“That’s Edwin over there, the tall one.”

Edwin was in his barracks, preparing his things for the departure the next day, but hearing his name pulled him from his thoughts. He stood, looking across the room. One of the adventurers closest to the door was pointing him out… to a figure in a grey robe. A flash of panic sent adrenaline racing through his body, but Edwin quickly clamped down on it. The mage was a short, slightly chubby woman in the robes of a journeyman materialist, which put her quite far from the lean, hawk-eyed, black-robed inquisitors that haunted his imagination every now and then.

She spotted him and began crossing the room, carrying a medium-sized box, while the other adventurers gave her curious looks. When she reached him, she put down her cargo and gave him a big smile.

“Hah. Now that I can see you standing up, I could’ve totally recognized you without asking!”

Edwin looked down at her, confused. He was absolutely certain that he’d never seen her before, in any life.

“Excuse me, who are you?”

“Oh, sorry. It feels like I know you, but we haven’t actually met, have we? My name’s Urma, I’m a student of Master Torckel’s. Master Quinnick asked me to deliver something to you, he said you were waiting for it?”

Urma? He didn’t know anybody named Urma. Master Torckel, though... And if she knew Quinnick, that meant…

The dominoes started falling, and Edwin tentatively returned her smile.

“I think Master Quinnick mentioned Torckel’s name once. He’s the one who developed the method that made his direbeast armor project possible, right?”

“Right,” she said cheerfully. “It’s his life’s work, you can imagine how happy he is that we finally finished a full suit and that you’ll be wearing it into real combat.”

“Is he here?” Edwin asked eagerly. “I’d love to meet him and talk about his research.”

Urma shook her head. “He wanted to come, but he’s way too old. He has trouble even walking, going to war would be too much for him. He’s a great teacher though! If you have questions about the armor, fire away. I did most of the actual work on it anyway, the research I was writing on the project was supposed to advance me to master before, well, all this happened.”

“Really?” Edwin perked up. “I’ll definitely take you up on your offer then. It will have to be some other time though, I’m afraid we’re incredibly busy preparing for tomorrow.”

“Sure, come find me whenever you have time. I just wanted to get this thing delivered right away in case you needed it.” She tapped on the box beside her, which Edwin had already forgotten about. He eyed it, recalling what she’d said about it and estimating the size of what could be inside…

“Quinnick finished the helmet?” Edwin asked, eyeing it eagerly. “He said he’d send it after me, I just didn’t expect a mage to do the delivery.”

“Yup, it’s all done,” Urma said cheerfully. “We were gathering in Pel Darni to wait for the contingent from the College, so I took the time to visit Master Quinnick. When he heard I’d be heading your way he asked me to take it with me. Anyway, I’ll stop getting in the way. I should probably head back too, or Master Gregory will get cranky.”

“Thanks,” Edwin said, shaking her hand and watching her weave through the adventurers toward the exit. He should finish packing his things, as he had another few items on his agenda afterward, but he couldn’t help himself. He picked up the box and set it on his bed, pulling the nailed-down lid off with a flex of his muscles, and pulled the helmet out to inspect it in the waning light coming through the windows. He froze.

“You have got to be kidding me!”

--- ----- ---

It was late the next morning that the fort’s gate opened, spilling the 5th division out onto the paved road. With the soldiers, adventurers, and a large number of logistics section personnel that were required to keep the force going in the field, the column would’ve been several kilometers long, to begin with. The carts carrying their supplies, interspersed between the cohorts, almost doubled that length.

The march was organized by unit numbers, meaning first battalion’s first cohort – Captain Vellis’s unit – lead the way. That also meant that the adventurers were last, and it would take at least an hour until they got to join the train, capping it off as the rearguard. They were forming up on a road in the back of the fort so as to not block any of the ones leaving before them, and Major Gerrack called an impromptu leadership meeting with the banner officers. They hadn’t had much of a chance to talk the day before, instead assigning the required tasks and jumping to them.

“First of all, let me assure you all that I don’t intend to throw my weight around,” Gerrack began. He was in his mid-thirties, an unassuming-looking man with short brown hair and a friendly smile, who seemed perfectly comfortable in his armor.

“As I interpret the orders of General Marcus, you and your guildmates were organized into these auxiliary battalions to simplify communication and cooperation, as well as provide you with a commander who has tactical experience.” He nodded toward Bordan. “In your case, that was probably not necessary. You have done a fantastic job so far, Bordan, and I’m not going to get in the way of that.”

Bordan had been wearing a frown ever since the meeting had been called, but now it relaxed slightly.

“That’s good to hear,” he told the major. “While we’re being honest, I couldn’t help but wonder about your appointment. Battalions are always led by colonels – always. So, I’ve been asking myself, is this a slight aimed at you or us?”

There was a charged silence as the gathered adventurers looked between the two, then Gerrack chuckled.

“Neither, as far as I know. The problem is that we don’t have enough senior officers, so people get promoted left and right. Before I joined the 5th, I was a crossbow cohort commander in Pel Oreis. Three of the four other battalion commanders here were in a similar situation and got their promotion to colonel on the same day as they got their posts. I actually have seniority over one of them, but the army doesn’t like to give battalions to officers who never led an infantry cohort before.”

He gave Bordan a brilliant smile. “So really, this arrangement is lucky for both of us. I get to command a battalion when I usually wouldn’t, and you guys get an experienced commander instead of some youngling with connections who tries to force you to do things by the book.”

“Auxiliary units don’t follow the same rules as regular ones,” Lord Amos piped up from the side. “They were used several times in the old world, and because of their irregular nature, from troop numbers to equipment variety, they were considered something separate entirely. There is even a record of a battalion of Khulomite archers that was led by a lieutenant in the early post-war period.”

Amos was young, barely older than Leodin. He was tall, his shoulder-length, unruly hair a dirty blond, but despite the sword he wore at his hip he seemed lanky and awkward, not like a fighter at all. When all eyes turned toward him, he ducked his head reflexively, then gave a shy smile.

“And what crime landed you in this position?” Bordan asked the young man.

“I chose this,” Amos said, shrugging. “I was just finishing my studies at the Academy when the war began, and I could either get drafted as a soldier, try to join as an officer, or sign up as a Lord. I didn’t think I’d be very good at the first two, so I went for the third option.”

Leodin snorted. When Amos looked at him, Leodin met his eyes defiantly. “Don’t see why we need a Lord in the first place.”

“Ah, I can tell you that!” Amos said cheerfully. “You see, back in the days of the kingdom, nobles were required to field their own troops instead of there being a proper army like we have. Back then, most soldiers were regular people with little training, being conscripted and led into battle by their liege lord. Only dukes and barons, who could field larger armies, would sometimes employ a general as their advisor and battlefield commander. After the Exile, things changed. In our divisions, the officer is in command while the Lord leads the logistics section. We could’ve done away with it entirely, but it’s important to have a noble along when fighting the Marradi. In their army, the nobles are still in charge, and if they want to negotiate on the battlefield they usually won’t talk to commoners.”

For a few seconds, only the birds singing in the distant trees and the shouting of faraway soldiers could be heard. Then, Edwin clapped Leodin on the shoulder.

“See, now you know. Glad you asked?”

One of the other banner officers, a grizzled adventurer with a scar running across his scalp, laughed around his pipe. “Wasn’t expectin’ a lecture today, but it beats waiting around with nothin’ to do I s’ppose. Go on, boy, ask him somethin’ else.”

Leodin flushed, shoving his hands in his pockets and staring at the ground.

“So let me guess,” Edwin addressed Amos who was curiously following the interaction. “You were studying history?”

“Yes, exactly.” The young noble nodded, smiling. “My expertise is military history, actually, so this is perfect! instead of reading about it later, I can be the one to chronicle this war for posterity. Assuming we don’t all die, of course.”

“Of course,” Edwin agreed to the bemused expressions of the surrounding adventurers. A call came down the line, and they dispersed to return to their banners. Most of the division was on its way now, and it would be their turn soon.