Mauthe considered the information they'd been given, the half-formed plans swirling in his mind, and sifted through them as he plotted a course of action. This was unlike him. Mauthe wandered over to the map, looking down at a countryside which by all rights should have meant nothing to him. Why was he so absorbed in this problem? This wasn't his fight. Even if he failed, the Empire's fall could be his gain... but it riled something in him. The Ⓧutsider within him grew eager, but something else encouraged it. Could it be that he himself was thrilled by the prospect of war?
The former blink dog surveyed the army's disposition, careless of the wizard and engineer at his side. Thoughts and schemes nibbled at the edges of his consciousness: troop movements, weather patterns, scouting mobilization. They danced just uncomfortably out of reach – he had no formal training in warcraft, and had no reason to know any of it. Mauthe felt woozy. It was like trying to grasp at smoke, or remembering a fading dream, though he no longer needed sleep. This knowledge was not his own, and the more he attempted to grasp it, the more he felt as if he was stepping outside his body.
As Mauthe stared at the map, he lost himself in the swirls of parchment and ink. In his mind's eye, it seemed perfectly normal that his paws had been replaced with someone else's limbs: thick greying skin stretched over humanoid hands. The map became a vision, a hellish landscape steeped in ash and blood, ripe for the conquering. The stench of demonic ichor carried to him on a rancid breeze, bringing satisfaction – he knew it would soak the ground in short order. He would hunt his quarry even to the deepest abyss, and further. There would be no escape.
Then Mauthe found himself elsewhere, the same but different. It was strange, feeling the thirst for battle in the Blood War (and from just a trifling front!), fade from his devil's body. His gaze fell upon another map much like the Empire's, but far older. This one recalled the musty shadows of abandoned buildings, the dagger in the back of a once-trusted contact; spies, assassins, and plots that raced across the subconscious edges of his mind. He found this setting far more inviting: the cloak of darkness, the whispered lies, the caress of unknown death. He was caught in a web of intrigue, but was he a spider or a fly? He cast his net over the empire in hopes that he would have many flies to feast on. His master commanded it...
And then abruptly, he was back, shivering an instant before shaking himself steady. He could remember the thrill of the hunt now. It was not a simple thing of cat and dog, but a more complex form. He looked around the room from person to person and recognized the bearings of those he once knew. Wholly different now, just as he was, but not so different that he didn't remember what they could do. They had been assigned prey and they were a pack. There was hunting to do.
Mauthe raised his head and began to address the entire tent in tones of command, so as to inform the team and the non-monstrous allies alike of plans to mobilize.
The Shaper Genie and the Scholar of the Moon...
"Natsumi and Chef, if you could please come over here and coordinate with our allies to ready a search pattern for the desert using what resources we have? Assume that we will have a small clump of fast moving flyers and/or ground units supported by a larger number of mundane scouting teams. Your knowledge should come in handy in accounting for dangerous hazards as well as how best to search such a large area. Make sure to get a good accounting of where this army's scouts have already searched thoroughly. I'm sure you will have the most success at this endeavor with your knowledge base."
The Necromancer...
"Mentak, I’m sure you have some memory of previous campaigns in this region that our fair general Dryon would love to hear. Regale him with tales of your conquest if you please.”
The Six Armed Warrior and the Conquerer ...
“Yan, you seem to know what you’re about, but if while you’re out training the troops you could find those that look best fit to lead squads that would be helpful. Especially those among the scouting corp who have experience with survival in the desert. Mentak may prove useful for whipping them into shape as well.
Klik-klak, I think you will prove most useful in scouting, but if you could accompany Yan for now I think you will prove a good sparring opponent for the army’s squads.” Mauthe chuckles wryly, “You would be the most difficult to pin down I think.”
The Knight of Bones...
“Klaus, you are a divine spellcaster of some skill, so if you could assist our clerical division in the proper dispensation of their magic? Proper use in this case would most likely require application of magical aid to our own forces rather than as a detriment to the enemy. Simple enough, but you’re most likely best equipped to help them work out the details. Chef or Natsumi may be knowledgeable in this area as well if you require aid.
After that you may wish to speak to Mentak on the subject of making use of your Undead servants. Your dragons will come in handy for scouting, but the slower ones may be of use as camp sentries due to their single mindedness.”
The Marksman and the Temptress...
“Elgin and Yuuko, if you could please accompany me I think it would be beneficial to examine the newer recruits more closely. I believe Dryon is correct in assuming they are more likely liabilities, but we need decent scouts and that is not a job that needs quite as rigorous training assuming there are competents among the scouting corp. This shouldn’t take long, but if we can find proper recruits we can expand the coverage of the scouting corps, and then get to our own scouting as well with assurances of aid in the task. Also we get to go meet new people Yuuko. Would you like that?”
“Dryon, I think there is quite a lot yet to be done, but we shall endeavor to ready you for the war ahead. Be thinking not only of defense, but how you might mobilize an offense with this army if necessary. You have some of the finest minds in the empire in the room with you. That alone should be able to make mobilizing this army in the desert a simple task, so please make use of them. I will be back shortly to assist with further planning, but I think you shall be busy enough for the time being. Dismissed.”
Without further ado Mauthe turns to Yuuko and Elgin to discuss briefly what they will be looking for and how to get there, and then leaving the tent with them to get to their immediate business.