"Report!" Reivyn commanded the scout that ran up to him. The company had Marched in an orderly manner back toward the base camp, and Reivyn had immediately resumed normal operating procedures, sending scouts out ahead. Even though the enemy, for all they knew, was long behind them, Reivyn wasn't going to let himself get complacent. "Sir, the base camp is gone," the scout reported. Reivyn's eyebrows went up as he focused his attention on the man. "Explain." "Yes, sir. I did as instructed and stayed out of sight, crawling over the ridge closest to the base camp. I peered over, and the base camp was swarmed with enemies. I don't know if they came from the main enemy camp or if they were a patrol or something, but there are hundreds of them. They had the men holding the camp in irons, and they seemed to be digging in to defend the camp." "Very well, good job. Go back to that ridge and keep an eye on any movement." "Yes, sir!" "Lieutenants!" Reivyn called out to the platoon commanders. He surveyed the company as the lieutenants came jogging over. Each platoon, when they were at full strength, consisted of five platoons of ten men. Four platoons, plus the one they picked up in the rout, and they had just under 250 troops. The scout said they were digging in, and that there were hundreds of them, Reivyn thought. If it were mainly those guys with the "1's" branded on their heads, it might be doable, but I don't know if that's the case. Not only that, it's extremely suspicious that they're here. It smells like we walked into a trap. If I had to bet, there are other patrols roaming about, and they'll try to herd us back together. Even Reivyn hadn't considered the possibility that the enemy had not only known they were coming but had spread out forces to encircle them once they arrived. It wasn't just the reinforcements of entirely different enemy armies converging. There was no telling how many men they had roaming about to stop anyone from escaping. "Change of plans," Reivyn announced to the lieutenants after they gathered around him. "A scout reported that an enemy patrol of hundreds of soldiers has captured the base camp." Several of the officers swore under their breath at the news. "We only have enough supplies on us to last a couple of days, at most, so we have to secure some more supplies, but that will have to be done with a raiding party later tonight. "My conjecture is that there are multiple bands of enemy soldiers roaming about, and they'll try to pen us in, preventing us from getting away. Our mission, right now, is to not get caught. After we get away, we can forage and raid for supplies, but even that will most likely be planned for by the enemies. They're apparently a lot savvier than we gave them credit for. "Have the scouts map out a route that will keep us away from spying eyes, and let's move the troops to a safe place. We'll re-evaluate once we're clear." The lieutenants saluted and returned to their men to carry out the orders. The scouts knew to return on a regular basis to report the situation around them, whether they found anything or not, and so it didn't take long until several had reported painting a picture on the map of a direction the company could snake through to avoid eyes. Reivyn had been right in his conjecture, and there were several bands, ranging from a couple hundred to nearly a thousand, enemy soldiers walking about in the desert. They didn't have any outposts or positions constructed atop any of the hills or plateaus in the area. Probably because they don't want to give away that they're lying in wait. That will change when they realize we've figured it out, though, so we need to race ahead as much as possible. Reivyn could only trust in the abilities of his subordinates, so he let the scouts come up with the route to traverse. Once they had a plan of action, Reivyn gave it over to the other lieutenants to lead their platoons through the ravines and gulleys, keeping out of sight as much as possible. There was nothing they could do about their tracks, and it was only a matter of time before the enemy came following after them. As long as we can get far enough away that they can't muster a superior force to overwhelm us, we should be good. The company spent the rest of the morning Marching at a quick pace to get as far away as possible. Reivyn kept them in a tight column, and they didn't stop to take any breaks like they normally would when hiking somewhere. "Sir, they've begun to crest the hills," a scout ran up and reported around noon. "They're all behind us for now, and we haven't seen anyone abreast or ahead of us for a little bit of time, now." "Very good, continue," Reivyn Commanded. Reivyn once more summoned the lieutenants to him. "Alright, they've figured out that someone has slipped by them, and they're no longer trying to hide. It seems we've broken through their blockade, though, so we need to find a defensible location not too far away to hold off the inevitable raid that comes our way. It's only a matter of time before they either spot us or our tracks, and we don't want to be caught with our pants down when they show up." Reivyn unrolled a map on the ground and motioned for the lieutenants to gather around. He scanned the map, noting their current location and searching for a decent place to fortify. He ran his fingers over the lines on the topographical map, and the other lieutenants bent over to also scan the map. "This, right here, looks like a good spot," Reivyn jabbed his finger on a ridgeline several miles away. The map was veritably covered with lines indicating slopes, hills, and cliffs. The terrain was not at all flat, and the presence of so many hills more than made up for the lack of concealment thick vegetation would provide. "It's a pretty steep slope, kind of in the shape of a horseshoe," Reivyn explained. "We can fortify near the top of the hill, and we can hide a platoon on either side, behind the horseshoe." Reivyn gave his ideas for the tactics they would use to thwart the first assault on their position that he knew would be coming, and the other officers gave their opinions and recommendations. Once they had everything fleshed out, Reivyn ordered the company to continue to the location as quickly as possible. It was several miles further toward their destination, but they were able to move quickly. It took half an hour to arrive at the steep horseshoe-like ridge. Reivyn nodded his head at the sight, and he ordered the men to get to work digging in. The time on the System clock showed that it was nearly one in the afternoon. Reivyn climbed his way to the top of the ridge, intentionally skylining himself with the other officers, watching the men build their fortifications. They dug a large trench behind some wooden boards they had available in their storage pouches. The little walls they built wouldn't hold up for long in a concentrated attack, but that was fine. Reivyn ordered Jekle to take command of the First Platoon and had them situated in the very center of the defensive line where the heaviest fighting was likely to take place. The new officer and Jek were tasked with heading off to either side of the hill to lay in wait for the signal to flank the enemy attackers. If the enemy showed up from an unexpected direction, they built some simple fortifications on those sides, as well, just in case. "Now we just have to wait," Reivyn said, looking into the distance from which they had come. "Have the men get some rest and eat some rations if they haven't already." Reivyn watched the surroundings in all directions, not letting himself get fixated on the direction they expected to be pursued from. The men were finally able to relax for the first time in several hours, but their stress levels were still pretty high. They knew they needed to rest and recuperate before the next fight, but it was difficult to do in the situation they were in. A trace of dust in the air eventually entered Reivyn's vision, and he was relieved to see that it was following directly on their trail. He scanned the horizons in the other directions, but there was no indication of large forces of men moving about the desert toward their position from flanking directions. "Here they come," Reivyn called out. "It seems like they weren't expecting us to pick a spot to fortify and wait for them, so they're coming in hard and fast from one direction. "Lieutenants, take charge of your platoons, and await the enemy engagement." "Yes, sir!" The other four Lieutenants and Jekle saluted before moving toward their men. A couple of soldiers from each of the platoon were positioned behind Reivyn on the ridgeline in order to stand out for the enemy to spot, and they would return to their platoons once they confirmed the enemy took the bait and charged towards them. On one level, the strategy used to ensnare us was intricate and well thought out, Reivyn mused, but on the other hand, the tactics and strategies of the smaller units are trash. If they don't have a higher up with them, I expect they'll just charge up the slope to their deaths. The enemy force finally came into view, and as Reivyn had thought, they didn't slow down or hesitate once they spotted Reivyn's company. They picked up the pace and charged into the horseshoe hill. Reivyn estimated that there were about 800 or so enemies. We have 250 men, so they're almost to the three-to-one threshold for conducting a successful assault, Reivyn found it slightly amusing. Too bad for them, they're mostly greatly outmatched in terms of Skill and gear, so that number would need to be much higher for them like it was earlier. There was no indication of an officer standing out giving orders, and it seemed like they were just a ravenous pack of wild animals as the enemy charged to the hill. "Archers! Loose!" Reivyn heard the commands from the Lieutenants below him. He turned his head and gestured for the squads behind him to move back to their platoons. Reivyn maintained his position on top of the hill. If there's a Mage or an officer that stands out, I'll be able to draw their attention and counter anything they can throw at me. No such thing happened, though, and it didn't appear that there were any Casters with the 800-man patrol. From what Reivyn could see, the situation was the same as the first patrol of thirty they had encountered, just scaled up on a much larger scale. Arrows rained down on the enemy, and Reivyn watched as several men with multiple arrow wounds fell to the ground, trampled by their compatriots. If an arrow managed to pierce a thigh, it was a death sentence as the man fell, or if several arrows hit the same person. Many, many more arrows, however, pierced into chests and arms, and those people acted as if nothing had happened at all. Is their main training method just to increase their Pain Resistance Skills as high as possible? It had been several hours since Reivyn had used his Mana, and his reserves had recovered quite a bit. It wasn't full, but his high Stats ensured that his Mana recovered very quickly. Reivyn glanced at his Mana pool in his Status. [Mana: 3,704/5,310] I don't need anything fancy like last time, Reivyn mused. Just add a bit of damage to the attackers. If they were normal fighters, it would be a psychological blow, too, but I don't think they'll care. Reivyn summoned his Mana, and using 50 Mana at a time in each of his hands, he summoned Spells of varying Affinities to rain down on the enemy in conjunction with the arrows. Oh, wait! I almost forgot. Reivyn quickly disabled his Experience Siphon ability. None of the Experience I got from the first battle is going to count toward my Level, Reivyn shook his head. I completely forgot to take it off, getting caught up in the "excitement." Reivyn mentally kicked himself for not thinking about it in the hour-long trek to the first fight. After that, he had been too preoccupied with navigating the company about safely, but there was no excuse for not paying enough attention earlier. Reivyn felt the suction in his heart disappear, and he immediately felt the difference as the strange energy of Experience began to flood his being properly, once more. His Spells didn't always kill those they struck, but he left a large dent of devastation in the enemy lines. He threw his Spells out to cause as much area damage as possible, and he wasn't targeting individuals. He still knew he killed many of the attacking force, though, as the stream of Experience he felt was nearly continuous as the opponents made their way to, and then up, the slope. There's no Euphoria to go with the rush of Experience, Reivyn idly thought. Then again there's also no Misery associated with killing innocent people. "Javelins!" The command from the lieutenants issued forth, and the spears from the front two ranks sailed through the air to impale the attackers. The enemies had been reduced to a much more disorganized rabble by the time they finally reached the wooden walls. The first row didn't use their shield wall as they did in the open, and they used their pikes along with the second row to keep the enemy from breaching the walls. They stabbed and pierced the enemy, and it seemed like they would be able to hold the position indefinitely. The enemy had lost a third of their troops, and they hadn't so much as injured one of Reivyn's troops. Reivyn cupped his hands to his mouth, and he issued forth a loud whistle, instilling it with Commanding Shout. He was a little surprised that it worked, but he guessed it made sense because it was literally a Command. The two platoons that had been hiding behind the sides of the hills emerged, silently, and they advanced on the flanks and rear of the assaulters. None of the enemy troops even kept a lookout to see if something like that would happen, and they smashed into the rear and sides with devastating effect. The two platoons scythed through the enemy with no resistance. "Company!" Reivyn called out at the top of his lungs. "Advance!" The defending platoons had been waiting for the command. The first row dropped their pikes behind the wooden barricades to draw their swords and shields as the second and third rows extended their reach to drive the ones trying to climb the walls back. The first row braced their shields against the walls, and because of how the slope and fortifications were built, they simply shoved forward, dislodging the wall and sending it tumbling down into the enemy. The three platoons manning the walls marched forward, the pikes and halberds reaping lives as the shield wall advanced. There wasn't much the enemy soldiers could do to hold the halberds down, as they just slashed through them, but the pikemen had already learned their lesson to not impale the enemy too far to let them weigh their weapons down with their body weight. The pikes stabbed forward with precision, the halberds slashed through necks, and the shield knocked the wounded soldiers down. They trampled over the fallen men, and their swords pierced into the throats of those they Marched over as they pressed the assault back into the two flanking platoons. The fifth squad made sure all of the fallen enemy troops were actually dead as they advanced. The three platoons eventually met up with the two flanking platoons, and there were no more enemy soldiers standing on the hill. They stopped and looked at each other, panting before loud cheers erupted from the men and women of the company. Reivyn let them cheer for a moment before raising his voice to cut through the noise. "Excellent work!" He yelled. "Dig a grave at the bottom of the hill, and get their bodies buried. After that, we'll rest for ten minutes before moving on. They'll be sure to send more soldiers after us when they don't return any time soon." The company cut their cheers off and immediately got back to work. It didn't take much effort to build a mass grave, and they rolled the bodies down the hill into the hole. After it was covered, Reivyn had the troops move to the other side of the hill where they would step off again after their break. "Great coordination, men," Reivyn addressed the lieutenants. "If we can fool them with the direction we head after this, we'll be able to get somewhere safe and get a proper rest." "How're we gonna do that?" Jek asked, skeptically. "Magic," Reivyn winked. Ten minutes wasn't a long time, and the company soon found themselves once more Marching forward. Instead of having them move about through the ravines and gulleys, though, Reivyn had them March straight over the very next hill that was situated several hundred yards away. He had the men continue on their journey, but he turned back to face the way they had come. Alright, let's see if this works, Reivyn thought to himself. He gathered his Mana, dropping a thousand Mana points into his outstretched hands. He envisioned the scene he wanted to replicate, and he infused it with the Affinities he believed would work best. A significant portion of Air, a touch of Fire and Water, and a helping of Gravity all went into the Spell matrix. Reivyn wove the Spell, instinctively understanding how to do so with the assistance of the System, and he launched it into the air behind him. A swirl of clouds materialized out of nowhere, but they hung low in the sky. Reivyn was concerned they might be spotted from a distance, but it wouldn't matter all that much. They were still at the location they had just been discovered at. The cloud coalesced together, and it turned into a mini wall cloud. Reivyn used the Fire Affinity to gather the heat at the base of the cloud, sucking it from above to meet with the heat of the desert below. The difference in temperature caused the winds to stir in addition to what he was pumping in, and the wall cloud started to rotate. Soon, a funnel cloud descended, and the tornado swept through the valley between the two hills the company had traversed. Reivyn let the tornado run, continuing to pump Mana into it to maintain it, for several minutes. When he finally dispelled the Mana, Reivyn used his superior Perception Stat to gaze upon the work he had done. The desert, although it wasn't sandy like the desolate sands, had been washed clean of all traces of the company's passing. When they follow the trail we left behind, it will lead them to the horseshoe-shaped hill, and then all traces will disappear from there, Reivyn nodded in satisfaction. Hopefully, they'll assume we headed off in a different direction or at least adhered to our previous way of traveling through the hilly terrain. Instead, we're going to March in a straight line for quite a ways, and then we'll be able to rest easy for a time. The next most important thing to do is acquire supplies to survive the desert.