Chapter 93 - A Result of Chance, or a Convergence of Inevitabilities?

["Balaf-style martial arts. A bed gives you poor footing. How do we solve that?"]

Audin asked, and Encrid thought carefully before answering. The two men on the narrow bed were utterly serious. ["Use more force?"]

At first, he had thought the idea was to learn how to punch in a deliberately cramped, awkward space. ["No. You cannot. A bed is for lying down. We will practice techniques we can use lying down."]

A bed was for lying down, apparently. After that first martial-arts lesson, Encrid learned that Audin washed more often than he had expected. Even with his head trapped in Audin's armpit and all four limbs pinned, he smelled nothing sour. On the narrow bed, they worked their hands and feet, twisted joints, and grabbed holds to pin each other. No, Encrid was the one being pinned. ["The bed is narrow. Favor speed over complexity."] This was learning. This was instruction. A mouthful of water for a thirsty man wandering the desert. That was what it meant to Encrid. And so he did far more than listen attentively. He focused completely. The techniques were difficult to use in real combat, admittedly, but he had found occasions to try them while making his rounds on commissions. Twisting a roving pickpocket's wrist, for instance. ["Seems we're getting more drifters now that Gilfin calls himself the guardian of the night."] Pickpockets caught in the act had their hands cut off. This one looked young. Twelve at most? So Encrid handed the child over to the Gilfin Guild. He later heard they had administered a thorough beating, but that was surely better than losing a hand. He always tried to apply the techniques wherever else he could, too. But there could be no better opportunity than this. The moment his knife-hand met the Company Commander's, Encrid stepped his right foot back. With his left foot forward, he brought his right up level with it, bent his knees, then straightened them to kick off the ground. The result was an explosive charging step. Using the spring of his entire body, he shot his right hand forward. A stab. He was using a knife-hand, but its essence was unchanged. It was just like when he had saved Krang. When the Company Commander had torn through the Medical Barracks tent and entered, Encrid had held a dagger. Now, his knife-hand had simply taken its place. She reacted as she had then, sweeping her right hand outward to knock his wrist aside. The motion diverted his stab, and her foot kicked at his heel. Back then, he had been helpless against it. Not now. Just before the kick landed, he lifted his foot out of the way. Still in the off-balance stance left by his knife-hand stab, he pivoted on his left foot, leaned in, and drove into her. What was the greatest difference between him and the Fairy Company Commander?

'Weight.' ["Identify your opponent's weakness and use your strength to bring them down, brother."] Encrid followed Audin's advice. Instead of clumsily trading moves, he lunged onto her. "Mm!"

The Company Commander let out a brief grunt. She kicked his thigh with the sole of her foot, but he endured the impact and finally pinned her beneath his body. As he pinned her, he caught her wrist and pushed it outward, then threaded his legs between hers and wound them around them. She was caught on her side with her left arm extended forward, her legs entangled and her limbs restrained. "I believe I've won."

Encrid spoke after catching his breath. The Company Commander turned only her head. They were close enough to feel each other's breath. Then she spoke. "Human proposals are quite different from Fairy ones."

Her breath smelled of flowers. Another Fairy joke. Pressed against her like this, he could see her lips. They certainly did look soft, but... "... That's not what this is." Encrid released his hold and tried to rise, but this time she wrapped her legs around his waist. He staggered for an instant, then held steady. His core was exceptionally strong, and she was light. "Strong hips." Was it the listener's fault that her words didn't sound entirely innocent? Or the speaker's?

'No point dwelling on it.' "Please get down." The Company Commander lowered herself from where she half-hung on him, straightened, and dusted herself off. Rubbing against the training-ground floor had left her covered in dirt. She slapped her backside with her palm to knock the dust from her trousers. They were particularly tight-fitting today, making the pose rather suggestive, depending on how one looked at it. "You've improved."

"Yes, I have."

At the remark that followed, Encrid readily agreed. Hadn't he begun this to demonstrate his actual skill? He had seized a momentary opening and exploited her weakness to gain the upper hand, incorporating Balaf-style restraint techniques. It all testified to his improvement, so he could agree with her. For a moment, a very brief moment, the Company Commander said nothing. Then she spoke. "First, let me apologize for not being able to stop it."

He tilted his head at the inexplicable remark. "And expect your platoon's reinforcements to arrive by the end of today." Encrid almost asked what she meant, then decided against it. She had already turned and was heading inside. Would pressing her get him an answer? He doubted it. From what she had said, he would find out in time anyway. 'She apologized for not being able to stop it.'

So he knew it involved some order from above her. Encrid was reasonably perceptive himself. He had needed to be to survive with his meager skills. 'I'll find out soon enough.'

He decided it was better not to worry. Rather than fret over something pointless, he would be better off using that time for one more swing of his sword.

* * *

The Battalion Commander had been replaced. It stood to reason. What lay ahead was no battlefield of piecemeal skirmishes, but full-scale war. Events from the previous battle had spread the conflict, and the fighting had grown. They needed a Battalion Commander who specialized in combat. "My name is Marcus." Battalion Commander Marcus. A man who had once aspired to knighthood, but ultimately failed to overcome the limits of his talent. Having served in the Border Guard and all manner of other units, he was a key officer under Cyprus. He had no interest in the previous Battalion Commander's foolish antics. "The Border Guard and the Turtle Company are about all we can call our main strength, then? The rest of the grunts are just there to make up the numbers. Plan our strategy accordingly. You can manage that, can't you?" War was all that filled the man's mind. And the rumors circulating through the unit reached his ears, too. "The troublemaker Squad Leader? A Platoon Commander now, is he? Unusual. You say he was lucky?" He had been briefed on everything that had happened. It hardly seemed like something one could dismiss as mere luck. Anyone might have thought as much, but Battalion Commander Marcus went a step further. "Why don't we test that luck once more?" He was just one soldier. If he had to be sacrificed, so be it. But if the goddess of fortune truly favored him and kept him alive, there was no reason not to exploit it. And if it wasn't luck? Would he die? Even then, he was only one soldier. Either way, there was nothing to lose. That was the full story behind the Fairy Company Commander's apology for failing to stop it. "Send him." A unit was being assembled for intelligence gathering and covert operations. A direct order from the Battalion Commander. There was no way to stop it. 'I hope he comes back alive.'

Not because she truly thought of him as a mate, as she joked. 'Such talent.'

His background was clean, and he was connected to Krang. Krang had made a request of her, and she herself thought Encrid would be a waste to lose. His skill, his spirit, his courage. She liked everything about the man. And so she could only wish:

'Come back alive.'

* * *

"This isn't just a support mission." Encrid knew Rem was as perceptive as he was. The assignment had arrived while he was busy carrying out various commissions: cross the Penn-Hanil River north of Border Guard and survey the surrounding terrain. Encrid pictured a map in his head. East of Border Guard lay Green Pearl. Above that was the Penn-Hanil River. Cross the river and head northeast, and one reached a city: Cross Guard, Aspen's fortress city built for purely military purposes. His destination was the area where Cross Guard stood. So, on the surface, this was a terrain-survey mission, but...

'It's really an intelligence mission.' The orders added that he would receive the mission's details once he crossed the river. "They singled out just you, Captain?"

Jaxon, beside him, frowned after reading the assignment as well. Was this trouble? Yes. Encrid knew it too. It wasn't even the sort of assignment that should fall to him.

'So this is it.'

What the Fairy Company Commander had meant. "Why? Surveying terrain? Everyone's saying full-scale war is about to break out. Where are they sending you?" A new platoon member spoke. Encrid knew the face well. Henri, a soldier who had been a plains hunter. Encrid thought he had said he wanted to return to the plains after the last battle, but he was still in the city. ["Even if I wanted to go back, once full-scale war breaks out, I won't be able to live on the plains anyway."]

That had been his reason. Two others had joined as well. Andrew, the immature Squad Leader, had now become a real Squad Leader. Naturally, Mac was at his side. Three new arrivals in all, with Andrew officially serving as the unit's Squad Leader. Of course, that structure would never carry any weight with Rem or the other squad members. There were only nine of them in total. What did they need a Squad Leader for? Besides, who would listen to him? "For something like this, wouldn't I be a better choice?" Henri asked. "That is because this is not merely a terrain survey, brother."

Audin spoke with a gentle smile, and Henri's shoulders twitched at the sight. It was a natural response for someone meeting Audin for the first time. A huge man addressed you with a smile and a soft voice. With those intimidating fists and that enormous frame filling your vision, it was awkward beyond measure. Getting used to him would take some time. "A direct order from the Battalion Commander? Can't you just ignore it?"

Ragna, who had been peering over, tossed out the thoughtless remark. Ignoring it was insubordination, you bastard. Normally, Encrid would have thought he had been caught in a nasty bind. Anyone could see how dangerous this mission was. A fortress city in an enemy nation they were about to fight in a full-scale war. Getting anywhere near it was an adventure in itself. 'Is the objective to collect information from a spy inside the city?'

Encrid made a rough guess at the mission's purpose. It seemed plausible. It was necessary work. Someone had to do it. Normally, they should have used people who specialized in such missions. 'Considering the Company Commander said she couldn't stop it...'

The Battalion Commander had intervened personally. That would explain the commander's official seal on the orders. "What are you going to do?"

The Platoon Commander who had delivered the assignment glanced around and spoke hesitantly. "What else is there to do?"

Encrid did not agonize over it. He had to do it anyway. 'If it means real combat...'

He would always welcome it. Above all, he had just reminded himself that whatever he did, if he gave it his all, there would be something new to learn, master, and understand. If anything, his heart was pounding with anticipation. What would happen? Was this a wall the ferryman had set before him? Or was it simply life taking its course? A result of chance? A moment made inevitable by the accumulation of his past deeds? None of that mattered. If something blocked his path, he would simply strike through and press onward. That was Encrid's life. "I accept the mission."

At his words, every squad member's expression darkened. "I'll have to go with you."

Ragna said it, but that would not be easy either. The Battalion Commander's exact intentions were unclear, but the orders stipulated that every squad member except Encrid was to remain on standby under their newly appointed Squad Leader. Judging by those orders...

'He's keeping the men who are certain to distinguish themselves in battle and pulling only me out.' Encrid could not know what thinking lay behind the order. Who could? Who would imagine the mad decision to test a soldier's luck simply because people said fortune favored him? This Battalion Commander, Marcus, was not normal either. That was only to be expected. The officer mad for war: that was the nickname that followed Marcus. He would do anything to win. Encrid was merely the beginning. "Don't worry. I'll handle it myself and come back in one piece." He would not die. Not while today repeated, and not now that he took it for granted that he would get past that today. At Encrid's casual remark, the inner ends of Rem's eyebrows shot up. "Yourself? In oooone piece? You think you can manage that? You've got a long way to go. That settles it. Special training today. Special training!" Ragna, Jaxon, and Audin reacted much as Rem had. "Have you found the rhythm yet?"

"Let's teach you how to stab someone from behind."

"Ho ho. Time for a deeper study of Balaf-style bed martial arts." Andrew, standing among them, gauged everyone's mood before speaking. "Now, since I'm the Squad Leader, I think you all need to listen to me." Those were the orders from above. Andrew was not throwing his weight around as he had before. He was trying to follow orders. That was all, but... "Like hell!" Rem erupted. One of his usual outbursts. Nothing extraordinary. He lunged straight in and struck Andrew on the head. His fist moved too fast to see. He had closed in and swung before Andrew could react. THWACK!

Struck on the head, Andrew's eyes lost focus and he toppled sideways. Mac caught him. "What?"

Seeing Andrew collapse, Mac had raised his head indignantly. That was Rem's response. Assaulting a superior officer. A distinction that followed Rem's name. Rem glared. Mac watched him for a moment, checked that Andrew was merely unconscious, and spoke. "I didn't say anything." What else could he do, with such a gap in strength? Any feeble defiance would be answered with violence. He already knew that. It was why he had not wanted to come here. But he could not stop Andrew from volunteering. 'Hah.'

Life really had a way of going wrong. Mac lamented his lot. Watching the others warily, Henri reached a firm conclusion.

'Run your mouth carelessly here and you're fucking dead.' Only now did he think he understood why they were called the troublemaker squad. He had come solely because of Encrid, but he was beginning to regret it a little.