>>5591934
Your party continues to slink across the mostly-open landscape of rolling hills and wide valleys, broken here and there by a stand of trees or a ridgeline dotted with granite boulders. The column, a few thousand strong at its center surrounded by roving groups of scouts, stops at the first water source you marked on the maps you gave their officers before they departed.

“We’ll have to see what condition they leave the water source in,” you muse, a grim expression creeping across your face. “If they contaminate it we’ll have to have a little chat.”

…

“They contaminated it, didn’t it?” Alexa asks you with a weary sigh.

“Yes.”

“How bad?”

“Bad.”

[So what do we do?] Serana asks you with a sidelong glance, before returning her clearly-displeased gaze back to the soiled spring water.

It’s not like they didn’t try to keep it sanitary. There’s a body floating face-down in it. Someone did this deliberately.

>We leave a carved marker warning people, then go pay the officers a visit.
>Split up for a moment. One team takes the officers to task, one warns the locals.
>We deny them the further use of Hazari resources, and warn the locals.
>Other?

>>5591934
>>We leave a carved marker warning people, then go pay the officers a visit.

>>5591938
>Split up for a moment. One team takes the officers to task, one warns the locals.

>>5591938
>We deny them the further use of Hazari resources, and warn the locals.

>>5591938
>>Split up for a moment. One team takes the officers to task, one warns the locals.

>>5591938
>>We deny them the further use of Hazari resources, and warn the locals.

Play stupid games win stupid prizes.

>>5591938
“Solaris, Alexa,” you decide on the spot, “the nearest town is just to the northeast. Go there and warn them about the situation with the water and meet us up ahead. Solaris, you can count on Alexa’s sensing ability.”

“I follow you,” Solaris nods. “Alexa, let’s go take care of this.”

“Understood,” Alexa nods. “Do what you need to do, Miss Noel.”

“At all times,” you assure her. “And good luck.”

Then you turn to Serana. “Our task will be even less pleasant.”

[I’ve guessed as much,] she admits.

…

When you overtake the column, it’s with the goal of cutting off the officer and his subordinates who have been using the maps you provided to lead the way to the next relatively safe stopping point. They seem startled at your appearance.

They should be worried, not merely startled.

“Do you know why we’re here?” you demand coolly. “Don’t answer that, I’ll tell you. We’re here because you spoiled that last spring.”

“I don’t know what you mean.”

Serana makes a few gestures, one of which is rude enough that you skip over it when the officer asks for a translation.

“She says you let your men shit in it,” you translate, “and then you dumped a corpse in after it. She’s not sure which was more disrespectful, shitting in the spring my people here drink from or dumping the body of one of your comrades in with your shit.”

“Personally,” you add, “I’m displeased enough by both that it’s no longer a contest.”

“And?” the officer counters, folding his arms defensively. “If you’ve made the determination that we’ve done something to cause offense, why are you simply talking about it?”

“There will be no reprisal this time,” you inform him. “But you are not to use any further water sources within Hazari territory, or face death in a Hazari prison. Repeat this mistake in Sakia at your own peril.”
>3d10, best of three

Rolled 2, 8, 3 = 13 (3d10)

>>5593322

Rolled 7, 9, 7 = 23 (3d10)

>>5593322

Rolled 5, 5, 5 = 15 (3d10)

>>5593322

>>5593322
“You wouldn’t,” the officer you’re speaking to directly insists curtly.

“In a heartbeat,” you counter. “It’s true that I’m a half-blooded warrior, and that my kind have a creed that holds us to high standards, one of which being that we cannot take a human life. It’s also true that I’ve tried to show your people mercy, and to ensure that you’re allowed to retreat without being slaughtered.”

“And we thank you,” he interrupts.

You stare straight into his eyes. “Do not, even for a single second, allow that to delude you into thinking I have forgotten my responsibilities. I am the queen of Hazaran - this is my kingdom, its people are my people, its problems are my problems. And while I have chosen restraint this time, I will not allow such provocations to go unanswered a second time.”

“This is not a threat. This is a declaration of my intent as queen, my solemn word that your behavior will have clear and severe consequences. Have I made myself understood?”

The officer quickly wilts. It’s almost like watching a bouquet of cut flowers die in the span of a few short seconds.

“I think so,” he replies.

>Good. Now ideally, we’ll never speak again - though I still intend to monitor your progress.
>Good. Then we need to speak about your intended route to avoid any possible conflicts.
>We will scout ahead and advise you on changes to your route. I insist.
>Other?

>>5594435
>Good. Then we need to speak about your intended route to avoid any possible conflicts.

>>5594435
>>Good. Then we need to speak about your intended route to avoid any possible conflicts.

>>5594435
>3d10 best of three

Rolled 6, 7, 1 = 14 (3d10)

>>5595623

Rolled 9, 9, 1 = 19 (3d10)

>>5595623

Rolled 8, 2, 3 = 13 (3d10)

>>5595623

>>5595623
“Good, now we need to discuss your route from here,” you insist.

The officer snorts. “In heavens’ name why would we do that?”

“Because I’m better at this than you are,” you declare, “particularly when it comes to three things - local knowledge, long-term strategic thinking, and most importantly discretion.”

“I’ll be blunt with you,” he retorts. “I don’t like you, and I have no reason at all to trust your advice.”

“Then allow me to be equally blunt,” you counter. “I’m the only friendly face you’re going to see out here. I’ll do what I can to get your people to safety, but that will require you to help yourselves.”

After a moment, the officer seems to nod in resignation to the reality of his situation. “Very well. Speak.”

>Suggest a route that avoids major population centers as its first priority. Take no chances.
>Suggest a route that passes near settlements - the troops may need to barter for food.
>Your decision should be based mainly on the intelligence you hope to gather on the way.
>Other?

>>5596728
>Your decision should be based mainly on the intelligence you hope to gather on the way.

>>5596728
>Your decision should be based mainly on the intelligence you hope to gather on the way.

>>5596728
You quickly consult a map.

The general idea you have in mind is to insist that the retreating army follow the principle of “dodging by an inch”: if they avoid settlements by as short a distance as possible, that will both keep them from interacting with any of the Sakians as well as give you opportunities to gather information as you go. The second consideration is terrain, which can both be helpful if you’re considering lines of sight and a hindrance if it’s too rough to traverse.

With those two principles to guide you, it takes just a few minutes to trace out a route northward that connects the water sources you identify.

“You will follow this path,” you insist curtly.

The officer looks it over carefully. “Why not follow a more direct path?”

“This path uses advantageous terrain and avoids settlements,” you clarify. “We can leave as soon as the rest of my team catches up with us.”
>3d10, best of three

Rolled 1, 10, 7 = 18 (3d10)

>>5598632

Rolled 4, 3, 10 = 17 (3d10)

>>5598632

Rolled 10, 10, 2 = 22 (3d10)

>>5598632

>>5598632
It takes about an hour for Solaris and Alexa to return, thanks to Alexa’s now-profoundly attuned senses.

“We warned the locals about the tainted water and directed them to an alternate water source,” Solaris reports.

“How have things gone here?” Alexa asks you curiously. “Did you reach some kind of arrangement with the soldiers?”

“They will be following a route that we planned,” you tell them.

[We should be able to gather information,] Serana adds.

Alexa nods in understanding. [How far from towns?]

[Only as far as necessary,] you clarify, pausing for a moment to consider how to phrase the next part. [We need to keep the soldiers away from the civilians while getting close enough to contact the civilians ourselves. In each case, avoiding conflict took priority.]

[Understood,] Alexa replies. “So where to first?”

…

The arrangement holds until you leave Hazari territory, crossing over the border to Sakia - you have to have someone run ahead to warn each set of defenses along the border with Tarsus that the retreating army is not to be interfered with, and so things are uneventful until that point.

But in the land of Sakia, the situation is less well known. Especially given the missions you and your fellow ‘witches’ completed north of the border, and the dissent you’ve helped both to sow and to spread, you can’t be sure how people will react if anyone catches wind of such a large contingent of relatively under-equipped men traveling overland, by small and windy roads less traveled, presenting a target the likes of which no one in Sakia has ever dared to dream of.

>Investigate the first town across the border, get some general news.
>Scout ahead consistently - anything you encounter could become a problem.
>Suggest that the column move under cover of darkness, use the days to scout ahead.
>Other?

>>5599505
>>Suggest that the column move under cover of darkness, use the days to scout ahead.

>>5599505
>Scout ahead consistently - anything you encounter could become a problem.
Night marches = stragglers = trouble

>>5599505
>>Scout ahead consistently - anything you encounter could become a problem.

>>5599505
“We will scout ahead,” you declare. “Ensure that there are no surprises along the way.”

“You don’t want to march during the night?” one officer asks, clearly disapproving.

“I don’t want any stragglers,” you counter. “Bad for them, bad for everyone around them.”

>3d10, best of three

Rolled 4, 8, 7 = 19 (3d10)

>>5600504

Rolled 1, 1, 4 = 6 (3d10)

>>5600504

Rolled 4, 3, 5 = 12 (3d10)

>>5600504

>>5600504
As you work your way ahead of the column, you encounter your first problem - coming the opposite way, about two miles out, is a trade caravan. This path is rarely traveled, though wide enough and well maintained enough to support the twelve horse-drawn carts. There are no connected roads or paths large enough for them for five miles in any direction shown on your map.

“What do we do?” Alexa asks you nervously. “We have no idea who those people are, but right now I can’t see them keeping a secret like this.”

“You’re right,” you decide. “We can’t count on that. The nearest settlement is a few hours away at the speed they’re traveling.”

“Can we beat the spread of rumors?” Alexa wonders.

You can’t help but frown at the notion. “Few things travel quicker.”

“So what are our options?”

“One, we force them to divert,” you tell her calmly. “Two, we force the column of soldiers to divert. Three, we hold the caravan until we have sufficient head start. Four, we force the soldiers to speed up. Five, we force the column to disperse.”

“The last one sounds like a nightmare,” Alexa admits.

You nod in agreement. “Absolutely.”

“Last resort, then?”

“Dead last.”

“Can we really force-march the soldiers far enough, fast enough?” Alexa asks you.

You consider the condition of the soldiers, their numbers, the wounded remaining, their required pathway to minimize contact with civilians. “No.”

“So that leaves us with three possibilities.”

“Correct.”

>We should force the caravan to backtrack. Come up with some convenient lie to divert them.
>We should divert the soldiers. Have them shelter off the road for the short term.
>The simplest option is to hold the caravan as long as we can. Give ourselves and the soldiers a chance.
>Other?

>>5601726
>>We should force the caravan to backtrack. Come up with some convenient lie to divert them.
We have giant fuckoff swords, cut/smash down a bunch of trees to block the road.

>>5601726
>We should force the caravan to backtrack. Come up with some convenient lie to divert them.

>>5601726
>We should divert the soldiers. Have them shelter off the road for the short term.

>>5601726
>3d10, best of three

Rolled 7, 8, 7 = 22 (3d10)

>>5602563

Rolled 2, 4, 10 = 16 (3d10)

>>5602563

Still need one more.

Rolled 8, 3, 1 = 12 (3d10)

>>5602563

>>5602563
“We need to divert the caravan,” you decide. “We have swords, there are trees nearby, let’s make use of them.”

“I like it,” Alexa agrees.

…

It’s not difficult to hack down a few trees and lay them across the trail, though you have to do so quickly to avoid their notice. But with a real push, you manage to block the caravan’s progress. “What I’m hoping for,” you tell Alexa, “is that they’ll see the barricade and turn around, assuming it’s some sort of bandit trap.”

“And if they don’t?” Alexa presses you to consider the next phase.

You do precisely that for a moment before answering. “Then we’ll just have to get creative.”

…

You watch from concealment near the road, eagerly awaiting the caravan’s response to the challenge. They approach and call a halt short of the felled trees - you can hear a discussion between the driver of the first wagon and his armed escort.

“The trees look fresh.”

“They do… does that mean it’s bandits?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Why not?”

“It’s a lot of little things.”

“What things? Talk to me like I’m not an idiot, please, because I’m not.”

“Well, the location’s all wrong - a roadblock this big would take a good sized group of bandits, which on a side road this isolated would never place a roadblock here, where there are too many ways to go around.”

“They would put it on a narrow spot where we’d have to stop, or else back up.”
>1/2

>>5603816
“Then what’s the alternative explanation?”

“I don’t know,” the guard admits.

“That could’ve gone better,” Alexa mutters.

“You’ve got that right,” you agree.

“So what next?”

>We go out there and tell them we’re executing a mission down the road.
>Wait. See whether they take the hint and turn around on their own.
>We need to go back to the soldiers, now. Get them off the road.
>Other?

>>5603845
>>We go out there and tell them we’re executing a mission down the road.

Alright I guess being subtle just barely didn't fail.

>>5603816
>We go out there and tell them we’re executing a mission down the road.

>>5603845
>Wait. See whether they take the hint and turn around on their own.

>>5603845
>>We go out there and tell them we’re executing a mission down the road.

File: 106139585_p0.jpg (157 KB, 1024x1024)

157 KB JPG

>>5603845
… this isn’t what you wanted.

But Alexa agrees that there isn’t much choice, and so you find yourselves leaving your concealed position among the gorse and the stones to approach the caravan out in the open. The response is immediate, a tension that’s obvious from the moment they catch sight of you and your swords emerging out of the wilds.

“Stay where you are!” the lead guard demands. You motion for Alexa to follow that demand. “State your business!”

“Queen Noel of Hazaran,” you declare loudly and firmly. “My compatriot and I are on a mission down the way. We positioned this barricade to discourage travelers.”

“It’s in our way,” the trader in the first wagon insists. “We have business this way.”

“We do too,” Alexa insists curtly. “You do know who we are, right? And perhaps more so, what we are?”

“... silver-eyed witches,” the guard grumbles. “So those swords aren’t for show, and the queen of the mountains really is one of them.”

“She is,” you growl, staring pointedly at him. “Our duty is to protect your lives whether it’s convenient for you or not, and we will abide by our duty. This way is closed to you.”
>3d10, best of three

Rolled 5, 5, 8 = 18 (3d10)

>>5605542

Rolled 4, 8, 3 = 15 (3d10)

>>5605542

Rolled 10, 6, 8 = 24 (3d10)

>>5605542

>>5605542
They’re definitely not happy about the situation, but they aren’t left with much choice in the matter. Once they turn around you’re free to quickly return to the column of troops, who have been growing impatient, and lead them to the blockade.

You reach that point as the afternoon breeze is starting to cool and the sun is beginning to take on its late-day glow.

“We need to set up camp,” the ranking officer insists curtly.

>No. We only break for the night when it’s too dark to walk.
>No. Take a long enough break to eat and rest but we’re moving on.
>Use your break well. We can’t guarantee when you’ll get another.
>Other?

>>5607442
>Use your break well. We can’t guarantee when you’ll get another.

>>5607442
>>Use your break well. We can’t guarantee when you’ll get another.

>>5607442
“Make good use of this break,” you insist curtly, stepping off the main path. “I can’t guarantee when, or even if, you’ll get another.”

A little distance from the soldiers, who have mostly organized themselves into tightly-packed columns where they can sit almost back-to-back with their neighbors, you settle in with your companions.

[We can’t wait here long,] Serana insists curtly.

“You’re right,” you agree. “But we also can’t forced-march these people too hard.”

“What will we need when they resume?” Solaris wonders aloud. “I think we should use some of the time while they’re resting to plan further ahead, to the extent we can.”
>3d10, best of three

Rolled 9, 8, 7 = 24 (3d10)

>>5608645

Rolled 5, 9, 6 = 20 (3d10)

>>5608645

Rolled 5, 10, 9 = 24 (3d10)

>>5608645

>>5608645
Your next move is to scout ahead while the soldiers are resting - a total of twenty miles overnight, covered in detail by moonlight and starlight. The water sources are precisely where they need to be. There is cover in a few places significant enough to hide many men - albeit not all of them in any one place. And most importantly, you see no evidence that there are any other travelers resting out on this road.

[So what do we do next?] Serana asks after your cohort gathers in the small hours of the morning.

>We push the soldiers, hard. Get them much closer to their own safety.
>Today is a good day to start gathering local information within Sakia.
>Other?

>>5609856
>We push the soldiers, hard. Get them much closer to their own safety.

>>5609856
>>We push the soldiers, hard. Get them much closer to their own safety.

>>5609856
“We have to push the soldiers hard today,” you insist curtly. “There’s no choice.”

[Agreed,] Serana flashes a single hand sign with a nod.

“How hard can we push them?” Alexa wonders.

You consider that for a while, factoring in the time it took them to get this far and the spacing between water sources. “Hard, I think. There’s a water source I want to reach that’s twenty-two miles away.”

…

“Twenty-two miles?” the officer in command later repeats in disbelief.

You nod, before repeating the words. “Twenty-two.”

“That’s excessive, don’t you think?”

“There’s a water source there with natural defenses,” you inform him. “You want to be able to rest at all tonight? This is how you do it.”

"I don't like it. These men are already exhausted."

"Matters will be worse if you don't manage to keep this pace," you assure him. "We'll march until after dark if we have to. It's not a cold night, and this camp site will be sheltered from the wind."

"Twenty miles is right at the limit of what our forces train to do, under the best of circumstances."

"The Hazari military trains to march that far and build fortifications in one day," you cross your arms. "And my cohort did that and returned while your soldiers were resting."
>3d10, best of three

Rolled 4, 7, 6 = 17 (3d10)

>>5610769

Rolled 1, 10, 3 = 14 (3d10)

>>5610769

Rolled 9, 4, 4 = 17 (3d10)

>>5610769

>>5610769
You push the Hazari soldiers with a brief harangue, essentially dragging them onto their feet by their excessive pride. And through the morning until early afternoon, it seems to work. But eventually the pace apparently catches up to the soldiers, partway through their forced march.

While most of them keep to the pace, a group which ends up being composed of the slowest soldiers among the column begins to form, and then gradually starts to fall behind.

“This isn’t a great situation,” you confess to your cohort.

[Because it’s an impossible choice,] Serana muses.

You nod. “Abandon the slowest, or slow the fastest to keep them together. Cut some loose or risk all.”

“So how do you want to handle it?” Solaris wonders.

>We split our own party. Half of us just run late.
>Call the stragglers to an early halt, rest, then catch up.
>They’ll be fine, and if they flee then that’s fine too.
>Other?

>>5611918
>>We split our own party. Half of us just run late.

>>5611918
>We split our own party. Half of us just run late.

>>5611918
>3d10 best of three

Rolled 10, 7, 9 = 26 (3d10)

>>5613330

Rolled 9, 2, 5 = 16 (3d10)

>>5613330

Rolled 6, 4, 9 = 19 (3d10)

>>5613330