The men crept forward under cover of night, holding their flintlocks tight to their chests so they wouldn’t get caught on any branches. Jason remained near the back of this group, as Tyler had convinced him that there were men much more skilled in moving silently through the woods than he was. A twig snapped under Jason’s foot, and he grimaced and froze.

Their mission was to strike under cover of darkness, targeting the enemy’s supplies while two other groups attacked the sleeping soldiers as noisily as possible. Each group had been given five grenades for this raid and instructions not to bring back any if they could help it.

There was minimal moonlight peeking through the clouds as they slowly crept within throwing distance of the camp. Finally, hidden behind logs and other forest detritus, they settled in to wait for the signal.

The sound of the grenade exploding in the distance was a sharp, deafening blast that was seemingly unmuffled by the dense forest. The grenade explosion was followed by a cacophony of screams that were soon joined by a cluster of new explosions. Soon after, another one followed in a different section of the camp’s periphery.

That’s our signal, Jason yelled internally as he and the men around him surged forward. They didn’t plan to fully break the treeline into the camp’s clearing, but neither did they want their throws blocked by the thicket.

Several shots rang out around them as sentries were quickly dispatched, though thankfully, there was no return arrow fire as of yet. The distractions are working. I hope that lasts.

Jason and the men around him reached the edge of the clearing, and without hesitation, they pulled the pins on their grenades and hurled them into the camp. The new assault caught the enemy off guard, and the grenades caused chaos and destruction. Jason could hear the screams of the enemy soldiers as the explosions caught them in blasts of fire.

The men with him threw the last of their grenades, targeting the enemy's supplies and causing as much damage as possible. Jason raised his gun and took a shot at an enemy that seemed to be more in control of his faculties than the others, then turned and ran back to the woods. The enemy soldiers were starting to regain their footing. Jason could hear the sound of several arrows whistling through the air, and he knew they had to move quickly.

The men with him retreated into the cover of the forest, moving quickly and quietly, trying to avoid detection. After what felt like an eternity, they reached the rendezvous point and found that the other two groups had also successfully completed their missions. Moreover, they had caused significant chaos in the enemy camp and had managed to escape without any casualties.

Jason and the men breathed a sigh of relief as they slowly made their way back to their own camp. He knew that this was just the beginning and that many more battles would come. I just hope that they all go as well as this one. They’re bound to post more sentries now, though.

—

The commander stood in the middle of the smoldering section of his camp, clenching his fists and staring in disbelief at the destruction surrounding him. The once-tidy rows of tents were now nothing more than shredded fabric and broken poles. The supplies that had been carefully stockpiled were in disarray or destroyed. The bodies of his men lay scattered across the clearing, their eyes staring blankly into the sky. Not the commoners - no, those weren’t a big problem. These were the nobles, and the sons of nobles, who until now, thought they had a safe job staying out of the way of the rest of the army where the supplies resided and the wine was more convenient.

He couldn't believe it. They had been caught off guard, completely unprepared for the sudden attack. He had never expected the enemy to have the audacity to strike under the cover of darkness, targeting their supplies and causing such chaos and destruction. How did they have a big enough force to do so? And how did they wreak such havoc so quickly?

His anger boiled over as he turned to his subordinates, who stood before him, looking just as shocked and lost as he felt. "What happened here?! How could you let this happen?! We lost men, we lost supplies, and we lost the advantage we had an hour ago!" he yelled, his voice filled with frustration and rage.

One of his subordinates stepped forward, "Sir, we had no way of knowing that they were going to attack in this manner. We were assured that they were a small group and would stay cowered behind whatever walls they could find.”

The commander slammed his fist against the remains of a supply crate, "Caught off guard? That's no excuse! You should have been prepared for anything! This is war, and we have to be ready for anything!"

He could see the fear and confusion in the eyes of his subordinates, and he knew that he was probably doing more harm than good. Clenching his fists again, he took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. He knew that he needed to think clearly and come up with a plan to move forward.

"Alright, listen up. We need to assess the damage and determine what we have left. Post extra guards at night, and send out more scouts during the day," he said, his voice steady and determined. “If they try this again, we’ll be ready for them.”

The men nodded, and the commander could see a glimmer of hope in their eyes. He knew there would be deserters after this, but it shouldn’t be anything too problematic. There should still be enough food for the people and animals, and as long as they kept moving, the land they conquered could be stripped for the supplies they needed. They hadn’t lost, yet. They had just turned the hourglass, and the sand was beginning to fall. Time would no longer be on their side, so he wouldn’t wait, either.

At dawn, the march would resume.