Chapter 188: Buzzkill

May 19, 624

The Pathfinders returned from their latest mission a few days later just as I had gotten caught up with affairs. They had mostly been running recon – like the vast majority of platoons in the base – but that would soon be changing. 

It was almost like they were waiting for me to return. I had guessed that the Generals were prepping an offensive, but I hadn’t expected it so soon. At minimum, I thought they would want to consolidate all the reinforcements first, but they seemed in a hurry. There were more than enough troops to go around, but that also meant the workload on intelligence was more than doubled, managing both inbound soldiers and recon missions. 

Everything would be fine if nothing crazy happened. 

This was the start of a new phase, according to the General. I, as Polly’s de facto assistant, had been allowed to sit in on meetings I otherwise would have no business even being near, and I took it in stride as an opportunity to gather more intel – on the war itself, and the lives of those who ran it. 

I had worked with everyone in the room before, but the setting was completely different. It was where the big boy decisions were made. It was grand strategy that spanned the entire theater, handling troops by the battalion, moving resources by the ton, sending messages to Marshals and Generals in the rear or other friends in high places. 

This came with another benefit as well: just by being in the room, my name would be in the minds of those Generals. When it came time for a promotion application, my name being associated with my deeds would be incredibly helpful in just getting it over the door jamb. 

Either way it was finally time to move off the defensive. Already, missions plans for strikes, posed as “hypothetical”, were being written up by Intelligence in what little idle time they had. The General wanted to establish a front, but we would need to cover our rear first. The Scourge had no idea we knew about the army parked on our flank, and the General was ready to take full advantage of that. 

This was more than a single deployment, a mission; it was an Operation. We would first wipe out the Scourge in our backline, securing supply routes and averting encirclement, before before moving our armies up in the second phase and establishing a front in the third phase. Expected deaths were high and big players would have to move, but our projections were apparently within the general’s expectations.

It was dubbed Operation Breakwater, the first major operation at the Treehouse, and the first major operation I’ve ever been a part of. 

And as it turned out, I’d have a pretty big part in it. 

Managing a major operation out in the field was difficult because no intelligence agent wanted to leave the confines of the base. That meant it would be left up to the warlocks and knights to manage themselves and carry out the objectives, which wouldn’t be an issue if the summoners weren’t so particular about how they wanted things done. A few intelligence agents would have to move out with any sizable group to manage people and reports, but no knight or warlock wanted someone they already saw as lesser bossing them around in their operational element. 

That left me. My networking and efforts at reducing casualties put me in quite a few Commanders’, Chiefs’, and Brigadiers’ good graces, some level of tolerance if not respect given to me in gratitude. My rumored combat prowess, heard more often than seen, also contributed a significant amount to my status: here was one who could stand as an equal, maybe not in taking damage, but dishing it out. I had quite the reputation, and now was the time to prove it. 

Another handful of days and Intelligence had filed the last of the plans, mobilized platoons and companies packing in and near the vehicle bays. 

Clearing out the back line would take a full Division of about 12,000 soldiers. Major General Quill would be the head of this phase and would leaving with us. I would be his direct assistant, because neither Polly nor Jasmine were going to leave base, and there were no others who the Major General actually trusted to get things done the way he wanted them done. Anybody who could was taking the prudent course of action and staying with headquarters. 

That left me. He trusted me and I was leaving anyway, so I was posted at his side. I’d probably get put in charge of all the menial crap, but that was no different than what I already did. At least now I’d be getting some action. 

With those arrangements in mind, the two of us started to work together more than normal. About a week passed like that, and finally, the day to depart came. 

……

“Alright, Envoy. Get all the commanding officers on the line and get us moving.”

“It seems that nickname is sticking. Why is that, sir?”

“It’s easier to say than Liaison.”

“Or, you know, people could just call me by my name.”

“Nobody remembers names.”

“You don’t say…”

I sighed at Quill’s words. Even the Pathfinders were calling me Envoy now. The only person who used my name was Polly and the few people I was relatively close with – like Jasmine or Amary, in the few times I even had the chance to talk with the latter.

Well, I had certainly been called worse. In a way, I was the messenger for the kings of the battlefield, the generals. It wasn’t really a mystery why the name had stuck, and I could even ride its definition to remind people what I did. It was a clever callsign, that I would admit. 

I lifted my Aerial, accessing the main channel. We had a mobile Node with us so my own Aerial wasn’t getting used as one. 

Running through checks with all the COs coming with us, I looked down again at the personnel list. Only one Brigade was heading out today, while the second would follow tomorrow. Quill and I would be leading in the first. 

Many of the COs were either Commanders, Chiefs, or the rare intelligence agent around the rank of Captain or Major like me. There still had to be some

logistical personnel and there was no way the higher ranking agents were getting sent, so they sent the fodder, basically the errand boys. 

After all checks were cleared, I gave the green light across all channels. 

“Envoy to all units. Deploy, deploy, deploy.”

The order was simple, and without delay, our vehicles rolled through the outer gates. 

Hundreds of vehicles and thousands of people. We had gotten heavily reinforced and were using the vast majority of our wheels to move this expedition. The faster we finished the first phase, the less casualties we’d suffer. The sooner the Scourge caught on and retaliated, the worse off we’d be. 

There were other strike forces leaving to clear out scout troops around our soon-to-be flank as well. They would ensure that little to no information would be able to get back to the main Scourge force, or at least not in time to hamper us. 

I sat back within the luxury of the specially-designed Command Steed, made to transport Generals and the like and equipped with a mobile Node. It was an armored command and control center on wheels. 

Summoners knew how to capitalize on their positions. The Command Steed actually had cushioned seats! It was so comfortable that I almost felt weird sitting down. Was indulging in such luxury okay? Should such comfort even exist?

Suddenly, it felt like all my hard work up to this point was worth it. 

The next couple days of travel were actually bearable. I wasn’t crammed in with a dozen other troops in a dank bay or hunched over in a turret anymore. We were to arrive at our target area and establish an outpost. I’d be damned if I had to design the outpost on top of everything else I had to do; thankfully, the protocols had standard layouts already designed and the grunts would take care of the… well, grunt work. 

That was something General Quill had started teaching me after he watched me take on what he described as an “ass numbing amount of work”: delegation. Since I wanted things done right, I usually defaulted to doing it myself, but he said that it was more fitting for me to simply correct mistakes than to take on the whole load. That was the way of the superior, something I hadn’t quite gotten used to. 

I picked it up quite quickly though. Being the Major General’s right hand man in this operation came with the perk of being able to order damn near anyone around. I didn’t abuse the position, but there were occasions where I found myself smiling while telling someone to go take care of little things like bringing me and the General our food or taking the night watch. 

Like with the cushioned seats, it was the little things that made life a bit easier on me. That didn’t mean I didn’t still have loads of work to do. Setting up the outpost was easy; launching sallies, harassment, and elimination forces would not be. 

I had never managed thousands of troops before, nor would I actually be – the Major General was here for strategic decision – but my higher position spurred quite a few morbid thoughts within me. Mistakes on my end wouldn’t just kill a squad or two; thousands of lives were in my hands. The margin of error was higher, to put it callously, with more people to work with, but the stakes were also correspondingly higher. It was no longer a personal battle. This was large-scale warfare, and I was a dirty noob to it. 

It was that kind of thinking that kept me in line. After we arrived and set up the outpost, we spent two days preparing for the arrival of the other battalion. Scouting parties were sent out to get a read on the immediate surroundings and patrols were constant. The enemy had likely gotten a read on us and there was the potential for attack at any time. 

Thankfully though, my role wasn’t exclusively passive. In fact, my position made it that much easier to simply slip myself into certain missions that I really wanted to participate in. 

One of those missions was the first strike, an ambush on a detachment of Scourge forces which would essentially announce our presence and declare war. 

Major General Quill gave me the Snow Doves and Pathfinders to carry it out. It was more of a spur of the moment thing, but we had been planning a first strike and the opportunity showed itself. 

I was all smiles when I rolled out with those two platoons. 

……

“Do we even have any information on this detachment, Cooper?”

“We know where they are. There are also at least 50 combatants.”

“Very helpful.”

Pollux rolled his eyes at me, making me chuckle. 

“We don’t know that much but with the Snow Doves, it really doesn’t matter. Besides, I’ll be doing a quick assessment when we get in the area so I’ll let you all know if we’re fucked.”

“Preferably before we get fucked.”

“Ai, you ask a lot but I’ll do my best. Just make sure to run in my direction when we start escaping.”

“Hmm, you’re in a good mood since you’re joking around. What’s the occasion?”

Pollux kicked his feet back, my smile widening. 

“I’m finally in the field again.”

“Desk work is that hard, huh?”

“I feel like my brain has started thinking in terms of reports and briefings. I could write you up 10 pages on what we’re going to do in the next hour, and then another 10 on what we actually did and how it deviated from the original plan, with ‘actionable’ correctional plans and error analyses. I can even give you a follow up report detailing my congregations with relevant personnel and implemented procedure changes. And you want to know the awesome part about all of that?”

“… What?”

He looked at me weird, brow raised when I stuck my nose up proudly. 

“I could get all of that done in three hours, with an eight minute snack break.”

“It sounds like you’ve done that before.”

“…”

My smile disappeared, memories resurfacing, my face turning flat as I shot him a stare. 

“Anyway, my brain has been melting for months on end. This is some much needed vacation.”

“Sure…”

I looked down at my watch while Pollux went silent. 

Two minutes out. 

I could already feel the Scourge’s Aura in the vicinity and it was nothing to concern myself over. This mission would go smoothly. 

And it would be the perfect opportunity to test out my new toys. 

We crested one of the many hills in the area and pulled to a stop. I could already tell that we were getting noticed but as I said before, with the Snow Doves here, it really didn’t matter. 

Everyone started climbing out of the Steeds, Brigadier Nonnen walking over and stopping at my side. He carried my same nonchalance. 

“What’s the plan, Cooper?”

“The plan is to send a message and have fun doing it. I count 119 enemy combatants. Max threat level sits at Authority 9. There are two Royals at that level and one at Authority 8. Easy pickings if we set up a flank with the Pathfinders.”

“Sounds fine to me. Now, what will you do, mister summoner? Want to start drawing up reports while we work?”

Nonnen snickered, making me frown.

“I’m feeling… underestimated. So I think I’ll fight with you guys. 

I donned my hood and mask, straightening out my coat before letting my Aura wrap around my body. 

Nonnen was the only person who could tell where I was before I took off, vanishing into the surrounding snow. 

I made my way down the hill, my boots activating, the wind enchantments carrying me farther with every step. Crossing a mile was almost effortless. 

I flanked the entire Scourge force undetected, taking a knee with my hands in rough approximation of a grip. 

In them appeared the first “modern” rifle I had so far procured. 

The XM117, the Colt Commando, chambered in 5.56. Utilized by various covert forces during the Vietnam War, the Colt Commando had a shortened barrel with a large moderator that vastly reduced the flash signature and barely reduced the noise level while making the weapon a bit more unwieldy. 

I tapped in a 30 round magazine before pulling the charging handle, keeping it back, letting the crisp air carry the scent of gunpowder and brass. 

“Fuck… smells like freedom.”

I dropped the bolt and finally shouldered the rifle, taking aim. 

The Snow Doves were proceeding down the hill, attracting the Scourge’s attention while the Pathfinders flanked them. They were obvious, but there was nothing this little attack force could do about it. 

As for me? I opened fire before their battlelines met. 

My first bullet found an Authority 6 spiked wolf. There were Scouts in this troop, but those fragile targets wouldn’t be very good tests. 

Instead, I went for some of the tougher targets. Sure enough, my round tore through the wolf and dropped it instantly. 

Iron sights worked well with my eyes in general, so I had no issues hitting my shots. More than that, my entire body felt more precise, another benefit of the Mind Palace technique. Every day, it seemed like I learned something new about the fortress in my head. 

The noise attracted everyone’s attention, but nothing here could possibly spot me. Knowing that, I placed shot after shot into body after body, letting the slowly panicking monsters drop where they skittered. One shot, one kill. It was too easy when my aim felt perfect. 

With my visualization, I could induce some of those feelings of perfectly acquiring my target. It was a feeling I only felt with the White Death’s rifle, but now I was getting a rudimentary version of that by default. 

Everything from my body, to my weapon, to the surroundings were all visualized in my mind. If things didn’t match up, I would know. Bullets had their paths traced out before I even pulled the trigger, lines visible only to me telling me where exactly my shots would hit my targets. 

My proximity made the process almost trivial. The only thing holding me back was how fast I could pull the trigger. 

The Scourge scrambled and several spells were flung in my direction. They couldn’t see me, but they sure could hear me. Fortunately, the gun – and the rapidly approaching Snow Doves – was causing so much chaos they couldn’t coordinate to triangulate my position. 

I shrugged off some of the debris nearby explosions had blown onto me as I replaced my magazine. By the time I hit the bolt release, the Snow Doves were in the thick of it, steady lines of knights and warlocks decimating the Scourge in front of them. 

Knowing that Nonnen would be livid if I outmatched him, I started trying to shoot faster. I tested my target acquisition by stressing my speed, semi-automatic starting to sound like automatic as I got faster. 

However, when I reached my 45th kill, I saw Nonnen’s body flash forward. 

He unsheathed his sword with one smooth motion… and the Scourge just fell. Bisected halves collapsed into sprays of blood and ichor moments afterward, only those already dead spared from the devastating Vigor. 

Since I was kneeling, I didn’t bother ducking, and the blade sailed right over my head. It didn’t so much as kick up the wind around my hood. The guy was incredibly skilled. 

And incredibly boring. 

I stood, just about all of the army dead. My arms flailed in exasperation.

“I said to have fun!”

“Hah! It’s fun when I get the most kills! And you’re 50 years too early to try and beat me, summoner!”

Nonnen’s laughs echoed through the mountains, making me click my tongue and send the gun away. 

Pollux came walking over while the others confirmed kills. 

“What was that about a flanking maneuver?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m gonna go write my report.”

“Huh. Huhu.”

Nonnen started chuckling as I walked away. He was a Brigadier so I couldn’t just call him a buzzkill to his face, but I certainly could do it over two pages in my report. 

……

I handed in my four page report to Major General Quill. 

“How was your first mission?”

“It was fine.”

I gave a succinct response, walking to another desk to take care of assorted affairs. 

After a few minutes, I heard a cackle. 

“Bahahaha! Nonnen ruined your fun, huh? Imagine thinking you can best a Brigadier!”

“I was trying to be strategic!”

“Puahaha! Ahh, I enjoy your reports, Envoy.”

He chuckled a couple more times as I tossed aside some stupid reports from other stupid platoons. 

Stupid knights. 

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