NOVEL NEXT To Lead Troops
The group of guards, after choosing their roles that best fit Jien's plan started their wait for the right time to act. They hid among the trees, keeping a close eye on the cave entrance to try and verify if the location truly was the hideout of the bandits they were searching for. As the forest grew dark and the night air chillier, they did not see any hint of human life. Soon a few hours had passed, and the tapestry of the sky shown, reflected, on the surface of the still lake in the open area around the cave.
It was at this point that the group of guards moved to take their positions. The archers began to climb some of the trees around the edge of the area. They moved silently and stealthily into position on some of the sturdier lower branches. They wanted to be hidden for the initial assault but low enough that if needed they could move to the ground quickly to assist in melee.
Those more versed in the martial path hid among the first layer of trees, ready to move forward and start the encirclement as soon as they received the decided upon signal. The pure mages remained behind them but also prepared to move forward with their companions.
Lord Losler and Jien stayed close to those that would act as the first line of defense. Earl had made it clear to Jien that a true leader doesn't just choose the strategy, they must be willing to act with their men. He had stated that there were many who were armchair generals, but those that are willing to work side by side with their troops were respected more and in turn often had better results. Though Jien didn't doubt his father's words he likewise didn't intend to be a general, just like he still didn't intend to become the leader of the Losler household. He simply aspired to study the arcane and perhaps teach it if he ever found himself in need of a way to further fund himself.
It was like this that the operation got under way. The two that were chosen to attempt to infiltrate the cave were one of the archers of the group and the other was a mage who specialized in shadow magic and disorientation. The goal was to use the mage to hide their presence as well as they could, sneak in and if the bandits were present and escape routes were present to use a simple earth spell to seal them or if needed, to collapse them. After this they would use simple smoke bombs to try and force the bandits out in the open. If the escape routes were sealed and the bandits chose to flee through the entrance a fire spell would be used to signal, if they were to stay in the cave despite the smoke the pair would use a simple horn. This would either scare the bandits into the encirclement anyway or would allow the guards outside time to move into the cave to apprehend the bandits. The hope was that the bandits would flee, if this was indeed their hideout, allowing for a fight in the open. Though this would give some leeway to the bandits it was better than fighting in close quarters.
With everyone in their proper positions it was Earl who signaled them all to start. After the signal the chosen archer and mage made their way stealthily along the cliff face from the edge of the forest. The mage had cast a simple spell to help them blend in with the shade of the cliff as they moved. The guards, father and son seemed to hold their breath as the pair of guards made their way to the dark cave. This was one of the points in this plan that could lead to its' failure. If the two tasked to inspect the cave were discovered, it could potentially lead to the bandits escaping.
The pair moved slowly, making sure that they wouldn't make any unnecessary noise as they continued to move along the wall of stone and after a few minutes of silent approach, they finally made it to the entrance. The archer drew her reserve short sword before peering around the corner and into the entrance to try and find any clues as to whether the bandits were actually there or not. After peering carefully into the darkness, she saw a small hint of light in the distance of the tunnel leading underground. Having confirmed a possible hint of human life in the cave the archer had the mage signal with a single and quick flash of dull light to those hidden in the trees.
After this the guards slipped into the entrance and the melee fighters started to approach slowly and carefully from the edge of the forest, working to swiftly but silently take their intended positions. Jien and Lord Losler moved along with them with Jien staying close to his father's side as they approached. There was what appeared to be a silent eternity as they finally made it into position without being found out or any movement from the cave.
A few more minutes passed, and Jien was starting to worry that perhaps something had happened. His mind started to fill with the various scenarios that their plan could go awry. Were the bandits aware of them? Did they capture the two invading guards and were now escaping? Had they killed the guards and started to prepare to handle any more invaders?
It was as these doubts were starting to take hold in Jien's mind, that there was a deep rumbling sound that echoed from the cave. A slight vibration ran through the ground and led to slight ripples on the lake behind them. The rumbling was followed by quick blast of flame escaping from the mouth of the cave. Jien could immediately tell by the events that the plan had been a success, the rumbling was the closing or destruction of escape routes and the flare of fire was the signal. The bandits, or whoever had taken residence in the cave were coming.