The office of the commanding general was mostly bare. There weren't any creature comforts or features to make it more personal, but that was just the man's office. For all that Reivyn knew, the man could live in luxury in his personal quarters. It was just a fleeting thought, though, and Reivyn didn't let what-ifs that had no evidence color his judgment. He could only base his opinion on what he saw, and the man seemed to be a no-nonsense commander so far. Reivyn could see the similarities to Alwin in the commanding general's face, but his entire demeanor was much more severe. He didn't get a foppish sense from him. Prince Allik, the commanding general of Piori, quickly perused the orders presented by Kefira. He gave a polite smile and exchanged greetings with the visiting princess, but he kept himself to his professional duties. He had been expecting the arrival of the mercenary company, though Reivyn could tell they had surprised him with how quickly they had made the journey. "It's mostly quiet these days, but there's the occasional skirmish further along the highway," Prince Allik finally said. He kept the original orders and handed back a stamped copy. "We keep a careful watch on all the surroundings, but the enemy forces don't seem too inclined to spread out too far. We'll start you off with patrols in the wilderness, and after I've had time to gauge your competency, we'll move to send your men to places they can get some fighting experience." "That's reasonable," Reivyn replied. "I don't know how much information your superiors have divulged to you, but the core of our forces have experience fighting against either these same people or their allies in a different region. The tactics we faced were human-wave attacks. The bulk of the enemy wasn't even armed. They simply threw themselves on our spears to immobilize the weapons with the hope of receiving healing later. We also encountered soldiers they referred to as 'Deathsworn,' and they were far more heavily armed, though not any less zealous." "Hmm..." Prince Allik sat back and stroked his chin as he considered Reivyn's words. "We haven't encountered any heavily armed soldiers yet, but the tactics of swarming without weapons are the same. It sounds like they're the same people. "Now, I could take your word for it, especially since you prompted the information without being told, but I would prefer to observe and use my own judgment before I thrust you into any real kind of responsibility. You understand." "Of course," Reivyn agreed, nodding his head. "That's perfectly understandable. I would make the same decision in your shoes." "Good. I'm glad we're on the same page. That leads me to believe we'll have an amicable working relationship. "The war has just recently been going on, so we don't have any kind of rotation schedule set for the troops, so don't expect to be sent back to the capital any time soon. As far as we're concerned, Piori is the rear. That being said, I'm sure Princess Kefira will receive invitations from the capital for diplomatic meetings. Since they'll be official communications with a foreign dignitary, we'll be sure to provide an escort if and when it's needed. "Now, I need to be very clear here," Prince Allik gave everyone in the room a severe look in the eye. "Diplomatic meetings are diplomatic meetings. While you're in Piori, attached to the mercenary company, you're under my command. The chain of command must remain unambiguous. If I give an order, I expect it to be carried out and not countermanded or questioned. Is that understood?" "Perfectly," Kefira answered. "You don't have to worry about me. I've already removed myself from command of the company. Captain Reivyn is in charge, and I'm just an erstwhile member of the Mage Corps." "You have your own Mage Corps?" Allik asked, surprised. "Well, it's more like half a platoon, but yes, we have our own Mage unit," Reivyn replied. "Excellent, excellent. In the event that the enemy encroaches on the city, all Mages are to report to the center section of the wall. They've always come straight from the southeast in the past, but in the event they do come, make sure to listen and send the Mages to the appropriate wall. Just because they haven't done so yet doesn't mean they can't attack the east or west walls. It's unlikely they'll come from the north, but we never know until it happens." "Just to clarify, I'm a Caster Class, too," Reivyn said. "I don't want you to think we're not sending all our Mages to you if you see some Spells getting launched at the enemy from our position." "Of course. Your position as the commanding officer supersedes your personal Class." "Do you have a dossier on the enemy forces?" Reivyn asked. Prince Allik opened a drawer and retrieved a packet from within. He handed it over to Reivyn. "This has all the information we've compiled so far. Check it over once you return to your quarters." "Can I utilize your scribes to make more copies for my other officers?" "Feel free. Any more questions?" "Just one. I'm sure it's in the dossier, but it's really quick: What's the highest number brand your men have encountered among the enemy forces?" "From what we've seen, the officers all have '4's,' but one of the scouts got a glimpse of the enemy general. He wasn't 100% certain, but he said he thought he saw a '5' on the man's forehead. I have no reason to doubt his report at this time, so you should operate with that assumption." "Very well, thank you." "Now, I have other things to attend to, and I'm sure you want to get settled. There will be a briefing every morning at 6 am. We don't give out new orders every morning, we usually plan a week in advance, but you are required to attend all of them when you're in garrison." "Very good. I'll be there in the morning." "All right. You're dismissed." Reivyn gave a salute, which Prince Allik returned, and he departed with Kefira. The others had remained outside of the office during the meeting, and they fell in line with the two as they made their way toward the scribes. Reivyn walked in and had his request for copies carried out in only a couple of minutes. Once he left the scribes' office, he handed a copy to Refix and Kefira. "So what's the situation?" Refix asked. "Based on what I've heard and my experience in Drallo, this doesn't seem like a personal expedition of one of the young nobles like the invasion in Drallo," Reivyn answered. "This is more widespread, more focused on claiming territory, despite them being stalled out for now, and the presence of a Tier 5 Brand leading the local army indicates it's a state-sanctioned action." "Why do you say that?" Refix inquired. "In Drallo, despite having hundreds of thousands of soldiers, the enemies didn't have a single Tier 5 brand leading them. Instead, Aeriella had a 6 Tattoo. That makes me think those were her personal soldiers, and if I had to guess, I would say there are multiple Tier 5 brand generals leading this invasion. The scale and makeup, while similar, have some distinct differences." "And what does this mean?" Refix continued to ask. "For us, not much," Reivyn said. "We'll still have to follow orders and perform our mercenary duties, but it can give us some expectations of the future. We don't know their intentions, but it's safe to assume it's not the same as Aeriella's. We can't expect them to give up the territory and people they've already conquered like before. That means if they continue their advance and push us out of Piori, we can expect a new front line to form, and the war will continue. "I don't think they're looking for something specific and will depart once they get their hands on it." Reivyn walked with the others back through the city. There was the occasional pedestrian on the streets, but they didn't linger and moved about with purpose. The patrols of soldiers and guards didn't stop anyone to ask questions, so it hadn't descended into total martial law. People were just staying inside unless they absolutely had to be somewhere. Reivyn noticed that the shops were still open in the commercial district as they moved through the city, but there were very few customers, and the staff in each establishment that he looked into seemed to be a skeleton crew. "I can't imagine the war is doing wonders for the local economy," Reivyn said. "Depends on which sector you're talking about," Refix replied. "Just because we can't hear the blacksmith shops at work doesn't mean they're not working. I'll bet they've been moved to a central location to work for the military. Same with the tailors. There are things still moving under the surface. I don't see people starving in the streets, either." "Yeah, but it'll probably be a while before people can get back to their normal lives. They might be able to still work and tide things over, but they're not able to do normal things with the threat looming over them. I'm sure they're all staying close to home in case they need to make a mad dash to get their things before evacuating. Keeping the streets clear for the military is also a huge factor." It didn't take long for the small group to make it back to the wall and turn to move toward where the company had gone. Moving through the city was quick and easy without people blocking the way. The barracks that the mercenary company had been sent to seemed to be fairly new. There were traces of tearing down some other buildings to allow for a walled compound to be built where they had previously been. Reivyn didn't know if people had been displaced or what, but they did have a fairly private area for the company to bunk. They had passed several other similar areas that were in various states of occupation by the soldiers. In each barracks they passed, they could see at least a few people in the central area training their weapons or formations. Reivyn ran a critical eye over the compound they had occupied. There was still dust and debris littering the area, further indicating it was recently built. The platoons had separated and were busy getting themselves sorted out in the available open barracks. Reivyn walked up to the platoon commanders that were standing outside waiting for the NCOs to get the mercenary troops settled. "Have everyone form up in exercise attire after everyone is done getting set up," Reivyn instructed Jekle. "Yes, sir," Jekle answered. It didn't take long as there wasn't a whole lot for each person to do upon getting their bunk. The barracks were open with bunk beds. The officers had their own quarters separated from the open area, and they had all already unpacked their things. Just moving about in the space and finding bunks for everyone had taken the most amount of time. Reivyn stood in front of the formed up company. He didn't waste any time before addressing them. "I have a copy of the dossier on the enemy forces for all of the officers. Everyone will get a chance to see it, but the officers and NCOs have priority. While they're going over the information, the rest of you are going to be cleaning. "Yes, you heard me right. If you look closely, you can see that this place is covered in dust and remnants of construction. We're going to be staying here for several months, maybe even more than a year. We're professionals, and it doesn't reflect well on us to live in squalor. We will have a thorough cleaning of the entire barracks every week, starting today. "Lieutenant Jekle, send some folks to secure cleaning supplies for us. The rest of you, do what you can with what we have before they get back. I expect this place to be spotless before we're done. That is all." Reivyn motioned to the officers and headed to the central building of the compound. It was similar in makeup to the other barracks he had been to, but the administrative building in the center wasn't some grand building. It looked no different than any of the other buildings; it was just positioned in the central location. The officers followed him in, and after a brief moment of scouting the floors, Reivyn led them into a conference room. Refix took the dossier copies from Reivyn and handed them out to all of the officers after they had found a seat. Reivyn stood in the front of the room, and Kefira and her two followers, Serilla and Sefia, stood off to the side. "I haven't gone through the information in detail, so you all have as much information as I do. I did learn that there is possibly a Tier 5 brand enemy general. General Allik mentioned that they follow the same tactics we've encountered before in Drallo. "Go through the information. Keep an eye out for anything unusual, like a difference in tactics or troop makeup. I don't expect there to be much difference, but we never know. There will be a briefing every morning at 6. I'll have more information about our mission when I return from it tomorrow. Once you and the NCOs have looked through the intel, make sure it's available for all of the other soldiers, as well. Everyone needs to understand what we're up against. "Are there any questions at this time?" The officers shared a look before shaking their heads. "Very good, get to it." The officers filed out of the conference room. There hadn't been a need to have the short conversation in the conference room, but Reivyn wanted to establish some normalities right away. Group discussions with the officers would be held in a formal setting when possible. He was simply setting the precedent. "Come on, let's go find our own quarters," Reivyn said, turning to Kefira and Refix. The central building was two-storied. They hadn't seen any sleeping quarters on the first floor, so they filed out of the room and headed for the stairs. It wasn't a grand foyer with a curving staircase and a grand chandelier. It was simple and utilitarian. The second floor had a couple of rooms that could be used as offices, but as Reivyn had hoped, the rooms at the ends of the hall were living quarters. Reivyn and Refix chose two rooms across from each other on one end of the building, and the ladies moved into rooms on the other end. After getting settled, Reivyn and the others once more headed outside. It was still early afternoon, and the mercenary soldiers were busy getting the place cleaned up. The officers had retired to their rooms to go over the dossier copies, and the NCOs were busy directing the cleaning efforts of the regular troops. Reivyn found a bench to sit on and pulled out his own dossier. The others followed suit, and soon everyone was busy reading up on the situation. Sefia didn't stick around this time as she didn't need to understand the military situation. She gathered up the other maids, and they began cleaning the central building. Reivyn peeked over his dossier at them entering the building once more. There are some perks to being the one in charge, Reivyn chuckled to himself. "Let Sefia know that neither she nor any of the maids are allowed to enter my private room or office after the initial cleaning," Reivyn said to Kefira. "My dad and I will handle our own spaces." "Is that necessary?" Kefira asked. "Why not take advantage of their specialty while it's available?" "It's not necessary," Reivyn said, flipping through the pages of the dossier. "I'm just setting a precedent. I do not have an open-door policy. Unless someone is on official business, everyone needs to go through the proper chain of command for every instance. I'm not going to have a separate group of people able to move outside of that rule." "Oh? And does that apply to me, too?" Kefira asked, a teasing tone in her voice. "Of course not," Reivyn denied. "You're simultaneously my superior and my direct subordinate, depending on the situation. In either case, your position allows you direct access to me. The same goes for all of the other officers, too." "And what about our personal relationship?" Reivyn looked up from the pages in front of him and winked at Kefira. "In that case, it would be me visiting your room." "Well, let's keep that to a minimum, shall we?" Refix said, bringing his hand down on Reivyn's shoulder from his position standing behind him. "Relax, Dad. Serilla will be there as a chaperone. That's why I said it would be me going to her room and not the other way around." "Uh-huh, and it has nothing to do with being further away from your dear 'ole dad while sneaking around with your girl?" Refix snorted. "Hadn't crossed my mind," Reivyn replied with a deadpan expression. It didn't take long for Reivyn to go through all of the information in the dossier. There weren't any surprises that he could see, though some of the other officers might be able to read more into something. Everyone had their own perspective on things, and Reivyn's Dreams of the Past didn't make him infallible in these situations. The NCOs kept a tight reign on the troops, and after the cleaning supplies - mostly brooms and mops - were delivered, the cleaning was finished in no time. Superhuman Stats weren't good just for combat or crafting things. With their Perception and Dexterity, everyone was able to see and clean even the tiniest of dust particles floating about. It was still afternoon, almost evening, by the time they were done, and the NCOs switched out with the officers to look through the intelligence on the enemy. Reivyn had the company form back up once more as they switched out. "Good job, everyone. The place looks liveable now. Tonight, everyone will eat their own rations, but we'll get an actual cooking crew up and running starting tomorrow. We'll be operating on the same timetable as the training. Morning chow will be at 5:15 am. Everyone will have a bit of free time immediately after breakfast, and I'll return with orders after the morning briefing. We'll iron out the daily schedule after we have more information on what we're going to be doing. "Once the NCOs are done looking through the dossiers, I expect everyone to go through the documents. For the rest of the evening, you can do whatever you want. Just make sure you set aside time to go over the dossier. "That is all. Dismissed!" The soldiers fell out of formation and made their way back to their bunks. They had to retrieve their rations from their packs, but they quickly filed back out of the barracks and headed to another empty building on the other side, the mess hall. It was taboo to eat anything in the living areas, and with Reivyn's declaration on the importance of cleanliness, nobody was going to risk making a mess. Reivyn retreated back to the administrative building with Refix, Kefira, and Serilla, and they had their meal in the conference room. "Everything seems normal so far," Refix commented. "Minus the persistent strangeness to the ambient Mana. I wonder how long that's going to last, though?" "Forever," Reivyn said, smirking. "We're all going to get bored before things get exciting. There will be long bouts of boredom followed by short, intense bouts of extreme danger. Our biggest mission, personally, will be to ensure that the men don't get complacent. We'll have to keep them busy, and they might get a bit resentful of it after a while, but I'm sure they'll see the wisdom in it when it saves their lives in the future." "You think that the enemy will take Piori?" Refix asked. "It's a possibility. If something can go wrong, it will go wrong, and Allik already told us they've attacked the city a couple of times in the past. I don't know why they're stalled out where they are for now, but it's not going to be permanent. Even if they don't take Piori, we'll eventually get the orders to attack their position or maneuver to assist another front. We just have to wait and be prepared for either eventuality."