Soul of the Warrior

The rest of the meeting was pretty boring for Reivyn. It wasn’t the mind-numbing boredom that he experienced listening to his mother and Silfa in their discussion of his upcoming wedding, but he was likewise unable to add further input. He and Kayzor had a lot to coordinate, but that would have to wait for their own time.

The generals and higher-ups involved in the military already had all of the reports that he and the other commanders had provided. Reivyn was there if they needed some kind of clarification on an issue, but the topic wasn’t so specific that it was necessary.

They were discussing the overall planning for not only preparing for a future invasion of themselves, but also sending as many soldiers to battle as possible to raise their Levels and potential.

Increasing the number of mercenaries sponsored by the Imperial Family was only one aspect that they were increasing in their war effort. Recruitment of the regular military was also kicked into overdrive. That included young men with dreams and aspirations of serving as an honorable soldier as well as the civilian manufacturers that would supply them.

One of the biggest limiting factors was one of raw materials. They had access to a lot of Tier 4 materials from the infrastructure of their empire, plus all the lower-Tier materials needed for training apprentices and journeymen. What they lacked for the masters, though, was a reliable source of Tier 5 materials.

With the increase in potential for the civilians, they would need to shift the majority of their work to materials that simply couldn’t be found in their Tier 4 Region if they wanted to go even further on their path.

The greatest craftsmen of the empire were already locked into their potential, but their disciples, apprentices, and subordinates had hope of going further. There was no way they would limit their posterity to mediocrity now that they had the chance to attain a higher Rarity Class.

The meeting continued to discuss everything from building new fortifications throughout the realm to sponsoring expeditions to the Tier 5 Region beyond the Wilderness. Reivyn listened intently, but he was anxious to get back to work with his own project. Reivyn could have probably gotten away with excusing himself, but he needed to coordinate with Kayzor, and his future brother-in-law would definitely not be allowed to leave early.

Eventually, though, the meeting wound down to a point Gennet no longer needed the military brass. His next biggest task would be to convince the nobles to increase their rate of exploration of the Tier 5 Region to send back the needed resources. That was a completely different type of conversation. Military commanders listened and obeyed, but nobles had to be convinced.

“Ahh, finally out of there,” Kayzor said, stretching dramatically as they walked down the hall.

Trevor had trailed behind Reivyn and Kayzor as they walked side-by-side. Knowing the intention of Gennet, neither said anything to shoe the young man away to attend to his own duties.

Trevor, despite being a couple years older than Reivyn, had led a mostly idle life, at least by Reivyn’s standards. He had just started his journey in the military, so he wasn’t quite ready to jump into the duties he would one day be assigned, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t listen in now.

“I would have thought you would have more to input, considering you’re a general,” Reivyn pointed out to Kayzor.

“Nah. I might be a general, but I’m at the lowest rung,” Kayzor dismissed. “Anything I would have to add would have already been accounted for by the older guys, and I’m not in the chain of command that has the deployed units. I’ve read all the reports, of course, but that just means I know the minimum of what the others know.”

“I see,” Reivyn responded. “Well, that won’t be true for much longer, what with the added duties of overseeing the domestic affairs of the mercenary unit. Are you being completely transferred over, or are you just adding to your plate?”

“Just adding to my plate,” Kayzor answered. “It’s not much of a burden, though. Most everything on my end can be run by my subordinates without much input from me. I’m also not foolish enough to try and do everything myself, either. I’ll definitely be roping in those that are already running the show. No need to reinvent the wheel.

“You don’t mind, do you? I’m not trying to poach your men, but they’re already there…”

“Of course,” Reivyn nodded his head. “If you hadn’t brought it up, I was going to suggest it. It just makes sense. Many of them are going to want to go on the next deployment, of course, but there are some that I’m sure enjoy their position as trainers, and some of the veterans of the last expedition are going to want to stay behind.

“I hadn’t fully considered what I was going to do with the veterans, but now that your father wants to expand the mercenary company to an entire regiment, I think the best thing would be to split the four platoons up to form the backbone of four new companies.

“Have you already had a chance to look at what’s been going on with the recruitment since I’ve been gone?”

“A little,” Kayzor said. “My father only told me of his plans a couple days ago. Probably because he only decided a couple days ago. That being said, as far as I know, there are already enough recruits to form two more companies.”

“I haven’t looked into it in further detail,” Reivyn replied. “My family wanted my full attention, so I gave it to them. It’s about time to get back to work, though.

“First things first, we’ll need to promote my current officers, commission new ones, and fill in enlisted leadership roles. We’ll get the infrastructure worked out first before we start sliding whole platoons around.

“I already know who I want as the new company commanders, but for the new officers, you can decide based on Imperial Army standards. We’ll have to give them additional training, of course, but we already have enough veteran officers to form at least one fully functional company regardless of how we split things up.”

As the two walked toward the exit of the Imperial Palace, Master Huildare caught up to them. Reivyn and Kayzor paused to wait for him, and Trevor gave a little wave as he finally peeled off to go see about his own duties as a junior officer.

“General Kayzor, Major Reivyn,” Guildmaster Huildare nodded to the two men. Reivyn and Kayzor nodded back. “The Adventurer’s Guild maintains information on every Adventurer within the empire. I know that a lot of Adventurers have journeyed from other Tier 4 Regions, though, and we’ve already begun working to gather their information. I’ll have my secretary compile a list.”

Reivyn gave the guildmaster a puzzled look.

“Don’t the Guild Tokens contain all of the information?” He asked.

“Those are like cliff notes,” Huildare responded. “It records notable achievements and activity, but it doesn’t include things like personality or background information. It is a key to that information, though, so our workers can find the relevant files quickly.

“That being said, the Adventurer’s Guild maintains more complete records than can be accessed directly through the token. I overheard you talking about appointing new officers. Normally, a Guild Token would be enough for you to screen regular recruits, but for officers and others being placed in more delicate positions, I imagine you would want the full record.”

“That would be a big help,” Reivyn nodded his head. “I appreciate the help.”

Huildare waved the appreciation aside.

“No need,” he said. “It’s the least we could do for you. The fact you’ve created such a successful mercenary group has brought in a lot of Adventurers to our Region. Sure, it’s increased our workload, but that’s nothing a few new hires can’t compensate for.

“The new Adventurers who don’t make it through the recruitment process, though, end up Adventuring and Dungeon delving around here, and that’s really brought in a lot more revenue and prestige. It’s a win-win.”

“Oh, I didn’t realize there was such a thing,” Reivyn said. “Do the Adventurer Guild branches compete with each other?”

“Sort of,” Guildmaster Huildare rubbed the back of his neck with a sheepish expression. “It’s really just us old fogeys bragging to each other. You know there’s no centralization of the guild, and Tier 4 Regions are as high as we go. There’s not much else to do than to brag to each other after a certain point.”

“You guys don’t have a presence in the Tier 5 Regions?” Reivyn asked, genuinely curious.

“We do, but we’re mainly there to support the nobles and Imperial families. We help process materials and setup convoys for the most part.

“You have to understand: most Adventurers don’t come from a privileged place. The vast majority will never exceed Tier 4, much less Tier 5, and those that do attach themselves to the noble families directly. The Adventurer’s Guild acts mostly as a merchant enterprise in Tier 5 Regions, what with our most powerful members having split off from us.”

The guildmaster leaned in to whisper to Reivyn.

“As an Adventurer yourself, I don’t mind sharing this news: It’s not just the military and craftsmen that are getting a boost to their potential. The Adventurers who join your unit are seeing the biggest boost, but even some that don’t are improving, as well.

“One day soon, we might be able to establish a true presence in the Tier 5 Regions.”

“And let me guess: Your branch is likely going to be one of, if not the, first?”

Guildmaster Huildare winked at Reivyn. Reivyn just laughed.

“Well, good luck.”

“You, too.”

The guildmaster nodded once again to the two men and continued on his way back to the headquarters of the Adventurers Guild. Reivyn and Kayzor shared a look, Kayzor rolling his eyes.

The two followed in Huildare’s footsteps for a minute before turning and heading toward the drill grounds the mercenaries were housed in. They had been provided space from the Imperial Army. It didn’t make sense to have Reivyn find accommodations away from the seat of military power in the city, especially since they were officially sponsored by the Imperial Family, anyway.

Upon arriving at the barracks, Reivyn noted new construction in the empty lots nearby. It seemed Gennet had planned from the beginning to expand the mercenary company, though he probably waited to make the final decision until he received the positive reports.

Soldiers in simple attire were Marching about in formation all around. Other groups were formed and practicing their Spear and Shield Skills. Nobody was doing any individual training at the moment, but that was to be expected. None of the recruits were anything like the Tier 2 Conscripts who had never held a weapon before. They were all experienced combatants already, they just needed to learn to work together in an organized unit.

“I’ve been meaning to ask, but why do you have the mercenaries devote so much time to simple drill?” Kayzor asked as they made their way to the headquarters building. “I understand having them train Marching, but they’re never going to have to do any kind of parades or ceremonies.”

“The simple reason is discipline,” Reivyn answered. “A more nuanced explanation would be it instills a habit of obeying orders. For those conducting the drills, it gives them experience in giving orders.

“Drill is about as simple as you can get. Even so, it will translate in the field to instant obedience to orders, which is crucial in the middle of a fight.” Reivyn gave Kayzor a sideways glance. “Come on now, you’re a general. Don’t tell me you don’t understand this?”

“Hah!” Kayzor chuckled. “We have to train drill for so many other reasons other than combat that I’ve never really thought too deeply about it. It makes sense, though.”

The two made their way to the central building and stepped through the doors. The interior was the same as all the other military headquarters buildings Reivyn had been in. A young lady wearing the mercenary’s non-combat uniform with sergeant’s stripes was sitting behind a desk as they entered. She stood at the appearance of the two non-uniformed men.

“Can I help you gentlemen?” She asked.

She was polite, but Reivyn could tell she didn’t know who either of them was. Reivyn couldn’t hold that against her, though. As the overall commander, he didn’t recognize her, either.

“I’m Major Reivyn, and this is General Kayzor,” Reiyn introduced. The young sergeant’s eyes went wide in alarm, and her body stiffened to attention. Reivyn waved her concerns aside with a smile. “Don’t worry about it. You didn’t do anything wrong.

“Anyway, can you direct me to Lieutenant Jekle’s office?”

“Yes, sir!” The sergeant hurriedly walked around the desk toward the hall on the right side of the building. “Right this way, gentlemen.”

Reivyn could have used his Divine Sense to find his way to Jekle’s office. In fact, he could already see the man busy at reading through some reports down the hall. He decided to follow normal protocol, though. It would appear strange if he could find his way unerringly the first time he ever stepped foot in the building.

Reivyn and Kayzor followed the sergeant down the hall. She led them to the third door on the left and knocked. A voice called out for them to enter, and the sergeant opened the door.

“Sir, Major Reivyn and General Kayzor are here to see you,” the sergeant announced, stepping aside to let Reivyn and Kayzor enter the office.

Jekle leapt to his feet from where he had been going over some paperwork and stood at attention.

“At Ease,” Reivyn commanded.

Jekle sat back down, glancing back and forth between Reivyn and Kayzor.

“That will be all, Sergeant,” Jekle called to the young woman. She closed the door behind her.

Reivyn and Kayzor took a seat across from Jekle.

“Jekle, how do you like your time in the mercenary company so far?” Reivyn asked.

“Honestly? I love it,” Jekle responded. “I’ve always enjoyed leading a Party, but this has opened my eyes to a whole new world. If I hadn’t volunteered all that time ago in Drallo, I don’t know what I’d be doing with myself now.”

“And that leads me to my next question: You’re officially a citizen of Drallo, but how would you feel about changing citizenship directly to Willowan and receiving an official Commission?”

Jekle frowned as he thought about the question.

“You want me to leave the mercenary company and join the official Imperial Army?” He asked.

Reivyn shook his head.

“No,” he answered. “From now on, all commissioned officers in the mercenary company will receive official commissions in the Imperial Army, but we’re going to be in a parallel chain of command through Kefira. Commissioned officers have to be citizens of Willowan, though.”

“I see,” Jekle trailed off for a short moment. “That’s fine with me. It’s actually well-known that many people always aspire for better, and becoming a citizen of Willowan was always a goal I’ve had, anyway. I was just thinking of doing it as an Adventurer before now.”

“Excellent!” Reivyn exclaimed. Reivyn looked over to Kayzor. “This man has been my right hand, and he’ll make an excellent company commander. What do you think?”

Jekle had perked up as soon as he heard “company commander.” Kayzor gave him an appraising look.

“I’ve read your reports,” he finally said. “I understand what you meant when you said you already had an idea for the new company commanders. I agree.

“You’ll have to have some additional training,” Kayzor said to Jekle. “Even though you’ll be in a parallel chain of command, you’re still going to have to know how to do all the other things all the other commissioned officers know.”

“That won’t be a problem,” Jekle quickly replied.

“Good. Then let me congratulate you, Captain Jekle. I’ll have the new rank insignia sent over shortly.”

“Thank you, sir.”

“Hmm, even I don’t know all the ins and outs of being an official officer in the Imperial Family,” Reivyn spoke up. “Do I need to attend this special training?”

Kayzor rolled his eyes.

“You’re a special case. As a Liaison and future in-law of the Imperial Family, you’re afforded certain privileges.”

“Hooray, nepotism,” Reivyn raised an imaginary toast.

The three men chuckled.

“Alright, Kayzor’s going to be in charge here at home, so he’ll need to meet with the rest of the staff and officers,” Reivyn turned serious again. “Go ahead and get someone on coordinating a meeting with him and his people.”

“Yes, sir,” Jekle said. “Sir, some of the other lieutenants have already expressed an interest in resigning their commissions. I thought I should go ahead and inform you in case you had planned on retaining and promoting each of them.”

Reivyn frowned. He had intended on promoting each of the lieutenants from there deployment to Vairo. They had all shown excellent leadership and ability in combat, but being part of the mercenary unit and not the official military granted them the ability to leave more easily. If they accepted an official commission, though, they would be bound for a longer term.

“I see. Thank you for telling me. That being said, you and the other officers get with the training staff and compile a list of potentials for commission. We’re expanding quite a bit, and we’ll need to fill a lot of leadership positions quickly.”

“Yes, sir.”

Reivyn and Kayzor stood up. Reivyn reached over and shook Jekle’s hand, followed by Kayzor.

“Congratulations, once more,” Reivyn said.

“Thank you, sir. I won’t let you down.”

“I know you won’t,” Reivyn smiled.

He and Kayzor left Jekle’s office and headed toward the central stairs leading up. The sergeant stood at attention once more as the two men walked by. Reivyn waved for her to sit back down and ignore them.

“I’ve never actually been to my official office before,” Reivyn chuckled. “Let’s hope it’s not full of unread reports.”

“I’m sure said reports are sitting in someone else’s office,” Kayzor replied with a grin. “But don’t worry. They’ll find their way to your desk soon enough.”

“Lucky me,” Reivyn rolled his eyes.

Reivyn used his Divine Sense to find his name placard next to an office. He should have known it wouldn’t be necessary, though, as it was the first office on the left-hand side after ascending the stairs. He spied “General Kayzor” already pinned to the office on the right-hand side.

“Your office is already set up over there, in case you didn’t know,” Reivyn pointed as he headed to his own office. “But let’s go ahead and get started sorting through what we have already. No time like the present.”