The Achievement Junkie 246 Reinforcements???

Everyone made sure to release their beast companions, passing the time together and strengthening their bonds little by little. Though they had given the command to stay quiet and vigilant, the beasts had no problems with that. If anything, it helped to have their highly attuned senses keep everyone on edge in the case that they were discovered.

The only beast that had to go back inside of storage was Appa, who would've been easily noticed given time. He was well fed and then sent back in until the time came for them to leave or there was enough space to roam free.

Passing the time together with Bowzer and the other beasts definitely helped Jack loosen up. He still had some worries, but Jack was able to overlook those while watching Bowzer and the Flame Tiger wrestle. Neither of the two beasts could use their flames but the two seemed to be getting along better and better by the hour. By dinner they seem to be best friends, always wrestling and testing each other when they least expected.

That night Rydel took the night watch once again. Both he and Jack would take turns in order to make sure they were always at peak awareness.

After the sun was long set a message woke up the newly slumbering Jack. 'I'm to the northeast of camp. Hurry over here.'

Not wasting a moment Jack scrambled to his feet and hurried to find Rydel, was high in the trees overlooking the makeshift path toward the army within the mountain pass.

Once Jack was at his side, Rydel began to recount what happened up to that point. 'It seems a small group is making their way to the mountain pass. There are only three of them but they're scattered about thirty meters apart from each other. It's likely that their delivering supplies without risking extra troops, at least not until the army has the supplies to move on its own and meet the other troops elsewhere.'

'So you think the reinforcements are camping somewhere else?' asked Jack.

'That's exactly what I think. They don't know who caused that disturbance and they don't know how large of a force we have. It makes sense for them to resupply and gather elsewhere, somewhere we wouldn't know about.' Rydel grabbed the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. Light groans were made as he pondered and pondered about where the reinforcements might be.

Jack began to feel tense but he also noticed that the veteran hunter was even more riled up than he was.

After a couple of minutes, Rydel's eyes shot open. 'If I were them I would want to meet somewhere not too far from the border yet still hidden. It has to be somewhere they can access quickly. I'm guessing that they're not too worried about us finding them within a few days, but rather immediately…'

'Aren't there a few border towns near here? You think the Limneer army would be willing to risk a town's safety in order to quickly hide reinforcements?'

'I'm not sure. It would have to depend on the general's decision. If he's cutthroat, then yes he would be willing to. Sadly, I didn't have much time while in disguise and wasn't unable to learn enough about him to be sure of that.'

'Then should we take out these three?'

Rydel shook his head. 'I don't think so. For all we know they're not even carrying anything and are only testing us. If we attack them, we'll be revealing our location and may become subject to an ambush. I'd much rather find the reinforcements before they gather.'

Jack scratched his head. 'Then what should we do about this army? Do you think we should just leave it be?'

'Why not set a few traps and see if we can stall for more time?' reasoned Rydel. 'We wouldn't need a lot of them. We'll only need to set a few magic formations that are large and explosive. So long as we set enough to guarantee that at least one trap goes off, then the army will be forced to delay further and scan the area for more traps before departure.'

'Not bad… We can get Daliea after this and have her get started immediately,' stated Jack.

'Way ahead of you.' Daliea's voice sounded out in Jack's mind, both startling him and causing him to smile.

'We've already been talking,' explained Rydel. 'By tomorrow afternoon we should be ready to start looking for the reinforcements.'

'Since you're already so prepared, where's the first place we'll go to search for the reinforcements?' Jack asked the focused Hunter.

'Well… We should definitely check the nearby towns. If the general's really daring, then we may have to check a couple of cities. We'll have to play things very carefully because even after the traps the army will only be delayed for an extra day. Then, that army is sure to meet up with reinforcements and attack Trodar before they suffer any serious casualties from their unknown enemy.'

'In other words, it can only get harder from here…' rephrased Jack. 'I guess each day will cost us more and more effort. At least we don't need to buy Trodar a week, but five days is still… difficult to manage.'

A halfhearted chuckle made Jack look back at Rydel. 'You know, anything could be waiting for us in those reinforcements. For all we know, a small band of reinforcements might be even more terrifying than that five thousand man army.'

'That's what I'm afraid of…'

'Well, that's what we agreed to. There is no reward worth any effort without some kind of risk. The reward of defeating Limneer won't be so easy to earn. Thousands of people have already risked their lives or lost them for such this cause, so why not ours. Compared to most members of the Trodan army we have a higher chance of survival behind enemy lines than they do on the battlefield.'

Mulling over Rydel's words, Jack again scratched his head. That thought made him feel a bit better about the task at hand but it also confirmed his worries. Nervously, Jack looked into the distance in the direction of the nearest town. 'I'm finally starting to understand why some people are willing to be so cruel…'

Curious, Rydel asked, 'Really? Why is that?'

'Some generals find it easier to be cruel toward an enemy population than it is to sacrifice the lives of their soldiers…'

'So you had the same idea, huh? But would you be willing to do that? Would you be able to live with that on your conscience?'

Jack took a deep breath. 'I… I don't know…'

'Then think of it this way. If you're willing to sacrifice a few hundred or a couple of thousand lives of your enemy, then you can guarantee that each of us will live through this,' reasoned Rydel. 'That's why only the most cutthroat people are allowed to lead the war effort. It would be the first time that Trodar's done this, but Limneer was the first to do it. Remember what happened to me and my family? It would only make sense to return the favor.'

As Rydel was getting more riled up, Jack got quieter and quieter. The hunter continued to ramble on about the many families he knew that were trapped inside of burning villages on Trodar's borders when Limneer first attacked. Limneer had always been the most aggressive and still was. Them seeking aid from Sandros already proved that.

Eventually, Rydel paused. 'So… What you plan to do, Jack?'

No answer was given. The moment passed as Jack slowly climbed down the tree and walked back toward the campsite.

Chapter end