The Achievement Junkie

"Sir, I've go the report from the scouts."

"Come in," ordered General Toms. "What are we dealing with?"

"Sir, the majority of the fire is made up of illusions, but we still can't underestimate things. Within the illusions are real patches of white fire, and those are spreading as we speak. If nothing is done, the fire should spread across the entirety of the city walls within a day," reported the captain.

"Hmmm… So, where is the safest place to breakthrough the flames?" asked Toms.

"The largest remaining gap is to the Northeast," explained the captain. "The flames to the west are the strongest and to the east are the weakest."

"How long till that gap closes?"

"The scouts estimated three hours at most, but it could likely close within the hour."

With a grunt of approval, Toms stood up and marched past the captain giving the report. He stepped outside of his tent and saw his army crammed into the city's main square. Easily being noticed, the general took a deep breath and raised his arm.

"Men! It's time we make our move and track down the vermin that brought fire to our city! If we don't break through the fire now, they'll escape and never be found again! I ask now for your full strength and determination in bringing them to justice! Are you with me?!"

"SIR, YES, SIR!" In unison, almost one thousand troops shouted in praise at the righteousness of their general.

"Now, take up your weapons and line up! Now, we move out!"

Taking the lead, Toms parted the sea of soldiers around him and marched northeast. "Any buildings destroyed by our march will be paid for by the state! Don't let anything stop your charge!"

Once the general let the soldiers march uninhibited, their speed increased and so did the destruction of the city.

Along the way, a familiar face appeared beside General Toms and matched his pace. Toms chuckled, "About time you showed up."

"Sorry, General, I had personal matters to attend to."

"Dirk, what kind of personal matters would you… Oh, right. You've got family here, don't you?" As Dirk nodded in response, Toms laughed it off, "Forget about it. I can let it slide this once. Just stay sharp, we'll need to pay attention when we make a break for the border."

"Of course, General."

As they neared the northeast portion of the wall, a scout jumped down from one of the rooftops. "Sir, I'll lead you to the gap."

"Make it fast!"

Though the army's reckless sprint for the city limits caused a fair amount of destruction, they managed to reach the wall within fifty minutes, giving them just enough time to squeeze past the spreading fire in the worst-case scenario.

The scout marked the gap as Toms booming voice filled the air, "Men, I know you're starting to feel tired, but here is where the test of strength truly begins! After we break through the wall, we must keep an eye out for enemies as we follow them to the border! Ready?!"

"SIR, YES, SIR!"

"Captains, now!" Toms gave the order as all the captains stepped forward and activated their strongest attacks, along with Toms and Dirk. In the time of a single breathe, different sorts of energy bombarded and ravaged the city wall. It stood no chance and was pried open wider with each attack.

Once the barrage was over, a three-meter opening was left behind.

"Men, as you pass through, launch your strongest attack the walls! The wider you make it the faster we can get through it and the sooner we catch the fiends who caused this!"

"SIR, YES, SIR!"

"Now move!"

General Toms and Assistant Dirk kept the lead as the army forced their way through the tight opening, expanding it with each passing second.

Now entering the woods that covered the northern part of the Limneer-Trodar border, Toms kept his contact crystal in hand at all times, always ready to give pass a command.

Dirk stayed focused on the trail before them, like the captains behind them

They didn't follow any set path but were bypassing the roads in an attempt to charge directly for the border. If the newly recruited soldiers had any experience, they would've felt their approach to pursuit as a bit strange and rushed. However, they couldn't understand that Toms's true intention was to use that fire as fuel for the soldiers' rage, easily convincing them to charge the border.

"General, when are we meeting with the other troops?" asked Dirk.

"They're on the way, but I don't plan to stop," Toms replied. "We'll let them cover our rear until we conjoin on the other side of the border."

"But won't an invasion be nigh impossible with only these men? They may have a decent number of bodies, but they're all green and inexperienced," reasoned Dirk. "They'd be no better than cannon fodder compared to Trodar's current forces on the border."

"How long did it take for you to realize that?" General Toms laughed quietly, keeping the conversation between the two men. "Wouldn't that leave Trodar's forces wide open for attack from our remaining forces?"

Finally showing some emotion, Dirk looked back to the general out of the corner of his eye. "General… You can't be serious."

"Oh, I'm serious alright. This strategy has worked before, so why not now?" stated Toms indifferently. "With this batch of fresh meat creating the initial breach, our remaining forces will clean through the border easily. I don't think we'll reach the capital like I had hoped thanks to those pests from earlier finding us out, but we'll be able to force Trodar to surrender with help from Prachten and Iscantor."

"... I see. So this was your plan all along, even if the camp had never been attacked?"

With a proud smile on his face, Toms tapped on the edge of his forehead. "Precisely. You've always got to think outside of the box."

"Then how come I never heard about this?"

"Dirk, you're a great guy. That's why Loire insisted that you shouldn't be told. But don't worry, one day you'll be smart enough to see things clearly." Toms patted the younger man on the back as if to pass down precious, well-aged wisdom.

"Right…" Dirk also chuckled but he shook his head. "I guess I did need time to see things clearly… Sorry for taking so long."

"No worries, Dirk. Besides, now that Loire's gone, we'll be working more closely than ever. Just wait till I tell you about my plans for the Trodan villages we'll be pillaging."

"Alright, but tell me later. For now, we should focus on the surroundings. Who knows where those spies might be hiding?"

"Good. You'll make a great general one day with that kind of focus. I'll make sure to teach you everything," laughed the general, again hitting Dirk on the back.

The troops continued their march through the night and into the early morning. Most were exhausted and the army was moving at a snail's pace by the time the sun was climbing up the sky.

"Men, you've got two hours to rest! Make the most of it!" Toms's shout spread across the camp, causing each soldier to groan in either pain or disappointment. "If I hear any complaints, we'll take the border right now! What do you say?!"

"..."

"Good, now rest!"

While the majority of the army laid down to try and get some sleep, the captains were relaxing and chatting among themselves. Their higher levels made it much easier to keep the pace with the low-level soldiers.

"Dirk, join me for a quick drink!" laughed Toms. "Before every great battle, I always share a shot. I've yet to lose after drinking my good luck charm!"

Like usual, Dirk kept close to the general but not too close as to invade his personal space. He sighed and got up from his comfortable seat against a tree. Shortly after, Dirk was beside Toms with a small glass in his hand.

Toms clinked the shot glasses in excitement. "To the destruction of Trodar!"

"To victory!" Dirk shouted his own cheer before downing the drink along with his superior officer.