Magi's Path (Aether's Revival Book 3) Daniel Schinhofen (books to read in a lifetime .txt) 📖

be starting to use the other nations today. Gregory, have you three played with other nations?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good. Then today, we will do things very differently. The three of you will play a free-for-all game— one of you per nation. It’ll be your choice who gets what nation, the land will be neutral, and the terrain will be a mix. The rest of you, set the board, and be creative with it.”

“Yes, sir,” all six replied, moving to do as commanded.

As they set the board, Paul spoke on, “During the game, you will explain what and why you are doing things. This isn’t about victory, but about showcasing each nation’s high points and exposing their vulnerabilities. Can you do that?”

“Yes, sir,” Gregory replied, Jenn and Yukiko in sync with him.

“Good. I want to see how much you know, and how well you can teach them.”

~*~*~

Gregory frowned at the board. This is what you get for letting them choose first... Yukiko went with her strength in Buldoun, and knowing magi were going to be hard to field, Jenn went with Limaz. Left me being slaughtered as Krogga...

“Do you see how difficult it is for Krogga to deal with the superior gear of Buldoun?” Paul asked the three apprentices taking notes. “That’s their biggest weakness. It’s their good fortune that we stand between their two nations, or else Buldoun may have conquered them by now.”

“They seem so weak,” Farin said. “Even Limaz is dealing with them without a great deal of trouble.”

“Their strengths are not on display here. That’s the problem of not having them face the empire. We’ll fix that tomorrow. However, there’s another aspect of Krogga that is difficult to deal with, and we’ll see that in a few more turns. Gregory, play for the long game.”

“Yes, sir,” Gregory said, having been intending to.

A handful of turns later, Gregory’s army got nearly wiped out, but not as much as Yukiko would have preferred. Using his hasty retreat card, Gregory had his small units break off and move into the heavy woods he’d positioned his camp near.

“Well, he’s done,” Farin said.

“No, he’s not,” Paul shook his head. “This is the other aspect of Krogga that you need to understand and take to heart. Gregory, explain it.”

“Krogga’s army is made primarily of fanatics. It’s problematic for magi, but the other side of that is that just because their core is broken, it doesn’t mean they quit. At this point, most armies are done— the remnants would leave the field and head home or move back to regroup. Krogga just breaks down into smaller units and begins a war of attrition with hit and run tactics. Lighthand called it ‘guerilla warfare,’ and it can be devastating if they act intelligently. As you can see, the commander didn’t go down. I had pulled him back and, while that hurts morale, it also means he can rally his broken few and have them act in a coordinated fashion.”

“So, to beat them, we’d have to run down all of them?” Farin asked with wide eyes.

“Yes,” Paul nodded. “While you have another major opponent on the field that makes it all the more difficult. Gregory will now show you why Krogga being able to survive, even for a little bit of time, can significantly impact your army.”

“Sir,” Yukiko said, waiting for him to nod to her, “I’d like to point out that the smart thing for me to do now would be to pull back. It would invite Jenn’s army to move forward, and in doing so, put her closer to them. That would make it more likely that they raid her and not me. I could use my old camp, which is still defensible.”

“All fair points,” Paul nodded. “If we were doing more than highlighting the different nations, it would be a smart move. However, I’d like you to hold the ground you just took. We need to show them why your move would be the right one.”

“Yes, sir.”

~*~*~

The next few hours, Gregory did his best to harass and annoy both Yukiko and Jenn. It was late evening when Yukiko finally played a card she’d been holding onto for the past few turns.

“‘Battlefield diplomacy,’” Yukiko declared, playing the card.

“Rarely played, but this is an excellent time for it,” Paul nodded.

“Sir, I don’t know that card,” Farin said.

“It’s asking one of them to parley for a specific reason,” Paul said. “Can you tell me what that reason would be?”

Farin thought for a long minute before he spoke hesitantly, “To join up with Jenn to wipe Gregory off the map?”

“Yukiko?” Paul said.

“That is indeed what I am asking for. Considering he just took out half of her food in that raid, I have a high probability of being listened to.”

“I won’t even try to fight it. I need him gone,” Jenn said. “Leaving remnants of Krogga on the field is hindering my maneuverability. The bonus is that, since she asked, I can get a concession out of it. No doubt she’s thinking that I’m going to ask about some food, as that would be the obvious choice.”

“No, you want gear,” Yukiko said. “You could have upgraded your archers, but haven’t yet.”

“Correct.”

“That was my second offer, so accepted,” Yukiko pulled her extra superior bow gear from her stack and handed it to Jenn. “He dies now.”

“And that’ll be it,” Gregory sighed. “I did what I could.”

“You hindered them both for a long time,” Clover said with wide eyes. “I need to learn more about this.”

“You will, and you’ll have to play against them in the next few days, so study hard,” Paul said.

“Yes, sir,” Clover said crisply.

~*~*~

It was well into the evening when they left the hall behind.

“You could have won a couple of rounds after you took Gregory’s