Chapter 80

The Woods naturally didn't contain any Reinforcements waiting in concealed Ambush Positions, but as you considered how many Troops could be squeezed into a single abandoned Mine or under all those tiny natural Bridges you had come across, it actually made Sense that your Hunt had been going as great as it did. Few things could actually worsen the Situation for the Host of the Mountain Clans now that your Companion's Personality had changed, but a little bit of false Information could always manage to worsen a Situation, no matter how dire it already was.

Thus, the four dozen or so Scouts you had seen Glimpses of were understandably working overtime to check and double check each and every Crevice in the Region that they knew was large enough to hide a dozen Men. And you could honestly only thank them for making your work that much easier, as you weren't entirely sure how you could have gotten as many as you did if they had taken the time to scout as proper Parties instead of the smaller Teams you had come across.

You were actually having a good time despite the Amount of effort you had to put into remaining hidden from the Scouting Force at large, as the Forests of the Vale turned out to be surprisingly soothing now that you could work at your own Pace as no one tried to kill you. Sigh, you knew of course that this would most assuredly change once the Scouts discovered the Bodies or managed to spot you as you buried your Blades into a Team of their Friends, but the quiet Peace of the Woods was genuinely delightful while it lasted.

There wasn't all that much you actually needed to do, as discovering the Remains of several Scout Teams should be more than enough to convince them that someone in these Woods wasn't all that fond of being found. They would naturally still try to figure out what the Host would have to deal with in Terms of Numbers, but you were sure that it would be more than enough to make sure that the Troops that were still defending the Walls wouldn't be redeployed any time soon. Though from what you had seen your Companion casually shrug off not that long ago, there was practically no Hope for the Defenders anyway, so you were essentially just speeding things up.

But the Prospect of finishing this Mess up before the Reinforcements could rush in faster than your Monster of a Knight could kill them was still quite enticing, so you naturally continued to give it your all in Hopes that your Companion could successfully break through to their Leaders. Yet despite your improving Mood and outright awesome Hunt, you couldn't help but think back on how quickly you two could have finished things up if you had asked the giant Spirit about how resistant he was to Poisons as you remembered just how enticing that giant Blob of Mountain Knights had been.

Life was Life you supposed, it could have been worse, as you're quite sure that most of the Mountain Knights currently fighting your Companion would have happily traded places with you. And speaking of the Mountain Knights, it seems like the Enemy Commanders had managed to send more than just a few Scouts, as you suddenly heard the clatter of Plate in the Distance. Hmm, it appears that they didn't truly understand the Threat your Companion posed despite the massive Losses they were surely still receiving, mayhaps the first few Tribes of Reinforcements you were worried about had been closer than you had expected, if they really thought that they could spare a dozen Men in Plate.

You of course understood that the Enemy Commanders desperately needed the Number of Enemies they were truly facing now that they knew for a Fact that the Woods surrounding them were no longer in their Hands. But you really had to wonder if they truly had enough Manpower to perform Reconnaissance in Force with Squads of a Dozen Knights each while the giant Spirit was going through who knows how many of these very same Knights outside the Gate as the Minutes continued to fly by.

Well, it was not like you really needed to understand the Logic behind their Decisions to exploit them, so you just silently began following the Squad of Mountain Knights to their Destination, wherever that might be. And while the Journey southward itself wasn't anything worth talking about, the same couldn't be said about the Destination as you found yourself creeping behind some Bushes atop a small Rock Formation going parallel to a great and wide Ravine with its own small River. It was all in all quite the beautiful place as the Water flowing down from the massive Cliff nearby managed to fill the Valley with just the right Amount of Background Noise to make the place feel magical.

Yet, you swiftly decided to ignore the untainted Land around you as the Knights continued to march onward, finally revealing why the Enemy Commanders had sent as much Fighting Strength as they did for what you believed was quite the simple issue to resolve. For instead of searching for the Troops they believed were already hidden in the surrounding Woods, they had in Reality sent this and the other Squads of Knights you had heard along the Way to secure the Paths of their Reinforcements. And now that you thought about it, you could see the Thoughts behind their Moves as if they had been your own, as the Plan to use the coming Reinforcements to push their imaginary Enemy from the Woods against the Walls and barred Gates of their Camp became painfully apparent.

It wasn't all that surprising, as the Mountain Clans had gained Victory after Victory against the powerful Hosts of the Vale with their massive Encirclements, so why wouldn't they use a Strategy revolving around another massive Encirclement to beat the nigh unfellable Knight and his Men? You knew that such a Strategy wasn't going to work against your Companion as you had the Chance to see him run at full Speed as well as the sheer Durability of his Armour. But seeing as it only cost them a few dozen knights to protect these vital, and apparently quite secret Suspension Bridges, you couldn't help but be impressed with their Efforts.