"It's been two months and nothing has happened. What the hell are they planning?" Thorsen asked, slamming his fist on the table of the meeting room. The afternoon sun shone through the large window, sending a few rays of sunlight to bounce off his armor and refract around the room.
"Commander, this is no time to begin freaking out. To be fair, we didn't even know if they were here for the queen herself," Gwili said, leaning his elbows on the table opposite Thorsen.
Thorsen scoffed. "You said they were human, and that you followed them to the castle. We've trained and waited, waited and trained. What the hell is going on? Why haven't they made their move, yet?" he asked, the concern obvious in his voice. Gwili rubbed his chin across his shiny Coltendian bracers, as he had been inducted into the Warrior's Guild under Thorsen's supervision.
"There are a few reasons they could be doing this," Gwili began with a sigh as he closed his eyes. "There's not much else to be done if they don't want to be found. Naturally, they won't expose themselves using the same clothes as they did when they traveled," he continued.
Thorsen looked at him curiously, lifting an eyebrow, as if suggesting he continue.
"If they're smart and well-trained, which they might actually be, they'll hide amongst the crowds for a while, scouting things out and making sure they know their infil and exfil plans, as well as how to handle any other obstacles they might encounter," Gwili said, glancing up at the giant. "So you think they're biding their time? Two months is a little long, wouldn't you say?" Thorsen asked simply.
"The problem is, if they're as well-trained as I think they are, two months isn't a blink of an eye for them. Honestly, if they've held out this long, I'd wager they have other intentions outside of simple, cold-blooded murder. They're waiting for something, or maybe they're just gathering information," the elf replied with a shrug.
Thorsen pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed heavily. "Why can't things be simple? Whatever happened to good, old fashioned fighting? Everything these days seems to be plans upon plans, and subterfuge beneath subterfuge," he said, his impatient nature bleeding through his tone.
"Not everything in war is just swinging swords and hoping you hit your target," Gwili said plaintively. "War? You think we're at war right now?" Thorsen asked, his tone growing a little darker, to which the elf merely shrugged again.
"I'm not saying we are, and I'm sure as shit not going to say we aren't. At the very least, not with anything, or anyone we know. The Masked One has up and fucked off to the North, and he's been pretty quiet, too. It's like the calm before a storm we can't see coming," he said, sighing heavily.
Thorsen thought about his words carefully, running his fingers through his blonde beard. "I don't suppose we have a way of setting a trap for them, do we?" he asked after a few moments of contemplation.
"Nothing they would fall for, I think," Gwili said defeatedly. "The best thing we can do, instead of having our thumbs up our collective asses, is train. Gods above and below, even that might not be enough," the elf continued with a scoff.
Neko and Marte, who had been sitting quietly on the far side of the table until now, glanced at each other. "Do you think we'll be okay?" Marte whispered, but Neko could only shake his stubbled head. "I'll be honest, I have no idea. We just have to keep training until something happens, I guess," he returned quietly.
Marte held a subtly fearful look on her face, and gripped Neko's hand tightly. He looked down at the oversized hand and then to the face that was on the verge of tears. Without a word, he simply turned his hand palm up to better hold hers. "Hey, we've been training a lot the last two months. It's not like we're as weak as back then," he said, trying to comfort her with an encouraging tone and warm smile.
"I know…" she nodded in short movements. "I guess I'm just… anxious," she said after having some difficulty admitting her emotions. Neko chuckled through his nose. "The giantess herself? Anxious? Never thought I would see the day," he jeered, shaking his head. She glared at him. "I'm only kidding. I'm anxious, too," he said, hoping she didn't feel as alone. She gave him a warm smile, and squeezed his hand a little harder before paying attention to the rest of the meeting.
After having discussed multiple possibilities, it became evident that the best course of action really was to wait, as no one present had any knowledge of their potential enemy's capabilities.
Still, they conducted whatever training Gwili conjured up for those following days. He taught them stealth tactics, how to read signs that most people would miss, how to conduct a strike on a building complex that was heavily fortified, and other such things from his time as a synner.
"You know, unconventional warfare like this makes me terrified for the capabilities we might have in the future," Thorsen said, just after Gwili had finished another lesson with him, Neko, Marte, and Leona, the latter being a surprisingly fast learner. "Heh, that's because you haven't heard even half of what we've already done with this kind of knowledge," the elf said, ever so slightly puffing out his chest as he turned away from the chalkboard to face them.
"I wish I would have learned at least some of this while I was receiving my lessons to be a queen. All I learned back then was how to properly hold utensils, bow, and laugh at jokes I found distasteful," Leona said, glancing at her notes to make sure she had everything that was written on the board. "Well, I'm flattered," Gwili said, a smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
I'd never have expected a compliment from the queen herself, he thought.