A deep exhausted sigh passed through Vance's lips as he collapsed onto the grassy knoll, his eyes closed as he leaned back, letting the warm breeze brush against him. It had been his second-ever battle fought in his life, and while it wasn't nearly as bad as the one that had broken the first seal, it was still a heart-pumping experience. He had come out the other side uninjured, but what made it an even greater win in his mind was how he had not lost a single soldier in his regiment-- no fatalities or wounded even. It was an accomplishment in his mind and worthy of praise, not for him but his soldiers. They had entered the battle, untested, raw, and green as the colour itself-- only the adventurers themselves would've had some battle experience, which is why most made up the NCO ranks.

Opening his eyes, he peered up into the clear blue sky, his mind awash with different feelings and thoughts. What happened now? With the battle won, and the enemy routed, there was no doubt celebrations would be going on in the camp tonight, but there was the question of his actions. Bold as they may have been, he had acted without orders. While it was true that General Anderson permitted him to press the left flank, it was his Wyverns that had come out, exposed to the enemy. Thus, the trump card was played, and in the first battle, no less. But what was he supposed to do? Sit idle and watch as the entire army crumbled away? No, he couldn't accept that-- wouldn't accept that. It was too soon for him to make his move for power, so he needed to protect and work with the army until such a time came when he could pull a Napoleon.

"Sir." A young corporal walked up, nodding his head in place of a salute, given how there was still the risk of snipers around, "General's compliments on a job well done. She's also requested you and your senior officers meet at her tent at your earlier convenience." Digging through his satchel, the corporal pulled out his written orders and handed them to Vance.

Vance grabbed the note and dismissed the man, "Thanks, as you were Corporal."

Quickly popping off the wax seal, Vance began to examine the orders. It was just the same report as the courier had given, prompting him to fold the note and stuff it under his cuirass.

"Well shit," Vance cursed.

Looking out towards where the main camp was, he wondered what the General had in store for him. If anything, he hoped it wouldn't be a reaming out, but such optimism was lost on him. Promptly pushing himself up and to his feet, he patted his pants and wiped off the grass and dirt from his pants before moving on to regroup with the rest of his regiment and get his senior officers assembled.

"Major!" Vance called out, "Major Demoulin!" He repeated.

Estrid came shoving through a crowd of Marines, looking worse for wear than he. So it seemed during the final minutes of the battle, she had come to face the enemy head-on with her two companies, offering several volleys into the enemy before they had broken and ran. She'd never seen so much killing in her life. She'd been in a battle before, but it had been her first time seeing such a one-sided slaughter. It took its mental toll on her, but she was coping with it, knowing there'd be similar instances of this in the future battles and skirmishes to come.

"Yes, Sir?" She replied, rushing up to Vance.

"The General's called us to her tent. She wants to debrief us on the battle." He replied, folding his arms over his chest. "Oh, and good work out there. I can imagine it wasn't easy seeing all that?"

Estrid nodded, "Right, I'll send a runner to gather up the other officers then." She commented before hearing the last remark, "I-- thank you, Sir. I'm just glad we came out in one piece, is all." She remarked, turning to grab a nearby private before ordering them to grab the other officers and let them know to have the regiment return to camp.

Vance watched her, frowning; he couldn't do anything, no one really could. War wasn't a glorious thing, and nor was killing. Vance was blessed in that he was indifferent to killing, a trait of his high human species, it would seem. For Estrid and others like her, however, they had to live with the guilt of their actions and were likely going to be plagued with PTSD if they couldn't push the deeds and actions they made into the back of their head. He wished he could do something to help her, but there was nothing that could be done-- at least not yet. Turning to walk away, Vance began the trek back to camp alone.

The trip proved uneventful and dull as he walked up past the Pickett line towards the camp entrance. He wasn't stopped this time, unlike before. It seemed the deeds and actions of his Marines had made them known across the army now, as they broke the left and gave Kendirewen its second win in a year. It was nice not being stopped and checked, but it also made him wonder how lax security was if one could just pick up a uniform and sneak past the guards as he did all those months ago.

"Mmm... nope, shouldn't think about that," Vance mumbled, quietly making his way to the centre of camp.

Before long, Vance had reached the Major General's tent, and much like before, a host of officers from different regiments all seemed to gather around, each covered in the grime of battle, much like himself.

"Vance." Turning around, Vance came to see his red-haired horned friend come walking up beside him. "Glad to see you're unharmed." He commented.

Vance regarded him with a smile and nod, "Likewise. I saw you lead the Wyvern troop into battle. It seemed like you had quite the sortie."

"Mhm, something like that."

Vance glanced over at his friend, perplexed by his reaction, but before he could ask or say anything further, Estrid and the rest of his senior officers arrived.

"Sorry for the wait. There was quite a bit of foot traffic on the way here since most of the units are coming in finally." William reported.

William had been with the fifth company, having been tasked with holding the treeline in case they were flanked, and as such, he hadn't seen much if any action beyond the witnessing the one-sided slaughter. It didn't bother him quite as much as it did Estrid, but she had been in the thick of the fight.

"It's fine. I just arrived myself." Vance replied.

"So, does anyone know why the General wants to see us all?" William asked.

"Our results." Richard cut in.

"That, or something else?" Estrid surmised.

Vance raised his hand, silencing any other suggestions, "We won't know until we meet her-- Shall we?" Vance motioned towards the entrance.

Stepping forward, the group walked past the two grenadiers, who didn't bother to stop to check them as they ducked through the flap. Stepping into the room, they came across Anderson surrounded by her command staff, each vying for her attention. Vance couldn't quite distinguish what was being said by each individual, but he did infer some facts. It seemed they were all asking about the Wyverns that had swooped in, taking out the most significant threat the army had initially faced in the battle. Vance wanted to smirk but kept a cold indifference to the fact as he and the rest of his officers stood at attention. The sound of their heels clicking together promptly silenced the room as everyone turned to see the new arrivals. The assorted staff glanced over, studying Vance with some suspicion as Anderson walked past.

Stopping in front of Vance, she looked in him the eyes; she came to snapping a stiff salute to Vance and his assembled officers. "Damn fine work out there, Wolfram!" She remarked, her cold hard features quickly twisting into one of warmth. "That had to be the fastest victory I've ever had the pleasure to win in my entire career! And to see those damn sexist orcs flee the field like that?! Ha! You more than proved yourself to me this day." She laughed, clapping Vance on the shoulder.

This was new and was something Vance wasn't expecting as he felt the weight of her hand come down upon his shoulder. "Uh-- my pleasure?" Vance said, looking baffled by the response.

"No, thank you, Colonel." She replied, walking back to her.

"Sir?"

"Why the confusion, Colonel?"

"Well, if I can speak freely-"

"Granted."

"I thought you'd be upset by deploying my Wyverns so soon?" Vance noted.

"Ha! Hardly. You made the right call, and I'm pleased you did. If you hadn't, thousands would've died, and the battle would've been a route for us. So don't question your actions, nor the actions of your subordinates this day." She remarked.

Vance couldn't help but smile, casting his gaze towards his officers, noting how each seemed to beam with pride.

"But! Saying all that, what you did was still incredibly risky. Were you to have failed in your aggressive manoeuvre, you'd have put the entire left flank at risk." Her voice, while chiding, seemed to show how she disliked focusing on such a minor thing when she had done much the same with her cavalry.

Vance surmised she was saying such for not only his benefit but also for the benefit of the officers assembled around her. Many who made up her command staff were men and women of the blood, and each likely felt threatened by a commoner taking the glory of victory from them. Pushing aside the thought, he caught off the corner of his eye the General writing something.

Walking back to Vance, Anderson handed him the paper she had written on moments before, "Colonel, I believe I made a promise. Should your regiment and weapons prove themselves in battle this day, I'll put forward your name to make you a full Colonel." She said.

Vance grabbed the letter, opening it to see the contents. Inside were was the commendation, a mentioned in dispatches award. An award that was given to any member of the Royal Army, whose name appeared in an official report written by a superior officer and sent to the high command, in which their courage or meritorious action in the face of the enemy is documented in detail. The honour also came with a medal and ribbon that the soldier would wear on and off the field. The ribbons were expected to be worn at all times to show fellow officers and commissioned members of the army the deeds and experience the individual had-- be they enlisted or officer. The General herself signed the letter, which would be sent to Marshal Franz back at Anceburg. Looking up in bewilderment, he tried to look for answers only for her to raise her hand.

"No, you've earned this, and more as far as I'm concerned. But, regrettably, this is all I can award you with-- politics." She shrugged over to those behind her, who now glared at Vance.

"I-- thank you, General," Vance snapped to attention, accepting the awards given to him.

A promotion to Colonel and a commendation were awarded to him this day. Vance didn't know how he felt about the medal, but he hoped those under his command would also be honoured for their actions this day, and by the looks of it, the officers were at least as Anderson walked to each and personally thanked and praised each of the Dragon Marines who stood at attention. Estrid was given the promotion to Lieutenant Colonel, while Richard was made a Major. The latter of which didn't seem to care one way or another but accepted the honour and raise in rank as Vance shot him a telling look.

After praising each of the officers, she returned to Vance, offering him another few words, "Don't think I haven't forgotten what your regiment has done either. Where it possible, I'd award each individual in your unit, for now though, they'll have to accept being given their first real colours. It'll be the colours your regiment shall carry into the battles to come. I hope to see it covered in more honours and glories in the coming years." She said.

"We shall endeavour to repay the faith you're putting in us then," Vance replied.

"Of that, I have no doubt, Colonel. Now, this was just one battle, and we've still to win a war. But, for tonight and tomorrow, you and your marines have earned some much-needed rest. In the coming days, I'll need you out there." She said.

Vance snapped a salute, "Sir!"

Everyone quickly saluted in unison with Vance. "Dismissed!"

Emerging from the General's tent, the dozen Dragon Marines made their way back to their side of camp in silence. Many still shocked by what had just happened and how they were honoured and recognized so quickly after a single battle that in their minds was small compared to what they thought they'd be facing. Vance shared their the same worries as well, but given the history of Kendirewen's losing streak in recent years, it wasn't too surprising to see. He had no doubt there'd be a great deal more fighting to come, and with the secret of his Wyverns out for all to see, there was no ambiguity around whether the enemy would come up with a counter. But, for now, such thinking was pushed to the back of his head as they reached their part of the camp.

"Alright! Well, I think we've had enough for one day, don't you all?" Vance addressed his officers, each looking towards him with a quizzical look.

"Sir?"

"I think we should celebrate with our units, let them know how they're going to be honoured, and I'd like you to pay close attention to each of your soldiers in the coming days. I'm going to be honest. I don't feel comfortable with the fact we were the only ones who were awarded for today's action, so in the future, I want to have written commendations from us, highlighting the talent, courage, and merit our fellow Marines show in this war." He paused, letting them process what he was saying, with many nodding in agreement, "High Command and the General already have their eyes on us, so if you're worried about whether your own actions will be recognized, don't be. They'll honour those who earned them, but it'll take each and every one of us to ensure those who don't have a voice at the table are given the honours they're rightly owed."

"Agreed," Estrid said.

Richard smirked, shaking his head, "This is why you're the Colonel." He commented, walking past Vance, "I'll make sure our riders get honoured, just as their partners shall."

Vance nodded in reply, and before long, the others quickly joined in agreement, knowing full well such an action would likely raise morale within the unit and ensure any acts of bravery would be remembered and honoured-- even if it was just within the regiment.

"Now then, go celebrate with your marines, and try not to drink so much. We still have a war to fight." Vance said, dismissing his officers.

As the others left to return to their respective companies, Vance was left alone with Estrid, who stood silently beside him, her helmet hanging from her belt.

"We got lucky today," She said.

"I know. Today's victory only came because the enemy didn't know what they were facing, but now they do. They'll be warier of our actions and unit now." He replied. "Any good commander would already be working on a counter-strategy, so we should be prepared for losses in the coming day. But, for now, I don't want you to dwell on that stuff. Let me worry about that for now. In the meantime, I want you to get some rest."

"Vance, I--"

"Estrid. I know what you're going to say, and you will be by my side every step of the way, but I don't want you overworking yourself or putting more stress on your shoulders than you already have. I know all you've done and continue to do for me behind the scenes." Vance said, resting a hand on her shoulder, "For now, I just want you to enjoy the night."

Casting her gaze down to the dirt road below her feet, she sighed, "Fine. But, only if you promise to share a drink with me one of these days."

Vance smiled, "Sounds good. Go on then; I have some paperwork to do in the meantime." He said, pushing her towards the festivities.

She stumbled forward, looking back only for a second, before nodding with a forced smile as she went to join the others in celebrating the day's victory. As she walked around a corner, Vance was left alone once more. Looking up to the darkening sky, he couldn't help but feel a little hollow inside.

"Fuck," He cursed under his breath.

He felt a pang of worry well up within him as he began to think about the safety of Estrid and William. Richard was an actual dragon, meaning he was likely able to defend against anything one might throw at him, but the other two? They were as mortal as anyone else who made up the regiment. Only he, Lara, and Richard were long-living individuals and had the blessing and protection of Julia and the Pantheon.

"Is this what it feels like to be an officer?" Vance found himself asking as he walked to his tent.

He didn't like this feeling. It was an ugly, depressing thought and one that plagued his mind and caused his gut to ache. Despite having the soul and mind of a middle-aged man, he was still a teen in body, and the stress of war and command was making itself known.