Gatal was in a state of agitation and he marched haughtily through the line of men across the military camp at the foot of the city. Kami’s Lantern was straight above them signifying the noon of the day, but it also was also hot and rough to Gatal’s eyes adding to his discomfort. He bowed his head low to avoid the bright light and struggled forward as gusts of wind tried to push him back. How he wished that Captain Soul’s station was inside the comfortable city and not out here in the barren lands that lay before the Southern Gate! Even within Kami-sama’s territory, the land outside the city was harsh and cruel to old men like Gatal.

Out of all the territory outside the city, the seeming endless amount of land that stretched as far as the eyes could see from atop the wall, only this small portion in front of this southern gate was held by Kami’s forces. There was a large hill in the center of the swath that had been raised by Kami himself long ago for some unknown purpose and it was the top of it that Gatal headed for now. The looming grassy slope held the commanding tents and structures for the force outside the wall that were simply known as the Frontline. Gatal reached the foot of the hill and sighed as he looked up it. For all of its strategic advantages, it was a pain to walk up and down.

After a slight hesitation, Gatal proceeded to climb the Hill, putting one booted foot in front of the other and ignoring the other people that passed by on the dirt pathway. Although the swath of land in Kami’s control was comparatively small, its true size was still enormous for the simple soldier. To defend this territory, no less than one hundred thousand men were stationed there at all times and that number was only included the tactical soldiers. There were also support men, priests, beasts of labor and governing bodies, all performing their separate and necessary duties for the meta-goal of a secure operational zone in front of the city. There was also the endless train of wagons that brought out food, materials, and other all-important resources from the city. Kami’s dinner didn’t appear outside the city walls; for the soldiers outside it appeared near the gate every day and needed to be brought out to the waiting men.

Gatal reached the summit of the hill and it was wide and flat as though a mighty hand had simply swept the peak off from its throne. Sprawling structures and tents filled up every square unit though and the headquarters was still a short march away. The backside of the hill Gatal had just walked up was long and gentle making it an easy climb, but the front side was steep and stony. Gatal often wondered whether or not this hill had been made for such a dangerous day as this long ago, but he knew that nobody else even considered that idea. It was inconceivable to them that Kami-sama would have ever predicted or prepared for a day when his city was under siege. Gatal wanted to point out that if Kami-sama was as powerful and all-knowing as they claimed he wouldn’t have been shut into his city like he has been. But he knew better than to suggest that.

From the top of the hill he got a clear view of the surrounding area, all the territory kami held. Most of the land to the west was forest with well-traveled paths that were hidden from his view. the paths created the infrastructure of the forces. There were several strategic points fortified across the area that could yet be seen by him like the one near the river bend. The small but study fortification was built around a ford in the river making it an important traveling junction. To the East there were rocky hills much like the one Gatal was standing on now. The terrain was harsh and difficult to pass through, it was a natural barrier that protected them. Still, Gatal new there were stations of outposts and look out spots carefully hidden in the hills there as a precaution. To the south was the real defensive struggle. It was large plain with soft hills and creeks scattered around. Few trees grew there and in this location the bulk of the defenses were located. It was the most easily travelled route to attack their position and thus, it was the most heavily fortified. Every small hill or excuse for a defensible spot was taken advantage of and a walled fort was built on it. At the end of the territory Kami’s forces had built a retaining wall as best they could and it was low and sturdy, meant for slowing an army down rather than stopping them. From the hill Gatal was on; he could see all the southern lands and defenses before him. He wasn’t impressed. He turned from the view and headed for the command tent.

There were armored guards along the path, mostly for ceremony Gatal thought, and they nodded in recognition of Gatal and let him pass without interruption. Gatal smiled steely at their respect, it was something hard won. When he had first come into Soul’s company nobody thought he was worthy of even recognition. Now after years of excellent service and well-chosen actions there were only few who sneered at him.

And out of all who disliked him the worst was Vorash, the priest who was talking loudly at the center of the command tent when Gatal entered it. It was only out of duty and fear that Vorash listen to Gatal, Gatel knew that Vorash hated him.

At the moment, Vorash was complaining to Captain Soul and it was clear that with Captain Soul’s demotion in rank, Vorash’s respect for him diminished as well. He didn’t have much respect to begin with, though, and lashed out against the captain angrily, “These conditions are not acceptable, Captain!” Despite the bright light of the day, the tent was dark and lit loosely with only one lantern. The effort to keep out the dust and wind also had the side effect of creating a closed and dark setting.

Captain Soul stood calmly before the spell caster, wearing a dark blue uniform of a Captain rather than the white one of his previous position. Gatal thought he wore it just as much dignity, though, his stately uniform wrinkle free and spotless. A gold sash hung across it his chest signifying his executive authority in the Frontline. Gatal smiled at the sight because, whatever the council might have said, by giving Soul executive authority over these forces they had given him the same authority as if he was still a Commander-general. He was glad they did not mix up politics with reality too much.

Also in the room with them were various military advisers, messengers, and ambassadors from all the different regiments held under the captain’s authority. Some stood stoically with Captain Soul, but many were not able to hide their disgust with the spell caster that spoke with such disrespect to their beloved Captain.

The captain replied to Vorash harshly, an attitude he rarely used. “You will have to accept it Vorash, or I will report your insubordination to the council. Do not think that your reputation will save you there, it certainly did not save me.”

Without another word, only a hateful glare at the captain, Vorash wrapped his cloak around himself and stormed out of the tent, barking wildly at the two spell casters who followed him. In his anger, Vorash didn’t see Gatal until he bumped into him. “OUT OF MY WAY!” he snarled savagely for a second until he realized who he was addressing. He froze for a moment, and then stepped aside and left silently, kicking up dust with his footsteps. Gatal heard the captain sigh heavily and sit down at his desk. He looked over at Gatal and said steadily to the remaining men in the tent, “That is all for now, please go and follow my orders.”

The men hesitated, and one on the right hand of the captain dressed in armor and cloaked in Grey said, “Sir, there are still other matters that need to be attended to.” Gatal had not seen this man before, but judging from his ease in the captain’s presence and the scar on his face, he looked like a seasoned veteran. Gatal liked the look of him.

“Yes, I know, Commander Davison” Soul responded. “But it will have to wait a little bit longer, I am afraid.”

Davison resigned his objection, but another man protested again and Soul had to force them out saying, “Go now! I understand the importance of these matters; you do not have to keep saying that. But something urgent just came up; waiting ten minutes will not cause harm.”

The men bowed slightly to him saying, “Yes, Sir.” They left, but not before some got their parting scowl at Gatal. It was clear they thought his presence was not worthy of their captain’s. Only Commander Davison respectfully bowed to Gatal and he did likewise in return. Davison left without another word. Gatal held the tent door flap for them and closed it once they all left, leaving them both in a sudden dimness. Gatal came in and commented, “I’ve never seen you talk to a subordinate like that before.”

Soul looked back and grunted, “Vorash doesn’t seem like a subordinate anymore, just an angry and rebellious child.”

Gatal snickered at the description. “Why did you keep his order with you? You could have selected another block of spell casters to accompany you.”

Soul sighed and said, “It’s true that I didn’t request another set of spell casters, but I didn’t think that his group would be selected to work with us again out of the dozens of available groups.” He sat down in his chair and leaned back looking at Gatal squarely, “Actually, it seems he requested to be sent out here. He is an ambitious person, perhaps he thought he could gain some renown on the Frontline. But, I’m sure if he had known I was to be his commander again, he wouldn’t have been so eager to come.”

“What’s the problem?”

“The problem?” Soul replied. “There are too many to count.”

Gatal considered for a moment and then asked, “What was Vorash upset about?”

With a loud creak in his chair Captain Soul stood up and said, “A great many things actually, and not all of them related to me.” He stepped outside of the tent and Gatal went with him. “I could use some fresh air, being in a tent all day does not suit me, despite what my eager young subordinates seem to think. Take a walk with me.” The two left the tent together and strolled towards the edge of the hill. “Do you know how many outposts we have on this side of the wall?” he asked Gatal once they were in view of the frontier.

Gatal looked out and asked, “Forts and everything?” The captain nodded. “I’d say close to one hundred.”

“Closer to two hundred, actually,” the captain corrected. “And I need to be able to communicate with all of them at a moment’s notice. Skirmishes with the enemy are becoming more frequent, and more scattered around the perimeter. They are testing our strength and resistance, looking for a weakness. I need to know when and where they are attacking the moment it occurs so I can properly use my forces. I need spell casters at all the outposts to set up this communication. Can you believe there was not such a communication network already set up?”

Gatal was not surprised and he knew that, despite his words, Captain Soul was not surprised either. The previous commander did not stress the importance of communication as Captain Soul did. Or a great many other things that Soul was now scrambling to fix. Gatal asked him, “Are you setting up one now?”

“Trying to,” Soul replied in disgust. “But there are too few magicians out here. Inside the city there were tens of magicians coming out of every palace and hall, but out here I can only scrape up as many as I can find.”

“Did you send a request to the military board for more?” Gatal asked, stating the obvious.

“Yes, yes,” Soul replied dryly. “And they said that in the Defensive Mandate I will be acquiring as many spell casters as I need. Hundreds even.”

“The Defensive Mandate?” Gatal inquired, surprised at the name.

Soul raised his eyebrow at Gatal, “You, with all your ears, haven’t heard about it? I find that hard to believe.”

Gatal waved it away, “I have been busy the last few weeks remember? If I recall correctly it was you who sent me down to the lower levels to deal with irregulars.”

“You do not recall correctly,” Soul replied with a smile. “It was the council’s decision not mine. And if I recall correctly, it was you who said you were grossly overqualified. Why did it take you so long to return?”

Gatal looked at Soul with glowing and excited eyes, “I found something interesting, actually. It took a lot of planning and work to get him where I wanted him to go but I have high hopes for him yet.” Gatal waved it off again, “but that story if for another time, quit playing with me and tell me about this Defensive Mandate!”

Soul shook his head. He reached in his robe and took out a scroll. Unrolling, he said stately, “While the last Council meeting had put me out here and demoted me to Captain, the real news from the meeting was the Defensive Mandate. The council has decided that an attack by the enemy is imminent and has concentrated its forces on defense. Listen to this, In accordance with the highest wisdom and intelligence, the council of the Divine, along with all the powers of the state and under the hand of Kami-sama, do declare the city to be in a position of imminent threat of the enemy and from all the forces at his disposal. As such, all powers and responsibility of the state, delegated throughout the governing body, are now taken up solely by this Council in order to coordinate an effective defensive position to counter the increasing pressure put out by the enemy. This statement is authorization and orders for all high commanders of the City’s military powers to prepare their minds and hearts for the coming of war once again and to heed the voice of Kami and to bring about the salvation of the city.” Captain Soul rolled up the scroll again, “Of course there is much more to it, long and full of words. But the meaning is clear so let me summarize. In the city all available forces are put on standby status, all resources are put in reserve, and new defensive plans have been drawn up and implemented. The council has taken up all the authority of the military. In short,” Soul said looking down at Gatal. “The whole city is on alert and preparing for an attack. The council means to meet the threat head on.”

Gatal looked back at Soul with wide eyes, “That is incredible, Sir! That is just what we wanted. You counseled them for that decision, didn’t you? I never thought they would actually do it though!”

“It wasn’t just me who counseled them,” Captain Soul said modestly. “Many other officers and aristocrats felt the same. Still, I was very relieved when the Mandate was issued two days after you left for the lower levels.”

Gatal felt like jumping for joy. He said excitedly, “when are the reinforcements supposed to arrive? With the complement of spell casters no doubt!”

Soul said dryly, “Last week, actually. That’s the problem.”

Gatal felt his joy leave suddenly. “Last week?” He asked incredulously, “what is holding them up?”

“I am, apparently.” Soul replied. Gatal merely shot a confused look at Soul. He continued, “or at least, indirectly.” He sighed and said, “It seems that most of my former comrades in brass feel it was wrong of the council to demote me. They are boycotting and delaying the Defensive Mandate as much as they can in a statement of discontent. They want me reinstated as General- Commander. That is why my spell casters are not here yet. Nor the reinforcements of men either, as much as fifty thousand are expected in the first wave alone I am told.”

Gatal was flabbergasted and he could barely get his words out. His eyes bulged in anger and he stamped his feet. “What does-why would- this is outrageous…”

Soul leaned against a tent pole and said, “I know, I know. It is very frustrating.”

Gatal found his words. “If they wanted to do something for you, they then should be helping you get the people you need!”

Soul replied calmly. “I sent them all a message asking them to stop, but it is unlikely to do so. At this rate, they are going to have a significant clash with the Divine aristocracy. I do not know what might happen.”

“They are delaying the rush of preparation for an attack from the enemy because of their trivial politics!? Don’t they realize what is at stake?!” Soul made to answer but Gatal answered his own question with wrath, “Of course not, right?! Why would they?! They all believe in the all-powerful Kami-sama, why would they care about trivial things such as defenses? They could all stuff their faces with pastries while the field is overrun and not give a hoot about it! Those fatalist pigs! What do they really care about?”

Soul put a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “You go too far Gatal. I understand your frustration, I share it too. But we must still do what we can for the situation, yelling about it won’t help anything. We need calm reasoning and quick action now, more than ever.”

Gatal shot him a glare, “Why do you care? Whether you work hard or not you believe that everything will end the same, why do you sacrifice yourself so much for this city?”

Soul responded stately, “Because I believe that men will be rewarded for the deeds they performed in their life. I know that Kami will win this fight, just as I knew he would win it at the battle of Crushed Snake all those years ago. It is my joy and honor to be the tool he uses to accomplish his will. I want to continue to be his tool in the time to come. If I die now, I will die knowing I have done the best any man could do for their god. Does that make sense to you?”

Gatal pulled away from the captain, fuming silently. He couldn’t understand the captain, not ever. He felt in his heart a dread he had been carrying around with him for a long time now, the dread of losing his captain to death, empty and fruitless death. He turned away and asked instead, “What does this all have to do with Vorash’s anger?”

“Ah, yes,” Soul replied coming up next to Gatal again. “I had ordered him and his underlings to create and act as the communication network until the new spell casters arrive.” Gatal snorted in half amusement. Communication for spell casters is a relatively simple job and for the elite group that Vorash was the head of, he knew they would find it demeaning.

“There are only about 70 of them, and you said close to two hundred outposts? How are you going to-.”

Soul interrupted him. “Of course, I can’t have all of the outposts manned, but if I strategically place the spell casters and have them do a little running around on their own, I believe I can get enough coverage to satisfy me.” Gatal snickered again at the thought of those proud magicians running around.

“What did you offer him to do this?” Gatal asked.

Soul stood up straight and asked, “What makes you think I gave up something for him?”

Gatal rolled his eyes. “Come on, Vorash wouldn’t ever do such a thing without some form of compensation. Besides,” he continued. “I heard Vorash screaming that your offer was unacceptable when I first walked in.”

Soul fingered with his sash for a moment and then said, “You are right, besides wanting to get a little bit of cooperation from Vorash, I felt it was unfair to ask so much from him without a reward.”

Gatal waited expectantly, “So?” he asked after a moment of silence. “What did you give him?”

Soul found his sash very interesting again and he fingered it without looking at Gatal. Gatal felt horror come over him. “You didn’t!” he said indignantly.

Soul looked up and said plainly, “I did.”

“You gave him command of all the spell casters in the Defensive mandate?!” Gatal yelled.

“Indeed, I did.” Soul replied, “I felt it was a reasonable trade.”

“Vorash as head of the Magicians?!” Gatal yelled again, his voice was getting rough from straining it repeatedly. “He is incompetent, hasn’t he shown you that over and over again? You want him to be giving orders during a battle?”

“I understand your misgivings about him. He does act childishly sometimes. He is ambitious and savage sometimes, too, but I know that when given duties he feels is worthy of himself, he will do an outstanding job. He did not get to his current position while being stupid you know, there is intelligence inside of him.”

Gatal just shook his head and muttered quietly. Soul looked out over the plains, ignoring it. After a moment Gatal spat at him, “And by Kami’s great chair, what am I supposed to do? You just gave away my job! Did you have any good news for me, or did you just call me here to run me ragged?”

Soul looked back at Gatal patronizingly, “Gatal! I am surprised you are not taking this better. It relieves you of some responsibility and should free you to do certain things that require your attention. I am sure a man such as yourself will find some way to pass the time. You did mention you found something interesting, did you not? When you are ready, tell me about it. I called you here so you could do your esteemed work unhindered.”

Gatal paused, and then snorted suddenly. “When you find yourself lost in the battle because your spell casters are lost too, you had better take responsibility and not blame me.”

Soul replied meaningfully, “I take responsibility for all of my decisions.” He stood up straight again and walked back to his command tent. “It’s good to talk with you again, I am afraid I have work to attend to though. I sense my subordinates losing their composure in agitation.” He called out over his shoulder to Gatal. “I expect great things from you in this assignment!”

Gatal thundered back, “You mean the assignment of not have a real place in this army anymore?”

Soul turned around and walked backwards for a moment, yelling back, “Think of all the things you could accomplish for this army without the restrictions of orders and command?” He grinned at Gatal and stepped away.

Gatal stood still for a moment and then said to himself sardonically, “Actually, there are a lot of things I could do…”