The Commanders regimented their underlings well, and by the time they were halfway across the water, night had already begun to fall. Elias understood quickly that stealth, not speed, were their objectives. They wanted to appear out of nowhere, striking from across the water the Dhani had little reason to pay attention to. The day went by swiftly, leaving the entire company with arms aching and backs sore from the rowing, but with the night came a respite. Slower, quieter strokes from the rough paddles. No sails. No talking. No more barked orders. Just whispers and watchful eyes...
The darkness came at a price however. At least in the day, on the glossy surface of the lake, there was the suggestion of a threat. Maybe two protruding, reptilian eyes. The swish of a tail. A line of bubbles. But at night, there was just an endless, shining blackness under the moon and stars. If you were lucky, you'd catch a glimpse of the gleam of teeth or eyes, but more often than not... it would simply come from nowhere. If their enemy knew they were coming, now would be time they’d strike. They could drown their entire force with little more effort than it would take to squash a bug. Elias knew it because that was what he would have done, as did Valmont who had made sure his feet were dead center in the boat and couldn't give a shyke how many times Taliya and the others rolled their eyes.
"Master Valmont, I’m fairly certain were not going to be attacked," Sabel began to whisper, as if talking to a child, "but if-"
An abrupt and angry bird call from the boat to their left cut the young soldier off; the call for silence from the Falcon that was instantly obeyed.
Elias shook his head.
Woman must have had ears like a bloody bat.
He cast his eyes about in the darkness and saw the vague, flitting shapes of the six other rafts. Three units worth, moving surely and with purpose, nary a sound uttered or made from three dozen Ebonstryfe warriors, save the occasional gentle lap of water on the oars or the prow of a boat brushing aside a floating branch.
Everything seemed to be going alright so far…
Then again…
The Dhani were said to be a cunning people. How long had these snakes been hiding in the swamps? How long had they had to fortify their position or dig their caves? Were there tunnels leading to the shores? Were slitted and serpentine eyes, full of malevolence and amusement, watching them right now, preparing to drag them down to the water-
The male clenched his jaw and forced the thoughts away. Now was definitely not the time to-
Something rose ahead of them. A huge something, long as the horizon and... ah, that would be the shore, then. Vast and black and tall, it was devoid of lights or torches, no docks or civilization to greet them when they landed. Just the night and the terrors it held host to. Elias's heart leaped as he saw it, instinctively jerking around to order his assemblage of troops to the ready.
The beachhead landing that soon followed went… poorly. As they drew nearer the debris in the water grew thicker, the lake shallower, until with a full-body lurch the canoe beached itself onto the muddy bank. Elias gritted his teeth even as he slipped over the side into the knee-deep muck, thinking it would be stunningly stupid to die now, suffocated by mud, after crossing one of the biggest lakes in the world. It was an issue faced by many more than just he alone. Heavy armor and steel plates made suitable chains in the grime, dragging men down and nearly condemning them to a terrible fate had it not been for their tenacity and a little help from a comrade or three to pull them out. Most of Elias’s apprentices made the landing well enough, but Valmont and any other soldier as big or as weighed down as he had been struggled. Ultimately, he gave the order to abandon their gear with the boats. The decision had come down to a matter of mobility or protection, and considering they were crawling into hostile territory against an unknown enemy, surrendering either seemed like suicide. In the end, the landing became an ugly mess, one they quickly sorted through, but it had put a damper on the momentum that had carried them thus far.
Malachai had told him once that the trick to being a leader of men was believing in yourself first and foremost. ‘A man who cannot even follow his own creed cannot expect others to do the same.’ Had been the gist of it. What Elias took away from the lesson was that while doubt was acceptable to have, it would serve no one to put it on display. A leader had to show conviction, and in doing so, inspire conviction in his men. So when Elias gave the command to disarm, he did so with air that left no room to question or complain.
They had seen the wisdom in it, but had not the courage to act as they knew they should have. Well, mostly his unruly band of soldiers did anyway, his apprentices however had learned the value of sacrifice, its doctrine drilled into their pliable minds until it was all they understood. Loss meant nothing to them as long as there was gain to be had at the end. What was a bit of armor now in the face of eternal glory?
Thankfully things soon found their pace and not without a tick to spare. The units were already separating, no time spent fraternizing by the rank-and-file. The commanders met quickly, their commune resolved in whisper and short, sharp gestures, then it broke apart.
Vargus and his unit were going to be the southern pincer, disappearing into the treeline with the purpose of those desperate to prove themselves. Elias watched them critically for a moment. It made sense, them having that position. If the Dhani panicked and were engaged, he reasoned, they would probably flee north, back towards their stronghold, not deeper into Ravokian controlled lands. So if the Reaver and his fellows were lucky, it would be a pursuit, not a stand-up brawl for them.
The Falcon and her rough-hewn trackers vanished with considerably more stealth, he saw, Vanya herself leading the way. They would be in the center, finding traces of the snakes and chasing them down, flushing them from whatever holes they were hiding in. A slower pursuit, but perhaps the most crucial one.
Which just left...
"We move. Keep pace or be left behind," Elias snapped sharply, already moving for the trees with the sun rising at their backs, "We’ll have this done before the dawn."
Havok squad. He wondered what kind of reputation they’d garnered so far, if any. Whatever the case, Havok had become hard line that the Dhani would crash into should they try and flee back to the shore, crushing them between two other units. That was the idea, anyway. Elias had never engaged a Dhani personally, but the stories he had heard...
The swordsman’s lips moved as he saw the other units vanish into the thick foliage. A silent prayer to the great father of them all whose work they were about that morning.
"Rhysol guide our hands… and mother Ssena, strip us of our doubts."
That done and little else to be said, Elias picked up his feet and dragged himself out of the mud, following his comrades into the woods that would remain in shadow, long after the sun had risen.
The darkness came at a price however. At least in the day, on the glossy surface of the lake, there was the suggestion of a threat. Maybe two protruding, reptilian eyes. The swish of a tail. A line of bubbles. But at night, there was just an endless, shining blackness under the moon and stars. If you were lucky, you'd catch a glimpse of the gleam of teeth or eyes, but more often than not... it would simply come from nowhere. If their enemy knew they were coming, now would be time they’d strike. They could drown their entire force with little more effort than it would take to squash a bug. Elias knew it because that was what he would have done, as did Valmont who had made sure his feet were dead center in the boat and couldn't give a shyke how many times Taliya and the others rolled their eyes.
"Master Valmont, I’m fairly certain were not going to be attacked," Sabel began to whisper, as if talking to a child, "but if-"
An abrupt and angry bird call from the boat to their left cut the young soldier off; the call for silence from the Falcon that was instantly obeyed.
Elias shook his head.
Woman must have had ears like a bloody bat.
He cast his eyes about in the darkness and saw the vague, flitting shapes of the six other rafts. Three units worth, moving surely and with purpose, nary a sound uttered or made from three dozen Ebonstryfe warriors, save the occasional gentle lap of water on the oars or the prow of a boat brushing aside a floating branch.
Everything seemed to be going alright so far…
Then again…
The Dhani were said to be a cunning people. How long had these snakes been hiding in the swamps? How long had they had to fortify their position or dig their caves? Were there tunnels leading to the shores? Were slitted and serpentine eyes, full of malevolence and amusement, watching them right now, preparing to drag them down to the water-
The male clenched his jaw and forced the thoughts away. Now was definitely not the time to-
Something rose ahead of them. A huge something, long as the horizon and... ah, that would be the shore, then. Vast and black and tall, it was devoid of lights or torches, no docks or civilization to greet them when they landed. Just the night and the terrors it held host to. Elias's heart leaped as he saw it, instinctively jerking around to order his assemblage of troops to the ready.
The beachhead landing that soon followed went… poorly. As they drew nearer the debris in the water grew thicker, the lake shallower, until with a full-body lurch the canoe beached itself onto the muddy bank. Elias gritted his teeth even as he slipped over the side into the knee-deep muck, thinking it would be stunningly stupid to die now, suffocated by mud, after crossing one of the biggest lakes in the world. It was an issue faced by many more than just he alone. Heavy armor and steel plates made suitable chains in the grime, dragging men down and nearly condemning them to a terrible fate had it not been for their tenacity and a little help from a comrade or three to pull them out. Most of Elias’s apprentices made the landing well enough, but Valmont and any other soldier as big or as weighed down as he had been struggled. Ultimately, he gave the order to abandon their gear with the boats. The decision had come down to a matter of mobility or protection, and considering they were crawling into hostile territory against an unknown enemy, surrendering either seemed like suicide. In the end, the landing became an ugly mess, one they quickly sorted through, but it had put a damper on the momentum that had carried them thus far.
Malachai had told him once that the trick to being a leader of men was believing in yourself first and foremost. ‘A man who cannot even follow his own creed cannot expect others to do the same.’ Had been the gist of it. What Elias took away from the lesson was that while doubt was acceptable to have, it would serve no one to put it on display. A leader had to show conviction, and in doing so, inspire conviction in his men. So when Elias gave the command to disarm, he did so with air that left no room to question or complain.
They had seen the wisdom in it, but had not the courage to act as they knew they should have. Well, mostly his unruly band of soldiers did anyway, his apprentices however had learned the value of sacrifice, its doctrine drilled into their pliable minds until it was all they understood. Loss meant nothing to them as long as there was gain to be had at the end. What was a bit of armor now in the face of eternal glory?
Thankfully things soon found their pace and not without a tick to spare. The units were already separating, no time spent fraternizing by the rank-and-file. The commanders met quickly, their commune resolved in whisper and short, sharp gestures, then it broke apart.
Vargus and his unit were going to be the southern pincer, disappearing into the treeline with the purpose of those desperate to prove themselves. Elias watched them critically for a moment. It made sense, them having that position. If the Dhani panicked and were engaged, he reasoned, they would probably flee north, back towards their stronghold, not deeper into Ravokian controlled lands. So if the Reaver and his fellows were lucky, it would be a pursuit, not a stand-up brawl for them.
The Falcon and her rough-hewn trackers vanished with considerably more stealth, he saw, Vanya herself leading the way. They would be in the center, finding traces of the snakes and chasing them down, flushing them from whatever holes they were hiding in. A slower pursuit, but perhaps the most crucial one.
Which just left...
"We move. Keep pace or be left behind," Elias snapped sharply, already moving for the trees with the sun rising at their backs, "We’ll have this done before the dawn."
Havok squad. He wondered what kind of reputation they’d garnered so far, if any. Whatever the case, Havok had become hard line that the Dhani would crash into should they try and flee back to the shore, crushing them between two other units. That was the idea, anyway. Elias had never engaged a Dhani personally, but the stories he had heard...
The swordsman’s lips moved as he saw the other units vanish into the thick foliage. A silent prayer to the great father of them all whose work they were about that morning.
"Rhysol guide our hands… and mother Ssena, strip us of our doubts."
That done and little else to be said, Elias picked up his feet and dragged himself out of the mud, following his comrades into the woods that would remain in shadow, long after the sun had risen.
