The first rays of morning painted Tortilla in gold and copper. The western gates opened with a low creak, and the detachment stepped out, dust rising in lazy spirals. Vector walked at the front, spear in hand, eyes scanning the horizon with the quiet focus of a man who seemed to see both the present and what could come next.
Trilla rode slightly behind, Maki at her side, her eyes darting to the formations, observing Vector's calm authority. He moved among the soldiers like a shadow quiet, precise, commanding without words. She suppressed a smile. Ridiculous soldier. And yet… undeniably competent.
Behind Vector, Lisa trudged along, adjusting her glasses every few steps, chewing on what looked like a dried meat strip. "Gahhh… who designed these saddles?" she complained loudly, letting out a dramatic groan that echoed across the column. "I swear, my thighs have never suffered like this before!"
Cidney, walking beside Furi, muttered, "Great. Someone give her a medal for surviving the first five minutes."
Furi's lips twitched with the faintest smile. "She'll be trouble but capable trouble."
Lisa suddenly stopped mid-step, crouched, and performed a spinning kick at a nearby tree stump perfectly timed. She landed on her feet, brushing dust off her knees, and grinned. "See? Bare hands, no problem. But seriously, someone feed me. I need energy for bare-handed devastation."
Vector glanced back briefly, expression unreadable, though a faint twitch at the corner of his mouth suggested amusement. "Bare-handed or not, try not to eat the entire supply before the first campfire."
"Pffft, Captain," Lisa said, rolling her eyes. "I only take what's rightfully mine. Your rations are safe… for now."
Trilla raised an eyebrow. "And you're…?"
"Lisa," the girl said, extending a hand. "Bare-handed fighter, professional eater, comic relief. And occasional nightmare for anyone who underestimates me."
Trilla smirked faintly. "I see. Well… welcome to the detachment."
Maki muttered under her breath, "This is going to be a long journey."
The road stretched out before them hills rising like gentle waves, rivers glinting under the morning sun, the smell of wet earth and distant forests carried in the wind. Birds called overhead, and the distant mountains hinted at both danger and destiny.
Vector kept the column tight, correcting small errors, adjusting spacing, and issuing commands in his quiet, precise tone. His soldiers moved like a single organism, responding almost instinctively. Trilla watched him, noting how effortlessly he blended strategy with presence. He didn't shout. He didn't need to. Yet everyone moved exactly as he expected.
Lisa, meanwhile, had decided the march was an excellent opportunity to test her flexibility somersaults, leaps, and exaggerated stretches that drew both sighs and quiet chuckles from the soldiers. At one point, she nearly collided with a young recruit who had wandered too close.
"Watch it, shrimp!" Vector barked, voice sharp but measured.
Lisa stopped mid-cartwheel, hands on hips, glasses crooked. "Shrimp? Really? You insult me with aquatic animals now?"
Cidney muttered to Furi, "I swear, this one's going to survive purely on chaos."
Furi chuckled softly. "And yet, she might be the most reliable in a tight spot."
Trilla couldn't help but notice Vector's slight twitch of patience at Lisa's antics a subtle humanizing moment that made him less godlike and more… intriguing. He was calm, yes, but not immune to the little absurdities that life threw at him.
As the sun climbed higher, the detachment approached the edge of a dense forest the first real test of the journey. The air cooled, the path narrowed, and a silence settled over the column. The birds' songs faded to cautious chirps, the wind whispered in the treetops, and even Lisa paused, chewing thoughtfully on a nut she had found.
Vector stopped and raised a hand. "Prepare for potential ambush," he said, voice low, calm, authoritative. "Formation Delta. Cidney, Furi, flank the sides. Lisa, stay close we move fast if needed."
Lisa saluted dramatically. "Aye aye, Captain! Fast-ish, if I get snacks mid-run?"
Trilla laughed softly, but Vector's gaze didn't waver. "Snacks come second to survival," he said dryly.
A faint smile tugged at Trilla's lips. Ridiculous soldier. And yet, somehow… perfectly capable.
The first steps into the forest were quiet. The sun filtered through the branches, creating shifting patterns on the dirt road. Shadows moved with every breeze. The detachment walked slowly, steadily, each step deliberate.
Trilla's mind wandered briefly to the earlier inspection the quiet spark she had noticed in Vector. Now, walking beside him, seeing him in command outside the controlled chaos of the barracks, she understood a little more: this man was not only a strategist he was a force. And forces, she knew, were rarely predictable.
Lisa suddenly let out a loud yawn. "Gahhh… when's the first meal? I'm dying here."
Cidney muttered, "Somebody shoot me now."
Furi simply shook his head, suppressing a smile.
Vector remained silent, spear in hand, eyes forward, calculating, observing, and always, always two steps ahead.
And as the forest swallowed the column, Trilla felt the first whisper of something she couldn't yet name: the strange, slow pull of someone she had just met, who might very well change everything.
The journey west had begun.
.....
The forest path narrowed, trees brushing the column as if testing their patience. Dust and dry leaves rose with every footstep, and the occasional mosquito buzzed lazily around unsuspecting faces.
Lisa, as usual, had claimed the back of the line as her personal snack zone. A half-eaten loaf of bread balanced precariously in her hands, she muttered, "ahhh… if I don't get more food soon, I might start devouring everyone ahead of me."
Tobara, the nervous recruit, clutched her spear tightly and took a cautious step sideways, trying to avoid Lisa's erratic swings. "U-uh… watch out!"
Thud! Lisa tripped over a protruding root, landing in a dramatic heap. The bread flew into the air like a golden comet.
"Bamm!" Vector muttered quietly, without turning. "What a pain."
Cidney groaned behind them. "I warned you. Chaos survives the forest first, food second."
Lisa sat up, glasses crooked, waving a hand dramatically. "I'm fine! That root attacked me, obviously. Stupid root."
Brentford, marching two paces ahead, muttered under his breath, "Stupid people and roots… I can't tell which is worse."
Marvy, the ever-nervous messenger, tried to hide a laugh behind his scarf. "It's… uh… quite the display, Captain…"
Vector, for once, allowed himself a faint twitch at the corner of his mouth. "Keep moving. And Marvy, don't get distracted."
The forest seemed endless. Sunlight flickered through the leaves, painting the ground in irregular patterns. The soldiers walked in silence for a time, save for the occasional mosquito buzzing near Vector's ear. He swatted it absentmindedly.
"Captain," Tobara whispered, "does it always feel like the trees are… watching us?"
Vector didn't answer immediately. His eyes scanned the horizon, then back at the line of soldiers. "Only when someone makes a mistake."
Cidney elbowed Furi. "Wow. Comforting."
Furi merely raised an eyebrow. "He means well."
Lisa, however, was not comforted. She kicked at a rock, sending it clattering down the path. "Mosquitoes! Why are they always near my face? Stupid flying things."
Marvy flinched. "Maybe they sense the food…"
Lisa's eyes widened. "What? Who said that? You dare imply I attract mosquitoes?!"
Cidney muttered, "What a pain."
Hours passed, the march steady and deliberate. The occasional stumble, groan, and exclamation punctuated the journey a mix of human imperfection and comedy. Tobara nearly dropped her spear when Lisa cartwheeled past her to retrieve a loaf of bread she had missed.
"Bamm!" Tobara fell backward into the underbrush, squealing.
Lisa barely looked over her shoulder. "Oops… sorry! Bare-handed recovery is tricky, you know?"
Vector stopped and shook his head. "Focus, everyone. This is not an obstacle course."
Lisa saluted him, bread crumbs falling like confetti. "Yes, sir! Bare-handed and breaded!"
Trilla, observing silently on her horse, tried not to laugh. The ridiculousness of the group was oddly charming. She glanced at Vector, who maintained perfect posture, exuding calm authority even as chaos unfolded around him.
"I swear," she muttered to Maki, "this man is either immortal or just insane."
Maki smiled. "Both, perhaps. But I think he enjoys the chaos keeps him entertained."
Vector's eyes flicked briefly toward Trilla, noting her attention, and for a fraction of a second, the tension from their last encounter seemed to settle into something less formal. Something… watchful.
By late afternoon, the edge of the forest opened onto a small clearing with a stream. The soldiers took a moment to rest. Lisa immediately abandoned her spot on the ground to hunt for snacks along the bank.
"Tch, lucky river," she muttered, fishing out some wild berries. "You shall fuel my bare-handed strength!"
Tobara cautiously dipped her hand into the stream, trying not to fall. Brentford muttered under his breath, "I hate this path already. Stupid water."
Cidney leaned against a tree, exhaling. "I don't know if I want to march or just watch them all fail."
Furi merely smiled faintly. "Observation is just as valuable as participation."
Vector, standing on a rock by the stream, surveyed his troops and companions. Calm, collected, calculating. Even as Lisa chased a squirrel while munching berries, even as Tobara splashed herself by accident, even as Brentford muttered curses at the world he saw potential, saw the flow of human behavior, and already planned the next steps in his mind.
As the sun began its slow descent, the group set up a small camp near the stream. Lanterns were lit, fires kindled, and the forest filled with the scent of roasting rations. Lisa, true to form, sat cross-legged, eating everything she could reach while performing exaggerated demonstrations of "bare-handed combat" on logs and rocks.
Trilla watched quietly, sipping from a canteen. Her earlier suspicion of Vector's ridiculousness was tempered by admiration he led with authority, patience, and an almost imperceptible sense of humor that came out in moments like this.
Vector sat slightly apart, spear across his lap, observing quietly. Even surrounded by chaos, he moved like a conductor among instruments each outburst, each stumble, each Bamm! perfectly accounted for in his mind.
Tobara, shy and still nervous, peeked at him from across the fire. A small thought flickered through her mind: Maybe this captain really is something else.
Lisa, mid-chew, turned to Vector and grinned. "Captain, when's the first real fight? I promise I'll keep my hands mostly to myself… maybe."
Vector simply stared at her, calm, unflinching. "Mostly is a start."
Cidney muttered, "What a pain…"
Furi chuckled softly.
And as night fell, the western journey continued slow, steady, and full of small, human moments that would bind this group together long before the real war began.