Arriving at Rikke's military camp, I handed over the rebel's secret documents to her.
"Hmm..."
She told us we did good work, then rested her chin on her hand, reading through the papers slowly.
"To bring back intelligence of this caliber... this exceeds my expectations."
"It was nothing, ma'am."
After verifying the classified papers, she revealed their contents and issued our new orders.
"The documents contained the location of a hidden Stormcloak base in the Rift and information regarding a war fund caravan."
Rikke pulled out a map and marked a spot with a quill, explaining that a supply wagon was currently stranded near Shor's Stone due to a breakdown.
"My unit will hit their hidden outpost. You four will ambush the caravan and seize their supplies and gold."
"Understood. We're on it."
I took the map from Rikke.
From there, things moved fast. My companions and I checked the map and hurried toward the coordinates where the caravan was stalled.
"Whew... Slow down just a little!"
However, our progress slowed because Eloise started lagging behind.
To be fair, Lydia was a seasoned warrior and the Dragonborn, Choi Ha-neul, had already transcended the limits of a normal human. I, too, had recently seen a jump in my stats, significantly improving my physical capabilities.
But for Eloise, who had less stamina than your average civilian, keeping this pace was brutal.
"Ugh, fine! Get over here, I'll carry you."
Ha-neul, unable to watch the struggle anymore, offered to help. Eloise hopped onto the Dragonborn's back with a grateful smile.
"Heave-ho! Wow, you're light!"
"Hehe."
—Rustle.
As we advanced, chatting as we went, I suddenly sensed someone's presence beyond the thicket.
—Schwing!
"Gah!"
Lydia, Ha-neul, and I—the vanguards—immediately drew our weapons and dropped into combat stances.
Unfortunately, Choi Ha-neul drew her weapon so fast she forgot she was carrying someone, sending Eloise tumbling onto the dirt.
The figure emerged from the brush. It wasn't a bandit, a wild animal, or a monster—just a hunter with a bushy beard.
"What are you doing out here? This place is dangerous."
"Are you referring to the war?"
The man looked harmless enough, but Lydia didn't sheathe her weapon as she questioned the bearded stranger.
The man fiddled with his beard as he answered.
"Well, the war is dangerous, sure. But the real threat is something else."
He explained that a massive, ferocious brown bear had recently appeared in the Rift, causing absolute havoc for the farmsteads near the city.
"Then you are..."
"That's right. I was tracking the beast to hunt it down. You all look plenty strong, so you should be fine, but keep your wits about you."
After giving his warning, the man waved and began to walk away.
'He looks familiar. Wait, don't tell me.'
The voice, the appearance, and the situation involving a bear... it suddenly clicked.
"Excuse me, can you tell us your name?"
"Gunmar. That's my name."
Now that I thought about it, I'd completely forgotten about the Dawnguard.
If I wanted to return to my original world, that was likely one of the questlines I'd have to clear. But right now, the Civil War had me buried in work.
'I'll check them out after I finish the war, if there's time before Elenwen's party.'
Lost in thought, I realized we were nearing our objective. The journey had taken roughly half a day.
We stayed low, creeping toward the stalled wagon.
"When is the support team getting here?"
"My guess? It'll be another half a day at least."
The Rift, being at a lower latitude than other regions, had a temperate climate with lush forests and thick vegetation.
For comparison, Whiterun was tundra, and places like Windhelm or Dawnstar were practically arctic.
Hidden in the dense undergrowth, we waited for the right moment as the sun began to set, painting the sky a bruised red.
Sure enough, the Stormcloaks began preparing dinner. Since they were shorthanded, even the sentries had to help with the cooking chores.
The savory scent of stew wafted from the pot as the hungry soldiers huddled together in small groups.
They say you shouldn't even disturb a dog while it's eating, but I didn't care. I summoned a Bound Bow and drew back the string.
My Conjuration skill had increased enough that I could now mimic the form and power of an Elven Bow.
—Thwip!
The arrow punched through the back of a soldier's head as he was sipping his stew. He slumped over, spilling his dinner everywhere.
"Ambush!!"
Startled, the soldiers dropped their bowls and scrambled for their weapons.
—Boom! Fwoosh!
"Argh! It burns!"
"Mage! We've got a mage!"
But Ha-neul's Fireball had already arched through the air and exploded in the center of the crowd.
The rebels were thrown into utter chaos as they were engulfed in flames. Taking advantage of the distraction, Lydia, Ha-neul, and I—all buffed by Eloise—charged into the camp to begin the slaughter.
I summoned a Flame Atronach first.
Since the Stormcloaks were mostly Nords, a Frost Atronach would be a waste of Magicka.
On the other hand, while a Storm Atronach was powerful, its Magicka cost was too high for a skirmish like this. I decided against it.
The Flame Atronach joined Ha-neul, raining concentrated fire down on the rebels.
Lydia, acting as the tank, stayed back slightly to protect Eloise while I and the Dragonborn dove into the heart of the enemy lines.
"Tiid!"
As Ha-neul's body surged with an instantaneous burst of speed, she practically vanished from sight.
She darted between the ranks like a lightning bolt, butchering several men in a heartbeat. Blood sprayed across the campsite.
—Clang! Slash!
I deflected a Stormcloak's axe with the flat of my blade and sliced across his throat. That was three for me.
I wasn't about to let her show me up. Thanks to Lydia's intensive training, my swordsmanship had become much more precise and solid.
Just as I thought it was going smoothly, three soldiers rushed me simultaneously. A younger version of me might have been killed instantly, but now I had the means to counter.
I focused, and time seemed to crawl.
A Stormcloak warrior swung a massive warhammer in a vertical smash. I twisted my body, dodging the power attack by a hair's breadth.
I stomped on the head of the hammer as it slammed into the ground to pin it down, then immediately slit the throat of the now-defenseless soldier.
Another soldier managed to graze my side from behind, but since my Health had increased, the wound was shallow. A second soldier with a sword and shield tried to follow up, but I caught his blade at an angle and parried him aside.
While his balance was off, I ducked under the swing of a third soldier trying to crush my skull with a mace and drove my sword straight up through his jaw.
The blade was buried deep, and I couldn't pull it out immediately. Seeing me empty-handed, the swordsman smirked and lunged for my neck. I quickly summoned a Bound Shield to block him, then slammed the shield into his face.
"Ugh..."
He collapsed with a pained groan. I finished him off by slamming the edge of the shield down into his skull.
Scanning the perimeter, I saw that Lydia and Ha-neul were finishing their cleanup as well.
I looted a key from a dead soldier's belt and used it to unlock the chests on the wagon.
Predictably, they were stuffed with gold bars, septims, and weapons.
'Now... how do we move all this?'
Leaving it here to report to Rikke seemed like asking for it to be stolen, but splitting the party was equally risky.
'Let's try this.'
My Conjuration had hit level 70. My Magicka pool had expanded significantly, meaning I could try something new.
"Everyone, over here!"
My party gathered around me by the wagon.
I was going to open a portal, but this time would be a bit different from my usual commute.
I focused, tracking the Magicka in the soul gem I had given to Rikke.
'The location is a bit far from the camp.'
It seemed Rikke's unit was already on their way back after hitting the rebel hideout while we were ambushing the caravan.
I summoned a soul gem and formed a tear in space to link our location with Rikke's. This time, however, I interfered with the rift to bloat the size of the portal.
"Woah..."
"This is practically worth a research paper!"
Eloise and Ha-neul gave me some generous reactions. The portal expanded until it was large enough for a wagon to pass through, eventually swallowing the cart, the party, and me whole.
"Honestly, how many times do you plan on startling me?"
Rikke spoke as she sheathed her sword. Apparently, her soldiers nearly jumped out of their skins, thinking they were being ambushed by black mages.
Once the commotion died down, Rikke placed a hand on the wagon.
"So this is the supply vehicle. Taylor! Your squad is responsible for escorting these supplies back to the base."
"Yes, ma'am!"
A man named Taylor saluted and, along with some carpenters, began to repair the cart's wheels.
Rikke then turned back to us.
"Now that their hideout is cleared, only one objective remains."
"What is it?" Ha-neul asked.
"A siege. The rebels are using a local fort as their primary stronghold in the Rift. If we reclaim it, this region will be completely liberated from the rebellion's grasp."
This was the final step to retaking the Rift.
"According to the decree from the General, the liberation of the Pale is nearly complete after a series of skirmishes."
She added that we would attack Fort Greenwall tomorrow at dawn.
With that, we returned to Rikke's outpost. After a quick bit of maintenance, we hit our bedrolls early to prepare for the dawn raid.