09-13-2017, 11:02 AM
The bow militia was passable. Dane doubted they'd actually be able to aim proficiently, but he'd drilled the relevant angles into their heads. Any demons heading down that particular street would likely get hit by at least one of the men. That still didn't change the fact that, quite frankly, the men he had to work with were pretty crap. More suited for a town guard to make the populace think they're well protected than to actually proficiently fight something. Dane was very aware that his forces were intended to simply be a delay effort, and rooting through Ishmirs papers had confirmed that fact.
Dane did find it amusing how easily everyone obeyed him and marvelled that if this worked out, and he was able to successfully push forwards the claim that Ishmir and Drake's deaths were caused by the demons, they'd have no choice but to put him on the officer course. He found it strange how uncaring he was about the loss of two lives. Two people. He knew nothing about Drake or Ishmir's lives outside of how they operated within the military. There could be people missing them. He could have ruined the lives of other families as well.
Yet, he didn't care.
Nothing.
It was an efficient and beneficial way for him to deal with an issue. Drake's death was a shame, but it was also necessary. Ishmir's was a blessing to the world. An incompetent soldier, especially one with actual authority, was significantly more dangerous than any foe. Dane supposed that the only reason why Ishmir was able to maintain his rank was how he followed protocol to the letter. Although that was likely why he never reached a higher stage. Protocol didn't explain how to deal with more intricate situations like the one Dane was in right now, nor did it provide good instructions for dealing with civilians - just when and where to move them.
For textbook battle tactics, it was great. And for something like demons who likely wouldn't survive many battles, it was unlikely any would ever reach the point where they were able to abuse the limited and fixed ways Ishmir had to deal with them. That said, they were still smart. In a field skirmish, they'd no doubt win. Heck, in a ford battle, they'd still probably win. The ideal way was to simply divide and conquer, not a standard 'hold the line'. Hence why Dane had barricades and such to thin out the demons.
Dane walked back into the town hall under the guise of checking the wood barring the windows. In reality, he was sensing magic. His intuition was telling him there had to be at least one. Someone who was at least slightly magically sensitive. And the slight movement he kept catching by the side of his vision affirmed that suggestion. He kept catching faint wisps. Trails of mana left by someone, consciously or otherwise. Most likely otherwise if they really were avoiding him.
Again he caught the flicker of movement in the corner of his eye, but restraining himself, he again didn't jerk his head to follow. He continued, acting naturally as he busied himself with checking the sturdiness of the wood. With a small amount of force, he pulled, a thin plank snapped in half.
Turning around, he spoke, catching a similar flicker of movement a further time which helped to narrow down his list of suspects to three. "This isn't good enough. If I can break this with my, ahem, 'well toned' muscles, then a demon sure as hell ain't gonna have any trouble. Someone get this replaced. And if you have more spare wood, try and double up what you've got so far."
Dane moved towards the prospect mages, probing the area with his limited magic. He had about as much as the average town person, so it was near impossible to sense him back, he was just very proficient at manipulating it. That said, they did know of his interest towards magic, so were likely wary, and were probably confused due to his lack of perceivable mana pool, should they actually have been mages.
"You three, come with me." There was definitely magic in one of them, he wasn't sure which but he suspected it was probably the man - he had black hair and was about Dane's age. With him were two girls, both probably a similar age to him, maybe younger. They looked like twins, although one of the brunettes had shorter hair than the other. "Why you? Because you three are the youngest looking people who haven't already gone to the cellar. You'll be missed the least should physical work be needed."
"Are you calling me weak?" The man stepped forwards.
"No. I just need three people for a more intellectual task. Now, follow me."
The twins looked at each other, wordlessly agreeing that following Dane was the best course of action.
"Follow me."
Dane span around, not looking to see if they were following. He knew they would. There was a slight lingering fear, maybe even respect, towards him. After all, he technically wasn't an adult yet, but he seemed to be coordinating all the military efforts to protect the town.
An hour or two remained until nightfall, perhaps three until the demons would be present. Likely longer, but Dane wasn't taking chances. The preparations were already set up, the scouts were almost done sorting out torches and camps to light the fields. Thankfully, tonight the skies would be clear and the moon would shine nearly in full.
All that remained was to determine if there was any benefit he could gleam, either for himself or the battle in general, from the three teenagers trailing behind him. Even if none were competent casters, he could simply channel their magic to himself for a temporary boost of abilities. Or, teach them something quickly. If someone has the mana, casting spells should be second nature.
The real question lingering in Dane's mind was why they hid. Did they not want the village to know? That was understandable. Whatever the reason, Dane figured he'd try to honour it.
Dane did find it amusing how easily everyone obeyed him and marvelled that if this worked out, and he was able to successfully push forwards the claim that Ishmir and Drake's deaths were caused by the demons, they'd have no choice but to put him on the officer course. He found it strange how uncaring he was about the loss of two lives. Two people. He knew nothing about Drake or Ishmir's lives outside of how they operated within the military. There could be people missing them. He could have ruined the lives of other families as well.
Yet, he didn't care.
Nothing.
It was an efficient and beneficial way for him to deal with an issue. Drake's death was a shame, but it was also necessary. Ishmir's was a blessing to the world. An incompetent soldier, especially one with actual authority, was significantly more dangerous than any foe. Dane supposed that the only reason why Ishmir was able to maintain his rank was how he followed protocol to the letter. Although that was likely why he never reached a higher stage. Protocol didn't explain how to deal with more intricate situations like the one Dane was in right now, nor did it provide good instructions for dealing with civilians - just when and where to move them.
For textbook battle tactics, it was great. And for something like demons who likely wouldn't survive many battles, it was unlikely any would ever reach the point where they were able to abuse the limited and fixed ways Ishmir had to deal with them. That said, they were still smart. In a field skirmish, they'd no doubt win. Heck, in a ford battle, they'd still probably win. The ideal way was to simply divide and conquer, not a standard 'hold the line'. Hence why Dane had barricades and such to thin out the demons.
Dane walked back into the town hall under the guise of checking the wood barring the windows. In reality, he was sensing magic. His intuition was telling him there had to be at least one. Someone who was at least slightly magically sensitive. And the slight movement he kept catching by the side of his vision affirmed that suggestion. He kept catching faint wisps. Trails of mana left by someone, consciously or otherwise. Most likely otherwise if they really were avoiding him.
Again he caught the flicker of movement in the corner of his eye, but restraining himself, he again didn't jerk his head to follow. He continued, acting naturally as he busied himself with checking the sturdiness of the wood. With a small amount of force, he pulled, a thin plank snapped in half.
Turning around, he spoke, catching a similar flicker of movement a further time which helped to narrow down his list of suspects to three. "This isn't good enough. If I can break this with my, ahem, 'well toned' muscles, then a demon sure as hell ain't gonna have any trouble. Someone get this replaced. And if you have more spare wood, try and double up what you've got so far."
Dane moved towards the prospect mages, probing the area with his limited magic. He had about as much as the average town person, so it was near impossible to sense him back, he was just very proficient at manipulating it. That said, they did know of his interest towards magic, so were likely wary, and were probably confused due to his lack of perceivable mana pool, should they actually have been mages.
"You three, come with me." There was definitely magic in one of them, he wasn't sure which but he suspected it was probably the man - he had black hair and was about Dane's age. With him were two girls, both probably a similar age to him, maybe younger. They looked like twins, although one of the brunettes had shorter hair than the other. "Why you? Because you three are the youngest looking people who haven't already gone to the cellar. You'll be missed the least should physical work be needed."
"Are you calling me weak?" The man stepped forwards.
"No. I just need three people for a more intellectual task. Now, follow me."
The twins looked at each other, wordlessly agreeing that following Dane was the best course of action.
"Follow me."
Dane span around, not looking to see if they were following. He knew they would. There was a slight lingering fear, maybe even respect, towards him. After all, he technically wasn't an adult yet, but he seemed to be coordinating all the military efforts to protect the town.
An hour or two remained until nightfall, perhaps three until the demons would be present. Likely longer, but Dane wasn't taking chances. The preparations were already set up, the scouts were almost done sorting out torches and camps to light the fields. Thankfully, tonight the skies would be clear and the moon would shine nearly in full.
All that remained was to determine if there was any benefit he could gleam, either for himself or the battle in general, from the three teenagers trailing behind him. Even if none were competent casters, he could simply channel their magic to himself for a temporary boost of abilities. Or, teach them something quickly. If someone has the mana, casting spells should be second nature.
The real question lingering in Dane's mind was why they hid. Did they not want the village to know? That was understandable. Whatever the reason, Dane figured he'd try to honour it.