Aether's Apprentices

by Daniel Schinhofen

  When they finalized what they were doing, Gregory made his notes. Clover’s force was drawn up in the light wood across the river, dug in and hidden, but ready to assault if a force tried to cross over. The other three were hunkered down behind the marsh and had set a false camp, making it look like they were all there.

  The few scouts they’d sent out had orders to break and run if they found anything bigger than another scouting group. Farin plotted out a zigzag route using the few hills for cover to hide them as much as possible. The second group had gone along the river, but had been killed once they’d gone toward the heavy woods. Gregory knew a light cavalry unit was heading for Clover, but he also knew she’d be able to handle them easily with her position and surprise element.

  “I’ll be back,” Gregory said, stepping out of the room.

  “I was wondering what the delay was,” Mavic said, having been waiting for him.

  “They had a lot of things in motion,” Gregory said. “Did you wish to start?”

  “Might as well. I think your group has plans for what they’ve done, though. First, Lee’s group is going to push the river. It’s a light cavalry unit, as stated earlier. They have enough movement to push across the river.”

  “But they don’t have enough to retreat,” Gregory snorted. “Okay, here’s what they’ll find.” Flipping to the notes he needed, he pointed to her map. “Clover’s unit is dug in and hidden, consisting of light crossbowmen and her magi guards.”

  “Wait, she’s there, too? Not just her troops?”

  “Yes. Did Lee not send his magi with?”

  “No,” Mavic sighed. “This is going to be a butchering.”

  “Likely,” Gregory sighed. “To spare you the trouble later, we might as well get the instructors out here.”

  Mavic paused, then bowed her head. “You’re being too kind. We’re supposed to be enemies right now.”

  “What? No, we aren’t. We’re just coordinators for the game. We should be as neutral as possible. If we sway the game, it’s all false. It’s why our instructors switched classes, after all. They should have switched us too… I’m going to mention it to Erichson after the game is over. We’d be even less tempted to ‘accidentally’ give things away if we’re running messages for the other team.”

  “Oh... I didn’t think of it that way.”

  “Yeah. Let’s go get them. Then, we can see how badly it goes for Lee’s men, plus anything else that happens.”

  ~*~*~

  Gregory kept his face impassive as his friends devised what to do next. Clover’s position had just become more entrenched and fortified with pikemen to make crossing the river a problem. They’d also given her more hounds to keep the woods free farther south, allowing them to catch another scouting unit from the Han clan.

  Stomach rumbling, Gregory sighed and pulled out his snack. It was getting into the evening and he was hungry. When he did, Yukiko pulled out the food for the others, sharing it out around the table.

  Farin was surprised, but happy to get something to eat, as well. “Thank you. I didn’t know we should bring some.”

  “We thought it might be a multi-day game. We’ve been hungry during those before,” Jenn said.

  “I always got hungry,” Clover said as she took a bite of jerky.

  Ben blinked, surprised at how prepared the apprentices were. He doubted any other group had thought to bring snacks. The Han clan hadn’t mentioned having any, and he doubted they would share with the two other students in the class even if they had.

  “I think we have enough to give them a testing probe,” Ling said between bites of cheese. “I have the probing charge card. We should use it. That’ll give us a good idea of what they have.”

  “Unless they wipe out the unit,” Yukiko cautioned. “Unlikely, but we’ve bloodied them repeatedly.”

  “They might try to kill them to the last man,” Farin nodded. “We could try to capitalize on that?”

  “Bowmen to trail them and provide cover for the retreat?” Yukiko asked.

  “Yes. We’d lose more men overall if they’re set to massacre any of ours,” Ling said. “Since we have to play cards without knowing if they did, it makes it harder to know when to play them.”

  “Yes,” Yukiko agreed. “This truly does give you a better feel for war, though. You’d never know they roused their men beforehand.”

  “Exactly,” Ben said. “It’s so rare to see the inexperienced understand that. Sorry. Please go on.”

  “Thank you,” Yukiko smiled. “I think we should try the probe to get better intel. I’d caution against using the bowmen as cover.”

  Farin considered, looking over the board. “It’ll take us a turn to get the light cavalry into position for the probe. There’s a chance that they’re caught out by a reconnaissance of their own... Sorry, Yukiko, I disagree. I think we need to send the archers with them. It’ll delay the probe by another turn, since we want them to position together, but overall, I think it’s best.”

  “I’ll support it,” Yukiko said. “I’ll send the heavy cavalry out the first day, just in case, then hold them until the probe comes back.”

  “That’s half of our forces,” Ling said. “This suddenly looks like an attack and not a probe.”

  “Might be even better that way,” Farin said quickly. “If they repel and chase, the following turn, they’d just find the archers. If they continue, the probe keeps running to get the heavy cavalry to move up while the archers do a fighting retreat.”

  Yukiko nodded slowly. “I see what you mean... If we angle them right, maybe we can get them to charge into the gap of the marsh.”

  “Yes!” Farin grinned. “Then, the heavy comes down the gap and the opposition either gets bogged and struck down by the archers or they get trampled.”

  “Oh, nice,” Ling said. “I agree.”

  “If they find opposition less than them, they fight,” Yukiko said. “If they find more than them, I’d be shocked, but they flee back to camp.”

  “Since my archers are going out with so much help, I’ll go with them,” Farin said.

  The three of them began moving pieces.

  Clover licked her lips. “I want to send one of the hounds along the flank. I haven’t had any real threats for a bit. They’re either coming for me or have given up the flank.”

  “We’re too far to talk,” Yukiko said, “so either use the messenger or do as you think best.”

  Clover looked at the board, clearly thinking over what’d happened over the last few hours. After a minute, she took her closest hounds and moved them across the river, but didn’t run the full distance, leaving them with a few points of movement. “They’ll scout. If they’re found, they flee back here.” She tapped the map.

  Gregory looked at the board and started taking notes. “Okay, give me a minute.”

  Ben stood up, stretching as he did. “Well, this will be entertaining.”

  “Sir?” Gregory asked, glancing at him.

  “You’re going to ask me and Erichson to mediate, aren’t you?”

  “Only if combat happens, sir,” Gregory said.

  “To spare Mavic,” Ben said, “which I agree with. I’m just getting ready to go.”

  “Thank you, sir. Yes, she’ll get a lot of blame after today, even when none of this is her fault.”

  “I’ll stamp it out if they try it in class, but she’ll have to stand on her own,” Ben said.

  “I think she’ll surprise you, sir,” Gregory grinned. “Is it against the rules to give a friend a snack?”

  Ben’s lips trembled and he shrugged. “If no one objects, then there’s no problem.”

  “Understood, sir,” Gregory said.

  Yukiko gave Gregory a small nod, understanding what he was doing. Jenn’s smile was small, but bright, when she watched Gregory finish his notes.

  “I’ll be right back,” Gregory said heading out the door.

  Mavic gave Gregory a wan smile. “Do you want to start this time?”<
br />
  “Sure, but first...” Gregory pulled some jerky from his bag, making it less obvious he was using his storage ring. “Here.”

  Mavic blinked at the jerky he was holding out to her. “What?”

  “Did you bring any food?”

  “Well… no.”

  “I’m willing to share,” Gregory said.

  Mavic’s stomach grumbled and she blushed before she hesitantly took it. “Thank you. I’ll remember to bring a snack for the tournament.” She looked down. “Maybe I’ll mention it to them... They’ve been getting angrier, but maybe it’s hunger.”

  “Possibly. Okay, let me show you what they’re doing,” Gregory said as he opened his map to her.

  When Gregory finished explaining the movements to Mavic, she looked uncertain. “They will find a light foot unit coming that way. They’ll end up only two hexes away and be able to clearly see the opposition.”

  “This is going to be tricky,” Gregory said. “Any magi with them?”

  “No… oh, Aether, yours?”

  “Yes. Let’s grab the instructors. I believe that foot unit is about to get held in place and butchered next round. I think because Farin is there, he gets to decide on what to do. Before we do that, though, anything from your end?”

  “No,” Mavic said slowly.

  “They have plans in motion. That’s good, at least,” Gregory said. “I wonder what it’ll be? But it’ll obviously be after this turn.”

  “Yes, yes it will. Let’s get the instructors and see what they think.”

  “Be right back.”

  When the four reconvened and the matter was laid out before the instructors, both nodded. “Farin,” Ben said. “Go get him.”

  “Yes, sir,” Gregory said.

  It took less than a minute for Gregory to bring Farin back, and another to explain what Farin saw at the end of the troop movement.

  “I’ll use half my aether,” Farin said. “I’ll soak them, muddying the ground and slowing them. I can’t tell my other commander what’s happening, so can I say it now?”

  “Yes,” Ben said.

  “The next round, the light horse will swing wide to cut them off. The heavy will be ready to kill them if they charge, and the archers will rain on them,” Farin said. “I’ll keep my aether in reserve for unforeseen circumstances.”

  “Okay,” Ben said, nodding. “Did they give the foot any orders?”

  Mavic looked at Farin, then at Ben. “Sir, can we send him back to the class, please?”

  Farin’s eye twitched. He turned and started walking before he’d been told to. Once Farin was away from them, Paul motioned Mavic to continue.

  “The foot is just a screen,” Mavic said. “They’re moving in for an assault. The battle will finish before the main force gets there, but they’ll see the force in the distance unless they change plans this turn.”

  “I can already tell you that my clan will pull back and try to get a count on them,” Gregory said. “I doubt Yuki will do differently.”

  “Let’s work through the attack,” Paul said. “Then, we’ll return and see what each side does.”

  “Yes, sir,” Gregory said. “Okay, with the terrain muddy…”

  Chapter Eight

  Gregory groaned when someone knocked on the door. Jenn and Yukiko muttered as they were woken up, as well. “Awake,” Gregory called.

  “You have an hour before you need to be back to the hall,” Dia called to them. “Breakfast should be ready when you make it downstairs.”

  All three of them got out of bed and let their aether clear their minds and refresh their bodies. Blinking as the cobwebs of fatigue fled, they dressed and got ready for the day.

  “You hurt them before the game was called for the break,” Gregory said.

  “We did,” Yukiko agreed. “They hurt themselves twice over, though.”

  “Not changing their scouting until late in the day, and then using half their forces to attack us,” Jenn nodded.

  “They were smart enough to pull back and dig in,” Gregory said, “not that you were in any position to chase them. The harassment from the light cavalry kept them running and gave you a solid idea of what they had at that point.”

  “Need to make sure we have snacks with us again,” Jenn said. “Should we bring an extra?”

  “It wouldn’t hurt,” Yukiko replied. “Even if Farin and Mavic bring something today, we can share the extra among us. How was she doing, Greg?”

  “Mavic? She was fading fast at the end of the night. I’m pretty sure she’s body path, which is odd with her water magic, but she probably focused on it to help her survive,” Gregory said as they finished dressing. “She was kind of rough to start with, but she admitted that was because of how she was being treated and the rumors. She mellowed out by the end of the day.”

  “Good. More people who see us as we are will help break those rumors faster than trying to fight them,” Yukiko smiled as she opened the door to the room. “Let’s go eat.”

  ~*~*~

  Breakfast was mostly quiet as they ate as quickly as they could. Zenim had packed their snacks for them and had made the extra just in case. Gin walked with them to tactics class, as his own class still had an ongoing game.

  “Who is teaching physical conditioning in your absence?” Yukiko asked Gin.

  “Inda,” Gin replied. “I should be back there today, though, even if I am a little sleepy.”

  “Game ending soon?” Gregory asked.

  “It should end in the first two hours. They’ve been playing since the first day back, but it is three-on-one now.”

  “We might finish ours today,” Jenn said. “Well, they will. I’m the one sitting out.”

  “Including Farin was a good idea,” Gin said. “Making an ally is always good.”

  “And he’s a good person,” Clover said.

  “He has been a vast improvement over Chucky,” Ling nodded.

  “I had a couple of ideas,” Gregory said, changing the topic, “regarding the games, sir.”

  “Go ahead,” Gin said.

  “The players who are sitting out should be removed from the room. Jenn should be completely blank if she gets dragged in, like any new commander would be when they go to the battlefield.”

  “Agreed. I believe Egil already plans for that.”

  “The coordinators should be from opposing teams, not their own team.”

  “Why?” Gin asked.

  “A team that works together might be able to arrange signals that the instructor wouldn’t see or understand and pass along more information than should be passed. It’ll help distance things more, adding another layer of security.”

  “Yes, that was also discussed,” Gin smiled. “I’m glad you saw it.”

  “Ah,” Gregory deflated a little. “I should have known that you or Egil would see the potential troubles, sir.”

  “We have. The goal now is to get you ready for the end game,” Gin said with a smile. “Egil will explain the tournament… possibly tomorrow. It requires all preliminary games to be done. There are only three others besides mine to have run this long. Well, and yours, but you started a day later.”

  “The tournament will start after the solstice, won’t it?” Jenn asked.

  “Correct,” Gin said.

  The sun wasn’t even hinting at rising when they got to the tactics building.

  “Good luck,” Gin said as he climbed the stairs to the third floor.

  “Thank you, sir,” they said and went to their own class.

  ~*~*~

  Farin came into the room a few minutes later. Though he looked a little groggy, he moved with confidence. He looked at them for a few seconds, then greeted them with, “Good morning.”

  “Body path,” Yukiko said. “Good morning, Farin. We won’t be making any bold plays for a few turns, at least. We should have you rest a bit longer and see if you can shake off the fatigue.”

  “Hmm... I do feel a little foggy,” Farin nodded. “I will t
ask my men with following your commands. They’ll lose a little morale, but not enough to hurt, and they’ll still have a clear leader.”

  “Understood,” Ben said from behind Farin. “You will be out of command of your men until you tell me and a new turn begins.”

  “Thank you, sir,” Farin said. He went over to the far side of the room and rested against the corner, using the walls to keep him upright.