Sorcerer… Cyborg???

Chapter 122: A Talk by the Fire

Tam strode out of his tent, and the soldiers posted all around immediately stood to attention. 

"Begin preparations to leave in one week, I want the last of the Kalun army dragged out of whatever hole they're hiding in. I want them finished, no matter what it takes." Tam said gruffly, and the surrounding soldiers gulped nervously.

Tam watched as the soldiers scampered away to do their duty, remembering a time when he had been just as nervous when dealing with superior officers.

The young soldiers from the nobles and the young Tribes people had grown tremendously during the invasion.

While there had been casualties, Tam's idea of having a core group of experienced soldiers along with all of the less experienced individuals had worked out tremendously well.

The newcomers had learned from the veterans, and facing the brunt of Ursten and the Tribes' finest warriors, Kalun didn't have even the slightest chance at victory and had been crushed without much effort.

Tam found himself walking through the many tents in the center of the camp devoted to the commanders, and saw the open air shelter that Boson called his tent.

Once Boson had subjugated the regions that Tam had assigned to him, he had made it his mission to find and defeat every powerful beast near the camp. 

As a result, many grisly trophies were scattered around boson's tent, and even his fellow commanding officers admired them. 

A furred head with a razor sharp black beak hung from a hook, still dripping blood, Boson's axe resting up against one of the poles that supported his little shelter.

"Put up a good fight?" Tam asked as he approached the massive man, who was currently bandaging his midsection, wincing as he did so.

"The ******* almost gutted me, but I'm glad I fought it." Boson gave Tam a pained smile, he had been feeling an enormous amount of pressure to become stronger, he had always known that Tam was at the Advanced level, but now Tam was getting to a point where his strength had advanced to a point where the logic of the many tiers fell away.

Boson had decided to solve the problem that he always had, by going out and finding some heads to bash in, chop and slice. Fighting the beasts of the jungles had been pushing his strength to a higher degree, but he didn't think he was at the Advanced level just yet, especially since he still felt his ability to affect a battlefield was minimal.

"You've grown plenty in these few months." Tam said kindly, patting Boson on the shoulder and taking a seat by the small fire next to him. Tam had noticed the pressure his Lieutenants were under, Serena had even been spending time with some of the Tribes people's archers, desperate to push her techniques to the next level.

Shale and Slate had pushed their combined magic to a whole new realm, taking out entire towns together, when working in tandem the two could be considered an Advanced Mage, but Tam knew that their dependence on each other was a great weakness. 

But he knew that forking out the funds that an Advanced Mage would desire was practically impossible, most were reclusive to say the least, and only a great treasure would be able to motivate them.

"You think I'm at the Advanced level yet?" Boson asked Tam, with the loss of so many of their senior warriors, Ursten had also the Council which attested to the rank of its warriors.

"I've always told you, Boson. The ranks are just convenient words that we use to describe an individual's influence on the battlefield. Don't be too focused on what rank you are, and instead push your techniques to their utmost." Tam poured Boson a mug of ale from the massive barrel that was stashed in one corner of the enormous man's shelter.

"I know, I know. Soon enough, boss, I'll show you my techniques, one on one." Boson took the ale with a smile, it would dull the pain a little, but he would need to focus on recovering for the next few days. 

Tam smiled back and remembered the last time Boson had challenged him, it seemed so distant now, Boson had been hired by him to help on a particularly dangerous mission and had been offended by being ordered around by someone so obviously weaker than him.

After a short duel, Boson had been more than happy to take orders for Tam, and the massive bruises he had from strikes from the flat of Tam's blade helped make him more obedient.

"In one week's time, we will leave this camp." Tam said to Boson, and the Lieutenant's eyebrows immediately rose up, and he spat out the ale he was drinking in surprise.

"Already, boss? We can't be ready yet?" Boson was shocked, he didn't think that Tam would be so eager to start a battle with the Empire, it had only been a few months since the alliance with the Tribes had been formed, surely they needed more time to prepare.

"We'll make some stops along the way, It'll be fine, Boson." Tam replied, but the numerous tattoos on Boson's head were wrinkled from the worried expression that the man was making.

"Just be ready, and trust in your abilities, you've grown far stronger than you might think." Tam stood up from the log that Boson kept next to his small campfire, and ducked out of the tent, the dripping blood from the hanging head barely missing him.

"I'll be ready! Grand Marshal, Sir!" Boson fell into a more formal salute as Tam was leaving, the man still marveled at how they had gone from being a rag tag group of adventurers to commanding an impressive army. 

Tam's happy expression faded slightly as he strode away from Boson's tent, now it was time for him to see his other oldest Lieutenant, and Serena had been particularly biting and harsh during their conversations recently.