"Gahhh, too bright," Arthur groaned as he pulled his cloak, which he was using as a blanket, over his eyes. After last night's drinking, the sixteen year old Lance found himself lying on a rocky cliff overlooking the camp, while his head throbbed.

Suddenly his cloak was ripped from him, exposing him to the painfully bright sun.

"Good morning General!" Vanesy's voice rang out, louder than needed.

"Too loud! Too bright!" Arthur complained as he covered his eyes with his hands.

"Did someone have too much fun last night?" Vanesy asked in a mocking tone.

Arthur looked up and glared at her with his hands cupped around his eyes. "Don't you dare make some comment about drinking at my age. And I order you to give me back my blanket!"

"Sorry General, but I can't do that. Captain Graves arrived and as the ranking officer, you need to meet with him."

"No thanks. I could barely tolerate his son when I was sober."

"I have Java tea brewing in my tent." She said in an enticing voice.

Arthur perked up and glared at her suspiciously. "Don't mess with me."

She then tossed him one of the beans. He examined the bean, sniffed it, and took a bite of it. "Are you angling for a promotion or something, because if you are you'll have my support."

Vanesy laughed a bit. "Hurry up, I'll have a cup waiting for you." She then turned around and walked away.

"Fifteen minutes," Arthur yelled.

He sat up and looked around, as he wondered how he ended up on the cliff.

"You are really an annoying drunk you know."

"Even too loud in my head," Arthur complained as he held his head.

"You're lucky you have me," Sylvie commented as she emerged from the tree line in her dragon form. "You nearly announced to the whole camp that you're a Lance."

"Thanks Sylv." Arthur looked around. "So where can I wash up?

—————————————————————

After close to fifteen minutes and a visit to a stream to wash his face, Arthur entered the tent, to see Vanesy and Captain Graves. Sylvie was warming up in Arthur's cloak, but as soon as they entered the warm tent, she jumped out and stretched.

Captain Graves stood beside Vanesy perfectly straight with his hands behind his back. He looked to be half a foot taller than Vanesy, with his hair mostly grey and slicked back, without even a single strand out of place. Contrary to Vanesy who was wearing her light armor, Captain Graves wore what looked like a formal military dress uniform, making him look like he was going to a military ball rather than a battlefield.

"General Leywin, may I introduce Captain Graves," Vanesy said, hoping this meeting between them went well as she also held out the Java Tea she promised Arthur.

"A pleasure to meet you Captain," Arthur greeted as he walked up and extended one hand to the captain, while taking his tea with the other.

Graves looked to Arthur, who was just a little shorter than Vanesy, but instead of tilting his head down to look at him, he merely moved his eyes as if he was looking down at a servant. "The pleasure is mine General," Graves replied, leaving Arthur's hand hanging.

Vanesy noticed this and immediately felt uncomfortable as Captain Graves was disrespecting Arthur's status as general.

"Well now we know where Clive got his charming personality," Arthur commented to Sylvie.

"This guy deserves to just be on the front line to be the first casualty," Sylvie spat.

"Well somebody is rather vicious this morning."

"It's never wise to disrespect a parent in front of their child. I might not say it, but I still see you and Tess and my papa and mama."

Arthur was taken back by Sylvie's words and smiled while also feeling some comfort from them.

"As I was saying Captain Glory," Captain Graves said while turning back to Vanesy. "My division has made camp in the woods by the cliffside. We should have our divisions get acquainted before combining them."

Vanesy looked over at Arthur as he smiled and took a sip of his tea. She couldn't understand why he was smiling after being disrespected as he was, but couldn't see this ending well for the captain if Arthur decided to deal with him.

"I agree, we should move forward on this as quickly as possible." Vanesy turned to Arthur. "How would you recommend we divide our forces in case we were attacked?"

"Captain Glory," Graves said, raising his voice. "While the General is responsible for ensuring our troops are ready for an attack, as the commanding officers of our divisions, we know our divisions best and how to use our forces properly."

"General?" Vanesy asked with an urgent tone.

"Captain Graves isn't wrong. Even though I am in command of both divisions, you both know your troops better than I do, and should organize them how you see fit." A small smirk formed on Captain Graves face. "That said, if you want my opinion, it's never a good idea to place all forces in the same position."

"General, even though I'm sure you were given military strategy training by the Asura, you clearly lack proper experience, so please do not try and act as though you know what you are talking about," Graves said in a condescending tone. "We are to defend against Alacryan forces that would arrive from the sea, so we should have our full force in one location to repel them should they arrive."

Arthur looked up at the captain as he finished his tea.

"Captain," Arthur said, emphasizing his rank in a cold tone that caused the captain's composure to falter. "While you may normally be right, don't forget you are expected to repel an enemy attacking from the sea, arriving on a ship we know next to nothing about in regards to offensive capabilities. I was sent here in case of a worst case scenario, so I will think with that mindset while planning." Arthur stopped and took a deep breath, then looked to Vanesy. "Thank you for the tea," Arthur handed her his cup. "If you need me I'm sure you'll be able to find me easily enough." Arthur then turned around and began to leave. "Oh and Graves, if you have any thoughts that you are in command here, get rid of them. Don't let my indifference in this one situation give you any ideas that I will not assume complete command from you if I deem necessary."

"It seems the council needs to tighten the leash of their mongrel dog," Graves said with a superior tone. "That's right, he's still only a peasant with an honorary rank. My son may not have been able to handle him, but I have no doubt that I can. All I need to do is remind him of his standing and he'll just be my puppet."

Arthur stopped in his tracks, as Sylvie turned around and hissed viciously.

"He needs some discipline! I'm all for a public beating in front of both divisions!"

"Please Sylvie, don't tempt me."

Having already tolerated more than he wanted, Arthur released his killing intent, directing it right at Graves. Graves' knees began to buckle as he broke into a cold sweat as he fought to keep standing. Despite not being the target, Vanesy also began to sweat, as every fiber of her being told her to run as far away from Arthur as possible.

"Leash you say?" Arthur said with a cold emotionless tone as he turned back around. "So you see me as some kind of dog." Arthur slowly began walking back towards Graves, his eyes locked on him as if he was staring directly into his soul. "One thing to remember, Captain, when treated properly a dog stands by its master without a leash. But if anyone were to kick the dog, then there is no one or thing that can stop it from ripping out its attacker's throat." Arthur stopped right in front of Graves as he trembled, floating just high enough to be staring him right in the eyes.

As if sensing a need to diffuse the situation, the guard burst into the tent. "General, Captains, you need to come out here immediately!"

Arthur withdrew his killing intent as he lowered himself back down, and ran out of the tent with Vanesy close behind, leaving Captain Graves looking like he was about to have a heart attack.

Once outside yells and screams could be heard from atop the cliff. Several soldiers were just standing looking up at the cliff. Suddenly something flew from the cliff, Arthur stepped back to avoid it, as it landed almost exactly where he was standing. It was an armored hand, still holding onto a sword.

"ALL SOLDIERS STAND BY FOR BATTLE!" Arthur yelled, using sound magic to amplify his voice.

Instantly everyone began scrambling all over, running to their tents to grab armor, or weapons from the blacksmiths.

"Captain Graves," Arthur said as the captain emerged from the tent. "Your men were on the cliff right?" Arthur asked as he held the armored hand.

Captain Graves' eyes widened in horror, and started to run for the cliff. Arthur grabbed him by his collar, and with a jerk threw him to the ground by Captain Glory's feet.

"Those are my men up there! They need their captain!"

"If you go up there alone you'll just be another casualty and add to the chaos." Arthur looked to Vanesy as her division began forming up into two groups behind her Heads. "Captain Glory, get your division up there as soon as possible! I'll go on ahead to evaluate the situation and provide support if needed. Let's go Sylvie."

"Should I transform?" Sylvie asked out loud, getting several people staring at her in shock.

"Well no sense in holding back now."

"I hope that ass pisses his pants when he sees this."

"We can only hope," Arthur replied laughing.

Sylvie glowed as she took on her obsidian black form. The camp practically froze at the sight of Sylvie, as she then flapped her wings and took off with Arthur flying beside her. They both flew up high enough that they were able to see the battle and be able to distinguish between the two forces.

"How? Where did all these Alacryan soldiers come from?" Arthur thought out loud as he saw the second division completely outnumbered. Then noticed the chaos with the second division. "What in the hell is going on down there? Are the heads dead already?"

The sight below was utter chaos. The second division appeared to be a complete wreck, with what looked like absolutely no organization of the troops. And worst of all, it appeared that they were completely ignoring the Alacryan forces circling around to attack their left flank.

"Look at the forest. I think I can see the way they came." Sylvie commented.

Arthur looked and could see the recent path leading from the forest, heading south into Darv

"Ok Sylvie, here's the plan. You follow that path they made, and figure out where they came from. We need to know if they managed to establish a beachhead in Darv."

"What about you?"

"I'll stay here and support the second division."

"What happened to not getting involved unless a worst case happened?"

"I'd like to keep to that, but from the looks of things down there, the second division will be wiped out before reinforcements arrive. I can still support them while still conserving enough mana in case a retainer or scythe shows up. Don't forget I used to command troops into battle in my previous life."

"Fine, but I don't like this plan. So if I even for a second feel like you're in trouble, I'm coming back," Sylvie replied before flying off.

"Stay safe and out of sight," Arthur told her as he watched her fly off.

Arthur looked back down at the battle as he allowed himself to free fall. As the people began to look larger than ants, Arthur began searching for anyone who appeared to be a leader of some kind. Seconds before he had to slow his descent he spotted someone equipped with a heavy gauntlet that was being used as a shield along with a broadsword, that appeared to be wearing nicer armor than everyone else. Arthur redirected his course as he slowed down, and landed right behind three Alacryan soldiers that were charging at his target, and with a one swift movement swung his sword and severed all three of their heads.

"Where are your division's Heads?" Arthur yelled to the man.

"I'm a Head, who the hell are you?!"

Arthur raised his hand to reveal his Lance ring. "Reinforce your left side before they flank us!"

Immediately recognizing the ring the Head called out Arthur's instructions, and forces moved accordingly. Arthur followed up with additional orders, and the Head without hesitation saw to it that his orders were executed. Arthur was surprised with how quickly they had accepted his commands in comparison to their Captain. He also realized why things fell apart so quickly, the only remaining Head was young and clearly had little to no actual command experience, most likely he had gained his position through social channels rather than his own merit.

Despite not unleashing his full power, dropping from the sky and taking charge of the second division gained the attention of the Alacryan forces. This gave Arthur a true taste of how the Alacryan forces fought, as he could see them working in small groups of at least three, an augmenter, a ranged attacker, and a defender that either carried a shield or cast spells. It was difficult, but Arthur managed to overcome this challenge, but knew more information was needed before an effective counter strategy could be developed.

With Arthur's leadership the second division managed to hold out until the fifth division arrived, splitting into two groups and attacking from the left and right as the second division attacked the middle.

Arthur smiled as he dodged the strike of an augmenter with a war hammer, encasing the hammer in stone as he stepped aside, and Vanesy came in and thrust one of her swords into the augmenters chest.

"Welcome to the party," Arthur commented as he sent several wind blades at an enemy conjurer.

"Ha, if you call this a party, I'd hate to see what a battle would be like," Vanesy commented as she began battling with an augmenter carrying a broadsword. "Any way, where's Sylvie?"

"I sent her on recon. We need to know where these Alacryans came from," Arthur replied as he caught an augmented arrow with his teeth.

"You know," Vanesy swung her sword, sending a series of glass shards at her opponent. "We could just leave a few of them alive to interrogate."

"That's dependent on any of them surviving," Arthur replied as he plunged his sword into another Alacryan soldier.

Arthur pivoted on his right foot to dodge an attack, before severing his enemies head. In that moment his eyes landed on the female half elf Cedry, as her lifeless body was being held in the arms of Jona. A flood of memories rushed into Arthur's head, in the midst of the drunken fun last night Jona had proposed to Cedry, and she accepted. This forced Arthur to think of Tess, and how she was fighting in this war as well. Immediately Arthur fought these thoughts down as they began to get dark. He saw an Alacryan soldier coming up from behind with a battle ax to kill Jona. Quickly Arthur pointed his right hand like a gun, and fired a condensed lightning bullet, hitting the augmenter in the left eye, and blowing out the back of his skull.

The battle raged on for at least an hour, and still it didn't look like it was going to end anytime soon. With the two captains present Arthur allowed them to take command of their troops, and tried to blend in with the adventurers in the division. However the Alacryan forces had already identified him as someone unusual, and repeatedly targeted him specifically. With the frustration of the dragging battle, Arthur activated static void, as well as his beast will, Realmheart. Arthur located a dozen Alacryan spells being prepared, and overloaded them all, so that when static void ended, there were a series of deadly explosions.

"What the hell was that?!" Vanesy asked.

"Me letting out some frustration," Arthur replied before parrying an enemy spear, then thrusting his blade into their throat.

"Really, well do you have some more frustration to release?" Vanesy asked as she blocked a sword coming for her head, then thrust her other sword at her attacker's chest. A barrier formed protecting him from the attack, but Arthur came around and sent his blade into his side.

"Yeah, still plenty frustrated," Arthur replied with a forced laugh.

"Arthur are you still ok?" Sylvie asked urgently as he was preparing for another round of attacks.

"I'm fine Sylv, did you find something already, or did you just want to check on me?"

"I had to stop, I'm heading back now. Someone's coming, and they're really strong."

"Fuck," Arthur said aloud.

"What is it?" Vanesy asked.

"A worst case scenario. One of their elite fighters is coming, one that can challenge a Lance," Arthur replied while dodging a sharpened stone gauntlet. Arthur then grabbed his arm and flipped him onto his back before driving his blade into the augmenter's chest. "We need to move this battle away from here now so you don't get fought in the crossfire."

"Can you beat him?" Vanesy asked. "Maybe I should stay and help." As soon as those words left her mouth she realized that she would be more of a burden then actual help.

"I hope so. This is what I've been training for, why I'm here. As for help, no one less than a lance should be taking these guys on, thats how strong they are."

"Alright," Vanesy conceded as she signaled for her flare hawk Torch. "You better come back alive," she climbed onto Torch. "I'll send a search party after we win this battle." She then flew up into the air. "Dicathens Retreat!" She yelled out.

With that she and the rest of the Dicathen forces began moving in the opposite direction Arthur needed to go. Arthur took to the air and rocketed towards his next battle, killing a few more Alacryan soldiers as he went.

Arthur flew right along the tree tops as his eyes scanned the ground for anyone.

"Well aren't you a cutie, are you lost?"