After a few minutes of waiting for everyone to arrive, Alistair turned to address the newly gathered platoon.
"I believe we"re all here, so let"s get started. Crowsea Platoon"s mission is to a.s.sault a goblin base hidden to the north of Stillwood Forest, just at the southern tip of Lichfrost Forest. The reports we"ve gotten make it clear that this is going to be one of the hardest bases to a.s.sault. There is at least one hobgoblin commander, as well as numerous elite, soldier-cla.s.s goblins stationed at the base. We shall be teleporting to a point just south of Lichfrost Forest, roughly a twenty minute march from the base. From there, we shall march to the base, obtain any doc.u.ments in the commander"s possession, and then burn it to the ground. In order for this plan to succeed, the base must be destroyed and as many goblins as possible must be slain. They will show no mercy, and neither will we," Alistair explained, catching the eyes of the onlooking militia.
"As for the division of duties, the Nova.n.a.lba Elite Scouts 7th Division will be the vanguard, lead by me. We will take responsibility for eliminating the hobgoblin commander and also for tackling the elite soldier-cla.s.s goblins," said Alistair, gesturing to the men and women who surrounded him. "The militia will be the rearguard. It is your responsibility to ensure that we do not get flanked, and to prevent any goblins from escaping. Once the vanguard has entered the base, we will head to secure the command centre. The militia will be tasked with guarding us as we do so. Is that all understood?"
An affirmative roar swept through the field as the militia and scouts voiced their approval.
"Good! Militia, you will be under the command of Lieutenant Keeneye here - he will divide you into squads for the upcoming battle. Sergeants Scarcheek, Greenbranch, I need to speak with you."
Splitting off from the other scouts, a familiar face walked towards Eric and the other militia members.
"Can I get all archers and mages to stand over here," said Owin, addressing the militia.
With a sly smile, Eric walked over, giving the Lieutenant a quick salute. Seeing Eric, a flash of recognition entered Owin"s eyes.
"Sup," Eric mouthed.
"We"ll talk after," Owin mouthed back.
Giving Owin an almost imperceptible nod, Eric stood in place, waiting for the other mages and archers to arrive. Working quickly, Owin split the militia into squads of five, doing his best to group each squad according to their strengths. Jun, Astrid, Rob, Tanix, and another archer that Eric didn"t recognize were designated the ranged squad, leaving Eric to be placed in a normal squad with melee fighters. Fortunately for Eric, this meant that he was placed with Ryan and Zwei, as well as Seryllia, who both Eric and Ryan gave a large berth. Kifax Catclaw, the adventurer who"d lost to Jun, was the final member of Squad Four. As the highest ranked militia member in the squad, Eric was made the leader of Squad Four, much to Seryllia"s displeasure.
As Owin finished a.s.signing the last of the militia to squads, he beckoned towards Eric. "Kystfyr, come with me for a moment."
Receiving surprised looks from the rest of the militia, Eric walked over towards Owin, who led him a little ways away from the rest of the militia. Breaking into a smile, Owin clapped Eric heavily on the back.
"I can"t believe we get to meet again so soon. You ready to get revenge on Wylls" killers?" Owin asked.
"You know it. Did I hear you were promoted? I could have sworn you were Sergeant Keeneye the last time we met," Eric replied, returning Owin"s smile with a grin of his own.
"Sure did. I was promoted for my efforts in getting that scouting report to the militia despite great personal risk," Owin recited, mimicking the actions tone of the officer who had promoted him.
"Congratulations, you"ll have to buy me a drink for that later," Eric said with a wink.
"Survive this and we"ll talk," Owin laughed, dismissing Eric back to his squad.
As Eric regrouped with Ryan and the others, Alistair finished his discussion with the scouts. Turning to his men, Alistair addressed the platoon.
"Alright! We head for the teleport circle and then onto Lichfrost. Crowsea platoon, move out!" Alistair cried, marching north as the scouts banded together in formation, making to follow their commander. The militia followed along behind in a far looser formation, chatting with their fellows and eyeing the scouts nervously. Alistair led the platoon towards a cleared out area to the northeast of Vindammer Town. There, they were met by a squad of mages, each one wearing navy blue robes with an icy stone on the front that showed their status as mages of the Rimefrost Circle.
"Captain Alistair," one of the mages spoke, stepping forward to give a salute.
"Reynus, we"ll be heading out first."
"Of course, what"s your destination?" Reynus asked.
"HMNSU Teleport Circle 902, Stillwood Forest Exterior," Alistair replied crisply.
"For one hundred people?"
"Ninety-six. We"ve had a few deserters."
"Mmmmh. Right this way, please instruct your platoon to stand in the circle and move as little as possible."
Following their captain"s lead, the Crowsea Platoon followed Alistair into a large stone circle, engraved with countless runes all across its glossy surface. Strangely enough, despite being outdoors, the circle showed no signs of being weatherworn at all, with a look that would not have been out of place inside a historical monument such as the Taj Mahal.
As the last militia member stepped onto the circle, the head mage raised his hands, directing the other mages to various points just outside the circle.
"Ninety-six people to HMNSU Teleport Circle 902, Stillwood Forest Exterior. Begin casting," Reynus barked, his hands weaving an intricate pattern as numerous runes began to appear in front of him. With practiced movements, the other mages followed his example, each concentrating as they deftly wove arcane formations into the air in front of them. Eric only recognized a few of the runes in pa.s.sing, such as the Wind rune as the mages completed their task. With a look of satisfaction, Reynus finished his last rune. Checking to make sure that his colleagues were ready, he gave Alistair a calm look.
"Good luck," Reynus said simply.
With that, the runes engraved in the stone circle flared to life. A blinding light emerged from below as the runes in front of the mages were absorbed into the stone circle. Closing his eyes tightly, Eric had a sudden sensation of weightlessness, similar to when he"d been teleported by Arthal back in the tutorial.
With a soundless roar, the light disappeared as quickly as it had arrived. Feeling his feet hit solid rock once more, Eric opened his eyes. Straining slightly to rid his vision of remnant flashes of light, Eric attempted to make out where they were. The first clue to their new location was the steady drip of water onto rock. Looking around, Eric could just barely make out an unlit cavern, only dimly illuminated by the fading runes of the teleportation circle below.