Chapter 14

Chapter 14 — Game Changer

When they reached the place where the caravan had been, Morgan couldn't believe his eyes.

Guards had several men bound and on their knees.

The Japanese students were also there, but not all of them.

Tanji was missing.

One of the guards, sword already in hand, walked toward the first prisoner and swung.

The man's head rolled from his shoulders.

His body went limp.

"You have all been sentenced to death by the king!"

The body hit the ground with a heavy thud as blood pooled beneath it.

One of the female students fainted.

One of the younger boys threw up.

The guard didn't stop.

One by one, he sliced the heads from each prisoner.

One of the men tried to run but tripped.

The guard chased him down and drove his sword through the man's back.

"Choke on your own blood, coward."

The reality of this world began to set in for Morgan and Dre.

Most of the students remained unphased.

"Men, we're moving! Mount up!"

Morgan walked to his horse and mounted.

The gates opened, and the caravan departed.

"Morgan."

William spurred his horse forward.

"We're going to be linking up with the main force soon, about fifteen miles west of here. Once we make camp, I want you and Dre in the battle planning tent with me."

William moved quickly toward the front of the formation.

Morgan opted to ride beside Barnes' carriage for now.

By the time the sky had turned orange, the caravan had joined the main force at a temporary camp.

They had chosen a field with advantageous cover. Trees lined the back and sides of the position, making it difficult for anyone to approach unnoticed.

There was no way they could be taken by surprise now.

Guards roamed the outer perimeter while others set up barricades.

This was different from the training yard.

They were in enemy territory now.

Dre found Morgan as he was hitching his horse.

"Yo, man. Ready to catch some sleep?"

"We can't. You and I have mission planning. The Duke's orders."

Dre sighed.

"Go figure. How do you want to handle this?"

"I have a few ideas."

Morgan looked up and saw Barnes and Charles waving them toward a tent.

When they entered, William stood.

"These two men are Sir Dre and Sir Morgan. They will be advising us on the unusual fighting tactics they are accustomed to from their world."

There were three men Morgan had never seen before.

They were well dressed, but beneath the clothing and armor, Morgan could tell they were hardened veterans.

The way they looked at him made him nervous.

"I am Morgan Sterling. On my right is Dre Jones. We are Otherworlders and have a strong military background between us. We're part of the elite special forces in our world, so our way of combat may seem abnormal."

One of the men nodded.

"I am Commander Thorn. This is Commander Marx, and this is Commander Gutenburg."

He rolled out a map across the table.

"Our forces are currently in four different locations."

He pointed to several positions.

"We are here. My group is here to the east. Marx's group is to the west, and Gutenburg is to the south as a rear guard or reserve. Five hundred men per regiment."

Morgan and Dre studied the map intently.

"Where are we going to engage the enemy?"

Thorn pointed to what looked like an open field.

"The two armies will meet here in two days' time."

As the night went on, Morgan, Dre, and the commanders talked over different scenarios and battle plans.

Outside the tent, Barnes and Charles exchanged glances.

"You think they'll ever come up with an agreement?"

"No, brother."

Charles looked toward the tent.

"Having been their handler for all this time, I can confidently say they have no clue how we fight."

He paused.

"But we also don't understand them either."

Charles nodded.

"But I will say, when backed into a corner, he can be very resourceful. Pay attention to him, brother. He may bring us victory yet."

Inside the tent, Morgan and Dre were getting frustrated.

The way these men wanted to fight was simple.

Stand in a line.

Charge.

That wasn't how they fought on Earth.

What they needed was a game changer.

Morgan noticed Thorn pull out what looked like a cigarette.

"Yo, is that tobacco?"

Thorn nodded.

"Can I get one?"

Thorn pulled another cigarette from a metal case and handed it to him.

Morgan stepped outside the tent, lit it from a nearby torch, and inhaled deeply.

He couldn't believe they had tobacco in this world.

It was thicker than he expected, but of course they wouldn't have the same standards Earth did.

He exhaled slowly.

William stepped out of the tent and stood beside him.

"What are you thinking?"

"I wish we had guns and mortars."

Morgan took another drag.

"I can use rocks again to cause some damage, but it might not do much good."

He looked toward William.

"At your compound, there was something Barnes called a Magigun."

William's eyebrows rose.

"Yes. I know of it. My father created some, but we never put them to use. We didn't know the best way to use them."

Morgan exhaled another cloud of smoke.

"How do they work?"

"They are engraved with rune markings. Those markings draw mana in from the surrounding area. When you fire it, it sends a projectile flying at high speeds."

Morgan's eyes widened.

"You don't need gunpowder, and it can shoot projectiles?"

William nodded.

"How many do you have? How many can you get here tomorrow? Do you have bigger ones?"

Dre, Charles, and Barnes poked their heads out of the tent flap to see what Morgan was so excited about.

"We have around two hundred of them at the compound, but we do not have larger ones."

Morgan began pacing, talking to himself.

"If I set two lines of one hundred on each side, alternating fifty-fifty, depending on the rate of fire, that might be enough to rout them."

He stopped.

"How can I use that to draw them into a trap?"

He rubbed his forehead.

"Come on. It's the same problem I gave Arthur."

He began pacing again.

"Come on. Come on. Think."

William watched him carefully.

"William, send your fastest men in a wagon. Tell them it's life or death. Have them bring all of the Magiguns here by morning."

Morgan looked toward the sky.

"There should be six hours of night left. If they hurry, they'll be here by breakfast."

William didn't understand what Morgan was thinking, but he could tell Morgan had figured something out.

"Klein!"

Klein stepped forward.

"You and your men go now! Get all the Magiguns from the compound as fast as you can. Y'all may rest tomorrow when you get back. Hurry!"

Klein and ten men jumped into a wagon and raced off.

Morgan watched them disappear into the darkness.

He hoped he would have enough time to train the men how to fight using standard colonial line combat.

It wasn't something he had ever practiced himself, but he understood the theory.

"All right. Get some rest for the night. Tomorrow, we'll pick up where we left off."

Dre and Morgan walked toward their tent.

"Do you really think some magical musket is going to work, Morgan?"

Morgan shook his head.

"No, I don't."

He looked toward the darkness where Klein and the others had disappeared.

"But it will lead them to what does."