The convoy was prepared. A column of eight wagons.
Ria rode on her horse. Her light leather armour.
A cloak cloak over her. Her hood lowered.
Rapier and musket hoisted on her belt.
She rode down the convoy, accounting for the contents.
"Let's see. Musket shots. Gun powder. Swords and armour. Medical supplies. Bean paste. That's half a week's worth of supplies for the troops."
At the back of the convoy. Ella stood in front of her own wagon.
Ria could reach her hips.
"Our own supplies. I'm trusting you with this Ella. You and Hikari will be setting up shop in the city of Carla soon. The two of you eat a literal ton. You're going to have to bring your food stocks forward."
"Yes, my lady"
Ella's voice was sweet. It rang in Ria's ears.
"Um.. well.. That's good."
Ria rode back to the front of the convoy where Hikari was.
She just about reaches the top of the giantess's boots while riding on horseback.
She looks up.
A baggy blanch outfit much like the ones the farmers wear.
Long sleeves. Covers her body from the neck down to her boots.
A pair of her throwing daggers strapped to her belt.
"Here we go. The start of another raid. Are you nervous Hikari?"
Her eyes turned downwards. Her usual cold expression.
"I'm ready."
"Not the least worried are you? That's what I like about you."
A brief smile on the giantess's face.
Ria wasn't able to see it from her angle.
Her lady positioned herself on the side of the road opposite to where Hikari and the wagons were.
A pair of RazenHeir knights formed up behind her.
"Here goes. Forward!"
She projected her tiny voice as far as she could.
The wheels creaked.
The wagons chattered as they moved.
Thud. Thud. The sound of her heavy boots on the gavel.
They moved north.
The wind was chilly.
They marched past a new farming patch that was just being cultivated.
The farmers seemed unusually well-built for the task.
"The assassins that attacked our compound in Escher. By Herdial law, they get about a year of hard labor. Sheela was generous in sharing them with us. We really needed the labor for the farms."
"Hmm?"
"Yes, I know you are not terribly pleased with that. But that's why thugs and assassins in Herdial generally use non-lethal means. Herda is known as the goddess of life after all. The garden city grows some of the most wondrous forms of it. If you're a hired sword, beating someone up doesn't get you onto the gallows."
"Ah."
Hikari turns her eyes to the assassins working in the fields.
They stiffened as she walked passed, turning away from her.
"Still, I'm surprised at how well behaved they are, I thought they might try to get away back to Herdial. We did put them through our jailors though. Oh and - "
Ria paused, her face turned a little red.
"I heard you spent some time with them. In the jail cells. You're really good at this aren't you?"
Hikari rolls her eyes away in embarrassment and turns her face slightly so that Ria couldn't see her face at this angle.
The sound of a galloping horse.
A cloaked figure on horseback rode up to Ria coming from the north.
"Scout master?"
"Greetings, my lady. It's good to see you on the frontlines."
"I hope you don't find me a burden."
"Haha! Not at all. The drillmaster sees that your physique has improved. You are an excellent shot. You might not believe it, but you can easily out match a ghoul now."
"You flatter me."
"Of course not. It would have been unwise to allow you on the frontlines if you can't defend yourself against one."
"Haha, I guess I have Hikari to thank for that."
The scout master nods.
He steers his horse into formation.
"The road ahead should be clear. With all those houses mobilized, this area is firmly under our control. Do expect the occasional ghouls though. It's not like we built a continuous wall along the whole border. A bunch of wooden sticks on the ground wouldn't stop them. But each of our knights could handle one or two on his own."
"I'm ready for that. Besides, we have Hikari here, don't we?"
"That may be true now. But you would have to traverse the roads without her."
"Oh, stop fawning over me like my father."
"He will have my head if anything were to happen to you. Think of it as him delegating the fawning to me."
"Continue your report."
Ria throws him an annoyed glare.
"The forward units have reached the Carla swamp. This is where we should expect casualties.
"Didn't we just clear out the swamps not too long ago? "
"'Not too long ago' is a long time my Lady. You remember the reason why the city was abandoned once there was no longer wealth to be found in the depths. Clear out the swamp. Conquer the swamp. Control the swamp. If we can't hold a land route into Carla. Transportation is too expensive. It loses its value as a zeppelin port."
"What of the roads? Surely something remains of the ones we built when fighting the cult of Eon."
"Gone. The wind rangers can still find the encampment sites on the edge by sniffing out items left there after that campaign. But nothing resembling a road was left. The swamp has completely claimed it."
"Oh dear, does my father know?"
"Of course he does, he was complaining to me non stop about the negotiations on the costs of reclearing a path forward."
"That's quite the hiccup. Are the houses having second thoughts about joining the raid now?"
"I doubt it. They would rather not have to send forces to the northern front. And then there's the VIP that's residing next door from our estate right now they might want to please."
"The Order of Silora? I'm curious too. They have yet to move out haven't they?"
"No. They won't get involved until the last stages of the campaign. Their abilities allow them to withstand the higher concentrations of the mist. It falls to the houses including us to clear the route leading up to that."
"I see. Do we have a map of where the presumed hive is?"
"No, we would have to first gain control of the Carla observatory. The telescoping equipment is prepared and waiting in Moradale. Loan agreements are signed. I doubt there's anything of value left in the observatory."
"This is going to be a long raid."
"We are just filling a supporting role, best not to let it occupy too much of your mind."
They crossed the last farm land into Carla territory.
Sparse forests on either side of the road.
Occasional watch towers and barricaded posts.
It had just rained. The ground was muddy and soft.
But the road was new.
It was only built due to recent necessity.
Up ahead they could see a city.
A proper town, several times the area of the expanded RazenHeir estate.
A ring of thick stone walls complete with battlements.
It had broken down at some points and the gate houses had been demolished.
"The town of Borsche. Or what we are now referring to as the forward post."
"Yes, the house that controlled the town. Who knew that they would be in cahoots with the cult of Eon. Look at what they brought. A prosperous territory turned into a warzone. How fares the town? It had been a while since I visited it."
"Gone forever. The officers and men had boarded up some buildings enough such that the rain didn't flood them in their sleep. The normal folks that survived had all gone south to us or to the east."
"Sad tale. I suppose the stone and wood that blocks the rain and ghouls are just about what we could call a sanctuary in these parts. I'm glad that our estate has yet to suffer this fate."
They approached the town.
Grr…
A growling sound.
Grr…
"Did you hear that?"
The scout master kept quiet.
He surveyed his surroundings, hands gripping the reins of his horse.
Grr…
Clank. Hikari drops the chains she was pulling.
Ria rode up to her.
"What's wrong Hikari?"
Hikari kept quiet.
Ria stared up at her confused.
"Watch out."
Rawr! A ghoul leapt out of the bushes towards Ria.
She froze, staring into the jaws of the creature.
Thud. A giant boot filled her field of view and knocked the ghoul away.
The RazenHeir knights draw their muskets.
"Ria."
Hikari's voice stayed their hand.
"Shoot it."
"Wha-? Me?"
Ria's hands were trembling on the reins.
The knights looked at each other.
"Yes."
She turned around and looked at the ghoul.
Hikari deliberately didn't kick it far.
It regained its balance quickly.
The mindless creature turns its glare to Ria.
It's jagged distorted teeth bared.
"Ria."
Her lady flinched.
Her hands reached for the left side of her belt but her musket was on her right.
She looked for it.
Her hand finally grabbed the handle.
It was stuck.
She tugged at it.
Thud.
The sound of Hikari kicking the ghoul.
Ria looked up.
Blood drained from her face as she watched the ghoul tumble on the ground.
She would have been dead.
"Focus."
She flinched at Hikari's voice.
Her hands were shaking.
She would have been dead even before she drew her weapon.
The mindless ghoul readies another charge.
Her heart was pounding.
"Ria."
Her hand grabbed her musket handle.
Her muscle memory clicked.
She pulled her master crafted musket and aimed at the ghoul.
It was preloaded.
She just had to pull the trigger.
Yet she struggles.
Grr… Rawr!
The ghoul lunged.
Hungry fangs bared.
Ria gripped the handle with both hands.
The ghoul was mid air.
It's dead eyes.
The scout master draws his sword.
Ria closed her eyes and squeezed the trigger.