Have you ever had one of those days where by attempting something, you've only made the issue worse? I know that seems like my entire life, but it isn't so.
When the sun forced me awake, I made my way east, toward the Kennel. Sure enough, one of the buildings had been burned down, and another rendered useless. The squads themselves weren't present.
I sighed. This was no longer my life; why was I even bothering?
South, half a day, then. I'd arrive before dusk, on a ridge from which I could see how the enemy was reacting to my little piece of vengeance.
[Quest failed; no awards; no penalties.] my System said.
Heck, I had quests still hanging around from my first life.
Even when I saw the thick column of smoke ahead, I initially thought it nothing more than another farmstead ruined by the hobgoblins.
It was about forty minutes later, when I estimated the location and the village that was now their camp to be at the same place.
No, this isn't going to end the way it would in a power fantasy. Rakkal TRULY detests our protagonist, and would never let him bear even a false Axe. (Sorry if that's a spoiler, but it really shouldn't be.)
Besides, he's just concluded what his advisors, his family, and his friends are telling him is the last war the Tidelands can fight; the empire needs to lick its wounds. You know how cranky Rakkal gets at those times.
As always, thank you for your ongoing readership. It means enough to keep me going through life just being life.