I set about looting the bodies as methodically as I'd mucked out stables back home.
Purses first.
Then pouches.
Anything that looked like it might hold coin or something worth selling.
I dropped them into a neat little pile until one of the younger soldiers wandered over carrying an empty grain sack.
"You'll want this," he said with a grin.
"Thanks."
It held everything easily.
Next came the weapons.
Spears, axes, knives—anything still serviceable I stacked into a separate pile.
When I started unbuckling the first set of leather armor, Brenn cleared his throat.
"Leave the armor."
I looked up.
"Why?"
"Lord's salvage." He shrugged. "Weapons, purses, trinkets, aye. Armor gets counted. Besides, who's going to fit into an orc's cuirass?"
I looked at the broad leather harness in my hands.
He had a point.
Instead I searched for valuables.
Several of the orcs wore hammered copper or brass studs through their ears. Three wore simple copper rings, while two others had rings carved from polished gray stone.
Curiously, every ring had been worn on the middle finger of the left hand.
I frowned.
"Brenn?"
"Aye?"
I held one of the rings up.
"Does a ring on this finger mean anything?"
Brenn took it, turning it over between thumb and forefinger.
His easy expression faded.
"Huh."
"What?"
"Means someone higher up's going to want a look at these."
"So I should tell the corporal?" I asked.
The whole chain of command was still strange to me, but I'd already learned one lesson the hard way.
Things went better when you told the right person.
Brenn nodded.
"Probably a good start."
"What if he doesn't know?"
"Then he'll tell the sergeant. Sergeant tells the lieutenant. Lieutenant tells the captain. That's why they're there."
He pointed a thick finger at me.
"You don't skip over a man unless you've got a damned good reason."
I nodded.
"Yes, Brenn."
"Good lad."
A few minutes later I found Dren, the corporal responsible for our section of forty men. He was crouched beside a wagon, helping one of the healers bandage a recruit's arm while answering questions from two different soldiers at once.
I waited.
Eventually he looked up.
"Rowan?" He frowned. "You lose another spear already?"
“Two, Corporal,” I admitted. “But I got twelve orcs in exchange.”
“I’m not sure the quartermaster accepts that trade.” Dren snorted. "One of these days you'll learn not to break every spear you're handed."
I grinned sheepishly before opening my hand.
"Brenn thought I ought to show someone these."
The five rings lay in my palm.
Dren reached out, picked up one of the stone rings, and turned it over between his fingers.
The amusement disappeared from his face.
"Where'd you get these?"
"Off the orcs I killed."
"All of 'em?"
"Yes, Corporal."
He looked at me for a long moment before handing the ring back.
"Don't move."
Without another word he strode toward Sergeant Harlan.
I watched the two men speak quietly. Harlan frowned, took one of the rings for himself, then looked across the camp toward where Captain Caldwell's pavilion stood.
A moment later the sergeant beckoned me over.
"Rowan."
"Sergeant?"
"Load your loot and those bodies onto that wagon."
I blinked.
"The bodies too?"
"The mage wants them."
"Yes, Sergeant."
With help from two other soldiers, it took several trips to load all twelve orcs and my sack of captured gear onto the wagon.
"Come on," he said.
"The captain wants a word."
"What have we here?" Captain Caldwell asked as Sergeant Harlan entered the pavilion.
"Sir, it's Rowan," the sergeant replied.
Caldwell looked up from the campaign map spread across the table.
"The lad again?"
"Aye, sir."
"I was just speaking with Mage Hodger about him."
Caldwell's eyebrow rose.
"And?"
Sergeant Harlan stepped forward and carefully placed the five rings on the table between them.
"He found these on the bodies he claimed."
The captain's expression changed immediately.
He picked up one of the stone rings, turning it over between his fingers before selecting one of the copper ones.
"All from the same battlefield?"
"Yes, sir."
"All from Rowan's kills."
Caldwell looked toward me for the first time.
"You removed these yourself?"
"Yes, sir."
"Did you notice where they were worn?"
"Middle finger of the left hand, sir."
The captain exchanged a glance with Sergeant Harlan.
"Anything else?"
I thought for a moment before shaking my head.
"No, sir. They just seemed... odd."
Caldwell nodded slowly.
"They are."
The captain was still turning one of the rings over in his fingers when the tent flap opened.
"Sir," the sentry announced, "Mage Hodger requests permission to enter. He says he has a question."
Caldwell looked toward the entrance.
"Show him in. I was just about to send for him."
Hodger stepped into the pavilion and immediately slowed.
Lieutenant Elmore stood on the other side of the table, still wearing the dust and blood of the battlefield.
Sergeant Harlan.
Captain Caldwell.
Me.
His eyebrows rose.
"Ah..."
He glanced around the crowded tent.
"Perhaps this is not the best moment."
Caldwell smiled faintly.
"Perhaps not for certain questions."
He gestured toward the rings lying on the campaign table.
"What do you make of these?"
Hodger stepped forward.
The moment he saw them, his expression changed.
He carefully rearranged the five rings with a thin wooden rod he withdrew from his sleeve, taking care not to touch them with his fingers.
"One moment..."
He whispered something I couldn't quite hear.
The air seemed to ripple.
Faint threads of pale blue light curled around the rings before fading almost as quickly as they had appeared.
Hodger leaned closer.
"Well..."
He looked up at Caldwell.
"That explains several things."
"And those are?"
Hodger finally picked up one of the stone rings.
"Rank markers."
The tent grew quiet.
"Not merely ornaments. These carry an enchantment tied to the wearer's station."
He held up one of the copper rings.
"These belonged to lesser leaders."
Then he lifted one of the stone rings.
"These..."
His eyes narrowed.
"...were worn by officers."
Caldwell slowly looked toward me.
"Rowan."
"Sir?"
"Do you consent to surrendering these for study?"
I blinked.
I didn't really understand why he was asking.
They were rings.
Magic rings, perhaps.
But what use were they to me?
I couldn't use magic.
I didn't even have the System.
If anything, carrying them around sounded like a fine way to get myself robbed.
“Would they still count as part of my claim, sir?”
Caldwell’s expression did not change.
“Yes. If the Crown retains them, their value will be credited to you.”
That made the decision considerably easier.
“Then yes, sir. You have my permission.”
Hodger looked at me with an expression I couldn't quite place.
Then he turned to Caldwell.
“These were recovered from the boy’s confirmed claims?”
Caldwell nodded once.
"Every one of them."
"Was there any other jewelry?" Hodger asked.
I thought for a moment before nodding.
"A few copper and brass studs."
I reached into my pouch and produced them, laying them carefully beside the rings.
Hodger examined the studs without touching them directly. Again he drew out the slender wooden rod and separated each piece before quietly murmuring another spell.
This time the magic came and went almost immediately.
He nodded once.
"As I suspected."
Captain Caldwell leaned forward.
"Well?"
Hodger pointed first to the rings.
"These retain an enchantment."
Then he tapped one of the studs with the wooden rod.
"These do not."
He looked thoughtfully at the collection.
"Which means the enchantment is deliberate, not cultural."
The captain frowned.
"Meaning?"
"The rings denote office." Hodger picked up one of the stone bands. "The studs are merely decoration. Whoever wore these..." He glanced at the rings. "...held authority."
He looked back toward me.
"You appear to have a fortunate habit of killing their leaders."
I blinked.
"A... fortunate habit, sir?"
Hodger nodded, still studying the rings.
"I believe so."
Captain Caldwell leaned forward.
"Explain."
Hodger arranged the five rings into a small line on the table.
"If my assessment is correct, these rings marked officers or war leaders of varying rank. Your spear claimed at least five of them."
He tapped one of the stone rings.
"That is no small feat."
Caldwell's expression grew thoughtful.
"During the breakthrough..."
Hodger nodded.
"Precisely. An army doesn't simply become disorganized on its own. Someone must remove the people giving orders."
He looked at me.
"Whether by skill or by fortune, you seem to have found those men."
Caldwell's eyes narrowed as he mentally replayed the battle.
"The breakthrough started where Rowan and Brenn's wedge hit."
Sergeant Harlan nodded.
"Aye, sir."
"Then the enemy tried to seal the breach..." Caldwell continued.
"...and failed."
Hodger spread his hands.
"Remove enough leaders in a short span of time and confusion spreads. Orders cease. Men hesitate. Some continue advancing while others begin withdrawing."
He looked back at the rings.
"That hesitation is often all it takes."
Caldwell slowly smiled.
"Enough time for Ellsworth's cavalry to strike their exposed flank."
"Exactly," Hodger replied. "I'm not suggesting the boy won the battle."
He looked at me for a moment.
"But I do believe he may have helped decide where the battle was won."
Hodger looked down at the two broken spearheads lying beside the sword.
One corner of his mouth twitched upward.
"All after breaking two spears."
A grin spread across Captain Caldwell's face.
"He's developing quite the reputation for that."
Sergeant Harlan snorted.
"I've never seen anyone go through ash like Rowan."
I felt my cheeks grow warm and I rubbed the back of my neck.
"I did bring back replacements."
Caldwell picked up one of the broken spearheads.
"Remind me to have the quartermaster issue Rowan three spears before the next battle."
Harlan chuckled.
"Three, sir?"
Caldwell looked at the pile of orc leaders and then at me.
"On second thought..."
"Make it four."