Ravi had always loved the view of the fields of Argog. Prestence, which is a large village nearing the bordering towns of the kingdom, has been one of the most breathtaking he remembers seeing. The way the sun hit the golden wheat fields made them glisten like a shining wave when the light breeze blew through them. He remembered the tree’s in the distance that stood as sentinels providing coverage from the wilds..
Now those fields are stained with blood and viscera from beasts. Ravi peered out of the window of his carriage, an old longing tugging at his heart as he watched his guards do battle with a contingent of snakelike beasts that each seemed to be at least ten feet in length. In what seemed like a lifetime ago he would have been on the battlefield shoulder to shoulder against these beasts. At their rear stood a minotaur, an actual minotaur. Those aren’t indigenous to Argog and are rarely seen in these lands. Its horns glowed a tint of green which coincided with attacks by the snakes.
Fascinating, Ravi blurted out
What was that sir? A pale faced youth wearing black robes with green trim along with the crest of the Argog kingdom on the right breast.
Do you not find this interesting Jopeth? The way this Minotaur is controlling these snake beasts? In all my years I have never seen one of their kind display any abilities in the control series. They are usually the minions of more advanced beasts. I would love it if we had the time to examine the corpse, Ravi said writing into his notes.
Sure,sure.. I’m sure there is some text on this we could research. Jopeth said, he had stopped listening halfway through Ravi’s response
Jopeth was one of Ravi’s most dedicated assistants. The only problem, at least for Ravi, is that Jopeth was more of a true scribe in that he was more comfortable in scrolls and books than any practical application. When Ravi informed his three assistants that he would be travelling to the Kyreb kingdom he was initially surprised that Jopeth volunteered, he normally was so engrossed in reading that Ravi had to drag him by the collar and force him to interact with his contemporaries or perform his assistant duties. Ravi would rather have had Samith who was constantly asking for opportunities to perform experiments and dissect events. He would have loved this giving Ravi something to share his excitement with.
Opening the window Ravi yells, Captain!! Captain!!!
An annoyed older man wearing black pants, shirt and sash with the Argog crest as well as other badges. His gray hair was curled at medium length. He had a refined officer air and looked as if he belonged around kings rather than in the field. Ravi assumed his frustration had more to do with this battle being an interruption than anything else. It was well known throughout the capital that although Captain Chenlain was a capable leader and captain he was more suited for diplomacy. In reality he spent more time leading diplomatic caravans than actually seeing battle as most of the Argog army and commanders did. His squad also rarely did any dungeon training runs. Now with the kingdom's circumstances as they were he was forced to trade the lap of luxury for the field. This was the first time since the world changed that he was tabbed to lead this type of mission again. In reality his squad would never have had to face this type of battle as an S ranker would have been accompanying the delegation. Any fighting they would have done would have been clean up work. Chenlain himself had a dual role because not only was he a military captain but he was also a spy who once his charges were safely at their destination was tasked to use his special talents to beguile the opposite sex on either someone from the royal houses or servants with ears to the ground. In that he was extremely successful, using his unusual good looks and seductive voice to wiggle his way into their beds and loosen their tongues. So being on a battlefield was not on Captain Chenlain’s list of favorite things to do. In this he was singular in an army of what could be only described as bloodthirsty warriors.
What is it scribe? Chenlain said in his deep baritone voice.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Well I thought you would be interested in knowing that your strategy is not optimal for a quick victory here, Ravi said.
Looking even more annoyed, the captain glared at him with a deadly stare which brought out wrinkles that made Ravi understand what those women saw in him.
What do you mean scribe? Chenlain emphasised the title “Scribe” with a tone of near disdain while somehow still giving off a respectful tone.
Ravi was at awe with the duality of this man. Clearly he had no respect for the office Ravi held but at the same time his diplomatic abilities somehow made Ravi feel at ease with the way he spoke to him. Normally a scowl would be on his face as he readied a sharp reply but he could feel nothing but peace in this conversation. He knew some sort of skill or ability must be at work but he couldn’t find it within himself to be offended for some reason. He needed to research this when he had a chance.
Well Captain, you see the man over there. Ravi said pointing at a young man with blonde hair showing out of the bottom of the back of his helmet.
My Master Strategist ability, Ravi placed extra emphasis on the “Master” part of the title, tells me that he would do better engaging the Minotaur while those three, He pointed to three burly men that stood taller than most, work to create an opening. They should be able to hold the line while the rest of your squad picks off the divided force. The actual danger is that Minatour, once it's gone I believe you won't have much of a fight.
Why him? The captain asked this time with less annoyance.
I don’t really know. I suspect I would have to get to know them more to get more insight into their skills. All I can see now is that my info on him is one of one hundred. This is the plan the system highlighted as the best possible tactic, Ravi said
Since the fight had begun Ravi could see certain men covered in either a red or green aura, which is how he would describe it. Focusing on one or the other played a series of scenarios in which he saw what he assumed were possible outcomes of actions. He had watched it play out as long as he did to make sure his intuition was correct. As he focused on the young blonde man a white aura surrounded him leading to the scenario he reported being laid out. Focusing even more showed a number next to each of the men and one of one hundred was the total for each individual. Trying to learn more left a slight headache with the numbers flashing deep red the harder he tried. Focusing on either Jopeth or Captain Chenlain revealed no aura, Ravi assumed that meant neither had any positive impact on any potential strategy.
Jogra fall back for a moment, Chenlain yelled,
The young man dodged a strike and fell back as other soldiers filled the gap that was left.
Hydra, buster formation, Jogra the Minotaur is your mark. Go now.
The squad flowed like water, filling gaps and creating a hole in the middle of the line for the three bruisers to attack. They fought like madmen slashing and hacking their way past the snake beasts. As they broke free they switched to defending Jogra’s back in a triangle formation as Jogra took off in a run. Wide eyed the Minatour grasped an axe that appeared out of nowhere. It took off at a gallop towards the oncoming attacker. A flash of light blinded Ravi’s vision for a moment. When clarity returned the beast was on the ground unmoving. The snake beasts still standing either lashed out wildly or retreated. This gave the other soldiers the needed opening to completely eradicate the remaining snake beasts.
Well imagine that, Chenlain said as he began walking away, well done scribe. No rest now soldiers, let's get any loot and skin those snakes. We eat well tonight…
This time the title was said with less disdain, bringing a slight smirk to Ravi’s face.
