Madrosa Civil War (3)
About ten minutes into the ride, Hapez pulled his camel close to Calix's and asked,
"Where to now, my lord?"
"Somewhere you think we absolutely can't go."
"Not the place I'm thinking of, I hope?"
"Probably exactly that."
"Ugh……."
Calix's group didn't stop until the sun had set.
"Alright, set up camp."
"Urgh……."
Groans rose from all around.
They'd ridden nonstop for nearly fifteen hours straight.
And that was after a brutal battle.
Still, once the tents were up, fires lit, and stew bubbling, a warm atmosphere settled in.
Krout handed Calix a bowl of stew and asked,
"Are you sure this is fine, my lord?"
"You put in meat stock and vegetables."
"True, but……."
"Just season it with salt. That makes most things edible."
He stared at Calix with wonder.
Sometimes, Calix felt like a completely different person.
He'd never once left the family estate, yet he didn't bat an eye at this rough fare.
Can a person really change this much overnight……?
No matter how he puzzled it over, no clear answer emerged.
As Krout fell silent in thought, Yurin piped up from beside him.
"So, where is this place? Hapez looked horrified earlier."
"Simply put, smack in the middle of the desert."
"Why's that a big deal……?"
"Can you accurately pinpoint your position in a desert?"
"Sounds tricky. The winds keep reshaping the dunes constantly."
"Exactly. That's why we bolted straight for a place no pursuer would dare follow."
"Ah…… But how do you navigate, young master?"
"Too late for questions. We'll head out at dawn tomorrow and ride till late night again. Sleep while you can."
Calix grabbed a few rocks near the fire and ducked into his tent.
He slipped them under his blanket, and soon his back was toasty warm.
"Ahh, melting away……."
Even just sitting on a camel, hours on end were brutally exhausting.
Calix conked out almost immediately.
After two full days of hard travel, Calix finally gathered the command staff for a proper strategy session.
"Alright, I think we've shaken the pursuit."
"Who'd follow us into the Sea of Death unless they were suicidal?"
"Heh, fair point."
"Next target? But first, mark our position. I have a rough idea, but precision matters."
Calix unrolled a map on the table.
He compared it to his minimap and planted a flag marker where they were.
"Here we are."
"Hard to believe we've come this far."
"Kayat's in ruins now. Supplies torched. If you were Saladin, what next?"
Hapez crossed his arms, staring at the map.
After a long deliberation, he spoke.
"Pull back the front lines first. Holding by force risks the main army crumbling from supply shortages."
Calix nodded.
"Same here. So, where to pull back?"
"Hm, logically this oasis closest to Kayat……."
Hapez pointed to the nearest oasis from Kayat.
Calix offered a hint to his hesitant expression.
"The key here isn't the best strategic choice—it's whose oasis you abandon first. Politics will outweigh pure tactics."
Hapez nodded.
"Then here."
He indicated a more distant oasis.
"The lines get a bit irregular, but that other spot's too vital to yield. It's the stronghold of a tribe that's backed Saladin loyally since before his coup."
"Good. Now, next target. That rear base becomes the new front, lines crumple into a crescent. Viable hits: here, here, here. Pick one."
"Politics first again, young master?"
"Heh, sharp. Yes. I want Saladin clashing with the elders. Leave his faction alone, chip away at theirs—like a deliberate check."
"Heh heh heh, got it."
The meeting ended with 'Sharan' as the target.
Almkadasa.
The "Sacred Land"—capital of the desert kingdom and King Saladin's direct domain.
Saladin scowled from his gilded throne.
"You pulled back the lines? Why? Did our warriors lose?"
"No, Your Majesty. A deep-strike commando hit Kayat."
"How'd they breach the front? Scout failure disappoints me."
"Still investigating."
"Investigating? Is that your answer?"
"My deepest apologies, Your Majesty."
"If Kayat was raided, what were the nearby units doing? Did you catch them?"
"Well……."
"Don't tell me you failed. My warriors haven't turned to old men and children behind my back, have they?"
"We captured some."
"Some?"
"Yes. Enemy numbered around 2,500 estimated. About 300, laden with loot, got caught by our warriors."
"Hm……."
Saladin drummed his fingers on the throne arm, lost in thought.
Moments later, he lifted his head, face calm once more.
"Where are they now?"
"Tracks show a straight shot into the Sea of Death."
"Couldn't pursue to the end, then."
"Apologies."
"Unavoidable. They'd never return anyway. Hm…… So they must have some special knack for surviving the Sea."
"Is, is that possible?"
"Chamberlain. They didn't all go mad and charge in for a mass suicide, right?"
"This lowly one's thinking was shortsighted, Your Majesty."
"How will they move next?"
"We need to know their ability and endurance first to predict."
"Doesn't matter. Assume the worst: they roam the Sea freely."
"Then…… next target another supply hub?"
"There are plenty……."
"Likely one easy to flee into the Sea from."
"Logical. But narrow it: at least three candidates."
"Sudar, Sharan, Zefa."
"Good. Matches my thinking. Order the commander to reinforce those."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Calix's 2,000-strong guerrilla force raced toward Sharan.
"Sharan's ruled by the Rapha tribe, long-time rivals to Saladin's clan."
"Hitting it hurts bad?"
"Obviously. He'll be furious."
Near Sharan, Calix and Edirn alone draped themselves in ochre cloth and prone on a dune's edge.
"Oculus Accipiter!"
A circular image hovered in the air with the incantation.
Like a telescope, it magnified a city section kilometers away.
"No big changes? Sweep right a bit more."
"Got it."
Back at base, Calix summoned the command staff immediately.
"We strike now."
"Troops are exhausted. Rest up, hit at night like last time?"
Fayed tried to dissuade him.
Battle drained stamina massively.
They'd muster maybe 70% combat power now.
But Calix was firm.
"That assumes they don't know we're here. Alert's up—they'll guard harder at night. Night raids falter on friend-foe ID if they're prepped; it backfires."
"Dawn tomorrow, then? Attack at sunrise."
Calix realized he needed more explanation.
"I figured reinforcements were already here. But scouting showed just tighter security—no extra troops. Good we hurried. This is our golden window. Dawdle, and reinforcements make it way tougher."
Fayed fell silent; it rang true.
As things settled, Hapez asked,
"Same plan as before?"
"No. Tweaks needed. Last time, night forced tight formation. Now? Different."
"How so……?"
"Split: main force and small commando. Main breaches outskirts, loops out like this. Commando loots the communal warehouse and bails."
"Hm, diversion. How to divide?"
"Our domain troops handle commando. You're camel experts—take main."
"Understood."
Post-meeting, the desert warriors assigned to main lined up on camels.
Calix stepped forward.
"I know you're griping about this unconventional fight. But I think one thing only."
"Victory! On this blood-soaked battlefield, that's the only justice. Cry justice from defeat's corpse—it's an empty echo."
"Win. Prove your righteousness by winning."
"Yes, sir!"
The weary, slumped warriors stirred with faint fire.
But it needed more.
Calix dangled the carrot he'd prepped.
"Feeding families matters. I know your loot greed isn't base avarice—it's for them."
Of course, some clung purely to selfishness.
But his words brought shame-tinged absolution, easing consciences.
"We'll audit publicly later, but Kayat loot values ~30,000 gold at western rates."
Doubt flickered in the warriors' eyes.
Why bring up loot now?
"I'm the sole authorized war merchant for disposal. These papers prove you've entrusted ~10 gold worth to me."
"Whoa……."
Anticipation lit their gazes.
Payday thrilled everyone.
Someone shouted,
"What if we lose the paper?"
Murmurs died instantly.
All eyes locked on Calix.
"Worried? Entrust it to me. Two perks: no loss risk, and if you fall, it goes to your family."
Understanding dawned; roars erupted belatedly.
"Wooooaaah!"