Elden Ring:After the end

The water could no longer be contained in the deep clouds, causing the light rain to quickly turn into a fierce storm. 

It seemed as if the smoke generated by the burning of the village had helped the clouds grow in size and amount of water. Under such torrential rain, the base camp of Leyndell's troops is barely visible. 

Much of the camp is made up of hastily erected tents, one or two swaying dangerously in the wind, but it looks as if they will be able to hold out.

"We have been able to count the salvageable crops. Twenty percent were destroyed by fire and 40 percent due to clearly international actions. The salvageable amount is 40% if we don't consider the current storm and its possible effects."

Speaking slowly and in an extremely clear voice, one of the Lhutel troops begins to give a first report on the situation.

Silence settled in the modest tent for a few moments, until the eyes of Aldrich and Lhutel seem to pierce the back of the third person, we are talking about Lansseax. 

"You should be thanking me! I single-handedly saved the remaining 40% of the grain!"

Swinging his pale scaly tail in a show of inner annoyance, Lansseax shakes his white hair with his right hand and drops his words with a haughty tone. 

"No one can deny you that, Lansseax. But was it really necessary to burn every standing structure?"

Arranging his posture in the chair, Lhutel moves his black hair to behind his ear, though feeling how wet it is, he lets it flow naturally again. 

Lhutel little tantrum is based on the fact that a large number of troops have run out of resting place, then they can only stay in the rain or all squeeze into a few tents. 

"Aldrich told me, when in doubt, ask him."

Wanting to get the problem off his hands, Lansseax passes the bomb to Aldrich, although Aldrich seems smart and starts to give his reasons.

"The rain was an unexpected phenomenon, an unconsidered variable. Still, thanks to the enchantments they have upstairs, it's highly unlikely they'll get sick or cold."

Aldrich accepted the unexpectedness of the situation, though he never gave his arm and easily dismissed the concerns for the soldiers that Lhutel had shown. 

Noticing that the superiors had nothing more to say, the soldier who kept quiet during the crossfire, continued with his report under the intense stares of the other three. 

"Following what was ordered, we executed all that were still breathing. We also sent men to hunt down the remnants of the scattered army, there has been no problem on both occasions."

Listening carefully to what was said, Lhutel begins to give orders, pass on certain messages and notify the next steps to take. Perhaps understanding that this was Lhutel's field of action, both Aldrich and Lansseax remain silent.

...Aldrich pov…

Morning has come to the Midlands, the sun that had been hidden by thick clouds has returned to its place in the sky, while the ambient temperature has risen accordingly. 

"Gather the weapons on one side, the corpses on another, and the grain in that area."

"One, two. One, two. with strong men!"

Watching as a good amount of troops make an attempt to move the troll corpse, I feel a slight disturbance in the surrounding mana, but that feeling quickly disappears, making me doubt its veracity. 

"What's wrong Aldrich?"

"I had felt a disturbance in the mana, though it's completely gone now."

Responding to Lansseax who has just arrived, I start to look around the surroundings, but there is nothing out of the ordinary. 

"Umm... No, I can't sense anything out of the ordinary. Worst case scenario, if it was a peeping tom they've already left."

"They most likely had this army under surveillance. I guess noticing the irregular movements, they must have followed us to get information."

"That must be it."

Disregarding my words and again demonstrating his draconic pride, Lansseax doesn't even think for a moment about going to look for the possible spy, before leaving. 

"Old habits die hard."

Shaking my head, I watch Lansseax back for a few moments, then turn my gaze towards the clearing of the battlefield. Perhaps there will be a few hours left to finish the cleanup, burn the bodies and secure the grain. 

...Some time later...

Once again we are on the road, the only thing different is that the number of troops following us has been reduced by 30%. This is because a garrison had to be left at the second fortress, either to control the road or to protect the remains of the recently captured village.

"My lord. You have sent Lansseax to reconnoiter?"

Turning my head to look at Lhutel riding beside me, I nod to confirm his words, before beginning to speak on the subject. 

"Information is a vital thing, you may have noticed it in the previous confrontation."

"Thanks to that we avoided being taken by surprise by those trolls, plus it helped us to prepare ourselves to counter them."

Giving a nod to my words and gesturing with her hands again, Lhutel quickly recognizes the advantages of aerial reconnaissance. Yet another sign that she is a born general, though it may just be my personal preference towards her talking. 

In the middle of our conversation, the clouds in the sky are pushed aside and with a fierce blizzard, someone slowly drops from the sky. It was obviously Lansseax in her human form, it seems she had returned from the previous mission. 

As I considered what had brought her back so quickly, Lansseax body descending like a beautiful feather, ended up sitting behind me.

"By the way, there are no enemies."

"What?"

Enjoying the surprise on our faces, I can tell by her tail swaying slightly, Lansseax takes a deep breath, but before she can act proud, she calms down and starts speaking normally. 

"Just as you... asked, I flew to that third fortress. Upon arrival I could see the traces of a large battle nearby, which was expected, but the odd thing was the lack of enemies."

Over dragging the word "You asked", as he had obviously been ordered to do so, Lansseax begins to recount the situation. Waiting for him to finish his words, Lhutel enters the conversation and asks something truly important. 

"If the enemy troops have disappeared, is the fortress in the hands of our own?"

"Not at all. From what I've seen, that fortress is a huge mass grave and you'll know who's in there."

Blurting out the news quite naturally, Lansseax makes his little interest in people quite clear. It was an obvious situation, considering his species and way of being. 

Noticing that Lhutel has gone silent at the news, I fix my eyes on the road ahead and reopen the conversation. 

"So that feeling was not mere imagination, someone was watching us and they are clearly working together."

"When did that happen, my lord?"

"It was the day after the great battle, when the clearing of the battlefield was taking place."

Thinking for a few seconds and pausing his movements, Lhutel made a "Got it" gesture, then gave his opinion.

"A magician. Only magicians can move information so fast. But what would a wizard do with those savages?"

"You forget the reports. Noble sacroderm, skin flayers and adductor Virgins. The last ones never showed up, most likely he will have retired them, as they are complicated to manufacture."

"Rykard!"

Lhutel instantly brought out who he was talking about, yes that Rykard snake hiding in Mount Gelmir. The thing is, the wizards are not with him, we could even say that he is not as good a wizard as the rest of his family. 

Considering the above, the family relationships and the context... It is very likely that this mage is from Raya lucaria, therefore subordinate to Ranni's command. 

Sighing inwardly and ignoring Lansseax who seems to enjoy watching my brain cells burn, I fix my eyes on the road and continue straight towards the third fortress.