Meeting the Reinforcements

A light breeze whispered through the forest. The gentle thumping of footsteps slowly moved onwards through the overgrown paths. Guards in shiny armor cut through the foliage as they went forwards. The group of travelers took each step with caution.

Over an hour had passed since Aayla had arrived near Halcyon with the rest of the team. They had to move quickly to avoid anything catching onto their trail. Magical beasts were constantly prowling the area. Avoiding them outright was best, but occasionally the guards struck them down.

Each time blood was spilled, the group had to immediately change directions and flee faster. The scent would attract other magical beasts. With an army of magical beasts numbering in the hundreds of thousands nearby, attracting attention was to be avoided at all costs.

A lead guard held up their hand. The group instantly stopped. Low grunts and smashing noises could be heard up ahead. The lead guard motioned to the right. The team silently changed directions. Their trip had gotten longer once again.

Shadows darted over Aayla's face from high above. The aerial beasts' presence had been constant for their entire journey. The tree canopy thickened overhead as they passed. Without that, they probably would have been noticed by now.

The team's path had become extremely winding as they continued to march forward. Sometimes they even had to go back over their old paths. Their forward progress seemed nonexistent to Aayla, but eventually the number of enemy patrols lessened.

As the number of enemies dropped, their path got more and more straight. The team moved faster and faster. By the time that they had been walking for three hours, practically no more enemies patrolled the area. After no more enemies had appeared for a while, the team leader decided to ditch stealth for speed.

Aayla was greatly relieved when the guards stopped taking so many safety measures. They were finally out of danger. Well, as out of danger that one could be when in the middle of a civil war. Travel went smoothly, until someone threw a fireball at them.

The guards immediately formed a circle formation. With grim faces, they stared at the dense undergrowth around them. Chris hurriedly pulled a hood over Daren's head to cover his face. Their opponents might not have seen his face already.

"Halt! Who are you people and why are you here?" A loud voice yelled from somewhere inside the forest.

The team leader of the guards carefully took a crest out of his pocket then held it up in the light.

"We are members of the Halcyon Guard, sent to investigate Halcyon by our master. Here is the crest of our master."

He immediately dropped the token in front of him. As if pulled by an invisible string, the crest flew towards the forest. The trees remained quiet for several minutes. Aayla's ears popped as a wave of mana washed over her.

Annoyed, one of the guards tapped their staff on the ground and the mana dispersed. Those in the forest didn't respond. The team leader decided to test their mysterious opponents.

"We seek the camp of the Fort Kast reinforcements to offer our aid and seek shelter. If you are a patrol or scouts from the camp, I request to speak with your leader to discuss this."

Once again, the forest was silent. Eventually, the trees parted in front of them and a middle-aged man stepped through the trees. The team leader slowly walked forward to meet him. An arrow plunged into the ground in front of him, stopping the guard in his tracks.

"You're quite on edge, my friend. Are we not welcome here?"

"It's nothing personal. Too many suspicious people have lurked around this area claiming similar stories as you have."

"So, this spot is near the main camp?"

The middle-aged man ignored the question. "Who are those in the middle of your encirclement?"

"Our charges who need to check the situation of Halcyon personally. They also have certain… skill sets that can help us get inside."

"Through a siege over half a million strong?" the man snorted. "I highly doubt that, even if they are powerful wizards."

The man looked over the crest again. It faintly glowed as mana flowed into it. The man tossed it up and down in his hand.

"This token seems legitimate. Who is your master and why are they so interested in the city's situation?"

"The former City Lord, Stallesso Forolan. The reason should be obvious. Halcyon is his home, thus is seriously concerned about its condition."

"You're sticking with the Halcyon Guard story, huh? This crest does look much more believable than the others."

The middle-aged man seemed skeptical, even a bit hostile, towards the group. The guards started to frown at his words and attitude. If this man doesn't believe them, then leaving safely may become a bit complicated.

Glints from sunlight on swords and arrow heads twinkled among the trees. Neither raising nor lowering their weapons, the guards slightly stepped back to tighten their formation. The team leader motioned for the rest of the guards to remain calm.

"I heard that Stallesso Forolan is in Cuoq City. How did you travel here so quickly?"

"Our master led the reinforcements to Odala over a week ago. The city has now stabilized, so we were able to take magical transportation to get close to Halcyon."

The middle-aged man asked several more questions. He kept glancing at Aayla and the others protected in the center of the formation. Eventually his questions came to an end, though Aayla could still sense suspicion towards them.

A tiny bird flew over after the last question ended. It happily chirped and sat on the middle-aged man's shoulder. The man nodded as the bird chirped before motioning towards the trees with his hand. A path opened up behind him.

"Our leader, the commander of the Fort Kast army, has decided to meet you. Only three of you may enter our camp for now. The rest will remain outside. All weapons and magical artifacts shall be taken before you enter. If that is acceptable for you, please follow me."

The guards slightly dropped their tensed shoulders after the middle-aged man turned around to leave. The group cautiously followed along as the trees opened up around them. Two people stepped out of the trees behind them and followed along as obviously as they could.

When they arrived at the camp, they found that it was surrounded by a large earthen wall with crude metal gates. Several of the camp's guards stopped them before the team entered. They glared at the team while talking to the middle-aged man.

"Who are these people?"

"Guests of the commander." The middle-aged man tossed the token to the camp's guards. "They claim to be Halcyon Guards, and their token looks good."

"Are all of them coming inside?"

"No, just the team leader, my aide and I," Daren finally spoke up as he gestured towards Chris and the team leader.

The camp's guards quickly checked them for weapons, which Daren, Chris and the team leader left with their companions. The middle-aged man carefully watched this process before the camp's guards finally opened the gates.

"Only these three can enter. The rest of you will need to wait for them out here. It may take hours. If the sun starts to set, we will not let you inside. You'll need to set up your own camp away from here."

The middle-aged man led the trio into the camp. The gates quickly shut behind them. Jacki, Aayla and the rest of the Halcyon Guards settled down outside the gate to wait. All other traffic immediately turned and went towards other gates. They avoided the team like the plague.

The other guards never took their eyes off of them. The Halcyon Guards glared back, but kept their hands off of their weapons. They absolutely hated being treated like snakes or rabid dogs. Barely half an hour later, the gate opened again. A delicate lady who looked like a secretary peaked out.

"Hello guests! The commander has permitted the rest of you to come inside. You all may enter now."

The team quickly entered and followed behind her as they were led deeper into the camp. The lady politely guided them through the camp. A tense atmosphere permeated the air as officers and soldiers frantically ran around making preparations for something.

Blacksmiths repaired armor and weapons while carpenters built wagons and siege engines. Preserved food and other goods streamed in from somewhere. Patrols constantly entered and left the camp while keeping an eye on the sky.

"Please excuse the mess. The commander has decided to attack the True Order army soon now that we've stabilized our position here."

The commander's tent was the busiest place in the entire camp. Officers frantically strategized and worked to finish preparations to attack as soon as possible. The situation in Halcyon was dire. Unable to penetrate the enemy line, the commander assumed the worst.

The city had to be retaken before the True Order completely took over and integrated themselves with the city's defenses. Retaking the city would be thousands of times more difficult if that happened.