Black Magus

Toril O'Connell.

***

“Er…Toril.”

With a spark arcing through my spine and down my leg, my knee was made to smack against the table with just enough force to rip me from my blissful dreams. I was awake.

Somewhat.

"Hmm?” I groaned. Softly, at first. Then louder once I came to realize the bog sitting in my stomach. Threatening to rise up from the depths of my throat.

“Toril.” The voice called again. But it was a voice not belonging to Amun or anyone else of importance. So I forced down the bile rising from my belly and sought to return to those blissful dreams.

“Toril, wake up.”

Groaning again, I shifted in place. Feeling the rough planks of a table beneath my hands and head while a rock slide seemed to fall through my skull. Pounding against my brain to induce a near-incapacitating throbbing in my head while I stared through the blinding light to see a bald, egg-shaped head staring at me, covered in loosely rugged sun-tanned skin. “Who the hells are you?”

“It’s me.” He grunted. “Rodin.”

‘Rodin?’ I laughed inside and gave him another lookover. He was large, but his shelf-like brow and relatively small head made him look… barbaric. Like a cave dweller made civil. A vision that made the simple tunic and trousers he was wearing seem out of place. ‘Oh.’ I rolled my face back into my arms. “You look different without your helmet.”

“I get that a lot.” He sighed. Followed by some shuffling, some muttering in the distance, and a bit more shuffling before the table I was laying on rattled ever so slightly. Giving me yet another chance to return to my blissful slumber.

As the seconds passed, the pungent smell of alcohol and… something hot, dragged my eyes up to a plate sitting before me. Topped with a few pieces of bread and a small glass filled with an egg, some type of alcohol, black flakes, and some type of thick red liquid.

“Is this supposed to be some type of elixir?” I groaned in disgust.

“In a way.” Rodin shrugged. “It’s a Prairie Oyster. Good for hangovers.”

“What’s in it?”

“Gin, egg, hot sauce, and pepper.”

“That… sounds disgusting.” I groaned. But sat up and drank the thing in one go. Then grabbed a piece of bread from my table and let my head fall onto it.

An intense rumbling in my belly ensued within moments. Filling my mind with worry and flashes of last night’s events. We were treated with a feast upon our return to the tavern, given an abundance of ale and spirits we'd never seen before paired with unremarkable meats and vegetables and several hours' worth of praise and cheer for things none of us took part in.

Frustratingly so.

I remember Rodin and his son, Joe drinking heavily. Challenging me and the others to contests. Then, bits and pieces of the night ended with Amun sitting next to me. Eating and laughing at Rodin losing his dinner after someone asked him… something. Now, I could sense him settling into a seat in front of me with a hearty meal as he went to bed at sundown while I was left drifting in and out of consciousness.

“Eat.” He grunted after an indiscernible time.

“Few more minutes,” I mumbled.

“I’ve been waiting for ten.” He sighed.

With a loud and despairing groan, I sat up and looked around to see the same tavern from last night. Like dozens of others, Jaimess and Ed were slumped on either side of Rodin, leaning over his empty plate with an impatient aura.

Ignoring him, I glanced down to check the time and immediately frowned. “It’s hardly six, Rodin! Why are you waking me up?”

“Didn’t know you took sleep so seriously.” He harrumphed. “But this is what time the day starts. I was hoping we could begin our training.”

“That’s what your Doppelgangers are for.” I turned to the plate he’d given me with a snort. “I’m here to teach you tactics and reform your troops. And that will wait until sunrise. In the meantime.” I paused to inhale a few bites of food. “Tell me about your troops. How do you operate? What type of affinities are found within your ranks? And what type of equipment do you utilize?”

“We have forty-three guards when including myself; my son, the Lieutenant; and the Chief Scout, Liam Grace.” Rodin quickly explained. “I'm an Amazonian Warrior. Though my blood is halved, I still have their strength. As does my son and many other warriors. We specialize in fighting on the front line, supported by spearmen and shield-bearers on the flanks and in defensive positions. Archers fortify the emplacements while scouts act as runners and gather intelligence. The troops are divided into five-man squads, consisting of two, two-man teams and one leader. Seven of those squads make up the guard force. With, me, Liam, and my son, Joe consisting of the staff.

"We operate on two-day rotations. Two days at the barracks, pulling guard or going on patrol, and two days of rest at home. We’re all donned in light armor for the sake of maneuverability. And only a few of us have affinities, all of the elemental variety. And I am not one of them.” He finished with a long sigh.

‘Less than I thought. But admirable.’ I mentally frowned in surprise, then paused to savor a bite of the strange type of pastry given to me before speaking again. “Naturally, your operations will change now that you all have Doppelgangers. But, I'll explain that to everyone at once. Where are they gathered? And, have you seen Amun?”

“I ordered every guard to report to the barracks this morning.” He stood with a grunt. “And, yes. He’s outside with Mayor Silas.”

‘Jeez. Do you people sleep?’ I snorted. Then wolfed down my breakfast in a matter of minutes to be led to a large mob huddled around Town Square.

“Good morning, Toril, Rodin,” Amun called the moment we broke through the crowd.

“Morning.” I shifted my focus to him and bowed at my neck, only to jump back in shock in the next instant. “I didn’t even know you were out.”

“Ah.” Amun looked away from a paper he was holding to gesture at my clone and many others all huddled around with the other guards and civilians. “I employed their help last night. You can have him back.”

With that, I watched… myself, stroll across the small clearing and turn after passing me to disappear into my shadow. Bringing about a mental cascade of expansive tunnels, wood braces, and a mountain of cut stone. “What!” I spun to face the mountain. Or rather, the hexagonal frame towering above me.

“What was that?” Amun strode to my position with an intense light blazing in his curious eyes.

“I- I saw. The work.” I chuckled in despair.

“Fascinating!” Amun dreamily gasped. Seemed to look off into the distance and lose himself for several moments. Only to uncannily snap back to the present without notice. “I assume you need copies?” He squatted to reach between his feet. “How many?”

“Forty-two,” I said. Then did as the crowd did and watched Amun pull towering stacks of books from his shadow to hand them to my doppelganger before returning to his business without saying another word.

“You’re a knight, are you not?” Rodin asked once we distanced ourselves from the crowd.

“I am.” I nodded. “Why?”

“You and your master have a strange relationship.”

“He doesn’t like being referred to by any titles. Especially master.” I shrugged. “In his words, ‘I haven’t done anything to warrant such respect.’ Or something like that.” I chortled.

“Is claiming an entire town for himself not enough?” Rodin snorted dryly.

“Oh, he's done more than just that. I can't make much sense of it either. So, ask him yourself.” I shrugged, then stepped aside at the barracks’ entrance to allow Rodin to step through first.

“STAND FOR THE CAPTAIN!

Stepping inside, I saw a miniature Rodin at the brink of twenty years old, standing before forty or so guards neatly arranged in a rustic room that looked and smelled more like an outhouse.

“At ease.” Rodin waved to the troops on his approach to his son. “What have you got?”

“No issues over the night, Sir.” Joe saluted again. “Our… clones offered to take up guard duties for us. Many of us went to celebrate, but all are present now.”

“Good.” Rodin turned with a grin and a gesture to me. “This is Toril, Lord Amun’s knight. As such, it goes without saying that he’s to be treated as highly as Mayor Silas and his authority extends just as far, if not further in our context.”

“Yes Sir!” The seated troops resounded as one.

“Thank you.” I lowered my head to the formation, effectively taking the floor from Rodin. “As you noticed last night, your Doppelgangers will bring many changes to the way you operate as a military force. Firstly is that your numbers have now veritably doubled. And you needn’t worry about your clones acting out of line, as all of the Lord’s Doppelgangers act in accordance with first, Amun's moral code. Yours will follow Mayor Silas’ as well, then Captain Rodin’s, before cascading down the chain of command to the owner’s sense of judgment. That gives each of you a dedicated runner and partner. Someone who can take up duty in your stead while you eat, heal, sleep, or take leave.

"But, they are more than just that,” I added with a dramatic pause. “As the Lord said, your doppelganger is a mirror of you. A living mirror that will train and educate you, but one you can also converse with. It is a shoulder to lean on. But more importantly, it is a tool that will allow you to grow as an individual. By speaking with it, you will learn of yourself. You will confront your fears, face your flaws, and become a stronger person. But, those are things that are to be done on your own time. For now, I need you all to listen and come to understand the many changes being made to your day-to-day operations.

“From now on.” I paused to begin passing out books. “Your Doppelgangers will be patrolling the town and manning the border every night. Seeing as how they’re most powerful in the dark, it’s the wisest choice. I’ll leave the weekly schedule up to the Captain’s decision, but I recommend having everyone work up to seven days a week and having three days off at home. As for the daily schedule, it will start with three hours of training. One for physical training, another for elemental practice, and a final hour for combat training. The remainder of the day will be spent in a classroom environment with me. And in your free time.” I held up a pair of books. “You're required to read and understand these practices. Any questions?

“Yes?” I nodded to a red-haired boy a few years older than myself. “State your name and occupation.”

The boy passionately stood to salute at once, stirring quite a strange feeling from within. “Bein, Sir. Warrior. We were told we’d be receiving new barracks, Sir. Is that true?”

“It is.” I nodded. “It will be an underground complex accessed via tunnels that only the guards and the Mayor would be privy to. Each of you will have private quarters, along with the many auxiliary and service rooms needed to support a proper military force. Kitchens and dining halls, armories, recreation rooms, training rooms. And, most importantly, headquarters. Which, coincidentally, brings us to today’s agenda.” I paused to allow my Doppelganger to bring out a larger stack of books and set them on the table. “As I said, we’re to spend each day this week in classes to study tactics, training doctrine, and the Lord’s military theories. However, before we do that, we need to create a proper staff for the organization. Three people simply won’t cut it.”

“What do you have in mind?” Rodin asked.

“In the latter book.” I raised the corresponding book before flipping to the passage in question. “Chapter three, ‘Staff Organization.’ Lord Amun explains why no less than nine administrative organizations, or departments, are needed to support a military organization. As of now, we lack the manpower to fulfill these departments. But more on that later. The first department is for administration. Personnel management. They will manage the paperwork necessary to keep track of each soldier’s status, records, awards, pay, promotions, leave, and everything else along those lines.”

“Mayor Silas is the one who’s been assuming that task.” Rodin politely chimed in.

To which I quickly shook my head. “Unacceptable. Mayor Silas is a public servant and the commander-in-chief of this organization. As such, he has the final say in if you all go to war or not. But he is not responsible for how this organization is run. His priority is the citizenry. Ultimately.” I turned to him. “This should be your job. The problem is that you have so many responsibilities, that you have no choice but to delegate them if you wish to properly command your troops.”

“That is true.” Rodin grimly nodded. “Many of the administrative roles are split between myself, Joe, and Liam. Mayor Silas offered to take on some of the responsibilities to ease our minds a little. But, it is as you said. We lack in numbers.”

“That issue will be solved in due time,” I assured him. “You all will one day become the most senior officers in this military force. As such, the current task is to think about which of these soldiers will take on these roles. Naturally, they and their subordinates will find themselves out of the line of combat. But, by the Lord’s decree, they’ll still be required to keep their skills maintained.”

“Of course.” Rodin nodded in quick agreement.

“Simply put, the second department is for intelligence and security.”

“Liam’s responsibility,” Rodin grunted, pointing to a lean and tall blonde-haired man sitting in the corner.

“Then it’s where he’ll stay if he so wishes.” I nodded. “The third department is for operations. They’re responsible for everything from training regimes to mission planning and force development.”

“Force development?” Joe asked with a raised hand.

“Adapting the force to fit the present situation,” I explained. “If we face an enemy who uses a new type of weapon, or who uses a new tactic, how will we adapt our training, our weapons, or our equipment to respond? That is force development.”

“I see.” Joe slowly nodded. Then turned to his father. “That’s usually the Captain’s job.”

“Something that I assume needs to change?” Rodin added just after.

“Exactly.” I grinned. “Now, the fourth is for logistics and supply. The quartermaster, if you will. But one who also decides how troops and equipment are transported and maintained.”

“I’ll find a suitable candidate to fill at once, Sir.” Joe saluted. Causing the strange feeling to rise again.

‘That’s not getting old.’ I snorted inside before burying the sensation and turning to him with an affirmatory nod. “Good. But ensure that you take your time, and remove biases from your mind.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Department five is for planning.” I continued. “Effectively, Rodin’s primary job. As such, we’ll move on to department six, communication. Which is, by all rights, the most important thing when it comes to warfare.”

“Also my job, Sir.” Liam raised his hand.

“I understand you’re also the Chief Scout, yes?” I asked.

“Yes, Sir.”

“You can’t do all three effectively,” I said as easygoing as I could. “You’ll have to pick one and only one. That said.” I meekly shrugged. “If I understand correctly, your current position is much the same as the Chief of Communications.”

“Then, I’ll go with that, Sir.” He saluted.

“Very well.” I turned back to the crowd. “The seventh is for training. Responsible for how recruits are enlisted and trained. The second-most important department for the guards of Hill Base, in my opinion. The Lord hopes that after this town is uplifted, Hill Base will experience a growth in population or an influx of immigrants in search of a new life like you all once did. Many of them will grow to become guards, which means considerable thought needs to go into how new squads will be filled.

“As with the others.” I sighed. “I’m certain of the Mayor assuming responsibilities for these last two departments, but that will have to change as well. The first is for finance and resource management. And the last is for civil affairs.”

“Civil affairs?” Joe repeated.

“It’s both how the civilians of Hill Base and civilians of other territories view our military. If they see us as a group of warmongering savages, they’ll seek to disrupt our sense of peace and cast a bad light on us. Their job will be to oversee peacekeeping missions and train soldiers in how to treat non-combatants so that such a thing won't happen."

"I see." Joe nodded.

“Those are the nine departments.” I collapsed my book in closure. “An assessment will be organized to choose the best candidate for each position. So, think long and hard about where you’d best be suited to serve, as staff positions aren’t for everyone.”

After taking a few moments to finish his notes, Rodin stuffed his notepad into his pockets to cross his arms and stare off into the distance for a few seconds. “It seems Lord Amun has thought of everything.” He eventually shook his head, letting out a few dry chuckles that echoed amongst his subordinates.

“It seems that way, yes." I chuckled back. Then waved the matter aside with an excited grin. "But, back to the point. Now that our announcements are out of the way, we can begin today’s lecture. An introduction to Guerrilla Warfare.”