The mood of the soldiers as they Marched along the road was much more upbeat than it had been before. Their Stamina and physical strength was much higher than it had been in the first leg. There had been zero casualties among the mercenary company. Despite how intense the fighting had been, they hadn't been engaged all that long, all things considered. The time they had spent in actual hand-to-hand combat had been pretty short, and most of the Spells had only caused damage, not fatalities.

Reivyn knew it couldn't last forever, though. Mental fatigue was a real thing. Even though their Vitality and Stamina were all in the hundreds and they didn't need as much sleep as lower Leveled individuals did, that wasn't an absolute. There was a huge difference between staying awake in the comfort of your home for three days straight and fighting to the death for several hours.

Most of the soldiers under his command suffered from a tradeoff. The physical soldiers had high Stamina and could move their bodies physically for hours on end, but the mental stress would weigh more heavily upon them. They also had far more physical soldiers than mental ones. The Casters couldn't keep up with their physical counterparts, but the mental stress took longer to burrow into their psyche.

Reivyn was a bit unique with his mostly even spread of Physical and Mental Stats. His Mental Stats had surpassed his Physical ones by quite a bit with his powerful Tier 2/3 Class, but he had a huge jumpstart from his Fighter Class as well as his Mythic Class granting a decent amount of Physical and Free Stat points per Level anyway.

Reivyn himself could feel the drag of the mental stress. He had much more responsibilities than the soldiers underneath him, even the other officers, and that was a factor for his mental strain. But if he was already feeling the effects of the combat stress, he could imagine what it was like for his troops.

They didn't show it on their faces, and their military bearing was still strong, but the look in their eyes couldn't escape his Divine Sense. Their pupils were more dilated than they should be, even in the darkness, and there was a slightly wild look to their expression.

Hopefully their plan isn't to never stop with an endless stream of fresh troops, Reivyn thought. I wouldn't put it past them. As soon as we make it to the next city, no matter what, I have to start a rotation for the men to get some sleep. That's the best remedy in this situation.

Reivyn couldn't wrap his head around the enemy strategy. He thought he had figured it out earlier, but there had been no reason to press the battle and get so many of their own people killed in the battle at the bridge.

There has to be something more to it, Reivyn contemplated. If we can figure out their motivation, we might be able to bait them into traps more easily. If we can get them focused on chasing shadows all over the countryside, it'll slow their progress down immensely, even with their ridiculous numbers.

In the grand scheme of things, it didn't matter too much to Reivyn why they were throwing their lives away so easily and in such large numbers, but in the short-term context of the war, it might lead to a potent strategy.

Reivyn kept his vision scanning the darkness as far as he could see. Even with no light from the heavens shining down to illuminate the countryside, his high Perception Stat enabled him to see much further in the Darkness than normally possible. He still had perfect vision within his sphere of Divine Sense, and he could tell it had slowly expanded, inch by inch, ever since he had gotten the big Achievement. It already had a tangible affect on his highest-Tier Skill.

I might have to stay in Tier 2 just a little bit longer to take advantage of this bonus even after achieving my original goal of getting at least one Affinity and Weapons Master to Transcendence.

Even while pondering multiple issues, he still maintained his vigilance. Now that they were retreating with much higher Stamina pools, he also had the usual scouts out and about.

They Marched for half an hour before Reivyn ordered the men to halt. They had been in a long column of many companies taking up over a mile in length on the road, but now he had his men step out of the column. There was still another company behind them, but they would take the next opportunity to set up a defensive position to cover those still further behind.

Reivyn nodded to the company commander of the company that passed by them and received one in return. He could see the exhaustion on the faces of their men much more pronounced than his own, and he knew that the decision to stop before them was the right one.

"Form up along the road facing the way we just came," Reivyn ordered the officers. "First and Second Platoon in front, Third and Fourth Platoon in reserve and slightly to the side to cover the flanks if need be."

"Yes, sir!" The officers chorused.

"What are you thinking about so hard?" Refix stepped up and asked in a low voice.

"Just trying to figure out their mindset," Reivyn answered. "If we know what makes them tick, we can use it to our advantage."

"Yeah, I know as much as you do, but consider everything we know about them," Refix said. "What was it Xudrid said about them?"

"He said that the fundamental difference between the empire and sects was their philosophy on how to achieve Ascendence," Reivyn answered. "They view everything, including human lives, as a resource to be funneled to the few at the top so they can advance further, faster."

"And how does this fit in with that philosophy?" Refix prodded.

"I don't know," Reivyn shook his head. "At first I thought they were wearing us down to capture more human resources without having to fight as hard, but the more death they suffer, the more I don't think that's exactly right. I saw them branding zeros on the foreheads of those they captured. They're not exactly going to bolster their strength with forced conscription. It seems like - using their mindset, not mine - that they're just wasting their resources for little gain."

"If we can figure out what they're hoping to gain, then we should be able to solve the mystery," Refix nodded his head. "So focus on that, and I'll do the same."

"Thanks, dad."

"That's what I'm here for. I'm always willing to listen and give advice on any subject. Speaking of, have you considered your options for your Tier 3 Advancement?"

"I have," Reivyn responded. "I feel like there's a Class I need just out of my grasp, though. The Cultivator Classes, despite converting Stamina and Mana into Qi, are completely locked out to me. The - ahem - 'hint' tells me that without taking the first Tier 1 option in the path, it's impossible to move into the Cultivator Classes."

"That's to be expected," Refix said. "Such powerful Classes have to have some drawbacks. This also affects those with the Cultivator Classes like Xudrid said, too. Those that don't have the ability to advance their Cultivator Class to the next Tier are forever locked out of them if they choose a different Class."

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"I did notice a distinct lack of the mention of forming a Core, though," Reivyn said, giving his father a look. "If a Core can act as Qi, Stamina, or Mana at will, I think it's definitely something to consider attempting to form whether I can choose a Cultivator Class or not."

"Possibly," Refix nodded his head along with his son. "Just take it slow and steady. We don't know what will happen to someone with a Core who's not a Cultivator. And by 'we,' I mean Xudrid and Vyria won't be able to help."

"If only I could see the affects of a Core as a non-cultivator before I commit," Reivyn sighed.

"Why can't you?" Refix asked.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, why not take what Qi you have converted, turn it into a Core, see how it acts for you, and then dissolve it to start over if it works the way it should."

"Didn't Xudrid mention something about a Core being immensely important to a Cultivator? He said if a Core is destroyed, it was basically a death sentence."

"Maybe, but they're forming their Cores with 100% of their Qi, and their Qi is 100% of their Stamina and Mana. At least it is after they've formed their Core. If you suddenly lost 100% of your Stamina and Mana, yeah, that would definitely kill you, but you're only going to use a fraction of your pools.

"It might be hard, and it might be painful, but I don't think it would be life threatening for you. You can also have an alchemist turn the appropriate natural treasures into something that can help you either not lose your Stamina and Mana, or regain some that you might lose. It's something to think about."

"Hmmm, that's a good idea. It will require preparation, though. Luckily, forming the Core is something that's done at the end of Tier 3, so I have time to think about it and make the arrangements."

"Exactly," Refix encouraged. "So if you're locked out of the Cultivator Classes, what are you looking at going forward?"

"Like I said, I can feel that there's something just out of my grasp. It's not showing up as grayed out like some Classes that I'm close to unlocking, but my gut is telling me it's there. There's also a few more Classes on my list I want to look at, first. I just haven't had the time to really look at them and consider them, yet.

"If I have a Transcendent Affinity, a Transcendent main Skill, and Qi to go with my Stamina and Mana, I feel like that's the sturdiest foundation that could possibly exist. I think even reaching Transcendence with a higher Tier Skill won't be as important as reaching it with the main Skill, and my main Skill is already Mythic. Once I reach 101 in Weapons Master, I feel like I'll get to see the penultimate Class, based on my expertise, that is."

"That makes sense," Refix agreed. He smiled and clapped Reivyn on the shoulder. "I'm proud of you. I don't think you understand how gratifying it is for me to see you accomplish all the things you have. My life and your mother's was interrupted by tragedy, but we made due the best we could. Having kids surpass us so thoroughly is the only thing more we could ask for.

"Now, here's the real question, and I want you to seriously consider it: Do you think Kefira can keep up with you in the future. You just said you think you'll achieve the penultimate Class. Your growth is going to be unprecedented. I'm not as much of a stickler as your mother for seeking a companion who can match you, but you have to think long-term. You're Vitality is going to be tremendous, which means your life-span is going to be hundreds, maybe thousands, of years. What will happen if your wife can't keep up and she dies of old age while you're still in your prime?"

Refix had a serious expression on his face, and Reivyn matched it with his own as he contemplated the issue.

"As things stand right now, with what I know about Kefira and her potential, I believe she will be able to keep up with me," Reivyn answered honestly. It was his true feelings on the issue, and not just wishful thinking. "There are some things you don't know about her, and I feel that with my progress we'll be able to take advantage of more opportunities to dig out her maximum potential."

"I see," Refix said, stroking his chin. "So your plan is to leverage your own abilities to help carry her beyond what she could accomplish without you. I'm assuming that means you plan on braving the dangers of a Tier 5 Region before you both reach Tier 4?

"Now, what do you think will happen to her potential if she's riding your coattails? How do you think she'll feel if you 'hand' it to her?" Refix raised his eyebrows at his son.

Reivyn stopped and considered the issue.

"The System won't recognize my efforts as hers..." Reivyn realized. "Sure, she'll get a boost just because of what she's doing, but it won't be entirely hers."

"And she might resent you for it," Refix pointed out. "It's a balancing act. You'll have to learn to support her in this endeavor instead of lead her. There's nothing wrong with being a strong leader, but sometimes you have to take a step back and let her do it. From what you've told me about her, and from what I've seen on my own, she should be perfectly capable of doing so."

"Thanks for the reminder, dad," Reivyn said soberly. "Even when considering the options for helping her, I was still being a bit selfish, wasn't I?"

"No, don't think like that," Refix denied. "Wanting the best for your significant other, even if it benefits yourself, is never selfish. There are no true altruistic people or motives. Everyone gets something for the things they do, or they wouldn't do them without coercion. You weren't being selfish, you were just being a bit short-sighted."

"Got it. I still have a lot to learn from you."

"Of course you do! Who am I?" Refix struck a pose.

Reivyn rolled his eyes and playfully shoved his father's shoulder. They both broke out into laughter. Their congenial attitude didn't negatively affect the mercenary soldiers. Showing such a relaxed manner actually had the affect of keeping the men relaxed, too.

The officers stayed with their platoons, and Reivyn and Refix stayed a bit back, separate from the others. He didn't need to be standing in the front to catch the first glimpse of either allied or enemy soldiers with the scouts out.

They stood in their position for about twenty minutes before one of the scouts came by to announce the last allied company approaching their position. Reivyn acknowledged the report and sent the man back out to resume his duties. They didn't have to wait much longer before the last company came into view.

They weren't Marching at consistent, steady pace. The company was jogging in double-time, but Reivyn could see that it wasn't too much for them to handle from his position.

"Make way!" Reivyn ordered.

The officers commanded their platoons to step to the side so the soldiers could pass along the road without interference. The company commander split off from the troops as they passed, and they stopped jogging to resume a normal Marching pace.

"Probably about ten minutes behind us," the other captain informed Reivyn. "They're coming, but like before, they're not really pressing the attack."

"I see," Reivyn said. "Thanks for the information. We'll make sure you and your men can have a safe journey from here on out."

"Thanks. See you at the city in a few hours."

The captain returned to his position leading his men. Reivyn watched them pass for a moment. He could see that they were tired and covered in sweat, but they weren't exhausted like everyone had been earlier. Stopping at the river had really recharged everyone's energy. If they hadn't had a good spot to stop and rest, they might have eventually been overrun by the advancing invaders. As it was, they had a good chance of getting away, for now.

"All right," Reivyn called the officers over. "The captain said they're about ten minutes away and not really pushing to catch up. We'll sit tight for six or seven minutes, then start are own leap-frog down the road. There's no reason to wait for them to catch up to us if we don't have to.

"First and Second Platoons will turn and March half a mile down the road before setting up another position, then Third and Fourth Platoons will follow. We'll keep that up for an hour or so, and if we don't see the enemy by that time, we'll pack it up and head straight to the city."

"Yes, sir!" The officers responded.

Fighting battles is a great way to get Experience, but this battle should be over, Reivyn thought. If we don't have to fight, we won't. Getting everyone's mind straight and reset should be the priority.

The men waited patiently just in case the information wasn't accurate or if the enemy for some reason decided to pick their pace up. After the awaited time, Reivyn ordered the troops to start moving. With their Physical Stats, they could cover half a mile, even in formation while Marching and not running or jogging at double-time, in just a couple minutes. They would be cutting it close, but Reivyn was confident they wouldn't have to engage the enemy.

Once First and Second Platoon reached their next position, it would be a never-ending leap-frog that wouldn't cost them any time, and if the enemy wasn't pressing forward, it was only a matter of time before they left them behind.