Chapter 293 - Symbol

"What?" Zaos frowned. "Why would I want to become commander of the recruits?"

"You don't have to wish for that, but I am giving you that power nonetheless," Brien said. "Thanks to you, the result of the next battle became impossible to predict. Despite that, we need to do a bit more in order to win. That is why I am giving you command over the recruits because someone as young as you will rally them much more than any other soldier in this base."

Zaos could understand the logic behind it. The kids of the base will be forced to fight, and in order for them to be able to do anything while enduring their fears, they will need a symbol. Zaos was the perfect symbol since he was just a few years older than them, and he was already widely famous. Still, despite that, Zaos couldn't help but feel that he was only receiving some kind of punishment. After all, he still didn't even have time to train his soldiers properly, so how was he going to lead a bunch of kids?

"I may command them, but if they die, you will be responsible for it," Zaos said. "I don't have any idea how to command those who are much younger than me."

"Don't worry too much about that. Just think of raising their morale as much as possible before you give them any order," Brien said. "After that, tell them to go where you think they will be more effective."

Zaos looked at the commander with an expression that showed that he had many complaints, but he also knew that all of them would be ignored entirely. Instead of wasting time with something useless, Zaos decided to focus on the task ahead.

"The plan is simple. Our victory will depend on how fast we can destroy the siege weapons and the enemy commanders," Brien said. "They only have two, but those won't expose themselves. They are too smart for that. So, you, your unit, and the recruits will try your best to flank the enemy's army and destroy their siege weapons. If you keep trying, they will have to split their attention, and thus the base will suffer less damage."

Zaos nodded at that since it made sense. Brien probably knew that Zaos burned down dozens of siege weapons in the North when the mercenaries tried to invade. Given that, he had plenty of experience in how to be a pain in their back.

"While you try to flank and destroy the siege weapons, all the other soldiers will chip away the enemy's numbers with arrows," Brien said. "The key to the Victory will be patience. We still are outnumbered, so we don't have any other choice but to be cautious. Unless you are absolutely sure that you can attack the commanders or destroy the siege weapons, you should focus and do the same… decrease the enemies numbers safely."

The strategy wasn't half bad, but Zaos felt that it was too bland. Still, it fits, considering Brien's timid personality. Still, it was much better than having to count on someone like Garrik, who was stupid as a door.

"I already sent the orders for the recruits to join your group on the eastern side of the base once we see any movements in the enemy army," Brien said. "They will carry their basic weapons, so you don't have to worry about dividing them based on their weapons. That being said, you can still take some equipment in the armory if you want to. I just can't tell you to grab arrows because that will be the most important resource of this battle."

"Anything but arrows, huh…" Zaos rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "All right, I will do that. Let's see each other again on the battlefield, sir."

"I wish you luck," Brien said when Zaos left his office.

Although Zaos nodded, he wasn't someone who believed in luck. He believed that preparation was the key to everything. With that in mind, he gave the order for some of his soldiers to alert all the squads of recruits that they only needed to carry with them their best armor, the most extended spear, and the tallest shields they could find in the armory.

After that, Zaos, Cohnal, and Melisse left the base to check the movements of the mercenaries. Probably because they didn't want to give anyone the chance to recover the Toules town, they set a massive camp in the southern side of the region, two kilometers away from the base. While they were walking, Zaos told them about the news.

"New allies, huh. Well, I suppose that is a promotion of some sorts," Cohnal said. "Still, to think that the commander would be this thoughtful…"

"What do you mean?" Zaos asked.

"I mean that these recruits might join our unit someday if they survive this battle," Cohnal said. "The commander probably imagined that your fighting style would make many of them follow you."

"The inverse is also true," Melisse said. "The Captain's fighting style might also make people stay away from him."

"Don't be so pessimistic, even though he fights like one when he is serious, the Captain isn't a crazy beast that will attack enemy and ally alike," Cohnal said.

Zaos sighed. They were talking as if he wasn't there… While Zaos will have to think about new members once the war ends, that wasn't something that he could worry about right now, when some of his allies were about to die fighting the mercenaries. The gesture was appreciated, but in the end, even though he was supposed to have the same mental age as those figures, Zaos couldn't help but feel a little disgusted at their way of doing things. Zaos used some tactics to appeal to his soldiers and even managed to get their hands on some nice deals for them to feel more loyal to the unit.. Still, it wasn't like he had any hidden agenda. He acted thinking of the unit as a whole, as for the others…