Chapter 206 - Light Taps, Sometimes Sharp Raps (3)

Tactics began with knowing what weapons you had at your disposal. In that respect, both Encrid and Krais stayed true to the fundamentals. Audin was so large that he was bound to stand out on a battlefield. If he started wreaking havoc out there, could the enemy ignore him? Here was a visible enemy, the man who had destroyed their siege engines. Surely they would be desperate to kill him. His build was ideal for drawing attention, and this was the ideal time of day. "Audin."

"Yes, brother. Leave it to me." Encrid left the lengthy explanation to Krais. The gist of the plan was simple. If Audin showed himself in broad daylight, everyone would be too busy watching him. The idea was to shout and threaten in the east, then strike in the west. "Ho ho ho! This should be entertaining, Brother Big-eyes."

Having heard the full explanation, Audin laughed heartily. If things went wrong, he could be surrounded and beaten to death, but anyone afraid of that would never have lasted in the Lunatic Company. On the third day of battle, Encrid intended to deliver another of the operation's "light taps." Of course, his own blade was more likely to deliver a "sharp rap" than a "light tap." When he explained his strategy to Krais, Krais tilted his head.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

His tone was so insolent that Encrid smacked the back of his head. SMACK. He must have put a little force into it, because Krais's head rocked violently. It bobbed back into place like a weighted doll, and he promptly spoke.

"I get the general idea. Light taps and sharp raps."

"Right. Light taps and sharp raps." Listening beside them, Dunbachel privately questioned their sanity.

'What nonsense are they talking?'

But she was in no position to step in and say so, and kept her mouth shut. She was an uninvited guest to begin with, wasn't she? All she could do was stand there watching for cues. Whenever something actually happened, they even took that little panther instead of her. That might have left her feeling utterly wretched, but... GRRR. The panther did not even look at her. She seemed too busy grooming the claws on her forepaw. Being ignored actually made Dunbachel more comfortable. Above all...

'Is this a garden of flowers?'

Every one of them was crazy in the head, but their looks were just as crazy. From Encrid to Rem, Ragna, Audin, and Krais, they were like an assortment of flowers to suit every taste. Dunbachel was not particularly fixated on looks herself, but food that looked good tasted good too, didn't it? They certainly were pleasant to look at. She had no desire to leave this garden. She wanted to stay. To survive here, then, she would have to work harder to prove her worth. "I'll go with him."

Dunbachel stepped forward, resolved. She meant she would accompany Audin.

"You want to? Go ahead."

Encrid answered casually. All she needed to do was skirmish around Audin, so there was no harm in taking her. The operation began immediately afterward. Sneaking out of the city was no trouble at all.

"What do you take the Gilfin Guild for? We've made at least three secret ways out." With the enemy determined to encircle the walls, even leaving through a gate on the opposite side was difficult. Scouts regularly patrolled there too. Mounted scouts, at that. Riders were easy enough to spot, but their horses made them hard to catch. In that case, they simply had to sneak out. Removing a few stones from the road running alongside the south gate revealed a passage partly dug into the ground. The only problem was...

"It's narrow, brother."

Audin was simply too big. This religious lunatic of a soldier had to turn sideways even to pass through a postern gate. "Uh, I hadn't anticipated this," said Gilfin, who was serving as their guide.

"Widen it."

Encrid's answer was simple and clear. If it was too narrow, they could make it wider. "Then it won't exactly be a crawl hole anymore... It could make a convenient way in for the enemy instead."

Bald-headed Gilfin muttered beside him. Every word was true.

"We just have to keep them from ever getting near the walls." Encrid did not say that because he had some grand plan, but Krais, listening behind him, found himself nodding. That was right. If they did this properly, the enemy would never even reach the walls. That was how this battle was shaping up. Border Guard was a fortress city, but without even a moat, its walls alone did not offer particularly strong defenses. The many watchtowers let them rain down plenty of arrows, but...

'That won't be enough on its own.' How would they stop an enemy determined to charge with shields raised? Arrows alone would not do it. Pouring oil or hot water onto their heads and hurling stones had clear limits as well. What if ladders began rising everywhere? With enough of a numerical disadvantage, they would be overrun. The advantage of the walls would crumble in an instant. They would also be vulnerable to siege engines such as mangonels and trebuchets. Nor did they have any means of stopping a siege tower. This was why moats mattered. People did not dig up the ground in front of their gates and fill it with water for nothing. Even if poor maintenance left it stinking, a moat alone made a fortress far easier to defend. Add a few traps, too.

'And make use of collapsible outer walls.'

It was instinct. Just as Encrid half lost his mind at the sight of a sword, Krais had a habit of imagining the worst possible situation, then the best means of averting it. Realizing his thoughts had wandered from fortress construction to defensive facilities in general, he shook his head. In any case, this time they would keep the enemy from reaching the walls. That was enough. "Will you bring back bread again?"

He addressed the question to Encrid as he headed out through the widened passage. Thanks to Audin, Encrid only had to duck his head to get through. Still stooping, he looked back. Krais, who was usually so anxious, was looking at him with a cheerful expression. "We'll see."

That was his farewell. Once outside, he looked into the distance and saw smoke cutting across the sky. Whatever the enemy was thinking, they were still lighting their ovens. What was that about? Confidence, presumably? "The Lord has said that at times His side is empty, and He is lonely."

Audin recited a prayer. Its meaning was clear. He intended to send a few souls to his Lord. In other words, he would beat a few men with his fists until they knocked on heaven's door. "Don't overdo it. Drawing too much attention would be a problem."

Encrid reminded him of their objective.

"Do not worry, brother. I was once known as a man who neither went too far nor fell short." Was that really true? That hardly sounded like something a man who always demanded excessive training should say.

"That is a rather disrespectful look, brother."

For all his bulk, he was perceptive too. Encrid nodded.

"Let's go." Jaxon followed Encrid, while Audin moved out with Dunbachel. Rem and Ragna were sitting this one out. A small group would suffice. ["You're going without me? Without me? Just leaving me out? Leaving me behind?"]

Rem had thrown a fit, but Jaxon really was the best when it came to moving unnoticed. Esther came along without taking a break, either. MRR. As he hid in the brush below the walls and glanced at her, the panther gave a small cry. She had disappeared for several days, and now seemed more energetic than ever. "Jaxon."

"Match my pace. Keep silent and suppress your presence. We'll walk to our destination." Sneaky alley cat. That was the nickname Rem and the other members were always calling Jaxon. It was not without reason. Hadn't even Rem said he could not sense him unless he paid attention? Jaxon demonstrated those skills himself. He muffled his footsteps and used the brush and uneven ground as cover, occasionally crouching behind a rock. Once, as they sat behind one, a party of Martai scouts passed less than twenty paces away. Still, just as intended, they reached a spot overlooking the rear supply base again without being detected. Perfect knowledge of the surrounding terrain, anticipation of the scouts' intentions, and silent footsteps on top of it all.

'He'd put an assassin to shame.'

Thinking that, Encrid settled into a tree. Esther and Jaxon watched the supply base on either side of him. Now they only had to wait for the commotion.

* * *

Greg, Olf's First Battalion Commander, thoroughly deserved his reputation as a fierce warrior. He was also an assault commander who led his troops through his own martial prowess. What were assault troops? The unit at the very front. "That bear bastard who smashed the siege engines has come out!"

A messenger's shout reached Greg's ears. The huge man who had smashed the mangonels. He had made an impression. That monstrous strength had hardly seemed human. So what? Was strength everything? Did that decide the course of a battle? Nonsense! The outcome of a fight was not decided so easily. But how had he gotten out? Had the gates opened? No. They had the city surrounded, with scouts constantly on the move. They would have known immediately if that had happened.

'Did he sneak out?'

Surrounding a city did not mean there were no gaps to slip through. Being brave did not make a man stupid. Greg saw through the enemy's intentions. The man had snuck out and been spotted.

'They're after the supply unit again!'

Repeatedly attacking the supply lines would be their only way to survive. Hadn't Zimmer, the Second Battalion Commander, said as much?

["Keep them surrounded and hold out, and we win. It's obvious what that Warmonger can do. I won't fall for it twice."]

Zimmer had ground his teeth furiously. The big man had been discovered while sneaking out. With limited personnel available, they must have had no choice but to send him. It would be difficult to leave someone that capable behind when they needed a small strike team. Certain of his conclusion, Greg moved out. Of course, he was wrong. Audin was simply moving about in plain sight, busy drawing attention. "Brothers, are you on your way to meet the Lord?"

Spouting nonsense without pause, he swung his fists at the approaching soldiers. Each punch looked terribly slow and ponderous. To the enemy soldiers, it seemed they only needed to avoid getting hit. That was how sluggish he was. The Beastman swinging a scimitar beside him actually seemed more threatening. She rampaged with white hair flying, clearly no ordinary fighter. So what? Unless you were a knight, overturning a numerical disadvantage was incredibly difficult. Greg's First Assault Company moved at once. The armored infantry charged with spears and shields. These were Martai's vaunted assault troops: infantry in relatively light armor, carrying large shields that covered half their bodies, along with spears. They specialized in charging. "There's too many!"

Dunbachel shouted. Audin gauged their numbers. Roughly forty to fifty. Taking them head-on would be fine. They were only fifty infantrymen. He just had to dodge the long spears and rush in. First claim the distance as his own, then throw one full-powered straight punch. An honest blow, with no need for Balaf-style martial arts, would collapse part of their formation. Then he could leap in among them, where their long spears would become a hindrance. Naturally, they would try to crush him with their shields, but that was out of the question. He would simply shove them back with brute strength and smash them one by one. But Audin did not do that. He knocked aside approaching spearheads with the back of his hand, dodged, and swung slow, heavy punches. Every so often, he picked up a stone from the ground and hurled it. WHOOSH!

CRACK! A stone shattered against a shield, sending fragments flying everywhere.

"He's just a musclebound idiot!"

An enemy infantryman shouted. That was exactly what Audin wanted. He was working hard to appear that way. 'Just this much.'

Draw their attention, and lull them into carelessness. Just before they left, Krais had stressed it about sixteen times.

["You absolutely must not beat them all to death. Trade a few blows and come back."] 'I'm not Brother Barbarian.'

Audin followed Krais's instructions. His intentions were obvious. The enemy underestimated them, so why not take full advantage of it? Audin had accumulated years of combat experience before coming here. Reading the intentions of their large-eyed brother was easy. "Will you fight hiding behind your shields, brothers?"

Audin deliberately put on an angry face.

"You great lump! All you've got is brute strength!"

One of Greg's company commanders shouted. He thought they could simply keep tightening the noose as they fought. The commotion grew. The stones Audin occasionally threw, almost boulders, could deal lethal blows. Above all, getting caught by that monstrous strength would not end well. The enemy did not recklessly close the distance, but only thrust their spears. Audin performed his role faithfully. A commotion out front, a conspicuously massive figure. Eyes naturally turned toward him. That was enough.

* * *

Encrid raided the supply base once more. In doing so, he intended to investigate what had been bothering him.

"Jaxon. Make a full circuit behind the supply unit. Find out where the enemy troops are gathered and how they're organized." Instead of answering, Jaxon blinked.

'Me? Why bother? Do I really have to?'

Speaking so clearly with his eyes was a talent. "Just do it."

Encrid pressed him. As he had come to realize, these men followed his orders more readily than he had expected.

"Very well." His expression remained blank, but Jaxon did as instructed. Encrid stroked Esther's head.

"Want some bread?" Just the two of them would strike the supply base. The enemy had prepared an ambush, but Encrid's keen senses detected it, and he forced his way through. Rather than bother killing them all, he kept his feet moving, set tents on fire again, and stole bread. All this happened while Audin was making a commotion out front. The enemy's defenses were stronger than before, but that was all. With Audin wreaking such havoc, the guards' attention was subtly drawn toward the front. That made the job considerably easier. Watching that, Jaxon began slipping around behind the enemy soldiers. Since Encrid was already here...

"Esther, let's go."

He knocked down a few ovens while he was at it. "You bastard!"

An enemy soldier roared in fury. More precisely, a man who looked like a commander.

'Should I kill him?'

After a moment's consideration, Encrid left him alone. Fighting seriously would only put them on their guard. Encrid bolted again. Hit and run. He had done it a few times against the Knolls, and this was twice as easy. Audin was drawing attention away from him, his skills had improved since then, and Esther was in excellent form. The panther was proving quite useful. GRRR! With growls that sent chills down the spine, she broke enemy soldiers' shins or raked them with her claws. And she was so quick on her feet.

'She's gotten better too.'

The thought came naturally. On the way back, Encrid naturally called to mind the movements of the soldiers he had faced. He remembered them, recalled them, replayed them. There was something to learn here too. No, of course there was something to learn. Jaxon would investigate what had been troubling him. Which meant...

'I've got room to breathe.' Encrid returned to his natural disposition once more. The sword, training, and considering which direction to take next. The path of honing himself.