Return of the Demon Sovereign (Book 1) [MxM]

26. Lieutenant General (2)

Erebus waited for two hours and watched the group gather quickly before him. Although he was a new face for many of these soldiers, his aura and the captains' respect had the rest curb their apprehension. They had found that Erebus was intimidating and a natural-born leader, so they bit back any protests. 

Erebus, on the other hand, was unperturbed. Those who had joined his group were no more than 60. He had led hundreds of thousands of soldiers before and was confident in directing this small group well. 

Erebus made them quickly depart. He expected some resistance from the guards at the gate, but he was pleasantly surprised by their disorganization and panic once they found one of their guards was killed under their noses. Erebus chuckled to himself. That man's greed and death were quite beneficial for him.

No one paid attention to the large group marching out of the gates. As they were marching, Erebus examined his group and gauged their strengths. He would better understand them once he saw them fight, but he could at least assess the general type of skills they use.

He turned towards the captains. "We need to move in a formation to keep our party safe. We cannot get complacent and should expect that the Devils will try to hunt us down."

They nodded in agreement, and Erebus stopped the party. "Nash and Heath will take our flank, Comet on the right, and Claire on the left. I will take the front to have a large-scale diamond formation. I need mages in the group's center, and be prepared to launch your spells."

He then arranged each group of shields, melee, lancers, and ranged attackers. While he was directing them, he was explaining his thought process.

"This will give us protection in all directions. Our captains will be our eyes and first line of defense while our shields assist. Ranged attackers will assist, while melee will take advantage of any confusion and strike the bastards down."

The soldiers were used to obeying orders without question; however, having Erebus explain the reason for their formation caught them by surprise. They had a better understanding of the role, which built their confidence.

Erebus used his observation skills to select several soldiers and point out their strengths by examining their bodies. A number of the soldiers developed a new sense of worship. 

They suddenly understood that not only was Erebus decisive, but he thought deeply. Many even began to question if his lieutenant general position was temporary. Halcyon had foresight, so silently they believed they were looking at a new rising leader in Shadowbane. Their apprehension was melting away the further they traveled together.

However, there was something that was bothering Erebus. He sensed a figure lingering just outside his scope who was following them. Although he felt bloodlust from this person, he didn't want to kill him immediately because he needed to know their purpose.

He tapped on the metal plate.

[For anything official, communicate like this.] Erebus ordered.

The soldiers trained in this form of communication tensed a little, but all quickly answered with a single tap. [Understood.]

Claire was peering over towards the horizon. She also felt the presence and wanted to alert Erebus. [Sir.]

[Watch closely.] 

Erebus acknowledged and was pleased with the level of her senses. He turned towards Nash, who was also looking in that direction. He had already sensed the same thing, which was no surprise for a High Elf.

Claire and Nash acknowledged the order and remained on high alert. The group continued to move towards the North.

Undanfold was a strange land of extremes. The further north they went, the more they experienced the cutting winds and cold. The barren ground started to frost and chill. The trees became sparse and resembled white skeletons clawing out from the ground. A few boulders broke up the tiresome landscape, but beside this, it was nothing but an open land of ice. The soldiers took precautions, wrapped themselves in thick cloaks, and covered their faces.