For the Glory of Rome: Chronicles of an Isekai'd Legion-Chapter 52B3 : Pied Piper

B3 Chapter 52: Pied Piper

Quintus felt some tension leave his shoulders when the sight of Gaius’ encampment finally appeared. Their column rounded the bend of one last gully etched into the mountains before arriving amongst their brethren once more.

The camp had changed since he last saw it a day ago. Many more of the rocks and boulders that had populated the perimeter had been moved, allowing a further expansion of the formerly tight space. Their new locations served dual purposes as obstacles for any approaching attackers and concealment from most avenues of approach. Of course, the camp itself was impossible to conceal entirely. But between the terraforming, a few clever uses of the existing terrain, and the men who kept watch at the taller vantage points, they did the best they could.

Quintus and the more senior centurions immediately headed for the command tent to meet with the Gaius. He ignored the bard trailing along behind him, as well as the boy who nipped at his heels like a loyal dog. If the Legatus wanted to send them away, then it was up to him.

“Ah, Primus!” Gaius looked up at their entry. The interior of the tent was already populated with a collection of officers and other centurions, both human and elven in nature. Though the Legatus’s face wore a smile, Quintus could plainly see the lines of tension at their corners. Responsibility seemed to be aging the boy quickly. “You’ve returned. This is not the sum of your remaining men, I hope?”

Quintus saluted, ignoring the jest. “No, Legatus. We took losses, but regrouped with a century of reinforcements sent from Novara.”

“So I’ve heard,” Gaius took in the others in the tent, his brows rising slightly as he landed on the bard. “I can’t imagine how else you’d find yourself in such company. Well, then. Let’s hear your report.”

Quintus proceeded to recount the events of the battle, as well as the aftermath. After he finished, Gaius nodded solemnly.

“Not surprising. You may find it interesting to know that the siege weapon engineers weren’t the only outpost hit. Our men at the heavy ballista and several scouting outposts were also hit at approximately the same time, also by roving bands of orcs.”

Quintus frowned. “That seems… Highly coincidental."

“Doesn’t it?” Gaius gave him a rueful smile. “Almost as though our foe has learned more of tactics than we’d been led to believe. Especially considering that these forces were clearly only a fraction of their total number.”

The Primus Pilus nodded in agreement as the men around him muttered. It was bad enough that they’d lost the siege weapons they’d been building. But to think that the strike was part of a larger, more coordinated operation… It was even more troubling than he’d first imagined. And did not bode well for the future.

Gaius waited for the muttering to die down. Then, he surprisingly turned to the bard of all people. “Marcus. Are there any possible explanations we should be aware of? Not just ones related to the orcs, but on a scale beyond that. Based on my conversations with Redcliffe, an orc horde of this size should act less organized, not more.”

The bard tilted his head in thought. “Perhaps… Although I am no expert on the orcs, I would also expect a group like this to tear itself apart rather than act like a proper army. Perhaps there is a third party at play? There are a few possible culprits. Possession, influence from some grand enchantment, a blessing or curse… I’ve even heard tales of diseases that were capable of completely altering their hosts. It’s impossible to say for certain.”

“Diseases?” Quintus raised an eyebrow and frowned. Now that the bard mentioned it, he hadn’t heard a single case of disease in all their time here—a complete and utter anomaly, especially among an army like theirs.

“Indeed,” Marcus nodded sagely. “Not the mundane kinds of disease that tend to affect those of lower levels, however. History is rife with tales of plagues wrought by mad mages and infections loosed by adventurers whose travels took them too deep into the unknown… But as I said, I am no expert. I am merely a humble [Bard].”

Quintus suppressed an eye roll at the bard’s attempted humility as Gaius nodded. “That’s fine. I’m well aware that there are many things in this world that we cannot even conceive of. Just being aware of the possibilities is enough for now. Although these developments do complicate things. I was already uncertain about our ability to win a war of attrition against such numbers. If they have learned even a modicum of restraint…”

He left the rest unstaid. Quintus felt the mood in the room turn grim. One of the officers spoke up. “Sir. At this point, would it not be wise to pull back? We can regroup back at Corwyn pass, reinforce the chokepoint, and improve our chances of holding off this foe. No matter how numerous they may be, there is only so much they can do against a superior position such as that.”

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Gaius chuckled darkly. “If only it were so simple. Do remember that Corwyn Pass isn’t the only route into Novara—it is just the fastest and most straightforward. Which I suspect is quite closely tied to the orcs’ preference for that route, no matter how futile their repeated assaults always proved. But with numbers like this, why wouldn’t they attempt to overwhelm the border in multiple places? It’s a simple enough idea. And I rather doubt that Novara’s own men will be able to weather that tide as well as we can.”

Quintus couldn’t help but agree. Of course, there was no guarantee that the orcs would do such a thing. But given what they’d seen thus far, discounting the possibility entirely could prove fatal.

Gaius took in the group before him with a grim smile. “It seems that we’ll be outnumbered once again, brothers. Not that it’s anything new. If any of you fear failure to the point of running away with your tail between your legs, I will be more than happy to inform the men.”

That elicited a round of chuckles from the assembled humans, one that Quintus couldn’t help but echo. As dire as the situation seemed, Legions half their size had managed to take over entire countries in their old world. And that was without the incredible boons that magic and skills had granted them. When put that way, their situation was simply an extension of what t hey were already used to.

“...Although that isn’t to say that we should simply rush headlong to our deaths,” Gaius continued, meeting Quintus’s eye. “We’ll need all the advantages we can get. Primus, you mentioned something about the engineers working on explosives?”

Quintus nodded. “Indeed. I’m uncertain how long that project will take, nor how many they’ll be able to produce. But if they’re a fraction as powerful as the sling tubes we lost, then they will prove quite the asset indeed.”

“Excellent. I will speak with them soon.” The Legatus nodded to one of his aides. At a wave of the Legionnaire’s hand, a faintly see-through map of the craggy and mountainous terrain sprang up from the desk before them. An incomplete image of the massive earthen bowl occupied the majority of the area, its interior filled with small green specks so dense that they looked like a solid mass. Around its periphery hovered a few pinpricks of red and gold that lazily curved down riverbeds and meandered between rocky outcroppings, with more clustered together in a few larger masses in the southwest. One particular area glowed like a cloud of fireflies, indicating the Legionnaire camp.

Gaius turned to regard one of the elven officers. “Lysandel. How close are your men to finishing the map of the surrounding area?”

“Close, milord.” The elf’s bearing was stiff and formal, his white-plumed helm tucked under one arm. “The caldera that the orcs have holed up in is no small thing. It’s taken more time than expected for even our fastest to navigate its perimeter. But the latest reports indicate that they’ll be returning soon.”

“Excellent.” Gaius straightened. “Now. Let’s discuss our approach.”

The leadership gathered around the map as they began to plan. As Quintus studied their position, he began to realize that this terrain was even more complicated than he’d feared. The areas he’d personally travelled through might as well have been flat ground compared to some of the particularly rough slopes and rocky expanses he saw before him.

It meant there would be plenty of spots for potential ambushes, both on their side and from the orcs. Fortunately, there were also further advantages they could make use of. Ideas flew around the table as the prospects of collapsing mountains, reshaping the terrain further, and revising the mazelike meat grinders that had served them so well before were debated and refined. Given the newfound tactics of the enemy, it seemed like too much to hope that they’d be able to lure the army into such traps wholesale again. Then again…

“The bard.” Quintus jerked a thumb to indicate Marcus. “As I mentioned, he displayed an ability to attract the orcs’ attention and lead them about by the nose.”

Gaius turned his attention back toward Marcus, who had remained mostly silent during the meeting. “Is this true?”

The purple-cloaked man nodded. “Indeed. Although given that this is a relatively new ability, I am rather uncertain of my limitations.”

“Would you like to find out?” Gaius asked cheekily. “Seems like there’s no better time than the present. Especially if it might keep us all from dying.”

“Well, how could I say no to that?” Marcus asked dryly. Quintus couldn’t help but notice a slight bit of tension in the bard’s grin, even as his young companion lit up with pride at his master’s recognition.

“Good. Well, then, I—” Gaius fell silent, his attention snapping to the map in an instant. It didn’t take long to understand why. There, between a collection of massive stone fingers clawing up from the mountainside, floated a stream of green fireflies. The line swirled and weaved around the terrain, but its direction was unmistakeable. It was headed directly for the camp.

“Sound the alarm,” Gaius immediately ordered. “We’ll be under attack soon. Have the men take up defensive positions and pull back whoever we can spare. Ensure that we’re prepared for retreat as well, in case it becomes necessary.”

No one wasted a moment. Humans and elves alike scrambled, all of them shouting orders as soon as they left the tent. Quintus was first among them, his steps carrying him toward the direction of the first cohort. They would be the primary line of defense against such an attack, and he had no intention of letting their performance fall short. Especially not with the rest of their brethren at their backs.

“Well,” Quitnus heard the grim smile in Gaius’s voice as he left the tent behind. “Seems that we’ll get to test your abilities sooner than expected, friend.”

Somehow, Quintus suspected it wouldn't be the last time, either.