Touch of Fate 128 Catching the Signals

She moved out of the way, as a troop of soldiers pushing a small covered wagon nearly ran her over in their haste to meet the Viscount's tight schedule. The wagon vibrated slightly as the beast inside it shifted in its sleep.

"My lord, are you sure this is a wise idea? The University is rather well defended. What should we do if we can't capture our targets?" She asked hesitantly.

"Don't worry. Even in the event of abject failure, some of our objectives will still be achieved." He gave a short laugh at his own joke.

"That's not really what I am worried about."

He shrugged, "Our forces have already infiltrated. The University's defenses should be compromised. Any serious resistance should be quashed before we even make landfall. So long as the students themselves don't put up too much of a fight, it should be a simple matter."

Frowning, she asked, "Isn't that a valid concern? There is an entire department dedicated to training those students into future military officers."

Resting his hands on the railing, the Viscount stared out at the ocean for a moment before looking back at her. "Those students, for the most part, have never known war. They have never seen battle. When we come upon them like the righteous vengeance of an angry god, they will break. Especially since the instructors should be largely taken care of by then."

[But what about the students that have seen battle?]

Tanya was still uneasy, but decided that she would just hope for the best. "Very well, my lord. When do you wish to depart?"

He tapped his chin with one finger, deep in thought. "Our friends should have the Almiran navy occupied by now, so within the hour would be best. We should be able to reach the University by noon. With any luck, our other agents will have completed their tasks by then, so it should come as a complete surprise."

She was about to reply, when the beating of heavy wings drew her attention. She saw five small specks in the sky, which gradually grew larger as the creatures approached.

"Sounds like our other friends are almost here."

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Mike woke the next day feeling rested and reenergized. Uncharacteristically, Audra was up before him, rolling playfully in the folds of his cloak. This bothered him slightly, since the garment was hanging from a hook last night, at least until a mischievous dragon pulled it down.

He walked over and lifted a corner of the cloak until he could see a curious head peeking out.

Audra gave a high pitched chirp, which could be roughly translated as 'hungry!' before launching herself awkwardly up into her favorite spot on his shoulder.

Giving the troublemaker a scratch behind the head, Mike walked into the kitchen to find something to assuage the ever present hunger of his familiar.

After a while the other three woke and congregated in the living room.

"Thanks," Mike said, accepting a cup of tea from Tal, "So what's the plan for the day? We don't have classes, but there is some sort of gathering taking place at five bells. Would you be interested in going?"

"This is the one with the airship, right?" Brenden asked while lying down on the couch in a laconic manner. "I'd like to see it."

"Agreed." Tal chimed in.

"When you say gathering, do you mean some kind of school hosted party?" Sera asked.

"It sounded a bit like a picnic. We're supposed to meet in central campus. There'll be food, and some kind of naval demonstration."

"Was there an established dress code?"

Mike thought back to the classroom, trying to remember what his instructor said. "I think he mentioned something about not having to wear a uniform, but making sure you have appropriate attire on."

She got up and started pacing, "I think I already know the answer to this, but what were you planning on wearing?"

"I figured I would just wear some of the clothes we got the other day." He said, slightly defensively.

She nodded, "There were a few casual outfits in that selection that would fit the occasion. However, now that I think about it, we have nothing appropriate for Broderick's gathering."

"I don't think he'd care too much about what we were wearing. He said it was supposed to be an informal occasion."

"He is from a ducal house. If we showed up looking like vagabonds, it would be an insult to our host. None of us have anything fitting…No choice, we have to go shopping this morning."

A small chorus of groans sounded from the male members of the group.

"Can't we go some other time? I was looking forward to having an easy morning." Mike complained.

"We don't know how long the event in central campus will take, but it might last until evening. All the best stores will be closed by then. Tomorrow will be fully occupied with my request, since I can't afford to delay it any further. Since I can't trust you to pick out your outfit on your own, now is the best time."

"Ugh, fine…." He reluctantly agreed.

"We need to move quick if we want to make it back in time. Come on!" She urged them up and started forcing them out the door.

The Oracle essentially dragged the three of them through the gates of the university, and into a rented carriage. They spent close to three hours wandering the various stores geared towards the nobility before rushing back to campus to change in a hurry.

"I still don't see why I needed three new outfits for this weekend. It's not like I'm going to change clothes in the middle of it." Mike commented as he buckled his sword belt into place, before attaching the new steel longsword he'd purchased. Apparently, it was considered a minor faux pas for nobles to not be armed when out in public.

"Because, we don't know when you'll be invited to another event, and we need you to look the part. If you show up in the same outfit twice, people will assume you are too poor to clothe yourself properly, and judge you accordingly." Sera's voice called from the other room, where she was getting ready.

Mike sighed. He looked himself over in the mirror. His grey tunic with dark blue highlights and black pants made him looked older than he was. Or at least older than his body was. He decided to leave his cloak behind, guessing that it would stand out a bit too much in the summer heat.

"Ready?" He asked Brenden, who had just finished slinging his own sword over his back. He was dressed in elaborate brown leathers, since it had been decided he was too rough around the edges to play the part of a noble himself. As such he would take on the persona of a bodyguard or militant servant, something that suited him just fine.

The beastman just nodded lackadaisically. Mike could tell that his enthusiasm for the event had waned dramatically since being forced to participate in a shopping trip.

"Cheer up. At least there will be free food." He said while heading out to the entry way.

Brenden gave him a dirty look. "You know, technically, all the food here is free because of your scholarship."

"That's the spirit." Mike replied, since he was distracted by Tal exiting her room.

She was wearing a forest green sundress which accentuated her long legs. Her hair was done up with a green crystal pin, showing off the graceful curve of her neck and her pointed ears.

[A little on the nose for an elf to be wearing green, but it does suit her. Although, she could do with some jewelry. Now that I think about it, I wonder if there is some kind of accessory making skill.]

"Well?" She asked simply.

"You look great!" He answered with a thumbs up. A gesture that confused the other two in the hallway.

Brenden smiled and nodded his support of Mike's statement, before going back to looking miserable about the whole affair.

Sera exited next, wearing a slightly more formal dress, which matched the blue of her eyes. Clear crystal pendulum earrings adorned her ears, while her long, silver hair was tied back with an ornate sapphire hair clip. She stood several centimeters taller than usual due to her elaborate heels, however, this merely put her close to the same height as Tal, slightly shorter than Mike, and significantly shorter than Brenden.

"What do you think?" She asked, looking embarrassed.

[Not bad at all, although she still looks a bit like an awkward teenager on her way to a dance.] Mike thought to himself as he stared at the Oracle, enjoying the sight of her blushing furiously under his silent gaze.

Finally, she'd had enough, and threw a weak punch at him. "Say something, idiot!"

"That dress suits you. You look very pretty." He said sincerely.

She paused for a second, as her blush extended to the tops of her ears. Mumbling something that sounded like 'took you long enough,' she pushed past him into the hallway.

"Let's go! The party is starting soon." She called, already moving. Chuckling, Mike followed in her wake.

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Sergeant Gregory yawned intensely. The summer heat was beginning to get to him, and he wanted nothing so much as to lay down in the shade of a nearby tree. Unfortunately, he was in charge of guarding one small section of the northern perimeter while the rest of the army forded the river.

His captain had given him strict orders to keep a wary eye out, since the Almirans were at their most vulnerable right now, something that the seasoned campaigner was very aware of.

Unfortunately, the work had slowed down immensely when one of the heavy supply wagons had become mired in the slow flowing river, blocking up traffic. It had taken two Earth Mages the better part of three hours to finally get the thing moving.

By that point, the heat of the day had set in, and the soldiers, exhausted by their hard march up to this point, understandably started dozing off, much to the consternation of their officers.

Gregory yawned again. While he understood why his superiors had him stand out in the woods, he was ready for their relief to arrive.

The Tennundians were supposedly to the south and west, so it would be unusual to see them on the north eastern side. Neverthless, his commandera had scouts combing the woods, just to be safe.

Although, now that he thought about it, he hadn't seen the scouts in his sector report back in a while, something that made him a little uneasy.

Private Kenny, who had been standing next to him, jerked awake, having nearly fallen asleep on his feet. Rubbing his face, he spoke sleepily, "How much longer you think it's going to be, Sarge? At this rate we'll be missing lunch as well as breakfast."

Gregory sighed, "Could you think with something above the neck, for a change? We'll be done when we're done, and not a minute sooner."

Kenny scratched his neck where a few days of scraggly beard growth had been left untrimmed. He would probably never be able to grow a decent beard, but that never stopped the young man from trying. "That's all well and good, Sarge, but what if I pass out from the heat and hunger, and the Tens launch a sneak attack or something? I could be strung up for failing my duties. You wouldn't want me to get strung up, would you, Sarge?"

"If it would get you to shut up for a moment, I'd build the scaffold myself." He growled, but tossed the younger man an apple he'd been saving anyway. "Now quit complaining and keep an eye out. The scouts are running late, and I have a bad feeling about all this."

"Roger that, Sarge." Kenny replied with a gap toothed grin before promptly engrossing himself in eating the apple, to the exclusion of all else.

Gregory sighed. This new generation was hardly worth the trouble of training them.

A snap of branches brought his attention back to the woods in front of him, and he locked gazes with a humanoid figure, right as it released a thrown javelin.

Relying on instincts honed from years of battle, he dropped and rolled to his side, grabbing the signal horn hanging from his neck at the same time. The javelin flew through the space he had just been occupying.

For a moment the veteran and the thrower simply stared at one another. Gregory realized he was looking at an unusually well-armed orc that bore the typical markings of the Skulltaker tribe. When the bushes surrounding the orc started to move as well, he knew it was time to run.

[An orc raid, from the looks of it. Although, I don't know why they would try to attack an army our size.]

Kenny was staring slack jawed at something, apple forgotten, so, after getting to his feet, Gregory pulled the fool behind a tree.

He took a deep breath and sounded the horn, its piercing cry resounding through the river valley. As soon as he stopped, he heard the sounds of answering horns from the other sentries.

"We've done our part, Kenny. Let's fall back and join up with the others….what are you staring at?" Gregory asked, following the private's gaze. He felt his own jaw fall slack at the sight of it.

A veritable tidal wave of orcs was streaming out of the trees. It looked like an entire army of them had descended from the Ash Mountains. Gregory could hear the sounds of combat as the orcs slammed into the hastily formed Almiran lines.

Signal horns sounded from the other side of the river, catching his attention. In the distance he could see another group assaulting the lead elements of the army.

He felt his heart sink. This situation had all the hallmarks of a crushing defeat.

So obvious was this fact, that even Kenny seemed to realize it, since the private turned towards him with tears in his eyes. "It's been an honor, Sarge."

Gregory just nodded with a sad smile, hand tightening on the grip on his sword, as he listened to the orcs draw nearer.

Chapter end