ghostly. She was not long for this world and quickly fell over. Micky turned his quilin back to her and quickly picked her up. Her mount was taken in hand but it would be pointless if Maymay herself were to disappear.

She was already out, unconscious and oblivious. She had done what she could and it was out of her hands now. So Micky went in for a kiss. Their lips touched, and he exhaled pure mana into her chest. As her chest rose and fell with each mana filled breath he made sure to cast his healing magic. It was enough to stabilize her as a mana being. Spirits were made of solidified magic, forest magic. But she was still only stable. She would not be able to continue this war and would have to recuperate at her mothers place for a time. Though she may not take her back. Spirits were known to be chaotic but good natured people. However, they kept to their word almost to the letter. It was a way to ground their chaotic nature, or so it is said.

This meant that her mother likely would not take her back if she was dying. Or that she would blame him for her daughter's condition and claim he pay some form of recompense. Recompense he could not afford of course.

It would be justified, he had indeed endangered her, if it was only her own foolishness. But at least she bought them time. He could hear the yelling, and the attack had already dried up. They already had no more scouts trying to harry them because they were quickly taken care of without support from the main army.

Now it was only keeping a measured pace in the lead. Something they should be able to do. He would still request them march through the night and thoroughly the next morning. However, they should be able to make the next outpost before the enemy can catch up. Hopefully the traitors have not ransacked it before they arrived.

With that burning thought reverberating inside his skull Micky cradled Maymay like a princess. Well she was, but that was also the position she was in on his lap. She was breathing somewhat shallow but steady breaths. He would need to keep feeding her mana like a baby bird till she woke, but at least she was stable and steady for the time. It was more then can be said for moral.