A battle is fast approaching as Lupresian forces must prepare to meet swords with their adversaries, the military of Avantasia, and General Knox's forces are the first to respond to the sighting of Avantasian vessels approaching the shores of these islands. He has ordered their forces to gather up necessities after they finished getting into their armor. Things such as firewood that they had gathered lately, tent supplies, and food rations.

The reason that they might need materials to build a tent and firewood for a campfire is that in battles, during night there usually is a brief stop of the battle in question so that soldiers can rest during the night and combat can resume the following morning. It's a standard practice, decided by most nations to be the proper way to battle as it gives both sides a brief respite, plus it's just easier to fight when one can see outside. Plain and simple, really. Though, that isn't to say that it isn't broken every now and then, some armies opting for surprise attacks at night. One can only hope that Avantasia won't resort to such backhanded tactics.

Watching as his soldiers hastily gather all of the things required and load them into a few large carts, General Knox can't help but feel nostalgic. It may be odd, but this brings back memories of his first time at war, where as a recruit himself, he had to do the same once his own band of soon to be warriors readied to depart for the battlefield. Though unlike this, which is for defense, it was going on the attack. "Look at this..." He tells an officer who stands beside him, the only one doing so. A tall man clad in armor. "And look at them. We are watching soon to be heroes in action, right now. Readying to face their collective destiny." He says with an air of remembrance, hands clasped behind his back.

The soldiers walking around camp, also in their armor, officers and recruits alike, ready for the worst. For many of them, even some of the less venerated officers such as Brutus, Luna, or Adrian, this will be their first taste of combat. The first time they will have had to draw their weapons against their fellow man in any serious capacity, and for that, those that have never tasted warfare ready to carry this burden, some handling it better than others.

Out of the recruits among them are Elias and Damien, who work together to carry some bundles of the firewood to the carts. There's a lot of it, so this is a small amount. Both men ready themselves mentally, as mental fortitude will be necessary for what is to come, as breaking under pressure is a surefire route to certain death. Looking over at Damien, Elias can notice how he seems fidgety, struggling to grapple with what is soon to happen. "Hey, Damien... Are you alright?" He asks Damien, concerned for his friend.

"Huh?" Looking over to Elias, Damien's own concern for his wellbeing and the wellbeing of his comrades is clear to see. It is not surprising that such worry and uncertainty would exist in the minds of the soldiers, even if they were the ones to enlist. It's only natural. "Oh, I-I'm fine. Really." He says with a halfhearted and nervous smile as he looks away from Elias, turning his attention dead ahead. "Man, I just wish... That we were bringing the horses, you know?" He says to Elias, still looking forwards as they walk to the cart.

Horseback riding was his specialty, and he excelled at it so it's not surprising to Elias that he would wish such a thing. Maybe he would feel more in his element if he could have a mount to ride. As they arrive at the carts, of which there are three, all of which massive, they place the wood bundles in them and afterwards, Elias pipes up again. "You know what? Hold on just a moment, I'll be right back." Smirking while backing away and holding his hand up as if to visually tell him 'hold on,' he turns and starts to walk away, leaving Damien confused to say the least.

Walking towards where the tent of General Knox lies, passing many of his comrades in the process, Elias has a plan in mind. Since Damien seems like he'd be more comfortable on horseback, he is planning to make us so by urging their superior to make the call to bring the horses as well. He doesn't know how it'll go per-say, and even if it will be considered at all, but he's hoping that his connection to Knox, thanks to his father's service in the military as a major and being a personal friend of those days, will make him not only think about it, but go-ahead with it.

Knox sees Elias approaching him, and is pleased to get to speak with him. Though Elias seems to be walking rather quickly with a goal in mind, determination practically in the air around him, so he doesn't quite understand why he walks with such determination. It must be serious, far as he can tell. "My oh my, mister Elias Homings. What is it that brings you to me?" He asks Elias, understandably so. It doesn't look like he's too serious or anything, but Elias certainly has the gait and posture of a man on a mission right now.

Saluting as it's typical of an inferior soldier to salute those who are superior to them, especially if it's a general, Elias halts his salute once Knox raises his hand up as if to say 'at ease.' "General, I have a request." He starts off his question fairly well, letting Knox know by his behavior that it must be important to him. "I have this friend, a fellow enlistee by the name of Damien Abram, who is a very good man. Of strong character and moral fiber. He is also very good at horsemanship, in fact I'd argue that he's the best among us recruits." He says, "Can we please bring the horses? I know that he would very much appreciate it, as it may ease his mind about the coming battle." He tells Knox, hoping that this story may sway him.

Just as he hopes, it works to some degree, as Knox seems to be thinking on it. It takes him a good moment to respond, as he glances off in thought, but eventually he does deliver a response. "I see. Our landscape is not the best for cavalry, as much of it is littered with hills or crevices." He says, "In the southern regions it has waterways galore, and in the northern regions it has hills everywhere you look. But maybe, just maybe..." Thinking on it a tiny bit more, as he's clearly weighing the potential, he comes up with a solution. "Very well. We'll bring a cavalry in tow. We'll just have to use them strategically." He tells Elias, giving him the answer he wants before dismissing him.

The happiness shows on Elias' face, as he's glad that he has managed to talk General Knox into bringing the horses. He is now able to walk back to Damien proudly, excited to tell him that the horses will be brought with them after all. As he makes it back to him, Elias puts an arm over his shoulder. "Damien, guess what?" He asks Damien with a smirk, and Damien is still confused. "The horses will be coming with us. I spoke to General Knox, and we're now bringing them with us." He says, happy to see his friend's relieved expression.

And happy Damien is, as horsemanship is his biggest strength, so in his mind it secures him the most likely chance of survival. He hopes that they win, but he really does not want to die. He's young, so it's only to be expected that he wouldn't want to die so soon. As he begins to open his mouth to speak, they hear the order to round up the horses and board them on the ship as well, so it cuts that short. "Oh. Well..." He looks over at Elias, "We've better get to it, eh?" He asks, to which Elias nods. The two men then set off, as Elias removes his arm from around Damien's shoulders, to do as instructed.

Bringing the horses along with them and pulling the supply carts up the ships gangway, the soldiers board it to be taken off of this island and back to the primary island. Though a different part of it than where they started at. Being ferried across the small bit of sea between the islands of the isles, some soldiers are below deck to take care of the supplies, while many are above deck where the horses are, looking out at sea as they can smell the ocean scent, which smells quite pleasant. To Elias, this smell brings back memories of his families summer beach home, which isn't too far from where they are heading.

Their sea vessels pulls into a small dock along the shoreline that has no other ships in it and just a small building off to the side where a self-proclaimed hermit resides. This man, a fisherman who has allowed the military to use his dock in their journey to the island they had gone to, sits by his home in a chair, doing something with fish that he has caught, which are held in a bucket. They unload the ship of the three large carts after wheeling them from below deck and down the gangway to the dock, after having first unloaded the horses. All around, the unload procedure is going well.

The man, with a large grey beard and peasant-like clothing, waves at the soldiers as they finally step off the dock as they finish. Knox returns the wave as he thanks the man for letting them use his dock, and the army prepares to set off as the ready the horses for the cavalry to utilize. In total, they possess roughly one-hundred and fifty soldiers, as that ship they used could hold many, and they have around twenty horses. Meaning roughly twenty will be cavalry, whilst thirty will be bowmen, and the final one-hundred will be swordsmen. They know not how  many soldiers that their enemy will have, but given that three ships were spotted, chances are that they are outnumbered. They can only try to make do with what they can, and if necessary send a request for aid to other forces.

Looking around at his soldiers as they ready to depart for where the enemy is supposedly landing, Knox knows that they are likely to be outnumbered once they meet them, and therefore is thinking up what to do. He swiftly comes up with a strategy; encirclement. Stepping out ahead of them all, he orders them to line up so that he may address them as a collective, and so they do. "Soldiers, recruits, today is the day that many of you bloody your swords for the first time. And I know that this occasion is a monumental one." Looking out at either side to his soldiers, he takes a breath. "I have every such intention to ensure that as many of you as possible make it home alive, therefore... I have a strategy in mind. Allow me to explain." He tells them all with the utmost seriousness, as such a thing demands.

By this point, the sun is dipping low, so chances are that before they reach the field of battle night will fall and they will be made to rest for the night. Before they depart, Knox picks out people who will be on the cavalry, Damien among them, and explains the rest of his strategy. Per what he describes, the cavalry split in two will flank the regulars, meaning ten on each side, and as they charge the enemy the cavalry will fan out to attack them from the sides. Regardless of the Avantasian forces size, he hopes that this can allow them to encircle the forces in the end.

They start on their way after the forces are ready, marching together as planned with a few soldiers pulling the supply carts along behind them. All around, they move as quickly as such a thing allows. They docked a bit down the shore so that they would not alert Avantasia's army of their goal to intercept so that hopefully they can do as planned. As thought may happen, they are forced to settle for the night as darkness comes, and can only hope that their enemy will do the same. Their force is exhausted for having been awake all day, so continuing into the next morning may not be wise. Could cause critical errors to happen.

Setting up a small camp swiftly, they hunker down with a campfire at its center. Looking up at the stars as he lays on his makeshift bedding, a cloth pallet lying on the cold ground, Damien thinks about what is to come. As a child, he never imagined joining the military, and even now it seems so out of character for him. But, he has done it, and now he must grapple with the potential death that may come for him. He rolls over to his side and tries to go to sleep, but he doesn't know how simple that such a thing might be. He awaits the morning impatiently, knowing that once morning comes the will have to depart as quickly as possible to meet their adversaries head on.

To Be Continued...