A Time of Tigers - From Peasant to Emperor-Chapter 850: The Strength of Resolve - Part 4

"Before I continue, I will state the position of myself," Oliver said. "I will be in the centre, in front of our main column. To start with, half of Firyr's men, and half of Judas' will help me in moving the battlerams in position," Oliver said, "and then those men shall return to their designated places."

"You plan to fight alone, my Lord?" Verdant asked, frowning.

"Not at all," Oliver said. "Blackthorn, I wish to have you with me. Verdant, in the initial assault, I would ask that you join in as well – but your role will only be to break. You will not go in too deep, else we will render your position as a Vice-Commander useless."

"Very well," Verdant said. Blackthorn too nodded from beside him. Though her face was all but devoid of expression, all could tell that she looked pleased.

"Nila, I want you to pair with Jorah, Karesh and Kaya once. As a group, the four of you are more than capable of taking down Second Boundary men. That will be your role, once the battle starts. Both Jorah and Nila shall have the role of Sergeant Major, with command of any troops that they require in their vicinity.

Jorah, I will be counting on you to move to wherever these Second Boundary men are creating chaos, and I will have you restore order," Oliver said.

"I shall strive to do my best, my Lord," Jorah said humbly, dealing with the pressure better than Oliver could have hoped.

"I suppose I'll do my best as well," Nila said, stretching her fingers out in front of her. Oliver knew that it irked her that she hadn't managed to kill that man yesterday. She wasn't an especially violent woman, but when it came to hunting, be it man or beast, she held herself to an impossible standard.

"Second Boundary men…" Northman said, scratching his head. "I could swear I've heard that term before, but I think there's something about it that's off… something you're not supposed to say."

"Given the situation, I feel compelled to say it," Oliver said. "If the Church of Claudia wishes to start a conflict over it, then I'll have to fend them off after we're done here. For those unaware, Second Boundary men are the likes of that man who stormed us yesterday. The unusually strong, in other words."

"Me, then?" Firyr said, puffing out his chest proudly, before laughing. "No, I'm joking. We Syndrans do not so foolishly hide the importance of Blessings, like you Stormfront men do."

Before the mood could grow any more contemplative, with the idea of Second Boundary men, Verdant swooped in to push them forward. "Has everyone been assigned a role?"

"I think they have," Oliver said, looking over them. "For the Sergeants not specifically mentioned, report to your Commander or Vice-Commander, they will assign you to your position. Otherwise, we are done here. Prepare to gather the men, I will speak to them, and then we shall move."

The group dispersed with that infectious feeling of forwardness growing ever higher. Their plan was growing increasingly solid, and with its solidity, resolve was allowed to build up around it. Oliver was pleased that they trusted in his plan enough to commit to it, though he himself knew its weakness.

The true part of the plan was a part that he would have had difficulty revealing to them. That was the part of the plan that Verdant had encouraged him towards. Their only real shot at integrating what they had, and turning it into victory.

Oliver couldn't help but think that he was overlooking something. It was a sensation that was nearly insufferable, but he set it aside, quite sure that it was right. He indeed had to be overlooking something, more than a few things, but this was a plan that they'd thrown together for that exact reason, because they didn't have the time to address the lesser problems that they ought to be addressing.

The men fell in, after their Commanders and Vice-Commanders debriefed them. A loose formation began to gather. Not a flat line, but the men were at least organizing into their battlefield groups. Firyr and Judas sent the men that they needed to towards the battlerams, but otherwise remained on the flanks, appearing both eager, and nervous.

"I've a second job for you, Nila," Oliver said, as he walked with her amongst the rest. "If you ever get the opportunity, sending a few arrows my way to aid our breakthrough would be of immense help."

"Obviously," Nila said. "That takes priority above anything else."

"Not above your life," Oliver answered seriously.

"I could say the same back to you."

They pushed through the centre of the gathered men, leaving Verdant in the middle of them, as would be his position when he took command on the battlefield. Jorah and his group, along with Nila, stayed with him, whilst Blackthorn stuck to Oliver as though she was glued to him – she was about the only one with him now.

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Only when Oliver made it clear that his destination was the very front of the army did Blackthorn pause, unsure. She'd likely realized that he planned to speak to the men, and she wasn't sure where she should be standing during that.

"Join the front row, Blackthorn," Oliver said, "then stick with me after that. I'm going to be counting on you."

She nodded seriously. "I shall not let you down."

Before Oliver had even made it to the front of the men, silence began to descend. The ex-slaves unsurely vacated the battlerams where they'd been gathering, and rejoined the front row of men temporarily, at a single gesture from Oliver.

He allowed silence to hang in the air, as took his steps through the snow, showing his back to his men, looking for a better position to stand. His heart thudded against his ribcage, but he drew in deep breaths, and counselled himself to take in the moment, as fully as he could. Claudia offered much the same advice.

"The rare moments are those that you ought to study more. Look forward to the future, Oliver, and realize the importance of where you now stand. Drink it all in, both good and bad, and do not let a single detail slip your notice," she said.