Chapter 196: Timing

Chapter 196: Timing

Reivyn continued to work on his own personal improvement during his free time. He couldn't dedicate his time specifically toward building his Qi pool. He didn't let any of his Skills fall by the wayside.

That was only during his personal time, though. His duties throughout the day were mainly to make sure the mercenaries were always doing something productive. That didn't mean they were constantly training. Keeping morale up by allowing leisure and rest time was an important mission. There was a delicate balance between driving the men hard enough to constantly improve and be ready at all times and keeping their spirits up.

The amount of alcohol consumed by a unit was a direct correlation to the level of morale, and Reivyn was pleased that there hadn't been any incidents fueled by over consumption of the substance.

Alcohol was prohibited from entering the barracks, period, and the officers and NCO's did a good job keeping it out, but it wasn't forbidden for the men and women to indulge themselves when they knew they weren't going to be on duty.

If they weren't stationed at a wartime camp, the restrictions on alcohol would be lessened, though never removed entirely. It was one thing to tolerate it, but it was another thing entirely to encourage it.

Reivyn wasn't worried that the mercenary soldiers would be too drunk to perform if the city was unexpectedly attacked, either. With magical means and potions from the alchemists, it was possible to sober up extremely quickly. It wasn't pleasant, though. It involved the forced expulsion of the poison from their system.

Reivyn wasn't much of a drinker himself, and he was always on duty as the commander, so he never participated. He wasn't aloof to the other officers throughout the city, either. They had gotten together on multiple occasions to build a rapport between each other, but Reivyn opted for drinks that wouldn't negatively affect him.

Some of the younger officers had thought it would be funny to spike Reivyn's drink on occasion. They weren't doing it out of malice, and the amount of alcohol they tried to slip him would barely make him tipsy, but none of them had ever succeeded. They couldn't figure out how Reivyn seemed to have eyes in the back of his head and always managed to spot their attempts. It had become a sort of game to see who could pull it off.

Reivyn wasn't mad about it, either. He recognized they were just trying to blow off steam. He even actively participated in the shenanigans. He would feign to not notice until the very last moment when the cup reached his lips, but he would always smirk and wink at the person responsible as he sat the drink back down and ordered a new one.

He had endeared himself to the younger officers with his willingness to go along with their fun and not hold a grudge, and he had gained the respect of the older officers with his competence in running his mercenary company.

Nobody had seen him fight before, but stories spread as the mercenaries bragged to the other soldiers in the city. Refix had gained quite a bit of notoriety, and Vyria couldn't leave the barracks without a disguise for fear of being followed by adoring fans. Word of her prowess with the sword had gotten out, and she was a beautiful young girl, too.

Reivyn had to shut down some of the younger officers who asked to be introduced to her a couple times. After outright rejecting all overtures, though, they stopped trying to get him to intercede.

The young officers weren't looking for a fling with one of Reivyn's subordinates. They were looking for wives to marry into their families, so Reivyn wasn't offended. It wasn't Reivyn's place to explain her circumstances to anyone, though, so he just said there was a situation they were unaware of that precluded her from seeking a marriage partner.

Reivyn had relayed this information to the two Cultivators. Xudrid had laughed it off, and Vyria's face had turned red with embarrassment. Xudrid had explained that she was the daughter of the patriarch of their sect, so he assumed she had never encountered a situation where anyone was so bold as to proclaim their intentions outright. They thanked Reivyn for his discretion and it was left at that.

Life in the city of Piori went on, but Reivyn never let himself forget that they were technically on the front lines of a war. Everything seemed peaceful on the surface, but there was still that strange undercurrent with the washed out colors and strange sense to the ambient Mana.

The patrols continued, and some of the platoons even took turns manning some of the outposts for a turn. So far, it seemed like the invaders were content with whatever they were doing beyond their sight.

---

"Reivyn, do you have a moment?" Kefira knocked on his office door and walked in.

Reivyn immediately put his reports down and stood up as he motioned for Kefira to take a seat across from him.

"I always have a moment for you, you know that," Reivyn said with a smile. Kefira didn't smile back.

"We've been here for three months now..." She said, trailing off.

"I know. Time seems to fly around here," Reivyn nodded his head.

"Yes, but it's already been three months..." Kefira emphasized the time again.

Reivyn frowned as the tried to figure out what she was alluding to. It only took him a moment to remember, though, and his smile also slipped from his face.

"So you're heading back, now?" Reivyn asked.

"I'm afraid so," Kefira said with a sigh. "I tried to feign ignorance, but Sefia has been keeping close track of the passage of time. I tried to argue with her that we were stationed on the front lines so it was inappropriate for me to leave right now, but she countered that it only applied if we were in active battle or siege with the enemy."

"Hmm, yes, that is how your mother put it."

"So I have to go, and I can't dawdle, either. I thought I was pulling a fast one one Sefia, but it looks like my plans backfired. She timed her reminder in such a way that the teleporters won't immediately be synced up to Wispan, and she ambushed me with an invitation to a ball from Alwin. I can't ignore it this time, either, and I'll have to perform my 'diplomatic' duties before I can leave."

"In that case, I'll see about getting permission to visit the capital with you," Reivyn said. "I can leave my father in charge. All of the officers are competent, and everyone respects him and will follow his orders."

"Good. I can wait as long as it takes for you to go speak to prince Allik, but I'll have to leave soon."

"Then I better hurry, huh?" Reivyn said.

He stood up and walked around the desk. Kefira stood up, and the two shared an embrace before they left. Kefira went to her room where Serilla was packing away their things, and Reivyn made his way outside.

Before Reivyn left the barracks, he made his way over to his father who was watching a platoon of soldiers drill. Refix turned and faced his son with an expectant look on his face as Reivyn approached.

The nights weren't lonely, but he missed the time he spent with Kefira. He could still practice his Mana Skills and Affinities, but it wasn't as enjoyable as it had been.

---

Reivyn was going over some documents at his desk when he picked up someone frantically entering the headquarters building and making their way up to the second floor. He set the papers down and exited the office to wait for the man in the hallway.

"Sir, there's a situation with the returning patrol," the young man gave a salute before reporting.

"Oh, what's the situation?" Reivyn asked as he immediately made to descend the stairs. The runner followed closely behind and to the left.

"There are several people injured this time," he answered.

"I see. Go inform the other officers."

"Yes, sir!"

The runner split from following Reivyn as they exited the building. Reivyn immediately spotted the platoon just outside of the growing range of his Divine Sense, and he quickly made his way over.

Reivyn did a mental head count as he walked over, and he was mollified to see that there weren't any missing among their numbers. They were all exhausted, though, and he could see several mercenaries sporting bloody bandages from field dressings.

"Report!" Reivyn barked as he walked up to the platoon commander.

"Sir!" The lieutenant saluted and immediately launched into his report. "We ran into a skirmish with enemy troops on the way back from the outpost. They weren't lying in ambush or anything, we just happened to cross paths. A fight broke out, and the enemy soldiers managed to flee."

"Casualties?"

"No wounds that would obstruct anyone from their duties on our side, but we didn't kill any of their soldiers, either."

"So they weren't the ones with '1's' branded on their heads?" Reivyn quirked an eyebrow.

"No, sir. They were all armed and armored decently. They all had helmets on, though, so we didn't get a good look at their Number. If I had to guess based on my experience in Drallo, I would say they were at least Number 3 with a Number 4 commander."

"I see. You did good to prevent any casualties on our side. As long as none of ours die, it's a success in my eyes.

"Have the NCO's make sure the men are taken care of, and immediately compile your report. I'll need to get a copy to the Prince as soon as possible."

"Yes, sir!" The lieutenant saluted.

The other officers had arrived while Reivyn was in the middle of getting the report. He turned to Lieutenant Jeckle.

"Lieutenant Jeckle, send one of the irregulars to run to the Prince and inform him of the situation. Make sure he knows that a written report will immediately be sent over once it's ready. Meet with us in the conference room once it's done."

"Yes, sir!" Jeckle saluted and turned to get the task accomplished.

"Everyone else, let's go to the conference room."

The rest of the officers followed him to the small headquarters building. Everyone filed into the conference room and took a seat. Reivyn waited a moment to allow for Jeckle to arrive before he started.

"As far as I know, nothing like this has happened for months," Reivyn said. He looked at each of the officer's in their eyes as he spoke. "Apparently, it was a regular occurrence for the enemy to probe the city when the lines were first established, but they haven't done so in a long time. This could just be a continuation of that practice, but we can't assume so. Until further notice, we have to operate as if an enemy attack is eminent. That means no more liberty and no more drinking for the men."

The mercenary officers were too disciplined to show it on their faces, but Reivyn could tell they were worried. They weren't worried about an impending attack on the city, though. They were worried that their men would sneak out and cause problems if they were cooped up for too long.

"It will be unpopular with the men, but that's life," Reivyn said. "If anyone is caught sneaking out, they are to be harshly punished. This isn't the time to be lenient on them."

"How long are we going to be on alert, sir?" One of the lieutenants raised his hand and asked.

"We'll give it a week for the highest alert level," Reivyn answered. "After that, if the men behave, we can reduce the restrictions a little. It won't be the same as it was before, though, and the men will have a stricter curfew.

"Now that that's, out of the way, until the written report is ready for me to take to Prince Allik, let's review the different scenarios we've prepared for an attack on the city."

Reivyn and the officers spent a significant portion of their time doing wargames with the knowledge they had on their own forces and the enemy forces. He wanted everyone to be fresh on the countermeasures they had come up with over the past several months.

Most of the strategy would be in accordance with Prince Allik's orders, but that wasn't absolute. It was always good to be prepared for any eventuality, and Reivyn was still concerned about the presence of a possible spy placed in a high position of authority.

The men buckled down to prepare for war.