The Foolhardies 85 Master and Commander

To the east were the seventy thousand strong army of the Magesong Clan. They'd started this war with over a hundred thousand soldiers, but our side had made them bleed for every inch forward they tried to take.

Standing on the west side of the field was our sixty thousand strong Darah Army. Just based on the numbers, we were at a disadvantage. But there was more to warfare than quantity. And in a world where almost anything was possible, the quality of soldiers mattered. This was especially true of our generals. Leading our side was the enigmatic Iron Fist Darah, the Great General of the Trickster Pavilion who had decided that tonight she would lead our army from the front.

"No need to look nervous, Hundred-Man Commander," chuckled the man astride the brown swifthart to my right. "General Darah already approved your plan."

"The plan won't work if she's going out herself, sir," I reasoned.

I was sitting comfortably on my own mount, a beautiful light green swifthart I'd very recently named Myth Chaser. I patted its neck and felt it quiver in contentment similar to a dog after a good belly rub.

"Nobody's going to come after some no-name hundred-man commander when a Great General is on the field," I finished.

"No-name?" General Thors raised one of his blonde eyebrows at me. "The boy touched with fire, isn't that what the enemy's calling you now?"  

"Doesn't hold as much weight as 'Iron Fist Darah' does it?" I replied, raising an eyebrow of my own at him.

Thors chuckled softly. "No, I guess not." He leaned over and patted my arm. "Do your best regardless. It's all anyone can ask."

Those simple words of encouragement coming from the most famous visere of the Trickster Pavilion were really all I needed for my spirits to lift.

I saluted Thors, and he returned my salute before riding away, heading back to the front of the center army where Darah must be.

"Did General Thors have any words of wisdom to impart?" asked a girl whose voice was like honey being poured into one's ears.

I glanced behind me and saw Aura leading her swifthart to my side.

My eyes wasted seconds examining my lieutenant's hooded face. Her golden half mask was newly polished. The eyes hidden behind them were bright with anticipation, mirrored by the half-smile playing on her pink lips.

Aura looked even more stunning than usual in her elven magician's robe with its metal neck guard and leaf-designed shoulder pauldrons. Her Hearthwood Staff was strapped to her back. The necklace I'd given her twinkled brightly between the folds of her breasts.

My eyes traveled down from Aura to her mount, a swifthart she'd named Starlight, although the beast's yellow-green fur resembled the sun and Aura's own golden locks more than the blue twinkle of a star.

"When you're done ogling me, Dean, I expect an answer to my question," Aura joked.

The playful way Aura said it made my cheeks burn. I hated how smug she sounded too.

"I-I wasn't ogling you… I was just making sure you were ready," I insisted, but even I could tell it was a lame lie.

If anything, my awkward response only served to widen Aura's smile.

"anyways," I attempted to change the topic, "He said we're good to go."

"Even with my aunt deciding to join the battle?" Aura asked.

"Y-yeah… Darah wants to force a confrontation with the enemy's great general." I faked checking that the straps of my breastplate were secure to my coat to avoid Aura's gaze. I didn't want to blush even more. "It'll be our job to make sure no one interferes."

Aura had gotten close enough to lean toward me, and I thought she smelled of something flowery. Perhaps lavender or rose, I couldn't really tell. Only that she smelled really good.

"So we're really picking a fight with the Dagger Spell group?" Aura asked.

Her voice brought me back to reality and away from llland.

Get it together, Dean. Now isn't the time to think about how pretty she is , my brain chided. "Y-yeah. Plan's the same. We cause enough noise to attract the attention of interested parties."

"Azuma and his master," Aura nodded. "We'll be ready for them this time."

Momentary anger flashed in Aura's eyes as she said this. I could relate. Like me, Aura wasn't around when our unit was decimated by our next opponent's ambush. She wanted payback for our dead comrades just as much as I did.

A rumbling sound reached my ears.

I turned away from Aura and sent my gaze forward, toward the front of our line where a single hand was raised in the air.

General Darah had finally shown herself, and the soldiers in front were celebrating her presence with a rousing call that cascaded all the way to us in the middle and beyond. But by the time it had reached the back line, the rumbling noise had grown to deafening cheers.

My own voice joined the crowd. Even Aura's cheer was just as loud. Collectively, our army yelled a single name to the heavens, "Dara~~ah!"

Only a great general like Darah could raise our morale to sky-high levels with no need for a speech. Words seemed unnecessary when just showing up made the soldiers feel invincible.

Our pump-up ritual went on for what seemed to me like hours. We were that caught up in it. But surely only minutes had passed before the cries of "Dara~~ah" died down and was replaced by a thunderous explosion that swept the opposite of the field.

The enemy's own cheering was so loud that even my mount seemed to cower back from the noise, forcing me to hold his reins tight to keep him steady. And from atop Myth Chaser, I saw it—the gray flag with its symbol of the outward-facing open palm—rising up at the very front of the enemy's lines. And right above this flag, astride a black pegasus with wings unfurled as it soared above the sky, was an elven warrior dressed all in shiny black.

The black pegasus circled around Spellweaver's flag as it descended to the earth. And as soon as their general touched ground, the enemy's cheers doubled in intensity until it seemed like an earthquake had sprung to life beneath our very feet, bringing with it a matching wave of uncertainty and fear that swept through the ranks of our Darah army.

Even more than the shaking underneath me, it was the quaking of my heart I worried over. I didn't consider myself a scaredy-cat, but I couldn't help but feel fear seep into me as I watched the enemy's rallying cry. Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click for visiting.

Darah must have sensed our army's growing unease because she'd ordered her personal guard to raise her own banners high above her.

The sight of the Iron Fist flying high above us was very effective. For me, it was like the earth had stopped shaking and all was finally still. My heart calmed.

There was, of course, a secondary effect. One that many soldiers in our army felt the need to voice out. And with the return of our morale, the cheers of "Dara~~ah" became ten times louder than before.

I leaned in toward Aura, did my best to ignore her intoxicating scent, and whispered in her ear, "Looks like your aunt's plan worked. Spellweaver's finally on the field."

Aura leaned in, our cheeks almost touching, replying with, "Hope you're ready… It'll be our turn once everyone's done beating their chests!"

No sooner had the words escaped her lips when the rallying cries cut off and all became quiet again. It was like the calm before the storm made a brief return right before the thunder rang. It was the two great generals who shattered the quiet.

Almost simultaneously, both Darah and Spellweaver raised their weapons high, and with a single word of "Charge!" initiated the beginning of the final night of this war.

Chapter end