“Alright soldiers get your gear, spiked lizards don’t like it when someone attacks and they are very territorial. I want a trench dug and a rampart made, half of you will be digging the other half get the weapons. Militia gets crossbows, guards get the heavy arms I don’t want us to be caught without warning. Horsemen will continue patrolling and will try to drive the lizard to us, get everything inorder, someone get those scout reports the instant a group returns”

Well parents are here and father is busy giving orders, arriving with them is the new gear to make use off, after getting the details he ordered the militia and guards to get to work making a semicircle fortification facing the forest. They dug a trench about more than a meter deep and piled the dirt into a rampart on the inward side. After that he had Relan make stone spikes on the rampart, the idea is to get this thing to charge us and get stuck on the spikes long enough to either bash its brains in with heavy weapons or for a crossbow bolt to manage to break through. Those of us among the higher echelons will be using ki abilities to help out in removing the scales hopefully, like one gets rid of a lobster’s shell. In order to help us with range support we have Dalen to cast spells and unfortunately he is not alone

“Hmm this camp is looking rather how should I say it ‘professionally chaotic’ currently, you have a bandage around your leg. Here let me cast a healing spell, it appears to be a minor wound but still” the previously smarting bite wound is healed slowly by her spell, I did not feel that Relan or Dalen were worth being troubled by such a minor wound so I let it be since I cleaned it and rebandaged less than an hour ago, I hope there is no trapped bacteria but I feel healers would notice something like this happening if it did. “Can your spell work on broken bones my lady?” “Not quickly enough to help any of the soldiers but your family’s mage handed some healing seals to them, not much more we can do for now” I nod and thank her for what she did as she beckons me to follow her, making sure my leg is good I walk with her. As I follow behind I ask “Exactly what do you plan to do here, are your spells strong enough to deal with the spiked lizards?. I am having doubts as to whether the crossbows can actually do anything since these are mature spiked lizards with strong scales” “I understand, my normal spells are most likely not up for the task except...” she pauses and has a contemplating look. “I simply won’t stay behind while everyone else is out fighting, I have finally trained my flare spell to an acceptable so that may add some appreciable strength for this battle” ‘Hmm the low quantity of mages is certainly a concern right now, these things would be toast if there was a proper patrol from the territorial guard but this is mostly only a training area for new guard trainees in conventional arms.Much as I don’t want to risk it at least she came dressed in what looked like wide pants that are more practical than a skirt and a leather reinforced jacket. Well seeing that my parents were the ones that brought her along I did not even bother trying to question anymore than that. A shiver runs down my spine as my mind questions some of her other motives for joining but I know that I should focus on the battle instead, a disturbed heart in the middle of battle is a recipe for disaster and if my suspicions are right there will be no easy way for things to be resolved.

After some more chatter about things she leaves off with these words “Please come back in one piece, as a knight I know it is too much to ask for you to be unharmed but please come back intact” “I will try my best my lady, I have to simply trust in my training and my comrades then”

I leave and try to finish clearing up my thoughts before the battle, I managed to get a quick patch with my armour earlier using heavy sewing needles and replacing the lost bits. It is not as good as it was before but then again it was already worn a bit before so not much change. This time however I changed weapons to a heavy halberd, blade like armour-piercing spike on one end and a narrow but strong axe blade on the other along with a spear tip. I am more of a swordsmen but since I don’t know any sharpening or other similar specific anti-armour enhancements this hammer will suffice. I have a joke in mind but no I won’t say it, I have trained in this weapon before but have not used it much. I wish I could do more to prepare for this but it appears that everything that could be done has been done, everyone has their orders and we can only wait. Everyone in the higher up group has a few guards assigned to their command with father having overall command, Azalia herself has a few bodyguards as well as the other two mages. Without the time for more proper reinforcements to be ready since less than a month has passed and we only properly knew what we faced in the last few days it was not enough for a proper deployment of a response force since we had some squads of guards already here. Even with father and my mother's here they felt that it would be better if the territorial guard was maintained in readiness in other areas.

Of the guards here I have been given charge of one of the squads to supervise them, they are fresh out of training and are somewhat nervous and twitchy. They were one of the search parties that were found nothing and that just made them even more anxious, I found their names to be James, Rother, Corbar, John, Ulthar, Aldwin, Farah, Kinsey, and Marden. James is the kader of the group and responsible for them, he was doing somewhat better than his charges but did not know what to do to help them. I remember giving some talk about training, faith in leaders, and fear being normal but must be mastered. It worked though with cheering them up but we will have to wait till the battle itself to see if they hold up, their skills should not suck since Landon put them through boot camp.

The wounded one will be simpler to deal with but the uninjured one will take much more effort, especially if they come together in support of each other....Well looks like the gods have a grudge with me as the scouts just came thundering in at quick pace.

“They are here now, everyone quickly assembles and heads to positions”

As I stand on the ramparts with my assigned squad I see all the other notables of the parties here gathered as birds streak out of the forest and dust is floats into the air. It is time for the real deal now.