“The results of a battle are decided by one part from courage, one part from tactics, and eight parts from prior preparations.” - Liang Si-Zhu, Famed Tactician of the Huan Confederacy, circa 92 VA.

“Good work,” Reinhardt said when he stepped foot at the Company’s temporary encampment deep in the forest a week later. The Bostvan forces had been passive for the past week, likely awaiting reinforcements of their own, while the forces from Dvergarder had erected makeshift fortifications and barricades that connected to Fort Kuzi’s eastern side.

Their plan was mostly a defensive one, as they had a logistical advantage as the defenders, cooperating with the twelve-thousand strong garrison of the fort. News from the north spoke of a more ferocious battle, that leaned to the defending side’s advantage, though the arrival of reinforcements from the Central Duchies threw the northern front into a stalemate once more shortly after.

After some discussion with the Fort’s commander - a veteran knight-captain of Jonkver who was also a cousin twice removed of the current Duke - they had pooled their best warriors to man the makeshift defense lines, which were weaker than the fort’s heavily enchanted and reinforced walls. The fort itself held most of the best marksmen and mages of the combined force, where they could use the walls for protection and proper vantage.

The Janissaries had been entirely stationed in the fort, as they had several mages amongst their ranks and nearly half of their four hundred were well-trained marksmen. In contrast, Reinhardt had asked to set his forces up in the forest to the south - a couple hundred meters from the fort and right at the southern end of the makeshift defenses - where his irregulars could use the terrain to execute hit-and-fade tactics and harassment with impunity.

Both Oswin Tovmund - the Fort’s commander - and Andrea Utghwes - the Duke of Dvergarder’s eldest daughter and heir - had seen merit in his plan, and had given him permission to act out the suggestion. Since the past week, the Company’s support staff of followers had already streamed into the forest and started to build a temporary encampment deep in its midst, while the combatants snuck into the forest little by little so as to keep the enemy unaware of their movements.

The scouts still kept a close eye on the enemy army half a day away, with extra care not to expose themselves. This was a case where the diverse forces of the Company came in handy, as Hannah could simply fly so high people mistook her for a passing bird while she scouted the enemy encampment from the air. She could not get much details from that height of course, but even the general disposition of the enemy forces was helpful to have.

Similarly, Fatimah and Nicole teamed up and kept eliminating enemy scouts that looked into the forests. They had not eliminated all of them of course, as a couple groups they allowed to return, but only after Lili and Rózsa “accidentally” crossed their paths after attracting several of the forest’s nastier predators in their wildcat guises.

Those groups that returned to report, did so with several of their members missing, with reports of the ferocious beasts that inhabit the forest all too fresh in their minds. That naturally gave the impression that the missing scout parties were simply unlucky and had met their end under similar conditions, while assuaging the Bostvans of the possibility of enemies camping in the forest.

They had never imagined the likes of Mischka and her crew, whose mere presence would have frightened away most predators in the forest with ease. The few animals who were not smart enough to heed their survival instincts were turned to dinner for the mercenaries instead.

None of the Bostvans suspected that over seven hundred mercenaries had camped right in the middle of the forest like it was their home, where lean-tos and tents served as their shelter. Fire pits were dug up and covered, the fuel they used previously treated by the Company’s water affinity members so that they burned hard and nearly smokeless, while the cover of the pits dispersed what little smoke they produced, giving away nothing from afar.

Even Soledad and her cavalry were brought along, with their steeds housed at a makeshift fenced area deep in the camp. Reinhardt himself spent most of his first day in the forest checking out potential ambush spots and firing positions together with Lars, and noted them down on his map. As they were situated to the south of the likely battlefield, they were positioned well to strike the enemy’s flank at the worst possible moment.

Footholds and platforms were covertly built on the branches of tall trees that had a good view to the plains ahead, where archers and slingers would be stationed. The rest of the Company not involved in such preparations maintained their weapons and armor, to ensure that they were in the best shape possible when the battle was joined.

Traps and tripwires were also set up along the edges of the forest, as the tension between the armies mounted. Just a couple days after the Free Lances set themselves up in the forest, reinforcements - estimated to be another fifteen to twenty thousand - arrived for the Bostvans, which placed their numbers at forty to fifty thousand.

Everyone waited for the following day to come with bated breath, as they knew the battle would likely begin by then. The Bostvans outnumbered the defenders from Jonkver and Dvergarder by roughly two to one, and this time they had enough troops that if they managed to sweep past the defense lines, they would be able to besiege the fort safely while sending nearly half their army to strike deeper into the Duchy.

Early the next morning, just a couple hours after everyone had their breakfasts, the Free Lances heard vague sounds of horns being sounded, followed by the rhythmic footsteps of soldiers in march. Sure enough, not a few minutes later their scout reported that the enemy forces were on the move, headed straight to Fort Kuzi and the defense lines.