Bankaku Nisei fretted over his lord's mission. Days of recon revealed the Tillers' terror. He could handle one, but three or four in formation would overwhelm him. The Rock-Shadow-Thunderlight Brigade's other three—Gensei, Kagei, Arakawa—could each down one or distract two. Against regular samurai, a five-man squad was needed to pin one Tiller. Good news: Tillers lacked elemental attacks, posing little threat to the camp's Protective Barrier, freeing up more fighters.
The recon phase was done—five kills were just appetizers. The main course was Khaenri'ah's tech-heavy forces, a tough chew.
"Anduin's gone," muttered Commander Lorrel, a haggard Khaenri'ahn noble knight in fine clothes, no longer wearing his ornate armor in the new camp. "He was off lately. Hope the next supply brings Mindcalm Incense—I'm losing it without it."
"Take care, Commander," a subordinate urged. "You're needed for the dig."
Lorrel, leading Tsurumi's expedition, had underestimated the island. Beyond thick fog, monsters thrived—how, with no sun and half-dead trees? Only toxic, hallucinogenic fungi flourished. He inhaled his incense greedily. "Scholar progress? Decoded Moshiri Ceremonial Site's texts?"
"Uh, ask them yourself, sir," the knight hedged.
"Fine, fetch the expert," Lorrel said, tethered to his incense to stay sane.
The scholar, from an ancient Khaenri'ahn family but called simply "Expert" here, arrived. "Bad news," he said. "Moshiri's not the ancient civilization we sought—just a centuries-old Tsurumi worship site."
"Good news?" Lorrel raised a brow.
"We found a true ancient ruin nearby, low on flora, so fewer monsters. Tiller squads cleared a section, uncovering valuable texts and relics. We're restoring them."
"Get those to Khaenri'ah," Lorrel snapped, sensing the scholars' greed. "Logistics will handle it."
"Who's there?" He swung his sword at nothing, startling the Expert.
"What?" the Expert asked, feigning curiosity, annoyed at the posturing.
"Maybe a fiend," Lorrel muttered. "Felt eyes on us. Tsurumi's fiends are brutal—last time, those talismans saved us."
The Expert touched his still-cool talisman, unconvinced.
"Got the lay," Bankaku reported. "The leader, Lorrel, is a high-ranking knight, likely a merit noble, alchemically enhanced, no Vision. One System, Ten Thousand Minds rates him LV56+, slightly above me but not by much. Other knights—fifty-plus, LV20+, standard for Khaenri'ah. Scholars, weaker, around thirty, but some wield potent spellbooks and artifacts. Roughly twenty Tillers, some questionable, and three Heavy Units—one damaged, not at full strength."
"Their force is formidable, but not invincible," he continued. "Seven small hilichurl tribes and three large ones surround them. Lure those, and Khaenri'ahns take heavy losses. Four or five fiends nearby—two strong, the rest weak—also exploitable."
"Let's plan," he began.
"Wait!" a samurai interrupted, relaying Reisen Riou's message. "Khaenri'ah's reinforcements are coming—lots of Tillers. Hold off."
Bankaku paused, then nodded. "Shift to routine assassinations. We wait for confirmation." A surprise army would be trouble.