70 The First Order of War

Yun left the cavern in a bit of a daze. Just a few days before she had lost a large number of soldiers, and today she had essentially condemned another to death. Though she was a little stunned at the moment, she still kept moving forward. After arriving back at her quarters she sat down to rest and recover just before Zhu Cai walked in.

Seeing Yun on the chair zoned out and remembering what she had heard in the dining hall just an hour ago she connected the dots and knew that Yun had likely condemned the negligent Lieutenant to death just now. Walking over to her she pushed herself onto the chair behind Yun and held her tightly, just waiting for her to move again.

After nearly an hour Yun finally responded, whispering, "Thank you, Cai'er. I'm alright now."

Zhu Cai gently lifted her head off Yun's back and slipped back off the chair, "I'm sorry about what happened, Yun'er. Is there anything I can do?"

"Cook me something divine, Cai'er. Please. We haven't had anything better than some gross breads in days."

Zhu Cai smiled as she nodded, heading towards the kitchen to prepare Yun's favorite dishes while calling back over her shoulder, "Go get cleaned up, you smell like you've been in the woods for a year!"

Yun smiled faintly, "Cai'er, I have been in the woods for a year!"

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Nearly two hours later Yun was finally climbing out of the bath full of luxurious and aromatic elements and drying off. As she opened the door back into the rest of the cave they both lived in she smelled a savory and divine fragrance from the kitchen.

Heading towards the kitchen without even taking off the towel she snuck up behind Zhu Cai and took a big breath of the food before speaking, "Cai'er, that smells fantastic. Maybe this Yun should go get dressed before you're done!"

"Yun'er, you dork, get out of here and get dressed!"

Giggling with a mischievous smile she padded out of the kitchen Yun went and put on her now clean clothes. Together with Zhu Cai she enjoyed a sumptuous meal and a relaxing evening after a long and stressful experience in the forests. After a long night of good rest she finally went to the sect gathering that had been announced the previous night after news of the attack had been given to the Sect Elders.

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"Hunting Hall Disciples, as some of you are aware there was an incident a few days ago with the members undergoing training in the forests for the centennial conflict. In this incident we suffered heavy losses to the Fourth Corps, losing roughly half of the members.

"Some of you will be taken into a training program to supplement that half we lost, and all of you are now being notified:

"The War has begun. "

"Standard creature hunting missions will be put on hold, disciples below a certain level of power will be forbidden from leaving the city, and disciples above a certain level of power will be required to remain in a group whose size depends on their level."

All eyes in the sect widened at this. No more normal missions, no leaving the sect alone, no leaving at all if you're weaker. This was absolutely the strictest the sect had been with disciples movements in decades. None of the lower ranked disciples had been alive the last time such restrictions had been used, and the few disciples who were old enough to have been in the sect at the time were now very nearly Elders themselves.

"As a result of the circumstances some of you may be considering ways of leaving the city if you are below the threshold. I would advise you not to. During this time both the city and the sect operate under military law. Disobedience will not be tolerated. You are confined to the city for the sake of your safety and future, do not be a fool and throw your life away. Even if you happen to survive in the forest, you will be killed as a suspected spy upon return."

A number of disciples almost simultaneously looked at their feet. Those who were strong enough had a sense of pride about them, but also a hint of fear. They were strong enough to leave, but many of them were just barely above the line, and if they were so close to the cutoff they were not much use in battle.

"As a result of the current power level of many of you, some will be given tasks that should not result in combat. Those with suitable skills may be expected to take on the task of scouting, or those of lesser skill may be expected to station watch-posts where we may develop a network to help military operations succeed. Be prepared! Watch posts will be periodically provided resources using spatial storage, while spies and scouts will be expected to carry very little and travel light, without something as valuable as a spatial storage artifact."

"Those who are not members of the four Corps are now dismissed, please return to your normal responsibilities. The sect expects all of you to put your full efforts into growing stronger so as to become capable of protecting yourself from our enemies."

After a great deal of shuffling the vast majority of the hall emptied, leaving only the three and a half corps worth of disciples remaining. Originally this would be 222 disciples when including the commanders and lieutenants, but with the damage to the 4th corps it was down to 196. They had lost 26 fighters in that debacle with the Volvaka raid, while the enemy had only lost a dozen.

"Those of you who remain are already acknowledged to be some of the best there are in the sect for this generation. There are very few remaining members above you who are not Deacons or Elders, and the majority of those members are the ones who are engaged in a profession that makes them more valuable here than in the battles ahead. You are the future of this sect, and of the Lynhär race.

"Commander Yun will be given the Sect's missions as soon as the first scouting missions, sent out last night by the Deacons, return to give intelligence. Most of the missions that the Hunting Hall Sect takes on will be small combat or stealth missions. This is the first order you will be given in this war; refrain from fighting if you are at a disadvantage or are on a stealth mission, and come back alive! Dismissed!"