Steel and Mana

Chapter 245 – Probing The Frontier (1)

The air was thick with the smell of the damp earth and with our leather coats as we stood in formation, a thousand strong. It just stopped raining, but that didn't mean we wouldn't get drenched again. It was already autumn, and rain would become an issue more and more. It also meant this was our last chance to march before winter arrived, and we would be cut off from home or from retreating safely. I shifted my weight, the mail shirt clinking against the breastplate beneath my tabard. I held onto my long spear as around me, the low hum of men muttering among themselves filled the stillness, voicing exactly my thoughts, but we all had to obey our lords. We all had heard the same thing: the Empress betrayed our land, and civil war was coming to our Empire. The Frontier was stirring; the barbarians living on that desolate land were getting bold, refusing to stay in line. Maybe the freedom the Emperors gave them in the past got to their heads... We usually deal with these things quickly on our end. These types of people were put down with a few bloody skirmishes before it got too far. But the summons felt heavier this time, thanks to the fact of the Empress's betrayal.

As I have seen, our 1,000-strong army is mainly composed of us, the main infantry, with our pikes, shortswords, and round, wooden shields hanging from our backs. If I had to guess, at least half of it was us. Then, there were the heavily armored men with swords and metal shields, maybe a hundred of them... And another hundred of cavalry. Turning my head, I knew the rest were bowmen, and if anyone had asked me, I would have brought more of those. But... I was not the one assembling this army.

Our captain, the one who did, stood on a raised platform before us, the silver trim of his armor gleaming in the pale morning light. His face was hard, his voice sharper still. "We march to the frontier," he began, his words cutting through the murmurs. "The barbarians think they can defy the Empire! They grow unruly, and it is time we remind them of their place."

I felt a ripple of anticipation run through the men around me. The Frontier was always dangerous, and the barbarians there were wild and unpredictable. They were not like us. They lived in those dark forests, half-naked and howling their heathen chants. They were animals, as beasts needed against beasts... I heard that their warriors were tall and scarred, most likely to kill each other as they kill beasts.

Our captain's whistle sharply called out to us, silencing the murmurs, and I saw a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth before he continued speaking. "This time," he continued, "we won't be going alone." He gestured to the side, where two figures stood apart from the mass of soldiers. They were cloaked in dark robes, their faces hidden beneath heavy hoods; they were mages. I knew the first time I saw them arrive… What else could they be? I am simply waiting for our supervisors' confirmation.

A buzz spread through the ranks at once when everyone else spotted them, too. The air seemed to change around us, charged with something unseen. Maybe it was just our bodies hallucinating it… But there they were. Mages—two of them—that was a sign, a rare thing. Gods, I only read about them before; I've never seen one, not to mention two! The Empire didn't send magic to the Frontier unless it meant that an unstoppable beast tide was coming through, which didn't happen for… Well, centuries. No wonder the barbarians were getting noisy; they weren't adequately culled and fed to monsters! I bet they breed like vermin.

"We go with the Eternal Emperor's magic at our backs!" our captain called, his voice swelling with pride. "With their power, we will be unstoppable. Untouchable. The Frontier will bend to our will, and the barbarians will kneel before us as we mete out the Emperor's justice! We will show what fate awaits those who want to follow the Mad Empress!"

I felt my chest swell with confidence after finally being affirmed of what I just… knew. Magic. With that on our side, what could those savages do? Spears and stones were nothing against a mage's power. I imagined them casting fire from their hands or conjuring storms to crush the enemy without us ever having to lift a sword. This wouldn't be a battle; it'd be a slaughter. Heh, I suddenly wanted to march. Run. Rush! I wanted to be there and witness how it all ends with one wave of the hand!

The captain's orders came swiftly after that as if he read my thoughts. We were to march within the hour. I could already see the path ahead in my mind, the long road winding through hills and valleys toward the border, toward those savage lands. There'd be no challenge, not this time. Not with the mages at our side. I just hoped that we and the guys would still be allowed to loot a little after the battle. Take a few trinkets, maybe taste how the wild women of the Frontier are…

I gripped the hilt of my sword, thinking about it, feeling the worn leather in my palm. The tension in the ranks was gone, replaced by a strange kind of excitement. We were more than just soldiers now. We were an invincible army. We were not only the best of Westland, handpicked for this mission; we were leaving as an already victorious force! What a time to be alive…

As the first line began to move, I fell in with the others, marching in step toward the Frontier: Toward victory.

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"Major!"

“Yes, Corporal Kovrad?” Pion asked, looking up from the table he was standing at, leaning over it, studying the latest modifications to their map. In the past weeks since arriving, they have been hard at work, building fortifications around the hilly landscape, closing off specific paths with wooden walls, spikes, and traps to ensure the enemy only had one way forward if they wanted to cross the borders.

"I have the latest scout reports!" Kovrad saluted, standing in the opening of Pion's tent before walking up and handing over a bundle of letters. "Our initial information of the enemy leaving Westland has been confirmed. They are heading this way, using the main road to cross into Goldengrove. It seems they want to reach Avalon as quickly as possible, so they are marching along the established roads."

"We could ambush them…" Pion mumbled but then shook his head, "We follow our Sovereign's orders. How are the fortifications?"

"Should keep the enemy from occupying the hills closest to our base and discovering the Rook ahead of time."

It was essential to let the enemy get close or even let them launch their attacks on them. If they see the Rook and turn away, it would mean their mission has failed. Pion's goal was to draw the enemy in and annihilate them after. He wasn't going to let one soul report back home, so he had to make them come to him willingly.

"Good. Keep concealing it. Tell Polo not to engage without my orders! What about our defenses?"

"The howitzers are arranged at the back, dug in, and ready to open fire. Our spotters can take to the skies the moment we are ready to engage, Major!"

They didn't come unprepared. They brought four hot-air balloons with them, using them so their soldiers could rise high up, oversee the battlefield, and give precise coordinates to their howitzers. Pion's order was clear from the first day on: they would bombard the enemy backlines and cut off their retreat before grinding them into meat paste.

"Any news about their mage support?" He asked as his last question, the only uncertainty in his plans. The reports he received made him a bit uneasy, but he never showed it to anyone. Still, the knowledge they were going to face two wizards posed a real threat. One that they had never encountered before. The beasts and their magic were different, as a human could be insidious, calculating…, and much more chaotic.

"They are walking with them, but from what we gathered, they are always at the back."

"We will need to rely on the Rook for this," Pion answered after a moment of silence, letting out a soft sigh. "Make sure every company knows the boundaries of its shield. Don't step out of its effective area without orders. We will see what kind of spells the enemy is capable of and test whether our magical defenses indeed hold out against them."

"Couldn't it jam their spells, Major?"

"There are two mages, Corporal. Polo can stop one from activating a spell, but the other still has a clear shot at us. When the battle starts, our howitzers may take them out or may not. Anything can happen when it comes to magic."

"Sir, may I?"

"Speak." He nodded, watching as Kovrad's mouth curled into a smile.

"Whatever happens, the moment they are within range… They won't leave from here. If not because of us, because of the Rook."

"Don't worry, Corporal. I am not going to be the first to lose any of my men in a battle against humans."

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The hills became rougher and more numerous as we advanced towards the Frontier. They loomed before us as we marched, rising like great mounds of earth against the overcast sky. Mud squelched under our feet, and the smell of wet soil clung to the air. I really hate going to war in the autumn… We had been moving for a week now, and the excitement that followed the captain's speech earlier had dulled into a more cautious anticipation. I could see the men around me feel the same, eyes scanning the terrain ahead. The border was close, and none of us wanted to be caught off guard in a barbarian ambush.

The view spread out before us when we finally crested the last ridge, arriving close to the flatter land that was the food source of the Frontier. Beyond the hills, in the distance, our scouts already noticed the enemy's fortifications—a series of rough wooden walls, spikes, and barricades hastily thrown together. Typical barbarian nonsense. A good flaming arrow, and it will burn down! Well… not with the rain accompanying us since yesterday… Tsk. Lucky bastards. Still, they didn't look like much from here, but the sheer number of obstructions made it clear that the barbarians weren't relying on brute strength alone. They grew some brain, huh?

To the right, valleys dipped between the hills, each blocked with what looked like crude wooden trash piled at least three men high. Some were packed tightly with logs, others fortified with stakes driven deep into the ground. Spikes, wooden palisades, and traps were undoubtedly hidden in the undergrowth. Only one path seemed clear—the road that we followed since the start, through the hills toward the crossing point. That was where the actual fighting would take place. They had funneled us into a single, predictable route.

"Looks like they've been busy," muttered one of the soldiers beside me, a grizzled veteran named Edrik. His scarred face twisted in a grimace; he had been part of the army since he was 11 years old, if I recall correctly. And that was twenty years ago! "They're setting us up for a slaughter if we're not careful."

I didn't respond, but I couldn't shake the unease that crept over me. Something about the way the fortifications were placed—the precision of it—felt more organized than I expected from savages. It wasn't like the chaotic defenses we'd seen in the past when dealing with vermin and bandits. No, this felt planned. Deliberate.

The captain had halted our march at the top of the ridge, ordering more scouts forward to assess the situation. We stood there, waiting, the tension in the air growing thicker with each passing moment. As I tried to calm my nerves, my eyes drifted toward the gray sky, where something strange caught my attention.

At first, I thought it was a bird. But it wasn't moving like one. There were several of them—dark, round shapes floating above the barbarians' position, barely visible. They hovered unnaturally still, swaying slightly in the wind. I squinted, trying to make sense of what I was seeing... But they were too far away to make it out perfectly.

"What in the gods' name is that?" another soldier asked, following my stare.

I wasn't the only one who had noticed. The murmurs spread quickly through the ranks as more men pointed out the strange objects. They floated in the air like nothing any of us had ever seen. Were they some kind of magic? A trick of the eye? No… They shouldn't have magic; they are barbarians! Yet, even the mages, standing silently at the rear, seemed to be watching them with interest, though they offered no explanation.

"Could be some kind of scouting device," Edrik muttered. "Or maybe… something worse."

I wasn't sure what to think, but whatever they were, they weren't natural. And that made them dangerous.

The captain, standing with his officers at the front, sitting on his horse, had also noticed the strange floating... things. His brow furrowed in concern, but he said nothing. Instead, he turned back to us, his voice raised above the growing wind.

"We set up camp here for now. I want archers positioned on this ridge and sentries posted at every approach. No one moves without my command. Scouts, report back as soon as you find anything useful!" He paused, glancing toward the floating shapes again before adding, "And keep an eye on whatever that is."

The men grumbled as we began to set up the perimeter, but no one dared question the captain's orders. We all felt it—the uncertainty of something unknown hanging over us. Quite literally… The sky was growing darker, and the wind had picked up, sending a chill through my overcoat as it weaseled its way in. As I hammered the stakes into the muddy ground to set up my tent, my eyes were drawn back toward the enemy's fortifications. The strange shapes above their position had not moved. They simply floated there, watching. Were they… some kind of beasts? Could they tame those? Were they eyes? What… the… fuck… were… they?!

"What do you think those things are?" Edrik asked, crouching beside me as he tightened the ropes on his own tent.

"I don't know," I replied, shaking my head. "But whatever they are, they're not natural. They are evil. It makes the hair stand up on my back!"

He nodded grimly, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword. "Guess we'll find out soon enough."

As night began to fall, the camp settled into a tense stillness. Fires were lit, but their light felt feeble against the looming presence of the enemy and those mysterious objects in the sky. We had a clear view of the road below and the distant fortifications from our position on the ridge. Still... It was quiet—too quiet. I expected them to rush out to meet us the moment we arrived. They were barbarians, after all. Yet, nothing happened…

As I lay back, staring at the darkening sky, I couldn't shake the feeling that we were being watched... constantly.