34 Transitioned (2/2)

Food wasn't too much of a problem seeing as wolf-men were extremely good hunters, I showed the cooks how to smoke and cure the meat, giving a bit more longevity to our supplies.

Next were funds, as of funds... we have no funds. The coffers were basically empty and we would have no way to acquire the needed supplies that ranged from basic necessities to weapons.

So we did the only thing that we really could, we raided nearby demon occupied towns. I specifically ordered them to only attack Demon soldiers to keep from harming civilians, they were ordered to only kill demons if they did not surrender.

We infiltrated the town by acting like we were a regular force that needed to resupply, once their guards were lowered and we were inside the town, we forced them to surrender and killed anyone that resisted. There were minimal casualties and the only deaths were demons foolish enough to revolt.

We took as much supplies and equipment as we could without endangering the populace of the towns itself. Even if the towns were demon occupied, I didn't want to keep it from being able to defend itself or feed its people since the inhabitants at its core, were humans.

We took what we could and repeated the process at several other towns, this quickly gave us the coin we needed while also giving us a surplus of weapons and equipment. Heck, we even got enough food to it made the meat and jerky we got obsolete.

Although, they still ate it. I'm starting to think that I could just run this army by using only meat and it be just as effective. Moral rose leaps and bounds after I showed the cooks different ways of cooking and seasoning meats. Seems like the fastest way to gain an armies respect is through their stomach, for wolf-men at least.

The only problem we encounter came when the demon forces became notified of our ploy, making our strategy obsolete. Thankfully, by the time the surrounding towns were alerted, we had already gathered enough supplies to last us for about a month, giving us more than enough food to make the trip to Hampton.

After a week of preparation, raiding, subjugating, and preparation again, we were finally ready to start the march to Hampton. I had to change my initial traveling plan, instead of following the coast like what I was doing with Lili, we would march on the main road that led to Valdera.

The reason being it was the only way to effectively utilize a supply train, which is the only effective way to transport the supplies we gathered, even if it made us more exposed. We would have to stick to the roads until we got close to Valdera, then we would diverge on a smaller road to bypass Valdora. I don't know how many men are garrisoned there, but I don't want to take any chances.

We traveled over two weeks, making great time. We hadn't met much resistance on our travels, our scouts had a couple of minor conflicts with bands of demons or humans, but they were quickly dispatched. As we were getting closer to my hometown, nostalgia began to fill me.

I rode a horse with Rett and Lili flanking my sides, as I did I contemplated what I would do moving forward. I thought about what I would do when I saw Aliece and Sir Richard, I honestly don't know what I would tell them. Had I failed them, would they see me as a failure? Would that even matter anymore? I don't know, but a knot formed in my stomach anyway.

As I was lost in thought, movement in front of me caught my attention. I looked up to see one of our scouts quickly riding towards us. I knew it was a scout because of the molted green wool cloak that he was wearing, it helps disrupt a person's figure, but it didn't help that much when they were riding since he was obviously visible.

He approached me first, not bothering with pleasantries, but it didn't really matter given the circumstances. He wiped a sweating grimy brow and said with an urgent tone.

”Chief, there's smoke coming from the direction of Hampton.” Anything else he said was lost to me, I stared past him towards the treeline where Hampton would be. I strained my eyes, and sure enough, there rose a thin column of smoke just visible above the trees. Panicked, I yelled to Rett.

”You stay with the men.” My voice rose above the clattering of hooves and marching feet, ringing clearly in the air.

”Beast Riders, anyone with a horse, follow me!” Without waiting to see if anyone heeded my orders, I galloped towards the town. Fear traced my spine, I was not a stranger to fear, but it strangled me, gripping me stronger than it ever had before. It was difficult to breathe, the only thought I had was of my need to ride faster, even as the column of smoke became close and thicker.