– I am the designated commander of this expedition. Narav, 5th Circle of the Order of the Southern White Talons, say what you want, member of a devastated order, and leave. We have much to do during this expedition.
The man, Banor, seemed to hesitate slightly. Whether it was because Narav was from an order he knew, the obvious ridicule in his voice when he pronounced the name of his order, or the greater Aether he infused into his voice, he couldn't say. But honestly, I think it was all three.
Banor quickly recovered and, after a deep breath, responded with the same haughty tone, seemingly indifferent to the obvious mockery Narav exuded from every pore.
– On behalf of our expedition, I have a proposal that will be advantageous to all.
– Hooo? Tell me what that proposal would be. Will it be as good as the one given to the Order of the Moon when they were told to surrender some of their knowledge in exchange for protection?
This time, Banor was certainly upset by the comment. He had no idea what had happened to this order. Mages were rare, but mage orders appearing and disappearing at the whim of one or another was almost as natural as a fish swimming.
Since they are very... confident in their own power, everything they reach a certain point is almost a passing fad for a group of young mages to split from their original order and found another. Obviously, these don't last long, ranging from a few years of existence to mere weeks.
But judging by the look Narav was giving me and Banor's response, perhaps that wasn't the case here.
– The proposal my leaders suggest is simple.
The man spoke again, breaking me out of my reverie.
– The Baron's knights must withdraw from this floor as soon as possible to avoid losses. In exchange, we will split two-fifths of any gains that may arise in the goblin village, also known by the ignorant as green demons.
Now it was Narav's turn to fall silent, astonished by both the audacity of the proposal and the veiled insult aimed at him. I even thought it might be mere coincidence that Banor mentioned what goblins are called, but one look at his smile told me he knew perfectly well what he'd done.
– Well, of course, he's a wizard too. He certainly knows one of the main things that irritate wizards.
Not that it was hard to guess which mages they would be; they're called seekers of truth. They have a great thirst for knowledge, an even greater thirst for recognition, and an even greater thirst to demonstrate their superior knowledge to others.
Consequently, one of the things they hate most is having their knowledge contradicted. And worse, being wrong.
It might be a small and silly thing to others, but to a mage with great pride, being told he was wrong about just a creature's name is a huge insult.
Taking several deep breaths, Commander Narav finally replied.
– DO YOU REALLY EXPECT US TO ACCEPT SUCH INCREDIBLY STUPID 'PROPOSAL' OF YOUTS?! YOU PATHETIC FORMER MEMBER OF A RUINED ORDER!!!!
Despite being insulted and yelled right to his face, Banor showed no emotion beyond mild contentment.
– I believe it would be wise if you accepted.
– And why?.Tell me, why would I accept such a proposal instead of incinerating, freezing, or eviscerating you and your helpers here and now?!!
The old mage said, already gathering Aether in both his staff and his hand. While my men positioned themselves slightly to prevent escape from the sides.
But Banor and his "knight" guards remained surprisingly composed, almost bored by this.
– Simply.
He said deliberately slowly.
– Because otherwise.
He raised his hand and pointed directly at Narav.
– You all would die without a chance to fight."
*******************
3rd Person POV
Things were going so well that they were slightly worrying. The strategy itself was completely copied from the texts that any knight of any order should know.
In a siege, one must do everything possible to undermine the numbers of the walled opponent and preserve their forces, both with long-range attacks with bows, catapults, or even mages when possible. And by sapping their fighting spirit, not allowing water, food, or medicine to enter.
Eventually, one side would give in, or the defenders would launch coordinated attacks to break up the attackers with small but capable groups, wait for reinforcements, or simply surrender.
'But we don't have the luxury of waiting, or even if that would be an option,' Andreas thought, watching the pile of boulders being rapidly emptied.
'What would be the worst option?
The rearguard attack that the Baron's "knights" were obviously planning, an all-out, desperate attack by the goblins (especially the mounted ones), or a prolonged wait in a place that, after months, almost no one really knew how it worked?'
The wandering knight wondered, looking at the forest as he waited for his ammunition.
How long would they have before the infamous black bear appeared? How long until the other animals and creatures of the Ordeal were attracted by the scent of blood and made theirs attack chaotic?
Andreas couldn't say, but for the sake of his men and his (albeit temporary) attacking companions, the quicker and more decisive the fight, the better.
"How long until you're done?"
He asked the mages who were methodically creating what looked like a ball of papyrus. One of the mages recited an incantation, another drew symbols on papyrus, which were added to the ball one by one.
The mage writing the symbols responded as best he could without becoming flustered by the delicate task.
– One more minute and it will be ready, sir.
'Uuuuhhhfff, it's very strange to see a mage so... subservient like that, even if he tries to be one of the members of the Golden Moon.'
Another advantage of being a knight errant was that few things regarding conflicts escaped Andrea, so he knew about the conflict that led to the end of the Golden Moon order of mages. He didn't know the details, but the general reasons for the conflict were easy to discover.
Not that it mattered at the moment.
– I see... But please try to hurry. I have a bad feeling.
– We're doing what we can, sir, and you're not the only one with that feeling.
For a moment, the mage looked up from the papyrus to look around at the dense, dark forest. But he quickly returned to his task: finishing the spell that would energize the ball with enough explosive power to destroy the massive log walls of the goblin village.
Well, the balls, actually.
One of the reasons for the delay was that both mages were making three of these balls simultaneously.
Without much else to do, Andreas focused on circulating his Aether through his body, honing his physical capacity, focusing primarily on his dominant arm.
Thirty seconds after starting to prepare, Andreas saw that the stones in the improvised cart were almost gone.
'If things continue like this, we might have to use the second option of jumping over the walls to prevent the goblins from regrouping.'
It wasn't an option they particularly liked for two main reasons. First, not everyone was accustomed to body armor enough to use it for a safe jump.
And second, even if they could manage to land him directly in the middle of the goblins, it didn't seem like a smart option. Even with their numbers having considerably diminished.
'Knowing their exact number would be ideal, then...'
– Mr. Connor, a moment, please.
Connor was checking how many arrows he had left in his quiver to ensure the strongest goblins would be killed when the opportunity arose.
Turning around, Connor saw Andreas waving at him. Even though he'd only been using Aether for a few months, he could tell the amount the knight-errant was circulating wasn't low, and he couldn't help but wonder how such a knight had become a wanderer.
– Yes, Mr. Andreas?
– Sorry to ask this now. But could you climb one of the trees and see the situation inside their village?
– Of course, I was already planning to do that. Can you keep an eye on Anna in the meantime?
- Hey, I'm not a little kid who needs a babysitter!
A small voice was heard from behind, but neither of them paid attention.
– No problem.
Said and done, seconds later, Connor activated his camouflage ability and quickly made his way to the tree closest to the village walls. Standing at the top, with a good view of the area below, Connor saw firsthand the results of the hail of rocks and arrows they had unleashed.