If there was one thing General Lilac hated, it was dealing with newly contracted Iferes. Well, hate was a strong word. But they sure as hell annoyed her. Always glancing back in hope of seeing their companions, never able to focus... It was already difficult for humans and Iferes to communicate, even more when they weren't paying attention.

However, she couldn't bring herself to get mad at Frainer and Kniivar. The two small Iferes were dirty and tired, having traveled for days without stopping for more than a few minutes every few hours. They brought with them a very important message, one that they were very keen to deliver.

"Drake, Drake... You really surpassed my expectations."

If General Lilac was being honest, she didn't expect much from Drake. He was just one of many promising scouts she had pulled to her side. She acted as if he was very important, because that created loyalty, but to a soldier who controlled the lives of millions, she was very aware he was just another piece on the board. A slightly more interesting one, but a piece just the same.

But not now, not anymore. The intel Drake had provided could save the lives of thousands on the battlefield, and many more outside of it. That brought his worth to a whole new level.

Frainer and Kniivar weren't too bad either. They had managed to deliver the message to a Menoraz Army captain they found patrolling, and then were brought all the way to General Lilac's battlefield, two hundred kilometers away. They had behaved exemplary, and, more importantly to her, they weren't intimidated by Minxa and Kilqia. She wouldn't be surprised if it was only Kniivar, since she was a Daughter of Gods, but the fact that Frainer was also unaffected was interesting, to say the least. She could only attribute it to Drake, their companion.

"General Bragantel, move fifty thousand troops from the sixth battlefield to our rear."

"Ma'am? But that would leave us weakened against..."

"Do as I said! Mariner, you take command of our reserve troops near the capital, and reinforce the sixth battlefield. It will take a few days for you to arrive, but they should be able to hold for that long."

"The royal family won't like this, general."

"Do I look like I care? Between their pride and the lives of tens of thousands of my soldiers, which one do you think I'm worried about the most?"

Nodding, the officer saluted General Lilac, and left the tent. She swiped her glare across the other people in there, sending them in a rush of motion. Happy with how her orders were being cared out, she turned back to the two small Iferes, who still seemed uneasy.

"Don't worry, little guys. You can few him still, no? That's a sign he is alive. Sooner or later, he will pop up. Meanwhile, you stay with me. I'm sure that's what he would want."

She knew Frainer and Kniivar didn't understand her. They were still too young to recognize many of the words she said. Without a Spirit Contract, communicating with other species - and that included humans - was very difficult. But she also hoped the soothing tone she used, and the intention behind the words would be enough.

Drake was now a valuable asset. Most high-ranking officers and politicians - because there were many of them behind the war efforts - couldn't care less about a simple scout after he had delivered his message. General Lilac, however, wasn't like that, otherwise she wouldn't be on the frontlines every day, fighting and bleeding with her subordinates.

Besides, after the war was over - and she firmly believed Menoraz Kingdom would be the winning side - medals and prizes would need to be handed out. Drake's actions were worth quite a few of these. He would try to refuse, that's for sure, but she would convince him. She would much rather pin a medal in Drake's lapel than in some haughty lieutenant's that hadn't even seen a battlefield from up close, and was there just because his papa and mama were somewhat important.

------------------------

Ava Forlei woke up when her mother moved a little in her sleep, and her resting spot on her lap became uncomfortable. Sitting up and stretching, she saw that her parents were still sleeping, and that dawn was just arriving. She was about to lay down again when she noticed the man a few meters across from her.

He was resting his back against a tree, and seemed to be sleeping, but when she moved he raised his head to stare at her. After one or two seconds, he nodded in a greeting. For a long while, her sleepy mind couldn't remember who he was, but then the memories of the previous day's events came back all at once.

"Ahh!"

Unable to suppress a scream of panic, Ava quickly covered her mouth, and looked at Drake with apologetic eyes. He waved his hand, saying she didn't need to worry about it, and got up. Her yelp had awakened her parents - who scrambled to protect Ava of whatever scared her - as well as the two hooligans.

Ignoring their complaints, Drake kicked them - not too hard, just enough to shake the last bit of sleepiness from them - and pulled them up. Both criminals shuddered when he pulled out his knife, but he used it to cut the knots tying them.

"What now?"

"Now you are free to go, as I promised. But I suggest you change your lifestyle, cause I've got a really good memory, and I remember your faces. Next time I see you, I'm gonna make sure you join your friends in hell, got it?"

The two criminals didn't waste words, only nodding repeatedly before taking off. At least they were smart enough not to ask for their Yscalents or weapons, otherwise Drake would have bashed their faces in.

The family of three looked at him somewhat reprovingly - well, Paul and his wife did - but Drake couldn't be bothered to explain his actions to them again. Well, he was lying anyway, so if they pried too deeply, they might discover he wasn't from Lapidum.

"We should get going too, Mister Forlei. Remember you still got that arm to take care of. I might have stitched it close, but the chance of an infection is still there."

That took their attention away from him, as they quickly packed their belongings. They had a surplus of five Yscalents, and Drake happily took one for himself - as a spare in case his was killed, which seemed to happen a lot - and set the others free.

The group rode quietly to the next outpost. Drake was happy to keep the silence, his mind on other things - mostly Frainer and Kniivar, and their well-being. The Forlei, on the other hand, while grateful for his help, didn't look too keen on getting to know him. He could understand that. For someone who had never experienced violence so closely, yesterday's display was probably too much.

While the curious Ava kept trying to ask Drake questions, her mother pulled her back. To her, Drake was just a murderer. Maybe a good, kind murderer, but one nonetheless. Shrugging to himself, he urged them to go faster

"The outpost should be about fifteen kilometers from here. I would appreciate it if you could avoid talking about what happened, at least until I've left. Black-coats can be disturbingly annoying when they don't like you, and three corpses ain't a good first impression."

His logic was faulty, to say the least, but it didn't matter as long as the Forlei agreed. When he saw them slowly nod, somewhat unconvinced, he relaxed.

...

Very soon, the outpost was in sight. From afar Drake could already see an unusual crowd outside of it, but he attributed the fact to the huge number of civilians who were trying to get away from the frontlines.

"Here we are. Remember to be careful in your voyages. I won't be there the next time."

"What are you going to do, Drake?"

Flashing a smile at Ava, who seemed somewhat unwilling to part with him so soon, Drake urged his mount to enter the outpost. The young teenager had gotten attached to her 'hero', but she would forget him soon enough.

"Buy supplies, first of all. I'm running low on bullets. Then probably walk around, help anyone else who finds themselves in a situation similar to yours."

"Oh! Well... Good luck!"

"Hahaha... Good luck to you too."

Laughing, Drake gave his weapons to the soldiers at the gates - except his knife, since they only considered firearms as weapons - and entered the bustling outpost. After finding a stable on which he could leave his Yscalent, Drake gave in to his guilty pleasure, and went to the bar.

Lucky as he was, a group of people was leaving just as he entered, and he took their table. Much like the rest of the outpost, the establishment was full to the brim. It was too much activity just for refugees, so something else must be happening, but Drake honestly didn't care. He would leave soon, anyway.

"Mind if we share the table, civilian? This place is crowded as sh*t!"

Drake looked up from his beer mug to see two young soldiers, a man and a woman, next to him, each carrying a food tray. Smiling, he gestured for them to sit down.

"Not at all, black-coat. Make yourself at home."

Not offended by the sarcasm - which they deserved, after purposely calling Drake a civilian - the two soldiers sat, and immediately started eating. Drake guessed they had just come out of their shift, because they were ravenously wolfing down their food.

Drake wasn't at all worried about having two members of the Lapidum Army share a table with him. He wasn't the same man from a month and a half ago, who would get scared by soldiers. He was much calmer and collected now.

"Why is it so full, anyway? I've seen a few outposts before I got here, but they had three dozen people at most. There's at least two hundred here."

While the black-coats ate, Drake leisurely drank his beer. However, when the woman raised her head to glance at him, he couldn't help but ask why there was such a huge commotion.

"Uhm? You ain't here for the execution too?"

It was difficult to understand what she was saying with her mouth full, and she noticed that. Swallowing, the soldier repeated her words, leaving Drake surprised.

"No, I was just passing by. Spent the last few days in the wilderness. Who is being executed?"

"A bunch of f*cking spies! C*nts were caught snooping around our camps when the Third Army passed by the day before yesterday. We searched them, and lo and behold, found their badges. Menoraz's Advanced Scout Unit. Same as our Cleaners."

Third Army... That must be the one the medic of Frost Grass City talked about. The time matched. Drake should really thank them. If the commander of the army hadn't requested the army doctor of the town's garrison to follow them, Drake would probably have been discovered much sooner.

Still... Menoraz's scouts. Drake was one himself, although his badge had been thrown away when he impersonated Sergeant Xeno. Drake had to make a conscious effort not to blurt a curse, and keep his face straight.

"These freaking thieves! Stole our land in the last war, and forced us to launch another to take back what's rightfully ours!"

Drake disagreed. But he also knew he had been born, raised, and educated in Menoraz, so his view of their sworn enemy was sure to be biased. Taking another sip of his beer, he tried to get more information.

"When is the execution being held?"

"First thing in the morning tomorrow. It was supposed to be today, but some big shot wanted to be present, probably to make a speech."

"Bah! I say join us in the battlefield, or stay in their comfy shelters with their mouths shut!"

"Not as if we had seen any more action than them, stuck here as we are."

While the two black-coats jokingly bickered, having completely forgotten about Drake, he stood up and paid the bill with the money he got from the five outlaws. It wasn't a crime to steal from thieves, was it? He hoped not.

Deep in thought, Drake found a quiet place to sit down and rest. He had to think of what to do. It would have been a lot easier if the scouts had been executed the day before, but since that didn't happen, he now had to see if he could help them. Albeit for different reasons, they were on the same side, after all.

There was no doubt as to where they were being held. Every outpost had a prison, and this one was more heavily guarded than any Drake had seen before. Four black-coats stood outside the doors, and from time to time others would enter or leave the building.

"F*ck sake... It's almost like it's on purpose."

Deciding that just standing there wouldn't be of any help, Drake left the base. There was no way in hell he could try something right now, with the entire outpost busier than a Sercoliot during mating season. He would come back under the cover of the night. If it was possible, he would free his compatriots, if not... They chose to be in this war, so they had to accept the consequences.