[i]Damnit.[/i] he thought to himself. He wasn't sure why, but Lanik had thought the extent of his duty in Aetherion would be limited to simple reconnaissance or other support duties. Capturing an elven commander? That wasn't a task to be taken lightly. He had heard about their ingenuity, it gave them the edge over the Imperial soldiers which had more or less remained stagnant with regards to military technology.

But Lanik a good leader and an even finer tactician. This task was right up his alley. His only regret was how close to danger it put him at, how close it brought him to leaving a daughter fatherless. He caught himself, snapping back to the task at hand and studying the map laid out before.

His eyes followed the mountain range. He knew the mountains well having roamed about them for the better part of his military career. Perhaps he could act as pathfinder? No matter how well constructed a fortification is there are parts of the terrain where a section of wall would be impossible to build, especially in the midst of something as enigmatic as the mountains. Rocky cliffs, steep inclines, areas packed so thick with snow the foundations would simply crumble from instability. And why would a wall need to be built in such areas? It's not like an army would be able to traverse such terrain with ease.

[i]Not an army, no, but maybe...[/i]

His mind was racing at a thousand paces a second. He couldn't bring all of the Rangers, that would be too obvious. And the elves aren't stupid, they would have some sort of watch posted to exploitable areas. His plan was slowly formulating in his mind, assessing every possible outcome, opportunity... risk.

"General," Lanik finally spoke up after nearly ten minutes of quiet, "I know the mountains well. I'll take a small contingent of men through here," he pointed to a spot on the map, "And we'll find you an exploit, but," his finger ran to the spot on the map where the bulk of Imperium forces were located, "I suggest to relocate the advance farther away, draw their forces away from the front. One less soldier posted is one less obstacle I need to deal with. As soon as I find a possible entry point I'll relay the information to you,"

He looked up to Captain Magdalee who was staring at him quite intently. Her gaze made him uncomfortable.

"Captain, what am I to expect from the elvish forces? Have you encountered any of their cold-weather attachments?"