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10 HOUR | The First Legendary Beast Master Part 4 | Audiobook (Sleep/Study/Gym) — Transcript

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0:00Sadly, that might have been the best out
0:02of the six proposals, but they only got
0:04through four as two of the others
0:06excused themselves to take a call and
0:08didn't return. I appreciate you all
0:11taking the time to make your
0:12presentations today, and if you will
0:14leave a copy with me, I will look them
0:16over at a later date when my time is not
0:18so limited and I can properly consider
0:20their merits." Carl informed the
0:23remaining four recruiters once the final
0:25pitch was done. Thank you, Commander. We
0:29look forward to your positive response.
0:32A young woman who had tried to sell Carl
0:34on spending 3 days a week being the
0:36spokesperson and security chief for
0:38their exclusive gated community replied.
0:41The others offered similar sentiments as
0:43they left, and the Green Dragon high
0:45priestess turned a smile on Carl. Well,
0:49that's the nicest way I've heard to tell
0:50someone to go [ __ ] themselves all day,
0:53she announced.
0:55which implies that you've heard less
0:57polite versions today," Carl replied.
1:01The aura of inebriation suddenly
1:03vanished, and the woman's sharp eyes
1:05turned on him. "You know, we really did
1:08suggest that Lotus should stay and
1:10entertain you to keep you aligned with
1:11the church." Alice cleared her throat.
1:15For legal reasons, I am going to pretend
1:17that I didn't hear any of the
1:18questionable implications behind that
1:20comment. But I don't think that he's
1:23ruled out keeping the clerics around
1:24yet. They work very well together, and
1:27they have both made good friends with
1:29his beasts. The high priestess shrugged.
1:33They're too young for what you're
1:34thinking that I'm thinking. Dirty-minded
1:37elite. But where did that spider go? Did
1:41you really send her to find Sister
1:42Lotus? Carl nodded with instructions to
1:46take her to play in the woods, but not
1:48to let her get lost or harmed. The high
1:51priestess sighed. Great. Now we're going
1:54to have to look for them both at the end
1:56of the day. Carl chuckled and did his
1:59best to imitate his uncle, who had seven
2:01children of his own. They'll come back
2:04when they're hungry. They relaxed for a
2:06few minutes and finished their coffee
2:08before anyone came up with another good
2:10reason to bother them. that ended up
2:13coming from the church in the form of
2:14Tessa and a red dragon high priestess.
2:18Good. We found you together. Have you
2:20come to an arrangement? The muscular
2:23high priestess asked. Carl had never
2:26seen muscles like that on a woman
2:28before. She was built almost like Tank
2:31the Berserker.
2:33Her arms were the size of lotus torso
2:35and she was wearing her robe parted up
2:37one leg showing off a massive muscular
2:40thigh. Sort of. Rey and Lotus are out
2:44playing in the woods. The nature dragon
2:47high priestess replied happily. I should
2:50have expected that it would end up like
2:51this. I will make our proposal much
2:54simpler. The red dragons would like to
2:57leave a war priestess with you to assist
2:59your adventures.
3:01Specifically, this one. If you agree to
3:04take the deal, you will be responsible
3:06for ensuring that she has the chance to
3:08serve her goddess while we will provide
3:10her with the standard stipen for her
3:12living expenses.
3:13With this, you will get priority access
3:15to church missions you wish to take?"
3:18The red dragon high priestess explained.
3:21"Church missions with no force
3:23dispatches, so we can take them on my
3:25schedule and at my discretion,"
3:27Carl asked. Her eyes flashed red as the
3:31woman glared down at him. But Carl
3:33waited patiently, hoping that she was
3:35just communing with her goddess and not
3:37looking for reasons to squish him like a
3:38melon. He still had the giant strength
3:41ring on, but he wasn't convinced that it
3:43would be enough. After a few seconds,
3:46her eyes faded. The goddess wants a
3:49minimum commitment, either to war or to
3:52caring for orphans from wars. If you
3:55agree to either at least one mission
3:57every 3 months of your choosing as long
3:59as it pleases the war dragon or foster
4:01an orphan child under the age of
4:03selection, it will meet the requirements
4:05of the goddess. The muscular woman
4:08smirked.
4:09There really was only one option there,
4:11unless he was going to become foster
4:13parents at 14 with Tessa. If you draw up
4:16the contract, I will read it over and
4:18consider it carefully. Carl agreed. The
4:22high priestess eyes flared red again as
4:24she nodded. And then she took a rolled
4:26contract in a red jade tube out of thin
4:28air. Carl took the tube from her hand
4:31and rolled it out. The details on the
4:34scroll were actually simple and
4:36specific.
4:37Carl agreed not to leave Tessa in danger
4:40except in life or death emergencies to
4:42ensure she was receiving proper
4:44treatment. Take at least one mission
4:45that pleased the Red Dragon every 3
4:47months. And then the contract guaranteed
4:49that the Red Dragon's followers would
4:51provide her living expenses.
4:53Carl couldn't see a reason not to agree
4:56to the deal, but he read it over again
4:58just to be certain that he didn't miss
5:00anything. The delay made Tessa laugh
5:02quietly. The Red Dragon wasn't big on
5:06tricks and double speak outside the
5:07battlefield.
5:09He hadn't noticed that Dana and Lotus
5:11had come back in while he was reading,
5:13or that Rey had returned to her space.
5:16What's all this then?
5:18Lotus asked as she saw Carl holding the
5:20scroll. The red dragon high priestess
5:23shrugged. You went to play, so we came
5:26over first. And you were just going to
5:29leave us out of the deal. Party foul.
5:33Lotus announced. You want in on the
5:35deal? The red dragon high priestess
5:38asked, intrigued by the unexpected
5:40actions of the nature priestess. They
5:43were notoriously flaky, and getting one
5:45to go along with a deal that lasted
5:47longer than one day was sometimes an
5:49issue. Lotus nodded happily, and her own
5:52high priestess gave her a stern look.
5:55This is a long-term agreement. It's not
5:58for one or two trips. It's a magical
6:00contract, so you will have to pay a
6:02penalty to break it in less than a year
6:04and a day. Lotus gave her a thumbs up,
6:07and the red dragon high priestess turned
6:09to Carl. Is that everyone in agreement
6:12then? She asked. Agreed.
6:16Carl, Lotus, Tessa, and Dana all replied
6:20at the same time. The scroll flashed red
6:23and a red ring appeared on the wrists of
6:25the four teammates. Dana smirked as
6:28Tessa and Lotus realized that she wasn't
6:30just here to watch and that she had
6:32gotten herself attached to the deal. Now
6:35they couldn't leave her behind to train
6:37with the other students or to be
6:38reassigned to other missions.
6:41Carl looked at the three girls and
6:43smiled.
6:44Well, it looks like we will be working
6:46together for some time. It's a pleasure
6:49to have you. Lotus giggled. How about
6:52you show us to our room? I want to see
6:55the plants. Our room? I'm fairly certain
6:59that the academy can manage to find you
7:01a room of your own. Carl reminded her.
7:05But it wouldn't have silk hammocks or a
7:07balcony full of magical plants. I don't
7:10really care where I sleep, but I want to
7:12see the room. Lotus countered. That was
7:16when Alice, Colonel Valerie, and what
7:18looked like half the staff of the
7:20academy burst in. Stop. Before you sign,
7:24let us see that contract.
7:26One of the professors shouted. The red
7:29dragon high priestess laughed. Too late.
7:32We got verbal agreement, but it's not a
7:35work contract, at least not in the
7:37conventional sense. She turned over the
7:40magical contract, which Colonel Valerie
7:42grabbed from her hand and rolled out for
7:44the others to see. No leaving them in
7:47danger. Ensure proper treatment. "All
7:50right, it's not as bad as we had
7:52feared." The professor, who had shouted,
7:54replied with a sigh. Colonel Valerie
7:57glared at Carl. I thought we had
8:00something going here. Carl smiled back.
8:04I think we do. There's nothing in that
8:06which prevents us from having an
8:08arrangement. Only that once every 3
8:10months or less, it must please the Red
8:12Dragon. Colonel Valerie smirked.
8:16Well, isn't that a coincidence?
8:18Because what I have in mind just might
8:20please the Red Dragon. How would you
8:23like to lead a team back into the
8:24anomaly area and find out what the frost
8:26giants have been up to and where the
8:28extra ice is coming from? It might take
8:31some time, but it will please the god of
8:33war. They made a formal declaration of
8:36war less than an hour ago. The words
8:39that Prince Corbin had spoken to Carl
8:41while they were on night watch suddenly
8:43came back to his mind. If you don't
8:45learn to say no, they will keep sending
8:47you on nearly suicidal missions until
8:49one actually is. That advice seemed to
8:52fit this situation very well. And the
8:55pressure to please so many important
8:56people and go along with their requests
8:58was strong.
9:00I am going to need some more details
9:01about this mission and the situation in
9:03the area before I can agree to go
9:05anywhere. The last I saw that entire
9:08region was unfit for human habitation
9:11and that was before the frost giants
9:13showed up. He replied, "One of the
9:16ministers gave him a disgusted look.
9:19Refusing your first mission as a
9:21commander doesn't portray your character
9:22in a very good light. Cowardly some
9:25might call it." Carl rolled his eyes at
9:28the man who was no elite, just a pencil
9:31pusher. And what words do they use for a
9:34commander who takes his team into a war
9:36zone without a clue or a care in the
9:38world? The minister stammered for a
9:40second before Carl continued. A martyr.
9:44That's what they call them because they
9:46wind up dead. Now, who has the details?
9:50Or am I headed to the church's mission
9:51board to occupy my time? For a second,
9:55he thought that he saw respect on
9:56Colonel Valerie's stern face. But when
9:59she motioned for someone to bring
10:00forward the map, that was long gone and
10:02her standard working glower was back in
10:04place. The official who brought forward
10:07the map rolled it out on the table
10:08between Carl and the high priestesses,
10:10and Carl immediately noticed that there
10:12was almost no detail on it. This is the
10:15most recent official map, the man
10:18insisted.
10:20with no troop deployments or enemy
10:22combatant numbers. Carl asked. Tessa
10:26looked over at the map and shook her
10:27head before turning to her orders. High
10:29priestess. Do we have numbers for this?
10:33If they're not cooperating, it might be
10:35better to go through you. The war cleric
10:38asked. We were speaking to the
10:40commander. The official informed her in
10:43a dry tone. Carl shrugged. and we
10:47operate as a team. Now, are you going to
10:50quit messing around or are we going to
10:52have to decline your request? If you
10:55want us to deploy, you're going to have
10:57to share enough intel for us to make a
10:58proper combat assessment." Colonel
11:01Valerie raised her hand to stop any more
11:03arguments and took out a small box from
11:05her pocket. Inside were two sets of
11:08rocks, one in light blue and one in
11:11green. First, she set out about a 100
11:14blue stones near the border.
11:16Then she began setting out green stones
11:18of various shapes and sizes.
11:21This is the current deployment situation
11:23as of my last meeting. The stone sizes
11:26are the maximum detected rank within the
11:28enemy formations. Each stone represents
11:31roughly 100 frost giants. The round
11:34green stones are elite teams. The
11:36diamonds are military elite companies
11:38and the squares are conventional
11:40artillery batteries.
11:42Carl looked over the map and did some
11:44basic math.
11:46They were screwed. There were more
11:48stones measuring frost giants by the
11:50hundred than commander rankled teams in
11:52the area and Carl wasn't certain how
11:54useful artillery was going to be. It was
11:57great against common grade and awakened
11:59threats, but there were royal rank
12:01giants in the frost giant nation and
12:03they were commanders when fully grown.
12:05The teams that are already there, are
12:08they being sent 10 or 20 at a time?
12:11Tessa asked eubo.com.
12:15Valerie remained silent for a few
12:17seconds while the cleric waited. It was
12:20the official who brought out the map
12:21that cracked first in the tense
12:23atmosphere.
12:24They're being sent in fiveperson teams.
12:27That was just an all-around terrible
12:29idea in Carl's opinion. But they could
12:32link up once they were in the field and
12:34make stronger teams for actual
12:36operations, the same as they had to do
12:38last time.
12:40Why are we so pressed for numbers? There
12:43are far more commanders than this, and
12:45there aren't even a significant number
12:46of soldiers. When is the rest of the
12:49army being mobilized?
12:51Tessa asked. The official looked to
12:54Colonel Valerie as he wasn't approved to
12:56give out that information. The other
12:59giant clans have been pushing the
13:00borders as well. They have declared a
13:03grand alliance of the giant tribes and
13:05we believe that they intend to take the
13:07entire golden dragon nation in one
13:09offensive push. Valerie informed them.
13:13Then Prince Corbin Carl asked digging
13:16for deployment information as there were
13:18no larger stones along this border has
13:21been deployed next to the stone giant
13:23clan's border. That is where the
13:26spellblade sex towers are. So, he has
13:28chosen to defend his home territory
13:30along that stretch of border. You
13:32couldn't fault him for that. The lithium
13:35mines were near the center of the
13:36nation, so they would be one of the last
13:38spots to defend unless there was some
13:40massive breach. Carl's family would be
13:43one of the safest. Colonel Valerie took
13:46out another map that had hundreds of
13:48marks on it and showed the entire
13:50nation's borders. There were only three
13:52spots that they weren't under attack.
13:55The magical nation had marks noting that
13:57they were deployed along all the borders
13:59they had with monster populated nations.
14:01The beastkin nation appeared to be in
14:03full lockdown. And the divine beast
14:05nation had no marked forces deployed
14:07anywhere on either side. That was still
14:10the vast majority of the border under
14:12attack at once. If they were using this
14:15angle to guilt the more powerful elites
14:16into fighting, they had a pretty good
14:18sales pitch now that they actually
14:20started to show the details and not just
14:22try to demand that he help out without
14:24any information. My team will need a
14:27fifth if we're going to agree. Carl
14:30side, if things got any worse, there
14:32would likely be an official draft and
14:34then he would really get thrown into the
14:36worst of it along with all the bookish
14:38sorts like the ones at the last
14:39deployment with the McKenzie family.
14:42Alice nodded. You have your pick of the
14:44ascended ranked students to fill your
14:46team with whatever role you think that
14:48you need. She already knew that Carl had
14:51a fairly well-rounded set of pets, so
14:53they weren't particularly short on
14:54anything if the two clerics and Dana
14:56were all going with him. She assumed he
14:59would pick another mage to take her
15:01place, as she would be taking care of
15:03more official government business and
15:04arranging deployments of their agents
15:06with Colonel Valerie. Can you give us a
15:09few minutes to discuss this in private?
15:11Carl asked. "Of course. We will be
15:15waiting here when you return." Colonel
15:18Valerie agreed easily. Carl led everyone
15:21up to his room and Lotus immediately
15:23flopped on his bed. "Well, this is a
15:26cluster [ __ ] isn't it? We will all be
15:29fighting soon enough, so it seems better
15:31that we picked the spot we want to fight
15:33from the start." The tiny nature
15:36priestess announced with a deep sigh.
15:38Dana nodded. She has a point. I
15:42definitely didn't expect to be sent
15:44straight to war the minute that we
15:45agreed to stay together, but if we are
15:47going to have to go, we should pick our
15:49spot. Tessa smiled at her. You're still
15:53a student, so it would be an option to
15:55stay here for likely another year before
15:56you got too close to the commander rank
15:58and they started pushing for you to go
16:00wild with the supplements. Sure. Stay
16:03here as the second string genius falling
16:06further behind by the day while the
16:07other students only look up to me
16:09because the one with real power is gone.
16:12I don't think so. There was definite
16:14bitterness in Dana's tone. It made Carl
16:17wonder how often she found herself
16:19compared to him and his insane growth
16:21rates. It was just unrealistic to expect
16:24any other elite to keep up with this
16:26pace. He not only had the beasts pulling
16:29him forward, but he had more access to
16:31the system interface than most. He could
16:34see his skills and add them. He even had
16:37enough to get another one right now. He
16:40could actually get two if he picked from
16:42the defensive side or the first rank of
16:44the offensive side, but he wasn't sure
16:46what they would need yet, and he didn't
16:48want to leave his team unbalanced.
16:51Tessa cleared her throat. The real
16:54question is what sucker are we going to
16:55take to their death with us? Lotus
16:58giggled. As much as I appreciate your
17:01optimism, I don't think that any of the
17:03mages would actually agree to go with
17:04us. Even the tank type warriors wouldn't
17:07fall for that, and we can only pick from
17:09the ascended ranks. So, we can't recruit
17:12an experienced commander from the
17:13mercenary groups. That rules out calling
17:16for any powerful old friends or
17:18connections.
17:19Carl had considered that for a moment as
17:21well, but Bob McKenzie would be too
17:24powerful to be pulled into their team.
17:25And if Carl's guess was right, the
17:27entire family would be out somewhere
17:29already. Then who can we even get? Dana
17:33asked. Carl smiled. He knew just who to
17:38ask. I think I know who we can get. Thor
17:42learned Earthquake from the Berserker
17:43class.
17:45I bet that we can get one of their
17:46ascended rank members to come along with
17:48the promise of battle and rewards. The
17:51Berserkers don't get out much during
17:53class because they're a bit wild in
17:54combat and teams with no healers can
17:57have issues, but we have all the healing
17:59that we could need and Thor's refreshing
18:02lightning spread over everyone. So, we
18:04don't have to worry too much about them
18:06taking damage unless we find an
18:08overstrength enemy. Lotus looked
18:11pensive. How are your credits looking?
18:14You've got a beast of a weapon and you
18:16can code it in attack spells all the
18:18time, but not everyone can do that. We
18:22might need to equip a new member before
18:23we head out. I don't know exactly now
18:26that we're back from this mission and
18:28those rewards will be processing, but
18:30buying armor didn't change the first two
18:32digits on the balance, so we should be
18:34good for me to get someone ascended
18:35armor and a weapon if they don't have a
18:37good one. Carl agreed. Tessa frowned.
18:42All right, we will go talk to the
18:44berserkers.
18:45Does that mean we're going to agree to
18:47this idiocy? I have an idea. There is a
18:51spot in the mountains, not too close to
18:53where we were earlier, but not in the
18:55most populated passes. I don't want to
18:58go into an abandoned area that just
19:00seems like idiocy. But if we go
19:02somewhere near the edge of a secondary
19:03pass, we can aim for their scouting
19:05teams. They should be smaller and weaker
19:08as they will need to be agile and able
19:10to make it through the mountains. Giants
19:13shouldn't be good at that when they're
19:14excessively large. There are obvious
19:17clusters to their strength on the map.
19:19And as long as we avoid that, we can do
19:21a lot of damage and help everyone
19:23upgrade their gear and skills before
19:25anyone tries to change our mission. Carl
19:28offered. Lotus raised her hand. It's all
19:32well and good to say we're bringing a
19:34berserker, but I'm not traveling with
19:35some creepy guy who thinks that sweat is
19:37a form of shower. Dana smirked, knowing
19:41that described a lot of the berserkers,
19:43and Tessa nodded her agreement with
19:44Lotus sentiment. Then I will leave it to
19:47you ladies to find our fifth member
19:49while I deal with the details of the
19:51deployment. If you need to bribe them,
19:53let them know I will find them armor and
19:55a new weapon." Carl agreed. Before going
19:59back down, he spent a moment mentally
20:02preparing himself for the influx of
20:03questions and pressures to go to the
20:05very worst of the combat zones to add
20:07bodies to the main lines. The group had
20:10gotten even larger when he got back
20:11down, and there were two groups of
20:13senior class students added to the
20:15chaos, all ascended rank with a
20:17commander from the Bureau of Elite
20:18Development leading them, namely Jod and
20:21Josh, two of the team members who had
20:23gone with Carl to go looking for his
20:25second pet. Jod. Josh, good to see you
20:30two gentlemen again. Carl greeted them
20:33as he entered the room. Jodie smiled
20:35back. You've gotten all fancy on us.
20:39Tell me, how is that bloodbath spider
20:42doing? Rey, she's doing wonderful.
20:46Commander rank already, and she made
20:48good friends with a nature priestess, so
20:50they can play in the woods together.
20:53Thor, the lightning sparrow is also
20:55doing well, and Hawk is making the best
20:57of the evolutionary resources we have
20:59found. Carl informed them. Where are
21:02they sending you? Josh asked, concern
21:06obvious in the blue eyes that looked
21:07much too old for his youthful face. We
21:10were just about to discuss that. I have
21:13a particular spot in mind where my group
21:15composition would be well suited to
21:17hunting scouts from the frost giants and
21:19to prevent the movement of surprise
21:21forces around the main battlefields.
21:23Carl explained. And what makes you think
21:26you have a choice in your deployment? An
21:29older bureaucrat decades past his prime
21:32demanded. Who are you to think that you
21:34get to tell me what to do? Will you be
21:37joining us on the front? I don't think
21:40so. Now shut up and let the warrior
21:42speak," Carl replied. The room fell
21:46silent as the man's face turned red in
21:49rage. Even Alice backed away from Carl,
21:52seeing that this was going to do
21:53downhill fast. "I am the under secretary
21:57to the deputy minister of defense." The
22:00man shouted. "Then, dear under
22:02secretary, get your boss's boss here and
22:05we can speak on even terms." Carl
22:08replied, emphasizing the man's junior
22:10role. That was a bit harsh. Jod noted as
22:14the under secretary was hauled away by
22:16other government officials before he
22:18could start a fight he couldn't possibly
22:20win. Carl shrugged. He knows nothing of
22:24our capabilities, nothing of our
22:26personal experience, and he has never
22:28seen combat in his life. He shouldn't
22:31have been here in the first place,
22:32puffing up his chest and making demands
22:34above his station like a newly promoted
22:36shift manager. And if I made a demand as
22:39to where you would deploy, one of the
22:42elites from the government, a commander
22:44in his late 20s who would have been one
22:45of the earlier graduates asked, then we
22:48can discuss the reasoning behind it. I
22:51am not part of the military to be
22:53ordered around and we all know that
22:55ordering students to the front lines
22:57would require an official decree as
22:59we're still underage.
23:01I came down to tell you that my group
23:02has gone to look for our fifth member,
23:04not to pick a fight. Now, would you like
23:07to hear what I had in mind?" Carl
23:10replied, "There was a new map on the
23:13table, and it had 10 large red rings
23:15placed on it, one of which was over
23:17where Carl was planning to have his team
23:19deploy.
23:21These are the spots where we need teams.
23:24What were you planning to request? The
23:26elite asked. This spot here. It's close
23:30to the mountains and challenging to
23:32scout by normal elites on foot, but not
23:35too far from reinforcements if we do
23:37find something we can't handle. That is
23:39the spot that I was going to request
23:41based on the troop deployment map. The
23:44government elite smiled. So, you did
23:47have an actual plan in mind, and you
23:49weren't just pulling the elite card on
23:51the under secretary.
23:53All right, we can grant you that
23:54deployment area. A quiet voice cut
23:57through the conversation, and a sense of
23:59power filled the room as someone entered
24:01unannounced.
24:03Dealing with rogue and unaligned elites
24:05is always a tricky matter. It looks like
24:07some of you underestimated the situation
24:09at hand, but I commend the others. The
24:12man spoke. Overlord
24:16Alice greeted the man while the other
24:18elite bowed. Minister of Defense. The
24:22man who had shown Carl the map greeted
24:24their new arrival. Like Drake, he must
24:27have been one of the early test subjects
24:29for the divine injection, as he was at
24:31the Overlord rank and well into his 30s,
24:33meaning he was much older than usual for
24:35recruits when the injections were made
24:37public. At first, they had given them to
24:40anyone under 18, but that was still only
24:4210 years earlier, so very few of the
24:45elites were over 30. The minister held
24:48out his hand to Carl. Congratulations on
24:51making commander while still in the
24:52academy. I don't believe that we have
24:55met. I am defense minister Orlands.
24:59Carl, firstear student, originally from
25:02the lithium mines and the academyy's
25:04newest headache at the commander rank.
25:06That made the minister smile. I got a
25:09missive from Prince Corbin asking that
25:11you be assigned to his battlefront. So,
25:13I had the mage council send me over to
25:15see what was so special about you. That
25:18man lives to be a pain in my ass, but
25:20his clan has the skills to back up their
25:22arrogance.
25:24Do they need us over there? Carl asked.
25:28Overlord Orans shook his head. They have
25:31three times as many defenders per likely
25:33enemy unit as this front does. And the
25:35Spellblade Clan has a number of old
25:37masters who they can pull out of
25:38retirement if they are in real danger.
25:41So, he was still on the worst front,
25:43just in a decent spot along it. That
25:46should be all right. From what he
25:49remembered of the giants, they should be
25:50near his own team's power level, mostly
25:53ascended, with commanders leading larger
25:55teams on occasion. But there was one
25:57more question that needed to be asked.
26:00Other than what was on the map, what is
26:02the strongest frost giant that has been
26:04seen in the past few years? Not what we
26:07know is deployed, but what could be
26:09coming at us unexpectedly?
26:11Carl asked the defense minister. There
26:14are royal rank frost giants, nearly 30
26:16of them within the nation and three
26:18known monarchs, but their immortal king,
26:21as they call him, is a totem rank
26:23monster, one step above the overlord
26:25rank. He has been alive for hundreds of
26:28years and we are unsure of his combat
26:30power these days. But there is a theory
26:32that they organized this alliance with
26:34the other giants to eliminate the threat
26:36of the humans before the immortal king
26:38succumb to old age. The leaders of the
26:41other giant nations are similarly
26:42impressive. Though the stone giants are
26:45taking the majority of our strongest
26:46warriors as they have dozens of
26:48overlords in their ranks and their
26:50average warriors can grow to royal rank
26:52in later adulthood.
26:54Carl nodded and made notes as defense
26:56minister Orlands outlined the issues.
26:59Now it made sense that there weren't any
27:01overlords on this front. They had all
27:03been deployed to keep the stone giants
27:05and hill giants at bay. The frost giants
27:08were more numerous, but not as
27:10doineering at their peak strength. The
27:13other two teams looked a bit relieved at
27:15the news that there weren't many frost
27:16giants above commander rank. But Carl
27:19had already seen the deployment numbers
27:21and no matter where they went, it was
27:23not going to be an easy battle. What are
27:25the chances that they are going to stand
27:27down after a prolonged stalemate?
27:29Should we be aiming to push them back or
27:32just to limit casualties on our side?
27:34Jod asked, distracting the minister from
27:37his explanation about the difference
27:38between giant nations. Limited losses
27:41are the aim right now. If they make a
27:44full offensive against the artillery
27:46lines, that might change. The artillery
27:49is powerful enough for the awakened
27:51giants and will have some effect against
27:53the ascended beasts as well. But if they
27:56make a full push, none of our
27:58conventional weapons will be able to
27:59hold against them, and it will be up to
28:01the brothers of the church and their
28:02blessings to allow our line infantry to
28:04fight back. He was obviously trying to
28:07push them to do as much as they could to
28:09keep the giants from attacking as the
28:11casualties involved in regular infantry
28:13fighting giants were guaranteed to be
28:15catastrophic.
28:16That was just basic history. And for
28:19millennia, that was how the less magical
28:21nations of humans had survived. During
28:24those times, even when the average
28:26family had 10 children, the nation had
28:28barely managed to increase its
28:29population after casualties in the wars
28:32against the monster tribes. In the last
28:3410 years, they had made huge strides in
28:37the stability of the nation, and it was
28:39honestly surprising that the Giants had
28:40waited this long to start to team up to
28:42eliminate the humans power base. The
28:45rest of Carl's team came in with a
28:47rather unassuming looking girl in an
28:49ascended rank school uniform. He had
28:52thought that they were going for a
28:53berserker, but if she was their choice,
28:55Carl would work with it. The most
28:58important thing was that everyone got
28:59along and she didn't look like she
29:01intended to cause any friction among the
29:03team members like some flirtatious male
29:05warrior might. Carl, this is Bear, an
29:08ascended ranked berserker from the
29:10senior classes. Lotus introduced their
29:13new member. Bear Carl asked, "I am a
29:18bear totem berserker. I transform when I
29:21use the enrage skill and the nickname
29:24kind of stuck. My name is Oilia.
29:28Good to meet you, Oilia.
29:31Now that our team is ready, we can head
29:33to the supply room and start packing. I
29:36have arranged our deployment point
29:37already, and the government sorts will
29:39inform us when our ride is ready, Carl
29:42explained.
29:44RwBnv.co.
29:46He led them out of the room along with
29:48Dave, Jill, Alice, and Daniel. The four
29:52agents from the bureau who had been
29:54looking after Carl and Dana were rightly
29:56concerned to be seeing them going to war
29:57so early into their training, but they
29:59were also going out to make sure that
30:01other promising talents had a bit of
30:03extra protection when they were in the
30:04worst spots.
30:06So, this would be the last they would be
30:08able to see each other for a little
30:09while, unless the situation near Carl
30:12changed. It looks like you formed an
30:14enviable group. Take care of them while
30:17you're out and we might see you soon.
30:20We're all being assigned to strike teams
30:22to rescue elites in trouble. That's one
30:25of the primary duties of the bureau.
30:27It's difficult to have elites develop if
30:29they're dead. But you're in a good
30:32position. So, as long as you don't get
30:33into the main lines of the frost giant
30:35army, you should be all right. Don't try
30:38to play hero. And I'm sure there was
30:41something else I wanted to say. Alice
30:44ranted. Daniel patted her on the back.
30:48They will be fine with Carl along. I
30:51have read all the reports and I don't
30:53know many who have more skilled scouting
30:55abilities than him and Hawk. When it
30:57comes to avoiding ambushes, they're
30:59topnotch.
31:01He comforted his partner. Jill smiled at
31:04Dana while pulling her blonde hair back
31:06into a ponytail.
31:08Are you certain that life as a pop music
31:10idol sounds that bad? It's not too late
31:13to back out and find a replacement to go
31:15to the front lines. the mage joked. Dana
31:19nodded enthusiastically.
31:22Anything sounds better than that. As
31:24Daniel said, we will be fine. I just
31:28hope that Jodie and Josh will be they're
31:31taking student teams out. And it sounded
31:33like they weren't going to get to pick
31:34the good locations.
31:36They will be all right. They're going to
31:39be attached to military units, so
31:41they're not out alone. The lines are
31:43dangerous, but there [clears throat] is
31:45support. Most of us have been there
31:47before. That's how Rita got all but her
31:50last promotion. It's not as bad as the
31:52historical battles were. Alice assured
31:55them. A call from inside the meeting
31:58room drew the agents away, and Carl led
32:00the team to the supply room, then looked
32:02at their newest member. Does your
32:05transformation preclude wearing armor?
32:07He asked. The berserker shook her head,
32:11knocking some of her straight brown hair
32:12loose from its tie. Not if it's bonded.
32:17Sister Lotus said you would splurge and
32:18cover some bonded armor for me and a new
32:21weapon. Carl smiled.
32:24Of course, we all need to be equipped to
32:27go to battle, and I will check on the
32:29others as well. What is your transformed
32:31shape like? Oilia made a vague gesture
32:35upwards. I'm about 250 cm tall, standing
32:39on my back legs, half bear, half human.
32:43I can still hold things, but I've got
32:45claws on my hands and a bare head. It's
32:48the rage that causes problems because I
32:50can forget who is an ally if they look
32:52too much like the enemy. That shouldn't
32:55be a problem while fighting frost
32:56giants, but we can put you on the far
32:59side of Thor if that makes you more
33:00comfortable. I don't think anyone has
33:03ever mistaken him for a frost giant.
33:06Carl laughed. There is another member.
33:09She asked. Carl turned to Lotus. Did you
33:14forget to give her details? The nature
33:16priestess just shrugged. We got the
33:19important parts. Carl sighed as he
33:22turned back to the berserker. Thor is a
33:25lightning sero, one of the four beasts I
33:27am partnered with. He's fullgrown,
33:30bright green, and provides everyone a
33:32lightning barrier that refreshes stamina
33:34as well as providing basic healing. Then
33:37we have Hawk, our scout, who is a form
33:40of dragon hawk, and Ray, the bloodbath
33:42spider, who usually fights with two
33:44spider golems made of vines at her side.
33:47She nodded along, then counted on her
33:50fingers. You said four, that is three.
33:54Carl called Remy out into his hand. The
33:57little blue and gold snake looked up at
33:59Bear, then activated minor water control
34:02to make herself a pair of arms to wave
34:04hello. Oh my goddess, she is adorable.
34:09But I can see why you don't count her as
34:10a combat pet. Why did you pick a common
34:13grade water snake? She asked. Remy is a
34:18naga spirit snake. When she grows up,
34:21she has a high chance to evolve into a
34:23naga, but she is an ascended rank shaman
34:26already. Her skills are limited due to
34:28her age, but she isn't entirely
34:31incapable.
34:32In fact, as she can cast Blizzard, she
34:35might even help us blend in with our
34:36surroundings on this mission. Carl
34:39explained as they reached their
34:40destination.
34:42Commander, what brings you back so soon?
34:45The supply room manager asked when the
34:47group entered the room. We're heading
34:50out on a mission, and one of our team
34:51members needs gear. Possibly, too, if
34:55Sister Lotus has been worried about
34:56everyone but herself.
34:59Carl replied, "We've got just what you
35:02need. Just give me a moment to pull up
35:04the inventory."
35:06The screen changed a few seconds later,
35:08and there was an assortment of plate
35:10armor displayed. "This should all bond
35:12to the user as Miss Oilia will need."
35:16"Now, were you fronting the credits, or
35:18did she need to take a battle credit
35:19loan?" the staff member asked. "I will
35:23be purchasing her new armor and a weapon
35:25to match. There are also a few items we
35:28will need for our packs, which Lotus
35:30will inform you of later. Those can all
35:33go on my tab, Carl explained.
35:37All right, I will let you sort out the
35:39repayment terms on your own. It's not
35:42like you're hurting for money the way
35:43that you keep turning in reward
35:44materials.
35:46But speaking of which, do you have any
35:48more of the T-OS?
35:50We're running low and it has been in
35:52high demand since the first outings
35:54members began to run out. Carl checked
35:56Thor's space and then raised space where
35:59it was actually growing in abundance on
36:01the trees. He collected a few kilos of
36:04fresh moss and passed it over to the
36:06supply room clerk along with some of the
36:08herbs that were growing within Thor's
36:10space and beginning to spread beyond
36:11their intended area. Here you can put
36:14those on my account to help offset the
36:16cost. If you need more of anything that
36:19might be growing along the border with
36:20the frost giants, just let me know and I
36:23will see if I can bring any of it back
36:24when I return. The staffer nodded as he
36:27sorted through the various armors that
36:29were available. This one has a flame
36:32enchantment on it. That will be good
36:34both for hunting frost giants and for
36:36keeping warm in the mountains. Did you
36:39have a mobile source of heat? The clerk
36:42asked. Carl smiled and activated flaming
36:46body over his hand. The clerk nodded.
36:50"That will about do it. No need to worry
36:53about freezing when you can just set
36:54yourself on fire for fun." "All right,
36:57why don't we have Miss Oilia try this
36:59one on? If it bonds, she will be armored
37:03and then we can move on to finding a
37:05suitable weapon. What are you using now?
37:08Will it hold up to the rigors of
37:10commander rank combat?"
37:12Carl took out the two-handed blade, and
37:14the berserker gave it a look that Carl
37:16could only describe as lust. That was
37:19definitely her preferred weapon, but the
37:21energy leech effect that it had was
37:22really pushing Carl's beasts forward
37:24with all this fighting. His mental
37:27spaces were almost ready to be equalized
37:29again, and that should push Thor nearly
37:31to the commander rank, as the spaces
37:33naturally tried to push the beasts to
37:35the same point. The supply clerk frowned
37:38as he examined the blade. It's not
37:41particularly high quality, and I'm
37:43guessing that you use a skill to protect
37:44it from direct damage, but it's not
37:46going to hold up to your increasing
37:48abilities for much longer. The
37:50enchantment is strong, but the material
37:52quality is definitely on the lowest side
37:54of awakened. So, even as sturdy as it is
37:56against physical strikes, too much skill
37:59power being channeled through it will
38:00damage the weapon. Carl side. It was a
38:04bonded weapon, but if he was going to
38:06outgrow it, he would have to find
38:08another weapon to use in general combat
38:10and leave it to passively draw the life
38:12force of their enemies. He had the bow
38:15now, so he could fight at longer ranges,
38:17but depending on the fight, he might
38:19still be needed as a frontline
38:21combatant.
38:22Possibly not if they used Dana's golems
38:25with Thor, but they would have to adapt
38:27their strategies.
38:28I have this bow as well, but I'm more
38:31often needed to hold back the enemy, so
38:33I haven't had a chance to use it, Carl
38:36explained. The clerk assessed it with a
38:39trained gaze. That's a good one. Low
38:43commander rank, infinite arrows, and it
38:45will grant your strength modifier to the
38:47arrow damage. As I recall, you had a
38:51strength ring. Carl nodded. Indeed, it's
38:56a good item, but I could likely use
38:57another sword as the only other one I
39:00have is also getting outdated. It was
39:02still strapped to his pack, but he
39:04rarely used the short sword for
39:06anything. It was just an emergency
39:08spare. The clerk went into the back and
39:11came back with a cart full of weapons. I
39:14don't have much at the commander rank,
39:16but I have one that has a life steal
39:17ability that should be similar to the
39:19one you're using. The rest of these are
39:22all for Miss Oilia to choose from. Carl
39:25refrained from mentioning that it wasn't
39:27exactly a life steal effect that his
39:29existing blade granted since they only
39:31had one similar quality weapon anyhow.
39:34If he had one that healed and one that
39:36granted life force to help them grow,
39:38that was twice as good. Carl went to
39:40pick it up to check it out. An energy
39:42sparked from his hand, forcing the
39:44weapon away and nearly knocking over the
39:46rack. The clerk hurriedly saved the
39:49weapons cart from tipping as he cursed.
39:52I was afraid of that. Some equipment
39:55will interfere with others and prevent
39:56you from bonding them. It could be that
39:59the two blades are too similar and the
40:01old one won't let you replace it. If
40:04that's the case, just keep a spare of
40:06some sort and use it until it shatters.
40:09He explained
40:11the blade looked better than when Carl
40:12had gotten it. Much better, in fact. if
40:16he kept using it and letting it absorb
40:18energy, he might not need to replace it.
40:21It was falling behind his power level,
40:24but as long as it wasn't so far behind
40:26that his skills broke it, the blade
40:28should be fine to keep using. Bayer
40:30chose a pair of matched axes which
40:32granted fire damage on hit, a perfect
40:34counter for frost giants and suited to
40:37her fighting style.
40:39They could be used both in her normal
40:40form and in her were warbear
40:42transformation and they bonded to her so
40:44they could be safely stored when not in
40:46use. Everyone else had ascended rank or
40:49higher armor on already. Though Dana
40:51wasn't particularly happy about her
40:53incredibly ornate mage robes from the
40:55Naga dungeon. They were good robes
40:58though and she wasn't willing to give
41:00them up for an inferior option just
41:02because of the style. What is your
41:04frontline combat formation?
41:06The backroom clerk who brought out most
41:08of the weapons asked Thor who is near
41:12peak ascended rank and two ascended
41:14stone golems with the durable constructs
41:16bonus. Then we have two commander rank
41:19attack golems.
41:21Carl explained to the aging veteran
41:24fenv.com.
41:26The man considered it for a while then
41:29nodded. So, you count on the weaker
41:32golems to hold the line while the more
41:34powerful ones are able to go all out on
41:36damage. That's not a bad plan. You've
41:39got four constructs with the group.
41:41After all, I was going to recommend
41:44something to add barriers other than
41:46your one mage. Carl smiled back at him.
41:50We have a group refreshing lightning and
41:52a circle of protection as well as the
41:55holy protections from the war priestess.
41:57That should be enough to hold. Dana
42:00actually had a very advanced barrier
42:02that she used on her golems. It was just
42:04that until recently when she made it to
42:06ascended rank, she was so far behind the
42:08group leaders that the main threats
42:10could shatter it faster than she could
42:11rebuild it. It simply wasn't mana
42:14efficient when they had Alice's golem
42:16there as well. As long as you are sure
42:19the barriers can hold. With no
42:21commanders to take the brunt of a
42:23charge, it could get dicey for your
42:25tanks. he replied. If needed, I can join
42:29them, and the two commander ranked
42:31spider golems can as well, but it
42:33shouldn't be necessary most of the time.
42:36If I can stand back of the fight, I
42:38should be able to greatly increase my
42:39damage instead of spending all my time
42:41blocking strikes and keeping targets
42:43occupied,"
42:45Carl explained.
42:47Lotus sneaked up to the counter with her
42:48wish list of supplies for the mission,
42:50which the other clerk quickly filled,
42:52then swiped Carl's card to pay for
42:54everything. The supplies you provided
42:57covered 3/4 of what you spent today. Not
43:00a bad deal, if I do say so myself. Good
43:04luck on your mission," the clerk
43:06announced. "Thanks.
43:09We will see you when we get back." The
43:12old man laughed. "Kind of a commander
43:15like you to come make a pity visit to
43:17this old man. Just bring back the young
43:19ones in one piece and we will call it
43:22even." Two days later, Carl found
43:25himself standing in the snow at the base
43:26of the mountains again, just as he had
43:28been on his last mission. Only this
43:30time, instead of the frigid cold and
43:32silence, he could hear the distant sound
43:34of frost giant war horns, the sound
43:37carrying over 50 km through the hills as
43:39they staged for an attack along the
43:41front lines. The group had just landed,
43:44and the intelligence on their area
43:45looked good, but the numbers that his
43:47keen eyes had detected along the main
43:49lines were far larger than the number of
43:51stones that had been placed on the map.
43:53If each blue stone had been 500, not
43:56100, it might have been an
43:58overstatement, but much closer to the
44:00truth of the situation, while here in
44:02the hills, their newly arrived group had
44:04yet to spot anything threatening. "Which
44:06way should we search first?" Bearer
44:09asked as she surveyed the trees in front
44:11of them. Like Lotus, she was more
44:14comfortable here in the wilderness than
44:16she was in the academy or in a city, and
44:18Hawk wholeheartedly approved of her
44:20naming sense. Carl, on the other hand,
44:23preferred to use her actual name, so he
44:25didn't get into the habit of treating
44:26her like one of his pets by calling her
44:28bear. Carl brought out the folded map
44:31from under his tabard. The first sweep
44:34should go east away from the frost giant
44:36front lines to see what might be coming
44:38around to look for better routes. Then
44:40we will double back and check for hidden
44:42scouts before the sun goes down. I got
44:45them to agree to allow us to operate in
44:47a wide area. So, we're not going to be
44:49easily tracked back to the same routes,
44:51but that will also mean that we need to
44:53set up multiple camps and be finished
44:55with our route before the sun drops
44:56behind the mountains. That doesn't leave
44:59us a lot of time to do our work, so we
45:01might as well get to it.
45:03What he had failed to consider was how
45:05much the magic of the frost giants had
45:07changed the area from its natural state.
45:10There was normally no snow in the
45:11mountains within the Golden Dragon
45:13Nation. But now, even in the middle of
45:15the afternoon, the temperature was below
45:17freezing. Hulk was out sitting on Dana's
45:21backpack and surrounding them both with
45:23flaming body, which was generating an
45:25area of warmth that the others were
45:27standing in, while Carl kept his own
45:29active and moved ahead. You're going to
45:31have to go scout soon. He reminded the
45:34bird, who was just getting comfortable
45:36on top of the mage's backpack. As a
45:39replacement for Hawk's warmth, Carl lit
45:41his sword with flames and passed it to
45:43Oilia, who is the largest of the group
45:45other than Carl, even when she wasn't
45:47transformed.
45:49Here, that will stay lit as long as my
45:51barrier is up. The effect should be
45:54enough to keep the team warm if you hold
45:55the blade in the middle of the group and
45:57you're the only one in the group that
45:58has superhuman strength other than
46:00myself. Carl quietly informed her. Got
46:04it. I'll take good care of your sword.
46:08We're going to have to work on something
46:09for the future, though. My armor keeps
46:12me plenty warm, but the others will need
46:15regular breaks, even with the winter
46:16gear they packed. She replied, "The
46:20Golden Dragon Nation did not have great
46:22winter gear, Carl would admit that, but
46:25he hadn't mastered the art of spreading
46:27the flaming body ability, which Hawk
46:30could only do by touch. So, they were
46:32going to need to stop and warm up every
46:34few hours. I will think of something. If
46:37there are caves nearby, perhaps we can
46:40set up in one of them to make it easier
46:41to sleep at night." Carl agreed. Hawk
46:45disappeared over the trees and within
46:47minutes he was sending back reports of
46:49frost giants moving near their path.
46:52Three ascended and seven awakened in
46:54this group. They look like trainees.
46:58Hawk reported. Anything else nearby?
47:02Hawk paused for a moment. One commander
47:05and two ascended about 4 km past them,
47:08moving south along a trail. All right,
47:11we have our first targets. a training
47:14patrol with three ascended giants and
47:16seven awakened ranked juveniles.
47:18If we can make a quick and clean job of
47:20it, there is a commander-ledd smaller
47:22group a few kilome beyond them," Carl
47:25explained. Thor and the golems were all
47:28being held in reserve only to be brought
47:30out to fight so that the group could
47:32move silently through the woods. Carl
47:35had gained the skill silent movement
47:37which allowed him to lead from well in
47:39front of the group without alerting the
47:40frost giants whose sense of smell was no
47:43better than the humans. But the sound of
47:45a serrow or a stone golem in the woods
47:47would give them away far too early. Carl
47:50paused and motioned for the group to
47:52come forward when the patrol came in
47:53sight. Ry will move up on the left flank
47:56with her golems. Oilia prepare to rage
47:59and charge with Thor and Dana's golems
48:01toward the pack. Sisters, you are with
48:04Dana. Just get close enough to keep them
48:06in healing range. I will circle right
48:09and keep them from running when they
48:11realize they're in trouble. Carl
48:13whispered. He didn't have much training
48:16with a bow, but this one didn't need it.
48:19Once you activated it and drew the
48:21magical string, it gave you a mental
48:23impression of where the arrow would
48:24strike. Carl silently raced through the
48:27trees, getting in position as Tessa rode
48:29Thor into battle with Oilia in her half
48:32bear form running alongside them. The
48:35golems were still a bit slow and would
48:37arrive a second or two later, but that
48:39gave Carl time to prepare for his first
48:41ever combat shot with the crystal and
48:43bow. The bow string appeared as Carl
48:46made the drawing motion and the solid
48:48crystal flexed as he aimed the shot.
48:50Since it was a day for firsts, Carl
48:52decided to use Remy's chain lightning,
48:55the one skill he gained from bonding the
48:57Naga spirit snake. It made the arrow
49:00crackle with energy, and Carl released,
49:02hitting the closest giant square in the
49:04chest as it turned to scan the area.
49:07Skill he gained from bonding the Naga
49:09spirit snake. It made the arrow crackle
49:12with energy, and Carl released, hitting
49:14the lightning spread through the entire
49:16group, leaving them shaking and
49:18partially paralyzed, as if they had been
49:20hit with a taser, which allowed Thor's
49:22charge to shatter a giant's femur, while
49:24Tessa's flanged mace glowed with golden
49:26light and crushed its sternum. Ry was
49:29there before the giants had realized
49:31what was going on, and Oilia only had
49:33time for one swing of Carl's sword,
49:35cutting deep into a frost giant's chest
49:37before everything was dead.
49:40Carl went to rejoin the group and Tessa
49:42gave him an enthusiastic thumbs up. Was
49:45that a new skill from Remy? I like it.
49:49Stunning the enemy makes the fight so
49:51much easier. The war cleric
49:53congratulated him as Rey began to rifle
49:55through the bodies, emptying them of
49:57loot before stealing the bodies for her
49:59art exhibit. One each went to Hawk and
50:02Remy, so they couldn't complain, but the
50:04rest were scheduled to be strung up in
50:06the trees for Ray's diarama.
50:08I didn't know that it would stun them. I
50:11was just going for the damage. That
50:14arrow hit a lot harder than I expected,
50:16though. It punched through armor and all
50:19the way through the frost giant.
50:21Sure, it was awakened, but still, Carl
50:25replied.
50:26There was a lot of blood on the snow,
50:28but Remy had a plan to fix that. Once
50:31the group started to move toward the
50:33second group, the commander with the two
50:35ascended frost giants, she cast a
50:38blizzard over the battlefield, freezing
50:40the blue blood and covering it in a
50:42fresh layer of snow. That was enough to
50:45satisfy her that nobody would suspect
50:47that there was a battle until they
50:48actually stepped on the location and
50:50revealed the blood. She wasn't a cleanup
50:53specialist, but hiding your kills from
50:55sight was just good practice in her
50:57mind. The second group was facing away
51:00from them when Carl reached their
51:01position, so he didn't wait for the
51:03others and unleashed an arrow into the
51:05leader's back. The chain lightning
51:08spread, slowing the others, but the
51:10commander shrugged it off. It bellowed
51:13in rage and turned just in time to catch
51:15an arrow to the chest, which caused a
51:17fountain of blood before the third arrow
51:19struck home only a few centimeters from
51:21the second. By now, the other two were
51:24twitching on the ground, and the spider
51:26golems raced in to finish the job. Make
51:29it quick and hide your tracks. That
51:31shout brought more patrols this way.
51:33Hulk warned as Ray borrowed the bodies
51:35and Carl picked up what couldn't be
51:37brought into her space. Remy, work your
51:40magic on the battlefield.
51:42Oilia, these are for you. Vraces of
51:46giant strength. I've got two strength
51:49type items already, so these are all
51:51yours. You will make good use of them in
51:54combat. Carl whispered as he motioned
51:57for the group to retreat from the
51:58forming blizzard. Hawk led them away for
52:01a few minutes, then directed them to
52:03turn left to hit another of the weaker
52:05patrols. The stronger groups had gone
52:08toward the shout while the weaker one
52:10had carried on their mission. Hit and
52:12run was the name of the game that day,
52:14and Carl was intending to do as much
52:16damage and make as many groups go
52:18missing as possible. The second awakened
52:21group went down even more smoothly than
52:23the first had, as Carl got used to his
52:25bow, and the others got used to working
52:27together without Prince Corbin or Alice
52:30around. Being without the spell blades
52:32and their rapid movements and magic
52:34changed the way the group had gotten
52:36used to fighting, as did having Carl in
52:38the distance instead of right up close.
52:41Interestingly, while Oilia couldn't
52:43store the blade the way that Carl did,
52:45it had no resistance to her using it in
52:47combat, and it happily transferred Carl
52:49the energy from the monsters that died
52:51near it. That was far better than he had
52:54expected. And with Carl's newfound
52:56ability to stun or slow the frost
52:57giants, the use of a single large weapon
53:00wasn't a hindrance to the survivability
53:02of the Berserker. Remy had refused to
53:05come out and see things with her own
53:06eyes.
53:08She was a monster, but a cold-blooded
53:10one, and she would have to burn mana to
53:12keep from freezing. She could extend her
53:15powers out just enough to cast Blizzard
53:18when needed, and that was enough for her
53:19as she hid in the tropical heat of her
53:21swamp. Thinking about that made Carl
53:24realized that the others were getting
53:26cold, so he instructed Hawk to find them
53:28somewhere to hide and reheat. "Go north.
53:32There is a small cave in the mountains
53:34there. It looks dry and unoccupied.
53:38Hawk instructed.
53:40Follow me. There is a cave ahead and we
53:43will rest for a while and warm up before
53:45we head out again. This cold is
53:47unnatural and I don't want anyone
53:49getting frostbite.
53:51Carl instructed.
53:53Hawk settled into a tree outside as they
53:55hid in the cave behind one of Dana's
53:57barriers. It didn't have the illusion
54:00factor that Prince Corbin's did, but
54:02there had been vines partially obscuring
54:04the cave entrance, and the barrier would
54:06keep any nearby monsters from smelling
54:08them inside. Carl turned up the heat
54:10from the sword to warm the small cave
54:12and took out his map to note the battles
54:14that they had been in. The instructions
54:17were to make reports no more than once a
54:19day, and only right before you moved on
54:21from a location in case the frost giants
54:24had found a way to track communications.
54:26They weren't known to have any such
54:28technology or really any technology at
54:30all. But if they had gotten their hands
54:32on one of the military radio phones,
54:34they might be able to decrypt all the
54:36nearby messages or even track the source
54:38of the signal. That could be disastrous
54:41for the teams who were operating in the
54:43field. So the standard procedure was to
54:45send the message then move on, leaving
54:47the area where they might be able to
54:48track the team to. Of course, this
54:51didn't matter to the main lines as they
54:53weren't hiding from anyone. But for
54:55Carl's team, anonymity was their friend.
54:58Even just being able to collect the
55:00bodies of the fallen frost giants and
55:02have Remy coat the area with new snow
55:04would make it incredibly difficult for
55:06the enemy to track their movements. They
55:08would know that their teams were missing
55:10when they didn't sound the horns at the
55:12next random interval, but they wouldn't
55:13easily stumble across them either. Hawk,
55:17what else do we have in the area? Carl
55:19asked once the group was beginning to
55:21get warm again. Nothing close.
55:25You've only got an hour and a half until
55:27it is dark and the closest group is over
55:296 km from you now. All right, you can
55:32come into your space to rest or stay in
55:35the tree, whichever you prefer. We will
55:38stay here the night and then go hunting
55:40again in the morning. Carl agreed. Short
55:44day, everyone. There is nothing close
55:46enough to hunt before dark, so Hawk
55:49recommends that we stay here. We will
55:51head out in the morning and get back to
55:53work.
55:54Carl explained. They had two
55:57communication devices on this trip. The
56:00emergency phone and the standard open
56:02channel radio. The first was safely
56:05stored in his pack, but the second was
56:07tucked into Carl's armor with the earbud
56:09in one of his ears. That way, it wasn't
56:12loud enough for anyone else or any
56:14nearby enemies to hear, but he could
56:16keep up to date on what was going on
56:18around them. The battle lines were
56:20active, but there were no major changes
56:22that day, just a few skirmishes.
56:25What he was waiting for was a report of
56:27an enemy troop draw down or a
56:29redeployment, which would likely mean
56:31more enemies coming through their patrol
56:33area. As long as the frost giants were
56:36busy on the main battle lines, he would
56:38only have to deal with scouts here. But
56:41there was a second part to their
56:42mission, and it was to try to determine
56:44how they were spreading the frozen area
56:46out of their nation and into the Golden
56:48Dragon nation. The hope was that it was
56:50some sort of device that could be
56:52destroyed, forcing the weather back to
56:54normal and putting the frost giants at a
56:56disadvantage.
56:57There wasn't any sign of that within the
56:59patrols, and they were deployed well
57:01within the frozen area, so if it was
57:03something that happened near the edge of
57:05the advance, it would be beyond their
57:07reach. But what they could do was keep
57:09hitting the frost giant scouts until
57:11they started to send more troops into
57:13this area, weakening their front lines
57:15and giving Carl and the others the
57:16chance to earn a massive amount of
57:18rewards once they were back home.
57:20Dreaming of being able to advance beyond
57:22commander in one deployment was insane,
57:25but that didn't mean that they couldn't
57:26gain anything. For one, there was the
57:29credit for the kills that they could
57:30trade for resources, and the other was
57:32the skill master upgrade that Carl had
57:35chosen during the dungeon hunt. Skill
57:37master rank two, usable only by those
57:40with the skill master ability, allows
57:43learned skills to improve to one rank
57:45above the bonded partner's current rank
57:47with practice. That was his goal on this
57:50mission. The beasts were going to be
57:52using their skills nearly constantly and
57:54finding new ways to expand their combat
57:57skills. That meant abundant practice
58:00opportunities and the chance that one of
58:02the commander rank skills might actually
58:04improve in power by a rank. If Ray's
58:07golems improved, they would have
58:08something akin to low royal rank combat
58:10power without having to wait for Ry
58:12herself to improve.
58:15Then when she did improve, the skill
58:17should improve along with her and she
58:19would become even more deadly. Or
58:21perhaps it would be Thor's refreshing
58:23lightning or Hawks flame body that
58:26advanced first, as both were in constant
58:29use.
58:30The condition of practice wasn't all
58:32that clear. So, it could mean just
58:34keeping it active, not actively trying
58:36to improve it. Though, Thor had proven
58:38that he was improving it when he learned
58:40to expand his skill to everyone and step
58:43into his desired role as the team's
58:44healer. Tessa laid the sword flat on the
58:47floor of the cave and gestured for Carl
58:49to turn up the heat. It was already
58:52reasonably warm inside, but she didn't
58:54want to waste their precious fuel
58:56canisters, and there was no wood in here
58:58to create a cooking fire from. All
59:00right, I'm not going to do anything that
59:02will mess up the dinner schedule. We've
59:05got a long night before we have to move
59:07again, but while you cook, we should
59:09come up with a better plan for dealing
59:10with these groups. I am thinking that we
59:13have Hawk scout a larger area tomorrow
59:15during the early morning hours and then
59:17he can inform us of their general
59:19movement patterns and where they are
59:20likely to be so that we're not wasting
59:22time looking for them. We will be able
59:25to go out, hunt, and then return
59:27somewhere warm to rest before we go out
59:29again. Carl suggested.
59:32Lotus nodded. That's not a bad idea. We
59:36could also have Ray set up a spot in
59:38advance if we knew that we were going to
59:40be circling back to it later. It would
59:43allow us to go straight inside without
59:44waiting around. I'm not sure the forts
59:47will be the best option, though. The
59:50cold is getting insane out there, and
59:52spending the overnight in a cloth fort,
59:54even with the blade for heat, might not
59:56be the most comfortable thing ever. If
59:59we can keep returning to caves that we
1:00:01can properly heat, that might be best.
1:00:04But like a heated tent, it is possible
1:00:06to keep the forts warm. Rey thought
1:00:09about that for a while. If I double the
1:00:12layers used to make the fort, we can
1:00:14keep the wind out and the floor will
1:00:16stay warm under everyone's bodies. That
1:00:19will keep the wine down and the blade
1:00:21will keep the inside warm. Rey says she
1:00:24can make a fort that will be warm
1:00:25enough. Once Hawk scouts in the morning,
1:00:28we will start making plans for where we
1:00:30will rest tomorrow. I think that
1:00:33switching between caves and forts hidden
1:00:35high in the trees would be a smart move.
1:00:37So, the frost giants don't have as easy
1:00:39of a time guessing where we might be
1:00:40hiding. A few more days of eliminating
1:00:43their patrols, and they are going to
1:00:45start trying to do something about it.
1:00:47The next morning's scouting report
1:00:49revealed that the frost giants had
1:00:51caught on to the problem much faster
1:00:52than Carl had been expecting them to.
1:00:55They were not known for being
1:00:56particularly bright, but this morning
1:00:58there were no fewer than 20 teams in the
1:01:00area, and it appeared that they were
1:01:02doing a methodical search for the
1:01:03missing teams. From Hawk's report, they
1:01:07had spread out along a ridgeel line very
1:01:09early in the morning, and they were
1:01:10moving south through the valley and past
1:01:12the cave. Now, if the team moved out in
1:01:1520 minutes, they would be attacking the
1:01:17giants from behind, and they could kill
1:01:19multiple groups quickly before
1:01:20retreating. That seemed like a good plan
1:01:23to Carl.
1:01:25If they picked one of the stronger
1:01:26groups to eliminate as a group, Ry could
1:01:28use her golems to take out a weak group
1:01:30nearby, starting with their ascended
1:01:32leader, which would leave the awakened
1:01:34giant trainees helpless. I can play too,
1:01:38Hawk suggested.
1:01:40True, but you're our scout. I don't want
1:01:43them associating you with the missing
1:01:45giants. Can you do it cleanly enough?
1:01:49Carl asked. No problem. I will wait for
1:01:53them to get close enough to you that I
1:01:55can throw the bodies in my space. We're
1:01:57going to need to do something about all
1:01:59the excess frost giants before they
1:02:01start getting in the way. Hulk reminded
1:02:04him. Oh, don't worry about that. I have
1:02:08just the plan to get rid of them, which
1:02:10will ensure the giants are in chaos when
1:02:12the main line decides to advance. Carl
1:02:15led the group out of the cave toward the
1:02:17closest powerful group, which was
1:02:19flanked by two weaker groups. The patrol
1:02:22line went on like that all the way
1:02:23across the valley they were working in.
1:02:26One group with a commander leading it
1:02:28and then two groups of ascended and
1:02:30awakened. That should realistically give
1:02:33the commander and his smaller group time
1:02:34to react to any attacks on the weaker
1:02:36groups. But with Carl's divide and
1:02:38conquer strategy, it was about to become
1:02:40a feeding program for the beasts. Remy
1:02:44was already overjoyed by the amount of
1:02:45commander rank food that she could gorge
1:02:47herself with as she waited for her body
1:02:49to grow up to fighting size where she
1:02:51could crush and swallow her prey hole.
1:02:54That was an odd bit of logic for a
1:02:56venomous snake, but that was how she
1:02:58preferred to eat even after biting them.
1:03:01Biting was actually a last resort for
1:03:03the spirit snake as she insisted that it
1:03:05made the food taste funny. But if she
1:03:07was threatened and her magic wasn't
1:03:09doing enough, she had no problem getting
1:03:11physical. But for the most part, she
1:03:14didn't come out of her hiding space and
1:03:16just poked her head out to cast Blizzard
1:03:18after fights. Remy, how long can your
1:03:21blizzard spell last? Carl asked, "About
1:03:255 minutes if I needed to. Then I will
1:03:27cast it again." She replied, "In that
1:03:31case, cast it at the start of the fight
1:03:34and just let it continue as we move
1:03:35away. Keep it centered on the group and
1:03:38it will hide both the fight and our
1:03:40footprints so the other groups can't
1:03:42find us as easily. Got it, boss. The
1:03:46next group was just coming into sight
1:03:47when Carl caught a change in Ray's
1:03:49thoughts. Tremble before the coming
1:03:52darkness.
1:03:53She was laughing at her hapless targets.
1:03:56Rey found her group. Let's get to work.
1:04:00Remy, you're up. Keep us hidden. Carl
1:04:04instructed.
1:04:06He charged forward with Thor, and the
1:04:08roar of the frost giants, who were being
1:04:10damaged by a snowstorm out of nowhere
1:04:12echoed through the valley. That might
1:04:14not have been his best call, but they
1:04:16were already damaged when he made it to
1:04:18combat. And Dana's twin golems had no
1:04:20problem holding off the two ascended
1:04:22frost giants, while Carl fired arrows
1:04:24into the commander's chest, and Thor
1:04:26prevented it from going after any of the
1:04:27other group members.
1:04:29Oilia had no problem assisting the
1:04:31golems with one of the frost giants. And
1:04:34even Tessa had dismounted and come
1:04:35forward into melee range, attacking with
1:04:38her mace while Dana cast magic missiles
1:04:40and Carl's chain lightning slowed the
1:04:43giants. Carl felt two groups of giants
1:04:46reach his space, one from Hawk and one
1:04:49from Ray. That was their signal to move,
1:04:52and Carl quickly stripped the giants of
1:04:54anything of value and threw the corpses
1:04:56into Remy's mostly empty swamp.
1:04:59Tessa identified the items left on the
1:05:01ground and stuffed the magical ones into
1:05:03a pair of pouches that she slung over
1:05:05Thor's back. We can sort them later.
1:05:09Where are we off to now? She asked.
1:05:12There should be another three groups
1:05:14like those on their way here. Remy is
1:05:17keeping the blizzard active to hide our
1:05:18movement and Hawk is scouting their
1:05:20locations as they approach. Carl
1:05:23explained.
1:05:25The groups had moved into the same
1:05:26formation as the ones they had attacked.
1:05:28Weaker groups on the flanks with the
1:05:30stronger one in the middle as they
1:05:31searched for the attackers.
1:05:34Same pattern as last time. Tessa, did
1:05:37you want to ride Thor into combat? Carl
1:05:40asked.
1:05:41Sounds great. I will start with the
1:05:44commander and Dana can focus her attacks
1:05:46on one ascended while Bear gets the
1:05:48other. Tessa agreed. Oilia made a
1:05:52pleased grunt at the plan, still caught
1:05:55in the berserker rage and still
1:05:56transformed into her halfbear form. As
1:05:59she fought, small wooden totems would
1:06:02appear on the ground around her. Carl
1:06:04wasn't certain if they were buffs or
1:06:06some sort of skill, but they vanished
1:06:08after 10 seconds or so and didn't seem
1:06:10to affect anyone but her. Remy came out
1:06:13of her hiding spot to climb into Carl's
1:06:15armor, leaving only her head exposed.
1:06:18that was warm enough that she could
1:06:20comfortably fight and secure enough she
1:06:22wouldn't fall down and into the snow.
1:06:25Now they had an extra chain lightning at
1:06:28ascended rank to go with the commander
1:06:29rank version on Carl's arrows. With the
1:06:33blizzard damage being so negligible to
1:06:35creatures with cold damage resistance,
1:06:37the giants had barely begun to
1:06:39understand that they were in serious
1:06:40trouble before they were paralyzed and
1:06:42cut down. Two more batches of bodies
1:06:45entered the space, and Carl sent Hawk
1:06:47scouting down the line, getting a
1:06:49location for any other groups that might
1:06:51have been alerted to the battles.
1:06:53"They're all still moving forward.
1:06:56Should I bring some this way, or do we
1:06:58ambush them the same way again?" Rey
1:07:01asked as Hawk reported the location of
1:07:03the groups. "Same pattern. Wait for us
1:07:07to get in position," Carl instructed.
1:07:10"But you're so slow. Why don't you just
1:07:13chase after me and I will take out all
1:07:15the weak ones to throw in your space.
1:07:18Then we can come back to the group for
1:07:19the commanders. Rey suggested
1:07:23because we can't leave the rest of the
1:07:24group unprotected.
1:07:26There's a reason for this group size and
1:07:28composition.
1:07:30Carl reminded her, "If I could just
1:07:33access the space from more than 100 m,
1:07:35this would be way easier." Ry
1:07:38complained, eager to keep hunting. Work
1:07:41with what you've got.
1:07:42We will clean up all along the line
1:07:44today if we can and then retreat
1:07:46somewhere warm, Carl instructed.
1:07:50That was all the motivation that Ray and
1:07:52Hawk needed to go off mission and start
1:07:54hunting the weaker groups on their own.
1:07:57Before Carl had even reached the first
1:07:58commander, they had cleared the weaker
1:08:00groups and had started on the next pair,
1:08:02racing through the snow-covered trees to
1:08:04avoid detection and then brutally
1:08:06ambushing their hapless prey. Remy was
1:08:09stuck on cleanup duty, spreading her
1:08:11blizzard as wide as possible while
1:08:14collecting the bodies, which Carl was
1:08:16doing his best to run past as the group
1:08:18chased the rampaging pair of beasts.
1:08:20"Why are they in such a hurry?" Oilia
1:08:23asked as they reached their fifth group
1:08:25of the day, who were standing back to
1:08:27back, already paranoid and on alert
1:08:29after all the shouting from the other
1:08:31groups under attack on both sides of
1:08:33them. I may have promised them that once
1:08:35the line was clear, we could go
1:08:37somewhere warm for the night. Carl
1:08:40laughed.
1:08:41Well, that sounds good to me, but the
1:08:43casters will not be able to keep this
1:08:45pace up forever. Even if they're riding
1:08:48on Thor most of the time, that much
1:08:50magic will wear them out mentally. Carl
1:08:53nodded. We're almost done. I will call
1:08:57the two hooligans back once we clear
1:08:58this group and then we can hide the
1:09:00battles in the snow and look for a good
1:09:02spot to spend the night. By the time
1:09:04that they had finished clearing the last
1:09:06battlefield, the bags on the side of
1:09:08Thor were overflowing with loot, and he
1:09:11looked more like a pack mule than a
1:09:12combat pet. They had simply killed so
1:09:15many frost giants today that they
1:09:17couldn't resist grabbing anything
1:09:18remotely magical looking with the plan
1:09:20to identify and sort it later. The frost
1:09:24giant scouts should have been sent into
1:09:25battle with decent gear, and that gear
1:09:28would be very close to what the group
1:09:29needed to fight them. It wouldn't be the
1:09:32fire element attack gear they wanted.
1:09:34But if even a few of the armor pieces
1:09:36could be bonded, and assuming there were
1:09:37some giant strength type enchantments,
1:09:39they could make massive gains. Hawk sent
1:09:43them an update on his scouting mission.
1:09:45To the south, 4 km, there is a large
1:09:48cave that will be perfect for the night.
1:09:52That would also put them in front of
1:09:54where the patrol lines had been
1:09:55slaughtered. So, it would be unlikely
1:09:57that the next day's reinforcements would
1:09:58start there in the search for the humans
1:10:00killing off their scouts. As they were
1:10:03making their way to the cave, Carl began
1:10:05to hear disturbing news on the radio.
1:10:08The frost giants were redeploying and
1:10:10sending a huge number of troops into
1:10:12this valley. It looked like their
1:10:14efforts had gone overboard, and now the
1:10:16enemy thought that there was a major
1:10:18military force here. Of course, as they
1:10:21were sending a large force to the
1:10:23valley, the Golden Dragon Nation was
1:10:25also sending an entire artillery
1:10:27regiment to the other end of the valley
1:10:28to ensure that the Frost Giants didn't
1:10:30advance past the lines. That put their
1:10:33hiding spot in the middle of no man's
1:10:35land in what was likely to become an
1:10:37artillery bombardment the next day. It
1:10:40looks like we might need to be cold for
1:10:41a few more hours. Keep heading south
1:10:44until Hawk finds you a new hiding spot
1:10:46along the southern end of the valley.
1:10:49The army is redeploying artillery here
1:10:51and I don't want to get caught in the
1:10:53middle of a bombardment.
1:10:55Carl explained once he had a full grasp
1:10:57of the situation.
1:10:59You make it sound like you won't be
1:11:00leading. Lotus noted. For the next hour
1:11:04or so, I won't be. I will follow Hawk's
1:11:08guidance back to you. And you've got Rey
1:11:10and Thor for extra protection. I've got
1:11:13Remy with me to hide my movement. I'm
1:11:16going to put out a distraction to slow
1:11:18the frost giant's advance, Carl
1:11:20explained.
1:11:22All right, see you soon. None of us can
1:11:25run fast enough to keep up with you
1:11:27anyhow, Tessa joked. That was true, and
1:11:31he had silent movement, so he didn't
1:11:34need to worry about making a commotion.
1:11:36What's the plan? Are we going to ambush
1:11:39them from out of a blizzard and just
1:11:41boom pow smack down a bunch of giants?
1:11:44Remy asked as Carl ran toward the point
1:11:46where the giants should be entering the
1:11:48valley. Not exactly.
1:11:51You see how we've got all sorts of extra
1:11:53ascended and awakened rank frost giant
1:11:55bodies. We're going to pile them all up
1:11:58at that end of the valley and set a
1:11:59bonfire for the giants to keep warm by.
1:12:02Oh, we're doing something nice to
1:12:04apologize.
1:12:06That's kind of you, Remy replied
1:12:09proudly, thinking that they were doing a
1:12:10nice thing for the enemy. Frost giants
1:12:13are terrified of fire and the heat
1:12:15causes them pain. Sorry, Remy. For a
1:12:20moment, she was disappointed that they
1:12:22weren't doing a nice thing. Then she
1:12:24decided that it wasn't worth being sad
1:12:26for monsters that would lose a fight to
1:12:27a bird. Well, they get back most of
1:12:30their dead, so they can't be too mad,
1:12:33right? Even if it's not their usual
1:12:35ritual. That is true. They're getting
1:12:38most of the bodies back. That was enough
1:12:41assurance to make the naive young snake
1:12:43play along with the plan and keep her
1:12:45blizzard active on its lowest setting,
1:12:47creating a snowstorm that would only
1:12:49really damage common rank monsters. It
1:12:52did dump a lot of snow and the winds
1:12:54were high over a large area, so it would
1:12:56hide their movement once they were gone,
1:12:58as Carl was leading them right to the
1:13:00mouth of the pass. This is the spot you
1:13:04start piling up the bodies into a huge
1:13:06hill, and I will cut down some trees to
1:13:08get the fire started. Carl instructed.
1:13:12Starting a fire when you were whittling
1:13:13deadfall logs for kindling with a
1:13:15flaming blade was a simple task. And
1:13:17within minutes, Carl had a good hot fire
1:13:20burning, and Remy was piling bodies all
1:13:22around it as Carl hacked down more trees
1:13:24to place in a second layer around the
1:13:26outside. The smoke was billowing up into
1:13:29the clouds, thick and black, and it
1:13:31would be impossible to miss the smell,
1:13:33which reminded Carl entirely too much of
1:13:35wet work socks drying by the fire
1:13:37without being cleaned first.
1:13:39Once the outer logs were burning
1:13:41steadily, Carl headed south at a run,
1:13:44hoping to catch up to the group before
1:13:45they made it too far. Remy's blizzard
1:13:48was reactivated as soon as they were out
1:13:50of range of the bonfire, hiding their
1:13:52tracks. But even the howling winds
1:13:54couldn't hide the rage of the frost
1:13:55giants when they realized that the fire
1:13:57they had come to destroy wasn't a human
1:13:59army camp, but a massive funeral p. The
1:14:02army wasn't sure what to make of the
1:14:04situation, so Carl sent a brief message
1:14:07letting them know that it was a
1:14:08diversion. Regional command, I can
1:14:11confirm that the fire is set by our
1:14:13side. Repeat, the fire is a distraction
1:14:16to slow the frost giant advance,
1:14:20Carl informed them. Understood.
1:14:23Report all sightings for ongoing
1:14:25bombardment as the line is extended.
1:14:28That was terrible news. He had
1:14:31deliberately picked a deployment spot
1:14:32well away from the main battle line, but
1:14:34they had already expanded to meet him
1:14:36only a few days into his mission. Worse,
1:14:39there was no real reason for it other
1:14:41than a single day worth of increased
1:14:43activity. There was something going on
1:14:46behind the scenes that he wasn't aware
1:14:47of, and it wasn't making logical sense
1:14:50based on what he had seen of enemy
1:14:51deployment strategies during their
1:14:53flight in. If they were going to bombard
1:14:55the area, he couldn't scout it. But the
1:14:58mountain ranges further from the line
1:15:00were too inhospitable for either humans
1:15:02or frost giants to traverse in large
1:15:04numbers. The best bet was for Carl to
1:15:07take his team behind the enemy lines
1:15:09where he would still be within his
1:15:11appointed zone and they could attack
1:15:12Frost Giant supply caravans.
1:15:15Hulk would like that. They farmed
1:15:18monstrous boores and giant goats.
1:15:21Hawk, where are you leading the team?
1:15:23Carl asked as they began to turn toward
1:15:26the human military unit. There are
1:15:28soldiers everywhere.
1:15:30Unless we're going to take a cave near
1:15:32their camp without talking to them.
1:15:34Tessa thinks we should say hello before
1:15:36we move on. Hawk replied, "All right, I
1:15:40will catch up to you before you reach
1:15:42them." Carl had Remy stopped the
1:15:44blizzard when they got close enough to
1:15:46see Hawk above the trees and then caught
1:15:48up to the group just before they reached
1:15:50the outer patrols of the incoming
1:15:52military camp. Once the beasts, except
1:15:55for Thor, who still had a pair of
1:15:57massive packs full of magical items,
1:15:59were all safely back in their spaces, he
1:16:01led them out into the open where
1:16:03soldiers were surrounding the camp, all
1:16:05carrying swords glowing with the holy
1:16:07light of a cleric's blessing. So, not
1:16:10elites, but regular infantry relying on
1:16:13holy magic to be able to injure anything
1:16:15that came their way. That could make it
1:16:17difficult to get back out of the camp as
1:16:19they weren't going to want to lose the
1:16:21protection of a commander ranked elite
1:16:23and his team, especially just for Carl
1:16:25and the others to go scouting in another
1:16:27region. Identification.
1:16:30The patrol guard requested with a hint
1:16:32of reverent respect in his tone.
1:16:34Commander Carl 95988
1:16:38deployed to the region with my team to
1:16:40control scout movements away from the
1:16:42main lines. Carl replied. "And how did
1:16:46that go?" The patrol leader asked.
1:16:49"We're up by about 70 frost giants for
1:16:52the day." Lotus cut in with a smile on
1:16:55her face. The man froze as if she had
1:16:58slapped him. Did you say there were 70
1:17:00frost giants in the zone today alone? I
1:17:04will need you to report to the battalion
1:17:05commander ASAP.
1:17:08I don't think that they are aware of the
1:17:09threat level.
1:17:11Carl and the team were quickly escorted
1:17:13to the battalion commander's tent where
1:17:15they found a commander rank soldier with
1:17:17his secretary bent over his desk when
1:17:18the scout burst in unannounced.
1:17:21Carl stopped the team and let the scout
1:17:23be the only one to go inside while the
1:17:25tent flap swung closed and Tessa did her
1:17:28best not to laugh out loud. "Damn it!
1:17:31Knock!" the man shouted as the
1:17:34secretary, who was in civilian clothing
1:17:36hurriedly rearranged her skirt. It's a
1:17:39cloth door, sir. We have a report that
1:17:42you need to hear. A commander-ledd
1:17:45mercenary scout team took out roughly 70
1:17:47frost giants in the zone just today. It
1:17:50has given us reason to believe that the
1:17:52deployment orders understated the
1:17:54severity of the threat. The scout
1:17:56announced in a dry tone as Carl and the
1:17:58team waited outside. Hawk and Ray had
1:18:01kept a bunch of the heads for just this
1:18:03reason, and they quickly piled them up
1:18:05outside the command tent, creating a 5-
1:18:08m tall mound of giant skulls still
1:18:10dripping with blood. The scout and his
1:18:12commander stepped outside and saw the
1:18:14massive pile of heads, then turned in
1:18:16shock to Carl. Where the hell did those
1:18:19come from? The commander demanded, "I
1:18:23have a skill to keep body parts from
1:18:25defeated monsters in a separate space
1:18:26for the day. I use it to provide proof
1:18:29of kills as we are on commission, not
1:18:32salary, Carl informed him. Someone count
1:18:36those and do a rank check on them. The
1:18:39commander shouted. Nobody was hurrying
1:18:42to do that duty, but they would get to
1:18:44it. Carl was certain. The battalion
1:18:47commander gestured inside.
1:18:49Please come in. I need a report on the
1:18:52situation and anything you know about
1:18:54that fire burning at the other end of
1:18:56the valley.
1:18:58Carl took a seat across from the other
1:18:59commander while the rest of the team sat
1:19:02in the chairs along the wall. The fire
1:19:04is easy. I used frost giant bodies to
1:19:08light a bonfire and slow the enemy
1:19:10advance so that they wouldn't follow us
1:19:11toward you. I got the message that you
1:19:14were moving in an artillery battalion
1:19:16and I really didn't want to get caught
1:19:17in a bombardment while we slept tonight.
1:19:20Carl explained. The commander smiled.
1:19:24That was the right choice. We had no
1:19:27idea where you were in the zone and the
1:19:29bombardment will start with the morning
1:19:30light. Not that your group wouldn't be
1:19:33able to outrun it in most cases as long
1:19:35as you were listening to the radio, but
1:19:37still. Carl heard some commotion and
1:19:40stomping outside and realized that the
1:19:42soldiers were trying to unload Thor, who
1:19:45had distinctly not given them permission
1:19:46to touch his bags. Tessa, Lotus, can you
1:19:50take Thor outside the camp and deal with
1:19:52his burden? Pick what might be useful
1:19:55and bring it back. The rest can be
1:19:57turned in for credit, Carl instructed.
1:20:01They disappeared out of the tent flap
1:20:03while the battalion commander waited for
1:20:05Carl to explain. We didn't just take
1:20:08heads. I've got a lightning sero outside
1:20:11with bags full of unidentified magic
1:20:13items.
1:20:15Someone tried to get into his bags and
1:20:17he was getting upset to the point of
1:20:19considering stunning them with
1:20:20earthquake.
1:20:22Carl explained.
1:20:24A lightning sero learned earthquake. The
1:20:27commander asked completely confused.
1:20:30Not only that, he learned circle of
1:20:32protection and he's almost to commander
1:20:34rank now. Give him a little longer and I
1:20:37think that we can teach him a healing
1:20:39circle as well. It will be glorious. A
1:20:42self-healing, self-shielding,
1:20:44self-buffing tank. Carl agreed. The
1:20:48commander shook his head in dismay. Even
1:20:51I never managed to learn earthquake,
1:20:53much less a circle of protection.
1:20:56Instead, I mastered the basics up to
1:20:58commander rank, slash, guard, shield
1:21:01bash, and commanding shout. You didn't
1:21:04get the scribes to at least make you a
1:21:06ren skill book. I believe all warriors
1:21:09can use them. Carl asked. The man
1:21:13laughed. No, by the time that I wanted
1:21:16more skills, I had become an officer.
1:21:18And it was Lieutenant Dalton, go here.
1:21:20Lieutenant Dalton, go there. I was never
1:21:24in active combat anymore, so I never
1:21:26needed to upgrade.
1:21:28Well, that does make some sense. Desk
1:21:31officers and unit officers don't spend a
1:21:33lot of time fist fighting frost giants.
1:21:36They have other responsibilities.
1:21:38My group, on the other hand, spends all
1:21:41our time fighting. That's all that we've
1:21:43done since awakened ranked with a few
1:21:45pit stops back at themies to remind
1:21:48people that we're still alive. Carl
1:21:50explained.
1:21:52Commander Dalton sighed. Well, that's
1:21:55one way to live. But aren't you worried
1:21:58that one day the mission will go wrong
1:21:59and all that credit you earned will be
1:22:01for nothing? Dana looked nervous as she
1:22:04had certainly considered exactly that
1:22:06when she was thinking about joining Carl
1:22:08outside the academy. But Oilia was a
1:22:11berserker, and ending in glorious battle
1:22:13when you were too old or crippled to
1:22:15fight was basically a life goal for her
1:22:17class.
1:22:18Carl smiled. It's a chance, and if
1:22:22that's the way that nature wills it,
1:22:23that's the way it will be. Nevertheless,
1:22:26I have faith in the world dragon that we
1:22:28will live to a ripe old age. Dana
1:22:31smiled.
1:22:33That was precisely the sort of
1:22:34non-answer that Lotus would have given.
1:22:37The two clerics came back in with one
1:22:39large bag of stuff and Thor retreated to
1:22:42his space. "Done already?" Carl asked.
1:22:47"Yep." "There were only a few truly good
1:22:50things in there since we were already
1:22:52stocked up. We have a ring and boots for
1:22:54Bear, Lotus, and I have taken a bracelet
1:22:57each, and there is a brooch for Dana.
1:23:00The other boots are for you if you can
1:23:02use them," Tessa explained.
1:23:05They were commander rank leather boots
1:23:07with fur trim at the top and an increase
1:23:09to his cold damage resistance.
1:23:12But most importantly, they were warm.
1:23:15Carl also noticed that she had a bundle
1:23:17of weapons behind her back that she
1:23:19wasn't speaking about, possibly just so
1:23:21that the soldiers wouldn't get upset
1:23:22that they took all the best for
1:23:24themselves and didn't leave anything
1:23:25exceptional for the base to skim off
1:23:27before it was officially submitted. Will
1:23:30you be needing space within the camp or
1:23:32do you prefer to camp outside? Commander
1:23:35Dalton asked. Carl thought of the nearby
1:23:38caves that Hawk had found. I think that
1:23:41we will set up not far from your
1:23:42position within the caves. They're
1:23:45easier for our group to keep warm and
1:23:47comfortable than a tent, and they're
1:23:49sheltered from some of the sound of
1:23:50artillery. Dalton nodded. I will leave
1:23:54you to it. Then remember to inform me of
1:23:58your patrol route before you leave again
1:24:00so that we can avoid shelling your
1:24:01position. That won't be a problem. We
1:24:05will likely leave later in the day
1:24:06tomorrow once we know how the frost
1:24:08giants are reacting to the presence of
1:24:10an artillery battalion in the area. They
1:24:13sent reinforcements yesterday when we
1:24:15started to target their trainees. So
1:24:17there is a chance they will transfer
1:24:18even more or even retreat entirely once
1:24:21your teams get to work. Carl explained.
1:24:25Commander Dalton ran a hand through his
1:24:27short brown hair, then replaced his cap.
1:24:30Understood.
1:24:32We will call for you over the radio if
1:24:34they decide that an offensive is the
1:24:35answer. We're a bit short on actual
1:24:38fighters, as you might have noticed, and
1:24:40we only have four clerics with us to
1:24:42keep the weapon enchantments active and
1:24:44do part-time healing duty. Carl nodded.
1:24:48All right, if we're still around, we
1:24:50will see what we can do. We're not a
1:24:53front line stand and fight head-on sort
1:24:55of team. It's better to just let us work
1:24:57from the shadows. We can go through
1:25:00quite a few frost giants that way
1:25:01without them finding us. Dalton smiled
1:25:04and gestured to the door. Good luck. We
1:25:08have space if you can't find somewhere
1:25:09comfortable. Carl led the group out of
1:25:12the command tent. It wouldn't be a
1:25:14problem to find a spot. Hawk had already
1:25:18scouted them. They were just too close
1:25:19to the military camp for them to arrive
1:25:21at undetected.
1:25:23But since the battalion knew that they
1:25:25were there, they didn't have to put up a
1:25:27tent, they could just have Ry make a
1:25:29cover for the door and keep the interior
1:25:31of the cave heated. It took time to get
1:25:33a cave properly warm, but once the rocks
1:25:36were holding heat, it would stay warm
1:25:38for quite a while. Warm places to sleep
1:25:41were in short supply in this unnaturally
1:25:43cold region, but Hawk was getting quite
1:25:45skilled at finding them. The cave that
1:25:48Hawk had found today turned out to be
1:25:50fairly deep and ran nearly 10 m into the
1:25:52cliff face where running water had cut
1:25:54away the limestone over the years. That
1:25:57would work out well for them. It was
1:26:00protected from the elements, but there
1:26:02was still plenty of ventilation and an
1:26:04easily defensible single entrance.
1:26:07With Carl, Hawk, and the sword all
1:26:09adding heat to the cave, it warmed up
1:26:11quickly, and they were able to
1:26:13comfortably hang the hammocks using
1:26:14Ray's web to attach them to the walls.
1:26:17There would be no sleeping on the cold
1:26:19floor for his group, and they could get
1:26:21away with a minimal watch, as there were
1:26:23artillery battalion patrols 10 m outside
1:26:25their door.
1:26:27As they finished dinner, Carl noticed
1:26:29that the patrols were lingering outside
1:26:31the entrance to the cave, which was
1:26:33located about a meter above ground level
1:26:35and 4 m above the cavern that they were
1:26:37in. The stone walls of the cavern were
1:26:40already warm, not frozen by the suddenly
1:26:42frigid air outside, but with the flames
1:26:44they were using for heat. Carl suspected
1:26:47that the guards were lingering where the
1:26:48warm air was venting before moving on
1:26:50with their patrols. It had to be torture
1:26:53to keep walking by while the group was
1:26:55roasting meat and cooking up a stew, but
1:26:57the majority of the scent would go up
1:26:58the air vent in the chamber and be
1:27:00filtered through the trees instead of
1:27:01flowing out the main entrance to torture
1:27:03the patrols.
1:27:05Rey took the entire night watch,
1:27:07ostensibly because she was sleeping most
1:27:09of the afternoon after they arrived at
1:27:11the base. In reality, it was mostly
1:27:14because she enjoyed watching everyone
1:27:16gently sway in her web hammocks. The
1:27:19hammocks were comfortable, and with the
1:27:20flaming blades set against one wall, the
1:27:23room was luxuriously warm all night
1:27:25until Ray fell asleep as Lotus started
1:27:27breakfast to the accompaniment of the
1:27:28sound of artillery fire. As promised,
1:27:31they had started the bombardment of the
1:27:33Frost Giants promptly at dawn. So Carl
1:27:36turned up his radio to listen to the
1:27:37morning broadcasts.
1:27:39They had a scout team in the mountains
1:27:41looking down at the valley with
1:27:43high-powered binoculars, and they could
1:27:45see the majority of the region well
1:27:46enough to target the shells. They had
1:27:49also determined that the number of frost
1:27:51giants had grown again overnight, but
1:27:53mostly on the weaker side of the
1:27:55spectrum, trainees at the awakened and
1:27:57ascended rank, not their commanders.
1:28:00That was a relief to the artillery, as
1:28:02their shells didn't do much to the
1:28:03commander rank frost giants. They had to
1:28:06call in the elites or wait for them to
1:28:08engage in melee combat with the holy
1:28:10magic enhanced soldiers to be able to
1:28:12kill them without relying on large
1:28:13amounts of luck. "Are we going to go out
1:28:16and scout?" Dana asked as they packed up
1:28:19after breakfast. "Not yet. The giants
1:28:23are building some sort of defensive
1:28:25structure right now, and the artillery
1:28:27is going wild on them. Even if we wanted
1:28:30to go out, there isn't anything that we
1:28:32could do except dodge shells, Carl
1:28:35explained. Then he unplugged the earbuds
1:28:38from his radio and turned up the volume
1:28:40so everyone could hear what was going on
1:28:41with the messages. For the next few
1:28:44hours, it was the same pattern of radio
1:28:46transmissions as the main line. Just
1:28:49target, fire, target, fire. Then, when
1:28:53it was almost time for lunch, and Tessa
1:28:55was about to unpack their cooking gear
1:28:57again, the report slowly began to
1:28:59change. The frost giants were no longer
1:29:02coming out of their bunkers. They were
1:29:04hiding behind stone, snow, and barriers
1:29:07with a blinding snowstorm raging all
1:29:09around them to hide troop movements.
1:29:12That wouldn't stop the bombardment, but
1:29:14it would make it impossible to tell if
1:29:15the enemy was building their strength
1:29:17for an offensive. Once we finish lunch,
1:29:20I am taking us to the far side of the
1:29:22valley to check the mountain passes and
1:29:24the next valley for frost giants.
1:29:26That's still within the range we agreed
1:29:28to work, and it's pretty obvious that
1:29:30they're up to something if they're
1:29:31keeping a blizzard active along the
1:29:33entire north end of the valley. Carl
1:29:36informed the others. We're not leaving
1:29:38them to their fate, are we? Tessa asked
1:29:42cautiously.
1:29:43She was a priestess of the red dragon,
1:29:45the god of war, and anything deemed
1:29:47cowardly in battle was anathema to her
1:29:50faith. No, we will actually be closer to
1:29:53the enemy lines when things do go
1:29:55sideways. But I want to be coming in
1:29:57from a flank that I know is clear and
1:29:59not crossing no man's land with a bunch
1:30:01of terrified infantrymen in a snowstorm.
1:30:04With lunch finished and their gear
1:30:06packed, Carl headed to the camp. After
1:30:08stuffing bits of moss in his ears as
1:30:10earplugs against the noise of the
1:30:11artillery, he stopped at the supply tent
1:30:14and got a notepad and pen so he didn't
1:30:16have to remove his own from his pack.
1:30:18Then wrote a mission description for the
1:30:20battalion commander to read. There was
1:30:22no way they were going to be able to
1:30:24have a discussion here beside the
1:30:25artillery. So Carl just handed him the
1:30:28letter with the crude map on it and
1:30:29patted him on the shoulder to say good
1:30:31luck. Dalton nodded and waved him away,
1:30:34letting Carl rejoin his team and head
1:30:36into the hills. The reports were that
1:30:39the snowstorm was spreading, coming in
1:30:41from the frost giant side of the border.
1:30:44However, with all the strange
1:30:45atmospheric anomalies and the ice magic
1:30:48of the giants, nobody knew if it was a
1:30:50natural storm or a massive artificial
1:30:52one. "What do you think, Hawk?" Carl
1:30:56asked as the bird floated high in the
1:30:58sky, barely a black speck in their
1:31:00vision.
1:31:01It's a natural storm. The wind is
1:31:03carrying the clouds this way, and I can
1:31:05feel the cold moisture already. But that
1:31:08doesn't mean there's nothing in it. I
1:31:11keep seeing shadows, but they're too far
1:31:13for me to tell what might be casting
1:31:15them. Keep an eye on them and let me
1:31:17know when you can tell what is casting
1:31:19shadows in the snowstorm.
1:31:21It might be nothing. It might be
1:31:23something important.
1:31:25Chances are, human eyes can't tell that
1:31:27there are even shadows to begin with.
1:31:30Carl reminded him. Their route quickly
1:31:33took them into the hills, and that was
1:31:35where their smooth progress ended. The
1:31:38paths were narrow and steep, winding
1:31:40along the side of cliffs while a river
1:31:42gorge made up the bottom of the canyon.
1:31:44"Do you think that something might try
1:31:46to move down the river?" "I mean, they
1:31:49could freeze it over, right?" Dana
1:31:52asked, directing her question at Lotus,
1:31:54who would be more knowledgeable about
1:31:55the weather than anyone else here. They
1:31:58probably can with their ice magic, but
1:32:01we can see the river from here. And this
1:32:03path would be a nightmare for frost
1:32:05giants to navigate. So, it's better that
1:32:07we don't follow the river ourselves.
1:32:10I mean, we will because that's where the
1:32:12canyon goes, but not along the river
1:32:14itself.
1:32:15Lotus explained with a gesture along the
1:32:18path. They walked at a careful pace, not
1:32:21wanting to lose anyone down the hill if
1:32:23the path under the snow was loose or
1:32:25icy. And by the time that it got dark,
1:32:27they still had an entire kilometer to go
1:32:29before they had made it up the valley's
1:32:31length. All right, there is a path
1:32:33between the mountains ahead, according
1:32:35to Hawk, which will lead us back into
1:32:37the other valley close to the frost
1:32:39giant lines. There are no caves on this
1:32:42side of the fault. It's slate and not
1:32:44limestone like the other side of the
1:32:46hill, but Ry can make us a doublewalled
1:32:48tent in the trees, and we will call it a
1:32:50night," Carl instructed.
1:32:54Rey was happy to run ahead of the group
1:32:55and test her theories on a doublewalled
1:32:57fort. You couldn't see out of it, so her
1:33:00and Hawk were on night duties in the
1:33:02cold again, but it would be warm and
1:33:04sheltered from the increasingly frigid
1:33:06winds. They were just about to finish
1:33:09their scans and head into the fort when
1:33:11Hawk sent a final sunset update. I can
1:33:14see what's casting the shadows. It's
1:33:16frost giants in white suits, hundreds of
1:33:19them.
1:33:20They're hidden in the snow, but they
1:33:22can't hide their shadows. Where are they
1:33:25headed? Carl asked. For our valley. The
1:33:30one that the artillery is making a mess
1:33:32of right now. An exceptionally loud
1:33:34mess, Carl noted. Now that they were so
1:33:37close to the edge of the bombardment
1:33:39zone. I will call it in. Battalion
1:33:42command. This is team 95988.
1:33:46We have spotted reinforcements on the
1:33:48other side of the mountains headed for
1:33:50your bombardment zone. 200 plus frost
1:33:53giants in snow camo outfits.
1:33:56Strength unknown. Carl broadcast.
1:34:00Received.
1:34:02It was probably better that Dalton let
1:34:04go of the mic button at that point. It
1:34:07would never do to curse that much over
1:34:08open airwaves.
1:34:10The sound of artillery shelling the area
1:34:12continued all night. And then just after
1:34:15dawn, the sound of frost giant war horns
1:34:17blared across the north end of the
1:34:19valley, interrupting breakfast and
1:34:21causing the radio communications to go
1:34:23crazy. Carl had left his earpiece out so
1:34:26that everyone could hear the radio
1:34:27during the night in case the frost
1:34:29giants attacked early, but from the
1:34:31sound of the broadcasts, their
1:34:33reinforcements were just arriving.
1:34:35The bunkers had greatly reduced their
1:34:37casualties last night, and with the
1:34:39addition of hundreds more warriors, the
1:34:41frost giants were preparing a charge on
1:34:43the south end of the valley, which would
1:34:45put them in position to flank the main
1:34:46army lines. The problem for Carl and his
1:34:50team was that the shelling continued, so
1:34:52they couldn't safely approach the giants
1:34:53to get to work. "Hawk, fly up and
1:34:56doublech checkck the area. I want to be
1:34:58absolutely certain that nothing is
1:35:00trying to come down this valley before
1:35:02we leave," he instructed.
1:35:05First, Hawk flew south to make sure that
1:35:08nothing got by them in the night, as
1:35:10unlikely as that was. Then, he headed
1:35:13north up the valley, where only 10 km
1:35:15from the camp, he found a large group of
1:35:17the giants in white building rock,
1:35:19hurling siege weapons and building
1:35:21barricades.
1:35:22Carl checked that against his map and
1:35:24found that the location should be the
1:35:26Golden Dragon Nation side of the neutral
1:35:28zone or contested zone between the two
1:35:30countries. The lake that was directly
1:35:33behind their barriers had been the
1:35:34boundary marked on the map. The army
1:35:37almost certainly wouldn't want to push
1:35:39that far, and if they were setting up
1:35:41artillery, the frost giants weren't
1:35:43going anywhere. The river wouldn't
1:35:45support the weight, and it was too much
1:35:47trouble to have to disassemble and
1:35:49reassemble them for half a morning's
1:35:50march.
1:35:52But as Hawk circled back, he saw that
1:35:54the group at the lake wasn't the only
1:35:56one that was digging in for a long
1:35:57battle. On the other side of the ridge,
1:36:00the frost giants were building a massive
1:36:02ice fortification within their raging
1:36:04blizzard, visible to the keen eyes of
1:36:06Hawk, only because they weren't trying
1:36:07to hide it from the back. Carl sent in
1:36:10the message and got back a quick
1:36:12response,
1:36:14not from the battalion commander, as he
1:36:16had expected, but from the mainline's
1:36:18regional command. Please remain on sight
1:36:21to secure the secondary valley against
1:36:23enemy incursion. Reinforcing troops have
1:36:26been delayed. They informed him.
1:36:29Understood. We will be holding our
1:36:31monitoring position. Carl looked at the
1:36:34others and shrugged.
1:36:36Well, we're up the side of a hill in the
1:36:38trees where we can see half the valley.
1:36:41I would say that's a good enough
1:36:43position for what they want, and we can
1:36:45just wait here where it's warm until we
1:36:48get other directions. Hawk and Ray can
1:36:50take turns watching for movement and we
1:36:52can all stay well rested. I know that
1:36:55we're not military, so we can
1:36:56theoretically decline the order, but it
1:36:58wouldn't hurt to wait here and see what
1:37:00happens next. Tessa laughed. If we move
1:37:04and something comes down the valley to
1:37:06cause problems for them, you know that
1:37:08we're going to hear it from the high
1:37:09priests as well. They despise it when
1:37:12they get messages complaining about the
1:37:14actions of their clergy, and they're
1:37:16already stressed by the current
1:37:17situation.
1:37:18Lotus might be used to getting yelled at
1:37:20all the time, but I prefer to avoid it.
1:37:24Lotus giggled at the insinuation, but
1:37:26Tessa was right. She got yelled at on a
1:37:29fairly regular basis for getting
1:37:31sidetracked when she wasn't with a green
1:37:32dragon or other type of nature priest.
1:37:35They got sidetracked just as much as she
1:37:38did. The artillery never slowed, only
1:37:41staggered its rhythm so that the enemy
1:37:43wouldn't find it as easy to predict. The
1:37:46sound carried through the mountain
1:37:47valleys, impossible to escape as the
1:37:49battle raged on. The frost giants were
1:37:52active on the main line, charging
1:37:54forward to eliminate artillery imp
1:37:56placements and scout bunkers. But in
1:37:58their valley, the enemy line was
1:38:00stationary. The big fear of everyone,
1:38:03both in command and in the fort with
1:38:05Carl, was that this was just a buildup.
1:38:08that the main line would get fully
1:38:10engaged and that would be the signal for
1:38:12the troops that had built up along the
1:38:13secondary valleys to move into combat.
1:38:16But they couldn't put that over the
1:38:18radio or they would be accused of trying
1:38:20to damage morale. So they had to wait
1:38:22and watch as the hours passed and the
1:38:24two positions that they could scout
1:38:25remained patient and the battle along
1:38:27the main lines intensified.
1:38:29At dark, Hawk returned to the fort to
1:38:32rest inside and out of the cold, while
1:38:34Ry went out to scout and made herself a
1:38:36secondary fort up near the ridge and
1:38:38built into a tree. It kept the wind off
1:38:41her and allowed her to see both the end
1:38:43of the valley and the main valley's
1:38:44access route, though she couldn't see
1:38:46the actual fortress built there. It was
1:38:49enough to be able to see if anything was
1:38:51moving in their own zone, as the army
1:38:53already had scouts all over the hills
1:38:55lining the other valley. To Ray's eyes,
1:38:58the frost giants were the opposite of
1:39:00what most living things should be. A
1:39:02mass of cold in the distance, not
1:39:04freezing, but much colder than most
1:39:06living things. If the weather wasn't so
1:39:09frigid, they would be hard for her to
1:39:10spot, as they would blend into the
1:39:12background temperature variation. But as
1:39:14it was, she was certain she wouldn't
1:39:16miss them if they moved. Near dawn,
1:39:19right when night patrols would be
1:39:21switching for morning patrols among the
1:39:23human armies, the radio reports of
1:39:25massive movement among the front lines
1:39:27began. The frost giants were beginning
1:39:29their full offensive, accompanied by ice
1:39:32magic enchanted boulders that smashed
1:39:34apart artillery wagons and brought area
1:39:36freezing magic with them that both
1:39:37damaged the infantry and caused blinding
1:39:40snow. With the blinding snow, the rest
1:39:43of the forces couldn't see what was
1:39:44coming for them, and the reports were
1:39:46rather grim, with an entire armored
1:39:48battalion reported lost in the first
1:39:50hour. That was 70 km from where Carl and
1:39:53the others were, too far for them to do
1:39:56anything about it, but close enough that
1:39:57it made them paranoid about what might
1:39:59happen to their positions. If the main
1:40:02line was breached or forced to retreat,
1:40:04that would put the unit under Commander
1:40:06Dalton behind enemy lines. That was not
1:40:09where an artillery battalion wanted to
1:40:11be, and he would have trouble even
1:40:12retreating with such a large unit and so
1:40:15much heavy equipment. If they leave one
1:40:17behind, I want an artillery, Thor
1:40:20announced, thinking of ways that he
1:40:22could pull one of the wheeled cannon
1:40:24batteries for long ranged combat. What's
1:40:27this? You've gone for tank position and
1:40:30the healer role, and now you want to be
1:40:32artillery, too, Carl joked. Remy is just
1:40:36a tiny snake. How could she take up our
1:40:39ranged combat role all by herself?
1:40:42Well, by herself or with Hawk if he
1:40:44doesn't have to scout, Thor asked. Hawk
1:40:48silently laughed at the thought of an
1:40:49overgrown afternoon snack becoming their
1:40:51ranged damage member, but refrained from
1:40:53saying anything that might make Thor
1:40:55sad. He was excited about helping, so
1:40:58Hawk let him have it. Thor's idea made
1:41:01good sense to Remy. She wasn't even big
1:41:04enough to see over people. She had to
1:41:06hide in Carl's armor or in her space
1:41:08just so she could see to cast her
1:41:10spells. If she was a flying snake, she
1:41:13could do like Hawk and target them from
1:41:15above. But her minor water control only
1:41:18allowed her to make simple appendages,
1:41:20not wings. But one day she would be big
1:41:23and then she would be able to see
1:41:24everything in her swamp. We just need to
1:41:27teach her a new skill so she can see
1:41:29further. if she could find targets when
1:41:32they were further away, Remy could be
1:41:34our tiny blue artillery snake. Hawk
1:41:37suggested, hoping to keep Thor happy,
1:41:39even if they couldn't get an artillery.
1:41:42That didn't sound like a bad idea to
1:41:44Remy. She just didn't know how she was
1:41:47going to do it. Maybe if her water
1:41:49control was better, she might be able to
1:41:51sense what her blizzard was hitting, and
1:41:53then she could target more spells
1:41:55without needing to see them. As an added
1:41:57benefit, she would know where everything
1:41:59in her swamp was. She just had to find
1:42:02someone who knew how to teach her that
1:42:04skill. Or have Carl torture one of the
1:42:07frost giants until they told him. The
1:42:10frost giants should know. Only nobody
1:42:13spoke frost giant. Learning was hard,
1:42:16Remy decided.
1:42:18For the first few hours, it almost
1:42:20seemed like they were going to be able
1:42:21to repel the frost giant attack. But
1:42:23then the units that had arrived in the
1:42:25snow made their move. 300 white robed
1:42:28and hooded commander rank frost giants
1:42:30appeared from the storm and rampaged
1:42:32through the main lines of the Golden
1:42:34Dragon army's formation.
1:42:36All secondary units, this is a general
1:42:38retreat. All secondary units, this is a
1:42:42general retreat. Form at checkpoint
1:42:45bravo for counterattack.
1:42:47the radio repeated. Hawk, is that
1:42:50causing Commander Dalton to move? Carl
1:42:53asked. They are already packing up their
1:42:56gear. It doesn't look like they are
1:42:59planning to leave a cannon for Thor, but
1:43:01we might get lucky. Hulk replied,
1:43:04"Canon? Cannon? Cannon?" Thor cheered
1:43:08while Ray and Remy laughed at his
1:43:10optimism. "That doesn't sound good."
1:43:14Tessa sighed as the radio went silent to
1:43:16allow the units to relay their progress.
1:43:19It's not. The armored battalion is
1:43:22retreating. We could probably make it
1:43:25back to them if we ran, assuming that
1:43:27the frost giants aren't moving. But if
1:43:29they come down this valley and we're not
1:43:31here, things will get bad very fast for
1:43:34the infantry.
1:43:35Carl replied. While a general retreat
1:43:38order did give them permission to leave,
1:43:40the fact they were the only ones
1:43:42blocking an entire valley meant that it
1:43:44might also lead to mass casualties.
1:43:46Tessa's eyes glowed red for a moment
1:43:48before she smiled. How much attention do
1:43:51you think that the frost giants are
1:43:53paying to their border patrol? I get the
1:43:56feeling that they have good stuff just
1:43:57waiting there for us to take it. Her
1:44:00eyes were glowing with the influence of
1:44:02the red dragon, and everyone in the
1:44:03group knew that meant the odds were
1:44:05excellent that she was right. Either
1:44:07there was good loot or a strategically
1:44:09beneficial fight. The war god wouldn't
1:44:12be interested if there were neither of
1:44:13them present. I will send Hawk to see
1:44:16what the next valley is doing before we
1:44:18move. If they're advancing, we will move
1:44:21north toward the border. If we're lucky,
1:44:24it might make them hesitate and save
1:44:26some of the artillery battalion.
1:44:28Carl agreed. Hawk soared out over the
1:44:31mountain peaks, looking down over the
1:44:33next valley where the frost giants were
1:44:35beginning to get up out of their bunkers
1:44:37now that the artillery had stopped. They
1:44:40were forming up for a charge, which
1:44:42would be faster than the infantry, which
1:44:44didn't have enough transport trucks to
1:44:45leave except on foot. They're forming up
1:44:48for a charge. If we leave now, they
1:44:51should be about halfway down the valley
1:44:53when the alarm goes up that we're
1:44:54attacking the border defense teams. Carl
1:44:57informed the others. Dana gritted her
1:45:00teeth and nodded. Let's do this. How bad
1:45:05is the battle at the border going to be?
1:45:07Carl thought back to what Hawk had seen.
1:45:10Bad, but nothing that we can't handle.
1:45:14Just keep your shields up so that the
1:45:16ranged team members don't eat a boulder
1:45:18to the face from the catapults.
1:45:20They all grabbed their packs and Carl
1:45:22led them down to the river. There was a
1:45:25bend just 50 m from the frost giant
1:45:27lines which would hide them from view
1:45:29until they were close enough to attack.
1:45:32That was when he would start the charge
1:45:34and with a bit of luck. Their shields
1:45:36would hold long enough. There was no
1:45:38cover in front of the line. It was all
1:45:40knocked down and removed so they would
1:45:42have to come through the open no matter
1:45:44what tactic they wanted to use.
1:45:47Lotus caught a ride on Ray while Dana
1:45:49hopped up behind Tessa on Thor, which
1:45:51brought the speed of the group up to
1:45:53Thor's full running speed. With her
1:45:55strength enhanced, Oilia had no problem
1:45:58keeping up with the lightning, and Carl
1:46:00was faster than either of them. The
1:46:03deployment would put everyone in the
1:46:04right spot when the fight started, with
1:46:06Dana's golems forming up around Thor,
1:46:08while Ry brought her own out a little
1:46:10further down the line as a distraction.
1:46:13They were the most deadly in the group,
1:46:15so the frost giants wouldn't be able to
1:46:16ignore them, and that would turn them
1:46:18away from Thor and the others. A few
1:46:21extra seconds should be all they needed
1:46:23for Carl to stun the more vulnerable
1:46:25members and give them an early
1:46:26advantage. I will distract them away
1:46:29from your advance.
1:46:31Good luck, everyone, and I will see you
1:46:33in a minute." Carl instructed as they
1:46:35got close to the final corner. While the
1:46:38group went left, he moved to the right
1:46:40through the woods and prepared to shoot
1:46:42the frost giants that were immediately
1:46:44in front of the main group. He was the
1:46:47first one out into the open, and his
1:46:48arrow was loose before anyone had seen
1:46:51him, plunging straight into the heart of
1:46:52an unprepared ascended rank frost giant.
1:46:56Stun hit the creature's heart directly,
1:46:58and the giant twitched as it hit the
1:47:00ground, dead. That wasn't quite the
1:47:03plan, but Carl already had another arrow
1:47:05in the air, going for the giant beside
1:47:07the one that fell. To the defenders, it
1:47:10looked like he was taking out the
1:47:12reinforcements before he charged a weak
1:47:13spot in the line, and they began to
1:47:15shift positions while the rest of the
1:47:17group charged out of the woods. The
1:47:19distraction was just enough, and only
1:47:22three catapults managed to hurl ice
1:47:24magic infused boulders at the group as
1:47:26they charged. None of them were close
1:47:28enough to damage the group. firing
1:47:30hastily had cost the inattentive giants
1:47:32their advantage.
1:47:34Ray's golems appeared in their ranks,
1:47:36attacking without hesitation, while
1:47:38Dana's appeared a second later, flanking
1:47:40Thor as he knocked his target to the
1:47:42ground. Carl sent another round out,
1:47:45hitting the closest giant to him with
1:47:48chain lightning, which slowed the
1:47:49giant's response even further. Remy took
1:47:52that as her Q and cast a blizzard over
1:47:56the far side of the defensive line while
1:47:58using her own chain lightning on the
1:48:00closest giants. The ice element attack
1:48:04would do very little, if any, damage to
1:48:06the giants, but it would block their
1:48:08vision and stop them from using ranged
1:48:10attacks against the much smaller human
1:48:11attackers. The risk of hitting their own
1:48:14people while firing blind was too high.
1:48:17There was a whoop of victory and Carl
1:48:19saw Oilia in bear form hacking both arms
1:48:22off an ascended rank frost giant with
1:48:24her axes. Giant strength combined with
1:48:27the buffs of a bear totem berserker was
1:48:29a deadly combination and the small
1:48:31wooden totems on the ground were pulsing
1:48:33with energy as she fought. Carl let
1:48:36loose another arrow, catching a frost
1:48:38giant in the throat. It fumbled at the
1:48:41arrow as the lightning arked between it
1:48:42and those nearby. But the next arrow
1:48:44went straight to its chest, ending its
1:48:46struggle and leaving the others nearby
1:48:48staggering in pain. A sweep of the bow
1:48:51itself cut an arc of rend through the
1:48:54air, slicing the front of the giants
1:48:56open and dropping the weaker ones. For a
1:48:59moment, Carl had a clearing around him,
1:49:01so he turned his arrows on the frost
1:49:03giant commander headed for Thor. The
1:49:06creature moved with surprising speed,
1:49:08catching the arrow.
1:49:10Then it howled in rage as chain
1:49:12lightning activated and Carl smirked in
1:49:14his direction. That was what Carl was
1:49:17after, drawing the leader to himself.
1:49:20Even with Ry around, the others would
1:49:22have enough trouble with the frost
1:49:23giants. They had far too many commanders
1:49:26in their ranks, and Ry wouldn't be able
1:49:28to take them all out fast enough for the
1:49:30clerics to keep everyone healed
1:49:32indefinitely.
1:49:33Hawk's fireballs were raining down from
1:49:35above, causing immense pain wherever
1:49:37they landed. But he had learned his
1:49:39lesson, and he was far above the battle,
1:49:41out of range of any ice spike type
1:49:43attacks that might knock him out of the
1:49:45battle. Carl started to retreat toward
1:49:47the remainder of the group, intending to
1:49:49give Thor some reprieve while he could.
1:49:52But it appeared that the Sero didn't
1:49:54need it. The frost giants were having a
1:49:57hard time getting to the battle with
1:49:58Thor casting constant earthquakes and
1:50:00Lotus using her water vortex staff to
1:50:03create spinning water funnels that
1:50:05pulled them off their feet and knocked
1:50:06them to the ground.
1:50:08Ray's golems were showing no mercy,
1:50:10making full use of the spear skill that
1:50:13they had gained in the Naga dungeon to
1:50:15turn anything they couldn't reach into a
1:50:16pin cushion. As it was their only active
1:50:19skill, they didn't seem to have any
1:50:21issues firing them while fighting. Eight
1:50:24eyes that never blinked were a spider's
1:50:26great advantage, as they could see
1:50:28everything going on around them in a
1:50:29270° arc and fire spears at anything
1:50:33showing vulnerability.
1:50:35That's nearly 2 minutes to rejoin us.
1:50:38Lotus noted as Carl rejoined the group.
1:50:41But I saw you a minute ago, so it still
1:50:43counts," she added. Tessa's eyes were
1:50:47glowing red as she buffed the group with
1:50:49holy magic, adding damage to all their
1:50:51attacks, even Carl's lightning and the
1:50:53golem's blades. With the golems in
1:50:56place, Carl didn't have to switch back
1:50:58to his sword, but it was still
1:51:00transferring energy to the group from
1:51:01its spot on Oilia's back while she used
1:51:04her twin axes to block and attack at the
1:51:06same time. The giants were beginning to
1:51:08reform their lines, and Carl was
1:51:11considering giving the order to retreat
1:51:12as they worked together for a group
1:51:14spell. His stun couldn't deal with that
1:51:17many of them, and he wasn't certain what
1:51:19they were casting. He fired as fast as
1:51:22he could, targeting different areas of
1:51:24the group. But at the last second, a
1:51:26surge of golden holy energy surrounded
1:51:28them all, and the power radiating off
1:51:30Thor surged. The lightning sparrow had
1:51:33made it to the commander rank, and with
1:51:35it, his circle of protection and
1:51:37refreshing lightning barrier had
1:51:38improved the rank. Carl noticed that the
1:51:41golden streaks on Thor's scales were
1:51:43becoming more pronounced, and now his
1:51:45horns were beginning to turn golden from
1:51:47their natural ivory. looking fancy.
1:51:50Buddy, Carl laughed as a barrage of
1:51:53icicles slammed into the hastily erected
1:51:55barrier Dana had placed in front of them
1:51:57and then shattered against the barriers
1:51:59on their bodies. None of them took more
1:52:01than minor wounds, and these icicles
1:52:03weren't as insidious as the attacks of
1:52:05the Yeti clans, as they weren't trying
1:52:07to freeze them now that the damage was
1:52:09done. Tessa shouted in victory as the
1:52:12giants roared in frustration, but the
1:52:14battle was far from over. Carl's group
1:52:17was still vastly outnumbered, and most
1:52:19of what was left was the commander rank
1:52:21and the stronger ascended rank frost
1:52:23giants, who hadn't been annihilated by
1:52:25chain lightning or hawks fireballs.
1:52:28The water-hating bird was going insane
1:52:30overhead, launching fireballs as fast as
1:52:32he could, three at a time, into their
1:52:35ranks. They had ice barriers erected
1:52:38over themselves, but the fireballs
1:52:40weren't weak, and the barriers were
1:52:41having a difficult time keeping up with
1:52:43the incoming damage. Carl wasn't ready
1:52:46to rest yet. Even with the barrier
1:52:49refreshing them, Thor would run out of
1:52:50mana eventually, and they had to have
1:52:52the frost giants dead before then. Tessa
1:52:56was fully focused on offensive buffs and
1:52:58was mostly out of combat and not
1:53:00attracting attention, while Lotus was
1:53:02focused on keeping Thor and Ray at full
1:53:04efficiency.
1:53:05That meant Oilia had the worst of it,
1:53:08with Dana not far behind. Though the
1:53:10clerics were keeping them both fully
1:53:11healed, and they weren't showing any
1:53:13visible injuries, despite the splatters
1:53:15of red blood on Oilia's armor, the
1:53:18enraged berserker knocked both of a
1:53:20frost giant's arms wide, and Carl put an
1:53:23arrow into its forehead, shocking all
1:53:25the enemies gathered behind it with
1:53:27chain lightning. The berserker laughed
1:53:30as she charged into the body and tossed
1:53:32it backwards to get it more targets. But
1:53:35Carl noticed that she carefully stopped
1:53:37before she got out of range of Thor's
1:53:38circle of protection. The giants had no
1:53:41problem coming to her. And now that the
1:53:43group was getting surrounded again, it
1:53:45was getting easier to shock large
1:53:47groups, slowing them to the point that
1:53:49they were barely effective fighters
1:53:50against the speed of the spider golems.
1:53:53Stun was an option, but as it only
1:53:55affected a single target, it was less
1:53:57effective in a group fight where slowing
1:54:00everything made life easier for the
1:54:01offense than stunning one target. While
1:54:04they focused on hurting and eliminating
1:54:06the frost giants, Hawk had set fire to
1:54:08all the wooden siege weapons that the
1:54:10frost giants had constructed. And the
1:54:12orange glow was giving the blowing snow
1:54:14a hazy look like street lights on a
1:54:16foggy morning. At the very least, that
1:54:19would make it safer to retreat if it
1:54:20became necessary.
1:54:22Lotus whistled to get his attention and
1:54:24pointed toward her staff. I need time to
1:54:27recharge.
1:54:29That meant no more water funnels, but
1:54:31the number of enemies was dropping
1:54:33rapidly.
1:54:34Carl realized that something had changed
1:54:36and the enemies were dying much faster
1:54:38than they should have been given the
1:54:40group composition. Commander on
1:54:42commander, it generally took five or six
1:54:45solid hits per enemy to disable your
1:54:47target, but the back ranks were nearly
1:54:49completely gone. He knew he had missed
1:54:52something, but not what until the last
1:54:54of the frost giants turned and ran back
1:54:56into the hills with Hawk in hot pursuit.
1:54:58His fireballs were burning straight
1:55:00through their armor and into their
1:55:02bodies, causing massive damage even to
1:55:04commander ranked giants. Carl thought he
1:55:07might have learned a new skill to
1:55:09optimize himself against water or ice
1:55:11element targets, but a nagging feeling
1:55:13in his mind brought his attention to his
1:55:15status.
1:55:16Skill master rank two activation. Flame
1:55:19body skill advanced to royal rank by
1:55:21Hawk. He actually hated ice magic so
1:55:24much that he had forced his flame body
1:55:26skill to the royal rank so soon after
1:55:28reaching commander rank just to spite
1:55:30the frost giants.
1:55:32Never again would Carl underestimate the
1:55:34benefits of the beasts having an
1:55:36emotional attachment to their
1:55:37advancement.
1:55:39But more importantly, now that the
1:55:41advancement was complete, Carl could
1:55:43feel the shared skill advancing as well.
1:55:46The retreating frost giants were too far
1:55:48for him to hit with an arrow already,
1:55:50but the next time they were in combat,
1:55:52he would have to try to use the improved
1:55:54skill in melee combat. Tessa made a
1:55:56pleased noise as she looked around the
1:55:58battlefield.
1:56:00Well, that was more than enough to keep
1:56:02the war dragon happy. Plus, it looks
1:56:05like we made a pretty good hall today.
1:56:07There are plenty of magical items on the
1:56:09battlefield for everyone to take their
1:56:11pick. Everyone spread out and collected
1:56:14all the potentially magical items that
1:56:16they could. And then Tessa dumped out
1:56:18the bag of weapons that Thor had been
1:56:20carrying around, which had been dropped
1:56:21in the trees when they charged. We
1:56:24should have time before anything gets
1:56:26close enough to give us trouble. So, I
1:56:29will identify everything and we can try
1:56:31to bond what works best for us. It looks
1:56:34like we're behind enemy lines. So, if
1:56:36there is anything that might even be a
1:56:38little improvement, don't hold back. The
1:56:41red dragon priestess reminded them there
1:56:44had to be 50 pieces of gear in front of
1:56:46them that had been identified as
1:56:47possibly useful, not counting the ones
1:56:49that had been tossed to the side as too
1:56:51damaged to be salvaged. Oilia passed
1:56:54Carl's sword back to him as she found
1:56:56another two-handed blade. This one with
1:56:58a proper life leech effect so she would
1:57:00heal as she attacked. For a berserker,
1:57:03that was definitely close to optimal
1:57:05gearing. She also found a few pieces of
1:57:08commander rank armor and a ring of fire
1:57:10resistance. Not that it would do her
1:57:12much good here. Lotus and Tessa both
1:57:15managed to finish upgrading their armor
1:57:17to commander rank, while Dana claimed an
1:57:20ice barrier ring that added strength to
1:57:22her already impressive advanced barrier
1:57:24spell. Carl found a ring of agility and
1:57:27a set of bracers that improved damage
1:57:29reduction. They were an odd-looking
1:57:31bunch now, as they were all wearing the
1:57:33frost giant's preferred boots with fur
1:57:35trim. as well as commander rank leather
1:57:37pants with mismatched armor pieces.
1:57:40Tessa and Lotus hid them mostly under
1:57:42their robes and new white cloaks, while
1:57:45Dana hid them under her mage dress and a
1:57:47large fur cloak with a hood. Carl and
1:57:50Oilia had found fur trimmed cloaks that
1:57:52helped resist cold damage and cold
1:57:54weather. More than anything, they looked
1:57:57like they were from one of the Arctic
1:57:58barbarian tribes. Those didn't live
1:58:01anywhere on this continent, but Carl had
1:58:03read about them in school and saw
1:58:05pictures. They were one of the stories
1:58:07that teachers told about human
1:58:09resiliency.
1:58:11Well, at least we're all warm now."
1:58:13Lotus giggled as she looked around at
1:58:15the collection of white fur cloaks. Then
1:58:18she grabbed one of the excess cloaks,
1:58:20which were sized for frost giants until
1:58:22they were equipped, and tied it around
1:58:24Thor's neck. It didn't bond to the
1:58:27lightning sero, but it did cover him in
1:58:29a huge fur blanket that matched the
1:58:31snow. That would make it easier to sneak
1:58:34up on future enemies, and it was a
1:58:36commander ranked piece of beast fur, so
1:58:38it would resist some wear and tear
1:58:40without issue. Ry took one look at it,
1:58:43then adjusted her body color to match
1:58:45the cloak and lay on top of Thor with a
1:58:47happy buzz of her mandibles. He was like
1:58:50a giant pillow now that he was covered
1:58:52in fur. Now we just need to pick weapons
1:58:55and we should be good to go. There has
1:58:58to be enough commander rank weapons
1:58:59there for all of us. Oilia had already
1:59:02grabbed one while the others looked
1:59:04dubiously at the assortment of clubs,
1:59:06massive sword, and other weapons. If
1:59:09they didn't adjust to human-sized, they
1:59:12would all be useless to them. Dana
1:59:14hesitantly picked up a dagger the size
1:59:16of a shortsord, and after a moment of
1:59:18concentration, it vanished, then
1:59:21returned a dagger-sized in her hand.
1:59:23"Oh, that's a relief. I have no skills
1:59:27with a sword, but I can use a knife well
1:59:29enough." She sighed. Carl looked over
1:59:33the pile with his hand on the hilt of
1:59:35the vampiric sword. Most of the weapons
1:59:37he got close to produced a repulsion
1:59:39effect. But when he got to the far side,
1:59:42where a massive mall with a blue
1:59:43crystallin head on it was sitting, he
1:59:45nearly got dragged off his feet by the
1:59:47attraction between the two weapons.
1:59:49Carl put the sword away and hefted the
1:59:51mall, which instantly adjusted to be
1:59:53just over 2 m tall and comfortably
1:59:56usable with a double dose of giant
1:59:58strength items. That seemed a bit
2:00:00excessive, but when he noticed the stats
2:00:02on the weapon, he decided it might be
2:00:04worth it. Crystal Mall of Resonance
2:00:07applies the effect of spells imbued into
2:00:09an attack up to five times when a strike
2:00:11lands. There were still so many weapons
2:00:14left over that it would be a shame to
2:00:16discard them for the enemy, but none of
2:00:18the ones that remained appealed to any
2:00:20of the group members. Why don't we have
2:00:22Ray make a fort back in the trees and we
2:00:24can load the excess into that so we can
2:00:27come back for it later? We can't keep
2:00:29carrying everything we find. There is
2:00:31just too much. But we can hide the good
2:00:34stuff and destroy the rest or bury it
2:00:37here. So whoever comes looking will be
2:00:39convinced that's all that there was.
2:00:41Lotus suggested.
2:00:43That's a brilliant idea. All right. We
2:00:46will have Ry find a good hiding spot for
2:00:48the excess loot and we will bury the
2:00:50rest then burn the bodies. We don't need
2:00:53to fill the entire valley with
2:00:55scavengers looking for a commander rank
2:00:57meal. Carl decided with the flaming body
2:01:01barrier over his folding shovel. It only
2:01:03took a few minutes to dig a hole in the
2:01:05frozen ground deep enough to bury all
2:01:07the excess weapons that were either
2:01:08heavily damaged or just not great
2:01:10quality. Ry took the rest back into the
2:01:13trees and unknown distance and created a
2:01:15cocoon to hide the loot in. While she
2:01:18was finishing her work, the team
2:01:20listened to the radio messages. The
2:01:22artillery battalion under commander
2:01:24Dalton had made it safely out of the
2:01:26secondary valley, but were briefly
2:01:28engaged with a frost giant scouting unit
2:01:30as they rejoined the main line at the
2:01:32fallback point. Casualties were light
2:01:35and the unit was still mobile while the
2:01:37frost giants had stopped at the mouth of
2:01:39the valley and had begun erecting new
2:01:41fortifications.
2:01:43That left the valley scouts taking the
2:01:45hard way out of the hills that they had
2:01:46set up on, but that was to be expected
2:01:48with such a rapid retreat.
2:01:51Unfortunately, while they could rejoin
2:01:53the main lines once they got to the west
2:01:55side of the mountains, there were three
2:01:56units trapped well behind the enemy
2:01:58lines. Two were forward observation
2:02:01units led by commander rank elites, and
2:02:04one was Carl's team. Team 95988,
2:02:08continue scouting operations where
2:02:10possible. Enemy intelligence from your
2:02:13location is invaluable.
2:02:15The regional command center informed
2:02:17them. Carl confirmed the order and then
2:02:20laughed. Well, it's not like we've got
2:02:23many options here. Hawk says that
2:02:26nothing is chasing after us from the
2:02:27larger valley, but they've fortified
2:02:29again between us and the main lines. So,
2:02:31we either go the long way around or we
2:02:33follow the river along the border and
2:02:35see what we can find. Do we go behind
2:02:38the main lines or further away from the
2:02:40battle? Tessa asked. That was a good
2:02:44question. Well, further into the
2:02:47mountains, and we very well could find
2:02:49ourselves cut off and trapped. But
2:02:51behind the main lines will be the supply
2:02:53lines. That many giants are going to
2:02:56need a lot of food. So, we might be able
2:02:58to do some good if we can strike fast
2:03:00and return to a hiding spot, Carl
2:03:03offered. Everyone was quiet, thinking
2:03:06about which way they would prefer to go
2:03:08when the radio crackled to life. Team
2:03:1162345
2:03:12is under heavy attack by white cloaked
2:03:14frost giant special forces attempting to
2:03:18retreat east toward the border from grid
2:03:20B3 sector 8. Carl checked the map and
2:03:23that was only a few kilome to their west
2:03:26between them and the main lines.
2:03:28Everyone pack up and get ready to move.
2:03:31We will go give them a hand, he
2:03:34instructed.
2:03:36Ry quickly rejoined the party, letting
2:03:38Lotus take up her riding position aboard
2:03:40the spider's back, while Tessa and Dana
2:03:42climbed aboard Thor. They ran toward the
2:03:45battle, not worrying about the noise
2:03:47that they were causing, though Carl was
2:03:49running silently thanks to his skill.
2:03:52The noise of the elites and the frost
2:03:53giants in battle was loud enough that
2:03:55they didn't need Hawk to tell them
2:03:56exactly where they were going. So, the
2:03:58scout was instead circling the area,
2:04:00making sure they were the only
2:04:02reinforcements that were going to show
2:04:03up to the party. It looks like it's just
2:04:06two scout groups fighting it out. Hawk
2:04:09informed them as Carl got close to the
2:04:11battle. "Perfect.
2:04:14Now it's time to see what your advanced
2:04:16flaming body can do with the shiny
2:04:18crystal hammer I just got," Carl
2:04:20replied.
2:04:22Charging five spells into it at once
2:04:24took more energy than he had been
2:04:25expecting. But the weapon was primed and
2:04:28ready to go when they entered the
2:04:29clearing and found that the human team
2:04:31was one high priest in white robes and
2:04:33four mages. Who had picked that
2:04:36composition was a mystery to Carl, but
2:04:38it was not a good combination to fight
2:04:40the frost giants. All five of the giants
2:04:43were not only commander rank, all five
2:04:45of them were well into the commander
2:04:47rank as well. The white cloaks that
2:04:49blended into the storms appeared to mark
2:04:51the most competent of warriors, and the
2:04:53giants were startled to see Carl
2:04:55charging in their livery. One of the
2:04:57mages had five blue orbs active, firing
2:05:00magic missiles at a furious rate, a
2:05:02trick that was rather familiar to Carl.
2:05:05One of the mages at the academy knew
2:05:07that spell, and she had shown it off
2:05:09during the first week they were training
2:05:11Hawk with the mages. As he got close,
2:05:14Carl realized it wasn't just a familiar
2:05:16spell. It was Tori, the ascended ranked
2:05:19blonde mage from the senior class that
2:05:21was using her signature spell here. The
2:05:24magic missiles put the frost giants on
2:05:26the defensive, and Carl slammed the
2:05:28crystal maul into the closest giant's
2:05:30chest. The head of the hammer pulsed
2:05:32five times in rapid succession, like the
2:05:35pulse arc welders that they used to fix
2:05:37mining equipment back home, and the
2:05:39enormous monster was thrown clear across
2:05:41the battlefield to crumple against a
2:05:43tree. The sight shocked the humans even
2:05:45more than it did the frost giants, and
2:05:48one of the mages had his barrier
2:05:49shattered when he delayed a bit too
2:05:51long. The sound of breaking bones was a
2:05:54sickening one, but a golden glow was
2:05:56already surrounding him as his team's
2:05:57cleric got to work. "Don't you have
2:06:00golems?" Dana shouted as she summoned
2:06:03hers to fight the giants. Rays were
2:06:06already in combat, and Hawk was sending
2:06:08down a rain of fire from above. It
2:06:11wouldn't be long before the situation
2:06:13was under control, but it made no sense
2:06:15that they didn't have any golems out if
2:06:17they didn't have defensive warriors. The
2:06:19cleric pointed to the far side of the
2:06:21group where two exhausted mages were
2:06:23doing their best to avoid attacks and
2:06:25keep their barriers up. That was enough
2:06:28for Dana to understand that yes, they
2:06:30did have Golem mages, but the frost
2:06:32giants were too smart for that trick,
2:06:34and they had targeted them first,
2:06:36exhausting them and draining their mana.
2:06:39Lightning next, Remy shouted in Carl's
2:06:41mind as he approached a weary frost
2:06:43giant. This time, he only put three
2:06:46charges of chain lightning in to test
2:06:48the theory of whether the stunning
2:06:50effect stacked while saving some energy.
2:06:53It was harder to hit the giant with a
2:06:55huge and slow maul, and it wasn't going
2:06:57to try to take the hit for a chance to
2:06:59counterattack after seeing what happened
2:07:00to its friend. So, the first six tries
2:07:03were parried before Carl managed to get
2:07:04a swing up and under the warrior's
2:07:06guard, only lightly clipping its hip,
2:07:08but enough to activate chain lightning.
2:07:11The power arked between the four
2:07:13remaining giants, which twitched a
2:07:15little, but weren't slowed any more than
2:07:17one strike had. They were smoking and
2:07:19visibly blackened at the point of
2:07:21contact, so the damage was all there,
2:07:23but the stun effect didn't appear to be
2:07:25any worse. The reprieve was enough for
2:07:28the mages to regain some mana and catch
2:07:30their breath, which allowed them to
2:07:32bring back two more ascended rank
2:07:33golems. That wasn't going to do much in
2:07:36this fight as they weren't enhanced in
2:07:38any way like Dana or Ray's golems were,
2:07:41and they were still a rank below the
2:07:42enemy, but it was a good shield to hold
2:07:44the frost giants in place while the
2:07:46spider golems and hawks flames dealt
2:07:48with them. Their cleric enhanced the
2:07:50golems with a golden holy blessing,
2:07:52increasing their armor and attack power
2:07:54to commander rank, as was done for
2:07:56regular human soldiers on the line. That
2:07:59gave the ambush team a bit more of a
2:08:01chance, but the high priest's blessing
2:08:03simply wouldn't have been enough for two
2:08:05golems to take on five commander ranked
2:08:07giants. The giants were quickly
2:08:10dispatched, and the high priest came
2:08:12over to give Carl a grateful hug that
2:08:13made Lotus laugh. Thank you, commander.
2:08:18We were in real trouble when those five
2:08:20happened upon us at the end of a fight.
2:08:22We have heard much about you and your
2:08:24team of monsters and beauties. The high
2:08:27priest informed him. Carl smiled. You
2:08:31hear that, Ry? He says you're a beauty.
2:08:35Now Lotus was laughing so hard she was
2:08:37holding her sides while Ry stood up a
2:08:39little taller and suddenly wiped the
2:08:41blue frost giant blood off her limbs in
2:08:43the snow. She was still covered in it.
2:08:46Blood was splattered on every part of
2:08:48her body, but it was a small
2:08:49improvement. The cleric was obviously
2:08:52confused as to who Rey was and why he
2:08:55was being laughed at, but at that
2:08:57moment, it really didn't matter. He was
2:09:00safe. Nobody was dead, and the frost
2:09:02giant threat was ended for a moment. Ry
2:09:05returned to her space, leaving the blood
2:09:07behind, then came back out clean and
2:09:09fluffy. Well, as fluffy as she got, as
2:09:13her fur was rather stiff and not as
2:09:15thick as a furry mammals. The high
2:09:18priest smiled as he realized the beast
2:09:20was doing the equivalent of getting
2:09:21dressed up to meet them and decided
2:09:23formal introductions were in order. I am
2:09:26high priest George of the main faith. I
2:09:29believe you already know Tori, who is an
2:09:31ascended ranked senior at the academy,
2:09:33and these are Yuri, Petrov, and Ivan,"
2:09:37he explained, gesturing to each in
2:09:39order. Tori was a blonde who even in
2:09:42this cold was still showing cleavage
2:09:45while the other three mages were all
2:09:46similar in their skinny and acne riddled
2:09:48appearance as young men at the ascended
2:09:50rank. They should be past the youthful
2:09:53acne phase but for them it had lingered
2:09:56well into their 20s. Carl, Dana, Oilia,
2:10:00Sister Tessa and Sister Lotus.
2:10:03Carl introduced
2:10:05for a second. Carl thought that Tori
2:10:07looked jealous, but she was in the
2:10:09mirror of his position, the only woman
2:10:11in an all-male group instead of the only
2:10:13man in an all-female group. Maybe it was
2:10:16the group composition she was jealous
2:10:18of. Hawk came down to land on Dana's
2:10:21backpack, and the mage gently stroked
2:10:23his head while Lotus climbed up on Ray's
2:10:26back. Carl looked at the other group who
2:10:29were still recovering from the battle
2:10:30and too exhausted to go far. What are
2:10:34your plans? Are you going to head back
2:10:36to the main lines or are you going to
2:10:38remain out here behind the lines and
2:10:40keep hunting? I know you had a tough
2:10:42break with your position during the
2:10:44fallback order, but with a bit of
2:10:45effort, I'm sure you can dodge the
2:10:47wandering frost giant patrols.
2:10:50He asked. High Priest George looked at
2:10:53Carl like he was crazy. You're planning
2:10:56to stay out here. We're behind the frost
2:10:59giant lines. If we get attacked, there's
2:11:02nobody else to come help. We didn't know
2:11:05you were nearby, but the other groups
2:11:07are together on the far side of the
2:11:08line, a whole day's walk from here. Carl
2:11:12nodded. Yeah, we've got things to do out
2:11:15here, and we have been asked to see if
2:11:16we can find out what is causing the
2:11:18change in temperature before we head
2:11:20back. If you have any ideas, that would
2:11:23be great, but the temperature seems to
2:11:25be dropping before the frost giants
2:11:26appear, so it has to be some sort of
2:11:28area effect. The mages all looked a
2:11:31little traumatized, and Carl knew that
2:11:33they wanted to just go home and not be
2:11:35out here anymore. That may or may not be
2:11:38an option for them, but at the least, he
2:11:40could help them get to the human lines.
2:11:43Why don't we help escort you south, and
2:11:45then you can make a run across the open
2:11:47ground between the lines. The frost
2:11:50giants shouldn't chase you, and you'll
2:11:51be back in the safety of the main force,
2:11:54he suggested.
2:11:56And how do you plan to get away after
2:11:58you help us get past the main line?
2:12:00They're not going to just let you walk
2:12:02by. Tori asked. Carl smiled and the
2:12:07mages shuddered a little at the aura of
2:12:08a predator that he gave off. I think
2:12:11that we can handle ourselves long enough
2:12:13to get out of sight. The other group
2:12:15shared a concerned look, then shook
2:12:17their heads before High Priest George
2:12:19answered. I think it's better to merge
2:12:22the groups until there is a better
2:12:23opportunity to rejoin the main force. We
2:12:27will assist with your mission and the
2:12:28extra numbers should make it safer for
2:12:30everyone. Carl wasn't convinced that was
2:12:33true. The other group didn't look all
2:12:35that competent, but telling them that
2:12:37would probably lead to a bout of severe
2:12:39depression and someone doing something
2:12:40stupid to prove themselves in combat.
2:12:43All right, welcome to the party. What is
2:12:46everyone's specialty? I recall that Tori
2:12:49uses orbs that fire multiple magic
2:12:51missiles, but what is everyone else good
2:12:53at? He asked. One of the mages, Yuri
2:12:58Carl thought, gave him a rofal smile.
2:13:01We're all fire element specialists who
2:13:03know the golem spell. In theory, it
2:13:06should be as good as having three
2:13:08warriors with us, but that group just
2:13:10demolished the golems. Dana frowned.
2:13:14They're a whole rank higher than you. Do
2:13:17any of you know durable constructs or an
2:13:19upgraded barrier spell instead of the
2:13:21basic one? They all shook their heads in
2:13:24shame. Carl shrugged. All right, I see
2:13:28where the issue is. The special forces
2:13:31team, as you called them, simply
2:13:33outmatched you, even though you had the
2:13:35right basic stats for the mission. We
2:13:38can't teach you new spells right now,
2:13:40but with three more golems and three
2:13:42more fire spells, we should not have any
2:13:44troubles with future teams. Of course,
2:13:47he had a royal rank, flaming body,
2:13:50ability of his own, plus hawks
2:13:52fireballs.
2:13:53While the skill was a rank higher, his
2:13:56own mana output wasn't quite up to the
2:13:58standard of a royal ranked mage or beast
2:14:00using it. So, the maximum output was
2:14:03limited, but it had greater penetration
2:14:05and mana efficiency than the commander
2:14:07rank version had managed. "What was that
2:14:10ability that you used to toss a frost
2:14:12giant across a clearing?" George asked.
2:14:16Ah, it's this fancy new hammer I got
2:14:18from some frost giants. It can stack an
2:14:21ability on it multiple times. It's
2:14:24brutal on the mana usage, but when
2:14:26multiple instances hit at once with the
2:14:28force of the mall and my upgraded
2:14:29strength, they fly pretty well. Tori
2:14:33looked Carl over. You don't look like
2:14:35the sort that got big strength increases
2:14:37from your class. Carl just shrugged, but
2:14:40Dana laughed. He didn't. He's got two
2:14:44giant strength items on and he could
2:14:46probably body slam a frost giant without
2:14:49using a skill. She explained.
2:14:53Speaking of which, check those bodies.
2:14:56The commander ranked giants usually have
2:14:58good stuff on them. Carl added. Tessa
2:15:02pointed to the bodies and take the
2:15:04cloaks. Not only are they warm, they
2:15:07blend in with the snow, so you aren't as
2:15:10easy to spot. If things get dangerous,
2:15:13we will bring up a snowstorm of our own
2:15:15to hide in. Even Thor was wearing one,
2:15:18while Ry and her golems blended in with
2:15:20the snow on their own. From a 100 meters
2:15:23away, it was difficult to see Carl's
2:15:25group, even on a clear day with no
2:15:27blowing snow. The cloak went well with
2:15:30the white cleric robes that George was
2:15:32wearing, and the four mages quickly got
2:15:34theirs on and put up the hoods to gather
2:15:36a bit of warmth to themselves. We were
2:15:39going to head away from the main lines
2:15:40to attack supply lines and keep the main
2:15:43lines from receiving their food
2:15:44deliveries. "Are you ready for that, or
2:15:47should we allow you a bit more time to
2:15:49recover your mana and stamina?" Carl
2:15:52asked. George gave them a confused look.
2:15:56Is regenerating stamina so easy? Once
2:15:59you're tired, you're tired. Or do these
2:16:02sisters know refreshing spells? Both of
2:16:05them plus the lightning sero. Actually,
2:16:09Thor, can you extend your lightning over
2:16:11the whole group? They could use the
2:16:13help. Carl replied. Thor didn't really
2:16:17trust strangers, but Carl had asked, so
2:16:20he covered them in lightning and then
2:16:21detached it from himself. If the barrier
2:16:24broke, it broke. He wouldn't use his own
2:16:28energy keeping it active until he
2:16:29trusted these new humans who weren't
2:16:31part of the pack. Thor was usually much
2:16:34more welcoming, and he liked to bump up
2:16:36against people and beg for attention.
2:16:38So, the weariness put Carl on guard. If
2:16:41there was something wrong with this
2:16:42group, he wanted to understand what it
2:16:44was before it got them all in trouble.
2:16:47After another minute's rest, the group
2:16:49was ready to move again, and Carl took
2:16:51the point position with his bow in hand,
2:16:53then sent Hawk to scout. "Find us a
2:16:56supply convoy small enough that our
2:16:58group could fight it alone. Just in
2:17:01case," he directed their scout. "Got it.
2:17:06There is one with these pigs the size of
2:17:08Thor. Do you think they taste good?"
2:17:11Hawk asked. "There is only one way to
2:17:14find out." All right, we have our
2:17:17target. It's a small supply convoy
2:17:20bringing boores to the frost giants. If
2:17:23we can intercept enough of those, it
2:17:25should destabilize their lines. Carl
2:17:28explained to the newcomers. Tori nodded
2:17:31in understanding while the others got
2:17:33sour looks while the high priest looked
2:17:35a bit defeated. That was strange.
2:17:38Attacking supply convoys was a great way
2:17:40to resupply your own group, so most
2:17:42people should want to fight them instead
2:17:44of active military units. Their progress
2:17:47through the woods was slow, as the three
2:17:49male mages were dragging their feet,
2:17:51unwilling to go forward into battle, but
2:17:54not brave enough to say anything. That
2:17:57continued for about 5 minutes before
2:17:59Carl had enough of it. Look, if you
2:18:01don't want to go into combat, that's on
2:18:03you. You don't have to join our mission,
2:18:07but I'm not going to stand for dragging
2:18:09feet and doawling. Either you get with
2:18:11the program or you stay behind, he
2:18:14insisted.
2:18:16The men of the other group looked
2:18:17shocked and insulted, but Tori might not
2:18:20have noticed as she was busy talking
2:18:22about magic missiles with Dana. She did
2:18:25notice when the group came to a halt
2:18:26while Carl waited for their answer. As I
2:18:30said, it's up to you. If you don't want
2:18:32to be here, then don't be here. But
2:18:35screwing with the attack schedule, so
2:18:37you can slack off isn't acceptable.
2:18:40You've got 10 seconds to decide before I
2:18:42leave you behind." Tori snorted with
2:18:45laughter, and the rest of the group
2:18:46glared at her. Then the other three
2:18:48mages promptly sat down while the high
2:18:50priest glared at them. "Understood,
2:18:54Brother George, if you would be so kind
2:18:56as to remain and keep them safe. We will
2:18:59come back to check on you in a few
2:19:01hours, Carl declared, then returned to
2:19:04the front of the group and moved forward
2:19:06at a jog. Dana pulled Tori up on Thor
2:19:09with her and Tessa while Oilia fell in
2:19:11beside Carl at the front of the group.
2:19:14Are you certain that is wise? The
2:19:16Berserker asked. "It is for us. If
2:19:20they're too cowardly to fight and they
2:19:22won't even walk toward a battle
2:19:23properly, they're a liability. And it is
2:19:25safer for everyone if they're here in
2:19:27the middle of nowhere.
2:19:29Carl whispered back. The supply convoy
2:19:32was not even staffed by giants. It was
2:19:35ice trolls and Yeti, which enraged Hawk
2:19:38to the point that he was ready to launch
2:19:39the attack on his own. These were all
2:19:42ascended rank or lower, but Carl had
2:19:44told him to scout the area and pick
2:19:46targets, not to attack before everyone
2:19:48arrived. We're about to leave the trees
2:19:51and approach the trail. Once I launched
2:19:54the first attack, you can join in and
2:19:56prevent them from running away. Carl
2:19:59instructed Hawk finally. What took you
2:20:03so long? Carl went right as they reached
2:20:06the road while Oilia and Ray went left
2:20:09with Thor charging straight up the road
2:20:11while Tori did her best to hold on to
2:20:13Dana as she hadn't learned the trick to
2:20:15remaining seated on the Sero yet. The
2:20:17ice trolls saw Thor a few seconds later
2:20:20and began to charge. That was when Dana
2:20:23grabbed Tori and jumped down from Thor,
2:20:25tucking and rolling while using the
2:20:27lightning barrier to prevent injury.
2:20:30Tessa would ride him into melee combat,
2:20:32but that wasn't Dana's style. She sent
2:20:35her armored golems forward to flank
2:20:37Thor, and Tori began to create orbs
2:20:39around herself in preparation for the
2:20:41battle. Carl let the first arrow loose,
2:20:44hitting a troll at the back of the line.
2:20:47The arrow that had been coated in fire
2:20:48was engulfed in ice for a few seconds
2:20:50after it embedded itself in the trolls
2:20:52chest. Then the flames began to spread,
2:20:55lighting the creature on fire. Trolls
2:20:58had no immunity to fire, and they were
2:21:00quite flammable once you got them lit,
2:21:02especially the ice trolls. Hawk
2:21:05predictably vented his fury on the yeti
2:21:07herders, while Remy went straight for
2:21:08the enormous pigs, unwilling to let them
2:21:11get away before she found out what they
2:21:12tasted like. Some thin slices with
2:21:15broadleaf spirit grass seemed like it
2:21:17would be a wonderful combo to her. Carl
2:21:20hit one of the lead yeti with chain
2:21:22lightning on an arrow right before
2:21:24Tessa's mace coated in lightning and
2:21:26holy light collided with its face,
2:21:29briefly setting the beasts for a flame.
2:21:32He hadn't known her ability could do
2:21:33that, but it was an impressive trick for
2:21:35these flammable monsters. The fight only
2:21:38lasted 30 seconds, and Tori had three
2:21:41hovering orbs for her magic missiles in
2:21:43the air when they finished. She seemed
2:21:46both confused and startled as she
2:21:48realized there was nothing left moving.
2:21:50She turned to Dana for answers, but the
2:21:53other mage wasn't sure what she wanted.
2:21:55That's about how it always goes. They're
2:21:58a rank lower than Carl and the beasts,
2:22:00so they're not going to last long
2:22:02against their area attacks. Tori shook
2:22:05her head. That level of attack power is
2:22:08just insane. Like those spider golems.
2:22:12They just touch things and they fall
2:22:14apart. That can't be normal. Ry laughed
2:22:18in Carl's mind while Lotus laughed from
2:22:20her back. They are affected by the
2:22:23bloodbath spiders offensive adaptation
2:22:26skill. So the more they fight a target,
2:22:28the more damage they do to them. They've
2:22:31been fighting highranked ice element
2:22:33targets for a while now. And they're
2:22:35naturally higher damage than most
2:22:36commander rank skills, even before Ry
2:22:39added the durable constructs skill to
2:22:41them to increase their armor and attack
2:22:43even more. It really is unfair how much
2:22:46damage they do, but there's only so many
2:22:48of them. If we had like 50 tiny ones, it
2:22:52would be even better. The nature cleric
2:22:55joked. Tori shuddered in revulsion at
2:22:58the thought of a battlefield overrun by
2:23:00tiny murderous spiders. "Well, it would
2:23:03certainly have a psychological effect."
2:23:06She reluctantly agreed. "But what are we
2:23:09going to do with all this? It's right on
2:23:12the road, and the next patrol will see
2:23:13it in minutes." Ry grabbed all the pigs
2:23:16and threw them into Hawk's space, except
2:23:19one for Remy. while the four golems work
2:23:21together to pile the rest of the bodies
2:23:23for Hawk to create a bonfire.
2:23:25They burn really well. In 15 minutes,
2:23:29they'll be ash
2:23:31that none of the other patrols will have
2:23:33any idea what happened here. Carl
2:23:36explained as the team worked. Then he
2:23:39gestured south. Let's go check on the
2:23:42idiots. They likely want an escort back
2:23:45south past the lines by now. I don't
2:23:48suppose you have any idea what their
2:23:50issue is, do you? The last bit was
2:23:53directed at Tori, who sighed and nodded.
2:23:56I may have led them on a little to get
2:23:58them to agree to go along on a mission
2:23:59with me. There were supposed to be two
2:24:02mages and one paladin type warrior, but
2:24:04he pulled a no-show and sent another
2:24:06mage in his place. Then when the mages
2:24:09figured out that I actually just needed
2:24:11a group for the mission and they weren't
2:24:13going to get laid, they started pouting
2:24:15and looking for reasons to go home. High
2:24:18priest George has been sick of all of us
2:24:20since about noon on day one, and I
2:24:22suspect that he's planning to report us
2:24:23all for conduct on becoming an elite
2:24:25when he gets back, she explained.
2:24:29Carl's look made Tory flinch a little.
2:24:32Look, I know it was a scummy thing to
2:24:34do, but I wanted to fight at the front
2:24:36and get some credits before I graduated.
2:24:39If they had just sucked it up and did
2:24:40the job they agreed to, it would have
2:24:42been fine. Well, we will see if their
2:24:45attitude has improved when we get back.
2:24:48If not, we will have to do something.
2:24:51Either find a safe spot to hide them or
2:24:53a way to get them back to the main
2:24:55lines. At least you managed to get a few
2:24:58kills in before you had to go back. Carl
2:25:01replied. Tori sighed and nodded, not
2:25:04eager to go back to her group, who
2:25:06obviously weren't going to be welcome
2:25:08with a proper group like Carl's who were
2:25:10here to kill giants and help the war
2:25:11effort. Only when they got back to the
2:25:14spot where they left the group, they
2:25:16were gone. "Hawk, find the idiots and
2:25:19let me know where they are," Carl
2:25:22ordered. On it, boss. Carl checked the
2:25:26snow and saw three sets of running
2:25:28footsteps headed southeast toward the
2:25:30secondary valley and a fourth set moving
2:25:32slower behind them, but probably
2:25:34tracking the mages. They're still
2:25:37running toward the secondary valley
2:25:38entrance. The cleric is way behind them,
2:25:42but he's following their footprints.
2:25:44Should I keep tracking them? Hawk
2:25:47replied, "Give us a minute to decide. We
2:25:51might just let them leave and keep their
2:25:53other mage for a bit.
2:25:55Carl replied.
2:25:57All four pets laughed at that. Why would
2:26:00they want the useless ones back?
2:26:02Besides, they weren't even cute or
2:26:04scaly. Lotus pointed to a set of symbols
2:26:08drawn in the snow. That's clerical
2:26:10shorthand.
2:26:12It says the mages deserted and he is
2:26:14required to go after them. Then what I
2:26:17think should mean to watch over Tori.
2:26:19Tori waited impatiently for Carl to
2:26:22finish communicating with his pets for a
2:26:23few minutes before she realized that he
2:26:25had forgotten about informing the rest
2:26:27of them about what was going on. Care to
2:26:30fill the rest of us in on the details,
2:26:33she asked quietly, frustrated, but not
2:26:35eager to insult Carl. Hawk found them
2:26:38and he's tracking them. I've got him
2:26:41eliminating a few groups along their
2:26:42escape path so they don't get
2:26:44intercepted before they can make it to
2:26:46the empty valley. After that, they
2:26:49should be fine until they realize that
2:26:50the south pass is barricaded by the
2:26:52frost giants and they'll have to go over
2:26:54the mountains. The cleric will catch up
2:26:57with them soon. He's pacing himself and
2:27:00the mages are nearly exhausted again.
2:27:02Carl explained as he listened to the
2:27:04updates from Hawk's side. Tori shook her
2:27:07head in dismay. What are they thinking?
2:27:11We signed up through the army for a
2:27:12deployment.
2:27:14If they come running back without the
2:27:16rest of their group, they're going to
2:27:17have to explain what happened. Or maybe
2:27:20they're expecting us all to die out here
2:27:22behind the lines. The words seemed to
2:27:25cause a revelation as they left her
2:27:26mouth. They were behind the enemy lines.
2:27:30Everything around them could be
2:27:32considered hostile, and nobody would be
2:27:34coming to help. Hitting the supply lines
2:27:37would provoke a response from the hungry
2:27:38frost giants, and there were only six of
2:27:41them. Now, even if the others were
2:27:43pretty useless, they still wanted to
2:27:45stay alive, and they should fight for
2:27:47that reason alone. They might think that
2:27:50we're in trouble, but unless they happen
2:27:51to find a scout team that hasn't
2:27:53retreated yet, they'll be the ones with
2:27:55issues very soon. It gets incredibly
2:27:58cold in that valley, and they're going
2:28:00to need shelter. If they're not smart
2:28:02enough to scout for a cave before dark,
2:28:05they're in for a rough night, and a fire
2:28:07will attract giants. Carl assured her.
2:28:11Tori looked confused.
2:28:13How do you keep warm then? Carl laughed
2:28:16and Dana patted her on the shoulder. We
2:28:19start a fire. Well, a magical one. We've
2:28:24got a good night watch schedule, so
2:28:26we're unlikely to get ambushed.
2:28:28Speaking of ambushed, should we go see
2:28:30if anything has found our present while
2:28:32Hawk takes care of the lost mages? Lotus
2:28:35suggested.
2:28:37That's not a bad idea.
2:28:39They should have multiple convoys coming
2:28:41down the road and we can stock up today.
2:28:44I will radio in about the situation and
2:28:46then we will move back to the road. Carl
2:28:49agreed.
2:28:51Region command, this is team 95988.
2:28:54We have obtained one additional ascended
2:28:56member from team 62345.
2:28:59Other members of 62,345
2:29:02are headed south through the secondary
2:29:04valley.
2:29:06We have eliminated the special forces
2:29:08team plus one food supply convoy.
2:29:11Positioning for continued hunts. Carl
2:29:14informed them. Understood. 95988.
2:29:19Your increased member count is noted.
2:29:22Tori looked at him. That's it. Yep. They
2:29:27don't really need to hear all the
2:29:28details. They'll either get them in the
2:29:30debriefing or they won't matter at all.
2:29:33Knowing that we have six people, five of
2:29:35which are ascended and combat capable,
2:29:37is enough for them to make plans and
2:29:39record our reports. Now that they know
2:29:42we're here and hunting, they will plan
2:29:44for the giants to be short a few
2:29:45convoys, which will lead to some
2:29:47rationing after a week or so of
2:29:49continued attacks.
2:29:51Carl agreed. But you don't sound like
2:29:54you just want to hit a few convoys.
2:29:56From what I have seen of your team, you
2:29:58intend to keep destroying their supply
2:30:00lines until they go berserk and start
2:30:02sending teams that you can't fight
2:30:04anymore. Tori pointed out. Lotus smiled.
2:30:09She's a quick learner. How is Hawk doing
2:30:12with the path clearing for the men? Carl
2:30:15mentally checked in and found that the
2:30:17high priest had just caught up to the
2:30:18mages inside the valley and he was
2:30:20encouraging them to get up and get
2:30:22southwest into the hills before dark. It
2:30:25looks like the high priest knows what
2:30:27he's doing. They should be fine. Hawk is
2:30:30on his way back. Let's get in position
2:30:33near the road so that we aren't too far
2:30:35away to hit the next group to pass.
2:30:38Everyone who couldn't run fast enough
2:30:40took up their seats on the two mounts
2:30:42while Carl and Oilia jogged through the
2:30:44trees. I found another group. Turn left.
2:30:48They're further than we expected. Hawk
2:30:51instructed.
2:30:52Carl turned at the same time as the two
2:30:54beasts, leaving a confused Oilia to
2:30:57chase him. The next convoy made it
2:31:00further than expected. They didn't slow
2:31:02for the fire. We're going to catch them
2:31:05before we go back for the next one so
2:31:07that the main force doesn't get any
2:31:09convoys from this direction today, Carl
2:31:12explained.
2:31:13Got it. How big is the group? Oilia
2:31:17asked as they ran. about the same as the
2:31:20last one, but they've got some wounded.
2:31:22I think they were attacked by monsters,"
2:31:25Carl explained. "That means they're
2:31:28likely missing pigs as well," Ry noted.
2:31:32Hulk did a quick count and gave a mental
2:31:34screech when he realized that the group
2:31:36only had 17 instead of 20 pigs. "Someone
2:31:40stole his pigs." Carl laughed. "I think
2:31:44the rule is finders keepers. They're not
2:31:47yours until you find them. Well, I found
2:31:50them now, and there are three missing.
2:31:53Hawk complained, placing the blame
2:31:55directly on the wounded guards that he
2:31:57could see below him. Oilia gave Carl a
2:32:00curious look. You're smiling. What's so
2:32:04funny? The group got attacked on the way
2:32:06here, and they lost three pigs. Hawk is
2:32:10mad at them for losing his pigs before
2:32:11he got there. The berserker burst into
2:32:14laughter as they ran. He is a very
2:32:17single-minded individual.
2:32:19That's all right. We will rescue the
2:32:21rest of them for him. He can stow them
2:32:24in his space and snack on them as he
2:32:26pleases. The best part was that Hawk
2:32:29likely wouldn't even eat them. The pigs
2:32:31were massive, a giant variety, but they
2:32:34were only awakened rank for the most
2:32:35part, and Hawk preferred small amounts
2:32:37of energy dense food to keep his growth
2:32:40steady. The herd was rushing along,
2:32:42barely paying attention to their
2:32:44surroundings. When Carl's first arrow
2:32:46struck and Hawk began to bombard them
2:32:48for losing his pigs, the herders were
2:32:51already exhausted from the previous
2:32:53battle they had been in and couldn't put
2:32:55up more than a token resistance. The
2:32:57last of the bodies were still twitching
2:32:59when Ray started to strip them of their
2:33:01equipment, bringing efficiency to the
2:33:03cleanup process.
2:33:05Oilia pointed at the pile as she shifted
2:33:07back from her werebear form to human.
2:33:10We've got two staves if anyone wants
2:33:12them. That seems like a mage and cleric
2:33:14sort of thing. Tessa identified them,
2:33:17then tossed them to Tori and Dana. They
2:33:20are both for reducing spell cost, so it
2:33:23doesn't matter much who takes which one.
2:33:25They've got a lot of added mana on them
2:33:27as well since they are ascended rank
2:33:29staves. Tori looked startled as Tessa
2:33:32dug through the leather clothing that
2:33:34the Yeti had been wearing. Nope. All
2:33:37scrap quality. All right, we can toss
2:33:40this on the pile. and none of the other
2:33:42weapons are magical, she explained.
2:33:45The pigs were already in hawk space, so
2:33:48the bird lit fire to the pile of bodies,
2:33:50starting with the trolls. That would
2:33:53hide most of the signs they had been
2:33:54here while they ran up the road to find
2:33:56the next group of supplies. Carl had no
2:33:59idea how many groups they were sending a
2:34:01day, but two didn't seem like enough for
2:34:03all the frost giants on the main line.
2:34:06So Hawk was sent back out to check up
2:34:08the road for the next group.
2:34:11only there was nothing for the next 20
2:34:13km.
2:34:14The road was clear, and the pigs weren't
2:34:17fast enough that they should be further
2:34:18than that. He did find the signs of the
2:34:21battle that had claimed the missing
2:34:22animals, which were already nearly
2:34:24stripped down by a war bear and her
2:34:26cubs. Now that he knew what had done it,
2:34:29Hawk wasn't mad anymore. He
2:34:32instinctively liked the species and
2:34:34didn't begrudge them a good meal. All
2:34:36right. Hawk says there are no more
2:34:38groups nearby. Let's find a good spot
2:34:41for the night and get settled in. We can
2:34:44hunt more supply convoys tomorrow. Carl
2:34:48announced.
2:34:49Hawk found them another good cave for
2:34:51the night. Large enough to be
2:34:53comfortable, but small enough to be
2:34:54easily heated with the door blocked by
2:34:56Ray's silk. Tonight they went one step
2:35:00further since they were in a
2:35:01snow-covered area and they had Remy keep
2:35:03a blizzard spell active for half an hour
2:35:06after the entry was covered,
2:35:08obliterating their tracks and piling
2:35:10snow over the entry points. This cave
2:35:13had three, which wasn't optimal, but
2:35:15they were all small enough that the
2:35:16frost giants couldn't get in. That was
2:35:19the important part as nobody expected
2:35:21the escorts for the supply convoys to be
2:35:23wandering in the woods and looking for
2:35:25hiding spots where ambushers might be
2:35:27waiting for them. Lotus and Tessa
2:35:30started cooking which got Tori panicked
2:35:32again, but the two clerics only laughed.
2:35:35Hawk is still out scouting and Rey is in
2:35:37the tree outside. If there is anything
2:35:40coming for us, we will know. There is no
2:35:43reason not to eat well while we're out
2:35:45in the field, and it saves us from
2:35:47having to return to refill our rations
2:35:49every 10 days. In fact, we haven't
2:35:52touched any of the ones in our packs, so
2:35:54they're likely frozen solid right now,
2:35:57Tessa explained. Tori nodded. That's
2:36:01what happened to ours yesterday. Even
2:36:04after the heater stopped working, the
2:36:06food was still almost cold, but not
2:36:08frozen anymore. We even had to get the
2:36:11priest to create water so we could have
2:36:13something to drink as we couldn't thaw
2:36:14our cantens.
2:36:16Your other mages had fire magic. Why not
2:36:19just get some heat going? Even if you
2:36:21just defrosted everything first, it
2:36:24would have been better. Tessa asked with
2:36:26a gesture to Carl's sword, which was
2:36:28currently doing double duty as room
2:36:30heater and hot grill for the cooking
2:36:32pots. The blonde mage giggled and
2:36:35flashed a suggestive smirk at Carl.
2:36:38Well, nobody in the other team was
2:36:39packing the same sort of impressive
2:36:41weapon that you've kept hidden away.
2:36:43Dana and Tessa gave her matching
2:36:45disgusted looks while Carl chuckled and
2:36:48Tori shook her head with a rofal smile.
2:36:51Sorry, it's become a force of habit. My
2:36:54mother always told me, "Use what you've
2:36:56got to get what you need." And I might
2:36:58have gone a little bit overboard with
2:36:59the technique. Tessa's frown faded into
2:37:02a malicious smirk, and she laughed as
2:37:04she tossed cut vegetables into the pot.
2:37:07might have gone a bit overboard. You
2:37:09nearly got killed because your group
2:37:11only came along hoping to get laid. They
2:37:14didn't even have any intention of doing
2:37:16their jobs. That's more than a little
2:37:18overboard. But we won't hold it against
2:37:21you as long as you are trying to act
2:37:23right. Our group has a magical contract
2:37:26to travel together for the next year,
2:37:28and we don't need drama or infighting.
2:37:30Besides, if you lose the favor of the
2:37:33beasts, you'll lose the strongest
2:37:34offensive magic that we have right now.
2:37:37We're happy to have extra hands in
2:37:39battle, but the easy girl routine
2:37:41doesn't make friends with the clergy.
2:37:43Tori looked somewhere between mortified
2:37:45and humiliated, and Carl thought that
2:37:47she might actually bolt out of the cave
2:37:49in embarrassment, but after a moment,
2:37:51she began to calm and wiped a tear from
2:37:54her eyes as she nodded at the war
2:37:55cleric. I understand.
2:37:59Thank you for keeping me around. You
2:38:01have my word. By the time that we get
2:38:03back to one of the bases, I will have it
2:38:06together. Carl, I apologize for how I
2:38:09am. Dana, I apologize for flirting with
2:38:12your man. Now, it was Dana's turn to
2:38:15blush bright red, but she didn't say
2:38:17anything to refute the accusation.
2:38:20Lotus put strips of sliced pig meat on a
2:38:22pan, causing a sizzling that distracted
2:38:25everyone. I'm glad we got all that out
2:38:27of the way early. Now the food is almost
2:38:31ready and then we will set the night
2:38:32watches. I will take the first who has
2:38:36second. She asked with an impish grin on
2:38:39her face. I will, Dana agreed. And I
2:38:44will take the third shift. Carl decided
2:38:48that would put him on watch when
2:38:49everyone woke up for breakfast, which
2:38:51was the best time to send Hawk out to
2:38:53start their morning scouting missions.
2:38:56Carl got Ray to attach all the hammocks
2:38:58to the cave walls with her silk and then
2:39:00turn down the flames on the blade a
2:39:02little so the back of the cave would
2:39:04stay comfortably warm, but they wouldn't
2:39:05melt the snow that had built up around
2:39:07the exits after Remy's blizzard.
2:39:10Hammocks.
2:39:11That's different. Tori mumbled as they
2:39:14got set up. We didn't bring an extra,
2:39:17but it's warmer if you share and zip two
2:39:19sleeping bags together. One goes over
2:39:22you and one under the hammock. Shared
2:39:25body heat makes for a comfortable night.
2:39:28Lotus suggested.
2:39:30Oilia nodded happily. Then you're with
2:39:33me. I'm the odd one out and I was
2:39:36planning to sleep in bare form, but we
2:39:38can share. Tori was skeptical about the
2:39:41idea, but once it was time for bed and
2:39:44she unequipped her boots to climb into
2:39:45bed, she learned that there was a reason
2:39:47nobody else had volunteered to welcome
2:39:49Oilia by swapping spots. Bayer was a
2:39:52hugger and she had the mage thoroughly
2:39:54wrapped up in the arms of a sleeping
2:39:56berserker 30 seconds later. Fortunately,
2:40:00she didn't snore, but there was no way
2:40:02that Tori was escaping without a
2:40:03struggle against the superhuman strength
2:40:05of a berserker.
2:40:07Carl woke up briefly when Dana left for
2:40:09her watch and then again a few hours
2:40:11later when she woke him to take over.
2:40:14"Hawk, Ray, have you spotted anything?"
2:40:17Carl asked as his shift came to an end
2:40:19as the sun was about to come up.
2:40:22"Nothing, just silence." "Even the small
2:40:25animals are gone. The blizzard scared
2:40:27them off," Ry replied from a small fort
2:40:30in the trees outside. I will go see
2:40:33where the morning food is. Hulk replied,
2:40:37meaning the supplies that the frost
2:40:38giants would be expecting that morning.
2:40:41Tessa woke up early to get started on
2:40:43breakfast, carefully sneaking out of her
2:40:45hammock without waking Lotus. Of course,
2:40:48that didn't last long, as once the small
2:40:51priestess began to get cold without the
2:40:53extra warmth, she was awake as well, but
2:40:55it gave Tessa enough time to get the
2:40:57cooking utensils set out and the oatmeal
2:40:59heating. What's the word from Hawk?
2:41:02Tessa asked as she chopped the fruit
2:41:04that Lotus was creating. Nothing so far.
2:41:08They might have taken a different route
2:41:10than yesterday's targets as well, so
2:41:12Hawk is still scouting. Carl shrugged.
2:41:16For another half hour, Hawk searched
2:41:18before he began to get frustrated. They
2:41:21have to be eating something. Where are
2:41:24all the supplies? There aren't even
2:41:26extra weapons coming down the road. He
2:41:29ranted as he continued to fly a search
2:41:31pattern over the hills. Hawk can't find
2:41:34anything. There are no unnatural
2:41:37snowstorms, spots where he can't see the
2:41:39ground or other issues. There's just
2:41:42nothing on the road today and not on any
2:41:44of the other nearby roads. Carl
2:41:47explained as everyone eagerly awaited a
2:41:49new update. Tessa took out her notepad
2:41:51and began to write down math
2:41:53calculations on it, periodically looking
2:41:55off into the distance, as if that would
2:41:57help her remember some fact or figure.
2:42:00"How big do you think the average boar
2:42:02we harvested was by weight?" she asked.
2:42:06"About two tons, give or take a little.
2:42:10They're bigger than Thor and fat." Carl
2:42:13replied.
2:42:14She wrote a few more figures, then
2:42:16nodded in satisfaction as she began to
2:42:18add them up.
2:42:20You see, frost giants don't eat as much
2:42:22as humans do compared to their size.
2:42:25Most magical beasts don't. They use mana
2:42:29instead, so they don't over hunt their
2:42:31territory. With the rough numbers we are
2:42:34getting from the radio on the main line,
2:42:36my calculation is that each of those
2:42:37convoys should have supplied them for 2
2:42:39days. So, there might not be a shipment
2:42:42today because we took out 4 days worth
2:42:44of their food supply yesterday,
2:42:47Lotus explained.
2:42:49Dana looked excited for a moment, then
2:42:51concerned. Then what do we do today? And
2:42:55what are the odds that a large group
2:42:56comes looking for them? Carl considered
2:42:59that. I would say the odds are it will
2:43:02be a scouting group first, not a large
2:43:04combat unit. They don't have any reason
2:43:07to think that there is a large military
2:43:08unit here, so they won't waste
2:43:10resources.
2:43:12As to what we do today, I say we wait.
2:43:15They will send giants looking for their
2:43:17missing dinner, and we can eliminate
2:43:18those as well. Everyone rested in the
2:43:21cave for the morning as they listened to
2:43:23the reports from the main lines, which
2:43:25were becoming even more dire by the
2:43:27minute. The frost giants were not just
2:43:29waiting at their lines. They were
2:43:31working together to launch ice magic and
2:43:33enchanted boulders at the defenders.
2:43:36While it was crude, with the strength of
2:43:38giants operating the mechanisms, the
2:43:40frost giant catapults were proving to be
2:43:42incredibly effective. The ice boulders
2:43:45exploded on impact, causing every bit as
2:43:48much damage as any artillery round, even
2:43:50against armored targets. The main line
2:43:53sounded like they were in the midst of a
2:43:55disaster. And at one point, Carl was
2:43:57reasonably certain that he heard Jod's
2:43:59voice announcing a unit retreat for
2:44:01heavy casualties.
2:44:02The line was moving back again, and
2:44:05sometime around mid-afternoon, High
2:44:07Priest George and the remainder of his
2:44:08team were rescued by scouts after being
2:44:10attacked by a frost giant patrol. The
2:44:13cleric was heavily injured and both
2:44:15teams were airlifted out with unstated
2:44:18casualties in an emergency rescue that
2:44:20couldn't have been easy that far behind
2:44:21the main line. Hawk still hadn't seen
2:44:24anything coming up the road toward them,
2:44:26and the whole region appeared to be
2:44:28deserted. Rey thought the same thing.
2:44:31There was simply nothing left here, and
2:44:33the temperature was dropping fast.
2:44:36Whatever the frost giants were doing, it
2:44:38was turning what should have been a
2:44:39tropical area into a frozen wasteland
2:44:42where none of the native creatures could
2:44:43survive. It's too cold to fly, even with
2:44:47flames. We need to leave this place.
2:44:51Hawk informed them not long after. It's
2:44:54almost dark. Should we move out
2:44:56immediately or will you return to the
2:44:58cave and we will leave in the morning?
2:45:01Carl asked. It took a moment for Hawk to
2:45:04answer, but his decision was firm. There
2:45:07is a ridge line behind these clouds, and
2:45:10the wind is even colder there. I think
2:45:12that we should move this afternoon and
2:45:14go further east. If we keep staying
2:45:17here, we're going to freeze.
2:45:19Surprisingly, Remy was with him on that
2:45:22decision. She poked her head out of her
2:45:24space to see what was going on, then
2:45:26promptly returned to her swamp. There is
2:45:29strong shaman magic coming, she
2:45:32announced.
2:45:33Well, that was something. If she could
2:45:36sense the magic, then they had their
2:45:38answer to why everything was freezing,
2:45:40just not where the effect was coming
2:45:42from, other than somewhere deeper into
2:45:43the frost giant nation. Everyone, pack
2:45:47up. We need to move. There is a wave of
2:45:50ice magic coming our way, and it's not
2:45:52suitable for any living creature,
2:45:54according to Hawk. That could explain
2:45:57why they're not sending anyone to look
2:45:58for the missing animals. They don't
2:46:01expect anything to remain alive after
2:46:03that wave of cold passes over us. Carl
2:46:06explained. Where are we headed? Lotus
2:46:10asked. The nearest edge of the wave is
2:46:13southeast of here. So, we're going to
2:46:15head that way and hope that we can
2:46:16properly outrun it. If we can't, we will
2:46:19have to find a cave or make a strong
2:46:21fort to hole up in until it has passed
2:46:23and the temperature is back to just
2:46:25cold, Carl explained.
2:46:28They were getting very well practiced
2:46:30with loading their packs, and only the
2:46:32hammocks and sleeping bags had come out
2:46:34other than the cooking utensils.
2:46:36Within minutes, they were loaded up, and
2:46:38Carl called Thor and Ray to give
2:46:40everyone a ride, while Hawk came down to
2:46:43land on his backpack and warm up. The
2:46:46temperature up high is so cold that the
2:46:48ice magic is wearing down my flames,
2:46:51Hawk explained. I will report it to the
2:46:54others. Urgent message for the command
2:46:56group and all mobile units. This is team
2:47:0095988.
2:47:02There is a wave of ice magic behind the
2:47:04incoming storm. Powerful enough to snuff
2:47:06out fire magic barriers. We are
2:47:09relocating outside the designated zone
2:47:11to escape the path of the magic. and I
2:47:13recommend that all units unable to reach
2:47:15a secured camp seek immediate shelter as
2:47:18the storm will be at the main lines
2:47:19within the next two hours. The already
2:47:22chaotic messages over the radio
2:47:24intensified as the frontline command
2:47:26group realized that there was more going
2:47:28on than just a minor cold snap. They
2:47:31began issuing orders and getting troops
2:47:33moved, which Carl was immediately
2:47:34grateful for.
2:47:36They could have second-guessed him or
2:47:38delayed, but they chose to believe his
2:47:40report and act on it immediately, which
2:47:42should save some lives when the ice
2:47:44magic reached the battle. The frost
2:47:46giants would predictably charge when the
2:47:48cold front moved through, forcing the
2:47:50humans to fight in the magical cold, but
2:47:52at least they wouldn't be trapped out
2:47:54alone in it. Well, most of them
2:47:56wouldn't. There were still some scouts
2:47:59too far out to reach the lines, and they
2:48:01were reporting their moves to caverns,
2:48:03which they intended to barricade and
2:48:05hide in until the storm had passed. The
2:48:08one great downside to ice magic was its
2:48:10lack of penetration.
2:48:12Unlike fire magic, which would try to
2:48:15burn through a solid surface, ice magic
2:48:17would coat it and freeze it. So, if you
2:48:20could seal your shelter well enough, the
2:48:22magic would naturally seal it, and you
2:48:24could heat the inside while the surface
2:48:26froze. That's why the frost giants would
2:48:29attack during the cold snap. With the
2:48:32humans frozen into their shelters by a
2:48:34wall of ice, they were sitting targets
2:48:36and could be easily smashed along with
2:48:38their tents and houses. Oilia had to
2:48:41transform into werebear form to
2:48:43withstand the cold even now, and the
2:48:45others had their cloaks pulled tight
2:48:46around themselves as the beasts began to
2:48:48run through the snow, getting as far
2:48:50away from the incoming wave of magic as
2:48:52possible. Fortunately, they were already
2:48:55near the edge of the storm, and as they
2:48:57ran, the temperature began to return to
2:48:59the abnormal but non-magical cold that
2:49:02they had experienced the first time that
2:49:03they were in the region. By the time
2:49:06that it started getting near sunset,
2:49:08they were well away from the storm
2:49:09front, which had already long since
2:49:11passed them, and the temperature was
2:49:13close to freezing again. But they were
2:49:15so far from the front line that they had
2:49:17been deployed to, that the radio signal
2:49:19was fading. Carl checked the map and
2:49:22found that there was no repeater listed
2:49:24in the encoded radio station guide. So
2:49:27he just put the radio on scan looking
2:49:30for a closer signal. It stopped on the
2:49:33first rotation through the channel and a
2:49:35clear voice came through the speaker
2:49:36giving instructions for a counterattack.
2:49:39The incoming signal level was so strong
2:49:41that they had to be close to the source,
2:49:43but the number of unit movement orders
2:49:45that were being given made it sound like
2:49:47they had come across another section of
2:49:48the line. Carl was sure they hadn't come
2:49:51that far. The next portion should be
2:49:53more than 100 km from their deployment
2:49:56point. But once he mentally calculated
2:49:58their movement, he realized they might
2:50:00only be 30 km from them now. He took a
2:50:03moment to place himself on the map and
2:50:05then sent in a report to this new
2:50:07commander. Zone 17. This is team 95988.
2:50:13We have relocated to avoid a magical
2:50:15cold front, placing us in your zone. Be
2:50:18aware, we have tamed beasts with our
2:50:20team, Carl reported along with the map
2:50:23code for their location. Wonderful
2:50:26timing. 95988.
2:50:29Are you a commander-ledd team? We have a
2:50:32fire mission that has evaded our scouts
2:50:34near your position. I can offer
2:50:36additional mission rewards if you can
2:50:38eliminate them before dark. The
2:50:40confident voice replied along with a map
2:50:43location code. Carl checked the map. It
2:50:47would be close, but they were much
2:50:49faster moving than most teams.
2:50:52Understood. We are on it now. He altered
2:50:55their direction toward a mountain, which
2:50:57was the logical spot to spend the night
2:50:58anyhow, as it had larger trees as well
2:51:01as a chance of caves. As soon as he did,
2:51:05Oilia gave him a concerned look. "You're
2:51:08not going to ask what we're up against?"
2:51:10she asked. "They can't see it, so they
2:51:14couldn't tell us for certain anyhow. But
2:51:16if they are willing to send one
2:51:18commander-ledd team, it's most likely a
2:51:20special forces team, Carl replied. Hulk
2:51:24took to the sky, looking for their
2:51:26target and reveling in the somewhat
2:51:28warmer air that didn't make him strain
2:51:29to keep his flames warm. I've got them.
2:51:3320 frost giants for commanders that I
2:51:36can see and 10 catapults hidden behind a
2:51:38ridgeel line. I can see the army lines,
2:51:41too. I think the giants are firing blind
2:51:44into our troops. Hawk reported. With
2:51:47that news, it made perfect sense that
2:51:50the main lines were sending them on an
2:51:52urgent mission to eliminate the giants
2:51:53before dark when the boulders would be
2:51:55hidden by the dark until they were
2:51:57almost in the camp. What this bit of the
2:51:59line was doing so far forward was a
2:52:01mystery. But if they were doing better
2:52:03than the other mainline portion, it was
2:52:05good work on their part that got them to
2:52:07that position. 20 giant artillery team
2:52:10with four commanders leading them. Does
2:52:13the same routine as before work for
2:52:15everyone? Carl called to the mages
2:52:18riding on Thor's back. Tessa gave him
2:52:21the thumbs up and Dana nodded while Tori
2:52:23began to form the magic missile firing
2:52:25orbs that she used as her primary
2:52:27offensive ability. Spreading out the
2:52:29mana cost made the battle much easier on
2:52:32her. And if she had a bunch of them
2:52:33charged when they arrived, she could
2:52:35eliminate a number of the weaker targets
2:52:37right away. 200 m just over the next
2:52:40ridge. Hawk reported. Get ready. We're
2:52:45charging after the ridge. Carl informed
2:52:48the team. He took out his bow and
2:52:50prepared to fire while running. The
2:52:53giants were at the bottom of a hill,
2:52:55which sucked for the defenders, but kept
2:52:57them out of sight of the Golden Dragon
2:52:59Nation scouts. Being uphill allowed Carl
2:53:02to let loose his first arrow just as
2:53:04Thor and Ray began to charge down the
2:53:06slope. He wasn't particularly skilled at
2:53:09shooting and running, but it was
2:53:10possible and he was still hitting them
2:53:12with chain lightning while Thor closed
2:53:14on the artillery imp placement. Tori
2:53:17rolled off his back when they got near
2:53:19the bottom, and Dana stood up to caster
2:53:21golems in the frost giant ranks before
2:53:23jumping clear of Thor's back as well.
2:53:26Ray and Lotus had vanished into the
2:53:28trees, but the spider golems were going
2:53:30for the commanders already, leaving only
2:53:32Oilia a few seconds out of combat when
2:53:34Thor came crashing through the catapults
2:53:36with a happy brain noise. Smashing
2:53:39poles, he cheered as the frost giants
2:53:42roared in frustration.
2:53:44Carl closed in so he could provide
2:53:47support for Oilia, who was going to need
2:53:49someone to watch her back in a battle
2:53:50this crowded. But he kept his bow out
2:53:52for now. Firing from 10 meters away was
2:53:56even more effective than from 100
2:53:57meters, even if he was close enough that
2:53:59he could have used his skills through a
2:54:01blade. Only when the giants rushed him
2:54:04did he switch to the two-handed blade
2:54:05and join Oilia in close combat. Royal
2:54:09rank flame body was making short work of
2:54:11the ascended members of the group while
2:54:13Hawk's fireballs and the spider golems
2:54:16kept the commanders from assisting in
2:54:17the fight. We need more speed. Ry
2:54:21complained as she called another set of
2:54:23golems to replace the ones that the
2:54:24frost giants had almost finished hacking
2:54:26apart. For on two with a few ascended
2:54:30rank assistants trying to pin the
2:54:31constructs down made for an unfair
2:54:33fight. And while they had severely
2:54:35injured all of them, the constructs had
2:54:37only killed the ascended rank pair when
2:54:38the golems first died. All right, watch
2:54:42this. Carl agreed. Two points, 10 points
2:54:46for balance. Haste improves the speed of
2:54:49the target beast by 10% per rank, 40% at
2:54:52commander. 10 points spent. Haste
2:54:56obtained.
2:54:58Carl cast the spell on all three of his
2:55:00pets. The sudden burst of speed from the
2:55:03spider golems caught the frost giants
2:55:05offg guard, and Thor's next charge
2:55:07nearly tossed Tessa from his back with
2:55:09the force of impact when he collided
2:55:11with an ascended frost giant. Carl could
2:55:14hear the sound of breaking bones as the
2:55:16giant crumpled right before Thor smashed
2:55:18its face with an earthquake enhanced
2:55:20tail. Hawk was blocking ice attacks with
2:55:24his windshield so he didn't have to take
2:55:26away from the flames for his fireballs
2:55:28and the increased attack speed was the
2:55:30final straw for the frost giants.
2:55:33All four commanders fell within seconds
2:55:35and the remainder of the ascended
2:55:37artillery operators were close behind.
2:55:40Carl checked the sun which was just
2:55:42touching the horizon. Command, this is
2:55:4595,988.
2:55:48The artillery team has been eliminated.
2:55:51I will collect my rewards later. Carl
2:55:54joked. There was a short pause. Then a
2:55:57new female voice came over the radio.
2:56:0095,988
2:56:03confirmed count of the artillery team.
2:56:0620 members total, including four
2:56:08commanders.
2:56:0910 frost giant catapults were destroyed
2:56:12on location as well. The voice sounded
2:56:15shocked when it spoke next. Excellent
2:56:18work, Commander. We recommend relocation
2:56:21before dark.
2:56:23Understood.
2:56:25We will check in at dawn. It might be
2:56:28easier to say we're finding a spot than
2:56:30to actually rest in one. There are four
2:56:32other groups of frost giants in the
2:56:34area. Hawk informed Carl as he returned
2:56:37to scouting duty. Hawk reports four more
2:56:40groups in the region right now. We're
2:56:43going to have to deal with them now if
2:56:45we don't want to fight them all night.
2:56:47Carl informed the team. Can Ray make us
2:56:50a fort in a reasonable time after dark
2:56:52or will we be in the open? Tori asked.
2:56:56Yeah, she can make a quick fort after
2:56:58the fights. Carl agreed. Just watch me.
2:57:03I'm fast as [ __ ] boy.
2:57:05Rey agreed. "Who is teaching you to talk
2:57:08like that? Am I going to have to speak
2:57:11with Lotus?"
2:57:12Carl replied.
2:57:14Carl looked toward where they were
2:57:16standing, and Lotus burst into laughter.
2:57:19She was definitely teaching the
2:57:21bloodbath spider strange things. "The
2:57:24first group is coming to you. Tell Thor
2:57:26to bugle so they don't miss you," Hawk
2:57:29instructed.
2:57:31Thor didn't wait and let out a happy
2:57:33nasal bugle which brought the sound of
2:57:35smashing trees from two different
2:57:37directions. "Oh, we got two efficient,"
2:57:42Hawk added. "I don't think I need to
2:57:45explain everyone in position to block a
2:57:47charge by frost giants.
2:57:49This way will let us get rid of most of
2:57:51them before it's fully dark. I can fight
2:57:54just fine in the dark, but I know nobody
2:57:56else can," Carl explained. He didn't
2:58:00know how well the frost giants could
2:58:02fight in the dark, but it probably
2:58:04wasn't any worse than what the mages
2:58:05would be working with, even if he used
2:58:07his blade to light the battlefield,
2:58:10or one of the clerics could do it. They
2:58:13had light spells, and their weapon and
2:58:15armor enchantments could make a bright
2:58:17golden glow. The giants didn't hesitate
2:58:20as they charged, but they were scout
2:58:21teams. Only one commander and two
2:58:24ascended rank frost giants in each
2:58:25group. That wasn't even a warm-up for
2:58:28the spider golems. and Tori had stacked
2:58:30up a whole new batch of orbs before they
2:58:32arrived so she could mass bombard them.
2:58:36Watch your stamina usage. If you're too
2:58:39exhausted to walk after a battle, it
2:58:41will be a pain. If Thor gets injured, he
2:58:44needs to rest in a separate space so
2:58:46everyone ends up walking. Carl explained
2:58:49as he saw the barrage of spells chasing
2:58:51after his arrow. Thanks. I will keep it
2:58:54in mind. Did we have more fights
2:58:57tonight? Tori replied.
2:59:00Two more. Hawk is scouting them now so
2:59:04we can set up a nice secure camp. Go
2:59:07southeast toward the main lines over the
2:59:09ridge. There is a group there and I will
2:59:12get the training group to the north.
2:59:14Hawk decided. Carl led them over the
2:59:17ridge expecting to find another large
2:59:19group of frost giants. But what they
2:59:22came across was a blended unit with one
2:59:24commander rank frost giant walking
2:59:26crouched over to look smaller and 10
2:59:28yeti wearing frost giant cloaks. So they
2:59:30looked like juvenile giants, not high
2:59:32ascended rank elite yeti warriors. Carl
2:59:35was going to launch the attack right
2:59:37away, but Ry decided it was no fun if
2:59:39she didn't get to taunt Hawk first. Fear
2:59:42not, valiant Hawk, we will avenge you,
2:59:46she announced in her best grieving tone.
2:59:49What are you talking about? I'm not
2:59:51dying to some stupid trainees.
2:59:54Hulk retorted.
2:59:55No, we found an entire team of elite
2:59:58yeti dressed up as baby giants. Rey
3:00:01informed him. I will make these die
3:00:04right away. Don't start without me. 2
3:00:08minutes. Just give me 2 minutes. He
3:00:11pleaded. We're starting now. Rey taunted
3:00:15as she moved into position. Behave, you
3:00:18two. We will save a few for you when you
3:00:21get here. Carl insisted.
3:00:24It's Yeti elites dressed as baby giants.
3:00:28Be prepared. They're high ascended or
3:00:30possibly early commander rank, and they
3:00:32can use quite a bit of magic. Carl
3:00:35warned. True to his word, Hawk
3:00:38eliminated the training group in a
3:00:39matter of seconds, and he was already on
3:00:41his way back to take vengeance on the
3:00:43yetis. Carl led the group close enough
3:00:46that he could get a general sense of how
3:00:48powerful the targets were and found that
3:00:50they might have underestimated the power
3:00:52of the targets. What he had thought were
3:00:54high ascended rank yeti were all
3:00:56commanders, making this a 10 commander
3:00:58attack force. Now that he had added the
3:01:01haste skill, they would be dealing much
3:01:04more damage for every minute of the
3:01:05fight, but they were still at a
3:01:07disadvantage in both numbers and rank.
3:01:10Terrorize added 40% damage and haste
3:01:14gave them 40% more speed, but that still
3:01:16might not be enough to deal with 10
3:01:18commanders at once. The problem was that
3:01:21as soon as he attacked, those yetis were
3:01:23going to start casting spells, which
3:01:25would exhaust Thor as he tried to keep
3:01:27everyone's barriers up. Once the
3:01:29barriers were down, everyone was in
3:01:31trouble. So Thor would have to be pulled
3:01:33back from the front lines to focus on
3:01:35the defense of the golems. What they
3:01:38needed to do was eliminate the targets
3:01:39as fast as possible before they could do
3:01:42too much damage. It was that or find a
3:01:45way to ambush the target with golems and
3:01:47let them fight to destruction, then send
3:01:49more, preferably without being noticed.
3:01:52If they could take down a few targets,
3:01:54it would even the odds enough that Carl
3:01:56would be more comfortable fighting. All
3:01:59right, I have a plan. Everyone, stay
3:02:02back for now, and I will call when it's
3:02:04time to join. Ray, hide in the trees out
3:02:07of sight and summon your golems into the
3:02:09group. Let them fight it out, but don't
3:02:12let yourself be noticed until I give the
3:02:14signal. Once the golems are fighting, I
3:02:17will start firing arrows from the other
3:02:19side using chain lightning to slow them
3:02:22down. The goal is to eliminate two or
3:02:25three of them right away, then charge
3:02:27in. 10 commanders is too much, but if we
3:02:31can take that down to six in an ambush,
3:02:33it will be manageable.
3:02:35Carl explained. Tessa pointed up. You
3:02:39might want to be quick because Hawk
3:02:40isn't going to wait once he gets back.
3:02:43That's fine. If they think that this is
3:02:46a monster attack, they won't be ready
3:02:48for the mages when you approach. Thor,
3:02:51try not to get yourself too engulfed in
3:02:53the fight. The golems are going to need
3:02:55your lightning to hold up against the
3:02:56yeti ice magic. Carl added. Thor nodded
3:03:01and stomped the ground in annoyance, but
3:03:03he understood the order.
3:03:05All right, I'm off. Rey, I will attack
3:03:08as soon as the golems appear. Carl
3:03:11rushed to get in position so their
3:03:13ambush could be sprung before Hawk made
3:03:15it back. While Ray vanished into the
3:03:17woods after grabbing Dana instead of
3:03:19Lotus, he activated terrorize in advance
3:03:23as it would spread to the golems
3:03:25naturally and then settled in behind a
3:03:27large bush where his arrows would be
3:03:29fired without exposing his location. The
3:03:32first grunt of warning marked the
3:03:33appearance of the golems, and the entire
3:03:36patrol turned their backs on Carl, who
3:03:38began firing as fast as superhumanly
3:03:40possible. Three arrows were in the air
3:03:43at the same time, whistling toward their
3:03:45targets, and all charged with chain
3:03:47lightning, while the spider golems leapt
3:03:49into combat with stone golems on their
3:03:51backs. Commander rank strength was
3:03:54enough that the burden hardly slowed
3:03:56them down. And the move put all four
3:03:58golems in close combat just as Carl's
3:04:00first wave of arrows hit. Lightning
3:04:03arked through the Yeti clan, but missed
3:04:05the frost giant, who had been just a bit
3:04:07too far forward of the main group. But
3:04:10it had better danger sense than the
3:04:11others, and when they had turned right,
3:04:13it had turned left, allowing it to see
3:04:16Carl's arrows flying and guess where he
3:04:18was hiding. The next three gave away his
3:04:21position for certain, but wounded three
3:04:23more yetis while keeping the others
3:04:24slowed. That was good enough, and Carl
3:04:28whistled, calling Thor like he would an
3:04:30overgrown pup. The Sero began charging
3:04:33across the field, needing time to cover
3:04:35the hundreds of meters. But overhead,
3:04:37Hawk was faster. A barrage of fireballs
3:04:40rained down on the Yeti clan, ignoring
3:04:43the frost giant that was headed for
3:04:44Carl. one-on-one. He was confident that
3:04:48he could win that fight. So, destroying
3:04:49the frost armor and eliminating the ice
3:04:52bolts of the yetis were more important
3:04:53priorities.
3:04:55Remy brought up a blizzard killing
3:04:57visibility so the enemy wouldn't know
3:04:59that Thor was coming and to confuse them
3:05:02as to why they were taking damage. Using
3:05:04the enemy's own tricks against them
3:05:06seemed like the best tactic to the
3:05:08spirit snake, even if it did annoy Hawk,
3:05:10who thought that the 10 m off the ground
3:05:12that it extended was much too close to
3:05:14where he was flying. Couldn't you teach
3:05:17her to cast Firestorm instead of
3:05:18Blizzard? Hawk complained.
3:05:22Sure, as soon as we see it, I will have
3:05:24her work on learning it. Just be glad
3:05:27that Lotus isn't using her staff of
3:05:29water vortex.
3:05:30Carl spoke too soon. Three large water
3:05:34funnels filled with ice shards from
3:05:36attacks and the blizzard had appeared on
3:05:38the battlefield, making Hawk shriek in
3:05:40rage. She was doing it just to mess with
3:05:43him. Hawk was absolutely certain. It was
3:05:46only 10 commanders. They could handle
3:05:48that without all this excess water magic
3:05:52and teach the Lotus Priestess how to use
3:05:54lightning. Hawk added, "She was a
3:05:57cleric, not a shaman. The chances that
3:06:00she would be able to learn an elemental
3:06:02attack spell on her own were pretty
3:06:04slim. Maybe she could learn the nature
3:06:06golems.
3:06:08Those seemed like the sort of thing that
3:06:10a green dragon priestess might be able
3:06:12to learn. But once the water vortex
3:06:15spell was active, Lotus had begun to
3:06:17focus on creating binding vines to slow
3:06:19the yetis while Tessa cast attack buffs
3:06:21and healed the golems of the damage they
3:06:23took between Thor's activations of the
3:06:25refreshing lightning barrier. As the
3:06:28frost giant approached, Carl switched
3:06:30from arrows to his new maul and charged
3:06:32five layers of flame body on it, ready
3:06:35to sweat the enemy leader into oblivion.
3:06:38The giant paused when he sensed the
3:06:40power of the weapon, and the commander
3:06:42rank elite in the trees, but only long
3:06:44enough to switch weapons from the large
3:06:46club he was carrying to two smaller
3:06:48swords. That would be a problem for Carl
3:06:51as he still needed to actually land a
3:06:53hit on the beast. But Remy was ready
3:06:55with the assist. Her chain lightning
3:06:57caught the giant unaware as it was only
3:07:00watching Carl for signs of a skill
3:07:02activation.
3:07:03That slowed it for a split second as the
3:07:05mall streaked toward its target. The
3:07:08giant crossed its blades, stopping the
3:07:10upward swing of the Maul towards its
3:07:12tender bits, but Carl simply shoved
3:07:14forward with the strike. It wasn't
3:07:17enough to cause any sort of damage with
3:07:19the weapon itself, but the skills
3:07:20activated on contact. The giant saw the
3:07:24opening and its blades flashed, striking
3:07:26the barriers over both of Carl's arms as
3:07:28the Maul made contact with the frost
3:07:30giant's lower stomach. Both combatants
3:07:33were knocked to the ground, and Carl was
3:07:35bleeding heavily from his left arm,
3:07:37where the second blow had landed after
3:07:39the barrier was weakened. He brought
3:07:42refreshing lightning back up as Remy
3:07:44used healing splash to close his wound.
3:07:47And the giant got to its feet, swatting
3:07:50out the smoldering wound in its chest
3:07:51with a handful of snow. Now they were
3:07:54both more wary as they circled each
3:07:56other, buying time for reinforcements to
3:07:58reach their position. The battle was
3:08:01getting brutal behind them as the Yeti
3:08:03clan realized just how flammable they
3:08:05could be against the targeted vengeance
3:08:06of Hawk's flames. Carl sidest stepped a
3:08:10strike and smashed the mall into the
3:08:11frost giant's right hand, sending chain
3:08:14lightning, courarssing through its body,
3:08:16which caused it to drop one blade. The
3:08:19other was quickly discarded, and the
3:08:21giant went in for the crushing blows,
3:08:23intending to grab Carl and simply rip
3:08:25him into pieces.
3:08:27But flaming body came to the rescue,
3:08:30coating Carl in fire as the giant
3:08:32grabbed his chest. It instinctively
3:08:34flinched and the mall smashed into its
3:08:37face, charged with fire. Bones
3:08:40splintered and the giant dropped dead
3:08:42before vanishing into Remy's swamp.
3:08:45There was a small pile of items left
3:08:47where its body was unable to be
3:08:49transferred. But Carl was more
3:08:50interested in the actual fight. Lotus
3:08:53was using a refresh spell on Thor to
3:08:56keep his endurance up while Thor did his
3:08:58best to keep the refreshing lightning
3:09:00up. and the golems tore apart the Yeti
3:09:03clan to the accompaniment of dozens of
3:09:04magic missiles. Both Dana and Tori were
3:09:08using them while Oilia kept the yetis
3:09:10away from the mages. They were winning
3:09:13and half the clan was already down while
3:09:15the rest bled out onto the snow as they
3:09:17fought against Lacerate. They were not
3:09:21going to win a battle of attrition
3:09:22without healers.
3:09:24One last volley of arrows ended the
3:09:26already wounded Yeti clan and Carl
3:09:28quickly gathered the frost giants
3:09:30belongings for Tessa to identify. Is
3:09:33everyone all right? He asked as he ran
3:09:36over to the main fight. We will be in a
3:09:39minute. Bear is still recovering from a
3:09:41couple of wounds as is Thor. Ray should
3:09:45be good but everyone burned a lot of
3:09:47mana and energy. Tessa replied. Remy's
3:09:51blizzard was slowly covering the
3:09:52battlefield as Carl searched the bodies
3:09:54for magical items to toss into his
3:09:56trusty loot bag. The yeti corpses all
3:10:00had magical weapons, but no other items
3:10:02on them other than the cloaks that they
3:10:04were using to disguise themselves as
3:10:05giants. That was good enough for Carl,
3:10:08as 10 more weapons gave them a chance to
3:10:11either switch or to turn them in later
3:10:13for credits. The soldiers on the line
3:10:15would appreciate the weapons upgrades
3:10:17and goodwill from your reinforcements
3:10:19could never be a bad thing. Back in
3:10:22middle school, when he was the last one
3:10:24who hadn't gone through puberty, Carl
3:10:26had one huge friend who looked out for
3:10:27him when he had time. Carl hadn't
3:10:30thought about Big Jon for a while,
3:10:32likely not since becoming an elite, but
3:10:34him and Jon used to study together all
3:10:36the time, and Jon kept the bullying from
3:10:38getting out of hand when the teachers
3:10:40turned a blind eye. Jon hadn't been on
3:10:43the train, so he was likely in the mines
3:10:45right now, slaving away for the pittance
3:10:47they made at the bottom of the hole. The
3:10:50others quickly sorted through the
3:10:51weapons with growing disappointment.
3:10:54It looks like these are uniformly made,
3:10:56perhaps by a mass blessing by a frost
3:10:58giant shaman. They're all identical, and
3:11:01though the biting edge enchantment is
3:11:04strong ice magic, it doesn't really
3:11:06grant any benefit other than the ability
3:11:08to cut like a commander rank weapon,
3:11:10Tessa explained.
3:11:12Well, I think that will be good enough
3:11:14for the frontline troops. We can drop by
3:11:17and give them the loot tomorrow if we
3:11:19have time, but right now, we need to get
3:11:22ourselves into shelter before we can't
3:11:24see what we're doing at all. Hawk, lead
3:11:27the way. Carl replied. "There is a good
3:11:31spot not far from here, a small cave,
3:11:33but big enough for everyone to hide
3:11:35inside." Hawk decided, not wanting to be
3:11:38stuck outside all night again in case
3:11:41another cold front came through. They
3:11:43jogged through the snow-covered hills
3:11:45with a blizzard raging around them,
3:11:47hiding their tracks from anything that
3:11:48might want to follow them and dispersing
3:11:50their scent trail. In this battlefield,
3:11:53it was quickly becoming their best ally
3:11:55and a great safeguard against surprise
3:11:57attacks. The fact that there was no
3:12:00surviving local monster population
3:12:02helped as well. Everything that lived
3:12:04here had run away, and the frost giant
3:12:07army could only send so many troops to
3:12:09cover an entire border. The cave turned
3:12:12out to be much larger than Hawk had
3:12:13thought it was. The front area was
3:12:16small, but behind it, a narrow tunnel
3:12:18led to a much larger room. Out of an
3:12:21abundance of caution, and because they
3:12:23had fallen for that trap once before,
3:12:25the team checked all the walls to ensure
3:12:27that none of them were fake before
3:12:29settling in for the night. With the
3:12:31front entrance blocked by silk and snow,
3:12:34and then a hanging cloth in the narrow
3:12:35passage to the second chamber, they were
3:12:37able to keep the rear chamber quite
3:12:39comfortably warm without having to turn
3:12:41the flaming blade up too high. Tori
3:12:44smiled as she saw the two clerics
3:12:46setting up to make dinner.
3:12:48You know, I could get used to this, but
3:12:51I suspect that when we get back to an
3:12:52operating base, I will be reassigned
3:12:54either to my old team or to a new one,
3:12:57depending on where they were sent."
3:12:59Lotus nodded as she created spices for
3:13:01the stew. "Most likely, they are so
3:13:05short on people that they're not going
3:13:06to want to let us wander around with an
3:13:08extra ascended rank mage, especially not
3:13:11one that is specialized in combat. I'm
3:13:14not sure if that's better or worse than
3:13:16staying with us, though. We're
3:13:18guaranteed to be in danger just about
3:13:20every single day, so being reassigned to
3:13:22a different group who is sent to deal
3:13:24with less powerful threats might be
3:13:26safer, Lotus suggested.
3:13:30Safer than being with Thor, Hawk, and
3:13:32Ray. That's like having three extra
3:13:34commanders in your group. It might not
3:13:37be perfect, but it's pretty close to it.
3:13:40Even outnumbered 2 to1 by an all
3:13:42commander team, we still weren't in
3:13:44mortal danger, and we only took minor
3:13:46injuries. She had a point. A commander
3:13:50rank beast who recovered stamina at an
3:13:52abnormal rate was a cheat code when it
3:13:54came to keeping a barrier active over
3:13:56the whole group. After a half hour, Remy
3:13:59let the blizzard fade, leaving them
3:14:01snowed in and secure inside their cave.
3:14:04There was no artillery on this section
3:14:06of the front, and the change from the
3:14:08deafening barrage made it feel like they
3:14:10were somehow all alone in the world as
3:14:12they rested in their shared hammocks
3:14:13that night. Rey took watch, but she was
3:14:16inside the cave, not interested in going
3:14:19outside, as they were going to have to
3:14:21scout in the morning anyhow, and nothing
3:14:23should be able to find them here
3:14:24overnight. Besides, even if the frost
3:14:27giants did somehow find their cave, they
3:14:30wouldn't fit through the entrance and
3:14:31definitely wouldn't fit through the
3:14:33tunnel to the second room. She could
3:14:35just call her spider golems to attack
3:14:37anything that disturbed their door. But
3:14:40nothing did until the morning radio
3:14:42report started to come in. The main line
3:14:45that they had left behind suffered
3:14:47massive casualties the previous night,
3:14:49but repelled a frost giant offensive
3:14:51without losing ground.
3:14:53Thousands of the frost giants had been
3:14:55killed after the shamanistic weather
3:14:56spell had passed overhead. Thanks to the
3:14:59ingenuity of the general in charge of
3:15:00the zone, he had the whole front line
3:15:03turned into a minefield with fire
3:15:05element magical resources as
3:15:06projectiles.
3:15:08The cost was high, but they were hoping
3:15:10to recover many of the crystals and
3:15:12metals from the bodies to be reused in
3:15:14another round of manufacturing, and the
3:15:16explosives had proven to be deadly to
3:15:18even ascended ranked giants. That left
3:15:21the commanders and one royal rank frost
3:15:23giant for the elites and the holy magic
3:15:25enhanced infantry to deal with. It
3:15:28hadn't been easy, but it had been
3:15:29possible. And the general closest to
3:15:31Carl's cave was reporting that the other
3:15:33position was intact and unmoved.
3:15:36Hulk was sent to scout while the humans
3:15:38ate and quickly started making reports
3:15:40of enemy movements. Most of them didn't
3:15:43sound like they were intact units. The
3:15:45numbers were all wonky. three here,
3:15:48seven there, and even some solo giants
3:15:50were reported to be moving along the
3:15:52border toward what Hawk said was a city
3:15:54far on the horizon, visible only when he
3:15:56flew high enough. That would put it at
3:15:59least 100 km away, directly into the
3:16:02Frost Giant Nation. That wasn't a troop
3:16:05movement that they were going to be able
3:16:06to stop, but they could deal with
3:16:08anything that came too close to them
3:16:10today with the plan to rejoin the main
3:16:12line for the evening and turn over
3:16:13whatever loot they had found. The
3:16:16soldiers were going to need it as the
3:16:18frost giants wouldn't leave anything
3:16:19behind after a raid. Hawk, you can take
3:16:22out lone stragglers and small wounded
3:16:24packs if they can't attack back. It will
3:16:27make the others think that there are
3:16:29more groups in the area than there are,
3:16:31and it will help keep them away from the
3:16:32lines, Carl instructed.
3:16:36Got it. Free rain to kill the evil ice
3:16:39giants.
3:16:41Today is going to be a good day. What
3:16:43does Hawk say? Lotus asked as they
3:16:46prepared to move out. He says no easy
3:16:49fights today. He's going to take care of
3:16:51the lone stragglers, the severely
3:16:53injured, and the trainees. But there are
3:16:55plenty of frost giants retreating from
3:16:57yesterday's battle toward one of their
3:16:59cities that will be crossing our path.
3:17:01As long as the main force doesn't pull
3:17:03back to rescue them, we should be fine
3:17:05to hunt at will. Hulk will keep an eye
3:17:08on them for us. But the chances are they
3:17:10will never know that there is an issue
3:17:12until it's all over. Carl explained.
3:17:15Remy's voice whispered in Carl's mind as
3:17:18if she was trying to hide it from the
3:17:20other beasts. We should keep going into
3:17:22frost giant land. I can feel an
3:17:25incredibly strong shaman energy there,
3:17:27and I want it. Wouldn't that be a frost
3:17:30giant shaman? What good would a living
3:17:33giant do you? Carl asked, considering
3:17:36the fact that the shaman in question
3:17:38might well be an overlord ranked
3:17:39monster. No, not a person, a thing. I
3:17:44can feel it, she insisted.
3:17:47Well, we will see what we can do, but if
3:17:49it's days away, that's too far for us to
3:17:52leave our area. Remy pouted as she
3:17:55realized that they wouldn't be taking a
3:17:56multipleday detour to go find her the
3:17:58thing she could sense. But she didn't
3:18:00stop working and kept her blizzard
3:18:02active and low enough not to damage the
3:18:04ascended rank or stronger frost giants
3:18:06they were hunting. If they weren't hurt,
3:18:09they would think it was just a
3:18:10snowstorm. Or at least that was the
3:18:12theory. The first target they found was
3:18:15a lone commander, lightly injured.
3:18:18Unfortunately for the giant, it never
3:18:20even realized that Ry and her golems
3:18:22were stalking it before it was dead.
3:18:25Then came an injured trio who Carl
3:18:27marked with an arrow before the spider
3:18:29golems got to them. In fact, for most of
3:18:32the morning, it was the Carl and Ray
3:18:34show, and everyone else was just out for
3:18:36a walk in the snow. Nothing was living
3:18:39long enough to have a proper fight, but
3:18:42it was valuable work. They were
3:18:44eliminating the survivors of the failed
3:18:46attack before they could get to safety
3:18:48or heal themselves and rejoin the fight.
3:18:51Around lunch, Hawk came back to take a
3:18:53break while the giants who had noticed
3:18:55him attacking stragglers either calmed
3:18:57down or gave up on searching for him.
3:19:00They had been chasing him for hours, but
3:19:02the bird had been hiding among the trees
3:19:03to ambush the weak and then racing away.
3:19:07At this point, the giants likely hated
3:19:09Hawk just as much as he despised them,
3:19:11and it felt like an oddly balanced
3:19:13situation as the exhausted bird took a
3:19:15short nap in his space while he
3:19:16recovered his mana and strength with a
3:19:18good meal and some sleep. In the middle
3:19:21of the afternoon, after taking a few
3:19:23detours to pick up loot that Hawk's
3:19:25targets had left behind, they were
3:19:26headed back for the nearest main line,
3:19:28and Thor was again loaded up with
3:19:30equipment. While Carl's loot bag held
3:19:32the good bits, there were a surprising
3:19:35number of nearly identical weapons,
3:19:37which they hadn't seen during their
3:19:38previous days at the other front, though
3:19:40these giants had been coming from that
3:19:42direction. The change in uniformity of
3:19:45the gear implied that they had been
3:19:46keeping them in reserve for the mainline
3:19:48force to increase their attack
3:19:50capabilities.
3:19:52It was a solid tactic, but they had
3:19:54failed to create a breach. Regional
3:19:57command, this is team 95988.
3:20:00We are headed to your location for a
3:20:02supply drop this evening. Look for the
3:20:04lightning sero as our marker. Carl
3:20:07broadcast to their allies.
3:20:10Remy would drop the blizzard once they
3:20:11were close to visual range of the camp
3:20:13so they didn't get themselves bombarded
3:20:15and then they would walk in from the
3:20:17same area where they took out the
3:20:18artillery team the previous night. As
3:20:21they got close to the ridge line where
3:20:23they had eliminated the artillery team,
3:20:25Carl spotted a five-man team of elites
3:20:27searching the area. "Remy, you can end
3:20:30the blizzard. We found the first
3:20:33scouts," he instructed.
3:20:36As the snow faded, they continued their
3:20:38jogging pace, headed straight for the
3:20:40scout team. Tessa raised a hand from
3:20:43Thor's back to let them know they were
3:20:45friendly, while Ry remained a bit behind
3:20:47with Dana on her back. The bloodbath
3:20:50spider had switched riders for the day
3:20:52so that the golems could all be coming
3:20:53from one direction, even though that
3:20:55meant leaving her pocket healer behind.
3:20:58She wasn't big enough to carry them
3:21:00both. Or rather, she couldn't carry both
3:21:02comfortably due to her body shape.
3:21:04Though she was large enough for them
3:21:05both to fit, so she had chosen to only
3:21:07take one rider at a time. Identity? The
3:21:11scout team asked as they approached.
3:21:14Commander Carl with team 95988.
3:21:18The scout smiled and gestured to the
3:21:20wreckage of the battle. We've been
3:21:22finding signs of your work all over the
3:21:24region today. Dead giants left
3:21:27everywhere and even a large group of
3:21:29yetis that looked like they died last
3:21:31night. Have you been that busy? Or is
3:21:34there another team out here? Carl
3:21:36shrugged. We've been busy, but I can't
3:21:39say for certain that there wasn't
3:21:40another team out here. I didn't know
3:21:43that you were here until just a minute
3:21:45ago. The scouts finished taking notes on
3:21:48the destruction, then turned back to
3:21:49Carl. I hear that you're coming back to
3:21:52the base for the evening. Can I ask what
3:21:55you're short on so we can get it ready
3:21:57for you? Carl shook his head. We're
3:22:00short on storage space. We loot the
3:22:03giants so that they can't reuse the
3:22:05equipment of the dead. And we've got
3:22:07numerous weapons and magical armor with
3:22:09us. I just need to drop it off for
3:22:12credit and we will be on our way again.
3:22:15Weapons. We've come across a few, but
3:22:18most of what the frost giants carry is
3:22:20just junk strengthened with their magic.
3:22:21when it's time to fight," the scout
3:22:24replied. "We found a number of matching
3:22:27enchanted blades today." "Here, check
3:22:30that out." "Simple, but effective,"
3:22:34Carl explained. The scout examined the
3:22:37weapon with great interest. "It was a
3:22:40large sword for a human, a short sword
3:22:42for a frost giant, but surprisingly
3:22:44light, and Carl was right. The
3:22:46enchantment was basic, just enough to
3:22:48make it cut as if it were a commander
3:22:50rank weapon. It was the sort of thing
3:22:52that the army would issue to line
3:22:54soldiers if they had the ability to make
3:22:56them in large numbers. "How many of
3:22:58these did you recover?" "Because we
3:23:01could use these for the warriors of the
3:23:02scout teams," the soldier asked, eager
3:23:06intensity growing in his eyes as he
3:23:08imagined the possibilities.
3:23:10Carl turned to Lotus, who was sitting
3:23:12closest to the bags on Thor's back. "Um,
3:23:15about 30, I guess. There's a bunch of
3:23:19other gear in here, and I lost count.
3:23:22The nature priestess apologized.
3:23:25Identical items normally wouldn't equip
3:23:27for the same person, so keeping a spare
3:23:29set of giant strength gloves or wearing
3:23:31two sets, one inside the other, simply
3:23:34didn't work. That had led to them
3:23:36loading a lot of gear into the storage
3:23:38bags on Thor's back now that they all
3:23:40had a copy of what the giants had to
3:23:42offer. At least the parts of it that
3:23:44they could use. Dana was somewhat
3:23:47disappointed to learn that she couldn't
3:23:48use the ring of giant strength. The
3:23:51giants also weren't very creative with
3:23:53their gear and it was just the same
3:23:55thing in different appearances on every
3:23:57frost giant that happened to have a
3:23:58magical item. If they were trying to
3:24:01improve their own gear, Carl would have
3:24:03felt like he got scammed. However, as
3:24:06they could keep trading it in until
3:24:08every elite they met had frost giant
3:24:09gear on, it was a great money-making
3:24:12opportunity for them. The scout shook
3:24:14his head in dismay. You lot are
3:24:17monsters.
3:24:18We haven't even killed 30 commanders
3:24:20this week. And here you are bringing us
3:24:22back 30 commander rank swords for the
3:24:24day. Lotus giggled. Technically, a bunch
3:24:28of these came from last night when we
3:24:30came here to avoid that cold front that
3:24:32moved through the other main line. We
3:24:35weren't about to get caught out in that.
3:24:37So, we came here and took care of that
3:24:38artillery group by special request right
3:24:40before dark. The scout made notes and
3:24:44then gestured toward the south. We
3:24:46should get moving if you want to get
3:24:48your gear sorted in time to pick a
3:24:49camping spot outside the main line
3:24:51tonight. You know how it is. If you're
3:24:54there when the attack starts, you tend
3:24:56to get stuck on the main line. The
3:24:59camp's patrols let them through without
3:25:01questions when they saw the scout team
3:25:02leading Carl's whitecloaked menagerie
3:25:04toward the base.
3:25:06The first thought of everyone that they
3:25:08passed was that this was an extreme
3:25:09church guard unit thanks to their bright
3:25:11white outer layer which they had pilered
3:25:13from the frost giants to blend in with
3:25:15the snow. But once they saw who was
3:25:18underneath, they were simply confused.
3:25:21Those didn't look like church guards and
3:25:23the rest of their armor wasn't covered
3:25:25in white. Nor did they have any sort of
3:25:28church insignia on them except for the
3:25:30two clerics, one in green and one in
3:25:32red, under their white cloaks. Carl
3:25:35shouldered the bags of loot and let Thor
3:25:37take a break in his space in case they
3:25:39encountered a fight on their way to
3:25:41their sleeping spot tonight. The bags
3:25:44were nearly dragging on the ground as
3:25:45they hung from Carl's shoulders, a sign
3:25:47that they might have gone a bit
3:25:49overboard with their loot hoarding. The
3:25:51fact he had to turn sideways to get
3:25:53between some of the tents was another
3:25:54solid hint, but nobody was too worried
3:25:57about it, as long as the contents of
3:25:59those bags were for them. To the
3:26:01soldiers, it looked like they had gotten
3:26:03an unexpected supply run. They had no
3:26:06way of knowing that it was just a bunch
3:26:08of hoarders assembled into an elite
3:26:10team. The general, a royal rank warrior
3:26:13with a large shield strapped to his back
3:26:15and an ax at his hip, strolled out of
3:26:17his tent to meet them, then did a double
3:26:19take as he saw the bags on Carl's
3:26:21shoulders. Carl greeted the steel-eyed
3:26:23warrior.
3:26:25General, my apologies for the strange
3:26:27appearance. We had the lightning sero
3:26:30carrying the loot, but he wouldn't
3:26:32easily fit through the camp. Not a
3:26:34problem at all. The scouts informed us
3:26:37that you had collected some gear from
3:26:39the giants that we should be aware of,
3:26:40but we didn't expect that it would be so
3:26:42much. He replied with a smile that said
3:26:45he had just made a new friend in Carl.
3:26:48Anyone who brought that much loot back
3:26:50for his soldiers without being asked,
3:26:52and while fighting their way through the
3:26:53enemy lines had to be at least a
3:26:55halfdecent person in his mind.
3:26:58Yes, check these out, Carl replied
3:27:02before removing all the identical swords
3:27:04from the bag. Not identical in
3:27:06appearance, that actually varied wildly
3:27:09between weapons, but the enchantments on
3:27:11them were all exactly the same. It only
3:27:14took a second for the general to realize
3:27:16that as well. Interesting. We have known
3:27:19for a while that the giants aren't big
3:27:21on variety, but I think you might have
3:27:23just found proof that they're using a
3:27:25very limited and precise magical tool to
3:27:27do all their enchanting. It may only be
3:27:30capable of a few different abilities,
3:27:32and that is why we see all the frost
3:27:34giants with rings and bracelets of giant
3:27:36strength, and then the rest of their
3:27:38gear is usually only magical because it
3:27:40is made of magical beast hides, the
3:27:42general pondered.
3:27:44Not only that, but it's also proof that
3:27:46they can make a lot of it.
3:27:48We have 30 identical weapons taken from
3:27:51the survivors of one assault. All
3:27:52commander rank swords that will be
3:27:55useful for your troops, but it suggests
3:27:57that you might soon be facing them from
3:27:59the other side as well. Not all of these
3:28:02were taken from commander rank enemies.
3:28:04Some of them were on the higher side of
3:28:06ascended. Carl explained, "That's not
3:28:10good at all. The reason ascended elites
3:28:13can so easily go twoon-one against a
3:28:15frost giant of the same rank is because
3:28:17it can't quickly get through their
3:28:18barriers. But weapons like this wouldn't
3:28:21have the same problem. How did you deal
3:28:24with it? I see that your mage is still
3:28:26ascended. The general replied, the
3:28:30commander rank lightning ser has the
3:28:32ability to spread his barrier to
3:28:34everyone in the group. Between that and
3:28:36the circle of protection, we don't have
3:28:38too many issues. The general nodded. You
3:28:42have a solid group. I'm not certain what
3:28:45we are going to do about large numbers
3:28:47of those swords showing up in the next
3:28:49charge, but we will be able to make good
3:28:51use of the ones you brought us. As you
3:28:53have likely already noticed, despite
3:28:55your status as a student, commander rank
3:28:58gear is hard to find. There might be a
3:29:01piece or two at every depot, but that's
3:29:03about it. When we're fighting against
3:29:05dozens of commander rank frost giants at
3:29:08a time, every weapon counts.
3:29:10The mages can bring up barriers for us,
3:29:12and the priests can issue blessings, but
3:29:15nothing truly replaces a good weapon.
3:29:18Carl smiled as he gestured to the bag.
3:29:21"Those aren't the only weapons in there.
3:29:23It was just noteworthy that they were
3:29:25all identical. There are a number of
3:29:27giant strength items in there as well,
3:29:29and some commander rank and ascended
3:29:31rank armor. We grabbed everything that
3:29:34looked decent and wasn't destroyed in
3:29:36battle.
3:29:37Now on to the important parts that I
3:29:39couldn't put in a radio broadcast.
3:29:42The survivors of the battle at the other
3:29:43front line are headed for a frost giant
3:29:45city off in that direction. But the wave
3:29:47of intense ice magic that attacked the
3:29:49other line came from further that way
3:29:51deep within their borders. It wasn't
3:29:54cast close to the border. We were
3:29:56already in their territory when we felt
3:29:58it coming on the horizon. The general
3:30:00hummed as he considered the new
3:30:02information. I think I might know where
3:30:04it is coming from. There is a crystal
3:30:07mountain, a massive block of pure ice
3:30:09that keeps their nation frozen, right at
3:30:12the center of the frost giant's
3:30:13territory. The area it could keep cold
3:30:16was always the limits of their borders.
3:30:18But now I have reason to believe they
3:30:21found a way to access and enhance it.
3:30:23That's not official, by the way, just
3:30:26this elite's thoughts on the matter. But
3:30:28I've been in combat for 10 straight
3:30:30years now, and I've seen some things.
3:30:33The problem is that we don't have any
3:30:35more information about it than some old
3:30:36drone footage and a team who saw it once
3:30:38a few years ago. Until someone actually
3:30:41goes there, we can't know for certain,
3:30:44but it would be suicidal to ask anyone
3:30:46to actually do it. And we can't spare
3:30:48the elites who would have a chance of
3:30:49survival.
3:30:51Carl chuckled.
3:30:52Well, I know it's not going to be me
3:30:54unless I'm taking your army with me. The
3:30:57general laughed. It would have to be an
3:31:00overlord. That's the only combat force
3:31:03we have that could logically survive
3:31:04both the intense cold and the powerful
3:31:07frost giants who patrol the region
3:31:08around their sacred mountain. Notice
3:31:11that you haven't seen any of their
3:31:12monarch ranked giants or even any of
3:31:15their royal ranked giants on this front.
3:31:18They're all still guarding the holy
3:31:20sites according to military
3:31:21intelligence.
3:31:23So we deal with the soldiers while their
3:31:26generals stand back from the fight. The
3:31:28general gave a rofful chuckle as his
3:31:30rank hadn't saved him from a frontline
3:31:32posting. They needed the fighters and he
3:31:35was a soldier through and through. I
3:31:38know it's outside our deployed area, but
3:31:40plans change in the field. So, if there
3:31:42is somewhere that you need us to be, we
3:31:44can render some aid tomorrow before
3:31:46anyone complains that we're out of
3:31:47position, Carl suggested. The general
3:31:51gestured back into his tent. There are
3:31:54some spots, but don't worry about your
3:31:56position. I will have your status
3:31:58updated to roaming forward scouts so you
3:32:00can be anywhere along the border that
3:32:02suits you. If you're going to collect
3:32:04weapons like this every day, I don't
3:32:06think they would even care where you got
3:32:08them from. We need them that badly,
3:32:11especially commander rank blades and
3:32:13giant strength rings. Those can be used
3:32:16by almost every warrior class. Then he
3:32:19led them inside and stepped to the far
3:32:21side of a table with a collection of
3:32:23stones set on top of the map. I know it
3:32:26looks sketchy, but it's the easiest way
3:32:28to update troop movements. And if there
3:32:30is a chance that the camp will be
3:32:31overrun, the first thing we do is knock
3:32:34it over. It means we have to restart our
3:32:37map placements later, but it also means
3:32:39that the enemy won't be able to use the
3:32:41map to track our troops, he explained.
3:32:45Carl nodded. We're familiar with the
3:32:47trick and the fact that most officers
3:32:50don't put all the assets on the map. We
3:32:53got a rather shocking wakeup call when
3:32:55we landed here and saw the discrepancy.
3:32:58The general smiled sadly.
3:33:01See, that's an executive level issue.
3:33:04They always think we're overstating the
3:33:06situation in the field. Perhaps it's
3:33:08hard to hear with their heads that far
3:33:10up their ars. The general tapped a spot
3:33:13on the map further from Golden Dragon
3:33:15Nation territory and almost directly in
3:33:18front of this offensive line. That is
3:33:20the target I would like for you to
3:33:22inspect.
3:33:23It's too far to move the main line as
3:33:26being that far forward would let them
3:33:27sneak behind us. But I think there is
3:33:30something there, a relic or some other
3:33:33powerful magic. The giants keep moving
3:33:36past that point and our scouts suspect
3:33:38that they are gaining some benefit from
3:33:40it, but they haven't been able to get
3:33:42close enough to verify. We're not the
3:33:45priority line, just the B team elites
3:33:47with a bit of artillery on a quiet
3:33:49mountain pass. So, we don't have
3:33:50commanders to spare for scouting teams,
3:33:53he explained. Tessa smirked as she got
3:33:56some sort of divine inspiration that
3:33:58made her eyes glow red. Well, for a day
3:34:01at least, you've got us. We've only got
3:34:04one proper commander with us, but we've
3:34:07got three commander rank beasts as well,
3:34:09and that makes the fights a bit more
3:34:10even, she announced.
3:34:13If the war dragon thinks it's a good
3:34:15idea, then we really have to go see what
3:34:17they're hiding out there. For all we
3:34:20know, it could be a massive weapons
3:34:22bunker, or it could be a simple shrine
3:34:25to some ice goddess, but either way, we
3:34:27will take a look for you in the morning
3:34:29and report back. Carl agreed. I
3:34:33appreciate it. Have you picked a spot
3:34:35near camp? I know better than to ask you
3:34:38if you need a tent. The general
3:34:41chuckled. Yeah. The big trees to your
3:34:44east will do for the evening. We usually
3:34:46set up in one of the trees, Carl
3:34:49explained. Why in the trees? The general
3:34:53asked. Because I am the thing that goes
3:34:56bump in the night. Rey answered in
3:34:59Carl's mind. To engulf the silly bird in
3:35:02blizzard. Remy added, "For better, you
3:35:06brat. I knew you were making the air
3:35:08evil on purpose." Hawk complained.
3:35:12Carl smiled as he listened to their
3:35:14answers.
3:35:15Many reasons, but mostly it's more
3:35:18comfortable to be there than on the
3:35:19ground, and there are fewer tree
3:35:21climbing enemies than walking ones. The
3:35:24general nodded in agreement. He might
3:35:26not know a technique to make sleeping in
3:35:28a tree comfortable, but if Carl did,
3:35:31that was fine by him. The elites never
3:35:33wanted to stay in camp unless they were
3:35:35office sorts or out of supplies, so he
3:35:38wasn't going to get offended that they
3:35:39wanted to sleep nearby. All right, happy
3:35:42hunting, and I will expect your reports
3:35:44tomorrow when you leave the location.
3:35:47The general insisted, dismissing them to
3:35:49get back to work. Rey made them a nice
3:35:52fort in the trees, while Hawk kept a
3:35:54close eye on Remy to ensure she wasn't
3:35:56sneakily casting a minor blizzard spell
3:35:58to keep the blowing snow active around
3:36:00their camp. Blizzard Snake was
3:36:03definitely untrustworthy. She must have
3:36:05been learning bad habits from the frost
3:36:07giants. The worst part was he couldn't
3:36:10even throw things at her because she was
3:36:12just a stupid snake and she would
3:36:14probably eat it. If he made her sick,
3:36:17Carl would be mad. The next morning,
3:36:20they packed up camp, leaving the
3:36:22doublewalled fort, which had served them
3:36:23well for the evening, and began to make
3:36:25their way toward the spot that the
3:36:27general had marked on the map. According
3:36:29to Hawk scouting, it was hidden within a
3:36:32valley full of blowing snow, where he
3:36:34couldn't see the ground from above, and
3:36:35he wasn't going to fly down into it. in
3:36:38case the winds were strong enough to
3:36:39keep him from flying. He was powerful,
3:36:42but his feathers were rather delicate,
3:36:44and once they were pushed out of place
3:36:46by extreme winds in the wrong direction,
3:36:48he would be forced to land. Hawk says
3:36:51that the snow is blowing too hard to see
3:36:53down into the valley. So, we are
3:36:55essentially going in blind. I will have
3:36:58to call him in or have him sit on
3:36:59someone's pack when we enter, as the
3:37:01high winds will cause issues with
3:37:03flight. Actually, we might have to tie
3:37:06Dana and Lotus to Thor and Ray, or they
3:37:08might blow away as well. Carl joked.
3:37:13Well, it was intended to be a joke, but
3:37:15when they got to the edge of the valley
3:37:16and felt the raging winds, it started to
3:37:19sound like a more practical idea. They
3:37:21waited in the trees near the ridge line
3:37:23while they tried to make a decision and
3:37:25watched as a group of frost giants left
3:37:27the area, headed to the other front.
3:37:30Then a half hour later, another group
3:37:33went the same way. Hey, don't you think
3:37:36there is something odd about those
3:37:37giants? Lotus asked as she watched the
3:37:40second group. Carl inspected them more
3:37:43closely. One commander, nine ascended.
3:37:47Standard group formation, the usual
3:37:49assortment of weapons, blades with a few
3:37:52axes.
3:37:53Lotus shook her head. No, that's not it.
3:37:57Let's wait here for another group.
3:37:59Memorize this group as well as you can
3:38:02and I think it will make sense. Carl did
3:38:05and then they waited half an hour for
3:38:07another group to come out. One commander
3:38:10nine ascended an assortment of weapons.
3:38:13The same assortment of weapons, same
3:38:16outfits as well. We must have never
3:38:19noticed because the groups mix later,
3:38:21but those groups are identical. Carl
3:38:24gasped.
3:38:26Exactly.
3:38:27That's why we were getting so many of
3:38:29the same swords.
3:38:31Not because there's some obsessive frost
3:38:33giant blacksmith, but because the groups
3:38:35are being cloned. Tessa's eyes glowed
3:38:38red again. And Carl smiled at the war
3:38:40cleric. We're going down soon. We won't
3:38:43let your goddess down. The group has
3:38:46just gone, so we should be all right to
3:38:48head in and start searching now. If they
3:38:50could spit out a group every few
3:38:52minutes, the border would have been long
3:38:54since overrun. Carl led the group into
3:38:57the blowing snow, down the ridge, and
3:38:59into the bottom of the valley. They
3:39:01could only see a few meters in front of
3:39:03themselves, so unless they stumbled
3:39:05across a group accidentally, nothing
3:39:07would be hunting them. The lack of
3:39:09visibility, even with thermal vision,
3:39:11made it seem like an impossible task.
3:39:14But once they were close to the valley
3:39:15floor, the storm ended, raging above
3:39:18their heads and revealing an entire
3:39:19valley full of frost giants. There were
3:39:22hundreds of them in the area standing
3:39:24around a pulsing blue pillar of crystal.
3:39:28Yes, I need the good thing. Put that
3:39:31shiny stone in my swamp. Remy insisted.
3:39:36First, we need to get there and get rid
3:39:38of the giants. Carl laughed. The groups
3:39:42here were the same as the last two they
3:39:44had watched leave. Nine ascended for
3:39:46every commander, and now that Carl could
3:39:49see them side by side, identical faces
3:39:51on the commanders, but with different
3:39:53patterns painted to obscure their
3:39:55features. How that had escaped everyone
3:39:57was a mystery, but nobody really tried
3:40:00to memorize frost giant faces. Oh, look,
3:40:03a welcoming party. Tori sighed as the
3:40:06frost giants began to turn toward the
3:40:08interlopers.
3:40:10Tessa nodded. Well, let's not let them
3:40:13down. If anyone has a hidden secret
3:40:16skill, now would be the time to show it
3:40:18off. Carl quickly checked his points. 21
3:40:22left. He had a variety of options
3:40:25available from his skill tree. He just
3:40:27had to make a choice. Balance skills.
3:40:3150 points. Evolution. Cuz any bonded pet
3:40:34to evolve into a form one rank higher
3:40:36than when the skill is used. Usable once
3:40:40per beast. Some materials may be
3:40:42required.
3:40:43Skill master rank three available 100
3:40:46points allows all skills to evolve to a
3:40:49skill one tier higher than their current
3:40:51tier with practice. Tier 2 skills
3:40:5510 points brutality increases the size
3:40:58and strength of the target beast by 10%
3:41:01per rank, 40% for commander. 10 points
3:41:05barrier creates a barrier around the
3:41:07beast master or selected target at the
3:41:09beast master's current rank. 10 points
3:41:12bestial regeneration greatly increases
3:41:15the targets healing factor. 10 points
3:41:18refresh eliminates fatigue for 10
3:41:20minutes per rank. 40 minutes at
3:41:23commander. Tier three skills will become
3:41:26passively activate on beast master and
3:41:29all active beasts.
3:41:3120 points shatter. Physical strikes
3:41:34cause vibrations through the opponent's
3:41:35body that damage organs and may break
3:41:37bones.
3:41:3920 points. Sharpness, slashing,
3:41:42stabbing, and disintegration type
3:41:44abilities increase in damage by 10% per
3:41:46rank. 40% at commander,
3:41:5020 points. Crushing blows, blunt impact
3:41:53skills increase in damage by 10% per
3:41:55rank. Effective on damage caused by
3:41:58shatter,
3:42:0040% at commander. Carl looked at the
3:42:03skills for a moment and then the
3:42:05abundance of targets in front of them.
3:42:08There were definitely a few options
3:42:09there which would work out well for him
3:42:11today.
3:42:12Sorry, Thor. The next one will be for
3:42:16you. Carl apologized as he made his
3:42:19choice. 20 points. Sharpness, slashing,
3:42:23stabbing, and disintegration type
3:42:25abilities increase in damage by 10% per
3:42:27rank, 40% at commander. Sharpness
3:42:32learned. Rend and shred were both
3:42:35slashing type skills, as was lacerate.
3:42:39Unfortunately, chain lightning was not a
3:42:42disintegration ability, but he would
3:42:44take what he could get. Once haste and
3:42:47terrorize were activated on everyone,
3:42:49and the spider golems were summoned,
3:42:51they were ready to face the frost giant
3:42:53charge. Back into the snowstorm,
3:42:56Carl ordered, intending to limit the
3:42:59enemy's line of sight. Lotus yelled
3:43:02back.
3:43:03No, don't. They're using their magic to
3:43:06keep it active, and it will deal damage
3:43:08now that they know there are enemies
3:43:10here. So, they were trapped under the
3:43:12storm unless they could march up out of
3:43:14the valley through hundreds of meters of
3:43:16commander rank, blizzard, and blinding
3:43:18snow while under attack. The frost
3:43:21giants were charging, so Carl strapped
3:43:23his large sword to his pack for the
3:43:25bonus energy steel, then sent out a
3:43:27flurry of arrows charged with chain
3:43:30lightning to slow them down.
3:43:32With the benefits of sharpness and
3:43:35terrorize, the arrows were punching
3:43:37holes clean through the ascended ranked
3:43:39giants when they hit bare flesh, and the
3:43:41lightning was doing its job, scorching
3:43:43flesh and slowing their movements to
3:43:45give the spider golems time to shine.
3:43:47The two bone white wooden constructs
3:43:49launched themselves into the frost giant
3:43:51ranks, and true to Ray's name, a rain of
3:43:54blood and body parts was the result.
3:43:57With nearly twice the damage compared to
3:43:59a regular commander ranked golem that
3:44:01had the durable constructs bonus and 40%
3:44:04increased speed. They were eight-legged
3:44:06whirlwinds of death through the ascended
3:44:08ranked targets. The mages unleashed
3:44:11their spells on the commanders, quickly
3:44:13grasping what the spider golems were
3:44:15after. They were eliminating the
3:44:17overwhelming numbers while leaving
3:44:19everyone else to deal with the stronger
3:44:21targets. Carl led the group forward away
3:44:24from the storm so they weren't ambushed
3:44:26from behind out of the snow and turned
3:44:28his arrows on the larger frost giants.
3:44:31Thor's circle of protection flared
3:44:33around them as the ice shard attacks
3:44:34came back in return. Their lightning
3:44:37barriers were holding and while the
3:44:39lightning Sarah was at the front, he
3:44:41wasn't actively fighting. He was just
3:44:43focusing on maintaining their defenses
3:44:45while the golems did all the close
3:44:46combat work. It's a good thing that you
3:44:49don't need arrows. Tori panted as she
3:44:52created more magic missile orbs. The
3:44:55refreshing abilities of Thor helped, but
3:44:57she was burning mana quickly to keep up
3:44:59her damage rate against the giants one
3:45:01rank higher than she was. Cut back the
3:45:04individual power of your spells. We're
3:45:06going to be at this a while and we can't
3:45:08have you exhausted.
3:45:10Carl reminded her Dana had already done
3:45:13that and was relying on multiple hits to
3:45:16cause serious injuries instead of
3:45:18putting extra effort into individual
3:45:20spells.
3:45:21Hulk was on Thor's back using rend in
3:45:24wide arcs to damage anything that got
3:45:26near them. It wasn't royal rank, but it
3:45:29was the easiest spell on his energy, and
3:45:31he could keep these attacks up all day.
3:45:34They still cut deep into the frost
3:45:36giants, and for a moment, he envied
3:45:38Ray's lacerate ability. If Ren made them
3:45:42bleed like that, it would be so much
3:45:44better. Rey was staying close to the
3:45:46group, targeting giants who made it past
3:45:48the first line of defenders or who were
3:45:50giving Dana's stone golems trouble, and
3:45:53the ground everywhere around them was
3:45:54becoming soaked in cold blue frost giant
3:45:56blood as Carl slowly pushed the group
3:45:58forward toward the massive crystal.
3:46:01Ray's spear spell gained from the Naga
3:46:04swamp wasn't as devastating as some of
3:46:06her other abilities, but the small
3:46:08spikes peppered the frost giants and
3:46:10left dozens of heavily bleeding wounds.
3:46:13The combination with lacerate was
3:46:15proving to be quite impressive.
3:46:17Carl could see that there was a spell
3:46:19active at the base of the crystal, and
3:46:21the goal was to make it stop. It had to
3:46:24be the spell that was summoning more
3:46:25frost giants, and while it was slowly
3:46:28fading as their numbers decreased, they
3:46:30couldn't afford to retreat until it was
3:46:31gone. Oilia pointed to a spot to their
3:46:35right, and Carl adjusted the group's
3:46:36movement to go see what it was. The
3:46:39werebear berserker ducked down and
3:46:41pulled a book from the corpse of a frost
3:46:43giant woman that didn't match the clones
3:46:45before tossing the tome to Carl. It
3:46:48looked like a spell book of some sort,
3:46:50not a skill book, but it might be useful
3:46:52to Remy if the dead giant was a shaman.
3:46:55If not, he would just hold on to it for
3:46:57their berserker bear. Rey hissed in
3:47:00pleasure as she summoned a fresh group
3:47:02of spider golems, which appeared larger
3:47:04than Carl remembered them. Did she just
3:47:07upgrade her golems? Lotus asked. I think
3:47:11so. The same skill that allowed Hawk to
3:47:14improve fire body is active on everyone.
3:47:18Carl called back as he continued to fire
3:47:20arrows. His arms were getting sore even
3:47:23with the refreshing effect, and he was
3:47:25mentally exhausted from the chain
3:47:27lightning, which he was only using now
3:47:29when there was a cluster of targets. An
3:47:32arrow caught an unfortunate ascended
3:47:34rank frost giant in the face, then hit
3:47:36the inside of his helmet, throwing the
3:47:38body backward into a commander, who
3:47:40glared at Carl with pure murder in its
3:47:42eyes. Tessa was laughing and glowing
3:47:45with red light as she cast some sort of
3:47:47area buff on everyone. This was the sort
3:47:50of war that her patron deity craved.
3:47:53Pure controlled violence, crushing an
3:47:55enemy position with absolute
3:47:57overwhelming power. Every dragon
3:48:00priestess knew the ways of the dragon
3:48:02species. Mike makes right. They all had
3:48:06their own ways of doing things, though
3:48:08the dragons made at least some effort to
3:48:10work together and keep society
3:48:11functioning. But when it came down to
3:48:14conflict, the strongest were the only
3:48:16ones with the right to speak. Tessa's
3:48:19spell completed, and the golems, as well
3:48:21as Carl's arrows, were coated in a layer
3:48:23of red energy that caused the frost
3:48:25giants to boil and explode after being
3:48:27injured.
3:48:29Carl had no idea what to call that
3:48:31divine blessing, but it was the most
3:48:33wonderful thing he could think of at
3:48:34this moment. As the entire valley of
3:48:36frost giants was headed their way, Carl
3:48:39switched to simply coating his arrows
3:48:41with fire from flaming body and letting
3:48:44them loose into the charging giants.
3:48:46With Tessa's blessing active, the wounds
3:48:49began to boil, and even a hit to the leg
3:48:51would be fatal. They were getting closer
3:48:54to the spell on the ground and the ring
3:48:56of frost giants who were focusing all
3:48:58their attention on it. There's a weird
3:49:01little crystal in the middle of the
3:49:02circle. Remy noticed once they were 10 m
3:49:05away with a wall of commander ranked
3:49:07giants between them and the spell. How
3:49:10lucky are you feeling? Carl asked the
3:49:13spirit snake. Pretty lucky. You're
3:49:17totally going to get me that big stone
3:49:18after we finish. she replied. Then grab
3:49:23this next giant by the ankle and I will
3:49:25send you to the circle to recover the
3:49:27little crystal. Once you have it, return
3:49:30directly to your space before they mince
3:49:32you into sushi rolls. Carl instructed.
3:49:36Carl switched to his mall and Remy moved
3:49:38to his leg, prepared to strike when he
3:49:40got close. Carl leapt into melee combat
3:49:43and kicked his leg forward, tossing Remy
3:49:46onto his target, giant, who raised a
3:49:48shield to block the strike of the
3:49:49oversized hammer, but was blown backward
3:49:52by five layers of flaming body on the
3:49:54blunt weapon. He flew right over the
3:49:57spell circle, even over the casters, who
3:50:00ducked to avoid a collision. As she
3:50:02passed over, Remy dropped from his body
3:50:05and swallowed the strange object hole
3:50:07before returning to her space and
3:50:08spitting it out. The storm overhead
3:50:11instantly stopped, leaving the
3:50:13battlefield in an eerie silence. "I
3:50:16don't think we should have done that,"
3:50:18Oilia muttered as the huge blue stone in
3:50:20the middle of the valley began to pulse
3:50:22more violently, making the ground shake.
3:50:25"I think you're right. Everyone, get on
3:50:28a ride. We're leaving." Carl ordered,
3:50:31grabbing Dana as he ran past the mage.
3:50:35Lotus climbed on Rey while the stone
3:50:37golems grabbed Tori and Tessa.
3:50:39Thor tried not to laugh as he chased
3:50:41everyone out of the valley. This was a
3:50:44great game. They ran in, slapped the
3:50:47frost giants in the face, and now they
3:50:49ran away before they got slapped back.
3:50:52Hulk fired back into the giants chasing
3:50:55them while the spider golems did their
3:50:57best to stop the tide and keep them in
3:50:59the valley. Now that the storm was gone,
3:51:02the bird took to the air, bombarding the
3:51:04enemy with a combination of rend and
3:51:06fireballs.
3:51:07Run faster. that stone is starting to
3:51:10crack. He warned when the group was only
3:51:13twothirds of the way up the valley
3:51:14ridge. The giants had fallen well behind
3:51:18them thanks to the defensive efforts of
3:51:19the spider golems. But Hawk was right.
3:51:22That glowing stone was making the snow
3:51:24glow bright blue with the intensity of
3:51:26the mana surges it was experiencing.
3:51:28Remy did her best to hide her despair.
3:51:31That was supposed to be her prize, but
3:51:34now it was going to blow up, and she was
3:51:36left with just a cute little crystal
3:51:37statue of a fat lady. At least it had
3:51:40strong shaman magic on it, so she could
3:51:43keep it in her swamp and bask in the
3:51:44power. A blast of ice magic washed over
3:51:48them, shattering Thor's, refreshing
3:51:50lightning, and dealing slamming into
3:51:52those caught in its path. Ray summoned
3:51:55her spider golems closer to protect
3:51:57Oilia and Carl, only to watch the outer
3:51:59layers of them being shredded by the
3:52:01violent magic before she made it over
3:52:03the ridge and behind a huge boulder to
3:52:04hide. The stone golems were shattered to
3:52:07dust and the barriers over everyone
3:52:09shattered as Thor was hurled through the
3:52:11air, leaving a trail of damaged scales
3:52:13before he chose to return to his space.
3:52:16Carl felt his bones creek and vainly
3:52:18clutched at Dana as the magic sent him
3:52:21flying after tearing through the spider
3:52:22golem. But it didn't feel like anything
3:52:24broke. He would be sore later, but his
3:52:27armor held. He lost his grip on Dana,
3:52:30but hopefully she would be all right
3:52:32with both him and the golem as a shield
3:52:34against the initial blast. When the
3:52:37blast had spread from the stone, Hawk
3:52:39had returned to hide in his space,
3:52:41avoiding any injury. But the frost
3:52:43giants weren't so lucky. Most of them
3:52:46were still gathered around the stone,
3:52:48trying to stabilize it when it had
3:52:49exploded. The blast sent a bright blue
3:52:52mushroom cloud up into the sky, dwarfing
3:52:54any mountain range that would be visible
3:52:57from a thousand km away all along the
3:53:00front lines as well as in the frost
3:53:02giant nation. Check in. Is everyone all
3:53:06right? Carl called as he got back to his
3:53:08feet. Thor made an unhappy noise from in
3:53:11his space, then brought the barrier back
3:53:13up over everyone while the others all
3:53:16groaned in pain. The refreshing
3:53:18lightning and Remy's healing splash,
3:53:20which she was throwing out at everyone
3:53:22now, were precisely what everyone
3:53:24needed, but it sounded like there were
3:53:26worse injuries than those two spells
3:53:27could easily deal with. Lotus cast her
3:53:30area healing spell over the group, and
3:53:33Carl heard Tessa curse as she reset her
3:53:35own broken arm so it would heal
3:53:36properly. before going to help the mages
3:53:38who were in even worse pain despite the
3:53:40numbing effect of the healing spell.
3:53:43Carl just lay in the snow for a few
3:53:45minutes, catching his breath as the
3:53:47healing spell took its course and the
3:53:49pain from his joints began to fade.
3:53:52Looking over, there was some blood on
3:53:54Oilia's fur, but nothing major as the
3:53:56spider golems had taken the worst of the
3:53:58blast. It was the spellcasters who
3:54:01needed the most help, and the clerics
3:54:03were both busy with the task. After 15
3:54:06minutes, everyone was back on their feet
3:54:08with a golden glow surrounding them as
3:54:10the clerics worked together to cast a
3:54:12spell to repair their armor. It was a
3:54:15form of nature magic called mend. Quite
3:54:17useful if the gear wasn't completely
3:54:19destroyed. They hadn't had to use it
3:54:22before, but it was considered one of the
3:54:24basics for a wandering nature priestess
3:54:26or a war priestess,
3:54:28especially a red dragon priestess who
3:54:30worked with orphans. They needed all the
3:54:33mending spells they could get so the
3:54:35children didn't destroy the few clothes
3:54:36they had. Excellent.
3:54:40Job done. No casualties.
3:54:42I say we go back to the front line and
3:54:44take a few days to rest and recover.
3:54:47Carl decided. Lotus raised a weary hand.
3:54:52I vote we do anything but that. Do you
3:54:55have any idea how many questions there
3:54:56will be about whatever that was? I've
3:54:59never seen an explosion like that. and
3:55:01everyone would have seen and felt that
3:55:04from a few meters away from Carl. Dana
3:55:06nodded. She has a point. I say we radio
3:55:10in and tell them we're not dead, then
3:55:12hide in the hills somewhere for like 2
3:55:14weeks. She grabbed the radio from Carl's
3:55:17chest pocked and frowned. It's smoking.
3:55:21Carl dowsed it with snow, stopping the
3:55:24smoke, then flicked it off and on again.
3:55:27There were no lights, no sound on any
3:55:29channel, nothing.
3:55:31The radio is fried. Can someone get the
3:55:34emergency phone out of my pack? Carl
3:55:37asked. Dana unbuttoned the side pouch
3:55:40and took out the small emergency phone.
3:55:43Carl hit the button for a dial tone and
3:55:46got nothing. No lights on that either,
3:55:49though it wasn't smoking. Emergency
3:55:52phone is dead as well. He sighed. The
3:55:56barrier combined with lotus area healing
3:55:58spell had already repaired the damage to
3:56:00the group, but it couldn't fix their
3:56:02communications gear. Well, maybe if we
3:56:05go find a scout team, we can tell them
3:56:07that we're not dead. That should be
3:56:10enough to ensure that they don't make
3:56:11our families cry. Oilia suggested.
3:56:15Tori looked shocked, as if she had
3:56:17forgotten that was a possibility. If
3:56:20they were presumed dead, they would be
3:56:22added to the war casualty roles, and
3:56:24their families would receive a death
3:56:26benefit from the government based on
3:56:27their last recorded rank. Since they
3:56:30were all young or clerics, it would go
3:56:32to their parents, not a spouse. But that
3:56:35was still bad enough. Hawk, can you go
3:56:38find us a scout team? Hawk left his
3:56:41space and flew out in search of a scout
3:56:43team for them to meet up with out of
3:56:44sight of the main line. That way, they
3:56:47could hold the meeting, then disappear
3:56:49into the battlefield without anyone
3:56:51interfering.
3:56:52That didn't take long, as there were
3:56:54dozens of scouts coming their way from
3:56:56all along the front line, even a few
3:56:58twoperson teams running their way from
3:57:00the other portions of the front line.
3:57:02Only the ones closest to them would be
3:57:04likely to suspect that there was someone
3:57:06from the elites here already. But they
3:57:08would all need to confirm what the
3:57:09situation was, and if you couldn't see
3:57:11it, the site would be very concerning.
3:57:14They weren't at the front lines, but
3:57:16they weren't that far from it. So, the
3:57:18other lines wouldn't be able to tell
3:57:19that the line here hadn't just suffered
3:57:21a catastrophe.
3:57:23Carl turned the group to the closest
3:57:24group of scouts and saw that there were
3:57:26others running toward them. They were
3:57:29the first on the scene, so they might
3:57:31have more information than the others
3:57:32who hadn't reached the site yet.
3:57:34"Commander, was your group close when
3:57:36that happened?" "Is everyone all right?"
3:57:40the leader of the first scout team they
3:57:42reached asked.
3:57:43Indeed, we were. We were tasked to scout
3:57:47the crater valley, and it turned into an
3:57:49all-out battle with the frost giants.
3:57:52Somewhere along the way, a large glowing
3:57:54stone got destabilized, and its
3:57:56destruction was what everyone saw, Carl
3:57:59explained. "Perfect.
3:58:02I will send a runner back to the line to
3:58:04report." Carl gave him a confused look.
3:58:08Just radio it in. The scout shook his
3:58:11head. The explosion knocked out every
3:58:14radio in the base. We had no
3:58:16communication when our team was
3:58:18dispatched.
3:58:19They should have some fixed soon. I
3:58:21heard something about blown fuses, but I
3:58:24don't have a working radio. Same here.
3:58:28Even my emergency phone is fried. We
3:58:31were still in the crater when the
3:58:32explosion happened. Carl explained.
3:58:36You're lucky to be alive. I will have
3:58:39the runner explain to the general that
3:58:40your team is fine. Where are you headed
3:58:43next? Into the wilderness between
3:58:46frontline groups. I will come grab a new
3:58:49radio in a few days or poach one off
3:58:51another scout group. Carl replied. The
3:58:55scout smiled and nodded, then led his
3:58:57whole team back to the line. They were
3:59:00elites. They knew what was up and they
3:59:02weren't going to waste their breath
3:59:04trying to get Carl to come straight to
3:59:05the chaos of a base with no
3:59:07communications.
3:59:08For the next two hours, Carl repeated
3:59:11the explanation to various scout groups
3:59:13who returned to the frontline camps to
3:59:15give explanations as anyone close enough
3:59:17to reach him that fast had lost their
3:59:19radios to the blast. It's time to go.
3:59:23Frost giant army 40 km out coming for
3:59:26the crater from the city. Hawk informed
3:59:29them as the last of the scout groups was
3:59:31about to leave. You, Lieutenant, I
3:59:34forget your name. There is a Frost Giant
3:59:37Army battalion coming this way from the
3:59:39city. Can you run and tell the general
3:59:42that he's likely to have incoming
3:59:43hostile forces later today? Carl shouted
3:59:46after them. No problem, Commander.
3:59:50Make yourself scarce before they get
3:59:52close enough to spot you. Carl nodded
3:59:55and led the team away, headed for the
3:59:57woods between the two sections of Battle
3:59:59Line, where he could take the team and
4:00:01disappear into the mountain caves in
4:00:02only an hour or two. That would keep the
4:00:05frost giants from finding them. And if
4:00:07Remy cast a blizzard once they were out
4:00:09of sight, they wouldn't even leave a
4:00:11trail to follow. "Yep, Blizzard is
4:00:14useful," Remy agreed while coiled around
4:00:17her new statue, trying to determine what
4:00:20it was for. Blizzard is useful. Hulk
4:00:23mimicked while Thor chuckled, startling
4:00:26the group members who were standing
4:00:27beside him. They're bickering about the
4:00:30virtues of ice magic. Carl explained
4:00:33while the mages climbed up behind Tessa
4:00:35on Thor's back, and the golems were
4:00:37dismissed. The trees were densely packed
4:00:40in the foothills here, and Thor had to
4:00:42be dismissed while Rey chose to return
4:00:44to her space as she couldn't climb
4:00:46sideways between the trees without
4:00:48dropping Lotus. Remy started a snowstorm
4:00:51with Blizzard as Hawk gave them
4:00:53directions to a nice cave he had
4:00:55scouted. It was part of a large cave
4:00:58complex as far as he could tell after
4:01:00his brief exploration, but there were
4:01:02spots that could be blocked off for
4:01:04safety, and the whole place was well
4:01:06underground and warm from the stone of
4:01:08the mountain. That's good enough for me.
4:01:11We might even get to explore another
4:01:13cave and spend a few days without going
4:01:15out in the snow. Carl agreed. It
4:01:19probably wasn't that large, but no snow
4:01:21sounded good to Hawk. Rey blocked the
4:01:24door of the cave with silk and a few
4:01:26entangled branches, while Remy blew snow
4:01:28up against it to make it look like it
4:01:30had been that way for some time. That
4:01:33was good enough for their disguise, as
4:01:34the tunnel ran deep into the rock, just
4:01:37as Hawk had promised. And it was a
4:01:39tunnel and not a natural cave, as it was
4:01:42carved with a smooth arch to the ceiling
4:01:44and aloves every 5 meters along the wall
4:01:47that had likely once held lanterns of
4:01:48some sort. The site put everyone on edge
4:01:52in case this was another trial instance
4:01:54or home to some sort of intelligent
4:01:56monster. The good caves, like this one,
4:01:59would normally be claimed by something,
4:02:01and there was no telling how nasty that
4:02:03thing might be. So they were cautious as
4:02:06they made their way deeper into the
4:02:08complex and into a chamber where a set
4:02:10of long-forgotten houses stood
4:02:12petrified, coated in mineral stone from
4:02:14the dripping water. Hey, look at this. I
4:02:18think that is dwarven writing. There
4:02:21haven't been dwarves here in a thousand
4:02:22years. Not since the frost giants
4:02:25betrayed them and they fled the
4:02:27continent. Lotus noted as she gestured
4:02:30toward some runes written at the
4:02:31entrance to the cavern. Do you have any
4:02:34idea what it says? Carl asked. Nope. I
4:02:38can't read dwarf. But if my memory is
4:02:41right, it should be some sort of
4:02:43protective spell to keep monsters out of
4:02:45their village and the livestock in. It
4:02:48usually didn't target humans because
4:02:50we're not a threat, but your companions
4:02:52might have to stay in your space when we
4:02:53go in and out. She replied. Tessa looked
4:02:58around the cavern. And that means there
4:03:00is another tunnel to check. There are
4:03:03always two ways in and out of a dwarven
4:03:05village, even one this small. There were
4:03:08only five houses and a few smaller
4:03:10outbuildings, so this might have been a
4:03:12way station along a trade route and not
4:03:14a proper village, but the dwarves were
4:03:16meticulous and they would have made a
4:03:18second exit that led to a different side
4:03:20of the mountain. Carl nodded. All right,
4:03:24stay close and try not to damage
4:03:26anything. This place feels like a
4:03:28museum, and I'm certain some historian
4:03:30will love to hear that it's still
4:03:32intact. If the houses are still in good
4:03:35shape and empty, we can bunk in one of
4:03:37them. If not, we will set up out in the
4:03:39open. Tori looked at him strangely.
4:03:43Why would you think that there might be
4:03:44something intact in those houses? It
4:03:47would take hundreds of years for the
4:03:48dripping water to coat the roof in
4:03:50deposits like that. One of them has
4:03:53turned into a proper stelagmite.
4:03:55Carl smiled.
4:03:57I grew up in the mines. There were
4:04:00always old men joking about how we were
4:04:02digging so deep we might find dwarves
4:04:04and how they made their furniture of
4:04:05stone so they could pass it down to
4:04:07their grandchildren in a few hundred
4:04:09years. I don't know how true that is,
4:04:12but it seems like it might be possible.
4:04:15Look at the fences. They're all stacked
4:04:18stones carefully cut to interlock. The
4:04:21other tunnel only took a minute to
4:04:23locate as the designers weren't trying
4:04:25to hide it. But there would be no
4:04:27threats from that direction as the
4:04:29tunnel had been carefully blocked over
4:04:30with cut stones. However, the stones
4:04:34weren't the same as what was in this
4:04:35cavern. It was a different sort of
4:04:37granite, darker and with a faintly pink
4:04:39inclusion in it. What's got you staring
4:04:42at a stone wall so hard? Lotus asked as
4:04:45Carl paused to take it in. The stone
4:04:48comes from deeper in the mountain.
4:04:50I think they bricked it up from the
4:04:52other side, Carl explained as he ran his
4:04:55fingers over the cool stone. A hold out
4:04:58against the allies of the frost giants,
4:05:01Tessa suggested.
4:05:03Possibly,
4:05:05but if it's still standing and
4:05:06undamaged, we should be safe here. I
4:05:10don't see any bones, campfire rings, or
4:05:12other signs of previous univilized
4:05:14inhabitants.
4:05:16If this really had been a hold out
4:05:18against the frost giants when they sent
4:05:19their allies against the dwarves, it
4:05:21could be a very valuable safe spot for
4:05:23them. It was deep in the mountain,
4:05:26secure, warm, even without artificial
4:05:28heating, and there was plenty of room
4:05:30for anything they might need to bring
4:05:31inside. "You look like you're
4:05:34considering a long-term residency,"
4:05:36Tessa noted as Carl surveyed the area.
4:05:39"It's not a bad idea. The front lines
4:05:42are unlikely to move too much. So, we
4:05:45will remain within striking distance of
4:05:46the frost giants for some time. They're
4:05:49going to be pissed about their valley,
4:05:51but they might not be able to do
4:05:52anything about it now that it has
4:05:54exploded. That's a real shame, you know.
4:05:58Remy wanted that big stone for her
4:06:00space. It would have made a great
4:06:02decoration.
4:06:04Tessa laughed at Carl's reply, but Lotus
4:06:07looked intrigued.
4:06:08You know, there was a big fancy stone
4:06:11behind the Naga shaman boss in the
4:06:12dungeon. I wonder if they were the same
4:06:15sort of stone. If we get to another
4:06:18dungeon, we will have to see if that
4:06:20stone appeals to her as well. Carl led
4:06:23them back to the nearest house, whose
4:06:24stone door was sitting wide open. It was
4:06:28dusty, but the roof hadn't leaked, and
4:06:30the interior was intact, as well as
4:06:32being almost all stone, as Carl had
4:06:34suspected. The beds had been carefully
4:06:37made when the last resident left, and
4:06:39the decayed remains were still there,
4:06:41though moss was growing on them, giving
4:06:43off the faint luminescence common to
4:06:45plants that grew in the underground
4:06:46caverns of the dark elven city inside
4:06:48the dungeon. I thought that they would
4:06:51have packed and taken everything with
4:06:52them. I guess not. It would take too
4:06:56much time and cause too much damage to
4:06:58the artifacts to sleep inside.
4:07:01Rey, can you set us up a fort and
4:07:03hammocks outside?
4:07:05Carl requested.
4:07:06Ry popped out of her space, then looked
4:07:09around for a good spot. There were a
4:07:12number of stone pillars supporting the
4:07:13ceiling of the cave, so she picked one
4:07:15of those to build at the base of,
4:07:17pulling from all sides, so the weight of
4:07:19the people in the hammocks would be
4:07:20evenly distributed, as if it was a
4:07:22flexible tree that she was worried about
4:07:24toppling. Then she returned to her space
4:07:27to rest.
4:07:28There was still light coming in from
4:07:30above, reflected through a crystal that
4:07:32lit up the cavern with the afternoon
4:07:34sun. When it started to get dark, she
4:07:37would come back out again. But for now,
4:07:39it was time to nap. The group was
4:07:42thinking the same thing, so Carl led
4:07:44them to a fire pit in the backyard of
4:07:46one of the houses. It had a metal grill
4:07:49plate over half of it, and it was
4:07:51obviously intended to be for cooking
4:07:53with an adjustable hanger for your pot
4:07:54on the other side. This is fancy.
4:07:58Get that stoked up with your lucky blade
4:08:00and I will start on dinner. Lotus
4:08:03informed them as she admired the way
4:08:04that the metal of the griddle hadn't
4:08:06corroded even after a thousand years. It
4:08:09would need a good cleaning before it
4:08:10could be used, but she wasn't planning
4:08:12to use it anyhow. She was just going to
4:08:14put her pans on it once it was hot. Carl
4:08:18activated flame body on his spare short
4:08:20sword and went to place it in the pit.
4:08:23But the moment that the fire touched the
4:08:25stones, the pit roared to life, creating
4:08:28an evenly distributed fire through the
4:08:29whole pit. Carl removed the blade and
4:08:33the fire went out, enthralling Lotus.
4:08:36Just use the skill in the pit. I think
4:08:39you will be able to control it directly.
4:08:41That had to be pretty convenient for
4:08:43whoever made this place, she suggested.
4:08:47Carl extended the flaming body skill
4:08:50into the pit, which required him to
4:08:52touch it to get it started. But when he
4:08:54removed his hand, he could still control
4:08:56the skill, and the pit stayed burning.
4:08:59"All right, we really are set now. Cook
4:09:03to your heart's content, and we will
4:09:04rest here for a day or two." Dana and
4:09:07Lotus smirked at each other. "Don't you
4:09:10think this reminds you of something?
4:09:13Like when you accidentally broke
4:09:14something of your mom's and then hid
4:09:16until she calmed down. Lotus asked or
4:09:20ate a cupcake from the batch that was
4:09:21supposed to be for the church potluck.
4:09:24Dana agreed.
4:09:26For two entire days, the group rested in
4:09:29the dwarven village ruins, resting and
4:09:31rebuilding their strength. But Carl
4:09:34wasn't slacking.
4:09:35No, he was working hard to spread the
4:09:38energy from the focal points in his
4:09:39beast spaces and then rebuild them. The
4:09:42process of spreading the energy smoothly
4:09:44took an entire day, and then it would
4:09:46likely take him weeks to rebuild it back
4:09:48to its new peak level, but he could feel
4:09:50the difference in the spaces after
4:09:52putting it off for that long. With three
4:09:54commander rank beasts, the energy was
4:09:56flowing much more smoothly through his
4:09:58body after the process was completed,
4:10:00and he had an easier time activating his
4:10:02skills. The royal rank flaming body
4:10:06skill was becoming much more effective,
4:10:08though still limited by his own
4:10:10capacity.
4:10:11It was more efficient than the commander
4:10:13rank version for the amount of mana
4:10:15used, but because his cap for energy
4:10:17usage was lower, he still couldn't exert
4:10:19the maximum amount of power that someone
4:10:21like Prince Corbin could have. By Carl's
4:10:24best estimate, it was close to twice as
4:10:26strong as it would have been at
4:10:28commander rank, though. The jump between
4:10:30the two ranks was a large one. And while
4:10:33Carl didn't quite understand the
4:10:34difference yet, the feeling of power
4:10:36from Flaming Body was definitely not the
4:10:39same as it was from the other skills he
4:10:41could use. If it had been offensive
4:10:44adaptation that Ry had managed to
4:10:46advance, he might have a more detailed
4:10:48understanding with two skills to
4:10:50compare, but it was her golems that had
4:10:52advanced first. Of course, if it had
4:10:55been offensive adaptation that advanced
4:10:57first, the amount of damage that he was
4:10:59doing at the commander rank might have
4:11:00made even the red dragon of war blush.
4:11:03That skill was truly overpowered to
4:11:06begin with, and having it a full rank
4:11:07higher than the user would just be
4:11:09disgustingly effective. They had no way
4:11:12of knowing what was going on outside
4:11:14other than the silence when they went to
4:11:16sit by the door and listen for movement.
4:11:19There was nothing close enough for their
4:11:20senses to pick up on the first day. So
4:11:22on the second day, Carl sent Hawk out to
4:11:25scout in the morning. There are still
4:11:27plenty of frost giants in the area
4:11:29searching for us. I guess they're big
4:11:33mad about something, and it has to be us
4:11:35blowing up their rock, Hawk explained as
4:11:38he returned to rest in his space for the
4:11:40remainder of the day. With the energy
4:11:42stabilized in an even layer on the third
4:11:44day and the new focuses forming
4:11:46properly, Carl sent Hawk out to scout
4:11:48again, updating them on the situation.
4:11:52Not so many frost giants as yesterday,
4:11:54but still plenty of frost giants to keep
4:11:56us busy all day. There are humans there
4:11:59now, too, fighting. Hawk informed them
4:12:02during his dawn scouting mission. It
4:12:05sounds like it's time to go. There are
4:12:08other human teams outside now, fighting
4:12:10with the frost giants that are looking
4:12:12for us. Well, they likely don't know
4:12:14it's us they're looking for, but they're
4:12:16looking for the relic from the crater,
4:12:19Carl explained. But it blew up. Tori
4:12:23reminded him. Dana and Tessa both gave
4:12:26Carl matching suspicious looks. It did
4:12:29blow up, didn't it? Tessa asked. Carl
4:12:33took Remy and her new lucky statue out
4:12:35of her space to show to the others. I
4:12:38think that this is what they're looking
4:12:40for, he explained.
4:12:43A statue of the all mother. I mean,
4:12:46she's the primary goddess of shamanistic
4:12:48magic, but what does that have to do
4:12:50with the frost giants?
4:12:52Lotus asked. Tessa shrugged.
4:12:56No idea. But if it was in the crater,
4:12:59then it's not just a statue. Where did
4:13:01you find it? Remy wrapped protectively
4:13:04around her statue in case someone tried
4:13:07to take it from her. Carl smiled and
4:13:09stroked the spirit snakes's back as he
4:13:11answered. They were using it as the
4:13:14focus for the circle that was summoning
4:13:15more frost giants. I stole it to break
4:13:19the spell. Tessa nodded in
4:13:21understanding.
4:13:23And then the crumbling spell
4:13:24destabilized the frost stone and
4:13:26everything blew up. All right, I see
4:13:29what happened now. Tuck that away again
4:13:32and don't let it come out. It should be
4:13:35good for Remy, but the frost giants will
4:13:37sense its magic if they're close. Remy
4:13:40quickly vanished into her space to
4:13:42protect her statue while the clerics
4:13:44tried not to laugh. The little spirit
4:13:47snake was growing quickly, but nobody
4:13:49had noticed because it was so cold that
4:13:51she never came out of her space. Or at
4:13:53least she never came far enough out that
4:13:55they could see her. "Are we bringing our
4:13:58packs or leaving them here in camp?"
4:14:02Tori asked as she glared at the heavy
4:14:04bag. Unlike the others, the mages
4:14:07couldn't use the rings of giant
4:14:08strength, so they were working with
4:14:10basic human stats, and carrying their
4:14:12packs all day was tiring. "You and Dana
4:14:15can sling them on Thor's back. It should
4:14:18help mobility, and he won't mind a pair
4:14:20of saddle bags if Ray helps us tie them
4:14:22on nicely," Carl suggested.
4:14:26Ry happily made a harness for the packs
4:14:28and for the riders to hang on to while
4:14:30they sat on top of Thor's new white fur
4:14:32cape. It was warm. It helped him hide.
4:14:36And it had a hood. The hood was the best
4:14:39part in Thor's estimation.
4:14:41Tessa had cut holes for his upper horns
4:14:44so it would stay in place when he moved
4:14:45his head, and it kept his cranial ridge
4:14:48warm without blocking his eyes. The
4:14:50harness kept it securely in place with
4:14:53the backpacks hanging at his rear hips
4:14:54and the riders in front of that with
4:14:56Tessa sitting at the base of his neck
4:14:58where she could more easily attack their
4:15:00targets. We need to get you a lance.
4:15:04Carl decided as the riders took their
4:15:06places. Lotus was back in her spot on
4:15:09Ray again so they could ambush from the
4:15:11side without the bloodbath spider losing
4:15:13her pocket healer. That put both mages
4:15:16on Thor's back, but they would climb
4:15:18down as soon as the fighting started as
4:15:20they weren't physically adept enough to
4:15:22stay on a bucking lightning sero during
4:15:24battle. Carl led them down a path toward
4:15:27the closest group of human scouts who
4:15:29were about to end up in combat with a
4:15:31frost giant hunting team, keeping the
4:15:33pace to a moderate jog so that neither
4:15:35of the beasts was tired when they found
4:15:37their fight. "Can I engage?" Hawk asked
4:15:41after relaying that the frost giants
4:15:42were about to reach the human scouts.
4:15:45"Go ahead, just don't get yourself
4:15:47attacked." The fireballs made it easier
4:15:50to track the scout from the ground, and
4:15:52Carl adjusted their route to intercept
4:15:54the frost giants. The scout team had
4:15:57slowed their advance, wary of the insane
4:15:59dragon hawk, allowing Carl and the
4:16:01others to make it to the hunting team
4:16:03first. It was just five ascended frost
4:16:06giants with spears, no fancy armor or
4:16:08magical weapons, but they had a large
4:16:10hound of some sort with them who was
4:16:12sniffing at the ground, searching for
4:16:14something. It wasn't them, as the hound
4:16:17didn't make any signal that it had
4:16:19recognized them. But if they were
4:16:20tracking every group who had been near
4:16:22the crater, they would get to him
4:16:23eventually. Carl took out the dog
4:16:26handler with an arrow, while the others
4:16:28fell to Hawk's fireballs, leaving a very
4:16:30shocked scout group standing 50 m to
4:16:33their right, unsure as to what they
4:16:35should be doing now. "Good morning,
4:16:37everyone. I don't suppose that you have
4:16:40a working radio, do you?" Carl asked.
4:16:44The team leader smiled and gestured for
4:16:46someone to bring one forward. We do have
4:16:49a spare. All the teams do now that we've
4:16:53learned the trick. The only ones that
4:16:55blew up were the radios that were in use
4:16:57at the time, the ones in storage with
4:16:59the batteries removed were fine. It took
4:17:02a few hours to realize that with all the
4:17:04chaos, and by then the scouts who had
4:17:06been near the crater had all dispersed
4:17:08again. He explained, "Got it. keep the
4:17:12battery removed from the spare radio
4:17:14when we get one. Hopefully that sort of
4:17:17thing won't happen again anytime soon,
4:17:19but you never know." Carl agreed. "You
4:17:23should call in soon, Commander." The
4:17:26general would like to have a few words
4:17:28with you, and he is requesting that you
4:17:30return to the base." The scout chuckled
4:17:33as Carl tucked the radio in his pack and
4:17:35put the earbud in. "I thought that might
4:17:38be the case, especially after 2 days of
4:17:40recovery time.
4:17:42All right, I will head for the base this
4:17:44afternoon, so I have time to make it
4:17:46back to my camp before dark. Hulk wasn't
4:17:49joking about the number of frost giants
4:17:51in the area. Carl could see three other
4:17:54groups from where they were standing,
4:17:55and if the giants had better eyesight,
4:17:57they would be able to clearly spot his
4:17:59group across the open fields, even with
4:18:01their white cloaks. It was a shame that
4:18:04he couldn't fire an arrow that far, but
4:18:06from Hawk's point of view, it looked
4:18:08like the frost giant front line had
4:18:10spread out into a search pattern, and
4:18:12they were combing the area looking for
4:18:13their lost relic. That thing must be
4:18:16significant to them, even though it's
4:18:18not their primary goddess. Lotus decided
4:18:21as they headed for another group of
4:18:23hunters. Perhaps it's because she's a
4:18:26shaman god, and they needed the
4:18:27shamanistic magic to activate the stone
4:18:29that was letting them clone the
4:18:30warriors.
4:18:32Carl suggested.
4:18:34Lotus frowned. That could be, but it
4:18:37might be something else as well. The
4:18:40goddess is called the Allmother, and she
4:18:42is a god of shamanistic magic. So, it
4:18:44might be that only a holy relic of that
4:18:46one specific goddess would enable them
4:18:48to use the spell they need. If that's
4:18:50the case, there are likely more of these
4:18:52statues all over the front lines, hidden
4:18:55in places too dangerous for most of our
4:18:57teams to scout. The frost giants know
4:19:00that we don't have any royal rank
4:19:01fighters here, so they haven't deployed
4:19:03any of theirs. They're just wearing us
4:19:05out before making their big move. Remy
4:19:08perked up at that suggestion. Is she
4:19:10saying we have to collect them all? Like
4:19:13totems for my swamp? A whole collection
4:19:16of magical statues to build an array
4:19:18with? Remy wants to know if we should
4:19:21try to collect them all and see what
4:19:22happens. She seems to think that they're
4:19:25supposed to work together. Carl relayed.
4:19:29Tessa and Lotus shared an enlightened
4:19:31look, both remembering something from
4:19:33their training. I think that the
4:19:35summoning effect really might be a set
4:19:37of statues. Totem magic is a thing, but
4:19:40it's far beyond most of us. If there are
4:19:43a whole set of divine totems working
4:19:45together, representing a pantheon or a
4:19:48concept, then the totems might be
4:19:50creating all of the strange phenomenons
4:19:52that we are seeing with the expanding
4:19:54borders and the appearance of new frost
4:19:56giants. As the totem magic tries to
4:19:58align the world to favor them, Tessa
4:20:01explained.
4:20:02And if we steal enough of them, the
4:20:04effect would stop and the borders would
4:20:06begin to return to normal, ending their
4:20:08invasion. That is brilliant. We just
4:20:12need to find the others, Dana exclaimed.
4:20:16And I would get my own expanding swamp,
4:20:19Remy added helpfully.
4:20:21How that would work was a mystery to
4:20:23Carl as the swamp was a mental space and
4:20:26the maximum size seemed to be tied to
4:20:27her rank. But perhaps the statues would
4:20:30help her grow up faster. I think that we
4:20:33need to go to the base and see if there
4:20:35are other places like the one that we
4:20:36attacked. If we tell them what we
4:20:39suspect, they might make a mess of
4:20:41attacking it and then the totems will be
4:20:43moved again. But if we can get a few
4:20:45more before the frost giants realize
4:20:47that they're being targeted, I think
4:20:49that it might be enough that we can send
4:20:50the army after the others. Carl decided,
4:20:55"So, you're saying get the intel, attack
4:20:57another hidden spot, and see if there is
4:20:59a totem statue there, and only then
4:21:01should we tell the army about the
4:21:02threat?" Tessa asked seriously. "Yes, I
4:21:07think that is the best strategic
4:21:08decision for us to be able to not only
4:21:10test the theory, but to end the war if
4:21:12we are right.
4:21:14Oilia looked deep in thought as she made
4:21:16little piles of snow with her foot. I
4:21:19think Carl is right. The totems won't do
4:21:22anyone any good if they're spread out.
4:21:25The damage would be done and the border
4:21:27would just stop advancing. But if we can
4:21:29get enough of them together, the effect
4:21:31should begin to fade as the totems align
4:21:33to favor us. That's how my totems are.
4:21:37The more that I have active, the
4:21:39stronger the effect is. I don't have the
4:21:42strongest totems yet, only bare
4:21:44strength. But once I have four of them
4:21:46out, my strength has doubled from its
4:21:48base level. Remy nodded along in
4:21:51understanding.
4:21:52Totems were shaman magic, and although
4:21:55she didn't know any of them yet, she was
4:21:56getting a much better idea of how they
4:21:58worked after watching them appear all
4:22:00around the werebear when she was in
4:22:01combat. Carl led them back toward the
4:22:04front lines to talk to the general, and
4:22:06Remy studied her statue while trying to
4:22:08remember everything that she could about
4:22:10the totems that Oilia made. She was
4:22:13close to a revelation. She just needed a
4:22:15bit more time to understand what she was
4:22:17missing. The scouts were waiting for
4:22:19them as they got close to the camp,
4:22:21despite the fact that Carl hadn't sent
4:22:23any radio messages yet. Commander, the
4:22:26general would like to see you in his
4:22:28command tent. The scout greeted them. I
4:22:32would have been more startled if he
4:22:33didn't want to see me. Carl joked. Lee
4:22:37lead the way. I don't want to walk in on
4:22:39anything unfortunate. My poor clerics
4:22:42have seen too much already this mission.
4:22:44The scout looked confused, but Lotus
4:22:46giggled at the memory of the startled
4:22:48artillery battalion commander when he
4:22:50was quite literally caught with his
4:22:51pants down. They heard the generals
4:22:54laughter when the scout stuck his head
4:22:56in to see if he was free and then
4:22:58followed him inside.
4:23:00General, good to see you again. I trust
4:23:03that you got a relayed version of the
4:23:04events from the other scouts. Carl
4:23:07asked, "Yes, all sorts of confused and
4:23:11conflicting reports." "Now firsthand,
4:23:14what happened out there?" "You did go to
4:23:17scout the location, did you not?" the
4:23:20general asked. "We did, and here is how
4:23:23it went." Carl went through the details
4:23:26of the engagement, including the
4:23:28snowstorm that made it look like there
4:23:29was no valley there at all until you
4:23:31were in it to the clear area at the
4:23:33bottom, the identical giants, and the
4:23:35destruction, but omitting the bits about
4:23:37the totem Remy borrowed. I understand
4:23:40now. It makes sense that the frost
4:23:42giants are out hunting. They might be
4:23:45looking for the culprit, but also for
4:23:47any leftover magical items that survived
4:23:49the blast, shards of the frost stone,
4:23:51and other valuables.
4:23:54If there are still shards of that
4:23:55exploded stone, they will be valuable
4:23:57not only to the frost giants, but to
4:23:59other water and ice magic users, the
4:24:02general explained. Dana and Tori smiled.
4:24:07They shouldn't have too many problems
4:24:08finding a piece or two of the shattered
4:24:10stone to help with their magic. One
4:24:13other thing, ascended mage Tory, you
4:24:16have been reassigned.
4:24:18There is a new group here in need of a
4:24:20mage and we unfortunately don't have the
4:24:22resources to keep an overstrength
4:24:24scouting group active in the wilderness.
4:24:27But I just got here. She complained.
4:24:30Carl's group was the best she had ever
4:24:32seen. They were competent, worked in
4:24:35unison without arguments or questions,
4:24:38and even better, they actually wanted to
4:24:40be there. Plus, there were three
4:24:42commander rank beasts already in the
4:24:44team, more than doubling their combat
4:24:46strength.
4:24:48What more could you ask for? The group
4:24:50in question came in just after the
4:24:52general mentioned them, most likely
4:24:54because they had been waiting for the
4:24:55signal. Two familiar elites entered,
4:24:58leading two others with similar faces,
4:25:00suggesting that they might come from the
4:25:02same hometown or be relatives to each
4:25:04other. Their entrance was silent, but
4:25:07accompanied by the faint smell of giggle
4:25:09and leather oil. The McKenzie brothers
4:25:12were here with two other warriors, and
4:25:14they have been assigned the first free
4:25:15mage as far as Carl could tell. Bob,
4:25:19brother Doug, good to see you again.
4:25:22Carl greeted them with friendly hugs.
4:25:24Commander Carl, I didn't expect to see
4:25:27you here. Did you bring us our extra
4:25:29mage? Bob asked with a slight smirk on
4:25:32his face as he took in Carl's group. I
4:25:35suppose that we did. We were further
4:25:38down the line when the fallback signal
4:25:40was given and we ended up behind enemy
4:25:42lines. So, we've been poking their
4:25:44supply lines and attacking a couple of
4:25:46suspicious points. Carl agreed. With the
4:25:50help of a certain spider and hawk who
4:25:52can spot and sneak up on giants with
4:25:54ease. It looks like you've got a
4:25:56reliable bunch, but I don't know these
4:25:58two. Doug asked. Dana and Oilia meet
4:26:03high priest Doug McKenzie of the nature
4:26:05god and his brother commander Bob
4:26:07McKenzie.
4:26:09Bob Doug meet Dana the golem mage and
4:26:11Oilia the bear totem berserker. Doug
4:26:14gave Oilia an appraising look. I bet
4:26:18she's comfortable in bear form. She's
4:26:21just big enough to be furry and warm.
4:26:23Oilia looked vaguely offended, but Lotus
4:26:26was quite familiar with brother Doug and
4:26:28the other nature priests. She gets like
4:26:31twice that size. No worries about being
4:26:34cold with her around, though. She's been
4:26:36cuddling Tori at night, so we're going
4:26:38to have to fix our sleeping
4:26:39arrangements.
4:26:41The tiny priestess agreed. Doug smiled
4:26:44and lit a herbal cigarette. Sister
4:26:47Lotus, you're living too good. Why don't
4:26:50you lend us the berserker as well? Bob
4:26:53and Carl shared a smile while the two
4:26:55nature clerics joked with each other,
4:26:57ignoring the fact that they were
4:26:58supposed to be in the middle of a
4:27:00meeting or that the people they were
4:27:01referring to were literally standing
4:27:03right beside them. Once the general was
4:27:06done with them, he chased both groups
4:27:08out of his office. He would soon have
4:27:10more directions for both, but a scout
4:27:12could pass the message before they left.
4:27:15He had enough to deal with already
4:27:17without adding the stress of dealing
4:27:18with a stone nature priest and a bunch
4:27:20of miscreant elite mercenaries.
4:27:23Only one mage in your group? Carl asked
4:27:26as he looked at the combination.
4:27:28Yeah, not great luck on the combo this
4:27:31time, but we've got a ranger who's good
4:27:33with longer distance attacks. Our
4:27:36sisters were both sent to the capital
4:27:37for security detail, so we can't get
4:27:39them for the team this time. Bob sighed.
4:27:43Well, Tori is good with multiple target
4:27:46attacks, but it's a bit of a shame that
4:27:48you don't have a second caster. Then
4:27:50Carl paused. There was a spell that Ry
4:27:54knew which could likely be used by
4:27:55Brother Doug. The skill book ability
4:27:59required that he study and have some
4:28:00understanding of the skill, and he had
4:28:02certainly fulfilled that requirement,
4:28:04though it wasn't one that he could use
4:28:06himself. If you wait a moment and find
4:28:09me some paper and ink, plus one of those
4:28:11cigarettes, I think I can make a spell
4:28:13book for Doug. It's a nature spell, so a
4:28:16nature priest should be able to use it,"
4:28:19he added. Doug didn't hesitate and
4:28:22brought out a stack of paper intended
4:28:24for reports, as well as his good pen and
4:28:26a rolled herbal cigarette. Carl crushed
4:28:29the herb onto the paper as he took a
4:28:31seat at one of the tables in the dining
4:28:33tent beside the generals and began to
4:28:35write out the spell book. Ry got this in
4:28:38a dungeon instance as a reward, but I
4:28:40think it will be compatible. I managed
4:28:43to make a refreshing lightning version
4:28:45for the blue dragon priests.
4:28:48Carl explained.
4:28:50Doug laughed. I heard all about that.
4:28:54They're so excited to have a new spell
4:28:56to teach that they've been trying to get
4:28:57everyone they meet to learn it. The
4:29:00problem is it only works for the blue
4:29:02dragon priests.
4:29:04Not even the shamans have managed to
4:29:05learn it straight from the book. Thor
4:29:08laughed at that one. He didn't know how
4:29:11human shamans played with lightning, but
4:29:13Remy's lightning and his lightning were
4:29:14totally different things that just
4:29:16looked the same. He was also eager to
4:29:19come out and play with his old friends,
4:29:21but the camp was so crowded that there
4:29:23simply wasn't space for him. Carl needed
4:29:26Ray to help him with the book for the
4:29:27parts that he didn't understand. But
4:29:29between them, they quickly got the spell
4:29:31completed, and it formed itself into a
4:29:33skill book with a simple wooden cover
4:29:35and a spear tip on the front. Doug took
4:29:38the book and flipped the cover open.
4:29:41That was all that it took for the book
4:29:43to vanish, while the others looked on in
4:29:45envy. You know, there is a supply tent
4:29:48here with the essentials. Why don't you
4:29:50get a golem book? One of the warriors
4:29:52with Bob's group asked Tori. I've
4:29:54already tried. I'm incompatible with the
4:29:57book. I can use arcane spheres that fire
4:30:00multiple magic missiles, though. I'm not
4:30:03great at defense, but I've got strong
4:30:05offensive abilities.
4:30:07She replied sadly. That's all right.
4:30:11We've got a high priest with us and a
4:30:13commander ranked defensive warrior.
4:30:16Golems are nice to have, but they're not
4:30:18the only way to deal with frost giants.
4:30:21The warrior consoled her. Lotus raised
4:30:24her hand. I would just like to say,
4:30:27"What the heck, dude? You could teach
4:30:30nature priests to use spear all this
4:30:32time, and you didn't make me a copy like
4:30:35two weeks ago. I've been right here
4:30:37riding on Ray's back while she casts it,
4:30:40and you didn't once think to teach me."
4:30:42Carl blushed in embarrassment. Would you
4:30:45believe me if I said that I forgot it
4:30:47was possible? I have to study and
4:30:49somewhat understand the skill to
4:30:51transcribe it, but I've seen it cast a
4:30:53thousand times now by Ry and her golems.
4:30:56And with her help, it wasn't hard. Lotus
4:30:59made a get on with it gesture, and Carl
4:31:02started over with Ray's help to make her
4:31:04a copy of the book. Lotus grabbed it and
4:31:07did a little happy dance the moment they
4:31:09finished. This will be perfect. I will
4:31:12have vines and spikes. The book vanished
4:31:16in her hands and the little priestess
4:31:17frowned. I have been robbed. Oh, wait.
4:31:22No. This is just as good. Carl tried not
4:31:26to laugh at how similar her response was
4:31:28to his beasts when things didn't go as
4:31:30expected while he waited for her to calm
4:31:32down. The two spells combined to give me
4:31:35a third option which replaced the other
4:31:37two. Thorned vines are basically the two
4:31:41at the same time, but the spears are
4:31:43thorns and don't fly out. They just stab
4:31:46when the vines grab something. That
4:31:48seemed like it would actually make
4:31:50things easier on Lotus. She was already
4:31:53used to using the vines to restrain
4:31:55targets, but they didn't do any damage.
4:31:58Now they would restrain targets while
4:32:00doing damage, a twofor one combo
4:32:02package. Bob came over to Carl's side
4:32:05while Lotus and Doug did a little happy
4:32:07dance together.
4:32:09Why did you come in so early? There are
4:32:12still plenty of hunting hours for the
4:32:13day. You could have come at the end of
4:32:15the afternoon.
4:32:17He asked while the two nature clerics
4:32:19celebrated their new skills. I'm not
4:32:22planning to stay. Now that we've given
4:32:24them their report, I'm going to leave
4:32:26again. We've got a good spot in the
4:32:29forward operating area where we can
4:32:31engage the frost giants easily, but
4:32:33still remain safe to sleep at night,
4:32:36Carl explained.
4:32:38We found your other fort on the way in.
4:32:40The one in the trees near the camp. At
4:32:43least I assume it's you. It is spider
4:32:46silk. And I didn't see any sort of
4:32:48monsters in the area other than the
4:32:49frost giants. Bob replied.
4:32:53Yeah, that was almost certainly the one
4:32:55made by Ry. It's far enough outside the
4:32:58camp that you don't get suckered into a
4:33:00frontline rotation in an attack, but
4:33:02you're close enough to assist or return
4:33:04to inform them of your destination when
4:33:06you head out in the morning. Suddenly,
4:33:08Doug and Lotus both turned back to the
4:33:10group. Lotus had a huge smile on her
4:33:14face as she made her announcement. We
4:33:16have an idea. Why don't we head out
4:33:19together tonight? The safe spot is big
4:33:22enough for both groups, and we can have
4:33:23Remy hide our tracks every night. Then
4:33:26we can work out of the same area for
4:33:28support and compete to see who can
4:33:30eliminate more frost giants. Bob looked
4:33:33impressed.
4:33:35That's actually not a terrible idea. Two
4:33:38scout groups to protect a camp, which
4:33:40means we can split resources and we will
4:33:42only need to warm one space and we won't
4:33:45have to lose as much sleep to watch
4:33:46duties. It would also keep the two
4:33:49groups close together if there was a
4:33:51larger threat. So if they sent a radio
4:33:53call, the other team could come quickly
4:33:55to assist them. The official stance was
4:33:57that they didn't have enough elites to
4:33:59have large teams. But their two teams
4:34:01working out of the ruins was no
4:34:03different from all the teams that
4:34:04returned to base at the end of the day.
4:34:06The ranger on Bob's team immediately
4:34:08became suspicious and began looking back
4:34:11and forth between the team leaders and
4:34:13the nature priests. What are you not
4:34:15telling us? We all saw the scout
4:34:18reports. Why do you think that we need
4:34:20two teams with multiple commander rank
4:34:22members working together? He demanded.
4:34:26Bob patted him on the shoulder. Bless
4:34:29your heart, you don't get out much, do
4:34:31you? The official scout reports don't
4:34:33include anything from teams that were
4:34:35lost or teams that haven't reported in
4:34:37or any of the enemy reserves that are
4:34:39too far for our scouts to get a
4:34:41confirmed number four. In short, it's
4:34:44about a quarter of the total combat
4:34:46power that the enemy has in the area at
4:34:48any given time and only gives a general
4:34:50idea of what you're likely to see on
4:34:52patrol. But the frost giants are all
4:34:54worked up today, so they're going to
4:34:56start sending more attackers forward.
4:34:59When they do, we will be glad to have
4:35:01the support nearby. Their team is fast
4:35:04and if we call when we see a major
4:35:06threat, we can face it as a group
4:35:08instead of taking risks, then spread out
4:35:10to continue scouting. The ranger side, I
4:35:14work for the Bureau of Natural
4:35:16Resources.
4:35:17I run an animal shelter for unwanted and
4:35:20abandoned pets. I didn't expect to get a
4:35:23draft notice in the mail so soon after
4:35:25the conflict started. That was truly
4:35:28unfortunate.
4:35:29Nobody wanted to be in the first round
4:35:31of draft notices.
4:35:33It did, however, solidify Carl's opinion
4:35:36that he had done the right thing by
4:35:37picking a team and coming in advance.
4:35:40The trip to the cave took longer than
4:35:42Carl had expected, as the other group
4:35:44was on foot, but they still managed to
4:35:46make it there before dark and got Remy
4:35:48to use it, Blizzard, to hide their
4:35:50tracks. "That's some serious paranoia
4:35:53you have. You know that, right?" The
4:35:56other warrior in Doug's group asked. The
4:35:59frost giants are out here hunting for
4:36:01whoever blew up their holy relic. And
4:36:03given that we're the ones who did it, I
4:36:05thought it might be better if nothing
4:36:06could track us back to our sleeping
4:36:08spot. But you will like this place. It's
4:36:11an old dwarven village deep in the
4:36:13mountains, and it's got all the creature
4:36:15comforts. Or will once we have Ray set
4:36:18up a second fort with hammocks for you
4:36:20all? Carl explained. Tori smiled. The
4:36:25hammocks were a wonderful thing. Her
4:36:27mind briefly went to the muscled
4:36:29physiques of the men in her group. Then
4:36:31she shook her head, dispelling those
4:36:33notions.
4:36:34She was here to work, and after that
4:36:36last fiasco, she had learned her lesson
4:36:38about leading her group members on. No
4:36:41more flirting to get favorable
4:36:43treatment, it wasn't worth it. This time
4:36:46she was going to prove to a group that
4:36:48didn't know about her past indiscretions
4:36:50that she was truly worthy of her place
4:36:51on the team and that she had the skills
4:36:53to make a name for herself as a combat
4:36:55elite. As they got settled in, Ry
4:36:58started to work building up a second
4:37:00tent in the town for the second group.
4:37:02Again, arrayed around a pillar using
4:37:04spider silk at the commander rank
4:37:06anchored to the floor and wrapped around
4:37:07the stone pillar as the structure. As
4:37:10they relaxed, the warrior, whose name
4:37:12Carl had learned was Harry Kim, began to
4:37:15dig through his pack for a dinner
4:37:16ration. The clerics burst into laughter,
4:37:20and the warrior stopped, confused as to
4:37:22what was so funny. It was definitely
4:37:25dinner time, and they might as well
4:37:26start cooking before it got dark. Doug
4:37:30explained with a grand gesture at the
4:37:31two priestesses.
4:37:33We have not one, not two, but three
4:37:36clerics here, including a high priest
4:37:38who can all use advanced food creation
4:37:40spells. There will be no eating lousy
4:37:43ration packs in this camp. In fact, you
4:37:46might eat better here than you do at
4:37:48home. Harry smiled and put the ration
4:37:51pack away. Now, that is good news. Me
4:37:55and Lao Thai were not used to eating
4:37:57ration packs. It would likely mess up
4:37:59our digestion for months. I eat almost
4:38:02all my meals at the office cafeteria
4:38:05since they're free and I only recently
4:38:07got the raise for my promotion to
4:38:08Ascendit. The high priest chuckled and
4:38:11ran his fingers through his short beard.
4:38:14It has been a season for promotions.
4:38:17I just made high priest commander Carl
4:38:19was promoted in the last few months.
4:38:21Dana made ascended recently as well with
4:38:24you. That's almost half the group that
4:38:26has made a milestone right before the
4:38:28war. Oilia chuckled and raised her hand.
4:38:32I made ascended two weeks before we
4:38:34left, but I was only officially promoted
4:38:36at the end of term exams the next week.
4:38:39Harry laughed. I'm not sure if that
4:38:42makes me feel better or worse. Usually,
4:38:45the ascended members are pencil pushers
4:38:47with a lot of involuntary experience,
4:38:50not promising students. The ranger
4:38:52joined in the laughter and shook his
4:38:54head. If I didn't know better, I would
4:38:57say that half of you were still in the
4:38:58second year. And before we get too far,
4:39:02my full name is Lao Thai, but please
4:39:04call me Tai. Well, I can say for certain
4:39:07that you are wrong, but not for the
4:39:09reason that you think. Doug joked. Carl
4:39:13nodded. Oilia is in the second year, but
4:39:16Dana is in the first year. Tai gave her
4:39:19an assessing look that narrowed. His
4:39:21black eyes almost looked closed. first
4:39:24year and ascended. What the hell were
4:39:27they thinking? Even letting you out of
4:39:29the academy, much less to a forward
4:39:31scouting team. Now both the McKenzie
4:39:34brothers and all of Carl's team were
4:39:36laughing. Commander Carl is also a
4:39:39firstear student. The monster of the
4:39:42academy. Compared to sending him out,
4:39:45sending Miss Dana with him was a small
4:39:47thing. Bob finally explained. Thor saw
4:39:51that as his opportunity.
4:39:53Everyone was laughing. That must mean
4:39:55they want to play. So he came out to
4:39:57bump up against Doug, begging for head
4:39:59pats. Who gave Thor a cloak? "That is
4:40:03adorable," he asked as he reached under
4:40:06the hood to scratch between the
4:40:07lightning Sarah's horns. "It's cold
4:40:10outside and it helps him blend in." "I'm
4:40:13the one who cut the horn holes for the
4:40:15hood," Tessa replied with a soft smile
4:40:18for the happy Sero. Bob and Doug tagged
4:40:21team Thor, showering him with attention
4:40:24as he pranced around happily. It was
4:40:26good to have happy people around again
4:40:28instead of serious people. Tai stared at
4:40:31Thor for a few minutes, then turned to
4:40:33Carl. That's a commander rank lightning,
4:40:37isn't it? No wonder you've grown so
4:40:40powerful. How did you manage to bond a
4:40:43beast that strong? He actually started
4:40:46as an egg, as did the others. No, that's
4:40:49not a restriction of my class, just an
4:40:51oddity of fate. A combination of
4:40:54resources, combat experience, and
4:40:56training made him into the Sero that he
4:40:58is today. Tai looked amused at the
4:41:01phrasing, but more intrigued by the
4:41:03mention of others. They said that you
4:41:05had a commander rank beast. Was it
4:41:08actually more than one? Three actually,
4:41:11and one more that's still at ascended,
4:41:14though you have already met. Then there
4:41:16is Hawk, a dragon hawk who does our
4:41:18scouting duties. Ray, the bloodbath
4:41:20spider, who is our resident attack golem
4:41:23specialist, and Remy, a newborn naga
4:41:25spirit snake who is still at ascended
4:41:27rank. The ranger nodded in
4:41:30understanding.
4:41:31Now I see why they let you out of the
4:41:33academy. The beasts needed, and with
4:41:36them, you might as well be with a full
4:41:38commander ranked team, plus some extra
4:41:40support. How much trouble do you have
4:41:43with the frost giants? None of your team
4:41:46members are giant-sized, and only Thor
4:41:48is particularly durable. Against the
4:41:51five commander teams, we are a bit
4:41:53slower than we are used to when fighting
4:41:55teams with only one commander rank frost
4:41:57giant. But we are still not in any real
4:41:59danger. With Thor's barrier over the
4:42:02whole team, plus the blessings of the
4:42:04clerics, the circle of protection, and
4:42:06the golems from both Ray and Dana, we're
4:42:08actually at a reliable advantage.
4:42:11Tai smiled. In that case, I won't
4:42:14hesitate to call on your team if we find
4:42:16ourselves in a bind. Normally, it's
4:42:19considered bad manners to pull another
4:42:21team from their mission unless it's an
4:42:22emergency. But if you've got strength to
4:42:24spare, you will probably be able to
4:42:26finish up and come to us in time. Ry
4:42:29headed back to her space for a short nap
4:42:31after she finished creating the second
4:42:33fort for the McKenzie team, and the
4:42:35clerics made their way to the fire pits
4:42:37to start cooking. Doug had a skill that
4:42:40created a small fire, and that was
4:42:42enough to control the cooking area,
4:42:43where they were happily scrubbing away
4:42:45centuries of dust and preparing the area
4:42:47for an elaborate meal. It was going to
4:42:50be fairly late when they finished
4:42:51cooking, but neither team was rushing to
4:42:53head out in the morning. They would head
4:42:56out when they were good and ready, then
4:42:57hunt until mid-afternoon and return
4:42:59here. With the number of frost giants
4:43:02that Carl's team had reported, they
4:43:04wouldn't be short on targets, and they
4:43:06would be exhausted well before the sun
4:43:08went down. This is quite the
4:43:10fortification.
4:43:12How long do you think that we will be
4:43:13able to continue to use it?" Harry, the
4:43:16ascended warrior with the McKenzie
4:43:18brothers, asked, his ice blue eyes
4:43:20glinting with curiosity.
4:43:22Bob shrugged. for at least the next few
4:43:25weeks, unless the frost giants mount an
4:43:28offensive that puts the main battle line
4:43:30out of reach of it. I don't see them
4:43:32pushing the line that far back,
4:43:34especially now that their holy relic in
4:43:36the area is destroyed. But unless we can
4:43:38find another and destroy it as well,
4:43:40they are unlikely to retreat either. So,
4:43:43it is a stalemate, and we just continue
4:43:45to wear them away and keep them from
4:43:47building up enough of a force to
4:43:49challenge the general. Carl nodded. We
4:43:52are almost certain that there are more
4:43:54locations like the one that exploded.
4:43:56Most likely near the other main lines,
4:43:59but what we suspect is that we need to
4:44:01pull the cores of them together to be
4:44:02able to reverse the changes they have
4:44:04made. Simply destroying them likely
4:44:07won't be enough. So, my team was
4:44:10planning to scout further to try to find
4:44:12similar hiding spots near the other
4:44:14lines. Bob smiled. And with the two of
4:44:18us sharing a fort, we can cover for you
4:44:20when command wants to know what your
4:44:22status is. Hawk went out extra early the
4:44:25next day, intending to make it to the
4:44:27next pass, so he could check the frost
4:44:29giants that had gathered near the next
4:44:31portion of the main defense lines. That
4:44:34was the most likely spot for there to be
4:44:36another of the relics, and he would
4:44:37happily help them steal it if it was
4:44:39going to make the cold go away. Even if
4:44:42Carl gave to the snake again, he was in
4:44:45luck. They weren't even hiding this one.
4:44:48Or maybe they were, but not from above.
4:44:51It was just like the other one, a
4:44:53magical circle next to a big stone. But
4:44:56this one was in the caldera of a dormant
4:44:58volcano. And it didn't feel the same.
4:45:01Instead of so much snow, it was bitterly
4:45:03cold, and the monsters around the
4:45:05magical circle were different. It was
4:45:08still frost giants, but not strong ones.
4:45:11They were making the awakened groups led
4:45:13by Ascended and sending them back into
4:45:15the frost giant nation to regroup and
4:45:17mingle with more powerful groups that
4:45:19were coming back to the frontline groups
4:45:21as a combined force. With his enhanced
4:45:24eyesight and a lot of silent cursing at
4:45:26the effort needed to fly in the thin
4:45:28air, Hawk had managed to get high enough
4:45:30that he could see most of the process
4:45:31around that same frost giant city. Quick
4:45:35math, which the windsp speeded hawks
4:45:36developed to help them guess where earth
4:45:38mouse holes would be relative to the
4:45:40last ones they had found, told him that
4:45:42there should be one more likely hiding
4:45:43spot on the far side of the first spot
4:45:45they had found a magic stone. That was
4:45:48an almost equal distance, but it was too
4:45:50far for him to fly this morning. So, he
4:45:54set a shallow dive that would build up
4:45:55speed as he went back to create the
4:45:57morning reports on the closest groups to
4:45:59the fort. There were still too many
4:46:01frost giants nearby, and it would take
4:46:04time to get to the volcano where the
4:46:06next stone was hidden. Carl tapped his
4:46:08spoon against his canteen to get
4:46:10everyone's attention. I have the
4:46:12preliminary scouting report from Hawk.
4:46:15He has found another frost stone
4:46:17location. It's in a volcano that is a
4:46:20full day's travel from here near the
4:46:22next major engagement.
4:46:24The distribution appears to be near the
4:46:26main access valleys to their territory
4:46:28to better spread the effects. If we can
4:46:31get the next one and then find a third,
4:46:34we might be able to cause a whole
4:46:35section of the effect to collapse.
4:46:38Normally, Hawk would be cursing the cold
4:46:40if he had to fly up that high to find a
4:46:42position, but he's not, which tells me
4:46:44that the effect isn't as strong as it
4:46:46was before. That's with just one spot
4:46:49inactive.
4:46:50We will hunt today going in that
4:46:52direction, but we won't return to the
4:46:54camp tonight. We will leave that for the
4:46:56McKenzie group. If they're calling for a
4:46:59report from us, fake it and let them
4:47:01think we're still in the area and not on
4:47:02yet another battlefield.
4:47:05We will be back tomorrow, hopefully with
4:47:07good news. Bob gave him a sloppy salute.
4:47:11Good luck, Commander. We will cover for
4:47:14you today, and if you aren't back
4:47:16tomorrow night, we will go looking for
4:47:18you.
4:47:19That was the best that they could offer.
4:47:22It might be that the aftermath would
4:47:23take out communications again, or Carl's
4:47:26group might not make it out as smoothly
4:47:28this time. Both groups left together
4:47:30after breakfast, and Remy kept the snow
4:47:33active until they were out of the trees.
4:47:36It would make it harder to find their
4:47:37way back to the caves, but most of the
4:47:39elites had good memories, and they
4:47:41didn't want anything else following
4:47:43their footprints back to their fort. It
4:47:45was too good of a spot to have it
4:47:47defiled by monsters or taken over by
4:47:49some random group who would smash all
4:47:50the relics for firewood and make a mess.
4:47:54For the first few hours, they passed in
4:47:56front of the main lines, hunting the
4:47:58roaming groups of giants, which were
4:47:59still searching for shards of the frost
4:48:01stone.
4:48:02The numbers of both the stone fragments
4:48:04and the frost giants searching for them
4:48:06were dropping dramatically with the
4:48:08efforts of the teams that the main group
4:48:09was sending out. And Carl managed to
4:48:11lead his team into the hills on the far
4:48:13side of the line before noon, after
4:48:15which he brought them up to a jog with
4:48:16Hawk leading them on a relatively
4:48:18trouble-free path toward their target.
4:48:21The frost giants weren't interested in
4:48:22the actual hills, as a river ran along
4:48:25this portion of the border leading to
4:48:27the lake where Carl and his team had
4:48:28crossed. The steep valley along the
4:48:31majority of the border would make it
4:48:33nearly impossible for a human attack
4:48:34force to cross. So only where there was
4:48:36a gap in the mountains passible enough
4:48:38for vehicles did they set up defenses.
4:48:41Don't you think this is a bit too easy?
4:48:44Oilia whispered as they ran through the
4:48:46trees. Like this second location is a
4:48:49trap and they're going to spring
4:48:50something on us the moment that we try
4:48:52to go up the mountain. Yeah, I got that
4:48:55feeling as well. But Hawk hasn't seen
4:48:58any sign of what the ambush might be
4:49:00yet. Carl agreed. And we're going
4:49:03anyhow, she asked. I know you have a
4:49:07good point. But even if it is a trap,
4:49:10the frost stone should still be real as
4:49:13we know the frost giants that are
4:49:14leaving the area very much are real. The
4:49:17soldiers in the area are currently
4:49:19engaged with them. Carl replied, "All
4:49:23right, it is what it is. Just approach
4:49:26cautiously so we don't end up ambushed
4:49:28by something invisible.
4:49:30That was a good point. They might have
4:49:33found a way to make the threat
4:49:34invisible.
4:49:36Hawk, can you send a couple rend attacks
4:49:38down to ground level on the hill? If
4:49:41they hit ground with no issues, we're
4:49:43good to go. If not, there is a barrier
4:49:46or an illusion, Carl suggested.
4:49:50They were only a few kilometers from the
4:49:52base of the volcano, but Carl didn't
4:49:54want to launch the attack tonight, as it
4:49:56would likely continue until dark, and
4:49:58then they would still need to find an
4:49:59escape route while exhausted from a
4:50:01day's travel and fighting. Rey, find us
4:50:04a good hiding spot for the night, and we
4:50:06will go up in the morning. Rey rushed
4:50:09out with Lotus on her back to find a
4:50:11good spot to build a fort, and ended up
4:50:13finding a small cave buried under a
4:50:15snowdrift when her foot knocked the
4:50:17opening clear. found the spot. Bring
4:50:20everyone and have Remy keep her blizzard
4:50:22up to hide it again. Rey informed them.
4:50:26The cave was tiny and cramped, but with
4:50:29a bit of a silk dome at the entrance,
4:50:31the snowstorm buried it deep, and
4:50:33everyone huddled together for the night
4:50:34with the heat of a dagger covered in
4:50:36flaming body, keeping the cave warm.
4:50:39They ate quickly the next morning and
4:50:41sent Hawk up once again to check the
4:50:43area. All good. Many weak giants. I flew
4:50:48low through the trees and they didn't
4:50:50see me all the way to the ridge. He
4:50:53reported.
4:50:54All right. It looks like we're good to
4:50:56go. Is everyone prepared for this? Carl
4:51:00asked as ready as we can be. Tessa
4:51:04agreed. Once they were out of their
4:51:07snowy sleeping location, Carl called out
4:51:09Ray and Thor so that everyone could get
4:51:11a ride on their way up and began
4:51:13carefully following Hawk's route up the
4:51:15mountain. He had found a route that
4:51:17should be easily walkable, even for Thor
4:51:19with passengers, and if they didn't fall
4:51:21into a trap, they should be at the peak
4:51:23within 2 hours. There were very few
4:51:26frost giant patrols in the area,
4:51:28possibly to hide their presence near the
4:51:30human lines. But that didn't mean that
4:51:32Carl and the others wouldn't run across
4:51:34one and set off an alarm if they were
4:51:36unlucky. Their first test came only 10
4:51:39minutes after leaving camp when they
4:51:41came across a group of 10 awakened rank
4:51:43frost giants with an ascended rank
4:51:44leader. It wasn't easy to eliminate them
4:51:47all fast enough that none of them could
4:51:49shout and without causing so much noise
4:51:51that other groups would come running.
4:51:53But with the help of the spider golems
4:51:55and one magic missile to the throat,
4:51:56courtesy of Dana, they managed the task
4:51:59and moved on, leaving the bodies for the
4:52:01next patrol to find. There was too much
4:52:04damage to the trees and snow to hide
4:52:06that there had been a battle, and taking
4:52:07the bodies would only emphasize that
4:52:09they were trying to hide their tracks
4:52:11and that it wasn't a wild monster
4:52:12attack. So, they simply left them and
4:52:14continued on their way. The blizzard
4:52:18spell that Remy kept active would make
4:52:19it hard to tell when the attack had
4:52:21occurred as long as nothing happened
4:52:23across it too quickly. Carl looked up
4:52:26the mountain. There aren't many patrols,
4:52:28so let's keep going with Remy's blizzard
4:52:31covering for us. It will be difficult to
4:52:33tell when we came through. Speed is our
4:52:36friend until we reach the caldera. They
4:52:39kept moving, using the blowing snow as
4:52:41cover, both for their tracks and to keep
4:52:43them from being noticed.
4:52:45It seemed to be working well enough, and
4:52:47they made it most of the way up the
4:52:49mountain without being intercepted
4:52:50again. But the closer they got to the
4:52:52top, the stronger the feeling that there
4:52:54was something seriously wrong grew. Rey,
4:52:57is there any sign that we're being
4:52:59tricked by an illusion? Carl asked, "No,
4:53:03it all looks good, not like that strange
4:53:05situation underground.
4:53:08This place just feels wrong, like
4:53:10something bad is about to happen to us,
4:53:12but I can't see anything that could
4:53:13cause us problems. She insisted.
4:53:17Then she paused. Whatever is wrong, it
4:53:20is here. Remy stared out of her space at
4:53:24the same time. Stop. There is something
4:53:27here. Carl signaled for everyone to
4:53:30pause. The beasts had senses they
4:53:32didn't, and a few moments to understand
4:53:34what they were sensing wouldn't hurt
4:53:36anything.
4:53:37Carl closed his eyes, focusing on his
4:53:40mental space, the one he used for
4:53:42mediation, in hope that he would gain
4:53:44some understanding from the void. As he
4:53:46focused on nothingness, he felt
4:53:48something staring back at him. The
4:53:51feeling made his skin crawl as the
4:53:53sensation of attention grew. They
4:53:56weren't joking. Something was really
4:53:58wrong with this place.
4:54:00Then the ground began to shake under
4:54:02their feet, and the thermal vision that
4:54:04Carl only paid minimal attention to
4:54:06during the day began to show him hot
4:54:08spots everywhere on the hillside and
4:54:10even more potently above them. Oh [ __ ]
4:54:14the volcano is about to erupt. He
4:54:17realized
4:54:18you turn. It's time to leave. Lotus
4:54:22announced, pointing back. Oilia was
4:54:25momentarily frozen, but when Thor began
4:54:27to turn around and run, she joined the
4:54:29group. The first spout of hot gas vented
4:54:32only a few meters from their path as
4:54:34they ran, and the rumbling of the
4:54:36volcano got worse. Thor and Tessa were
4:54:39glowing with golden holy light, which
4:54:41was unusual, as they would normally
4:54:43spread the effect to everyone. But as
4:54:46most of the group was on Thor's back, it
4:54:48might be the best way to protect them
4:54:50from venting gas from below. Ry was
4:54:53doing a better job of dodging the vents
4:54:55as she could see them coming. But Thor
4:54:57could feel the rumbling in the ground
4:54:58before they erupted, and he wo through
4:55:00the trees as he ran down the hill,
4:55:02struggling not to topple over forward.
4:55:05Like a war bear with his build, he was a
4:55:07bit topheavy, and the steep slopes were
4:55:10hazardous for him when running downhill.
4:55:12The top of the mountain exploded in a
4:55:14shower of rock and fire, firing high
4:55:17into the sky. That almost certainly
4:55:20spelled the end of one of the statues,
4:55:22but this time they weren't lucky enough
4:55:23to have recovered it. A sense of power
4:55:26drew Carl's attention behind them, and
4:55:28what he found was the horror of every
4:55:30frost giant in the world. There was a
4:55:33massive modeled red dragon bursting free
4:55:35of the volcano, flying easily among the
4:55:37explosion of magma and stone. "Lotus,
4:55:41look back. What is that?" Carl shouted
4:55:45over the roar of the volcano. She only
4:55:48looked for a split second, then
4:55:49shuddered and looked forward. That is a
4:55:52magma dragon, a form of chromatic
4:55:54dragon. But I don't think they're
4:55:57supposed to get that big. Even an
4:55:59ancient forest dragon doesn't have a
4:56:01wingspan that large. She shouted back.
4:56:05Do you think it might be on our side? It
4:56:08looks pretty mad at the frost giants.
4:56:10Dana asked. Lotus just laughed and shook
4:56:14her head. Magma dragons aren't really
4:56:17known for their kindness or humanitarian
4:56:19actions. It's better that we just get
4:56:22out of here before it turns its
4:56:23attention in our direction. As if to
4:56:26prove her point, the magma dragon tail
4:56:28swatted an enormous glowing red boulder
4:56:30in their direction, headed straight for
4:56:32their group. Everyone scattered as it
4:56:35crashed down between them with an impact
4:56:36that shook the ground even better than
4:56:38Thor's earthquake skill. Carl was
4:56:41momentarily blinded by the steam from
4:56:43all the melted snow from the impact
4:56:45trench, but quickly realized that they
4:56:47had fully evaded the attack and they
4:56:49could keep going. Wait, shiny rock for
4:56:52me. Thor cheered as he picked the
4:56:54boulder up with his horns and moved it
4:56:56to his space. It was still radiating
4:56:59huge amounts of heat. But as it cooled,
4:57:02Thor could see that it was a naturally
4:57:03blue crystal, a large portion of the
4:57:05frost stone from the top of the mountain
4:57:07that the dragon had used as an artillery
4:57:09projectile. It would look good next to
4:57:12Thor's pond once it cooled enough to
4:57:14regain its natural blue appearance. Carl
4:57:16decided as they ran down the hill and
4:57:18away from the tidal wave of molten stone
4:57:20making its way down the slope behind
4:57:22them. But the flow was not the greatest
4:57:25danger, at least not to the common
4:57:27people who weren't on the volcano's
4:57:28slopes. The massive cloud of ash and
4:57:31fire had blackened the sky, turning day
4:57:34to night and blanketing the snow in a
4:57:36thick layer of ash. Maybe this was their
4:57:39plan all along. That volcanic eruption
4:57:42is going to throw the entire region into
4:57:44an artificial winter. It will take
4:57:46months for that cloud to clear and even
4:57:48longer for the temperature to start
4:57:50coming back up. Lotus noted, looking
4:57:53backwards from her perch on Ray's back.
4:57:56Remy is a shaman. Tell her to make the
4:57:58cloud go away. Shamans do weather,
4:58:01right? Hawk insisted.
4:58:04An extra winter when they were already
4:58:06in winter. Seemed like it should be
4:58:08prohibited by some sort of rule. That
4:58:11was just too much winter in one place
4:58:13for Hawk to accept. Remy thought about
4:58:16it for a while and then shook her head.
4:58:18If there is an overlord rank shaman,
4:58:20they could blow all of that back away
4:58:22from us. But I don't have that much
4:58:24power. I'm just a small snake. Remy was
4:58:28doing her best cute and innocent act,
4:58:30even curling the hood of scales around
4:58:32her head to make it look like she was
4:58:33hugging herself. Hulk wasn't buying it,
4:58:36but Thor thought it was adorable.
4:58:39However, neither opinion changed the
4:58:41fact that Remy simply didn't have the
4:58:43power to change the weather over
4:58:44hundreds of kilometers and blow the ash
4:58:46cloud away from the Golden Dragon
4:58:48Nation. But worse than that, the
4:58:51prevailing winds were blowing out of the
4:58:52frost giant nation and would be moving
4:58:55more of the ash into human territory and
4:58:57after that into stone giant territory
4:58:59where Lotus knew it would stagnate as
4:59:01the air off the ocean halted its
4:59:03momentum. The stone giants would not be
4:59:06happy, but this had to count as a force
4:59:08of nature, unstoppable and not
4:59:10preventable. It might not have happened
4:59:13right now if the frost giants hadn't
4:59:15either deliberately or inadvertently
4:59:16upset the magma dragon, but it would
4:59:18have risen from its slumber eventually,
4:59:20and the result would have been the same.
4:59:22I hope your stamina is beyond impressive
4:59:25because both the lava flow and the ash
4:59:27cloud are gaining on us. Carl informed
4:59:30Oilia as they reached the bottom of the
4:59:32hill over half an hour later.
4:59:34It's good enough to run all day, but
4:59:36what way do we run? She asked. Upwind.
4:59:42That will take us back over ground that
4:59:43we've already covered and toward the
4:59:45first incident. But we know there is a
4:59:47force there, even if everyone is busy
4:59:49with the chaos, Carl explained. Does the
4:59:53wind even matter to that? She asked,
4:59:56pointing upward at the mushroom-shaped
4:59:58cloud. Honestly, I have no idea. Later,
5:00:02it should blow the ash away, but it does
5:00:05kind of look like it doesn't care. The
5:00:07volcano was making its own weather now,
5:00:10and the wind was blowing outward from
5:00:11the eruption, rapidly heating everything
5:00:13and melting the snow all around them
5:00:15into slush. Do we go for the main line?
5:00:19Lotus shouted as they moved down into
5:00:21the open, hoping to make better time
5:00:23than they had through the hills and
5:00:24trees.
5:00:26No, go for the dwarven village. Carl
5:00:29called back. that seemed safer, and if
5:00:33it wasn't for their barriers, the ash
5:00:35would be burning their clothes already.
5:00:37There were spots on the trees that were
5:00:39already scorched, despite the snow which
5:00:41had built up on them, and to Carl, that
5:00:43meant there was likely to be a massive
5:00:45wildfire.
5:00:47How to escape an erupting volcano had
5:00:49not been one of their school subjects.
5:00:52As they ran, the radio communications
5:00:54made it clear that the erupting volcano
5:00:56was neither the only nor the worst
5:00:58disaster that the border region had
5:01:00undergone. That afternoon along the
5:01:02border, seven other locations had either
5:01:05exploded, collapsed, or undergone
5:01:07dramatic events involving dragons. It
5:01:10was nearly impossible to piece it all
5:01:12together. But from what Carl could
5:01:14decipher, the location where the frost
5:01:16stone had exploded when they looted the
5:01:18statue had exploded again. Only this
5:01:20time, it had released a massive frost
5:01:21dragon. every bit as angry as the magma
5:01:24dragon at the volcano was. It had
5:01:27rampaged through the front lines,
5:01:28uncaring of whether the target was a
5:01:30giant or a human, and then flown off
5:01:33into the frost giant nation, surrounded
5:01:35by a storm that hit everything within 50
5:01:37km from observation.
5:01:39Carl couldn't see any logic in the frost
5:01:41giant setting those dragons free. And
5:01:43from the number of incidents, it did
5:01:45seem likely that it was their intention
5:01:47to set the dragons free. Either that or
5:01:50they had been trying to steal the powers
5:01:52of sealed dragons and that was even more
5:01:54insane as the other dragons would see
5:01:56that as an insult to their entire
5:01:58species. The humans might have
5:02:01successfully hid through such blunders,
5:02:03but the frost giants wouldn't be capable
5:02:05of finding a safe spot to hide and wait
5:02:07for the dragons to calm down. They
5:02:09didn't quite have to travel past the
5:02:11spot they had gotten the first statue
5:02:13from, but it was still nearly dark when
5:02:15they made it to the dwarven village on
5:02:16their fastest travel route. The entrance
5:02:20was heavily snowed in, and they had to
5:02:22have the spider golems dig to uncover
5:02:24the entrance of its layer of hardened
5:02:25ash and snow before they could enter.
5:02:28Then they piled it back over the
5:02:30entrance and let Remy's blizzard layer
5:02:32more snow on top to hide the fact that
5:02:34they were ever there. They could hear
5:02:36the other team inside, the McKenzie
5:02:39brothers laughing and joking, while the
5:02:41three other voices were much more
5:02:42nervously making remarks about the radio
5:02:44messages. "Good evening, lady and
5:02:47gentlemen. We have returned,"
5:02:50Carl announced as they walked down the
5:02:52tunnel and into the village, forcing him
5:02:54to return his beasts to their space, as
5:02:56they could not cross the threshold
5:02:58between the tunnel and the cavern. "Good
5:03:00to see you all intact.
5:03:02We thought for certain you were going to
5:03:04be blasted to the moon when that
5:03:06mountain erupted. How did you make it
5:03:08out in time? Bob asked, curiosity clear
5:03:12in his pale eyes. We never made it to
5:03:15the top at all. The magma dragon broke
5:03:18free while we were climbing the slope,
5:03:20so we turned around and ran. Carl
5:03:22replied with a shrug. Good call. Doug
5:03:26here has been doing some research as a
5:03:28nature priest and he has found an
5:03:30interesting fact about the dragons that
5:03:32were spotted today. Bob agreed, then
5:03:35gestured for his brother to explain. Not
5:03:38all the spots that we heard of incidents
5:03:40from were known to have a dragon
5:03:41present, but the ones that did were the
5:03:43prisons of dragons who had gone against
5:03:45the gods or the elders. They are the
5:03:48rebels who would kill without reason or
5:03:50mercy.
5:03:51Now, it doesn't take a genius to realize
5:03:53that there aren't enough frost giants to
5:03:55take this border in any sort of
5:03:57reasonable time frame. Their allies are
5:04:00the real threats here, and they might be
5:04:02the driving force behind the invasion.
5:04:04All that command can tell us is that the
5:04:06frost giants attacked first, and that
5:04:09the giant clans are working together.
5:04:10So, I've made a few conjectures of my
5:04:12own. First, the frost giants are idiots,
5:04:16but strong with shamanistic magic.
5:04:19They're using that to expand their
5:04:20borders.
5:04:22Second, they set up a bunch of locations
5:04:24of power on top of buried rebel dragons.
5:04:27And the general assumption would be that
5:04:28they intended to set them loose against
5:04:30the human armies. But that's not what I
5:04:33think. I think that they were set up,
5:04:37that they were told that these were
5:04:38places of power and not that they
5:04:40contained insane ancient dragons who
5:04:42would kill their soldiers as readily as
5:04:44ours. Doug paused to catch his breath
5:04:47while everyone else absorbed the ideas
5:04:49that he had shared. Dana looked
5:04:52confused.
5:04:53You think the other giant clans set them
5:04:55up to fail and just wanted the dragons
5:04:57to make this entire area uninhabitable?
5:05:00Doug shook his head. No, I think that
5:05:03they intended to make this area the
5:05:05territory of the rogue dragons and wipe
5:05:07out the frost giants while also giving
5:05:10the humans nowhere to retreat to when
5:05:11the other clans moved in to crush us.
5:05:14It's not a secret that the Giant Clans
5:05:16never got along all that well and they
5:05:18only ever cooperated because they viewed
5:05:20themselves as better than everyone else.
5:05:23This could very well be the Giant Clan
5:05:25version of politics and were caught in
5:05:27the middle of it. Carl frowned. Then
5:05:31what do we do? Do we try not to die? The
5:05:36main lines are gone, dispersed in
5:05:39hiding. If the frost giants arranged
5:05:41this, they will be marching through here
5:05:43in a matter of days with an entire city
5:05:45full of giants. But from the direction
5:05:48that those two dragons were going and
5:05:50the amount of fire off in the distance,
5:05:52I don't think that is the case. If their
5:05:55plan was to gain allies in the dragons,
5:05:57they picked the wrong ones. That frost
5:06:00dragon might be on their side, but the
5:06:02magma dragon, they're essentially mortal
5:06:05enemies. Their elements are completely
5:06:08opposed to the point that one cannot
5:06:10survive where the other one lives. Doug
5:06:13explained with a deep frown as he tried
5:06:15to make sense of the situation.
5:06:17Well, if the amount of ash that is
5:06:19dropping on the area is any indication,
5:06:21the snow won't last for long. The fires
5:06:24were already starting as the snow melted
5:06:27and the volcano is still going off. How
5:06:30long do those eruptions even last
5:06:32anyhow? Carl asked. Doug and Lotus both
5:06:36shrugged before Doug answered. Usually,
5:06:40it's just one big blast and then there
5:06:42will be lava flows for a few more weeks,
5:06:44but with a blast this massive, it will
5:06:46take days or weeks for the sky to clear.
5:06:49Perhaps that's why the frost dragon flew
5:06:51away, it wouldn't have wanted to be in
5:06:53that ash cloud anymore than we do. But
5:06:56if that eruption is being fueled by an
5:06:58angry magma dragon, the ash won't cool.
5:07:01It will get hotter and the cloud will
5:07:02continue to spread.
5:07:05Soon we won't have to worry about being
5:07:07cold. Bob looked toward the direction
5:07:09where the eruption was still taking
5:07:11place, as if he could see it through the
5:07:13stone of the mountain. That's all well
5:07:16and good, but it doesn't answer the
5:07:17question that both of our teams were
5:07:19sent her to learn the answer to. Where
5:07:21did the frost giants get the power to
5:07:23expand the borders, and how do we undo
5:07:25it? Carl smiled.
5:07:28I should have guessed that you got
5:07:30reassigned here for the same reason that
5:07:32I was here. We thought that it was the
5:07:34frost stones and that if we could
5:07:36reverse whatever we were doing or steal
5:07:38enough of the focal points, it would
5:07:40reverse the effect and let the snow
5:07:42begin to recede. Bob smiled. Of course,
5:07:47our missions weren't quite the same. We
5:07:50were strictly here to find a way to
5:07:51reverse the effects, while I am under
5:07:53the impression that you were here to
5:07:54find the underlying cause. That wasn't
5:07:57what they asked of us. Lotus giggled. I
5:08:01wonder if huge pissed-off dragon melted
5:08:04everything with a volcano is enough to
5:08:06get the bonus for reversing the cold
5:08:08effect. That made Bob's whole group
5:08:11laugh. I suspect that they won't let us
5:08:13claim credit for this one without
5:08:15explaining how we set the dragons loose
5:08:17and then we would have to take
5:08:18responsibility for that as well. Lotus
5:08:21waved her hands. The word responsibility
5:08:25was anathema to the green dragons
5:08:26followers and other nature priestesses.
5:08:29Harry, the warrior with the ice blue
5:08:31eyes that came with the McKenzie
5:08:33brothers, looked toward the entrance,
5:08:35which was now ominously silent as the
5:08:37door had been buried by ash and snow.
5:08:40Hey, how long do you think that we will
5:08:42be stuck in here? I mean, we have radio
5:08:45signals still, but I get the feeling
5:08:47that going outside in the next few days
5:08:49will not be easy or wise. he asked. Doug
5:08:53just shrugged. It's a volcanic eruption.
5:08:56They can't give us crap for being buried
5:08:58inside.
5:09:00But fortunately, we have a spot far
5:09:02inside the mountain because that hot ash
5:09:04would make it distinctly uncomfortable
5:09:06in a smaller cave, even if you escaped
5:09:08the fires. All units along the volcanic
5:09:11line, we are reforming 100 km from the
5:09:14border. When it is safe, make your way
5:09:17back toward the reformed line outside
5:09:19the burn zone. units who are unable to
5:09:22retreat sound off for attempted rescue.
5:09:25The line general requested over the
5:09:27radio the next morning. Carl looked over
5:09:30at Bob McKenzie who just shrugged. We're
5:09:33pretty much fine where we are. We're not
5:09:35going to be affected by the fires in
5:09:37here. The dwarves planned for things
5:09:39like that. So, we might as well just
5:09:42wait it out as we're already in front of
5:09:44the main lines. He suggested
5:09:48line command. This is 95,988.
5:09:52We are isolated in front of the lines
5:09:54past the fire threat. We will shelter in
5:09:57place until the situation is resolved.
5:10:00Carl informed them right before Doug
5:10:02called in to inform them of the same
5:10:04thing. If command suspected that they
5:10:07were together, they didn't say anything,
5:10:09only confirming that they wanted the two
5:10:10teams to continue daily check-in
5:10:12protocol so they could confirm that they
5:10:14were alive and well. The other soldiers
5:10:17and elites were quickly escaping from
5:10:19the area as the snow melted and the
5:10:21forests began to burn under the hot ash,
5:10:23which seemed to be intensifying instead
5:10:25of dissipating as it should have after
5:10:27an eruption. The magma dragon was still
5:10:30somewhere in the area and staking his
5:10:32claim on the region around the volcano,
5:10:34adapting it to more perfectly suit and
5:10:37racial environment requirements.
5:10:40He was a proud and ancient being locked
5:10:42away for a millennium. And now that he
5:10:44was free, it was obvious to the two
5:10:46nature priests that the dragon intended
5:10:48to make himself a new home right where
5:10:49he had been imprisoned. It would be nice
5:10:52if we could get communications from
5:10:53further away. Now that they're
5:10:56retreating, it's not going to be easy to
5:10:58even get the daily communications out to
5:11:00the lines. There is a channel for long-d
5:11:03distanceance, lowquality communications,
5:11:05but that won't let us hear any of the
5:11:07news from the other fronts. only get our
5:11:09signal through to the lines in Morse
5:11:11code," Bob explained.
5:11:14The rest of the group gave him blank
5:11:15looks, and he laughed. "There is a
5:11:18translation on the radio. It's a series
5:11:20of long and short tones. It makes it
5:11:23easier to understand distant signals,
5:11:25and the command staff will have both an
5:11:27automatic decoder and an expert on hand
5:11:30to translate signals. It's only to be
5:11:32used for urgent messages, and you keep
5:11:35it brief. Normally, what we would send
5:11:37would be something like our name and
5:11:39then Allive,
5:11:41he explained.
5:11:43Not long after, the radio signals on the
5:11:45main channel started to get less
5:11:46frequent as the teams that could be
5:11:48recovered were led to safety. The ash
5:11:51was clogging up the vehicles and making
5:11:53it hard to breathe. But a mage or cleric
5:11:55barrier made it relatively safe to keep
5:11:57moving as long as you weren't too close
5:11:59to the volcano where the dragon's magic
5:12:02was already imbued into the ash and
5:12:04causing it to burn through barriers.
5:12:06Bob laughed as the radio finally had a
5:12:08moment of silence with nobody attempting
5:12:11to transmit. This might be the most
5:12:13relaxing mission I've been on in a
5:12:15while. Tessa chuckled at the notion only
5:12:19for the next few days. Things are going
5:12:22to get hectic again after the frost
5:12:24giants regroup and try to eliminate that
5:12:26dragon from their border. They might
5:12:28even come back with the frost dragon.
5:12:31Carl considered that for a moment. Their
5:12:34elements lined up and the dragon had
5:12:36flown off into their territory, but that
5:12:38was no guarantee that they were on the
5:12:40same team. In fact, if they really had
5:12:43been trying to siphon power from the
5:12:45dragons, they might have made a new
5:12:47enemy of the creature. Carl took some
5:12:49time to work on rebuilding the energy
5:12:51focus in all the beast spaces and
5:12:53noticed that Remy had made some
5:12:55interesting alterations to her swamp.
5:12:58There was a miniature swamp within the
5:13:00swamp using sprigs of the various plants
5:13:02and small rocks so she could slither
5:13:04through it like she was a giant snake as
5:13:06tall as the trees. It was cute, like a
5:13:10child's playhouse, and Remy looked happy
5:13:12with her construction. So Carl didn't
5:13:14mention anything about it as he
5:13:15continued to build the power in the
5:13:17spaces. It would still be quite some
5:13:20time before she was fully grown. But the
5:13:22other three were slowly moving up
5:13:24through commander rank and didn't seem
5:13:25to be limited by anything yet. It was
5:13:28simply a matter of time, lots of time
5:13:30until they managed to advance again.
5:13:33The large frost stone that Thor had
5:13:35obtained had been transferred to Remy's
5:13:37space and was serving as the focal point
5:13:39behind a platform like the one that the
5:13:41Naga bosses in the dungeon had been
5:13:43standing on. Remy had the book that
5:13:45Oilia had found opened on the platform
5:13:48where she had built up a set of strange
5:13:49statues. They had been placed around the
5:13:52perimeter of the space and she was
5:13:54currently working on some sort of skill.
5:13:56Carl assumed she was intensely focused
5:13:59on something and she was adjusting the
5:14:01position of the items on her platform,
5:14:03then focusing again and making more
5:14:06adjustments.
5:14:07Comparatively, Hawk was making small
5:14:10flying mice out of his fire. Thor was
5:14:12napping in his pond full of holy stones,
5:14:14and Rey was carefully rearranging the
5:14:16corpses strung up in her forest. It took
5:14:19a while for Carl to understand what the
5:14:21little snake was up to, but Remy was
5:14:23trying to create a totem. Each of the
5:14:26stacks of stuff was designed to
5:14:27represent something, and she had even
5:14:29made a bunch out of mud, then adorned
5:14:31them with shiny things to get them just
5:14:33right. He couldn't tell what sort of
5:14:35effect she was going for, but it looked
5:14:37like the frost stone had been
5:14:39permanently changed by the magic of the
5:14:41magma dragon. Even now that it had
5:14:43cooled her swamp, the stone was still
5:14:46glowing red and not ice blue, though it
5:14:48was still giving off a strong sense of
5:14:50magic. Perhaps that was why Remy was
5:14:53having so much trouble trying to get her
5:14:55totem experiment to work. But as she was
5:14:57basing if off the ones that Oilia made,
5:14:59there was a chance that she would need
5:15:01to make extensive modifications anyhow
5:15:03to make a shaman type totem. It didn't
5:15:06really matter if she was successful.
5:15:08Though Remy had found a learning project
5:15:10that was keeping her attention for more
5:15:12than 5 minutes, and that alone was
5:15:14impressive, even if most of it was just
5:15:17making statues of herself out of clay
5:15:19and then decorating them to see if they
5:15:21would become magical. It seemed a bit
5:15:23silly, but it was making her happy. And
5:15:26the fact that there were dozens of
5:15:27little Remy statues around the platform
5:15:29now was highly entertaining to the other
5:15:31beasts. Among the humans, everyone had a
5:15:34hobby to pass the time as they waited.
5:15:37Carl had chosen to meditate to work on
5:15:39his strength, as had the three clerics,
5:15:41though they had taken a mid-after
5:15:43afternoon break to play with the beasts
5:15:44before focusing again. They were just
5:15:47beginning to relax for the evening,
5:15:49secure in the fact that they were
5:15:50underground with the entrance to their
5:15:52bunker buried under ash, when a roaring
5:15:54from above them caught everyone's
5:15:56attention. It wasn't the deep roar of
5:15:58the magma dragon. It sounded smaller,
5:16:00but similar in tone. Then there were
5:16:03more roars in the distance and the sound
5:16:05of flapping wings. Doug laughed as the
5:16:09dragon flew away. I hope that's a
5:16:11territory fight about to break out.
5:16:14Because if that idiot of a magma dragon
5:16:16has attracted a mate already, it's going
5:16:18to take forever before it's safe to
5:16:20leave the mountain. That was a thought
5:16:22that hadn't occurred to them before. The
5:16:25magma dragon was turning the area into a
5:16:27perfect nest for himself. But what if
5:16:29there was another single magma dragon in
5:16:31the area? It seemed unlikely, as there
5:16:34were no other volcanic areas that Carl
5:16:36knew of. But anything could seem
5:16:38possible if you knew little enough about
5:16:40how the world worked. And he knew
5:16:42exactly zero about how magma dragon
5:16:45mating rituals worked. Whatever
5:16:47happened, it was in the distance because
5:16:49they didn't hear anything else that
5:16:51night other than a few more messages
5:16:52from the lines reporting that there were
5:16:54no frost giants approaching their new
5:16:56position today and that the black cloud
5:16:58of ash was still blotting out the sky.
5:17:01Once that changed and the ash began to
5:17:03cool, they would head out to see what
5:17:05survived.
5:17:06The first of them to see success in
5:17:08their endeavors that week was Remy. On
5:17:11the third day after they had hidden
5:17:13inside the village to wait out the
5:17:14volcanic fallout, she managed to reach a
5:17:17level of success with her totems that
5:17:18none of the others had expected. "Well,
5:17:21did you find something good in the
5:17:23book?" Carl asked as the overjoyed
5:17:25spirit snake came outside to show off
5:17:28for everyone at the same time. Remy
5:17:30shook her head and gave a smile that
5:17:32made her fangs drop, startling the
5:17:34members of the other group, except for
5:17:36Doug, who had been expecting it. She
5:17:39focused hard, glowing with red energy
5:17:41for a moment, and then a small Lameia
5:17:44statue appeared on the ground. It was
5:17:46forearmmed with brown scales and a cream
5:17:49underside where Carl had been expecting
5:17:51it to be blue and gold like Remy
5:17:53herself, but the head definitely looked
5:17:55like Remy. The statue just sat there
5:17:58looking almost lifelike until Remy asked
5:18:00Carl for some help. "I need a target,"
5:18:04she explained.
5:18:06Remy needs a target for her spell. Carl
5:18:09formed the others, causing Dana to
5:18:11create her two golems for the spirit
5:18:13snake to work with. There you go, Remy.
5:18:17Show us what you've got. The mage
5:18:20laughed, unsure what the statue was
5:18:22actually going to be able to do against
5:18:23a golem. Unless it was a form of golem
5:18:27itself. The totem rotated to face the
5:18:30golems and then began spitting flaming
5:18:32balls at the golems, leaving them
5:18:34scorched and dripping with some sort of
5:18:35thick burning liquid. Flaming serpent
5:18:38totems. They burn and poison. Remy
5:18:43declared proudly. After a dozen
5:18:45fireballs over the course of 30 seconds,
5:18:48the golems were looking ready to crumble
5:18:49and the totem vanished. But that was
5:18:51more than enough for the group to see
5:18:53what they could do. Burning poison.
5:18:56That's a new one. I thought she was an
5:18:58ice element creature with a secondary
5:19:00lightning attack, Doug asked. She's a
5:19:04shaman class creature, a natural-born
5:19:07spirit snake shaman, Carl explained.
5:19:11So, she's basically an elemental caster
5:19:14with a full range. Those totems will be
5:19:17a gamecher for ambushes.
5:19:19They can be left behind and they will
5:19:21attack enemies without putting anyone in
5:19:23danger. Doug realized.
5:19:27Remy's shock startled Carl. She had
5:19:30never considered using them that way.
5:19:32How are you thinking they should be
5:19:34used? Carl asked the little snake,
5:19:37curious as to how her mind worked. You
5:19:40put them on your backpack and they fire
5:19:42poison fireballs at anything trying to
5:19:44bother you. Hulk laughed in amusement.
5:19:48There was no doubt about it. He had been
5:19:50the inspiration for that totem sitting
5:19:52on Dana's backpack and firing fireballs.
5:19:55Maybe stupid snake isn't as stupid as I
5:19:58thought. He mused, keeping the
5:20:00communication as a whisper between him
5:20:02and Carl so Remy couldn't hear him. Remy
5:20:06says she thought they would be good if
5:20:07you put them on your backpack so they
5:20:09would go where you go and protect the
5:20:11group. They only last 30 seconds or so
5:20:14right now, but I think that with some
5:20:16practice and time that can be extended.
5:20:19Carl relayed to the group. Oh, that's
5:20:22not bad. A defensive snake totem. Oilia
5:20:27agreed, then frowned. The totems were
5:20:30too small to see over her head when she
5:20:32was in bare form. But they could at
5:20:35least watch her back or something, she
5:20:37guessed. But just casting them on the
5:20:40ground to the sides of the fight would
5:20:41be good enough for most situations.
5:20:44It would allow them to attack without
5:20:46being in the way. And like her own
5:20:48totems, which expired quickly when she
5:20:50wasn't fighting, they could be
5:20:51constantly moved to be in the best
5:20:53position for the current situation.
5:20:55Totems were easily crushed, and these
5:20:57ones would be targeted because they
5:20:59actually did damage, so you wanted to
5:21:01keep them some distance away from the
5:21:03main fight. If the enemy had to turn
5:21:05their back on you to crush the attacking
5:21:07totems, you got free swings at them
5:21:09while they were defenseless.
5:21:11Once things calm down, I will work with
5:21:14Remy to show her all the ways that you
5:21:15can use totems in a fight. The bear
5:21:18totem Berserker announced with a smile.
5:21:21She didn't have any offensive totems
5:21:23yet, but her class was known to gain
5:21:25them once they reached commander rank.
5:21:28The advancement made by Remy served as
5:21:30motivation for everyone else, and they
5:21:32all increased their training that week
5:21:34as they waited for news from outside
5:21:36that the ash cloud was beginning to
5:21:37dissipate. The fires were raging through
5:21:40the mountains, only stopping when they
5:21:42reached natural fire breaks like rocky
5:21:44cliffs or wide rivers. That had turned a
5:21:47huge chunk of the mountain range around
5:21:49the volcano into an uninhabitable
5:21:51nightmare. And there were reports from
5:21:53the scouts that there were fire
5:21:54elemental creatures roaming the area
5:21:56when they went to inspect it. If nothing
5:21:59else, that should keep the frost giants
5:22:01away. But the ash cloud was lingering
5:22:03much longer than it should have and
5:22:05wasn't spreading out to darken the skies
5:22:07over as wide of an area as the radio
5:22:09report suggested they were expecting.
5:22:11The dwarven village had proven to be an
5:22:13incredible radio antenna after Doug had
5:22:15attached their antenna to a vein of
5:22:17metal on one wall and they were able to
5:22:19receive but not easily transmit clear
5:22:22signals even a 100 km from the new front
5:22:24line. The rest of the front line wasn't
5:22:27that lucky. The spots where there was no
5:22:30massive ash cloud or enraged magma
5:22:32dragon were facing intensified assaults
5:22:35from the frost giants who had been
5:22:36displaced from a few unfriendly areas
5:22:38along the border. Now that they only had
5:22:41a few areas to launch their assault
5:22:43through, the frost giants hadn't given
5:22:45up. They had only focused their
5:22:47reinforcements on the more hospitable
5:22:49areas, which was giving everyone a
5:22:51headache.
5:22:52The defenders couldn't afford to
5:22:54transfer too many soldiers in case the
5:22:56frost giants moved back to the less
5:22:58friendly portions of the border, but
5:23:00they needed as many as they could get on
5:23:01the portions of the line where the
5:23:03attacks were still taking place. From
5:23:06what Carl could tell, further down the
5:23:08border between the two nations, there
5:23:10had been another incident of some sort,
5:23:11and the frost giants had completely
5:23:13retreated, seeding the area to the hill
5:23:15giants after the snow melted. that put
5:23:18their current position near the
5:23:20southeastern end of the battle lines
5:23:22with a large frost giant city supplying
5:23:24new troops constantly as a staging point
5:23:26for their invasion. On the 10th day, the
5:23:29ash cloud began to dissipate and the
5:23:32temperature of the falling ash dropped
5:23:33until it stopped sparking spontaneous
5:23:35wildfires.
5:23:37There was still a layer of blowing ash
5:23:39all over the region, sustained by the
5:23:41dragon's magic, so it would never truly
5:23:43fade. But what was blowing out of its
5:23:45territory wasn't harmful to anything but
5:23:47a housekeeper's sanity. That was their
5:23:50sign. The worst of it was over, and the
5:23:53report said that they were outside the
5:23:54dragon's territory, so the falling ash
5:23:57should have mostly ended, though they
5:23:58were still close enough to get some
5:24:00blowing at them. Shall we go see what is
5:24:02outside and get back to work dealing
5:24:04with the frost giants? We can strike
5:24:07what dares to come close to these hills
5:24:09and return here every evening. Bob
5:24:12McKenzie suggested.
5:24:14Carl nodded. That works for me. We can
5:24:18work our way into the Frost Giant Nation
5:24:20and attack troop patrols as one large
5:24:22unit to cut down on the number of
5:24:24reinforcements that the main line is
5:24:26getting. They're still being drowned in
5:24:28numbers by the weaker giants. So, there
5:24:30is almost certainly at least one more of
5:24:32the summoning spots active. If we can
5:24:35trace it back, we might be able to do
5:24:37something about it. Tori and Tai both
5:24:40gave Carl matching looks that said he
5:24:42was insane, but a strong desire for
5:24:44vengeance burned in Tessa's eyes. I owe
5:24:47them for the broken arm. Do you have any
5:24:50idea how much that hurt? If it wasn't
5:24:53for Tessa being clear of the ridge, I
5:24:55likely would have lost it before I could
5:24:56get it in place and healed. She growled.
5:25:00The ranger sighed, narrowing his black
5:25:02eyes as he stared at the war cleric,
5:25:05trying to decipher her intentions.
5:25:07Well, if there are the 10 of us, we
5:25:10should be all right. They normally send
5:25:12their reinforcements in groups of 10.
5:25:14So, even if we hit an all commander
5:25:16group, it won't be too bad. He
5:25:19eventually agreed, holding his
5:25:20objections when he saw how serious the
5:25:22cleric was about her vengeance against
5:25:24the summoning spells. Getting out of the
5:25:27cave required shovels with a magical
5:25:29barrier over them, as the falling ash
5:25:31had hardened into a layer that would put
5:25:33the average concrete wall to shame, and
5:25:35the layer was over a meter thick. That
5:25:38didn't bode well for what was outside,
5:25:40where they found that the trees had been
5:25:41mostly spared from the fire this far
5:25:43from the volcano, but there were still
5:25:45signs of scorching, and the undergrowth
5:25:47was completely gone. So, the trees
5:25:49themselves might be dead within the next
5:25:51few months if they couldn't get water
5:25:52through the ash. Carl wasn't certain how
5:25:55porous the newly fallen ash would be.
5:25:57But once they were outside, he realized
5:26:00that the upper layers were all soft
5:26:01black dust, like an upper layer of dirt,
5:26:04and there would likely be things growing
5:26:05here soon enough. If that was the case,
5:26:08the trees would likely be able to grow
5:26:10new roots to survive, even if the ash
5:26:13layer didn't let much water through.
5:26:15Doug looked around.
5:26:17Well, this isn't as bad as I feared.
5:26:20We're outside the dead zone and the ash
5:26:23didn't burn down the forest around us,
5:26:25though the trees are pretty scorched.
5:26:27And I see that some of them boiled off
5:26:29and exploded. If we head a few more
5:26:31kilome, we should be out of the ash
5:26:33entirely, and that will be where we run
5:26:35into frost giant reinforcements skirting
5:26:38the destruction. They don't deal well
5:26:40with heat or fire magic, as I'm sure we
5:26:43all remember. Hawk laughed in his space.
5:26:47No, they did not like fire magic at all.
5:26:50The combined group made their way
5:26:52forward, now able to keep Ray and Thor
5:26:54out, as the smaller trees were gone, and
5:26:56all the underbrush was buried under the
5:26:58ash. It would make it a bit harder to
5:27:01hide their tracks back to the dwarven
5:27:03village, but the frost giants would be
5:27:05hesitant to follow them inside. Anyhow,
5:27:07they weren't too concerned about humans
5:27:09finding the place and making a mess, as
5:27:11there weren't any others reported to be
5:27:13in the area.
5:27:15They were way behind the enemy lines and
5:27:17the frost giants hadn't been attacking
5:27:19through the ash zone at all. So, the
5:27:21scouts stopped where the ash started. It
5:27:24was the perfect setup for them to hunt.
5:27:26Nobody in the way, nobody to ask
5:27:28questions if they did something strange
5:27:30or give them trouble about going in a
5:27:32combined group instead of as two
5:27:34separate teams.
5:27:36Carl sent Hawk up and the bird
5:27:38immediately found that there were teams
5:27:39of frost giants spread out all the way
5:27:41to the horizon and all headed this way
5:27:43from the city going for the next section
5:27:45of front line near where the first
5:27:47explosion had happened. With the hills
5:27:50and scattered trees, most of the groups
5:27:52couldn't see each other. So if they
5:27:54timed their attacks right, they wouldn't
5:27:56even alarm other groups, despite the
5:27:58hundreds of frost giants that were
5:27:59spread out through the hills. Ladies and
5:28:02gentlemen, we're in luck. There are more
5:28:05frost giants out there than we know what
5:28:06to do with and they're free for the
5:28:08taking. We're inside their borders
5:28:11without a scout in sight. Anything we
5:28:13kill is ours. Carl announced. "And what
5:28:17are you planning to gain from this?"
5:28:19Harry Kim, the warrior with the McKenzie
5:28:22brothers team, asked curiously.
5:28:24"Hopefully another smashing tool, or
5:28:27maybe a chopping one. I've got a
5:28:30two-handed blade and a Maul from the
5:28:31giants so far, but I think that there is
5:28:33a chance we can all load up on special
5:28:35weapons before we run out of frost
5:28:37giants to kill. Carl laughed. Tessa
5:28:41smirked. Plus, there is a maximum of two
5:28:44giant strength type items that a warrior
5:28:46pattern elite can use. A ring and a
5:28:49bracelet or bracers.
5:28:52You can't double up on identical items
5:28:54for each arm. They won't grant you
5:28:55anything, but you can use them with a
5:28:57different effect. on the other hand. I
5:29:00noticed that neither you nor Tai have
5:29:02won yet, even though we dumped a bunch
5:29:04of them with the main lines, so we
5:29:05should get you some loot. Lotus nodded.
5:29:09Plus some of the good white cloaks.
5:29:12These things are nice and warm, and they
5:29:14blend in with the snow very well. We
5:29:17might not be the most stealthy, but if
5:29:19they even confuse us with allies for a
5:29:21moment, it can help us get close.
5:29:24Carl led the group toward the closest
5:29:25team of 10 frost giants who looked like
5:29:28the ascended type with a commander in
5:29:29charge. They met with them just as the
5:29:32frost giants reached the bottom of a
5:29:34valley, letting themselves be easily
5:29:36ambushed by the spider golems while Remy
5:29:38got the chance to try out her backpack
5:29:40totem theory. The totem appeared on
5:29:43Dana's bag and for a few seconds it was
5:29:46spectacular.
5:29:47The totem was firing just as intended.
5:29:51Then Dana moved and the totem fell to
5:29:53the ground. Still working fine, but no
5:29:56longer mobile. Noted. They need to be
5:29:59attached or something, but they don't
5:30:02last long enough. Maybe the bear lady
5:30:05was right. I should put them at the edge
5:30:08of the fight. Remy decided that was what
5:30:12she did with the second batch, and it
5:30:14worked much better. Three of the frost
5:30:16giants turned to face the new threat and
5:30:18were promptly stabbed through the back
5:30:20by the spider golems.
5:30:22That's just brutal. Tori gasped as she
5:30:26saw the fountain of blue blood from the
5:30:27heart strikes by the golems.
5:30:30Effective though, Dana agreed. Even with
5:30:34Hawk up high and scouting for their next
5:30:36target, the fight was over before the
5:30:38second group of totems faded away,
5:30:40leaving Harry and Bob with smiles on
5:30:42their faces. Now that's the sort of
5:30:44fight that a defensive warrior
5:30:46appreciates.
5:30:48Short and brutal, not drawn out while a
5:30:50frost giant kicks my ass. Bob chuckled.
5:30:54It's certainly an improvement on
5:30:56fighting them while outnumbered.
5:30:58Where is the next group? We might as
5:31:01well keep moving. Harry agreed.
5:31:04This way. Don't forget to check the
5:31:07corpses for magical items. We will leave
5:31:10the bodies so we can get as many as
5:31:12possible here today. Carl reminded them.
5:31:16In this formation, Thor was moved to
5:31:18support, protecting the clerics and
5:31:20mages while moving to keep everyone in
5:31:22his circle of protection. Tai and Carl
5:31:25stood on the flanks as they both had
5:31:27bows while Bob, Harry, and Dana's golems
5:31:30were the front line with Ry and her
5:31:32golems as the ambush attackers.
5:31:35Oilia moved wherever she felt needed,
5:31:37keeping the warriors from being pressed
5:31:39too hard or joining the spider golems in
5:31:41their attacks from behind. The second
5:31:44group went much like the first one, but
5:31:46the third they timed incorrectly, and
5:31:48they managed to make a stand on top of a
5:31:50hill, which attracted other frost giants
5:31:52who saw that they were under attack. "Do
5:31:55we try to fade into the trees so that
5:31:57those two groups waiting for each other
5:31:59don't come at us together?" Harry asked
5:32:02as they saw the frost giants adjusting
5:32:04their course and speed. Bob shook his
5:32:07head. We have the advantage in attack
5:32:09power. We move left and go to them. Hit
5:32:13them just as they're beginning the
5:32:14search for us before they can get
5:32:16settled into their roles on the combined
5:32:18team. This one has a giant strength ring
5:32:21for whoever needs it. Tori cut in and
5:32:24Carl could see the effort it was taking
5:32:26her not to fall into her customary
5:32:28flirting routine.
5:32:30She really was trying to be a proper
5:32:31party member. Or so he thought. She had
5:32:35slipped and made a suggestive comment to
5:32:37Bob on the second day in the cave. In
5:32:40response, he told her that he didn't
5:32:42like flirtatious little girls, which was
5:32:44a harsh blow to her ego. But Tori did
5:32:47like big, muscular, stoic men, so she
5:32:50was trying to show him that she wasn't
5:32:52just some ditzy teen mage. The end
5:32:55result was that she was turning into a
5:32:57competent team member. So, everyone else
5:32:59assumed she really had turned over a new
5:33:01leaf, which made it a small victory all
5:33:03around. Same pattern as before. Remy,
5:33:07make sure your totems are far enough
5:33:09from the group that the giants can't
5:33:11just stomp them. We will strike as soon
5:33:13as Rey is in position, Carl instructed.
5:33:17Remy could only keep two totems active
5:33:20at a time, but two streams of fireballs
5:33:22while she cast her chain lightning was
5:33:24more than enough to put her on even
5:33:25ground with the ascended mages in the
5:33:27group. That was enough for Carl, but
5:33:30Hawk and his opinion that beasts were
5:33:32better teammates than humans had stuck
5:33:34in Remy's head, and she wanted to prove
5:33:36to Carl that he could rely on her, even
5:33:38if she was still small. The group rushed
5:33:40the Frost Giants, who were ready for
5:33:42their approach, but not for the dirty
5:33:44tricks that the team was about to pull
5:33:46on them.
5:33:47First, the appearance of the two snake
5:33:49totems pulled their attention to one
5:33:51side as fire and venom invaded their
5:33:54bodies, amplifying the pain of the chain
5:33:56lightning. Then, once the left flank was
5:33:59distracted, the spider golems hit from
5:34:01the back, causing chaos in the ranks
5:34:03before Ry herself was into the right
5:34:05flank of the frost giants. She was
5:34:08laughing as she dodged a long spear that
5:34:10one of the giants was holding,
5:34:12completely removing one of the two
5:34:13commanders from the fight and forcing
5:34:15the formation to spread out to avoid
5:34:17being in the way of his attacks.
5:34:20With haste, the giant had no chance of
5:34:22actually landing a solid hit on the
5:34:24nimble bloodbath spider unless she got
5:34:26closer to him. But that wasn't her goal.
5:34:29She just wanted the real fighters out of
5:34:31the way while her minions took care of
5:34:32the weaklings.
5:34:34Then she got a brilliant idea.
5:34:37A stream of silk wrapped the spear, and
5:34:39with her four legs, she pulled it free
5:34:41of the giant's hands as he lunged
5:34:43forward on the attack. Then she fired
5:34:46her own volley of spears back at him,
5:34:49small spikes that peppered him with
5:34:50heavily bleeding wounds. "Where is your
5:34:53spear goddess now?" Ry laughed, and Carl
5:34:57felt an ominous sense of attention in
5:34:59the back of his mind, as if they had
5:35:00insulted something that could look down
5:35:02on them from another plane of existence.
5:35:05Maybe don't insult war goddesses,
5:35:08Carl suggested as Ray hurled mental
5:35:10insults at the enraged frost giant who
5:35:12was finding it impossible to catch her.
5:35:15Then I will make him give the pointy
5:35:16stick to our war cleric and have her
5:35:18teach the frost giants how to use one.
5:35:21Rey retorted. She whipped the strand of
5:35:24silk, sending the spear flying clumsily
5:35:27toward the clerics.
5:35:29Tessa, catch. She says it's for you
5:35:32since a sermon knight needs a lance.
5:35:35Carl joked. Though she was confused,
5:35:38Tessa caught the flying spear, which
5:35:40instantly bonded with her, creating a
5:35:42golden shafted and silver-headed spear
5:35:44that looked infinitely more impressive
5:35:46than the crudely enchanted item the
5:35:47frost giant had been using.
5:35:50Instead of a crude metal wedge, the
5:35:52spear now had wide three-sided blades as
5:35:55long as her forearm at the tip with a
5:35:57hooked crossbar like a boar spear to
5:35:59keep it from running all the way through
5:36:01the target. The spear glowed with holy
5:36:04light as she hopped up on Thor's back
5:36:05and led the lightning sow on a charge
5:36:07into the frost giant ranks with her
5:36:09spear leveled and her shield in her
5:36:11other hand. The warriors laughed at the
5:36:13sight, but when she thrust the spear
5:36:15forward and the blades sunk into a
5:36:17commander rank frost giant to the
5:36:19crossbar, then carried him off his feet
5:36:21with the momentum of a charging Thor,
5:36:23they couldn't help but be impressed. The
5:36:26spider golems closed on Thor's flanks so
5:36:28nothing could attack him. As Tessa shook
5:36:30the spear free of her target, and they
5:36:32came around for a second charge. "It's a
5:36:35spear, not a lance. You don't have to
5:36:37run them through." Bob yelled as the duo
5:36:40charged at the giants again. Thor bugled
5:36:43an annoyed response. Running them
5:36:46through was way more fun than just
5:36:48stabbing them. But with quick thrusts of
5:36:51the blade, Tessa attacked the frost
5:36:53giants, letting Thor run down the ones
5:36:55he wanted so she could stab them while
5:36:57they were on the ground. If Thor was
5:36:59going to remain as a charger, he was
5:37:01going to need some practice. The happy
5:37:04prancing was not at all dignified.
5:37:07The second charge carried them out of
5:37:09Ray's side of the battle while the
5:37:10ascended ranked giants scattered and
5:37:12tried to survive the affections of the
5:37:14spider golems chasing after Thor. As for
5:37:17actual damage, it might not be the most
5:37:19effective. But as a chaos tactic for
5:37:22breaking an enemy formation, Thor's
5:37:24method was unparalleled.
5:37:26The frost giants didn't last much
5:37:28longer, and the next group was still
5:37:30over a kilometer away on the other side
5:37:32of the ridge when the last of them fell.
5:37:36Check the bodies quickly for other good
5:37:38things. There are more giants coming.
5:37:41Thor, this time you and Tessa are in
5:37:43reserve. Stay back unless you need to
5:37:46charge to rescue the warriors, but no
5:37:48charging right through the lines. Carl
5:37:51admonished.
5:37:53Thor nodded and stomped his feet. He was
5:37:56a good Sarah. He would help however they
5:37:58needed, even if it meant all barriers
5:38:00and no smashing. You can come forward
5:38:03and smash them with Tessa if they try to
5:38:05run away at the end. Carl allowed,
5:38:08knowing it would make Thor happy. The
5:38:11next group came over the ridge as they
5:38:12were finishing the looting process, and
5:38:14Thor promptly forgot his instructions
5:38:16and opted to go with Tessa's motion to
5:38:18charge into battle with the spider
5:38:20golems. Carl realized that he really
5:38:23should have told Tessa as well to
5:38:25prevent exactly this, but the stone
5:38:27golems were on their way forward, and
5:38:29the combination of a rampaging lightning
5:38:31serow and two spider golems had taken
5:38:33out the commander before the
5:38:34reinforcement group even realized that
5:38:36they were in trouble. Then the arrows
5:38:38from Carl and Tai reached them, sending
5:38:41lightning and fire into their ranks,
5:38:43while the warriors moved to flank the
5:38:44existing frontline formation. The spear
5:38:47seemed to have an affinity for Tessa,
5:38:49and it adjusted from 2 to 3 m long with
5:38:52a thought as she fought the frost
5:38:53giants, giving her the reach she needed
5:38:55in battle, while also shortening enough
5:38:57that she could still stab them when Thor
5:38:59got up close and personal. Insulting war
5:39:02deities might not be the brightest thing
5:39:04they had ever done, but it seemed to
5:39:06have worked out well for their war
5:39:07cleric. Once the battle was over,
5:39:10everyone took a break to refresh while
5:39:12Lotus made them a light snack and some
5:39:14fresh water. Harry smirked at Tessa as
5:39:17she rested against Thor's flank. You
5:39:20know, you have to be the least
5:39:21cleric-like priestess that I've ever
5:39:23met. He joked. You just aren't around
5:39:27the red dragon priestesses enough. We
5:39:30love to fight. We just don't often get
5:39:32as many great opportunities as I do. If
5:39:35I was the only cleric in the group, I
5:39:37wouldn't be able to charge into combat
5:39:39with Thor. I would have to hang back as
5:39:41the group couldn't afford to have me
5:39:42injured. but with two others, including
5:39:45a high priest. It's no problem at all if
5:39:48I buff up and head for the front line.
5:39:51During the consolidation wars, many of
5:39:53the red dragon priests fought that way
5:39:55with healers in the back and the war
5:39:57clerics up front among the warriors,
5:39:59keeping offensive buffs active and
5:40:00defensive blessings spread through those
5:40:02who needed them most. Harry nodded. The
5:40:06war clerics have always been a bit nuts,
5:40:08but nobody doubts their bravery. The
5:40:11golden standard for military units is
5:40:13that they shouldn't retreat until the
5:40:15war clerics tell them to. If they can
5:40:17last until the Red Dragons clerics think
5:40:19it's best, then they've done all you
5:40:21could ask of them. Harry held up a
5:40:24blade, then caused it to vanish into his
5:40:26inventory, coming back as a slightly
5:40:28oversized sword, but still usable
5:40:30single-handed with a shield. Nice.
5:40:33Nothing too special, but a freezing
5:40:35effect on a commander rank blade will
5:40:37serve me well for many years after I get
5:40:39out of this frozen [ __ ] hole," he
5:40:42explained.
5:40:43Bob gave him a celebratory pad on the
5:40:45back. "You can't argue with that. Once
5:40:49we finish here, freezing the enemy will
5:40:51work much better." He had a good point.
5:40:55Once they were outside the frost giant
5:40:57nation, freezing effects were going to
5:40:59be incredibly effective. Most creatures
5:41:02could be easily slowed or encased in ice
5:41:04if the magic was strong enough. It just
5:41:06didn't affect the frost giants and yeti
5:41:08the same way due to their ice elemental
5:41:11nature. How many more groups will we hit
5:41:13today? Lotus asked as they finished the
5:41:16cleanup work. Carl shrugged. I say that
5:41:20we head back just after lunch. We're
5:41:23going to have to start moving back and
5:41:25forth to get the groups as they're not
5:41:27all following the same path. So, we will
5:41:29want to be back for an early dinner.
5:41:32There were no arguments to that
5:41:33suggestion. They had been sitting for
5:41:36days, and the first day back, they had
5:41:38been working hard to eliminate the frost
5:41:40giants. An early dinner and a long rest
5:41:43were just what they needed to be ready
5:41:44to target a new region tomorrow. After
5:41:47all, hitting the same one every time
5:41:49would only cause the frost giants to
5:41:51avoid it. Tessa frowned down at the body
5:41:54of their last kill of the day. The frost
5:41:57giant was a commander, one of the many
5:41:59team leaders that they had killed that
5:42:01day, and unfortunately identical in
5:42:03appearance to the others under the war
5:42:05paint. Doug stepped up beside her and
5:42:08turned the corpse's head to one side
5:42:09with his boot. It would have been better
5:42:12if they were different looking. He
5:42:14grumbled, agreeing with Tessa's silent
5:42:16complaint.
5:42:18Well, we can say for certain that they
5:42:20still have the means to summon more
5:42:21frost giants, and we now have a decent
5:42:24idea where they are coming from.
5:42:26Lotus added helpfully. Carl checked a
5:42:29corpse for magical items before he
5:42:31joined the conversation.
5:42:33And once we radio in for the evening,
5:42:35command will know as well. But I'm not
5:42:37certain what they will be able to do
5:42:39about it. From the sound of things, this
5:42:41front is being withdrawn further every
5:42:43day, and the number of actual elites on
5:42:46the line is nearly non-existent now.
5:42:48They have been called away to the other
5:42:50fronts, and the regular army has been
5:42:52left to deal with the frost giants.
5:42:55The battle wasn't lost. In fact, it was
5:42:58far from it. What the army was doing was
5:43:01luring the frost giants down out of the
5:43:03mountains where they could shell the
5:43:04enemy lines with impunity. They did have
5:43:07to evacuate a few villages, but that was
5:43:10a minor loss in the grand scheme of
5:43:12things, and the relocation would cost
5:43:13them less than a day's worth of wasted
5:43:15munitions if the frost giants continued
5:43:17to hide in the hills. The same general
5:43:20was responsible for this section of the
5:43:22line, and it sounded like he had gotten
5:43:24a single elite strike team to stay with
5:43:26him for security reasons, but almost all
5:43:28the other scouts had been swapped
5:43:29[clears throat] for regular soldiers
5:43:31with a battle cleric. The change was
5:43:34obvious to anyone in range, as the radio
5:43:36call and patterns were different for the
5:43:38elites, who gave their number, and the
5:43:40clerics working for the army, who gave a
5:43:42team designation by regiment and
5:43:44company. Theirs was the only regular
5:43:46daily check-in that was still coming to
5:43:48that position by elite number, and they
5:43:50were considered to be too far behind
5:43:52enemy lines to be extracted. So, the
5:43:54army just accepted the numbers that Carl
5:43:56and Bob gave for the day without
5:43:58question. They certainly weren't going
5:44:00to send anyone out here to find out for
5:44:02sure, and they didn't want the teams to
5:44:04stop hunting if they were giving
5:44:05accurate numbers. Intercepting them in
5:44:08small groups before they got to the main
5:44:10lines was much more effective, it
5:44:12seemed, than hitting them with
5:44:13artillery.
5:44:15Once they were safely back in the
5:44:16village for the night, they began
5:44:18drawing up a map of the Frost Giant
5:44:20reinforcement routes and marking them
5:44:22the same way that the officers marked
5:44:24the battle lines. It still seemed like
5:44:27the best way to do it, but with so few
5:44:29details on their map, anyone else who
5:44:31read it might not even understand what
5:44:32they were looking at. So, what do you
5:44:35think? Should we go for a spot near the
5:44:37other attacks or should we go all the
5:44:39way over here to make it look like there
5:44:41are multiple groups hidden in their
5:44:43territory? Carl asked with a gesture to
5:44:46the map. Bob pointed further down the
5:44:49border. I think that we should hit them
5:44:51over here so they believe that it might
5:44:53be something coming out of the ash zone
5:44:55and killing their reinforcements.
5:44:57They would naturally suspect it and it
5:44:59would make for a good cover instead of
5:45:01sending them looking for humans
5:45:03immediately.
5:45:04Carl looked to the others and they
5:45:06nodded in agreement. All right, that
5:45:09sounds like the best plan we've got. I
5:45:12will have Hawk scout the area in the
5:45:13morning and we can attack the frost
5:45:15giants further down the border closest
5:45:17to the ash wastess first. With their
5:45:20plan made, they settled in for the
5:45:22evening, keeping a light watch from
5:45:24inside the village. The cave mouth was
5:45:27open now, as the presence of snow over
5:45:29the ash would actually make it easier to
5:45:31find them instead of harder.
5:45:34But when they arrived, the cave was open
5:45:36and nothing had ever disturbed it. So
5:45:38none of them were too concerned about
5:45:39it, especially with the spider golem
5:45:41standing watch in the tunnel all night,
5:45:43prepared to deal with anything that
5:45:45might try to attack them. Carl didn't
5:45:48have a turn- on watch that night, so he
5:45:50woke up to the smell of breakfast
5:45:51cooking and Hawk's first morning
5:45:53scouting report. We don't need to go
5:45:56down by the border. There are no frost
5:45:58giants there. The glowing red things ate
5:46:02them. He reported glowing red things,
5:46:06maybe fire elementals.
5:46:09They are red. They burn everything they
5:46:11touch, and they really like turning
5:46:13frost giants into ash when they get too
5:46:15close to the border, Hawk replied. Hawk
5:46:19says that there are fire elementals in
5:46:21the ash wastess, and they are attacking
5:46:22the frost giants who get too close.
5:46:26Going there to fight them might get us
5:46:27attacked, but there aren't any more
5:46:29frost giants there this morning. Even if
5:46:31we wanted to go look for them, Carl
5:46:33explained to the others. How did he
5:46:36describe them? Doug asked. Red and
5:46:40glowing on fire, and they burn
5:46:42everything they touch. Doug nodded. Ask
5:46:46him if they look solid. They might be
5:46:48magma elementals, a hybrid earth and
5:46:51fire species.
5:46:53They're common in magically rich
5:46:54volcanoes, and the magma dragon might
5:46:57have been nurturing them. It makes sense
5:46:59that they would serve as the guards for
5:47:01his territory, but we need to know for
5:47:03certain before we report it. If it is a
5:47:06proper fire elemental, it looks like
5:47:08living flames and just moves through the
5:47:10air without anything to burn. Yeah, that
5:47:13first thing sounds right. They're kind
5:47:15of small, but really hot. They go dark
5:47:19red, almost black when they touch the
5:47:21frost giants. But when a bunch of them
5:47:23do it, the whole giant burns to nothing.
5:47:26Carl relayed the message and Doug
5:47:28relayed it back to the main lines. We
5:47:31are going to have to change our plans.
5:47:34If we're working near the ash wastess,
5:47:36we should burn all the bodies so the
5:47:38giants can't tell if the group was
5:47:39eliminated by us or the elementals.
5:47:42If we're further out, we can leave them
5:47:44like usual and work through them at a
5:47:46higher rate.
5:47:48More importantly, we need to pick a new
5:47:50area to target for the day. If this is
5:47:53the first time that the creatures of the
5:47:54ash wastes attacked out into the snow,
5:47:57then it might be the start of a new
5:47:58conflict as the dragon attempts to
5:48:00expand his own space as well. Or they
5:48:03might have just been too close for
5:48:05comfort and his minions were defending
5:48:07their border. The elementals have an
5:48:09innate hatred for water and ice element
5:48:11magic. Bob explained as Doug sent the
5:48:15reports back to headquarters.
5:48:17Understandable,
5:48:19Hawk replied as Carl explained the
5:48:21situation to the beasts. When it came to
5:48:24elemental affinities, Hawk was
5:48:26definitely on the side of the magma
5:48:27elementals. But it was more important
5:48:29that the frost giants not know that they
5:48:31were being hunted from this particular
5:48:33edge of the ash wastess. If the frost
5:48:35giants thought that this was the weaker
5:48:37end of the dragon's defenses, and not
5:48:39just an outlying area covered in ash,
5:48:41then they might well send a full
5:48:43offensive here. And the 10 of them
5:48:45didn't stand much chance if they were
5:48:46caught in the open by that. Everyone
5:48:49knew it was a dangerous game they were
5:48:51playing, taunting so many of the frost
5:48:53giants.
5:48:54But the odds were strongly in their
5:48:56favor as long as the frost giant army
5:48:58didn't know where they were sleeping.
5:49:00Combined team McKenzie,
5:49:03your intel is received. Hold for further
5:49:06updates.
5:49:08Three. The last bit didn't make sense to
5:49:11Carl when he heard it over the radio,
5:49:12but Doug smiled happily.
5:49:15Three is the number of days before they
5:49:17plan to take action. As that action
5:49:20involves us, we can guess that it's
5:49:22going to be an offensive of some sort to
5:49:24try to push the frost giants back. For
5:49:27all we know, the freezing enchantment
5:49:29might have been broken not only near us,
5:49:31but all along the line, and the borders
5:49:33might be returning to normal, the nature
5:49:36priest explained. or they could be
5:49:39running short on clones and the front
5:49:41lines are actually making progress.
5:49:44Tessa reminded them, "Right, that brings
5:49:48us back to the topic of the day. What
5:49:50route are we going to ambush?" Carl
5:49:52agreed. Bob looked at the map and
5:49:55pointed well inland of any of the major
5:49:57routes. What if we don't ambush any of
5:50:00them, but instead we zigzag across the
5:50:02pattern as if we were a wandering
5:50:04monster pack being chased from place to
5:50:06place? It would confuse them with its
5:50:09disorganized nature, and it would let us
5:50:11search their territory to see if there
5:50:13are any signs of where they might be
5:50:14making the new clones. I suspect that it
5:50:17is actually in the city where we won't
5:50:19be able to easily get to the next
5:50:20summoning spell. But if it is still out
5:50:22in the wild, then there is a chance that
5:50:24we can break their reinforcements a
5:50:26little more and not just by killing them
5:50:28in vast quantities. If one spell can
5:50:31make a group every half hour, we would
5:50:33have to kill them every 15 minutes
5:50:35during daylight hours just to keep up.
5:50:37That isn't feasible in the long term.
5:50:39So, it would be better if we could find
5:50:41a way to either distract or delay them,
5:50:43assuming that there isn't a good way to
5:50:45stop the cloning. Carl nodded. That
5:50:48works for me. The main lines will thank
5:50:51us for every frost giant that we kill.
5:50:53And if we happen to find something that
5:50:55can stop them from continuing to make
5:50:57more attackers, it will be even better.
5:51:00I know that we reported it, but who
5:51:02knows if high command took it seriously
5:51:04enough that they are going to actually
5:51:05do something about it and not just throw
5:51:07more bodies on the line to face an
5:51:08unending tide of frost giants.
5:51:11Eventually, even we will get tired and
5:51:13worn down by the fight. So, anything
5:51:15that has a chance to change the balance
5:51:17is worth trying. They led the group out
5:51:20again, hunting groups of frost giants
5:51:22who were no more on guard than the first
5:51:24day back had been. That made no sense as
5:51:28they hadn't cleaned up the bodies. They
5:51:31had to have passed at least a few dead
5:51:32groups of giants on the way, but they
5:51:34hadn't taken any additional precautions,
5:51:37and they were barely paying attention to
5:51:38their surroundings.
5:51:40But their inattentiveness began to make
5:51:42sense when the group reached the second
5:51:44path. They giants, they were almost
5:51:46running through the tundra toward their
5:51:48spots on the main lines.
5:51:50So, it wasn't that the first group was
5:51:52inattentive. They were all rushing and
5:51:54the frost giants were just doing the
5:51:56best they could while following orders
5:51:58to make it to the front as soon as
5:51:59possible. Well, we should kill a few
5:52:02groups this way. We will still be
5:52:04fighting when the next group shows up at
5:52:06this rate. So, we are going to
5:52:08eventually have to rush a fight so we
5:52:09can break free and make it to the next
5:52:11path. Bob realized as they prepared to
5:52:14fight again. Doug shrugged unconcerned.
5:52:18We will do what we can. If it turns into
5:52:22a huge fight here, then it is what it
5:52:24is. Tai and Harry gave him a look that
5:52:27said he should be concerned as it would
5:52:28lead to an all-day fight until they were
5:52:30exhausted and made a mistake. But the
5:52:33nature priest had a level of confidence
5:52:35that they could only aspire to. Today,
5:52:38Thor was pulled back to the second line,
5:52:40defending the casters. But by the time
5:52:42that the fourth group made it to their
5:52:44battle, that proved to be a valuable bit
5:52:46of foresight. The frost giants pushed
5:52:49past the warriors, taking light wounds
5:52:51to shoulder them aside. If it hadn't
5:52:54been for Thor, they might have made it
5:52:55into the much less durable magic users,
5:52:58and that would have been a disaster.
5:53:00With Thor's lightning barrier on them,
5:53:02they weren't just squishy and easily
5:53:04killed, but they didn't have giant
5:53:06strength, so they could end up being
5:53:08grabbed and hurled through the air while
5:53:09they were unable to fight back. But with
5:53:12Thor blocking, the giants ended up boxed
5:53:15in and were quickly dispatched by the
5:53:17arrows fired by Carl and Tai. This is a
5:53:20mess. Rey, finish those quickly and we
5:53:24will withdraw to the first line, but
5:53:26further toward the city. That way, we
5:53:29can make a fighting retreat at the end
5:53:30of the day. We're not going to make it
5:53:33any further with so many giants on the
5:53:35path today, Carl announced. Hawk broke
5:53:39away from the fight to scout them a
5:53:40route to the next fight, assuming that
5:53:42they could get away from this one, but
5:53:44came back with bad news. There is no
5:53:47more first line today. They're all on
5:53:50this path. The elementals have chased
5:53:53them away from the ash wastess, he
5:53:55explained.
5:53:57Hawk says we have two routes worth of
5:53:59frost giants to fight. They abandoned
5:54:02the line closest to the dragon's
5:54:03territory.
5:54:05Carl informed the others. Bob nodded.
5:54:09Finish these as quickly as we can. If we
5:54:12can charge into the next group, we can
5:54:14take them by surprise.
5:54:16Advancing into them so they don't see
5:54:18the other bodies should give us a little
5:54:20bit of an advantage, and we can use all
5:54:22we can get. When the day starts to wear
5:54:25us down, we will retreat toward the ash
5:54:28and see if they follow. Carl burned
5:54:30extra mana to add flaming body to all
5:54:33the arrows in addition to chain
5:54:35lightning. The extra damage took the
5:54:38giants out fast enough that they still
5:54:40hadn't heard or seen any sign of the
5:54:42next group when the fight ended. So,
5:54:45they charged forward away from the
5:54:47growing pile of corpses and into fresh
5:54:49snow where they could ambush the frost
5:54:51giants from inside of Remy's Blizzard.
5:54:54The change of pace was just what they
5:54:56needed, and the group picked up a new
5:54:58rhythm, hitting the frost giants hard
5:55:00and then taking a short breather before
5:55:02charging into another group. They didn't
5:55:05move far between fights, just enough
5:55:07that the next group didn't realize that
5:55:08the blinding snow wasn't a natural
5:55:10phenomenon as the day was windy and
5:55:13blowing snow was a constant phenomenon
5:55:15in their lands. They managed to keep the
5:55:17pace until the middle of the afternoon
5:55:19when Hawk informed them that the flow of
5:55:21giants was slowing and that would give
5:55:23them a chance to retreat and hide before
5:55:25they got too hungry. There wasn't enough
5:55:28of a break for them to sit down and eat
5:55:30a proper meal, so they had been snacking
5:55:32between fights.
5:55:34That was enough to keep going for a
5:55:35while, but it wasn't good for a whole
5:55:37day's worth of combat. They weren't
5:55:40uncaring bureaucrats who saw fighters as
5:55:42data on a sheet, just numbers to be
5:55:44added and subtracted, so they would let
5:55:46the rest of the frost giants go and take
5:55:48care of themselves first. They were
5:55:51about to retreat when Lotus pulled an
5:55:53interesting item from the body of one of
5:55:55the commander rank team leaders. Check
5:55:58this out. I think that it's a drawing of
5:56:00the statue of the all mother that Remy
5:56:02is holding on to. They're still looking
5:56:05for it, so there has to be something
5:56:07special about that particular statue,
5:56:09she announced as Rey flipped the tiny
5:56:11cleric onto her back for the run. "Did
5:56:14we find anything similar on the others?"
5:56:17Carl asked as they joged off toward a
5:56:19stand of trees closer to the ashcovered
5:56:21lands near the volcano.
5:56:23No, the tube that it was in caught my
5:56:25eye because they never have scrolls or
5:56:27anything with them, and I'm not sure
5:56:29that they even have a written language
5:56:30to read. But it's just the drawing, so I
5:56:34don't know what they are planning to do
5:56:35when they find it. For all I know, it
5:56:38might be a drawing to get someone to
5:56:40make another statue," Lotus realized.
5:56:44Carl shrugged and slowed his pace once
5:56:46they were out of sight behind the trees
5:56:47and headed into the ashes. Anything is
5:56:50possible, but my guess is that they
5:56:52can't recreate whatever magic is on the
5:56:54old one, so they want it back, and
5:56:56they've [clears throat] got the
5:56:57reinforcements looking for it. We just
5:56:59happened to find someone who didn't
5:57:01dispose of the instructions before
5:57:03leaving town, he offered. Bob frowned as
5:57:07he replied, an expression that made him
5:57:09look much older than he actually was. We
5:57:12will know more tomorrow. If there are
5:57:14more scrolls, then it's a new thing. If
5:57:18there aren't, then it was a one-off and
5:57:20likely not so important. But I get the
5:57:23feeling that the Giants are getting
5:57:24desperate. They are running to the
5:57:26lines, which could only mean that they
5:57:28are urgently needed. None of us heard
5:57:31anything on the radio, but that's no
5:57:33surprise. We can barely hear the
5:57:35messages from the closest front, and
5:57:37during the day, we can't even hear that.
5:57:40Despair is good. Let them suffer. Rey
5:57:44cheered. The radio reports of the
5:57:47soldiers on the line were so happy to
5:57:48have a reduction in the frost giant
5:57:50numbers that it felt cruel to report in
5:57:52their numbers that day. The main lines
5:57:55were celebrating that the frost giant
5:57:56reinforcements were finally slowing
5:57:58down, but that all came to a crashing
5:58:00halt when they found out that it was
5:58:02only because Carl's merged group had
5:58:04killed hundreds of giants today and
5:58:06nearly prevented them from resupplying
5:58:07their lines. That news was a shock all
5:58:11through the command structure. There was
5:58:13something definitely a miss with this
5:58:15double strength group, but none of them
5:58:17were privy to the details of the group's
5:58:19strength other than their official
5:58:20rankings. On paper, they didn't look
5:58:23like anything special. There was one
5:58:26extra cleric from the usual composition,
5:58:28but that shouldn't change the outcome of
5:58:30the fights in a highly positive way. If
5:58:33anything, it would normally reduce their
5:58:35efficiency, as the clerics weren't known
5:58:37for their damage output among welle
5:58:39equipped elites. It was only among the
5:58:42average soldiers and the faithful on the
5:58:44line that they really shone as the
5:58:45beacons of power with their blessings.
5:58:48So the generals in command of the
5:58:50theater were thoroughly baffled by the
5:58:52number of frost giants that the 10
5:58:53elites were managing to kill. So much so
5:58:57that they even sent a scout up the
5:58:58mountains to watch the frost giant city
5:59:00through binoculars.
5:59:02They could see that the giants were
5:59:04leaving the city and then at various
5:59:06points they just stopped coming over the
5:59:08hills. A few times they did manage to
5:59:11get a view of the fighting, but it was
5:59:13so far in the distance that none of them
5:59:15could make it out clearly through the
5:59:16blinding snow. Seeing all those giants
5:59:20disappear before they could make it to
5:59:21the front lines was a wake-up call for
5:59:23the soldiers. The elites in whatever
5:59:26group was hunting out there were even
5:59:27more scary than the groups of frost
5:59:29giants that they had been hoping not to
5:59:31run into during this mission. But more
5:59:33than that, they could keep up their kill
5:59:35count all day long. They seemed to have
5:59:38left the battlefield mid-afternoon, but
5:59:40you could only be in combat so long
5:59:42before becoming exhausted. And by the
5:59:44preliminary count of the scouts, they
5:59:46had killed hundreds of giants in a
5:59:48single day, just as their reports had
5:59:50insisted.
5:59:51Most of the top brass would not be happy
5:59:53to hear that, as they had thought that
5:59:55the threat was tapering off, and they
5:59:57could claim credit for their stalward
5:59:59defense. But if it wasn't the case, then
6:00:02they were only resting while the frost
6:00:03giants found a new way around to attack
6:00:06their lines. But for groups that had
6:00:08retreated, other than the two who were
6:00:10closest to the volcano, it was a golden
6:00:12opportunity to move up to a better
6:00:14position. they could retake the best
6:00:17defensible spots and fortify them as
6:00:19much as possible while the numbers
6:00:20coming at them were lower than usual. It
6:00:23might be their only chance and they
6:00:25didn't know how long that group would be
6:00:27in the area. The suspicion was that it
6:00:29was an unannounced royal rank elite and
6:00:32not two commander-led groups working
6:00:33together. As the official report said,
6:00:36if they had a prince with them, it would
6:00:38make sense that they could mow through
6:00:40frost giants so quickly. But even
6:00:43twoon-one at the same rank, it would not
6:00:45be easy to defeat the groups fast enough
6:00:47to get out of the way before the next
6:00:48group was on you. The sun faded from the
6:00:51sky and the scouts bedded down for the
6:00:54night, hoping that Carl and his group
6:00:55would be back out in full force the next
6:00:57morning. The next morning brought the
6:01:00generals just the reprieve that they
6:01:01were hoping for. More disappearing frost
6:01:04giant reinforcements all along the paths
6:01:07leading to the closest sections of the
6:01:09line. But what Carl and the others found
6:01:11was not nearly as encouraging.
6:01:14Tessa sighed as she picked up a wooden
6:01:16tube with her spear. That's the 15th one
6:01:19this morning. Every group leader,
6:01:22whether it's a commander or an ascended,
6:01:24has one of the drawings of the statue.
6:01:26They are definitely hunting for it, and
6:01:28that means they're not going to give up
6:01:30until they either find it or run out of
6:01:32soldiers. But if they're still making
6:01:34more clones,
6:01:36she trailed off, letting that sentiment
6:01:38linger.
6:01:40If they were making more clones, they
6:01:42would never run out of troops. They
6:01:44would just keep hunting for the statue
6:01:46or whoever had taken it. Lotus shrugged.
6:01:50At least the flow is lighter today.
6:01:52There are only a third as many groups as
6:01:55before, and that is with the first route
6:01:57blockaded by the magma elementals.
6:01:59I think that we might be able to push
6:02:01further forward or up into the other
6:02:03routes soon. If we can find out where
6:02:06the ones who aren't coming this way are
6:02:08going, we can relay that back to the
6:02:10lines and maybe save some lives. Don't
6:02:13you think that it's getting warmer here?
6:02:15I mean, it's still frigid, but it is
6:02:18definitely warmer here than it was a few
6:02:19days ago. Doug noted as they fought. I
6:02:23think it is. That warm breeze coming
6:02:26from the volcanic ash area is taking the
6:02:29chill out of the air, and it's only a
6:02:30little below freezing now. At this rate,
6:02:34it might actually be comfortable to wait
6:02:35on the front lines instead of a constant
6:02:38struggle to keep from becoming an ice
6:02:40cube. Bob agreed.
6:02:43Carl looked up at the faint haze of ash
6:02:45still in the sky. But the giants don't
6:02:47do well in the heat, so it might change
6:02:50their deployment routes. If they stop
6:02:52coming this way entirely, then what do
6:02:54we do? Tessa chuckled. Then we kill
6:02:58giants somewhere else until they give up
6:03:00and go home. If a magma dragon wants to
6:03:03hold this portion of the border for us,
6:03:05I have no objections to that. However, I
6:03:08do want to see what is in that city. If
6:03:11they're still cloning frost giants, it
6:03:13would be best to find a way to destroy
6:03:15another of the statues or crystals. The
6:03:18group paused for a snack, as the groups
6:03:21were so far apart today, and Carl looked
6:03:23off in the distance where the city
6:03:25should be if it wasn't hidden behind the
6:03:27horizon. If the rate drops again
6:03:29tomorrow, I say that we head for the
6:03:31city and see what's going on. Perhaps
6:03:34they're sending them on a different
6:03:35route further from the dragon. If the
6:03:38combination of us and the elementals has
6:03:40completely rerouted reinforcements to
6:03:42this portion of the line, then the army
6:03:44should know so that they can push their
6:03:46advantage.
6:03:47Want me to go look? Hawk asked. Yeah, go
6:03:52ahead. We will do our own scouting here
6:03:55for the next few hours. Let us know what
6:03:58is going on in the city. Carl agreed.
6:04:01Hawk is going to go take a look. We will
6:04:04keep clearing what we can while he is
6:04:06gone and then we can use whatever he
6:04:08finds to make our plans for tomorrow.
6:04:10Carl explained. Dana frowned at him.
6:04:14We're not seriously planning to raid a
6:04:16frost giant city, are we? Carl shrugged
6:04:20and the clerics laughed. Doug shook his
6:04:23head. The chances of that are very low.
6:04:27The summoning stone will likely be
6:04:28placed outside the city limits so that
6:04:30they can gather the troops and send them
6:04:32on the way without bothering the
6:04:34citizens. If it's right in the middle of
6:04:36the city, there isn't anything that we
6:04:38can do about it. And the army isn't
6:04:40going to press all the way out here into
6:04:42frost giant territory to attack a city.
6:04:45They would rather save their manpower to
6:04:47defend the existing border and hope that
6:04:48we find a way to return the cold to the
6:04:50area it covered before the war. If that
6:04:53happens, then this front will be
6:04:55considered a resounding success and the
6:04:57army will focus on the other fronts
6:04:59where there is much more danger. Then we
6:05:01should smash the city and make the
6:05:03giants go away. I want to be warm again.
6:05:07Thor complained. Thor says he's all for
6:05:10driving the frost giants away if it
6:05:12means he gets to go to another front.
6:05:15Carl laughed. This might be the
6:05:17supposedly easiest front when judging
6:05:20purely by the rank of the opponents, but
6:05:22the pure numbers as well as the freezing
6:05:24cold certainly didn't make it the most
6:05:25popular. What Hawk found in the frost
6:05:28giant city was not at all what anyone
6:05:30had been expecting. The city itself was
6:05:33nearly demolished with a large breach in
6:05:35the wall that faced the ash wastes near
6:05:37the volcano.
6:05:39He was not the first one there. The
6:05:41elementals had beat him to it, and from
6:05:43the look of it, they had either taken
6:05:45the city or done enough damage to make
6:05:46the civilian population retreat. There
6:05:49was still a sizable military contingent
6:05:52nearby, so the elementals might not have
6:05:54won the battle, but the city was
6:05:55demolished anyhow. That began a search
6:05:58for the summoning spot. If he could find
6:06:01that, they could smash it and stop the
6:06:03reinforcements entirely.
6:06:06There was nobody on this team who wanted
6:06:07to leave more than Hawk did, and that
6:06:10included Remy, who couldn't survive the
6:06:12cold for long in her current state. The
6:06:14logical place for him to start was where
6:06:16the remaining giants were. If they were
6:06:19still being summoned, the stones had to
6:06:21be there. But there was no big stone, no
6:06:25giant standing in a circle to cast a
6:06:27ritual spell, just a bunch of weak frost
6:06:29giants standing in rows. Hey, these
6:06:32frost giants are strange. They're not
6:06:35identical to each other. Hawk informed
6:06:38Carl. Of course, they're not. There is a
6:06:42whole city full of them. How is the
6:06:44military situation there? Carl replied,
6:06:49"The city is empty, and most of the
6:06:51buildings are smashed and burned." "All
6:06:53that is left are a few awakened and
6:06:55ascended giants standing around outside,
6:06:57but they're the ones who aren't
6:06:59identical," Hawk explained.
6:07:02Do you see the path where the other
6:07:04frost giants left? They must have sent
6:07:06the ones who can't fight, the very young
6:07:09and the elderly, out of the city when
6:07:10things got bad, Carl asked.
6:07:14Yes, back further into their lands. Lots
6:07:18of them went that way, too many to tell
6:07:20by footprints.
6:07:21And they're gone over the horizon
6:07:23already, even from your altitude.
6:07:26Carl confirmed.
6:07:28Long gone. Not even traces left, except
6:07:31the stomping that broke all the little
6:07:33bushes and flattened the snow. That is
6:07:36excellent news. If we can find where
6:07:39they were summoning from, we might be
6:07:41able to gain another statue. Hawk
6:07:43snorted in annoyance.
6:07:46I am looking. It's not by the soldiers,
6:07:49and it's not in the fields near the
6:07:50city, but there aren't any more frost
6:07:52giants.
6:07:54Well, there is a chance they took it
6:07:56with them when they left. But we will
6:07:58head there tomorrow and clear the area
6:08:00if there is a small enough group left
6:08:02for us to fight. That sounds good. There
6:08:06can't be more than 300 left, but they're
6:08:08almost all awakened, and they don't even
6:08:10have the good weapons with them. Hawk
6:08:13agreed. Now, Carl just needed to sell
6:08:16the idea to the others, who would
6:08:18naturally be very wary of approaching a
6:08:19frost giant city. Even if it looked
6:08:22abandoned, they might not have taken
6:08:24their slave species, who would have been
6:08:26ordered to defend what was left. And
6:08:28whatever took the city would not be
6:08:29happy to see random humans either. So no
6:08:31matter what they ran into, it was likely
6:08:34to end badly for them. Carl didn't
6:08:37realize that everyone was watching him
6:08:38so intently until he turned to talk to
6:08:40them with the intent to sell them the
6:08:42plan to go check the frost giant city.
6:08:45Well, out with it. I can tell that it's
6:08:48a bad plan already, but we might need to
6:08:50do it. Bob insisted.
6:08:53The frost giants have abandoned their
6:08:55city after it was attacked and mostly
6:08:57raised to the ground. That is why the
6:09:00number of attackers dropped today. They
6:09:02were too busy fighting to send anyone to
6:09:04the front lines. However, there is still
6:09:07an awakened rank garrison of giants
6:09:08there, plus any slave species or
6:09:11possible attackers who might still be in
6:09:13the city. What I am thinking is that we
6:09:15need to find out if they managed to take
6:09:17the summoning materials with them or if
6:09:19they were destroyed in the attack. Carl
6:09:22began. Bob nodded. Because if they left
6:09:26with them, the attacks won't slow. They
6:09:28will just be reinforced from a new
6:09:30direction, and that doesn't help us at
6:09:32all. But if the materials were
6:09:34destroyed, the frost giant front lines
6:09:36could very well be in full collapse
6:09:38within the week. They've already lost
6:09:41most of their summoning ability with the
6:09:42spots near the front lines that were
6:09:44destroyed. And while they could
6:09:46theoretically make more, if it were just
6:09:48that easy, there would have never been
6:09:49peace with them. Exactly.
6:09:53Now, is there anyone who has a good
6:09:55reason why we shouldn't at least go
6:09:56check it out tomorrow? Carl asked. Tori
6:10:00rolled her eyes as she glared at him.
6:10:03Other than the fact that you're insane,
6:10:05that is a suicide mission. It's a city
6:10:07full of frost giant magic traps and
6:10:09possibly thousands of lesser ice
6:10:11monsters.
6:10:13Yeah, other than the obvious. Hawk says
6:10:16the city is mostly empty. And I really
6:10:18do want to know what they did with the
6:10:20summoning equipment. If it's destroyed,
6:10:23that's perfect, but Hawk can't tell from
6:10:26the air. There's just no sign of it,
6:10:29Carl explained. The mage looked around
6:10:32for support, but everyone else was
6:10:33either resigned to the fact that they
6:10:35were going to have to search for the
6:10:36summoning location or kill off the rest
6:10:38of the frost giants in the area and then
6:10:40wait to see where the next batch were
6:10:42coming from. All right, I suppose it's
6:10:46not actually more dangerous than
6:10:47fighting them in the fields as long as
6:10:49the city is actually empty. Hulk
6:10:52wouldn't lie to us about that, would he?
6:10:55Tori asked. No. If there was anything to
6:10:59kill there, he would have informed me.
6:11:02So, anything that is still in the city
6:11:04is in hiding, Carl replied. Tori looked
6:11:09suspicious, but Doug had a knowing
6:11:11smile. If he had found anything alive in
6:11:14the city, he would be hounding Carl to
6:11:16go kill it. Hawk hates all things water
6:11:19and ice element. he wouldn't hold out
6:11:21and miss a chance to attack them. He
6:11:24explained while straightening his robes
6:11:26to check them for stains. Carl began to
6:11:29draw out a new map in the dirt, relaying
6:11:32what Hawk was telling him about the
6:11:33situation and the lack of new frost
6:11:35giant reinforcements from the city, as
6:11:38well as the location of the forces that
6:11:39were still in the area. He would return
6:11:42before it got dark, and the glow of the
6:11:44elementals would give them away. But for
6:11:46now, he wasn't seeing any of them
6:11:48lingering in the area at all. Of course,
6:11:51there was a chance that the city had
6:11:53been destroyed by something else, like
6:11:54one of the other dragons that they had
6:11:56upset. But as it had happened while they
6:11:58weren't watching, they would have to get
6:12:00someone more skilled in forensics to
6:12:01make the determination.
6:12:03Hawk knew that the walls were breached
6:12:05and the houses burnt, but that was about
6:12:07the extent of his analysis ability when
6:12:09there were so few bodies visible during
6:12:11his high altitude scouting loop. This is
6:12:14the situation now. The remaining forces
6:12:17are here by the wall and there is a flat
6:12:19section of ice there which should be a
6:12:21lake. There are entrances to the city
6:12:24here and here both of which are open and
6:12:26the wall is breached here closest to the
6:12:28volcano and there is a smaller breach on
6:12:31the other side of the city. The bodies
6:12:33are most prevalent near the wall
6:12:35breached nearest to the volcano but
6:12:37there are some scattered all through the
6:12:38city. Hawk reports that there is a
6:12:41stomped down section of land headed over
6:12:43the horizon in this direction which we
6:12:45can assume is the refugees.
6:12:47Is there more that we need to know or
6:12:49can I call him back for the evening?
6:12:52Carl asked. Bob pointed to a spot behind
6:12:55the city. There is a valley there
6:12:58roughly round like a crater. Can you
6:13:01have Hawk check it out before he
6:13:02returns? It's not part of the normal
6:13:05search area, but there is a chance that
6:13:07the summoning might have been done there
6:13:08to keep it out of sight of the scouts.
6:13:11Hawk flew over the area a few minutes
6:13:13later and relayed his findings back to
6:13:15Carl. There might have been something
6:13:18here. There are signs that giants were
6:13:20in the valley recently, but there is
6:13:22nothing there now except fresh snow and
6:13:24fog. No sign of occupation, but you were
6:13:28right. They were there recently. Why? We
6:13:31can't tell as they didn't leave anything
6:13:33that Hawk can see from the sky, but they
6:13:35were there. Carl relayed. Well, that's
6:13:40one more spot to search. Central Command
6:13:43is going to owe us big time for this
6:13:45one. The next morning, they were moving
6:13:47with the first light before proper dawn
6:13:49so that they could get to the city
6:13:51before the frost giants could see them
6:13:53coming. Hawk had been sent out early to
6:13:56scout their route and had informed them
6:13:57to stay further from the ash as the heat
6:14:00was increasing and the areas closest to
6:14:02it were becoming muddy as the snow
6:14:04melted. That was bad news for the
6:14:06giants, but there weren't any of them
6:14:08out at the moment. The flow of
6:14:10reinforcements had entirely stalled, and
6:14:13the only enemies that Hawk could find
6:14:15were patrolling around the city's
6:14:16perimeter. There was no sign of activity
6:14:19in the city, and the signs of previous
6:14:21occupancy were fading as the wind blew
6:14:23the snow over the roads and paths. A few
6:14:26hours after dawn, Bob gestured into the
6:14:29distance. "Turn right a little, but stay
6:14:32out of the slush. The valley that I was
6:14:35referring to should be over there, and
6:14:37I'm curious to see if it's still
6:14:38frozen."
6:14:40Carl led the group forward with the less
6:14:42physical members all mounted, though
6:14:44that meant that the spider golems had to
6:14:46take passengers to bring their travel
6:14:47speed up to standards. Tai was a ranger,
6:14:50not a warrior. And while he was quick,
6:14:53he didn't have the sort of stamina for
6:14:54an all morning run the way that the
6:14:56warrior classes did, so he needed a
6:14:59ride. And Doug was more than happy to
6:15:01take a place on the other spider golem
6:15:03so that Thor wasn't overburdened.
6:15:06The lightning Sarah had hit a minor
6:15:08growth spurt after reaching commander
6:15:10rank and he could easily accommodate
6:15:11four on his back with a suitable
6:15:13harness, but it was better to just have
6:15:15Tessa, Dana, and Tori so their bodyguard
6:15:17didn't get too tired to fight. Carl
6:15:20slowed the group as they got close to
6:15:22the valley that Bob had mentioned and
6:15:24had Hawk circle the area. "That place
6:15:27isn't right. It's all melted now," Hawk
6:15:31reported. "What's there?" Just slush,
6:15:36Carl asked. A small lake. Carl led them
6:15:40cautiously forward in case there were
6:15:42still more magma elementals or other
6:15:44servants of the dragon around. The
6:15:47temperature was rising rapidly as they
6:15:49approached, and Lotus was getting
6:15:50excited. I know what this is. This
6:15:54phenomenon is common after a volcanic
6:15:56eruption. There was an underground
6:15:59fisher here, and now the frozen lake is
6:16:01a volcanic hot springs.
6:16:03the little nature cleric declared. Her
6:16:06hair had changed to an icy blue today,
6:16:09nearly matching her cloak, but looking
6:16:11more like thick ice. That seemed somehow
6:16:14appropriate to their situation as they
6:16:16came over the ridge and saw that the
6:16:18whole valley was covered in ash while
6:16:20the lake was gently steaming. That's too
6:16:23hot. The water is nearly boiling. I was
6:16:27hoping for a spot to swim, not to become
6:16:29soup. Lotus side. check everything.
6:16:34There might be magical items dropped by
6:16:36the giants, possibly fire element
6:16:38infused gems, and if we're really lucky,
6:16:41the remains of a summoning circle, Carl
6:16:44announced. Tessa laughed. Flag on the
6:16:48play. You can't just ask for the prize
6:16:51to be in the first spot you look. That's
6:16:53definitely a red flag. If there had been
6:16:56anything in the valley, it was long gone
6:16:58now. There were some signs that the
6:17:01frost giants put up a fight. Bits of
6:17:03obsidian stone that Doug assured them
6:17:05were the remains of a dead magma
6:17:06elemental and a few charred bones. But
6:17:09no loot and no sign of the summoning
6:17:11circle. See what did I tell you. Now
6:17:15let's take out a patrol and see if we
6:17:17can sneak into the city. I have a good
6:17:20feeling that there is something left to
6:17:21kill hiding in there. Tessa declared.
6:17:25Carl thought that should be counted as a
6:17:27flag as well, but it was most likely
6:17:29divine guidance. There was a small stand
6:17:32of trees between them and the city, so
6:17:34that was where Carl led the group to
6:17:36wait for a patrol to pass and then
6:17:37attack the next once they knew the
6:17:39timing. If they were patrolling inside
6:17:42of each other, it would be a huge fight
6:17:44to enter the city. But if they could
6:17:45find a way to sneak past, their search
6:17:48would go much more smoothly. The first
6:17:50group didn't reach the open area between
6:17:52them and the city for nearly 10 minutes,
6:17:55then went down the hill and out of
6:17:56sight. That valley is a blessing. If we
6:18:00attack there, we will be able to take
6:18:02out a scout patrol without them seeing
6:18:04us coming, and then we can make the city
6:18:06before the next one arrives." Bob noted.
6:18:10The team moved into position and when
6:18:12the next patrol came over the edge of
6:18:14the valley, Thor led the charge out of
6:18:16the trees, letting Carl and Oilia fall
6:18:18in on his flanks with the warriors
6:18:20outside of them. You'll enjoy this. Just
6:18:23watch them work. Tori joked to Bob and
6:18:26Harry as Thor ran, and she tried not to
6:18:28fall off.
6:18:30Carl fired two shots as they ran,
6:18:32causing the awakened rank frost giants
6:18:34to stagger under the effects of chain
6:18:37lightning and killing two of them with
6:18:38the arrows themselves.
6:18:40Then he switched to his hammer coated
6:18:43with flaming body. The first swing
6:18:46shattered bone and sent the ascended
6:18:47rank leader of the team flying like a
6:18:49rag doll while Thor charged through the
6:18:51lines and Tessa stabbed at everything
6:18:53she could reach.
6:18:55Oilia leapt into combat with an ax in
6:18:57each hand, hacking at the giants in a
6:19:00frenzy that would make Ray proud and
6:19:02caused nearly as much of a mess as the
6:19:03bloodbath spider usually did. In
6:19:06seconds, it was over and the rest of the
6:19:08group didn't even get a chance to engage
6:19:10in the fight before Remy pulled the
6:19:12corpses into her space and intensified
6:19:14the snow of blizzard to hide the battle.
6:19:18Tai whistled in appreciation from his
6:19:20spot on the back of a spider golem. No
6:19:23wonder everyone said that your team were
6:19:24monsters.
6:19:26Even without the advantage of numbers,
6:19:28your attack power is just stupid. What
6:19:31sort of skill one hit kills an ascended
6:19:33frost giant? The ranger asked. The mall
6:19:37lets me stack layers of the same skill
6:19:39on it before I attack. That first hit
6:19:42was five layers of flaming body at the
6:19:44same time. Even if he was a commander,
6:19:47taking that hit square to the chest
6:19:49would have killed him. Carl explained as
6:19:52the group ran for the wall of the city.
6:19:54The blast went outward, so whatever had
6:19:57attacked had already been inside the
6:19:58city. That was not a good sign for the
6:20:01residents who were sensitive to even
6:20:03normal heat. Their entry point was a
6:20:06small secondary breach where something
6:20:08had melted the stone and caused it to
6:20:10run in liquid form. The blast went
6:20:13outward, so whatever had attacked had
6:20:15already been inside the city. That was
6:20:17not a good sign for the residents who
6:20:19were sensitive to even normal heat. The
6:20:22tea made the wall without being detected
6:20:25and paused just inside the city to take
6:20:27in the level of destruction that had
6:20:28come for the residents. There were
6:20:31bodies everywhere and not just frost
6:20:33giants. There were yetis, some sort of
6:20:36sadder species, and even mountain ogres
6:20:39who lived in the hills before the border
6:20:40expanded.
6:20:42Each and every one of them showed signs
6:20:44of fire damage, and they were all long
6:20:46dead, likely two days, as they were
6:20:48frozen solid and covered by a layer of
6:20:51snow. The dragon wasn't holding back.
6:20:54Carl whispered as he looked over what
6:20:56used to be a residential area of the
6:20:58city and now didn't have a single
6:21:00standing building. Not even the little
6:21:02ones had been spared. Everything had
6:21:04been leveled as the invaders had passed
6:21:06through. From their entry point, they
6:21:09could see the main breach. So this was
6:21:11the start of the fighting, but that
6:21:13meant that the destruction didn't make
6:21:14much sense. If they had seen the attack
6:21:17coming, they would have at least
6:21:18evacuated the vulnerable to the other
6:21:20side of the city, so there wouldn't be
6:21:22many non-combatants near the walls.
6:21:25Tessa looked over the destruction and
6:21:27drew little lines in the air with her
6:21:28finger as she worked to recreate the
6:21:30battle in her mind. They attacked from
6:21:33the other wall first. A diversionary
6:21:36attack that breached the walls and made
6:21:38the frost giants retreat. Then they
6:21:41breached this wall, probably from the
6:21:43hot springs valley where they wouldn't
6:21:45have been seen. This side of town should
6:21:48be nearly completely destroyed, and the
6:21:50number of bodies might be more than
6:21:51everyone is prepared for, she explained.
6:21:55The group spread out a little and
6:21:57everyone dismounted as they moved
6:21:59through the ruins of the city, looking
6:22:01for signs of survivors, loot, or any
6:22:03indication that there might have been a
6:22:05summoning ritual in the region. That was
6:22:07their primary goal. And if they didn't
6:22:09find it, then they would have to warn
6:22:11the lines that they were likely to see
6:22:13an influx of frost giants from a new
6:22:15direction in the next few days. There is
6:22:17something strange under here. Bring your
6:22:20shovel, Ry insisted. A few minutes
6:22:23later, Rey found something. Let's check
6:22:27it out. Carl informed the others
6:22:30quietly. It just felt wrong to make
6:22:33noise here, like the city was a tomb and
6:22:35deserved a level of reverence, even if
6:22:37they were here to loot it. Dana took out
6:22:40the shovel from Carl's pack and passed
6:22:41it to him, so he could dig through the
6:22:43rubble to get to whatever Ry had found.
6:22:46With the barrier on it, the shovel cut
6:22:48through stone with a little effort, and
6:22:50it only took a few minutes to clear the
6:22:52rubble, while Ry got more excited by the
6:22:54second. There is a door, a stone door
6:22:58that leads downward, he informed the
6:23:01others when he realized what he was
6:23:02digging towards. "Yes, open it. There
6:23:06are treats inside. I'm certain of it."
6:23:09Carl was about to move the last of the
6:23:11rubble to open the door when Tessa
6:23:13stepped between him and Ray with her
6:23:15eyes glowing red. "No, Ry, you can't eat
6:23:19them." She insisted in a booming voice
6:23:22laden with holy magic. The spider glared
6:23:25at the cleric, who was obviously under
6:23:27the influence of the war goddess,
6:23:29unwilling to relent so easily when she
6:23:31had been the one to detect the hidden
6:23:33treasures. But after a few seconds, she
6:23:36backed away and turned her back on the
6:23:38tunnel, letting Tessa have this victory.
6:23:41"Fine, I didn't really need them for the
6:23:43art anyhow. I will just use the frozen
6:23:46ones," she pouted. Carl cleared the door
6:23:50and led the way down a set of hidden
6:23:52stairs with Tessa right behind him. What
6:23:55he found was a small room with a few
6:23:57dozen liquor barrels and a dozen sadder
6:23:59children huddled together in terror and
6:24:01looking malnourished far beyond what two
6:24:03days in a hiding hole would justify.
6:24:06Tessa held out a hand to them. Relax,
6:24:09little ones. We're not going to let them
6:24:12eat you. Do you have a guardian with
6:24:14you? The closest of the sadders, a young
6:24:17boy in filthy blue shorts, shook his
6:24:20white furred head. All right, let's get
6:24:23you out of here. The war cleric
6:24:25insisted.
6:24:27Carl had forgotten for a moment that the
6:24:29red dragon had a soft spot for war
6:24:31orphans, and the sats were considered to
6:24:33be beastkin, not an enemy to humanity,
6:24:35even if they weren't harmless young
6:24:37slaves like these ones appeared to be.
6:24:40Carl stepped to the side as the cleric
6:24:42led the group up the stairs, and then
6:24:43did a final check to make sure they
6:24:45didn't miss anyone who was too terrified
6:24:47to move. The place was empty and then
6:24:50completely empty as Remy looted the
6:24:52barrels. She didn't care what was in
6:24:55them. They would go well with her
6:24:56current decoration of her shrine. Like a
6:24:59nice wooden plinth collection for her
6:25:01statues. The group was giving Tessa
6:25:04looks that ranged from confused to
6:25:06annoyed. While Rey resisted the urge to
6:25:08drool as she looked at the sats. If they
6:25:11had been in better shape, she might not
6:25:13have been able to resist. But these ones
6:25:15didn't look juicy at all. And what the
6:25:17hell are we supposed to do with these?
6:25:20Tori demanded when she saw the horde of
6:25:22small children. A full-grown sadder was
6:25:25under a meter and a half tall, barely
6:25:27chest height on Carl. These were all
6:25:30less than waist high, malnourished, and
6:25:32terrified.
6:25:34They are valuable witnesses.
6:25:36When they're not so terrified, they can
6:25:38tell us what happened, and then we can
6:25:40lead them back to the lines so they can
6:25:42be turned over to the church for
6:25:44relocation somewhere safer. she
6:25:46explained.
6:25:48Those aren't the only ones. If the
6:25:51cleric knight is going to collect them,
6:25:52we might as well get them all. Like an
6:25:55army of little furry blood bags, Ry
6:25:58suggested.
6:26:00How did you find them anyhow? Carl
6:26:03asked.
6:26:04Scent mostly. But the edges of the door
6:26:07were a bit warmer than anything else.
6:26:10Everyone, Rey says there are more
6:26:12hiding. If we're going to collect
6:26:15refugees, we might as well get a whole
6:26:17bunch of them. Carl informed the group
6:26:19with a sigh. The warriors frowned in
6:26:22resignation.
6:26:24That meant they would also be nominated
6:26:26to dig through the rubble to rescue
6:26:27them. They had the superhuman strength,
6:26:30and with the war god pressuring Tessa to
6:26:32fulfill her duty as a cleric, they
6:26:34wouldn't be able to leave them behind
6:26:36without at least trying to look for
6:26:37survivors.
6:26:39Ry pointed out more spots and the group
6:26:41began to dig, finding more sats and a
6:26:44few other species of beast kin. And then
6:26:47finally, a small group of terrified
6:26:48human children dressed the same as the
6:26:50sats and suffering from frostbite.
6:26:54Thor, can you surround them in a barrier
6:26:55to keep the cold off them? I would ask
6:26:58Hawk, but he can't spread his fire skill
6:27:01to large groups. It doesn't work like
6:27:03that. Carl asked. The refreshing
6:27:06lightning didn't actually warm you, but
6:27:08it did heal and refresh stamina. So,
6:27:11while the cold was still painful, at
6:27:12least the frostbite was healing. Bob
6:27:15stepped up beside Tessa. Greetings
6:27:18everyone. We are elites from the Golden
6:27:21Dragon Nation. Here is a scout team
6:27:23investigating the situation.
6:27:26Now that the city is destroyed, we will
6:27:28take you all back with us to be placed
6:27:30in the care of the red dragon clerics or
6:27:32the church's healers who will find a
6:27:34suitable permanent home for everyone or
6:27:36settle the children in orphanages among
6:27:38others of their species. You might not
6:27:40know if you were born here, but the
6:27:42servants of the red dragon are active in
6:27:44both the human and beastkin nations." He
6:27:47gestured to Tessa with the last bit, and
6:27:50she smiled as she gave them a slight
6:27:51bow. There were some confused looks as
6:27:54not all of them had a solid grasp of the
6:27:56human common language, but the message
6:27:58was quickly relayed to everyone, and
6:28:00hesitant smiles came to the mass of
6:28:02filthy faces.
6:28:04Carl cleared his throat. "Now we just
6:28:07need to finish searching the city, and
6:28:09we will be ready to leave once we have
6:28:11as many survivors as we can find." That
6:28:14brought a bit of enthusiasm to the
6:28:15group. They knew the spots where the
6:28:18others would have tried to hide, and
6:28:20they were willing to go down and help
6:28:21encourage the groups to come up and join
6:28:23the growing tide of refugees.
6:28:26There were very few working age adults
6:28:28here, and the ones who were older were
6:28:29all women. From what Carl could tell,
6:28:32those left behind were the children and
6:28:34pregnant women, who would have slowed
6:28:36the pace of the fleeing frost giants.
6:28:39Carl had expected to see the elderly as
6:28:41well. But after a moment, he realized
6:28:43that there was no such thing as elderly
6:28:45for these people. When they could no
6:28:48longer work due to age or infirmity, the
6:28:50giants simply ate them. When they made
6:28:53the far side of the city, they had
6:28:55nearly 100 people in their care, and Bob
6:28:57was looking concerned about the chances
6:28:59of making it back to the front lines
6:29:00with the poor condition that so many of
6:29:02them were in. Thor, do you see a large
6:29:05wagon anywhere? The bigger the better.
6:29:09We will load everyone in it and you can
6:29:11pull it back to the lines. Carl asked
6:29:14out loud so everyone would know what he
6:29:16was thinking. Lotus pointed behind them
6:29:19and toward one of the open gates. There
6:29:22are a bunch of supply caravan carts over
6:29:24there. They should hold plenty of
6:29:26people. It might not be comfortable, but
6:29:29the goal is just to get everyone back to
6:29:31safety. Are you ready to be a cartero
6:29:34for the day? Carl asked. Like with the
6:29:38bus, but we can string a bunch of them
6:29:40together and then I can be a whole
6:29:42train. Thor suggested.
6:29:45The image in his mind was hilarious.
6:29:48He saw himself as a locomotive pulling
6:29:50the train of wagons through the fields
6:29:52with his looted beast. Kin sats didn't
6:29:55attack the lightning saroh in nature as
6:29:57they were both herbivores. So Thor
6:29:59didn't see them as a threat. There were
6:30:02some arguments over the good food when
6:30:04they met, but not enough to consider
6:30:05them an enemy. There were some arguments
6:30:08over the good food when they met, but
6:30:10not enough to consider them an enemy.
6:30:13With that in mind, Thor donated some of
6:30:15the mount feed plants that he had gotten
6:30:17from Doug the first time they were
6:30:19together. They were growing in his space
6:30:21now, and he could spare enough to give
6:30:23all the planteaters a meal. I will pass
6:30:26it out once we get to the wagons. that
6:30:29will keep everyone occupied as we travel
6:30:31so they don't panic when the patrols
6:30:33attack us overhead. Hawk laughed at
6:30:36their plan. It was like a huge face slap
6:30:40to the giants.
6:30:41First, the dragon's friends smashed
6:30:43their city. Now, the humans showed up
6:30:46and they were going to loot the place
6:30:47dry, leaving with a wagon caravan full
6:30:49of pilferred people and supplies.
6:30:52It was kinder than the frost giants
6:30:54deserved for being ice element
6:30:55creatures, and he was looking forward to
6:30:57roasting any of them who tried to stop
6:30:59the caravan from leaving. There were a
6:31:02halfozen wagons there, and everyone
6:31:04understood the plan without too much
6:31:06confusion. The carts were moved to link
6:31:08up in a chain with a harness made by Ray
6:31:11for Thor to pull the whole convoy. They
6:31:14were strong, made to pull huge loads of
6:31:16gear and food for the frost giants, not
6:31:18just to carry a load of small sadders
6:31:20and starving humans. Thor looked at the
6:31:23six wagons with pleasure. That was more
6:31:26than enough to make a proper train
6:31:27behind him, and the general would
6:31:29definitely be impressed with him when he
6:31:31made it to the camp. Carl caught that
6:31:34thought and realized that it was genius.
6:31:37Instead of going to the active lines,
6:31:39they could go through the smooth ash at
6:31:41the edge of the magma dragon's
6:31:42territory. The frost giants wouldn't
6:31:45follow them, and it was the fastest way
6:31:47out of the combat zone, though there was
6:31:49a long walk to the front lines, which
6:31:51had retreated away from the destruction,
6:31:52and they would have to rest or walk all
6:31:54night to make it there. Everyone into
6:31:57the carts. I will run along with Rey,
6:32:00but everyone else can rest while they
6:32:02protect the convoy. Once we exit the
6:32:05city, the patrols will see us, but stay
6:32:07with the caravan and let me and the
6:32:09beasts take care of them. We will catch
6:32:12up with you soon enough, Carl explained.
6:32:16Wait, we didn't find the summoning
6:32:18stone. Dana realized.
6:32:21One of the sadder boys looked at her in
6:32:23terror, shaking his head. He whispered
6:32:26too low for her to hear, but Lotus
6:32:28relayed it for her. He says that the
6:32:30stone is gone. The burning thing smashed
6:32:33it into a million pieces, then melted
6:32:36the pieces. Well, that was one way to
6:32:39guarantee that it wasn't used again.
6:32:41With everyone loaded, Carl sent Thor out
6:32:44of the open gate and into the open. The
6:32:47convoy was unmistakable, and a round of
6:32:49shouts went out as the patrol realized
6:32:51that the hidden survivors were escaping
6:32:53with a lightning serow. Thor took the
6:32:55convoy up to a gentle trot, which was as
6:32:58fast as he was comfortable going without
6:33:00tipping the wagons or throwing anyone
6:33:01out of them when they hit a bump. "Ray,
6:33:04it's your time to shine. We made you
6:33:07behave all day, but you can make a mess
6:33:09now if you'd like." Carl suggested.
6:33:13Hawk laughed at them as Ry and her
6:33:15golems sped toward the scouts. Then the
6:33:17ice-hating bird began to bombard the
6:33:19hapless frost giants with fireballs,
6:33:21intent on killing all of them before Rey
6:33:23could get to them. But Rey was fast, and
6:33:26so were her spider golems. The frost
6:33:30giants hurled themselves to the side to
6:33:31avoid the bombardment, but that left
6:33:33them on the ground when the spiders
6:33:35arrived and tore them apart before
6:33:37moving on to everything else that they
6:33:38could see. "Thank you for bringing them
6:33:41down to my level. That was much easier
6:33:43than jumping up on them." Ry taunted
6:33:46Hawk as the bird moved to attack the
6:33:48next group before Ry got to them. The
6:33:50refugees in the wagons didn't see a
6:33:52friendly sibling rivalry. What they saw
6:33:55was an elite with a flaming bow in his
6:33:57hands and a group of monsters tearing
6:33:59apart the frost giant patrols that had
6:34:01kept them captive for most of their
6:34:03lives. They didn't know what they had
6:34:05done to deserve this rescue, but they
6:34:07were definitely thanking the dragon gods
6:34:09for the assistance.
6:34:11Thor, where are you going? Tessa asked
6:34:14from her spot on the Sarah's shoulders.
6:34:17He had turned for the ash wastess
6:34:18between the volcano and the dwarven
6:34:20village, which would take them through
6:34:22the ash wastess where the dragon's
6:34:24minions were in charge. It was the best
6:34:27flat route that he had found, and it was
6:34:29faster to not have to pull the wagons
6:34:30uphill. So, that was the route he chose.
6:34:34A little extra time in the ash was no
6:34:36big deal in Thor's mind, so he just
6:34:38snorted happily and gestured with his
6:34:39head toward the valley that was their
6:34:41target. All right, big guy. I trust you
6:34:44to pick the best route for us. She
6:34:47agreed, stroking his horns in
6:34:49encouragement as he continued to trot
6:34:51along with his precious cargo. The frost
6:34:54giants hadn't even tried to chase after
6:34:56them. They were too concerned with the
6:34:58full-scale assault that Carl and the
6:35:00spiders were launching on their patrols.
6:35:03There were none of them above ascended
6:35:04left, and that was barely one in 20
6:35:06among the mostly awakened ranked
6:35:08trainees who were assigned to prevent
6:35:10exactly this sort of incident.
6:35:12But none of them had expected the human
6:35:14elites to be so brazen as to assault
6:35:16their city, even if they somehow learned
6:35:18that it had been raised by the dragons
6:35:20minions. In the distance, Thor heard a
6:35:23frost giant war horn blow the tone for
6:35:25retreat, and knew that they wouldn't
6:35:27have any more pursuers for a while, but
6:35:29he didn't slow down and kept to the pace
6:35:32that his barrier could refresh his
6:35:33stamina at, so he could travel all
6:35:35night. Carl and Ray would catch up soon
6:35:38enough as they were much faster than his
6:35:40wagon train. They just had to finish
6:35:43playing with the fleeing frost giants
6:35:45and then they would be satisfied.
6:35:47Hawk, go scout for Thor and keep the
6:35:50path clear. I don't want any delays on
6:35:53their retreat. Carl instructed as he
6:35:56watched the last of the frost giants
6:35:57following the same retreat path as the
6:35:59others into the distance.
6:36:01That was valuable information as it told
6:36:04him that it wasn't a random retreat in
6:36:05the only safe direction, but a
6:36:07deliberate choice where they were going.
6:36:10He didn't have a map of their territory,
6:36:12but that should be toward the center of
6:36:13the nation and presumably toward a
6:36:15larger safe zone. That should also be
6:36:18where their royal rank elders were
6:36:20waiting for the battle's outcome. They
6:36:22weren't something that Carl would look
6:36:24to go challenge without a good reason.
6:36:26So, he just asked Ray to let them run
6:36:28and to scout the area between them and
6:36:29Thor for anything that might delay the
6:36:31convoy. That was fun. We should do that
6:36:35more often. Did you see their faces when
6:36:38they realized that we stole from them?
6:36:40It was even better than Hawk when he
6:36:42realizes that someone is stealing his
6:36:44food. Ry commented as she searched for
6:36:47signs of life. Stupid yetis losing my
6:36:51pigs. Hawk complained, still not over
6:36:54the betrayal by the supply caravan, who
6:36:56had been attacked in advance. They
6:36:59caught up to the convoy within 30
6:37:01minutes and paced alongside it at a
6:37:03distance with the golems on one side, Ry
6:37:06and Carl on the other, and Hawk leading.
6:37:09That put Thor's train in a bubble of
6:37:11protection, but they didn't see anything
6:37:13all afternoon, and Thor had just passed
6:37:15back piles of feed to be spread among
6:37:17the wagons for dinner when they reached
6:37:18the edge of the ash.
6:37:20Thor, pause here for a moment. We will
6:37:24all eat and rest a moment. Then we will
6:37:26head through the ash tonight. If we
6:37:28press all night, we can make the lines
6:37:30in the morning. It won't be fun, but it
6:37:33will be the safest way. The magma
6:37:36elementals glow in the dark, so we will
6:37:38be more easily able to see them coming.
6:37:41We might not see any this far away from
6:37:43the volcano, but following Larkin's law,
6:37:46anything that can go wrong will go
6:37:47wrong. Lotus giggled. The legend of
6:37:51Larkin the Unlucky was a common
6:37:53children's story. According to the
6:37:55legend, he had been an aspiring
6:37:57adventurer who had been brazen enough to
6:37:59try to see a nature goddess in the bath.
6:38:02He had been caught, of course, and from
6:38:04there his misadventures only got worse,
6:38:07with every plan that he attempted to
6:38:08form failing in ever more spectacular
6:38:10fashion until the world dragon took pity
6:38:13on him and calmed the eye of everyone
6:38:14the unlucky man had upset along the way.
6:38:18Then, true to his name as Larkin the
6:38:20Unlucky, he had been caught peeping into
6:38:22the baths again. Once everyone had food
6:38:25in them, the atmosphere among the wagons
6:38:27drastically improved. But when they
6:38:30learned that Thor intended to push
6:38:31through the night, with Ry to lead him
6:38:33past any pitfalls they might find in the
6:38:35ash, the atmosphere was nearly ecstatic.
6:38:39They were already out of the freezing
6:38:40cold that marked the frost giants
6:38:42territory and by morning they intended
6:38:44to be at the human battle lines where
6:38:46the world dragon church would gather
6:38:48them and take them somewhere safe. That
6:38:51notion was a bit dubious among the beast
6:38:53kin who were less likely to trust the
6:38:55humans at all. But the dragon gods were
6:38:57worshiped all over the world and that
6:38:59was enough for the refugees to trust
6:39:01Tessa's word that the red dragon clerics
6:39:03would take them in and care for them.
6:39:05Are we really going to travel all night
6:39:08even though we're out of the frozen
6:39:09lands? One of the human refugees asked
6:39:12softly with a heavy accent.
6:39:15Yes. This area belongs to a magma dragon
6:39:18and we're not certain how his servants
6:39:20will respond to our presence. So, we are
6:39:22going to pass through at night and not
6:39:24linger. The sooner we can get you to the
6:39:26safety of the Golden Dragon Nation's
6:39:28border, the better, Tessa explained. The
6:39:32girl smiled. I have heard so much about
6:39:36it and now I have actually met someone
6:39:38from there. I must say I didn't know
6:39:41that humans could be so strong. Tessa
6:39:44laughed. It is a blessing from the world
6:39:47dragon. You're still young. So perhaps
6:39:50you will get a chance to try one day as
6:39:52well. We all see if we are compatible
6:39:55when we are 14 years old. That was great
6:39:58news for the humans. None of them were
6:40:0114 yet. In fact, most of them were not
6:40:0410 yet. Anyone who was grown enough to
6:40:07keep up with the forced march had been
6:40:09taken away by the frost giants when they
6:40:11fled. Well, that or they were dead in
6:40:14the streets because they couldn't get to
6:40:15safety fast enough when the attack
6:40:17started. What about us? Do we get a
6:40:21chance at the blessing? One of the
6:40:23sadder children asked? Tessa shrugged. I
6:40:27honestly don't know. Our country is
6:40:30almost all humans and I haven't met
6:40:32anyone else who was compatible with the
6:40:34blessing. But I also can't say if you
6:40:36will remain in the golden dragon nation
6:40:38or if they will arrange to have you join
6:40:40a red dragon orphanage in the beastkin
6:40:42territories.
6:40:44That made sense to them. While being
6:40:47anywhere safe was a thousand times
6:40:48better than their lives yesterday. There
6:40:50was a certain appeal to living among
6:40:52other beast kin. like they wouldn't be a
6:40:55minority group, they wouldn't be treated
6:40:57as lesser, and they might actually get
6:40:59to live the sort of idyllic life that
6:41:01slaves told stories about. Thor began
6:41:04pulling them forward, and Ry returned to
6:41:06her space to sleep while the spider
6:41:08golems were instructed to follow Carl's
6:41:10orders. That should be good enough. And
6:41:13then when Hawk turned in for the night,
6:41:15she would come out again to lead Thor.
6:41:18Not that Hawk couldn't do it. From the
6:41:20sky, he would be able to see much more,
6:41:23but there was no reason for them all to
6:41:24suffer a sleepless night if they didn't
6:41:26have to. "Oh, this is better already."
6:41:30The ash here is soft and warm on the
6:41:32feet. "I like this place," Thor
6:41:36announced as they began to move through
6:41:37the destroyed aftermath of the volcanic
6:41:39eruption. "Just be careful if you see
6:41:42solid stone. Many of the volcanic stones
6:41:45can be slippery," Carl warned him. Of
6:41:49course, most of them were heavily
6:41:51textured and provided firm grip for the
6:41:53feet, but it was better to be safe and
6:41:55not take any chances with wagons full of
6:41:57people. A slippery side slope could
6:42:00spell disaster for their little
6:42:01adventure. As they trudged off into the
6:42:04night, Hawk kept a careful eye out for
6:42:06anything that might pose a threat to
6:42:08their group. But what he found was much
6:42:11more exciting to the bird than any
6:42:12elemental.
6:42:14There are squirrels and mice and small
6:42:16monsters in the forest again. he
6:42:18declared a few hours into the ash
6:42:21already. I thought that they would still
6:42:24be far away from here. Carl replied,
6:42:28"Me, too, but I can see them. I think
6:42:31it's a good sign. If the elementals
6:42:34hated all monsters, they would chase off
6:42:36the little ones first, right?" Hawk
6:42:39replied.
6:42:40Carl wasn't certain how sound that logic
6:42:43was. It was easier to scare the little
6:42:46monsters away, but they weren't really a
6:42:48priority, as they weren't a danger to
6:42:50anyone or anything. Not long after that,
6:42:53Rey woke up from her nap and came out to
6:42:56lead the caravan down the path that Hawk
6:42:58had scouted for them. "Are you certain
6:43:00that you're not going to sleep yet,
6:43:02Hawk?" Carl asked. "I will stay up until
6:43:06we reach the edge of the dangerous area.
6:43:09Once we're out of that, I will sleep and
6:43:11you can deal with the human soldiers.
6:43:13he replied easily.
6:43:16Well, if he wasn't tired, Carl would let
6:43:18him keep scouting. Between him and Rey,
6:43:21they shouldn't miss much, if anything.
6:43:24Thor pressed on well past midnight
6:43:26before they came across their first real
6:43:28obstacle. The remains of a magma flow
6:43:31that were much thinner than they looked,
6:43:33according to Ray's eyes. Her thermal
6:43:35vision showed the intense heat below the
6:43:37surface, and if they had only been
6:43:39looking at the top layer, they might
6:43:41have gone right over it without
6:43:42noticing, and possibly collapsed it. "Is
6:43:45there a better spot nearby?" Carl asked
6:43:48as the bloodbath spider raced down the
6:43:50magma flow, searching for a crossing
6:43:52point. He was headed in the opposite
6:43:55direction, doing the same thing, but he
6:43:57was headed toward the core of the
6:43:59territory, and the flow was only getting
6:44:01more intense.
6:44:02Yes, Thor. Turn right and come to the
6:44:06base of the hill. The flow spread out
6:44:08and there is a nice thick crust on it
6:44:10here. That should be more than enough
6:44:13for the wagons, she instructed.
6:44:16Thor adjusted course, and Carl made his
6:44:19way back to the wagons. I think we might
6:44:22need you here, Ry muttered as Carl was
6:44:25nearly to the convoy. Don't tell me it
6:44:28fell through and burned up the wagons.
6:44:30Carl side. Nope. We made it past that.
6:44:35Now we're just a bit stuck. The ground
6:44:38on the other side to get back to the
6:44:40main path Hawk scouted is really rough
6:44:42with waves of stone and the wheels are
6:44:44getting stuck in the ruts. That was
6:44:47easily enough solved, Carl thought as he
6:44:49approached the wandering line of wagons.
6:44:52Gentlemen and Lady Oilia, can I get you
6:44:55down here for a moment? We need some
6:44:58strong arms to take the weight off the
6:44:59wagon wheels while they get over the
6:45:01waves in the stone. Thor is losing
6:45:04traction, Carl explained. It was a
6:45:07moonless night and they hadn't lit any
6:45:09lights to avoid attracting attention.
6:45:12So, to the eyes of everyone else, they
6:45:14were still making progress and they
6:45:16hadn't realized there was an issue. No
6:45:19problem. We will each lift one from
6:45:21underneath just enough to get them to
6:45:23move over the ridges. How far do we need
6:45:26to do it? Bob asked.
6:45:29Not far. 20 m should put us back on
6:45:33smooth ash again. It was a slow and
6:45:36careful process to ensure that they
6:45:37didn't break a wheel with a side load.
6:45:39And Tessa set a light spell over them so
6:45:42they could all see what they were doing
6:45:43as they worked. Then, when they were on
6:45:46the old road, which was now a smooth
6:45:48spot in the ash, everyone got back on
6:45:50board while Carl moved ahead with Ray to
6:45:52check the area for dangers again.
6:45:55The progress wasn't as great as they had
6:45:57hoped, and it only got worse as they
6:45:58left the ash in the small hours of the
6:46:00morning. The ash ended before the snow
6:46:03had, and the result was that the
6:46:05tropical weather on the other side had
6:46:07turned the entire area into a mud bog,
6:46:09which Carl repeatedly had to wake the
6:46:11others to help pull them through, as
6:46:13Thor couldn't get enough traction on the
6:46:14slippery hills. But they did eventually
6:46:17make it out of the worst of the mud and
6:46:19onto a hard-packed section of road where
6:46:21they took a break to let Thor snack and
6:46:23rest while the sun came up. The radio
6:46:26transmissions were clear now, and the
6:46:28army lines were within Hawk's visual
6:46:30range, so they would only be four or
6:46:32five more hours before they arrived at
6:46:34their destination.
6:46:36Carl took a 15-minute nap as they were
6:46:38preparing a proper hot meal for
6:46:39everyone's breakfast and woke up to the
6:46:42smell of roasting meat and pancakes.
6:46:44Good timing.
6:46:46We're just getting ready to serve
6:46:47everyone. Thor passed out food for the
6:46:50sats who need ruffage or they get
6:46:53stomach aches. They can and will still
6:46:55eat with us, but not large quantities,
6:46:59Lotus explained.
6:47:01Carl nodded blurily before Doug passed
6:47:03him a strong cup of coffee to bring his
6:47:05brain back online.
6:47:07That was just the thing that he needed
6:47:09after an allnighter. Most of the team
6:47:11had slept, though he had to wake some of
6:47:13them up to help with the rough patches.
6:47:16Get a bit of sleep. Thor can lead us in,
6:47:19and we will guard the caravan now that
6:47:21the sun is up. At least that way you
6:47:24will have a few hours sleep while we
6:47:26finish the trip. The ground is getting
6:47:28more solid by the kilometer, and the
6:47:30army knows that we are coming. They
6:47:33arranged to have red dragon clerics
6:47:34airlifted to this location while you
6:47:36were napping and they will be there to
6:47:38take over the refugees when we arrive.
6:47:41Doug explained as Carl sipped at the
6:47:43glorious black nectar of life and
6:47:45cleared his thoughts. The sats happily
6:47:47made a spot for Carl in one of the
6:47:49wagons and Carl leaned back against the
6:47:51side in the corner so he would be able
6:47:53to see out if anything required him to
6:47:55wake up. He ate breakfast there before
6:47:58passing out and what seemed like seconds
6:48:00later, a light tap at his shoulder
6:48:02brought him awake. "Sir, we are 10
6:48:05minutes from the army camp." The warrior
6:48:08man just met with a scout and they're
6:48:10escorting us in. One of the boys
6:48:12whispered. "Thank you. I will join the
6:48:16others at the front." Carl replied
6:48:19quietly, then gently shifted so he
6:48:21wouldn't rock the wagon too badly when
6:48:23he vaulted out. Carl checked his spaces
6:48:26and found that both Ray and Hawk were
6:48:28asleep already. There were no more
6:48:30threats that needed their attention, so
6:48:32they caught up on sleep while they
6:48:34could. Inside the army camp might have
6:48:37its own dangers, but those were human
6:48:39dangers, and the humans could deal with
6:48:41them on their own. They didn't have to
6:48:43go all the way to the camp, as fate
6:48:46would have it. A large group of redroed
6:48:48clerics ran out to greet them, drawn by
6:48:51the presence of Tessa on the back of
6:48:52Thor. Priestess, where did you find such
6:48:55a magnificent steed? Asked a sharp-eyed
6:48:59high priestess who had dragon horns
6:49:00above her ears and a ridge of spikes
6:49:03down the center of her head along with
6:49:05slotted golden dragon eyes. That was a
6:49:08sure sign of either dragon blood, a lot
6:49:10of favor from her goddess, or more
6:49:12likely both. The appearance set the
6:49:15beast kin at ease.
6:49:17If they had sent someone who was
6:49:18obviously not human to meet them, then
6:49:20these people might not be too bad. He's
6:49:23a bonded companion to Commander Carl on
6:49:26my left," she explained.
6:49:29The High Priestess looked at Carl in
6:49:31shock, making him wonder if he had
6:49:33something on his face. He hadn't shaved
6:49:36in a while, and he had been sleeping in
6:49:37the wagon as they drove through the ash,
6:49:39so he likely looked like one of the
6:49:41miners coming to the surface after a
6:49:43shift right now. Fortunately, he had
6:49:46unequipped his white cloak when they
6:49:47entered the ash, as it was too warm for
6:49:50the environment, so he could at least
6:49:51put on a clean layer. Then he realized
6:49:54that he didn't have to. He could swap
6:49:57into the commander rank student suit
6:49:59when they reached camp if he had to go
6:50:00indoors somewhere. The refugees were
6:50:03quickly sorted by age, and Ry erected a
6:50:06wall of spider silk to make a changing
6:50:07room for them, while the clerics hung
6:50:09bag showers so they could get clean
6:50:11before changing into the traditional
6:50:12visitors that the church passed out to
6:50:15everyone. Have they eaten? One of the
6:50:18priests asked quietly. Tessa nodded. We
6:50:22stopped a few hours ago for breakfast. I
6:50:26don't think that they'll be able to eat
6:50:27much again so soon afterwards, but by
6:50:30afternoon they will certainly be hungry
6:50:31and exhausted.
6:50:33Carl could hear the laughing as the
6:50:35refugees got washed and changed. Not
6:50:37entirely in that order, as some of them
6:50:39didn't quite get the idea of showering.
6:50:42It wasn't something that you could do in
6:50:44the frost giant lands. Just getting
6:50:46enough liquid water to drink was a
6:50:48chore, so there was none for washing,
6:50:50and they would usually just use handfuls
6:50:52of snow. After a few minutes, they were
6:50:55back out in matching white hassets with
6:50:58clean faces and wet hair or fur in the
6:51:00sats cases. The high priestess raised
6:51:04her voice a little, catching the kids'
6:51:06attention. There we are. Everyone is
6:51:09looking much more refreshed.
6:51:12Now we have set up tents for the day and
6:51:14then the church will be sending buses
6:51:16for us all tomorrow to bring us home.
6:51:19For those who didn't meet me earlier, I
6:51:21am Matron Millie, head of the Achesen
6:51:23orphanage, not far from here inside the
6:51:25Golden Dragon Nation, but near the
6:51:27Beastkin Nation border. A messenger has
6:51:30been sent to see if the orphanages there
6:51:32have enough space for those who want to
6:51:33transfer, but you are all more than
6:51:35welcome to stay with us. If you would
6:51:38like to say goodbye to the kind elites
6:51:40who brought you back, you may do that
6:51:41now before we begin your processing.
6:51:44There were many tearful goodbyes from
6:51:46children who had only known the elites
6:51:48for less than one full day and didn't
6:51:50even know everyone's name. But nobody
6:51:53would hurry them. They had been through
6:51:56enough and the church wanted them to
6:51:57feel safe in their transition. The
6:52:00affectionate goodbye meant that now they
6:52:02were all dirty again, but the
6:52:04priestesses didn't mind much. Even Thor
6:52:07didn't miss out on the affection and
6:52:08might have actually been the most
6:52:10popular as he had pulled their convoy
6:52:12all the way here. That was what the
6:52:14lightning so had been waiting for. And
6:52:16once the kids were led away, he vanished
6:52:19back into Carl's space, leaving the
6:52:21convoy of empty wagons alongside the
6:52:23road. Elites, please come with us. The
6:52:27generals would like to speak with you
6:52:29about what happened inside the frost
6:52:30giant territory. An officer with a
6:52:33lieutenant's gold bar insignia informed
6:52:35them. Carl pointed to the shower bags.
6:52:39Give us a few minutes to get refreshed,
6:52:41and we will be with you.
6:52:43Like the kids, we crossed the ash last
6:52:46night and were not quite fit to be
6:52:48meeting with the high brass. The man
6:52:50looked like he was going to argue that
6:52:52he had orders to bring them immediately,
6:52:54but something about the look on their
6:52:55faces told him that discretion was the
6:52:57better part of valor, and he simply
6:52:59nodded. Rey had made two rooms for the
6:53:02kids to shower in, which were now split
6:53:04into men's and women's showers. It was a
6:53:07short shower as the bags weren't large,
6:53:10but the amount of ash and filth that was
6:53:12washed off was incredible. Once he was
6:53:14certain that there weren't tracks of ash
6:53:16mud down his face anymore, and the crud
6:53:18was gone from his hair and beard, Carl
6:53:20switched into his suit and Doug switched
6:53:22to a formal set of high priest robes,
6:53:24while the others simply equipped their
6:53:26armor again, leaving it fresh and clean,
6:53:29though still combat damaged. Change back
6:53:32to your armor. They don't know how to
6:53:34deal with combat elites. They will push
6:53:37harder if they see you as a suit sort of
6:53:39person. Bob whispered as he put his own
6:53:42armor back on. Carl chuckled as he
6:53:45changed back to the armor and carefully
6:53:47rinsed off his pack so he didn't get ash
6:53:49all over himself again. All right. How
6:53:53annoying do you think this is going to
6:53:54be on a scale of 1 to 10? Carl asked
6:53:58Doug, who had the most experience with
6:54:00authority figures. I will put it at a
6:54:02solid eight. They will want a lot of
6:54:05information as we've been behind the
6:54:07lines so long. But they won't push too
6:54:10hard because honestly you two look a bit
6:54:12scary right now. Doug laughed then
6:54:15created a herbal cigarette which he put
6:54:17to his lips then motioned for Carl to
6:54:19light. Carl [snorts] laughed and used
6:54:22flaming body to get it lit before
6:54:25leading them out to wait for the ladies
6:54:27who had longer hair to deal with. Carl
6:54:30had to wash his hair three times before
6:54:32the ash stopped running out. So, he knew
6:54:34that it would not be a fast process for
6:54:36them to be clean again. As expected, it
6:54:39took another 10 minutes before the
6:54:40ladies were ready to face the world
6:54:42again, freshly washed and with their
6:54:44hair loosely braided so it wouldn't go
6:54:46wild as it dried. Their travel packs
6:54:49weren't exactly loaded with the finest
6:54:51of hair products, so frizz was just a
6:54:53fact of life for adventuring elites. But
6:54:55after the effort to get rid of the ash,
6:54:57it was worse than usual. All right, that
6:55:00is everyone. Lead the way, Lieutenant.
6:55:04Bob announced once the group was back
6:55:06together. Carl decided to let Bob take
6:55:09the lead on this one as he had all the
6:55:12experience on his side when dealing with
6:55:13military leaders. He was out here all
6:55:16the time, preferring to be on a mission
6:55:18to being anywhere else. So he was
6:55:20constantly in contact with the military
6:55:22leadership and knew more about just
6:55:24where his role as an elite fit into the
6:55:26social framework.
6:55:28Carl hadn't had enough experience with
6:55:30that yet. Though he was certainly one of
6:55:32the more powerful elites now, and
6:55:34everyone granted him the respect that a
6:55:36commander deserved when he had the badge
6:55:38on his chest, there was a lot to be said
6:55:40about knowing how hard you could push
6:55:42before someone would push back. But the
6:55:44one thing that they had all missed was
6:55:46the word generals, not general. When
6:55:49they entered the command building, which
6:55:51used to be the council building of the
6:55:52small town that had been commandeered as
6:55:54the military camp, when the lines were
6:55:56pulled back from the volcano, they found
6:55:58four men in highly decorated uniforms
6:56:00waiting for them. By the change in Bob's
6:56:04expression, Carl knew that this could
6:56:05mean trouble. So, he gave the officers a
6:56:09closer look to see if he could guess
6:56:11which would be the issue. Not all
6:56:13generals were elites. Most of them were
6:56:15too old for that and commanded based on
6:56:18experience.
6:56:19But these four were all elites and
6:56:21surprisingly one was a royal rank elite
6:56:24as well. That must be the cause for
6:56:26Bob's change in expression. In a room
6:56:29full of commanders, military rank didn't
6:56:32matter much to the mercenaries like Bob.
6:56:35But even for regular civilian elites,
6:56:37the royal ranked general still had
6:56:39authority over them due to his power
6:56:40level. Not the sort of power that a
6:56:43general had over his troops, but enough
6:56:45that he could easily change their
6:56:46deployment orders and nobody would
6:56:48question it. Bob stopped in the middle
6:56:51of the room with Carl and Doug on either
6:56:53side of him. Generals, it's a pleasure
6:56:56to see you all again, though I must say
6:56:58I'm surprised to see you all in the same
6:57:00spot, he began. The generals chuckled at
6:57:04his comment as they looked between the
6:57:06trio of commanders. The Royal Rank
6:57:09General replied with a straight face and
6:57:11a grally voice.
6:57:13Yes, seeing three commanders in the same
6:57:15spot is somewhat unusual, isn't it? But
6:57:18let's skip the pleasantries.
6:57:21What happened to the Frost Giants? The
6:57:23reinforcements have stopped. Our scouts
6:57:26tell us that the city looks like it's
6:57:27been destroyed, and you were the only
6:57:29forward team in the entire region. Bob
6:57:32shrugged. I wish we could take credit
6:57:35for all of that, but were only partially
6:57:37responsible.
6:57:38We were killing the reinforcements as
6:57:40quickly as we could, but they were using
6:57:42a shaman magic type cloning spell to
6:57:44create more every day. It was the
6:57:47servants of the magma dragon that
6:57:48attacked the city and presumably either
6:57:50destroyed the spell or some of its
6:57:52components and forced the frost giants
6:57:54to abandon the city. The magma dragon's
6:57:58influence is spreading inland and soon
6:58:00that whole region will be thawed. There
6:58:02is a volcanic hot springs under a
6:58:04kilometer from the city. And from what
6:58:06we can tell, it is increasing in
6:58:08intensity. That alone will keep the
6:58:11frost giants from returning to the
6:58:12region unless their magic can overcome
6:58:14whatever the dragon has done. The
6:58:17generals nodded as their assistants took
6:58:19notes. Similar events have taken place
6:58:22all along the border. For whatever
6:58:25reason, it appears that most of the
6:58:26summoning spells were placed on top of
6:58:28trapped dragon elders. And now that they
6:58:30are free, the frost giants are in real
6:58:33trouble. What we need to know is how
6:58:35much trouble they are in. The hill and
6:58:38mountain giants are giving us enough
6:58:40trouble along the other sections of the
6:58:41border that we can't spare manpower to
6:58:43sit around here if we are not being
6:58:45attacked. The general insisted.
6:58:48Has the new snow began to retreat? Bob
6:58:52asked. The generals nodded. In fact, not
6:58:56only has it begun to retreat, the
6:58:58natural weather is nearly back to the
6:59:00old border, except for the region around
6:59:02the volcano where the snow has retreated
6:59:04even further. That volcano was well
6:59:07within the frost giants border before
6:59:09the war, and now everything up to 30 km
6:59:12inward of it has melted. Then what is
6:59:15left of the actual battle lines? There
6:59:17was nothing here. We would have passed
6:59:19it on our way if there was. Bob asked
6:59:22directly.
6:59:24This portion of the line is only still
6:59:26in place to secure against invasion by
6:59:28the magma dragon. The next pass is also
6:59:31now completely unguarded by the frost
6:59:33giants as our soldiers finished a push
6:59:36just this morning and eliminated all
6:59:37resistance.
6:59:39The next two passes are still fighting,
6:59:41but north of that everything has been
6:59:43abandoned by the frost giants, and
6:59:45nobody knows if they are ending the
6:59:46battle or withdrawing for a larger
6:59:48offensive.
6:59:49Bob nodded in understanding.
6:59:52Well, we can't tell you much about that.
6:59:55But we can tell you that this section of
6:59:57the line is unlikely to see frost giants
6:59:59in the near future. They already lost a
7:00:02major city to the magma elementals.
7:00:05It doesn't appear as if the dragon's
7:00:07allies are hostile in this direction.
7:00:09Though we saw no evidence of attempts to
7:00:12expand in our direction, only toward the
7:00:14city where the core of the frost giants
7:00:16force was located. Once the battle was
7:00:19won, the forces of the Magma Dragon
7:00:21retreated and did not attempt to occupy
7:00:23the city. There were no combatants left
7:00:26when we entered. Only a token force of
7:00:28frost giant guards outside the city left
7:00:31when the rest of the occupants fled. The
7:00:34generals brought out a rolled map which
7:00:36an assistant set up on a folding table
7:00:38along with a number of blue stones.
7:00:41These are the known population centers
7:00:42of the frost giants. The red stones are
7:00:46the number of frost giants that have
7:00:47been reported killed during this
7:00:49conflict. The general explained, "The
7:00:52red stones were still being set up, but
7:00:55already they vastly outnumbered the blue
7:00:57stones, and there was a concentration of
7:00:59them right where Carl and the others had
7:01:00been fighting. Carl might not have liked
7:01:03math class much, but it was fairly
7:01:05obvious that the known population of
7:01:07frost giants was about a third as many
7:01:09as the number of frost giants that have
7:01:11been killed on their battle lines since
7:01:12the conflict started.
7:01:14They have summoned three times their
7:01:16population to send to war. Doug asked
7:01:19startled by the scale of the
7:01:20devastation.
7:01:22Not all of them are summoned, but close
7:01:24to that. Yes. That is why it is so
7:01:27imperative that we find out what
7:01:29happened to the summoning ritual
7:01:30materials.
7:01:32Not hearsay or guesses. We need solid
7:01:34proof of how they are doing it and of
7:01:36any locations that have been forcibly
7:01:38stopped. The problem is many of the
7:01:41suspected locations have been the site
7:01:43of natural disasters in the last few
7:01:45weeks and now we don't have the troops
7:01:47to search them all. The general agreed.
7:01:51Doug gave a rofal laugh as he took a
7:01:53long drag on his smoke. I suspect that
7:01:56there is a however coming up in your
7:01:58next sentence. The general's face turned
7:02:00up in a slight grin as he watched the
7:02:02unconcerned high priest becoming a very
7:02:04high priest in the middle of their
7:02:06meeting. You would be absolutely
7:02:08correct. We have an official mission for
7:02:11all of you. We have a location for you
7:02:14to scout. This location previously
7:02:17generated large troop movements, then
7:02:19suddenly stopped without any visible
7:02:21signs of attack. The spot is well within
7:02:24enemy borders, and the complex is
7:02:26suspected to be currently occupied by a
7:02:28Royal Rank Frost giant and his revenue.
7:02:31The general replied, "So, it's a trap.
7:02:35We know it's a trap and you want us to
7:02:37go spring it anyhow for the chance that
7:02:39we can kill a royal rank frost giant.
7:02:42Doug asked with a vague wave of his
7:02:44hand. There will be appropriate
7:02:46compensation.
7:02:48The general agreed, his raspy voice
7:02:50making the promise sound more like a
7:02:52threat or a promise of restitution for
7:02:54the grieving families. One of the other
7:02:57generals, a portly young man with a
7:02:59blotchy face that spoke of years of
7:03:00alcoholism, smirked at them as he joined
7:03:03the conversation.
7:03:04It is non-optional.
7:03:07Carl rolled his eyes at the smug
7:03:08general. Well, I still don't have a
7:03:11royal rank head as a trophy for my dorm
7:03:13room. I suppose a frost giant will have
7:03:16to do. A bit large for the display case,
7:03:20but such is life. He answered while
7:03:23everyone else paused, not taking the
7:03:25bait as the general tried to go them
7:03:26into something that would give him an
7:03:28excuse to put a black mark on their
7:03:29records. General Orland, the Royal Rank
7:03:33General with the harsh voice, which Carl
7:03:35suspected might be due to a previous
7:03:37throat injury that was hidden below his
7:03:38collar and tie, gave him a knowing
7:03:40smile. As always, when the elites with
7:03:44bureaucratic titles met with the
7:03:45mercenary elites, it had turned into a
7:03:47dickmeasuring contest. The battleh
7:03:50hardardened general knew full well that
7:03:52his smug counterpart couldn't even keep
7:03:54up with the pace of their group, and he
7:03:55had likely never killed a monster his
7:03:57own rank or higher in his life.
7:04:00So, the easiest way for Carl to get a
7:04:02rise out of him was to treat the death
7:04:04of a royal rank enemy as just another
7:04:06trophy hunt. And it was working. If it's
7:04:10such a trivial matter, then I will be
7:04:12expecting to hear positive news of your
7:04:14success very soon. The portly man
7:04:16replied.
7:04:18Good things take time, General. Like a
7:04:21well-cooked meal, you must be patient
7:04:23until everything is just right. I
7:04:26suspect you're familiar with that
7:04:27particular anticipation.
7:04:30Carl agreed. General Orland glared
7:04:33between the two of them and raised his
7:04:34voice for the first time. Enough. Both
7:04:38of you cut it out or take it outside to
7:04:40hold a combat trial. The mission has
7:04:43been demanded by the central government
7:04:45and approved as necessary by the Bureau
7:04:47of Elite Development and the Army. Your
7:04:50combined team has been volunteered by
7:04:52regional draw. So I will provide you
7:04:54with the information that we have on the
7:04:56situation.
7:04:57He insisted.
7:04:59Then he said the words combat trial. The
7:05:01portly general turned his head away, no
7:05:04longer feeling like fighting. So Carl
7:05:06focused on the task at hand. He's a
7:05:09spicy one, isn't he? The general seated
7:05:12on the far right whispered to Doug as
7:05:14General Orland began to outline the
7:05:16situation around the cavern where the
7:05:17royal ranked giant was suspected to be
7:05:19hiding. He used to be so humble and
7:05:22polite. I think he's getting it from his
7:05:25bonded beasts. He's got a bloodbath
7:05:28spider with him, and if it were up to
7:05:29her, there would already be someone
7:05:31shouting for a medic." Doug whispered
7:05:34back. Carl could clearly hear him, as
7:05:37could General Orland, but the others
7:05:39were both mages and lacked superhuman
7:05:41senses. The quiet general nodded without
7:05:44changing his expression. In a confined
7:05:47space, not even General Orland was
7:05:50likely to be fast enough to prevent a
7:05:51commander rank beast like that from
7:05:53carrying out at least the first strike.
7:05:56What would they need a medic for? I'd
7:05:58eat his face without even needing to
7:06:00ambush him. Ry chuckled in amusement.
7:06:04Carl ignored her taunting to focus on
7:06:06the intelligence reports and found that
7:06:08while the indicated spot was a fair
7:06:10distance from the border, there were no
7:06:11major forces or cities in between them
7:06:13and the site. At least that part had
7:06:16been well judged. The threat inside the
7:06:19cavern complex under the ruins was
7:06:21unknown, but thought to be at least 10
7:06:23commander ranked giants, plus their
7:06:25royal rank leader. That would normally
7:06:28be enough to take out any team that the
7:06:30humans might send to try to destroy the
7:06:31summoning ritual, but there was no
7:06:33guarantee that they hadn't saved the
7:06:35last batch of summon giants underground
7:06:37as well. The report said that it should
7:06:40no longer be active as there hadn't been
7:06:42any troops sent out since the volcano
7:06:44incident, but that was no guarantee.
7:06:47How long do you need to prepare? General
7:06:49Orland asked once his briefing was
7:06:51complete. Bob looked over at Carl and
7:06:54suddenly shrugged. They were already
7:06:57intending on heading back to the
7:06:58battlefield, but they could tell the
7:07:00general that they needed a few days or
7:07:02some particular supplies before they
7:07:04returned if Carl wanted to delay a
7:07:06little. Just a quick restock of our
7:07:09hygiene and other supplies, and we
7:07:11should be good to go. They had been in
7:07:13the field far longer than usual, and it
7:07:15was normal to only carry a small amount
7:07:17of unscented soap and shampoo with you.
7:07:20But with the warm dwarven village, they
7:07:22could wash regularly, so they were
7:07:24running out and hadn't been filthy until
7:07:26they crossed the ash plains to get here
7:07:28to the front lines. The supply tent is
7:07:31fully stocked with anything that you
7:07:33might need. Will you be leaving in the
7:07:35next few days?
7:07:37General Orland asked. Carl looked at Bob
7:07:40and the older elitees face took on a
7:07:42deceptively innocent smile. I'm afraid
7:07:45that we have much to do, General. Once
7:07:48we have resupplied, we will be leaving
7:07:51again within the hour. If you could
7:07:53ensure that one of the wagons our team
7:07:55and the refugees arrived in is still
7:07:57available, we would appreciate it." The
7:08:00overweight general glared at the team
7:08:01with growing suspicion.
7:08:04There had to be a reason that they were
7:08:05rushing right back into battle after
7:08:07only recently having returned to
7:08:09civilization.
7:08:10But the part that he failed to realize
7:08:12was that they were more comfortable in
7:08:14their hidden camp than in the small town
7:08:15that the army had taken over as their
7:08:17base. General Orland waved his hand
7:08:20toward the door. In that case, don't let
7:08:23us keep you. It's a long walk back to
7:08:26the border, and you don't want to be
7:08:28caught out in the ash overnight. Once
7:08:30they were well away from the command
7:08:32building, Tori sighed and turned back to
7:08:34glare at it. Are we the only elites on
7:08:37the entire front? If they had already
7:08:39developed such a detailed plan, complete
7:08:42with routing and estimated numbers, they
7:08:44could have sent someone a week ago. She
7:08:47muttered. They likely had, and it hadn't
7:08:50worked out for the last group, which was
7:08:52why they had such a detailed plan this
7:08:54time, but nobody wanted to say that out
7:08:56loud. Well, at least we will have plenty
7:08:59of soap and shampoo again. I hope that
7:09:02nobody took the time to shave because
7:09:04we're about to go right back into the
7:09:05heart of the cold. Doug laughed. Oilia
7:09:09took the nearly depleted smoke from his
7:09:11hand and finished it off with one long
7:09:13drag. At this point, I'm not certain
7:09:16whether my legs are hairier in this form
7:09:18or as a werebear," she joked. The
7:09:22soldiers passing by did a double take
7:09:24when they heard that from the muscular
7:09:25berserker, who they hadn't expected to
7:09:27be a shape- shifter. The supply sergeant
7:09:30gave a similarly startled look at the
7:09:32group as they approached. There hadn't
7:09:35been anyone coming or going from the
7:09:36base in a while. They were only holding
7:09:38position near the ash, so new faces were
7:09:41an unexpected sight for him. "What can I
7:09:44do for you?" he asked as Carl led the
7:09:46group in. "Mostly hygiene supplies for
7:09:49everyone." Then one new multi-tool for
7:09:52me and whatever the others need. Carl
7:09:56replied, then shifted so the man could
7:09:58scan the commander rank badge he had
7:10:00pinned to the tablet of his armor. Got
7:10:02it. Combined team with 10 members in
7:10:05total on official military assignment.
7:10:09That makes it easy. I'll grab the kits
7:10:11while the corporal takes the rest of the
7:10:12orders. The sergeant disappeared into
7:10:15the back room before the corporal on
7:10:17duty could even put his book down and
7:10:19realize that he had just been
7:10:20volunteered to take the orders of 10
7:10:22elites in need of supplies. Everyone had
7:10:25broken or worn out something during the
7:10:26trip, and this was their last chance to
7:10:28get it fixed before they headed back
7:10:30into the cold. Plus, as a military
7:10:33assignment, as long as the item they
7:10:35requested was regular military issue,
7:10:37they could just have it. For the
7:10:40clerics, that was bonus loot. They could
7:10:43replace any worn out tools or utensils,
7:10:45and nobody would ask any questions. The
7:10:48army had some good stuff that the clergy
7:10:50always wanted to have. Lightweight and
7:10:52made for durability, but more expensive
7:10:54than what the clerics were issued by the
7:10:56church. I have a list, Lotus announced
7:11:00with a smile, passing over the running
7:11:02tally of damaged and worn items that her
7:11:04and Tessa had been keeping since the war
7:11:06started. If the army was offering, the
7:11:09priestess wasn't about to hold back.
7:11:12Once they were resupplied and everything
7:11:14was packed carefully into its assigned
7:11:16spot in their packs, the group headed
7:11:18back for the edge of camp where they had
7:11:20left the wagons. The soldiers seemed
7:11:22startled to see them heading back out
7:11:24only a few hours after they had arrived.
7:11:26But the ones who had been around longer
7:11:28understood that the group was likely
7:11:30just running away from something
7:11:31annoying. The plan was to hook Dana's
7:11:34two stone golems up to the lead wagon to
7:11:36pull the group along while they left the
7:11:38others behind.
7:11:40That would make the trip back much
7:11:41easier on everyone and faster. As the
7:11:44giant's comfortable jog was a running
7:11:46pace for the mages and clerics.
7:11:48Plus, with only one wagon and a path to
7:11:51follow, they would be able to avoid the
7:11:53worst of the delays that had slowed them
7:11:55during the trip out. And the golems
7:11:56might even be able to get enough
7:11:58traction on the muddy hills to make it
7:11:59up without assistance this time when
7:12:01Thor's larger feet had struggled. It
7:12:04only took a few minutes to get them
7:12:06hooked up, and they were on their way
7:12:07back into the ash with the intentions of
7:12:10stopping overnight at the dwarven
7:12:11village to get a good night's rest and
7:12:13finish refining the plan to attack the
7:12:15cavern. Obviously, the army thought that
7:12:18you could just march in there and wipe
7:12:19them out with enough firepower, but that
7:12:21was the last resort. Pretty much any
7:12:24other plan than charging into the cave
7:12:26was likely to be a better one. They
7:12:29waited until the town was out of sight
7:12:30over the hills before anyone said
7:12:32anything. But they weren't in a big
7:12:34hurry to start making plans when they
7:12:36hadn't even seen the area around the
7:12:37target. Finally, Doug broke the silence.
7:12:42Your group has been randomly selected
7:12:44from those in the region. He mocked the
7:12:46pudgy general as if we weren't the only
7:12:49ones in the area at all. The others
7:12:52chuckled, and the nature priest took out
7:12:54another smoke for Carl to light. It was
7:12:57the most that anyone had seen him smoke
7:12:59at work, and it was a sure sign that he
7:13:01was feeling the stress, but didn't want
7:13:03to outright say anything about it. Lotus
7:13:06smirked as she joined the rant. Well, we
7:13:09will have all the bragging rights when
7:13:10we get back home. Imagine how jealous
7:13:13all those white robed battle clerics and
7:13:15guards are going to be when they find
7:13:17out that it was a pair of the green
7:13:18dragons clerics who got the first royal
7:13:20ranked team kill of the war.
7:13:23In fact, I'm not even certain that the
7:13:25main lines have managed to get one yet.
7:13:27So, it might be the first at all. Doug
7:13:30laughed. Wouldn't that be something? If
7:13:33we find out that we've got the first one
7:13:35of the war, I say we go get another just
7:13:37for funsies.
7:13:39Carl knew that it probably wouldn't be
7:13:41that easy. But if they could get not
7:13:43only the first one, but the first two of
7:13:45the war on this front, then they would
7:13:47certainly live up to any level of hype
7:13:48when they got home. But more imminently,
7:13:51Carl noticed that everyone in the group
7:13:53was becoming much more powerful than
7:13:55they had been when they started the
7:13:56battles. Officially, practice did help
7:13:59the growth rate, but it was supposed to
7:14:01have more to do with the individual how
7:14:03rapidly they advanced, unless they were
7:14:05using some sort of magical aid. That
7:14:07didn't seem to be the case with their
7:14:09group. If Carl had to hazard a guess,
7:14:12another month of this, and there
7:14:14wouldn't only be three commanders in the
7:14:15group. The golems were already
7:14:18noticeably more impressive than they had
7:14:20been at the start of the war, but Carl
7:14:21didn't have a standard to judge them
7:14:23against, so he couldn't really tell how
7:14:25far through ascended rank they were.
7:14:28That didn't seem to be the case with
7:14:29their group. If Carl had to hazard a
7:14:32guess, another month of this, and there
7:14:34wouldn't only be three commanders in the
7:14:36group. The golems were already
7:14:38noticeably more impressive than they had
7:14:40been at the start of the war. But Carl
7:14:42didn't have a standard to judge them
7:14:43against, so he couldn't really tell how
7:14:45far through ascended rank they were. He
7:14:48would judge them against the spider
7:14:50golems as a commander rank standard, but
7:14:52Ry had advanced them to royal rank, and
7:14:54they were multiple times more powerful
7:14:56than they had been, so that still didn't
7:14:58actually help. He couldn't even go by
7:15:00the ease with which they killed the
7:15:02frost giants, as they had so much
7:15:04practice now that everyone knew where
7:15:06their vulnerable areas were, and they
7:15:08could target them with minimal thought.
7:15:10But while he was thinking of power
7:15:12levels, Carl had a good idea. Since they
7:15:15were going to be keeping the golems
7:15:16active most of the time after they left
7:15:18the safety of the village, they should
7:15:20give them some of the frost giant
7:15:22weapons that were enchanted to cut like
7:15:23proper commander rank weapons. That
7:15:26would give them an extra bump in combat
7:15:28power as opposed to the single blade
7:15:30that came with the durable constructs
7:15:32buff. They would have to carry
7:15:34giantsized spare weapons with them to
7:15:37give to the golems and give them back
7:15:39every time the golems were summoned. But
7:15:41it would increase the speed that they
7:15:42could clear the weaker groups where the
7:15:44golems rarely sustained serious damage.
7:15:47They had their loot wagon now, so they
7:15:49might as well make good use of it.
7:15:52Everyone rested as the golems trudged
7:15:54steadily through the mud near the ash
7:15:56wastess, doing their best to avoid
7:15:57slipping on the muddy slopes. But it
7:16:00seemed that the logic behind using
7:16:02golems instead of Thor was right. Thor's
7:16:05feet kept him from sinking as deeply in
7:16:07the mud. But they also reduced his
7:16:09traction. The golems were pulling them
7:16:11smoothly along the path that the wagon
7:16:13train had followed to get to the lines
7:16:15last night. And with the sun up, they
7:16:17were able to avoid some of the worst
7:16:19areas where they could now see that the
7:16:21mud was worse than it was a few dozen
7:16:23meters away. That let them make it into
7:16:25the ash in good time where their speed
7:16:27improved. And by the time that it got
7:16:29dark, they were almost back to the
7:16:31dwarven village. The last few kilometers
7:16:34were a bit more difficult as they were
7:16:36getting far enough from the volcano that
7:16:38the trees had survived, but they managed
7:16:40to get the wagon to within a 100 meters
7:16:42of the entrance to the tunnel. They left
7:16:45the golems to guard the wagon, and
7:16:47everyone made their way back into the
7:16:48dwarven village. We're not leaving at
7:16:51first light or anything crazy, are we?
7:16:54Because as nice as it is to not walk,
7:16:56that wagon is not soft. Tori asked. Carl
7:17:01and Bob looked at each other and
7:17:03shrugged. I don't see any reason to rush
7:17:06that much. We should head out before
7:17:08noon, but it's less than a day's travel,
7:17:11and we don't want to get too close at
7:17:12the end of the day. Carl suggested.
7:17:16Bob nodded. All right, then. We will
7:17:19double check all our gear in the morning
7:17:21after breakfast, then head out. It will
7:17:24get us in place early enough to check
7:17:25their scouting situation and then we can
7:17:28make a proper plan based on what is
7:17:29actually there. What are you thinking?
7:17:33Pick off the scouts and see if we can
7:17:34lure out what's actually in there
7:17:36instead of going into the cave
7:17:37ourselves. Tessa asked. Bob nodded. That
7:17:42seems like the better option. There are
7:17:4510 of us and fighting in a cave sucks.
7:17:48You never want to fight in a cave if
7:17:50there is another option. Out in the
7:17:53open, we can make proper use of tactics.
7:17:56In the cave, we are limited by the space
7:17:58we have to work with, and even if it's
7:18:00big enough for a giant to pass, it's
7:18:02unlikely to leave us room to flank them
7:18:04or even make a proper defensive
7:18:06formation.
7:18:08Carl frowned.
7:18:10Monsters generally get smarter as they
7:18:11grow in ranks, so the royal rank frost
7:18:14giants might not fall for simple tricks
7:18:16like luring them out a few at a time by
7:18:18killing patrol members.
7:18:20Bob ran a hand through his hair inside.
7:18:23That is certainly a possibility.
7:18:26They might send out everything that they
7:18:27have the moment that were detected, and
7:18:29that will be a nasty fight. So, before
7:18:32we get anything started, we will have to
7:18:34make some preparations.
7:18:37Depending on the terrain, we might be
7:18:39able to have the two greenies make a
7:18:40vine field to slow their approach. He
7:18:43gestured to the two green robed clerics
7:18:45who smiled at the chance to show that
7:18:47they could do offensive magic as well.
7:18:50But we won't know until we get there.
7:18:53The next morning, everyone took a
7:18:54leisurely shower, courtesy of the free
7:18:57use of cleric magic, and then checked
7:18:59all their equipment after breakfast
7:19:00while they mentally prepared themselves
7:19:02for the day. Hawk was sent out to scout,
7:19:05and he hadn't found anything for the
7:19:06first 20 km, so the start of their
7:19:09journey should be an uneventful one.
7:19:11They didn't waste any time getting Thor
7:19:13hooked up to the wagon so that the
7:19:15golems were free to fight while he
7:19:16protected the casters in his cart. It
7:19:19was connected with relatively weak
7:19:20spider silk, strong enough that it
7:19:23wouldn't break during use, but weak
7:19:24enough that Tessa could easily slice it
7:19:26with a wave of her spear if Thor needed
7:19:28to be cut free during battle. This way,
7:19:31he was the only one walking and everyone
7:19:34else could rest in case of emergency. It
7:19:37was the most efficient method that they
7:19:38had come up with so far, and Thor was
7:19:41delighted with his new toy. How far is
7:19:43it to this hiding hole for the frost
7:19:45giants? Hawk finally asked after lunch.
7:19:49He hadn't seen a single living thing all
7:19:52morning. Just snow, snow, and more snow.
7:19:56Plus, the temperature was dropping even
7:19:58further with every hour he traveled, and
7:20:00it was putting him in a terrible mood.
7:20:02from the location on the map about 100
7:20:05km from the ash.
7:20:07So about the same as from the lines to
7:20:09the dwarven village. When you see two
7:20:12rivers meet, that will be where the cave
7:20:14is. Carl replied, "When we're done, I'm
7:20:18burning this entire country to the
7:20:20ground just to make it warm again." Thor
7:20:23plotted along periodically looking back
7:20:25to see if everyone else was having as
7:20:27much fun as he was. There wasn't
7:20:30anything to bother him today. He just
7:20:32got to pull his wagon around and nobody
7:20:34tried to rush him. Only an hour before
7:20:37dark, Hawk sent back a report that for
7:20:40the first time that day was not about
7:20:42the easiest route for the cart. There
7:20:44are human bodies over here and they are
7:20:46in armor. They might have something
7:20:49important on them, he reported. Are we
7:20:53near the cave? How far is it to the spot
7:20:56where the rivers meet? Carl replied,
7:20:59"Just to be safe." 30 more kilome.
7:21:03Their math sucks, but I can see it. And
7:21:06I can see the giants in the distance.
7:21:09This location was entirely too far for
7:21:11humans to be inside the frost giant
7:21:13nation. If they were in armor, they
7:21:16weren't prisoners of the frost giants,
7:21:18so they must be another scouting team
7:21:20that had been sent in. Hulk found bodies
7:21:23ahead. They're in armor, so there is a
7:21:26chance it was another elite team, Carl
7:21:29reported.
7:21:3020 of them in total. Three in white
7:21:33robes, two in red. The rest are not
7:21:36clerics. Hawk amended. Yeah, almost
7:21:40guaranteed they were an elite team. Hawk
7:21:43says that there are five clerics,
7:21:45including two war clerics among the 20
7:21:47bodies, Carl added. Everyone grimaced as
7:21:51they heard the news, but he was right.
7:21:53They might have important information on
7:21:55them. If nothing else, they could load
7:21:58them in the wagon on the way back out so
7:22:00that they weren't left here for the
7:22:01frost giants or monsters to eat. That
7:22:04seemed like the least that they could do
7:22:06for them once the threat was dealt with.
7:22:08Is there any sign of what attacked them?
7:22:11It might lead us to a second group of
7:22:13giants.
7:22:14Carl asked Hawk. Nothing. It's been
7:22:18snowing down there and the footprints
7:22:20are all gone. Thor led them toward the
7:22:23sight of the attack while Hawk circled
7:22:25in the sky, waiting for any sign that
7:22:27the frost giants were still nearby. They
7:22:30shouldn't be too far from where they
7:22:32were supposed to find that cave, but he
7:22:34hadn't seen it yet. All that was out
7:22:37here was deep snow, deep enough that
7:22:39Thor had been avoiding going over hills,
7:22:41as it would drag on the bottom of the
7:22:42wagon and make it hard to pull. Thor
7:22:45pulled to a stop next to the bodies, and
7:22:48Carl got down from the wagon with Bob
7:22:50and Harry. They would check the bodies
7:22:52while the others waited on guard. With
7:22:55no sign of what attacked the group,
7:22:57there was no telling if this was
7:22:58actually a frequently traveled path
7:23:00where frost giants might come across
7:23:02them while they were searching. Not that
7:23:05they didn't trust Hawk's scouting
7:23:06ability, but he could only be in one
7:23:08spot at a time. Carl made his way
7:23:11through the bodies of warriors and
7:23:13mages, all of which were showing signs
7:23:15of losing a fight against the frost
7:23:17giants. There were missing limbs,
7:23:19massive crushing damage from clubs, and
7:23:22general carnage. Carl felt his stomach
7:23:25turn at the scene and tried to forget
7:23:27the fact that these were all ascended
7:23:29and commander rank elites only a few
7:23:30days ago at the most. He had been in
7:23:33battle a relatively long time. But not
7:23:35like this. Not with these massive
7:23:37casualties.
7:23:39It was horrifying to think that an
7:23:41entire group could be wiped out like
7:23:42this.
7:23:44There were 20 bodies, so the chances are
7:23:46that none of them had managed to escape
7:23:48to warn the army about the situation or
7:23:50threat that they had met. Carl was about
7:23:52to turn back to the cart when he noticed
7:23:54a slight puff of warm breath from one of
7:23:56the bodies. Someone was still alive
7:23:59here, but not by much. He whistled,
7:24:02drawing the attention of the others, and
7:24:04made a waving gesture toward the legless
7:24:06body that Tessa immediately guessed
7:24:08meant healing. A golden glow surrounded
7:24:11the cleric an instant before lotus area
7:24:13healing surrounded the entire area. But
7:24:16only the one body glowed with healing
7:24:18light. It was too late for the others.
7:24:21Once the survivor had some time to heal,
7:24:24Carl knelt beside the body and brushed
7:24:26some of the snow off the man's face.
7:24:28"High Priest George, what the hell are
7:24:31you doing here?" Carl asked softly. The
7:24:35man's body didn't move at all, but it
7:24:37was still glowing with healing light,
7:24:39repairing the damage done. George's eyes
7:24:42opened weakly, and he silently mouthed a
7:24:45word. Trap. Carl stood up and drew his
7:24:49blade, surrounding himself with a layer
7:24:51of flaming body in addition to the
7:24:54refreshing lightning that he always kept
7:24:56active that seemed to trigger the trap.
7:24:59And from all around them, frost giants
7:25:01burst up out of the ground, showering
7:25:03the area in rocks and snow. They were
7:25:06surrounded, and the bodies were baked
7:25:08for whichever human group came next. The
7:25:11warriors and the stone golems circled
7:25:13the wagon while Tessa cut Thor free. The
7:25:17frost giants hesitated, but not like
7:25:19they were afraid, more like they were
7:25:21waiting for something. The side of a
7:25:23hill collapsed, and a massive female
7:25:25frost giant strode out of the previously
7:25:27buried hiding spot.
7:25:29Look what I have caught. Stupid
7:25:32sentimental humans.
7:25:34She spoke with a heavy accent in a
7:25:36booming voice that somehow made her feel
7:25:38larger than she was. And she was not
7:25:41small. She towered over the commander
7:25:44rank frost giants by an entire head. And
7:25:47Carl was hardly more than shin high on
7:25:49her. His head didn't even reach her
7:25:50waist. Carl saw Bob nod in his
7:25:54peripheral vision. They would hold off
7:25:56the ambush while Carl took care of the
7:25:58leader. Ray, guard the wagon. Thor will
7:26:02be sad if they break it, Carl
7:26:05instructed.
7:26:06Well, there is no point in waiting.
7:26:08Let's get to it. Carl shouted up at the
7:26:11royal rank frost giant. Ry appeared on
7:26:14the wagon and called her spider golems
7:26:17in to ambush the frost giant lines as
7:26:19Carl leapt forward with the two-handed
7:26:21blade flaming in his hands. Puny human,
7:26:24I will enjoy eating you." The leader
7:26:27laughed as she moved with astonishing
7:26:28speed and blocked Carl's attack. Frost
7:26:32and Fire clashed as the magic on their
7:26:34blades met, sending Carl sliding
7:26:36backwards as he lost the test of
7:26:37strength. Using shred layered with
7:26:41flaming body, Carl hurled three fast
7:26:43arcs at the giant leader. A twist of her
7:26:46blade blocked two while one cut a gash
7:26:49in her side.
7:26:50Blue blood dripped down her torso as the
7:26:52giant roared in rage and the
7:26:54encirclement closed on the group,
7:26:56stomping the bodies of the unfortunate
7:26:58group who had come before them. Ice
7:27:00magic was building around them, then
7:27:02fading as Remy used Blizzard to offset
7:27:05the leader's identical skill. She wasn't
7:27:08nearly as strong, but the royal ranked
7:27:10giant couldn't focus on the skill with
7:27:12Carl attacking her. And the snow was
7:27:14merely blinding, cutting visibility to
7:27:16under 10 m, making it hard to even see
7:27:19her head when he retreated between
7:27:20engagements, but not damaging his
7:27:22barriers. If she had only been bigger
7:27:25and faster than the others, this fight
7:27:27might not have been so bad. But she was
7:27:29fast, and even with agility bracers on,
7:27:32Carl was struggling to keep up. Every
7:27:35attack, Carl was forced further from the
7:27:37group, isolated from any chance of
7:27:39reinforcement. But the blizzard was
7:27:41fading as the leader felt that her mana
7:27:42would be better used on combat than
7:27:44distraction now that they were 50 m away
7:27:46from the main battle and well outside
7:27:48the encirclement.
7:27:50Carl flicked his blade down, parrying an
7:27:53attack coming for his legs, but couldn't
7:27:55react fast enough for the left hand that
7:27:57she took off her blade and punched him
7:27:58square in the chest with his barriers
7:28:01held, but he was rolling in the snow,
7:28:03and the blade was coming for him again
7:28:05while he didn't have the footing to
7:28:07force it away. Remy intervened, hitting
7:28:10the giant with chain lightning and
7:28:12making her arm twitch, sending the
7:28:14attack wide as Carl rolled to his feet.
7:28:17Her expression was startled, not having
7:28:19expected the attack from what she
7:28:21thought was a defeated opponent. Carl
7:28:24sent a flurry of ren attacks at her,
7:28:26coated with flaming body, the same as
7:28:29Hawk did it. There was no way to block
7:28:32them all, but the giant twirled, sending
7:28:34her cloak billowing and taking a large
7:28:36part of the damage before the thick
7:28:38monster fur was destroyed, leaving it in
7:28:40shreds on the ground while the remainder
7:28:42of the attacks hit her back. Carl almost
7:28:45fell for the fake opening and leapt to
7:28:47the right, back in front of her as her
7:28:48blade shrieked through the air, right
7:28:50where he would have been if he had tried
7:28:51to attack her vulnerable back. His jump
7:28:54had given him a little distance, and
7:28:56Carl quickly switched to his bow to fire
7:28:58a chain lightning arrow into her
7:29:01stomach. It only sunk in a few
7:29:04centimeters and made her eyelid twitch
7:29:06before she pulled it out, but it bought
7:29:08Carl a second to retreat further and
7:29:10keep firing. Her snarl shook the air,
7:29:13carrying some sort of magic with it, and
7:29:15Carl felt his mind go blank, while his
7:29:17hands continued to fire arrows. Mental
7:29:20fortitude kept him from cowering in fear
7:29:23before the might of the frost giant
7:29:25leaders. Intimidation, ability, and
7:29:27well-trained hands kept his attacks
7:29:29going, while Remy set up her poison
7:29:31flame totems on either side of the
7:29:33giant. The pain had to have been
7:29:35incredible as the first balls of poison
7:29:37and fire hit her body, and the frost
7:29:39giant turned, looking for the insect
7:29:41that dared to try to ambush her while
7:29:43still at the ascended rank. But all she
7:29:46found were the totems, and one of Carl's
7:29:48arrows buried itself deep into her ribs,
7:29:51sending numbing lightning through her
7:29:52body, slowing her reactions.
7:29:55Powerful strides brought her back to
7:29:57Carl, who hastily switched back to his
7:29:59blade and clashed with the weakened
7:30:01giant, who was still taking fireballs to
7:30:03the back, distracting her from the fight
7:30:05and coating her in agonizing poison. The
7:30:08damage might be negligible, but with
7:30:10every attack it stacked, and when she
7:30:12tried to stomp the totems out of
7:30:14existence, Remy simply moved them out of
7:30:16reach another dozen meters away and
7:30:18behind her again. Then their knight in
7:30:22shining feathers was there to take his
7:30:23vengeance on the ice element. And Hawk
7:30:25was bombarding her from above with royal
7:30:27rank fireballs.
7:30:29Those ones were causing real damage. And
7:30:32while Carl was still on the defensive,
7:30:34she was slowing. A direct hit to the
7:30:36back of her head dropped her to one knee
7:30:38and made her eyes roll back, giving Carl
7:30:41the opening he had been waiting for. His
7:30:43blade stre toward her neck, aiming to
7:30:46decapitate the frost giant, or at least
7:30:48slit her throat and take her out of the
7:30:50fight. Threeon-one, even a royal rank
7:30:53frost giant was no match for them. That
7:30:56overconfidence was what cost him the
7:30:58most dearly. Without looking, her blade
7:31:01flashed out, slicing cleanly through his
7:31:03left arm and burying itself in the chest
7:31:06plate of his armor. His strike came up
7:31:08short, barely clipping her throat, but
7:31:11sending out a fountain of blood as the
7:31:12artery was severed. Pain shot through
7:31:15Carl's body as he watched the frost
7:31:17giant woman fading in the distance. He
7:31:20realized that he was flying through the
7:31:22air from the force of the strike, and he
7:31:24could still see his severed hand holding
7:31:26his sword laying on the ground in front
7:31:27of her. But the fight was over.
7:31:31Hawks shred hit the back of her neck and
7:31:33the giant's head rolled free of her
7:31:35body, coming to a stop next to Carl's
7:31:37sword. Carl slammed into a tree and his
7:31:41barriers shattered along with his ribs.
7:31:43But he landed on his feet before falling
7:31:45to his knees, gasping for air.
7:31:48Everything around him was fuzzy and he
7:31:50could feel the world fading. But there
7:31:52was one thought in his mind. He needed
7:31:54his sword back. that drove him to crawl
7:31:58through the snow as the buzz of Remy's
7:31:59voice in his head faded in and out. The
7:32:02last thing he knew before the world went
7:32:04dark and he felt himself fall to his
7:32:06side was his hand grasping his sword.
7:32:10Carl's entire world was pain and
7:32:12blackness. Then there was a strange
7:32:13pressure on his arm and a voice in his
7:32:15ear saying something that he couldn't
7:32:17understand.
7:32:19Rey had hurled Lotus over the battle,
7:32:21sending her flying into the snow next to
7:32:23Carl, where the nature priestess got to
7:32:25work, pinning Carl's arm in place with a
7:32:27number of hasty stitches and a bandaged
7:32:29splint before she began her healing
7:32:31spells. That was her only chance of
7:32:34reattaching the arm. If it healed with
7:32:37the arm off, it would have to be cut
7:32:39again to reattach the two, and that
7:32:41would just be unnecessarily painful. At
7:32:44least it was clean as the deep white
7:32:46snow had nothing but mixed purple blood
7:32:48in it. Stay with me. You need to stay
7:32:52awake. Lotus was shouting at him,
7:32:55dragging Carl back out of the darkness.
7:32:58There you are. Open your eyes. We need
7:33:01to move. My vines will only hold off
7:33:03those giants for a few more seconds. She
7:33:06explained.
7:33:08Carl blinked away the fuzziness and saw
7:33:10that there were two commander rank frost
7:33:12giants being torn apart by thorn vines
7:33:15while Remy was sitting on the ground in
7:33:16front of him hurling lightning at them.
7:33:19Carl staggered to his feet using his
7:33:21sword as a crutch and realized that
7:33:23while his arm was back and in a sling
7:33:26across his chest he couldn't use it. It
7:33:29was just there numb and motionless.
7:33:32Using the oversized blade one-handed
7:33:34wouldn't be easy, but it would be
7:33:35impossible to use the maul or the bow.
7:33:38He took a deep breath as refreshing
7:33:41lightning cleared his mind a little and
7:33:43prepared to fight again. The two giants
7:33:46smirked at him as they realized the
7:33:47warrior was heavily wounded and wouldn't
7:33:49be able to recover fast enough to stop
7:33:51them. But Carl didn't need to lift his
7:33:54blade to fight. Arcs of ren coated in
7:33:58flaming body raced for the two commander
7:34:01ranked giants who laughed and easily
7:34:03blocked the strikes then fell forward
7:34:05dead as Hawk strikes from behind broke
7:34:07their necks. The classics are always the
7:34:10best. Hawk bragged as the flame enhanced
7:34:14ren attacks did their job. There was a
7:34:17brain noise and Tessa ran back toward
7:34:20the main battle leaving Carl to scoop up
7:34:22Remy and stumble after her. The fight
7:34:25wasn't over yet, but the number of
7:34:26giants was much lower than it had been.
7:34:29Carl felt the power transferred from the
7:34:31sword sinking into his body, bringing a
7:34:34tingling to his immobile fingers, and a
7:34:36rush of clarity to his mind. Carl
7:34:39attacked from behind, joining Hawk in
7:34:41ambushing the giants and making a path
7:34:42to Thor, who was standing on three legs,
7:34:45while one hung limply, broken by a frost
7:34:48giant clout. Ry was protecting the wagon
7:34:51still and magic missiles were still
7:34:53casting steadily with all four golems on
7:34:56defense. Harry was under the wagon,
7:34:58nursing injuries, while Tai was kneeling
7:35:01in front of him, firing his bow into the
7:35:03frost giants from the relative safety
7:35:05under Ray. The sudden assault from
7:35:07behind distracted the attackers, and two
7:35:10fell in quick succession to the spider
7:35:12golems, then two more from Carl and
7:35:14Hawk, followed by another from Ray
7:35:16herself. The last few tried to run, but
7:35:19Hawk and the spider golems were on them,
7:35:21and before they had made it a 100
7:35:23meters, they were all taken down. Lotus
7:35:26vanished into the wagon, which her
7:35:28healing spell was centered on, covering
7:35:30the whole group. Tessa ducked under the
7:35:32wagon to check on Tai and Harry, and
7:35:35Carl did a quick head count. Bob was
7:35:38still standing next to Oilia, who was
7:35:40panting as she leaned against a frost
7:35:42giant corpse with all her limbs intact.
7:35:45Tessa was in the wagon, as was Lotus.
7:35:48Thor's leg was visibly healing. Dana's
7:35:51golems were still active, and Ray looked
7:35:53fine. But there were two that he
7:35:56couldn't see. Doug and Tori.
7:35:59Carl stumbled back to the scene of his
7:36:01battle and grabbed the head of the royal
7:36:02rank frost giant. He had told the
7:36:05general that he would mount the head on
7:36:07his wall after all. Somewhere in Carl's
7:36:10muddled mind, he knew that made no sense
7:36:13and that there was something wrong with
7:36:14his thinking. But he dragged the head
7:36:16all the way back to the wagon before
7:36:18Tessa sat him down in the snow and shown
7:36:20a flashlight in his eyes. "Can you hear
7:36:23me?" "How many fingers am I holding up?"
7:36:27she asked. Everything was a bit blurry,
7:36:30and it took him a few seconds to focus
7:36:32as her image kept swaying in front of
7:36:34him. But Carl confidently held up two
7:36:36fingers in the V for victory.
7:36:38"Definitely a concussion, plus whatever
7:36:41other internal injuries aren't healed."
7:36:43"Lotus, what is up with the sling?"
7:36:46Tessa asked far too loudly as it was
7:36:49causing him intense pain in his head.
7:36:52"It was severed. I pinned it in place
7:36:54and put a localized healing spell on it,
7:36:57but it won't be ready for at least a
7:36:58day." Lotus replied, "Can you move your
7:37:02fingers?" Tessa asked and Carl tried his
7:37:06best to focus on his hand, then realized
7:37:09he didn't have to. He just had to wiggle
7:37:11his fingers aimlessly. "Well, they're
7:37:14all moving." "All right, you should keep
7:37:17the limb," Tessa informed him, Doug and
7:37:21Tori. Carl asked. Doug is recovering
7:37:25from a blade across the chest, but he
7:37:27will be fine, she replied, then patted
7:37:30Carl on his good shoulder. All right,
7:37:33time to get up. Can you send the beasts
7:37:36back into their space to rest and
7:37:37recover? Or do they need more healing
7:37:40first? Tessa asked quietly. Thor
7:37:44returned to his pond to sleep, followed
7:37:46by Ry and Hawk, though Rey left her
7:37:48golems out. Remy remained in Carl's
7:37:51sling, periodically casting a healing
7:37:53splash on his arm in hopes that it would
7:37:55help it heal properly. She hadn't been
7:37:58injured during the fight, and the inside
7:38:00of the sling wasn't too cold after Tessa
7:38:02adjusted Carl's cloak to cover most of
7:38:04his front. Carl remained sitting for a
7:38:07few minutes as the others worked, and
7:38:09then a motion to his left caught his
7:38:11eye. The movement of a frost giant had
7:38:14him on his feet in a flash, ready to
7:38:16attack. But it was only Bob and Oilia
7:38:18wrapping the royal ranked giant's head
7:38:20in a bag to hang off the back of the
7:38:22wagon. Bob quietly addressed the team.
7:38:26All right, we've got everything cleaned
7:38:28up and the bodies are in the wagon to go
7:38:30back with us. Let's get everyone in and
7:38:33the golems will take us back. Ry, can
7:38:36you come out and make a new harness?
7:38:39Wait, can she even hear us when she's
7:38:41not out? Ry came out and quickly
7:38:44harnessed Dana's golems to the wagon,
7:38:46which was now half loaded with bodies,
7:38:48and created a harness for the humanoid
7:38:50golems. Then she returned to her space
7:38:53where her stamina would recover more
7:38:55quickly and curled up to sleep while
7:38:57Hawk kept watch on the outside world.
7:39:00Everyone was seated a few minutes later
7:39:02and Carl found himself in the corner
7:39:04with Dana leaning against his side
7:39:06unnaturally quiet while Tessa directed
7:39:08the golems to get the cart moving. Carl
7:39:11wrapped his one good arm around the mage
7:39:14and looked across the wagon where high
7:39:16priest George gave him a weak smile.
7:39:19Somehow, the man was still alive, having
7:39:21avoided being crushed during the ambush.
7:39:23But he had lost both legs above the
7:39:25knee, and his own magic was only enough
7:39:27to stop the blood flow and keep himself
7:39:29alive with the injuries he had
7:39:31sustained.
7:39:32Somehow, the man was still alive, having
7:39:35avoided being crushed during the ambush,
7:39:37but he had lost both legs above the
7:39:39knee, and his own magic was only enough
7:39:41to stop the blood flow and keep himself
7:39:43alive with the injuries he had
7:39:45sustained. Doug was doing better. His
7:39:49staff was shattered into splinters on
7:39:50the floor of the wagon, and he was
7:39:52wrapped with bandages all around his
7:39:54chest. He had wrapped himself in a fur
7:39:57cloak for warmth while he mixed some
7:39:58sort of herbal concoction. But Carl's
7:40:01headcount still didn't find Tory.
7:40:03Reluctantly, Carl turned to look at the
7:40:05back of the wagon and saw the telltale
7:40:07mage robes and white fur cloak under the
7:40:10pile of bodies. They had defeated the
7:40:12royal rank frost giant, but Carl
7:40:14couldn't call this a victory. Not when
7:40:16they weren't all coming back home. For
7:40:19some reason, Tessa was pushing the wagon
7:40:21at a full run across the snow, headed
7:40:23for the closest section of the line,
7:40:25while Lotus continued to maintain her
7:40:27healing spell over the wagon. Carl faded
7:40:30in and out of consciousness for the next
7:40:32few hours, being briefly jostled awake
7:40:34by larger bumps as the wagon raced
7:40:36across the frozen plains. The sun had
7:40:39set not long after the battle, but still
7:40:42the cleric didn't slow the wagon,
7:40:44keeping the golems at a full run,
7:40:46heedless of the bouncing that they were
7:40:48doing. Nobody was saying anything about
7:40:50it, so Carl assumed that there was a
7:40:52good reason for the rush, and continued
7:40:54to fade in and out until finally the
7:40:56bright spotlights of a frontline
7:40:58encampment lit up their wagon. There was
7:41:01a lot of shouting, and people were
7:41:02moving around frantically, unloading
7:41:04bodies from the wagon. but he just sat
7:41:06where he was with Dana under his arm as
7:41:08the mage sobbed silently and pretended
7:41:10that she was asleep. Eventually, a hand
7:41:13landed on his shoulder, shaking Dana
7:41:16awake in the process while bringing Carl
7:41:18out of his stuper long enough to turn to
7:41:20see who was looking for him. It's your
7:41:22turn if you two can walk to the triage
7:41:24tents. The man in the white robes of a
7:41:27high cleric of the main faith whispered.
7:41:30Carl was thankful for the consideration
7:41:32as loud noises were still hurting his
7:41:35head, but his body was feeling better
7:41:36with that much time in lotus healing
7:41:38spell and the refreshing lightning. Remy
7:41:41was still in his sling, half asleep, but
7:41:44randomly mumbling and casting healing
7:41:46splash on his arm until Carl stroked her
7:41:48head and let her know that she had done
7:41:50a good job and she could go sleep in her
7:41:52space.
7:41:54The cleric passed Dana off to a female
7:41:56high priest and brought Carl to a small
7:41:58diagnosis room where he repeated the
7:42:00light in the eyes thing that Tessa had
7:42:02done. Still a concussion. Carl asked.
7:42:07The priest nodded. It's healing but
7:42:10won't be finished until morning likely.
7:42:14You did good getting back here as fast
7:42:15as you did. Carl gave him a rofful
7:42:18smile. We didn't make it fast enough.
7:42:22The high priest put a gentle hand on his
7:42:24shoulder. No, you did. High priests
7:42:28George and Doug are both going to be
7:42:30fine by morning, though George's legs
7:42:32are a lost cause without months of
7:42:34treatment spells or a royal rank healer.
7:42:37But more importantly, with them, we had
7:42:39the six high priests necessary to cast a
7:42:42resurrection ritual. Tori should
7:42:44reappear somewhere familiar to her in
7:42:46the next 48 hours.
7:42:48Carl just blinked at the high priest, so
7:42:50he explained. There are two basic
7:42:53resurrection spells.
7:42:55One brings them back to life within 10
7:42:57minutes of death, but only a royal rank
7:43:00cleric or a select few of the healing
7:43:02specialist high priests such as myself
7:43:04can use that. The other is a sixperson
7:43:07ritual that puts a soul that's still
7:43:08linked to its body into a new body with
7:43:10its memories intact. They usually show
7:43:13up somewhere which they associate with
7:43:15good memories and then they have to
7:43:17explain to someone who they are or come
7:43:19to the church where we can verify it and
7:43:21update their records. So she will be
7:43:24fine and back at the academy soon. Carl
7:43:28asked hopefully not back at the academy
7:43:31most likely. I have never heard of the
7:43:34new body forming with the effects of the
7:43:36injection. So, she wouldn't be an elite
7:43:38anymore. But she's still a student, so
7:43:41there is a chance they will make an
7:43:42exception and she will be able to start
7:43:44over if her new body is compatible, just
7:43:46a little older than the others. It's not
7:43:49like the injection doesn't work anymore
7:43:51if they give it later. Well, that was
7:43:54better than dead, he supposed. The
7:43:56cleric finished giving Carl a checkup
7:43:59which found that other than his head,
7:44:00everything seemed to be fine and he was
7:44:02recovering well, but would need to eat a
7:44:04lot to recover the energy that he had
7:44:06burned while healing his body. That was
7:44:09something that he could do. Dana was
7:44:12waiting outside the tent with a faintly
7:44:13hopeful smile that said she had gotten
7:44:15the same news about Tori. So, he led her
7:44:17toward a large wall tent where he could
7:44:19hear Bob arguing with someone. That was
7:44:22most likely the mess hall. And if it
7:44:24wasn't, it was still the right place to
7:44:26be, as that was where their team was.
7:44:29The remainder of the group had gathered
7:44:31at a table in the nearly deserted mess
7:44:33hall where Carl and Dana joined them
7:44:35after loading their trays with random
7:44:36items. Carl still couldn't think
7:44:39clearly, and every light source made his
7:44:41head hurt, but not enough that he
7:44:43couldn't just leave them mostly closed
7:44:45while he ate. "What's the prognosis,
7:44:48monster man?" Doug asked as Carl
7:44:51attempted to operate a canned drink
7:44:52one-handed as his other wasn't working
7:44:54properly, even if he removed it from the
7:44:56sling. They say my head should be better
7:44:59tomorrow, and my arm will work
7:45:01eventually. Good work, by the way, to
7:45:04whoever put that back on. I distinctly
7:45:07remember that it was not attached for a
7:45:09while. Carl rambled. Lotus smiled and
7:45:13gave him a thumbs up. I did the best
7:45:16that I can. I'm a good healer, but that
7:45:19was a pretty gnarly injury. Carl smiled
7:45:22at the little cleric. Where's George?
7:45:26Doug frowned. They took him for more
7:45:29intensive treatment. He was somewhat
7:45:31coherent once they drugged him, and we
7:45:33got the ritual done, but he's in bad
7:45:36shape. I take it you've worked with him
7:45:38before. briefly.
7:45:41Carl agreed, not wanting to get into it
7:45:43too deeply, as that was when they had
7:45:45picked up Tory, whose current fate was
7:45:47uncertain. They were eating quietly when
7:45:50a commotion outside drew all their
7:45:52attention. The feeling of a powerful
7:45:54creature or elite approaching put them
7:45:56all on guard, but the feeling was
7:45:58familiar to Carl with his heightened
7:46:00senses, and he just returned to his
7:46:02eating. "Someone, you know," Doug
7:46:05whispered. I'm fairly certain that is
7:46:08Prince Axel and Overlord Drake. Carl
7:46:11agreed. That surprised the high priest
7:46:14as they should have been on the mountain
7:46:16giant front keeping the most powerful of
7:46:18their foes under control. The two
7:46:21stormed into the mess hall, followed by
7:46:23over a dozen officers, and then paused
7:46:25in visible relief as they saw the group
7:46:27eating. Ah, there's a sight for sore
7:46:30eyes. When we heard that the group sent
7:46:33to subjugate the frost giant royal had
7:46:35been annihilated, we feared the worst.
7:46:38Prince Axel blurted out with a relieved
7:46:40smile on his face. "I take it that you
7:46:43got the news about the same time that
7:46:44you got the news that we had been sent
7:46:46out." Carl asked while the others looked
7:46:49unsure how to respond.
7:46:51Carl and Dana were the only ones in the
7:46:53group who had held a proper conversation
7:46:55with either of these two leaders. And
7:46:57Overlord Drake had quite the reputation
7:46:59as a fighter. We were meeting with
7:47:02General Orland when the news that a
7:47:03group had been wiped out and their
7:47:05tracking spells were all disabled within
7:47:075 minutes of each other. But the report
7:47:09was incomplete and we only knew that it
7:47:12was the church who put the trackers on.
7:47:14They didn't include the team leader
7:47:16name. Drake explained.
7:47:19Carl winced at the loud noise but
7:47:21smiled. We will have to send the
7:47:24generals a message and let them know
7:47:25that I got that head for my trophy case.
7:47:28Axel and Drake both burst into laughter.
7:47:32You really did it? Or told me about your
7:47:35little spat with the generals, but I
7:47:37didn't think you would actually manage
7:47:38it. The frost giant royals aren't just a
7:47:41little bit above commander rank. They're
7:47:43skilled leaders and cunning monsters.
7:47:46The big warrior asked. "You really did
7:47:49it?" Or told me about your little spat
7:47:52with the generals, but I didn't think
7:47:53you would actually manage it. The frost
7:47:56giant royals aren't just a little bit
7:47:58above commander rank. They're skilled
7:48:00leaders and cunning monsters. The big
7:48:03warrior asked. That's no joke. They were
7:48:07hiding down under the snow and rocks,
7:48:09laying perfectly still in an ambush ring
7:48:11around the bodies of the first group
7:48:13when we arrived. They had been there for
7:48:15days, and they were deep enough that not
7:48:17even thermal vision could spot them
7:48:19until they moved. And by then it was too
7:48:21late, Carl explained.
7:48:24Prince Axel whistled. Damn, that's just
7:48:28evil. The mountain giants camouflage
7:48:31well with the stone, but at least you
7:48:33can see them on thermal. What else can
7:48:35you tell us about the royal frost giant?
7:48:38Everyone turned to look at Carl as he
7:48:40was the only one with the opportunity to
7:48:42get a good look at it while it was still
7:48:44alive. Middle-aged female frost giant, a
7:48:47full head taller than a commander ranked
7:48:49giant.
7:48:51She was fast. Stupidly fast. And even
7:48:53with a commander rank agility buff, she
7:48:56was nearly faster than I was. Stronger
7:48:59than a commander with two giant strength
7:49:01items on as well. She spoke common and
7:49:04understood combat tactics as well as
7:49:06common battle traps intended to put her
7:49:08off balance.
7:49:10still vulnerable to fire, but able to
7:49:12take an immense amount of pain from
7:49:14poison attacks with no noticeable
7:49:16decrease in combat efficiency until fire
7:49:18attacks began to damage her back and
7:49:20shoulder muscles. Carl explained.
7:49:24She spoke human common. What did she
7:49:27say? Axel asked. Carl took a second to
7:49:31sort through the fuzzy memories for
7:49:32exactly what she said. He couldn't get
7:49:35it, but Remy filled him in with the
7:49:37details.
7:49:38She said, "Look what I have caught."
7:49:41Stupid humans then told me that she
7:49:43would enjoy eating me after I landed the
7:49:45first blow. The prince nodded. That much
7:49:49was expected of the giants and not
7:49:51enlightening or shocking, even if it was
7:49:53uncommon for them to bother to learn
7:49:55human language. "All right, I just need
7:49:59a basic overview of the battle." "Who
7:50:01was where?" Axel asked. Carl gestured to
7:50:05Doug as he hadn't actually seen the
7:50:07battle.
7:50:08He was too busy. Carl was lured off to
7:50:11fight the royal giant while I was in the
7:50:13wagon with Dana and Tori. Tessa was
7:50:16mounted on Thor at the front of the
7:50:18wagon with Harry and Bob on either side.
7:50:21The stone golems started at the back
7:50:23with Oilia and then spread to Harry's
7:50:25side when he was injured. The spider
7:50:28golems that Ray makes attack from behind
7:50:30at first while she guarded the top of
7:50:32the wagon. Hawk was on scout duty above.
7:50:35And I think that's everyone.
7:50:37Axel was briefly confused as he counted
7:50:40the number of combatants.
7:50:42Hawk, Ray, and Thor are beasts belonging
7:50:44to Carl. Commander rank magical beasts.
7:50:49Doug explained.
7:50:51Ah, I see now. All right. How many frost
7:50:55giants were there? Doug counted in his
7:50:57head for a moment. 30 commander rank
7:51:00frost giants plus their leader. Everyone
7:51:03in the tent fell silent at that
7:51:05announcement.
7:51:07Not the 10 that were reported, but 30
7:51:09commander rank frost giants and a royal
7:51:11rank leader. And you returned with one
7:51:14half casualty. They just might give you
7:51:16all accommodation for that, Prince Axel
7:51:20declared. Carl hadn't realized that
7:51:22there were so many, and it was a miracle
7:51:24that anybody had made it through, even
7:51:26with multiple healers. The first group
7:51:29was twice their size, and they had been
7:51:31massacred.
7:51:33But there also might have been even more
7:51:35frost giants before that fight. One of
7:51:38the officers from the back stepped
7:51:39forward with a frown. Not to question
7:51:42the integrity of a high priest, but how
7:51:44is that possible? If one of the
7:51:47commanders was fighting the leader solo,
7:51:49and the other was on defense, protecting
7:51:51the wagon, how did you manage to kill 30
7:51:53commander rank frost giants while
7:51:55surrounded? Doug sighed and had Carl
7:51:58light him another smoke. partially the
7:52:00berserker Oilia who lives up to the
7:52:03reputation of the bear totem clan and
7:52:05did a massive amount of damage with the
7:52:07war goddess blessing on her weapons but
7:52:09mostly it was our ability to hold them
7:52:11off while the spider golem summoned by
7:52:12Carl's bloodbath spider tore them apart
7:52:15and the dragon hawk set them on fire
7:52:18both of them have combat power well
7:52:19beyond what you expect of the average
7:52:21commander rank monster and no matter how
7:52:23many times you kill a golem if you don't
7:52:26take out the source they don't stop
7:52:27coming the frost Giants thought that
7:52:30both mages were summoning the golems,
7:52:32but it was one and the spider.
7:52:35So, they targeted the mages first before
7:52:37deciding that the second set of golems
7:52:39belonged to the one fighting the leader.
7:52:42They weren't speaking common, but some
7:52:44hand gestures are universal to all
7:52:46humanoids.
7:52:47Drake looked curious, and the ascended
7:52:50rank warriors and golems were able to
7:52:52stand up to the attacks of the frost
7:52:54giants long enough for the commander
7:52:56rank golems to eliminate them. Doug
7:52:58gestured at Carl and Thor brought up
7:53:01refreshing lightning over the cleric.
7:53:04This is refreshing lightning, the
7:53:06lightning ser's primary defensive
7:53:08barrier. Thor can spread it to the
7:53:10entire group and between that and circle
7:53:13of protection at commander rank, the
7:53:16incoming damage was low enough that we
7:53:18could hold, he explained, then motioned
7:53:21for Thor to lower the barrier so he
7:53:22could smoke. Overlord Drake silenced a
7:53:26round of incoming questions from the
7:53:27other officers.
7:53:29Is it possible that some of you might
7:53:31have advanced since you were sent to the
7:53:32battlefield? Bob shrugged.
7:53:36Not me, but I suppose that it's possible
7:53:38one of the clerics might have. The
7:53:40others are all still too new to their
7:53:42advancement, so it seems unlikely that
7:53:44they would have achieved the next rank.
7:53:47Drake was looking more at Carl than
7:53:48anyone else. Carl shook his head. No.
7:53:53While my class is an oddity and I might
7:53:55count as more than one commander, I am
7:53:57not at the royal rank. Not even close. I
7:54:01was told that when I get close, I will
7:54:03feel the bottleneck in my mental spaces
7:54:05where I will have to adjust my
7:54:07technique, and they still have a long
7:54:08way to go before that. The others
7:54:11nodded, but Tessa shrugged. I have
7:54:14gained some favor from the war goddess
7:54:16for my work, but I'm not certain if it
7:54:18is enough to qualify. Drake nodded. All
7:54:22right, I will put it in my notes.
7:54:24Intervention by the war goddess should
7:54:26quiet any calls for a verification
7:54:28mission, but someone will likely use a
7:54:30truth spell on you to verify. One of the
7:54:33officers snorted in laughter and held up
7:54:36a green disc. They had already verified
7:54:39Doug's words as truth. Prince Axel
7:54:42looked excited. Do you think we have a
7:54:44new high priestess of the red dragon
7:54:46coming soon? Tessa, have you noticed any
7:54:49new draconic features? I would like to
7:54:52know what you have been up to that would
7:54:54have attracted so much of her attention
7:54:55to you. The war goddess has seemed
7:54:57rather uninterested in this battlefront.
7:55:00Doug burst into laughter and nearly
7:55:02dropped his smoke before Oilia stole it
7:55:04from him and smirked at the officers as
7:55:06she took a drag. Who do you think that
7:55:08the war goddess likes better than murder
7:55:10hobos on a battlefield? We have been
7:55:13halfway down the border since we
7:55:15arrived. And our total kill count has to
7:55:17be over a thousand by now. The muscular
7:55:20brunette laughed, then frowned as Doug
7:55:22stole his smoke back and thumped her on
7:55:24the head. Overlord Drake made a gesture
7:55:27to the officers behind him, and someone
7:55:29brought forward a large red folder.
7:55:32Inside were typed transcripts that
7:55:34looked like copies of radio
7:55:35transmissions along with mission reports
7:55:37and the usual paperwork that went with
7:55:39most missions.
7:55:41Carl wasn't certain why the folder was
7:55:43red, but he was still having issues
7:55:45thinking clearly and it didn't really
7:55:47matter as Drake was skimming through the
7:55:49contents, so it was all within his
7:55:51security clearance. "What is this?"
7:55:54"This string of tripledigit kill
7:55:56counts." "I'm assuming that is for the
7:55:58combined group," Drake asked, and the
7:56:01officer shrugged. Tessa snapped her
7:56:04fingers. "I know what you're reading.
7:56:08Those days we went hunting reinforcement
7:56:10groups and split the kill count between
7:56:12the two groups so that we didn't have to
7:56:14file paperwork for a combined elite
7:56:15recon force. So it's not just the same
7:56:19number. Miss reported your groups killed
7:56:22the total of the two numbers that day.
7:56:25Overlord Drake replied
7:56:27exactly. We didn't want to mess with the
7:56:30total as that would change the
7:56:32expectations of the main lines. So we
7:56:34split the kills between us when
7:56:35reporting. The officer held up his green
7:56:38disc again. And Drake shook his head in
7:56:41dismay. And they call the overlords the
7:56:43monsters among the elites. Is one of you
7:56:46perhaps auditioning for a position with
7:56:48the black dragon, goddess of death? Doug
7:56:51shook his head. No, we're keeping things
7:56:54balanced. We rescued a town full of
7:56:57refugees, too. If you check a few more
7:56:59pages in, we're a bit behind on the good
7:57:02works, but helping reset the climate
7:57:04back to normal has to count for a few
7:57:06balance points. It's just that they were
7:57:09sending awakened groups with an ascended
7:57:10leader. And we have a commander ranked
7:57:12bloodbath spider who summons golems and
7:57:14a dragon hawk with a pure hatred for all
7:57:17things water and ice element. The
7:57:19reinforcement groups died so fast that
7:57:22sometimes the rest of us wouldn't even
7:57:23get to fight. One of the officers
7:57:26chuckled. What's next? Stacking so many
7:57:30giant corpses that you create a beacon
7:57:32fire that can be seen from two valleys
7:57:34away. Carl's mouth was moving before his
7:57:37brain realized what was happening.
7:57:39That's in the records for sector G4 C.
7:57:43We already did that. Doug choked on his
7:57:46coffee, then did his best to return his
7:57:48expression back to neutral. So it is.
7:57:52But they didn't actually see it from two
7:57:54valleys away, only one. Drake informed
7:57:57him when he found the file. Murder hobo.
7:58:01Lotus mouthed in Carl's direction with
7:58:03her back to the officers.
7:58:06You should have seen how sad Remy was
7:58:08when she learned that they wouldn't
7:58:09appreciate our nice warm bonfire.
7:58:12I almost felt bad about setting it. Carl
7:58:15whispered back, possibly louder than
7:58:17intended, as a few of the officers gave
7:58:19him amused looks. You're taking this
7:58:22exceptionally well for a novice elite.
7:58:25Prince Axel noted, looking at Carl. Doug
7:58:28shook his head. He's got a major
7:58:31concussion.
7:58:32Nothing has actually sunk into his mind
7:58:34yet, and probably won't until he has a
7:58:37few days to unwind and return to
7:58:39reality. The prince sighed. I suppose
7:58:42that makes sense. Everyone else but Doug
7:58:46looks some level of traumatized, so I
7:58:48thought he might have some skill that
7:58:49helps with processing and
7:58:50compartmentalizing traumatic
7:58:52experiences.
7:58:54A high priest in white robes cleared his
7:58:56throat from the doorway, and Overlord
7:58:58Drake nodded. "We will wait until you're
7:59:00done eating, and then you are all being
7:59:02evacuated back to the capital for
7:59:04medical assessment and recovery. For
7:59:07those of you who are still in school,
7:59:09your personal tutors will be there when
7:59:11you get there." Carl was not looking
7:59:13forward to a helicopter ride with the
7:59:15condition that his head was in, but it
7:59:17seemed inevitable. It would take days to
7:59:20get there down the gravel roads in a
7:59:22bus.
7:59:23How is their recovery prognosis?
7:59:26Overlord Drake asked. 90 days to full
7:59:29recovery. The white robed high priest
7:59:32explained.
7:59:34That long. We were hoping to get them
7:59:36back in a combat position once the
7:59:38healing was finished. The overlord
7:59:41sighed. The high priest frowned. If it's
7:59:45an emergency deployment, then 14 days.
7:59:48But surely we don't need them back on
7:59:50the line that desperately. The frost
7:59:53giants have been devastated by dragons,
7:59:55and this line has almost gone calm over
7:59:57the last few days. Unless they come up
8:00:00with something new tactic or weapon,
8:00:02then we can spare two teams of elites.
8:00:05Overlord Drake rolled his eyes. Do you
8:00:08think I care about a bunch of ascended
8:00:10rank frost giants?
8:00:12No, we still need more people on the
8:00:14hill giant lines while I am with the
8:00:16other overlords keeping the mountain
8:00:18giants at bay. The hill giants are all
8:00:21worked up for no good reason and they've
8:00:23been hitting everywhere along the
8:00:24border. Unlike the frost giants, they
8:00:27don't need to change anything to move
8:00:29their border and they're stronger.
8:00:32So, if this combined team can reliably
8:00:34take care of teams made mostly of
8:00:36commander ranked giants, then we need
8:00:38them on the other fronts. Carl sighed
8:00:41and Prince Axel smirked. You shouldn't
8:00:44have told them that. I know that sigh.
8:00:47It means I foresee complications that
8:00:49might stretch that maximum recovery
8:00:51duration in my future. Dot. As if they
8:00:54had practiced it, the whole group turned
8:00:56to Carl with looks of clearly fake
8:00:58concern. That poor severed arm and the
8:01:01lingering head injury. Certainly we
8:01:03won't be able to deploy so soon. Lotus
8:01:06joked. Now it was Prince Axel's turn to
8:01:10sigh in frustration.
8:01:12All right, enough of that. You're not
8:01:14even trying to fake it properly. But the
8:01:17next time, you shouldn't be in a
8:01:19scouting role. You will be in a main
8:01:21camp where it's safer and you will have
8:01:23support to deal with larger attacks.
8:01:25Carl couldn't help but smile at the sour
8:01:28looks on everyone's faces.
8:01:30No offense, Prince Axel, but it's likely
8:01:33safer for us not to be on the front
8:01:35lines with the rest of the elites. I
8:01:37have heard on good authority that that's
8:01:39where the monsters attack. If we're in
8:01:42the field, we get to be on the offense.
8:01:44And with one notable exception where we
8:01:46were outsmarted by a bunch of angry
8:01:48popsicles, it's been working out well
8:01:50for us. Carl explained.
8:01:53Angry popsicles. I like that one. Hawk
8:01:57laughed. The church worked fast. Or
8:02:00perhaps their timing was simply
8:02:01impeccable, as that was the moment when
8:02:03the clerics came in to inform everyone
8:02:05that the evacuation helicopter for the
8:02:07wounded elites was landing and that it
8:02:09was intending to return to the capital
8:02:11as quickly as possible. "Where in the
8:02:13capital will it be landing?" Overlord
8:02:16Drake asked the university's wounded
8:02:19veteran treatment hospital. The cleric
8:02:22responded immediately.
8:02:24That was likely one of the many
8:02:25facilities that were actually connected
8:02:27to the university and cathedral but
8:02:29hidden in the woods to preserve the
8:02:31feeling of natural surroundings.
8:02:34All right, we will come with you. We
8:02:36would like to be present for the
8:02:38official diagnosis from the resident
8:02:39experts, Prince Axel declared. Did we do
8:02:44something to piss off Colonel Valerie?
8:02:46Carl muttered to himself, making the
8:02:48prince and overlord both laugh.
8:02:51Probably.
8:02:52Goddess knows I likely did, but that's
8:02:55just how she is. But we were tasked to
8:02:58ensure that the students were safe and
8:02:59to impress upon the church that we can't
8:03:01afford any lingering damage that will
8:03:03hinder their growth. We had to be on
8:03:06this front for an inspection anyhow, so
8:03:08it was no big thing. Prince Axel
8:03:10remarked quietly. So that's how it is. I
8:03:15don't think that we have much to worry
8:03:16about.
8:03:18My arm might be mostly useless right
8:03:20now, but it will almost certainly
8:03:21recover in a reasonable time frame, Carl
8:03:25replied.
8:03:26Axel smiled and gestured toward the
8:03:28door. It's that almost that the brass
8:03:31finds unacceptable.
8:03:33Now, I suppose we should be leaving as
8:03:35the church specifically made space for
8:03:37everyone in the evacuation flight. That
8:03:40made sense to Carl, especially when they
8:03:42had started with the speculation that
8:03:44one of the others might have made it to
8:03:45commander rank. The church did almost
8:03:48all the testing once you were out of the
8:03:50academy, and two of the most likely
8:03:52candidates were Tessa and Lotus. The
8:03:55thought of Lotus, the tiny wild child of
8:03:57a nature cleric as a high priestess,
8:03:59brought a smile to Carl's face, which
8:04:01drew the attention of the others.
8:04:04Something amusing about an evacuation
8:04:06flight. Harry asked. Carl shook his
8:04:10head. No, I was thinking that they
8:04:13likely expedited it, hoping that one of
8:04:15their own had reached commander rank.
8:04:18Now, it might be Tessa, but can you
8:04:20imagine Lotus as a high priestess?
8:04:23I mean, nature priestesses are known for
8:04:25being a little out there, but Lotus in
8:04:27charge of stuff that involves sitting in
8:04:29paperwork.
8:04:30Lotus gasped in horror, and Doug
8:04:32laughed. There are at least 50 pages of
8:04:35reports to write after you officially
8:04:37advance.
8:04:38You should mentally prepare yourself,
8:04:40little one, the high priest teased his
8:04:43counterpart. And how long did it take
8:04:46you to do them? Tessa asked. Doug
8:04:49shrugged. I got through the first
8:04:52assignment that day, and I'll get them
8:04:54the rest of it later. Meaning that he
8:04:56still hadn't done it, even months after
8:04:58the advancement test was completed.
8:05:01Either the paperwork wasn't all that
8:05:03important, or the church just gave up on
8:05:05the nature priests and let it slide.
8:05:08Carl had thought that they were going to
8:05:09force him to be responsible for at least
8:05:11a whole week before letting him escape
8:05:13again. Once they were loaded, the
8:05:15helicopter began to spin up the rotors
8:05:18and Carl's head began to pound in time
8:05:20with the thumping of the air. Here, take
8:05:23one of these. It will help with the
8:05:25headache. Head injuries are tricky since
8:05:28so much healing magic depends on what
8:05:30the body thinks is its proper state. It
8:05:33knows what a healed arm should be like,
8:05:35but when the brain is injured, it gets
8:05:37confused. One of the clerics explained
8:05:40as he handed Carl a small white pill.
8:05:43Carl swallowed the medicine and
8:05:45immediately his headache began to fade
8:05:46as his whole body became numb.
8:05:49Fortunately for him, the ride ended long
8:05:51before the pill wore off, and before he
8:05:54knew it, Carl had his arm around Dana,
8:05:56leading the group into the hospital
8:05:58while she grumbled about it being a
8:05:59waste of time as she wasn't injured.
8:06:02Physical wounds aren't the only thing
8:06:03that we treat here. One of the clerics
8:06:06informed her with a gentle smile. Lotus
8:06:09pulled Dana out from under Carl's arm
8:06:11with a smile and gave her a spin. Relax.
8:06:15I've been here before. It's good to get
8:06:18things off your chest, and they have the
8:06:20good food as long as you're not sick.
8:06:23Dana smiled softly.
8:06:25Is it common for nature priestesses to
8:06:27be sent for mental health evaluations?
8:06:30Lotus nodded happily. All the time
8:06:33before we are confirmed as followers of
8:06:35the green dragon or one of the other
8:06:37nature gods.
8:06:39People usually think that we're crazy or
8:06:40scatterbrained when we're really just
8:06:42bored or stoned. Tai muttered. That's a
8:06:47definite possibility.
8:06:49The others tell me that I don't need
8:06:51drugs, though. I'm fun enough without
8:06:54them. Speaking of which, once we are
8:06:57settled in for the night, can we get
8:06:59Carl to let Ray out again? I want to
8:07:02swing in a hammock. Lotus agreed. The
8:07:06cleric in front of them in his doctor's
8:07:07robes gave her a concerned look while
8:07:09the group laughed. Carl gestured to her
8:07:12bag. You know there is a hammock in
8:07:15there. You can just hang it up in your
8:07:17room if Ry isn't around to make you a
8:07:19custom one. Oh, right. I forgot that
8:07:23there was one in here.
8:07:25We haven't had a chance to use them in a
8:07:27while since we've been in the same spot
8:07:28with new ones made for us. The doctor
8:07:31pinched the bridge of his nose and
8:07:33closed his eyes to take a deep breath
8:07:35before dealing with them again. I would
8:07:38ask if this was new behavior, but it
8:07:40clearly isn't. Are there any other
8:07:42oddballs in the group that I should know
8:07:44about? He finally asked. Other than the
8:07:48werebear totem berserker who gets super
8:07:50growly if you tickle her, the guy who
8:07:52talks to his pet monsters, the war
8:07:54priestess who treats a lightning sero as
8:07:56a pet, and Doug. Not really, Lotus
8:08:00replied happily. Harry and Tai gave each
8:08:03other knowing smiles while Bob smirked
8:08:06at Doug. See, brother, I am the normal
8:08:10one. The warrior laughed. Lotus shook
8:08:14her head. That honor definitely goes to
8:08:17someone else in your family, but you
8:08:19don't really qualify as an oddball. Doug
8:08:22gave Lotus a high five while the doctor
8:08:25shook his head. You know what? I'm
8:08:28bringing in a specialist team for this.
8:08:30I'm not doing this on a Monday. He
8:08:33muttered as he tapped a button on the
8:08:35wall by a door. It seemed to be some
8:08:38sort of pager, and after a second, for
8:08:40aging hippies came jogging down the hall
8:08:42as if there were some type of emergency.
8:08:45You paged?" The first one to them asked,
8:08:49panting a little from the exertion.
8:08:51"They're all yours. I am clocking out."
8:08:55The first doctor informed them while the
8:08:57four confused nature priests looked at
8:08:59the group. Carl saw the moment that the
8:09:02realization hit them that the first guy
8:09:04just wasn't up to dealing with the
8:09:06shenanigans of a green robed high priest
8:09:08and his friends, and they spread their
8:09:09arms in a welcoming gesture, indicating
8:09:11that the group should come forward.
8:09:14All right, we have your notes from the
8:09:16flight. Who is Commander Carl? The one
8:09:19who? No, that can't be right. It says
8:09:23here, "You were punched in the face by a
8:09:25frost giant." One of the clerics in the
8:09:28back asked. Lotus shook her head.
8:09:31Technically, she punched him in the
8:09:33chest and his head hit a tree when he
8:09:35was finished flying. The initial
8:09:38diagnosis was a concussion.
8:09:40All right. Was that before or after he
8:09:42lost the arm? The doctor asked,
8:09:45directing it at Lotus as the first
8:09:47responder on the scene. After, but not
8:09:50long after. The fight was over when I
8:09:53got there, but it couldn't have been
8:09:55more than 30 seconds apart. I did my
8:09:58best to put the arm properly in place,
8:10:00and he's got motion in the fingers, but
8:10:02they're still weakened and not
8:10:03responding properly, she explained. The
8:10:07man with the most prodigious of the
8:10:09beards among the group nodded in
8:10:10understanding and cast some sort of
8:10:12spell over Carl. That's an easy fix.
8:10:16It's just nerve damage and we can fix
8:10:18that as we deal with the head injury. It
8:10:21would sort itself out in a few weeks of
8:10:23treatment anyhow. The bearded doctor
8:10:26agreed. Why does nobody have name tags?
8:10:30Carl asked Doug, who was standing beside
8:10:32him. So that we can't yell at them by
8:10:35name. It helps keep things impersonal.
8:10:39Once we're settled in and they know that
8:10:41we're not in the middle of battle rage
8:10:43or psychosis, they will usually
8:10:45introduce themselves.
8:10:47But these are Dale, Jerry, John, and
8:10:49Skittles. Doug replied. The bearded man
8:10:54burst into laughter. High priest Xander
8:10:57Moon Beam Rainbow. Dr. Xander to most,
8:11:00but this impertinent wel made up a
8:11:02nickname for me when he was still one of
8:11:03my more promising students.
8:11:06he explained.
8:11:08Well, that was an unfortunate name.
8:11:11Perhaps his parents were nature priests
8:11:12as well. They walked down a hallway and
8:11:16found high priest George as well as a
8:11:18number of other injured clerics sitting
8:11:20around a radio listening to a broadcast
8:11:22of the capital's latest idol singer, an
8:11:24ascended rank bard class elite known
8:11:26only as Sue. She sang in an upbeat pop
8:11:30rock style, and the clerics
8:11:31[clears throat] were enthralled even
8:11:33through the radio. In person, the bards
8:11:36could draw the whole crowd in with their
8:11:38magic, and she had an astonishing voice
8:11:40that was helping the wounded recover if
8:11:42their smiles were anything to go by.
8:11:44Carl smiled at George and patted him on
8:11:47the shoulder as they passed, and the
8:11:49high priest smiled back from his
8:11:50wheelchair. He had loose hospitalisssue
8:11:53pajama pants on, but it would be some
8:11:55time for his legs to grow back. As they
8:11:58walked, the group members were taken
8:12:00away one by one, escorted into various
8:12:03rooms.
8:12:04Most of them would be in and out quickly
8:12:06enough, but Carl knew that he would be
8:12:08there for at least a few days while they
8:12:10sorted out whatever was still going on
8:12:11with his head. Eventually, Doug was the
8:12:15last one with him, and Dr. Xander turned
8:12:17him by the shoulders into an examination
8:12:19room while two aging high priests in the
8:12:21white robes of the main faith under
8:12:23their coats escorted Carl into the room
8:12:25across the hall. All right, we will
8:12:28start with the physical injuries and
8:12:29then we will ask you a few questions
8:12:31about your time in battle. It can do
8:12:34strange things to people and it's as
8:12:36much for our peace of mind as your own.
8:12:38Keeping things bottled up isn't healthy
8:12:41after all. Now, this is going to feel
8:12:44bright, but it's actually in your head
8:12:45and not a physical light, the doctor
8:12:48explained.
8:12:50He wasn't joking. It was like the whole
8:12:52world went gold. But underneath the
8:12:54light, he could sense something paying
8:12:56attention to him. I told you that mental
8:12:58fortitude was an important skill, didn't
8:13:01I? The voice asked. I can't argue with
8:13:05that. At this point, I feel like I
8:13:07should be freaking out and breaking
8:13:09down. In fact, it doesn't make sense
8:13:12that I'm not, but like it's in the back
8:13:15of my head, you know? Carl replied, used
8:13:18to the sensation of mental communication
8:13:20from interacting with the beasts. Carl
8:13:23sensed multiple sources of amusement.
8:13:25And then the sensation faded with one
8:13:27last bit of wisdom. Even the smallest
8:13:30beast knows when to run and when to
8:13:32fight. Don't forget that. The light
8:13:36faded not long after the voice did, and
8:13:38Carl opened his eyes again. He was
8:13:41staring at two very concerned doctors,
8:13:43but he didn't recall any pain or
8:13:45anything other than the voice and the
8:13:46light. "That wasn't as bad as expected."
8:13:50"Bright lights have been my nemesis all
8:13:52day," Carl explained. "What do you
8:13:56remember?" the doctor asked. There was a
8:13:59voice in my mind, the same as when my
8:14:01beasts speak to me, but not one of them.
8:14:04It made a joke about one of my class
8:14:06skills and then reminded me that every
8:14:08animal should know when to run away.
8:14:11Carl shrugged. That's all the doctor
8:14:15asked. I mean, yeah. What were you
8:14:19expecting? The doctor frowned. You were
8:14:23surrounded by golden light for over 2
8:14:25hours. We expected a longer timeline.
8:14:29Now it was Carl's turn to frown. Thanks
8:14:32to Ray's shared echolocation, he had a
8:14:34fairly good sense of what was going on
8:14:36around him. Even with his eyes closed,
8:14:38he should have noticed if hours had
8:14:40passed. Losing situational awareness was
8:14:43more concerning than anything else.
8:14:45"What happened while I was out?" Carl
8:14:48asked the beasts. The only one who had
8:14:51been awake was Remy, and she was as
8:14:53confused as he was. "What do you mean? I
8:14:57didn't even have an opportunity to fix
8:14:59the eyes on this new totem. And then you
8:15:01were done with your thing, she asked,
8:15:04unsure what the doctors were talking
8:15:05about. Are you trying to remember
8:15:08something? The doctor asked.
8:15:11Oh, sorry. I was conferring with the
8:15:14beasts. But their sense of time is the
8:15:17same as mine, and they think it has only
8:15:19been a minute or two since we arrived in
8:15:21the room. Have you conferred with
8:15:23someone outside to see if it were you
8:15:25whose sense of time was warped? Carl
8:15:28replied. The doctor pointed at a side
8:15:31table with a pair of empty plates and
8:15:33coffee cups. Point taken. If everyone
8:15:37else had ours, then it had to be me. But
8:15:40on the bright side, my head feels
8:15:42wonderful again. Carl informed them.
8:15:46Well, we will continue our checks and
8:15:48verify that the damage from the
8:15:49concussion is healing properly. But the
8:15:52reaction of your pupils is back to
8:15:54normal as the light in the room adjusts.
8:15:56And that's a good start. Carl knew what
8:15:59they meant. He had seen minors with head
8:16:01injuries before after the many minor
8:16:03collapses. And they always had one huge
8:16:05pupil and one tiny when the lights got
8:16:07bright again. All right. Now for the
8:16:10part that's going to be much more
8:16:11difficult. We would like to talk to you
8:16:14about your time behind enemy lines.
8:16:17What was that like being cut off from
8:16:19support alone with only a few strangers?
8:16:22The doctor asked. Carl laughed. My team
8:16:27aren't strangers.
8:16:28We might not be family, but we've been
8:16:30through a lot together, and this was not
8:16:32our first mission together. In fact,
8:16:35even the McKenzie brothers are familiar
8:16:37faces, as I have worked with them
8:16:39recently as well. Being behind enemy
8:16:42lines was partially our choice. We
8:16:45wanted to be away from the main lines
8:16:47where we could start fights on our own
8:16:48terms, not wait for the frost giants to
8:16:51charge and then respond. But when the
8:16:54lines were pulled back the first time,
8:16:56we were guarding a spot along the
8:16:57border. We would have had to go through
8:17:00the enemy lines to get back to our side.
8:17:02But as I mentioned, we didn't really
8:17:04want to be involved in that [ __ ] show
8:17:05anyhow.
8:17:07So, we set up a nice den in a cave and
8:17:10went out daily to hunt the frost giants
8:17:12and their allies. a den?" the doctor
8:17:16asked, taking notes. "That's really the
8:17:19best way to describe it. We didn't make
8:17:21physical upgrades to the caves we stayed
8:17:23in to call it a fort. We just had Ray,
8:17:26my blood bath spider, create hammocks, a
8:17:29proper door, and such." Then the clerics
8:17:32added the residential touches, setting
8:17:34up proper tables with nature magic,
8:17:36while I used fire magic to keep the
8:17:38caves warm. All in all, it wasn't all
8:17:41that bad. Do you know how many nights I
8:17:44slept in the cold in the lithium mine
8:17:46village because we couldn't afford more
8:17:47coal for the stove than we needed for
8:17:49cooking? Having fire magic to keep a
8:17:52cave warm all night is pure luxury. The
8:17:55doctor gave him a gentle smile. Do you
8:17:58resent the lithium mines? Carl shook his
8:18:01head. They suck, but the job of a minor
8:18:04will probably never be a good one. I
8:18:07have transferred money home for my
8:18:09parents, but I heard that the day I made
8:18:10a send it, they promoted dad up out of
8:18:12the hole anyhow, so he's in the office
8:18:14and doing better. Any other siblings?
8:18:18Carl shook his head. My mom wasn't big
8:18:21on children. She liked me, but she
8:18:24wasn't the sort that wanted to raise an
8:18:26entire football team on her own. The
8:18:29priest chuckled. It sounds like you know
8:18:32a few of those. There are always a few
8:18:34families like that in any town, right? I
8:18:38heard from some of the other students
8:18:39that the farms are way worse as they
8:18:42need the extra hands, but more hands
8:18:44means they need even more help, which
8:18:46leads to more kids until they have a
8:18:48small army on the farm. Carl laughed.
8:18:52That made the cleric give an honest
8:18:53laugh. I grew up on one of those farms.
8:18:57tenth of what are now 14 children and
8:19:00most of my siblings already have at
8:19:02least five of their own. I showed an
8:19:04exceptional affinity to holy magic even
8:19:06as a small child. And when I managed to
8:19:09actually cast a healing spell at 16
8:19:11years old, they brought me to the church
8:19:13for training. Then you understand
8:19:16not everyone wants all the family. As
8:19:19the nature priests would say, some
8:19:21people relate better to the war bear and
8:19:23her lone cub than the earth mouse and
8:19:25their litters. The cleric made notes as
8:19:28they talked, and when he had finished
8:19:29with his list of questions, he stood
8:19:31from his chair and nodded in
8:19:33satisfaction.
8:19:35Let's get you moved to a recovery room
8:19:37so that your head can recover. As far as
8:19:39I can tell, that is the most pressing
8:19:42issue. The rest is all incidental, and
8:19:45it should sort itself out with only a
8:19:46few more sessions, he declared.
8:19:50Well, that's all that we can really ask
8:19:52for, right? But can I ask a favor? Our
8:19:5610th group member, Tori, underwent a
8:19:58resurrection ritual, and she should be
8:20:00showing up somewhere soon. Could you
8:20:03please let me know when she is found?
8:20:05"I'd like to do something for her,
8:20:07regardless of whether they're going to
8:20:08see if she's compatible with the
8:20:10injection again in her new body or not,"
8:20:13Carl asked. "Of course. The church is
8:20:17keeping an eye out for her along with a
8:20:19number of others. The hill giant warf
8:20:22frontont has been brutal lately and they
8:20:24have resurrected a number of elites.
8:20:26It's a common enough request, so I will
8:20:29put it on your notes and when there is
8:20:30news, someone will come to inform you.
8:20:34But you should really rest first.
8:20:36Nothing is better for healing than time
8:20:38and we will have a specialist come to
8:20:40check on you in the morning. The doctor
8:20:42informed him with a smile. Wonderful.
8:20:46Where are we all staying? We all
8:20:50commander, this is a hospital and you
8:20:52are a patient. You will be in a recovery
8:20:55room while the others will be in their
8:20:57own rooms, though you will likely all be
8:20:59in the same ward as you came in for the
8:21:01same evaluation.
8:21:03He chuckled. Carl laughed. You make it
8:21:07sound like I'm some sort of invalid. The
8:21:10doctor looked from his arm, which was
8:21:12still in a sling, to his head, which
8:21:14still had a visibly healing scar on one
8:21:16side.
8:21:17All right, point taken. Where is this
8:21:20room? The doctor gave a sigh that spoke
8:21:23of release tension and left Carl with
8:21:25even more questions.
8:21:27Why was he so uptight? They had just
8:21:30finished the meeting about his
8:21:31experiences, and Carl didn't think that
8:21:34it had gone that badly. The man
8:21:36shouldn't have a good reason to be so
8:21:38nervous. The room that he led Carl to
8:21:41had three other elites already there,
8:21:43all awakened and all sporting visibly
8:21:45missing limbs.
8:21:47Gentlemen, we have your fourth roommate.
8:21:50Welcome Commander Carl to your little
8:21:52group. Please. He will be here for a
8:21:54bit, but not as long as you since his
8:21:57cleric managed to find and reattach his
8:21:59old limb. The doctor informed the men in
8:22:02the room. The hospital beds didn't look
8:22:05comfortable, and the room was full of
8:22:06strangers, not exactly prime sleeping
8:22:09conditions.
8:22:10Carl considered asking them to
8:22:12reconsider the arrangements, but co-ed
8:22:14naps and monster made hammocks didn't
8:22:16seem like they were a hospital approved
8:22:18activity. Hey everyone, good to meet
8:22:21you. Carl greeted the three other elites
8:22:24in his room for the evening. Dude,
8:22:27you're a freaking legend. It's an honor
8:22:30to meet you. A bearded blonde man
8:22:33missing one leg informed him. A legend?
8:22:37I just got here. Carl replied with a
8:22:40smile for the enthusiastic elite. The
8:22:43three all shook their heads and the
8:22:45blonde man continued.
8:22:47Word spreads fast here. We don't have
8:22:50anything to do but gossip. Word is that
8:22:53your team killed a royal rank frost
8:22:55giant even after being ambushed and made
8:22:57it back to tell the story. But even
8:23:00before that, we all knew who you were.
8:23:03We were on the front when your team blew
8:23:05up the frost stone and knocked out
8:23:06communications for an entire
8:23:08battlefront. Then just chilled in the
8:23:10wilderness killing giants until someone
8:23:12brought you a new radio. Carl smiled.
8:23:16What should we have done? We've been
8:23:18running away from command staff
8:23:20interrogations and paperwork since
8:23:21before the war started. We came straight
8:23:24from monster subjugation missions to the
8:23:26border when it all kicked off. And I've
8:23:28been doing my best not to be in a main
8:23:30camp overnight ever since. Their
8:23:33laughter caught the attention of the
8:23:34staff who sent a white robed acolyte
8:23:36with a nurse's hat on to yell at them.
8:23:39Only when she arrived in the room, the
8:23:41first thing that she saw was that they
8:23:43weren't arguing and that Carl was still
8:23:45in his armor. "Would you mind putting
8:23:48your gear in the locker and changing
8:23:49into a hospital gown or one of the many
8:23:52available recovery outfits?" she
8:23:54requested.
8:23:56If you try getting me into one of those
8:23:58silly paper hospital gowns, I'm putting
8:24:00it on backwards.
8:24:02Carl warned her. The white hass is fine,
8:24:05but the short-sleeved one as you have an
8:24:07arm injury that's still in a sling. Or
8:24:10you can wear the lounge pants and loose
8:24:12shirt from the lockers. They are
8:24:15acceptable as well, but there is no need
8:24:17for armor or backpacks in the hospital.
8:24:20She reminded Carl with a strained
8:24:22professional smile. Carl used his good
8:24:25arm to open one of the lockers and set
8:24:27his backpack inside, then grabbed a
8:24:29white visitor robe and looked for the
8:24:30shower. If he was going to change, he
8:24:33might as well get clean again. "Can you
8:24:36shower without assistance, or would you
8:24:38like me to call an orderly?" The nurse
8:24:41asked, "I should be fine. My arm isn't
8:24:45completely dead. I just don't have good
8:24:47control of the fingers yet."
8:24:49The doc said that once my head starts to
8:24:51heal, the fingers should sort themselves
8:24:53out. Nerve damage, according to the
8:24:56healers. Carl agreed. The nurse nodded
8:25:00and left the room, closing the door
8:25:02behind her. They're so much nicer to
8:25:05you. The man in the back left corner of
8:25:08the room side from his bed. That's
8:25:10because he's a commander and he's got
8:25:12monsters with him. They'll have the room
8:25:15under surveillance with a high priest
8:25:17down the hall since he's got a head
8:25:18injury. Head wounds are tricky like
8:25:21that. You never know when someone is
8:25:23going to snap and forget that they're in
8:25:24a hospital and not in the middle of a
8:25:26battleground. The blonde laughed. Carl
8:25:30stopped and gave the man a shocked look.
8:25:33And yet they put me in a mixed room.
8:25:36We're all warriors.
8:25:38We might not look like much right now,
8:25:40but we can take a hit or two, and there
8:25:42aren't any spare rooms right now.
8:25:45Normally, all commanders get the private
8:25:47rooms, but if you're here with us, then
8:25:49there are zero left. It's likely more
8:25:52fun here than in a solo room. Anyhow,
8:25:55they told me that they're not going to
8:25:56put the group back together in a dorm
8:25:58while we are in the hospital, so it's
8:26:00better here than bored alone. But I will
8:26:03be back in a few minutes. Once Carl was
8:26:06washed up and refreshed, he was feeling
8:26:08much more human again, but he did notice
8:26:10that there were no shaving implements in
8:26:12the bathroom, and he had forgotten to
8:26:14get his from his bag. He didn't grow a
8:26:16great beard. It was still fairly thin,
8:26:19but now that he was out of the Frost
8:26:20Giant Nation, his face was warmer than
8:26:23he would have preferred. He came back
8:26:25out in the plain white robes and watched
8:26:27as the other men traded money, clearly
8:26:30having bet on something. Did you really
8:26:32think that I wouldn't manage to change?
8:26:35My armor is bonded. Carl laughed. The
8:26:39blonde shook his head. We were betting
8:26:42that you would take out a razor and
8:26:43trigger the emergency response.
8:26:46Head trauma measures, remember? My bet
8:26:49was that you forgot it in your bag. Carl
8:26:52chuckled. That's exactly what happened.
8:26:56Now, what is there to do around here?
8:26:59Well, you can walk, so you can likely
8:27:01wander around until they yell at you or
8:27:03get the nurse to bring a book or
8:27:05meditate if that's possible with your
8:27:07head injury. Sometimes they tell you not
8:27:10to. Mostly we just sleep and sit around
8:27:13telling jokes and war stories. It helps
8:27:16pass the time. You'll see soon. Time
8:27:20passes either very fast or very slow
8:27:22here. While they talked, Thor was
8:27:25mentally measuring the room. There were
8:27:28plenty of people here to meet, but not
8:27:30enough room for him to stand between
8:27:31them. The blonde man was right.
8:27:34Hospitals really were boring. The man in
8:27:37the back corner smiled at Carl. I
8:27:40suspect that with you in the room,
8:27:41things will be much more interesting
8:27:43than the last week was. There was a huge
8:27:46fuss on the radio after you left for
8:27:48your mission when General Orland found
8:27:50out that not only had another team been
8:27:52sent, but they were missing. The other
8:27:54two glared at him for a second.
8:27:57Sorry, I didn't mean to bring up bad
8:27:59memories. Carl shrugged. It's not all
8:28:03bad. We got the target and we brought
8:28:06back a survivor. There was still one
8:28:09high priest from the first group alive
8:28:10at the ambush site. He's here in the
8:28:13hospital already. I saw him on the way
8:28:15in. Carl had just sat down on his bed to
8:28:19meditate when he felt someone casting a
8:28:20spell to calm them or possibly to put
8:28:23them all to sleep. He wasn't sure if it
8:28:26was hospital policy for this time of day
8:28:28or if they had annoyed someone with
8:28:29their joking around, but he decided to
8:28:32lay down to meditate. Anyhow, "The
8:28:34mattress was hard and uncomfortable, and
8:28:36Carl frowned as he relaxed onto it."
8:28:39"Cushy, right?" the blonde asked. "I've
8:28:44been sleeping in spider silk hammocks
8:28:45that stretch to match your body weight
8:28:47distribution.
8:28:49I don't think that a regular mattress
8:28:50will ever feel right again. Carl
8:28:53explained slowly as he felt the spell
8:28:55settle over him. The others were slowly
8:28:58drifting off and didn't seem to notice
8:29:00the spell. Either that or they were used
8:29:03to the effect and it didn't startle
8:29:05them. But Carl's mind rebelled against
8:29:07the magic, wanting to force him awake.
8:29:10So instead of sleeping, he put
8:29:12refreshing lightning back up and
8:29:14continued to meditate. For the next 6
8:29:17hours, by Carl's rough estimation, that
8:29:20worked out well, and everyone else in
8:29:22the room slept and recovered while he
8:29:24worked on rebuilding the power focus in
8:29:25the beast spaces. Then the doctors came
8:29:28in to make their rounds and cast a
8:29:30plethora of healing spells to help
8:29:32rebuild and regrow the lost limbs of the
8:29:34others. But when they got to Carl, he
8:29:37heard someone cussing and the sound of a
8:29:39wall being punched. He focused on Ray's
8:29:43version of echolocation, which didn't
8:29:45require him to open his eyes to see, and
8:29:47noticed that someone had tried to give
8:29:48him an for drip. It appeared that they
8:29:51punched the wall in frustration after
8:29:53they had burned themselves on the
8:29:55refreshing lightning barrier. "What the
8:29:58hell are we supposed to do now?" The
8:30:00order says four fluids for the next 6
8:30:02hours with an antiscychotic and then
8:30:04another 48 hours of sedation until the
8:30:07head wound heals. The burned person, an
8:30:10orderly by their outfit, whisper shouted
8:30:12at the others in the room. You're lucky
8:30:15to be alive. Did you even think to check
8:30:18for protective spells before you try to
8:30:19jab him? That one is a fresh commander
8:30:22rank battlefield trauma case. Of course,
8:30:25he will be paranoid enough to keep up
8:30:27defensive spells while he sleeps." Thor
8:30:30giggled to himself as he spread the
8:30:31barrier over the whole group again. Carl
8:30:34hesitated for a moment as he considered
8:30:36not stopping him.
8:30:38The others would likely appreciate the
8:30:40extra healing spell, but the staff
8:30:42definitely wouldn't. So, he had to say
8:30:45something. Let them rest without the
8:30:48spell until they're awake again. We
8:30:51don't need to make life harder on the
8:30:52healers. Healers are our friends. Carl
8:30:56eventually reminded the Sarah, who was
8:30:58still resting in his pond, where the
8:31:00holy magic from the stones would heal
8:31:02his leg faster than being outside with
8:31:04healing spells. The spaces were the
8:31:07perfect space to recover, and with his
8:31:09pond, he would be fine in no time at all
8:31:11if he wasn't already. Thor had no
8:31:14intention of getting up to find out. It
8:31:17was more relaxing to simply float here
8:31:19and wait for something to do. What do we
8:31:22do now? If we can't administer the
8:31:24medicine, do we just make a note or send
8:31:26someone else in? The burned person
8:31:29asked. From outside the door, someone
8:31:32laughed softly. or you could simply ask
8:31:35him to take the barrier down. He's been
8:31:38awake the entire time you distracted him
8:31:40from his meditation when you tried to
8:31:42stab him with the four needle. It was
8:31:44obvious that his sleeping act was not
8:31:46fooling whoever was outside. So Carl
8:31:49opened his eyes to see the acolytes in
8:31:50the room with one doctor while the
8:31:52doctor who had walked Carl's group in
8:31:54and turned them over to nature priests
8:31:56stood in the hall. I thought you weren't
8:31:58up to this on a Monday. Carl joked. It's
8:32:02Tuesday now. I just came back on shift
8:32:05and already your group is giving me
8:32:07headaches. The war priestess is studying
8:32:10instead of sleeping. The nature
8:32:12priestess is bored and asking for her
8:32:14imaginary friend and the mage girl had
8:32:16to be moved in with the berserker to
8:32:18keep her from breaking down. He sighed.
8:32:21I should likely go check on her then.
8:32:24Being around others helps, and I've got
8:32:26a barrier that will accelerate the
8:32:28recovery process, both mentally and
8:32:30physically. Of course, it also shocks
8:32:33people who take a stab first, ask
8:32:35questions later approach, but it's not
8:32:38really harmful,"
8:32:39Carl replied, prepared to get up out of
8:32:42bed. "You think that you can help more
8:32:44than the doctors?" the old man asked,
8:32:47amused. "Friendly faces always help. You
8:32:52do the medicine, we do the moral
8:32:53support, but I'm guessing that the
8:32:56problem is that they're in a women's
8:32:57ward. Carl questioned, "It seems that
8:33:01you do actually understand the issue. It
8:33:04is highly irregular to allow a male
8:33:06patient into a woman's room during the
8:33:08night, but it looks like your mind is
8:33:10healing smoothly, and there is a minimal
8:33:12risk of a psychotic break. You should
8:33:15get some real sleep and not just
8:33:17mediation.
8:33:18That's the whole point of the spell. But
8:33:20it appears that you have some resistance
8:33:22to mindaltering effects. The doctor
8:33:25replied. It seems so. At first, I
8:33:29thought that I was under attack, but
8:33:31nobody else was concerned about it, and
8:33:33they all just settled into bed. The
8:33:36doctor nodded. That's part of the
8:33:38compulsion of the spell. It tells you to
8:33:41get comfortable and ready for bed, and
8:33:43it suppresses nightmares so that the
8:33:45veterans can sleep more easily. It
8:33:48doesn't seem that is a problem for you,
8:33:49but many of the others are not so lucky.
8:33:52One of the acolytes gave Carl a curious
8:33:55look. How do you do it? Accept all that
8:33:59bloodshed. You've got to be younger than
8:34:01I am, and yet you're not even rattled by
8:34:03the thought of being stuck in combat
8:34:05against enormous monsters.
8:34:07Carl chuckled. That's kind of why they
8:34:10call them giants. They're large. They're
8:34:14ugly, too, and that helps. If we were
8:34:17fighting against an enemy that was cute
8:34:19or more relatable, it might be worse.
8:34:22But the frost giants are just ugly and
8:34:24mean. It's not hard to fight them. The
8:34:27older doctor who had entered with the
8:34:29acolytes nodded. Some people just have a
8:34:32punchable face. The acolytes looked a
8:34:35little horrified at the notion, but Carl
8:34:37laughed. You have no idea. There was
8:34:41this fat general with General Orland
8:34:43when we were sent on the mission. An
8:34:45absolutely obnoxious jackass.
8:34:47If Orland hadn't intervened, I would
8:34:49have happily taken him out behind the
8:34:51woodshed for a lesson. The doctor
8:34:54chuckled. I will make a note of it in
8:34:56your files. But General Orland isn't
8:34:59likely to apologize for the attitude of
8:35:01the other generals. It's a bit of an
8:35:04ongoing issue between the military and
8:35:06civilian elites lately, and the problem
8:35:08is getting worse. Carl shook his head.
8:35:12That's inevitable really. When someone
8:35:15has this level of power, it is always
8:35:17going to go to their head. Like the
8:35:20foreman at the mine lording it over the
8:35:21workers on his shift, the temptation is
8:35:24inevitable.
8:35:25But a lot of the problem is that there
8:35:27are two types of elites, and it's not
8:35:29civilians or military. It's the ones who
8:35:32embrace their class versus the ones who
8:35:34embrace the benefits that their rank
8:35:36grants them. Here in the hospital,
8:35:38everyone has to play nice and we all
8:35:41know our roles and our ranking and
8:35:43things move smoothly. But there you have
8:35:46elites who would never have the guts to
8:35:47take on the missions that they are
8:35:49assigning others to do and those who
8:35:51have done it themselves.
8:35:53Only one of those two types of elites
8:35:55gets respect in a war zone. And quite
8:35:57frankly, it would be better if they sent
8:35:59the others home before they got anyone
8:36:01killed. Orland knows what it is to
8:36:03fight. Most of the clerics know what it
8:36:06is to be on the front lines with nothing
8:36:08more than regular human soldiers and the
8:36:10grace of their gods. But when they press
8:36:13bureaucrats to do their time in some
8:36:15frontline camp, they just make a mess of
8:36:17things. One of the nurses laughed.
8:36:21They're still generals and commanders.
8:36:24Where else would you have them? Carl
8:36:26shrugged. We could put a fancy uniform
8:36:29on them and they could guard public
8:36:31buildings in the capital. It would be a
8:36:34nice show of civic virtue for the
8:36:35citizens. The nurse choked trying to
8:36:38stop her laughter and the doctor shook
8:36:40his head. We can't just be asking
8:36:43ascended and commander ranked generals
8:36:44to stand around on honor guard duty
8:36:46because they're not well suited to the
8:36:48actual battlefield.
8:36:50From behind him, one of the hippie
8:36:52nature priests laughed. We asked
8:36:54civilian ascended and commander rank
8:36:56elites to do security details and honor
8:36:58guard duty at the government buildings.
8:37:01Maybe it would do the officers some good
8:37:03to get back to their roots. What brings
8:37:05you over here? The first doctor asked
8:37:08suspiciously.
8:37:10One of my patients says that if she
8:37:12can't have the spider, she wants to at
8:37:14least pet the snake. Can I borrow your
8:37:16patient? The old hippie asked. Carl
8:37:21smiled at the old hippie. Of course, I
8:37:24will come with you. I've had plenty of
8:37:26sleep, and if I don't go visit, then we
8:37:29will have to guard against marauding
8:37:30nature priests all night. Anyhow,
8:37:33sitting still indoors isn't in their
8:37:35nature, and from what I know, she wasn't
8:37:37injured. The white robed doctor did that
8:37:40pinching the bridge of his nose thing
8:37:42again, and Carl knew that they were
8:37:43stressing him out only minutes after his
8:37:45shift had started. Carl patted him on
8:37:48the shoulder. I recommend that you just
8:37:51go with the flow. It's the nature of
8:37:53things. The harder you fight against it,
8:37:57the more problems you will cause for
8:37:58yourself. And it's not like anything you
8:38:00could do would prevent it if we were
8:38:02actually determined to make it happen.
8:38:04That's one thing that the nature priests
8:38:06have right. You need to embrace nature
8:38:09and accept that rigid rules aren't
8:38:11always the right answer for every
8:38:12patient. Just let the nature priests
8:38:15cuddle the monsters and they will be
8:38:17happy again. It's better than any
8:38:20medication you can give them. The old
8:38:22hippie snorted in laughter as he nodded
8:38:24in agreement. This one is practically
8:38:27customade for followers of the green
8:38:29dragon. Do you know how many of our
8:38:31people have been mauled or killed trying
8:38:33to pet the unpettable?
8:38:35Now he shows up with dangerous monsters
8:38:37that will actually accept their
8:38:39affection. You can't just tell them no
8:38:41all of a sudden. That was a real danger
8:38:44to the nature priest's lives. Their
8:38:47brains had a hard time accepting that
8:38:49not all friend-shaped things were
8:38:50friends. The white robed doctor waved
8:38:53Carl out of the room and he followed the
8:38:55old hippie into a large empty room that
8:38:57he thought might be an empty storage
8:38:59room. Lotus and Doug were already there
8:39:02along with a halfozen other green robed
8:39:04clerics all sitting around telling
8:39:06jokes. Carl, you're already awake. Good
8:39:11timing. I just realized that we haven't
8:39:14actually gotten to properly meet Remy
8:39:16yet, even though I saw her on the
8:39:17battlefield.
8:39:19Lotus announced, "Of course." Remy, how
8:39:23about you come out and say hello? Remy
8:39:26came out of her space to coil in Carl's
8:39:28sling and then poked her head out to
8:39:30take stock of the room before she
8:39:32decided if she was going to actually
8:39:33come out in the open. The old hippie
8:39:36that had led Carl here burst into
8:39:37laughter, shaking his head in dismay.
8:39:40It's a good thing that I led you here.
8:39:43Can you imagine the white robes reaction
8:39:45if they met her? Remy, wasn't it? They
8:39:49get panicked enough when we bring in
8:39:50cats and earth mice for comfort, but a
8:39:53venomous spirit beast. We might need the
8:39:55crash cart for them instead of the
8:39:57patients. Remy giggled in Carl's mind as
8:40:00she heard him ramble, but the little
8:40:02snake recognized that he was looking at
8:40:04her with adoration while Lotus had come
8:40:06up in front of them with a pleading look
8:40:08and her hands out. The little snake
8:40:10slithered out of the sling and wrapped
8:40:12herself around Lotus arm to take a
8:40:14better look around the room. She was
8:40:16bigger than Carl remembered, well over a
8:40:18meter long now, and beginning
8:40:20[clears throat] to get properly snake
8:40:21thick, not pencil thin as she had been
8:40:23when she was born. But if she stayed as
8:40:26a spirit snake, she would be 20 m long,
8:40:29fully grown. And if she evolved into a
8:40:31naga, she would be at least humansized
8:40:33in the torso. Carl thought [snorts] that
8:40:36if she was going to evolve, there should
8:40:38have been some signs of it by now. But
8:40:40Remy was happy as a snake, even if her
8:40:42totems were of a four armed naga shaman.
8:40:45While Lotus was leading her around the
8:40:47room, introducing Remy to all her new
8:40:49friends, more people came in to join
8:40:52them. Oilia was escorted by another
8:40:54nature priest, and a nurse escorted a
8:40:57delicate featured teen girl with a mass
8:40:59of bouncing blonde curls into the room.
8:41:02She looked to be about 13 or 14,
8:41:04possibly a freshman at the academy if
8:41:06she was an elite. But Carl didn't
8:41:08recognize her. That's them. I tell you,
8:41:12I'm not crazy. Carl, tell this crazy
8:41:16woman that I am Tori. The dainty girl
8:41:19demanded.
8:41:20Everyone went silent as they turned to
8:41:22look at her. She still smells like Tori.
8:41:26Thor agreed. Yep, it's a tiny Tori.
8:41:31Hawk added. "Can I keep her?" Ry asked,
8:41:36thinking how much fun it would be to run
8:41:37around with an even tinier human on her
8:41:39back. Lotus and Dana were only a minor
8:41:42burden for the extra firepower they
8:41:44provided. But the new Tori was 2/3 their
8:41:48size and just as stabby, or she had
8:41:51been. Ry recalled the clerics saying
8:41:54that she might not be an elite anymore.
8:41:57Yeah, that's Tori. She was ritual
8:42:00resurrected.
8:42:01The beasts confirmed it. She still
8:42:03smells like herself. Carl agreed. That
8:42:08was enough for the nature priests. If
8:42:10the family pets recognized you, then it
8:42:13didn't matter what disguise you had on.
8:42:15It was probably you. Not many disguise
8:42:18spells were powerful enough to fool the
8:42:20finely tuned senses of certain animals.
8:42:23How did you get younger? Carl asked.
8:42:27Would you believe it if I told you that
8:42:28my last thought was that I would like a
8:42:30chance to do things over again if I was
8:42:32reborn? She sighed. Carl felt the
8:42:36familiar amused presence in his mind,
8:42:38and he smiled at the annoyed mage. I
8:42:41100% believe it. With the dragon god's
8:42:44own luck protecting us, that's only a
8:42:46small thing. Between all the dragon
8:42:49scale luck charms and holy stones that
8:42:51our group carries, it's only natural
8:42:53that you got a small wish granted when
8:42:55you were resurrected.
8:42:57Carl agreed. Tori smiled and a magic
8:43:01missile orb formed in front of her. Not
8:43:04just a small wish. I kept my powers, but
8:43:08from what they tell me, I'm not an elite
8:43:10anymore, just an ascended rank mage.
8:43:13Carl shrugged.
8:43:15Semantics. Really? You could use magic
8:43:18before because of the injection. You can
8:43:20use magic now because you had it before.
8:43:23The nature priests all nodded in
8:43:25agreement. And the nurse gave Carl a
8:43:27suspicious look. You're encouraging them
8:43:30to team up on me, aren't you? There is
8:43:32no proof yet that she is who, she says.
8:43:36We need to finish the testing and
8:43:37psychological evaluation.
8:43:40The nurse insisted.
8:43:42Lotus giggled. Just annoy them until
8:43:45they stop. It worked for me. Can I trust
8:43:48you to keep her here while I talk to the
8:43:50administration?
8:43:52The nurse asked suspiciously.
8:43:54Lotus gave her a thumbs up. But the
8:43:56nurse looked at the green robed doctor.
8:43:59Of course, I will make certain that all
8:44:02the patients and visitors in the room
8:44:04remain here until someone returns for
8:44:06them. The nurse nodded and left while
8:44:09Lotus ran over to hug Tori, who recoiled
8:44:11from her, and the spirit snake on her
8:44:13arm. What the hell did you bring into a
8:44:16hospital? She demanded, and Lotus pouted
8:44:19at being rejected.
8:44:21Oh, this is Remy, Carl's fourth pet who
8:44:24doesn't like to come out in the cold.
8:44:27She's the chain lightning source. We've
8:44:30all seen her poison flame totems,
8:44:32remember? Tori's eyes lit up in
8:44:34excitement.
8:44:36Oh, you're Remy. You're beautiful.
8:44:40Sorry, I thought you were some random
8:44:42snake that the nature priests had found.
8:44:44Remy's laughter made her fangs drop and
8:44:47Tori backed up again while the nature
8:44:49priests chuckled. Carl stroked Remy's
8:44:52head. That's a laughter response.
8:44:56She might not be able to speak, but she
8:44:58understands us just fine. Ignore the
8:45:01fangs. She's not likely to bite anyone
8:45:03here. How is Thor's leg? Doug asked as
8:45:07the other priests came over to meet
8:45:09Remy, who was happily curled around
8:45:11Lotus arm. Better. It's all healed and
8:45:15while he hasn't tested it to make sure
8:45:16that it will hold weight, it seems to
8:45:18have set properly and it doesn't cause
8:45:20him pain anymore. The separate spaces
8:45:23are an optimal recovery spot for the
8:45:25beasts with everything they need to
8:45:27heal. Thor also has a pond full of holy
8:45:30stones, and that seems to help his
8:45:32healing ability. Carl explained, "A
8:45:36whole pond full of holy stones? How did
8:45:39he even manage that? You can only pick
8:45:42up one. Carl just shrugged. He scooped
8:45:46them up and dumped them at the bottom of
8:45:47his pond. There was a whole lake full of
8:45:50them on a resource gathering mission we
8:45:52accepted, and he wanted to recreate it
8:45:54in his space. I have no idea why the
8:45:57stones didn't stop him. Doug nodded
8:46:00skeptically.
8:46:02Well, at the very least, it does explain
8:46:04why he managed to learn circle of
8:46:06protection as a lightning sero. The
8:46:09influence of that much constant holy
8:46:11magic was bound to have an influence on
8:46:13him. Over the next few hours, news
8:46:16spread that Tori was here in the
8:46:18hospital, and the rest of the group came
8:46:20to the nature priest's sitting room to
8:46:22come greet her. Her memory was mostly
8:46:24intact, and there was no question that
8:46:26she was who she claimed to be. Once she
8:46:28started talking to the others, then the
8:46:31nurse came back in with a commander rank
8:46:33spellblade elder wearing the combat
8:46:35robes that Carl recognized from his time
8:46:37with Prince Corbin and the others. The
8:46:40man glanced around the room, pausing
8:46:42when Remy wiggled her head flap at him
8:46:44in greeting and then turned his gaze on
8:46:46Tori. Miss Tori, I am Elder Khalil of
8:46:50the Spellblade sect. We would like to
8:46:52invite you to finish your training with
8:46:54us. The man greeted her with a soft
8:46:57smile. Spellblade.
8:47:00I don't know anything about swords. Tori
8:47:03replied. The elder laughed. How many
8:47:07mages do? That's the point of training.
8:47:10To learn things that complement your
8:47:12abilities and close holes in the skill
8:47:14set of a mage. With the abilities of a
8:47:17spellblade, mages become an even more
8:47:19potent combat force. I can't promise
8:47:22that it will be fast or easy.
8:47:25In fact, I can't even promise that it
8:47:27will be particularly enjoyable.
8:47:29But I can promise that we look out for
8:47:31our own and you will learn what you need
8:47:33to know before your training is
8:47:34finished. Tori looked skeptical, but
8:47:37Carl thought it might be a good idea.
8:47:40She wanted a fresh start away from her
8:47:42reputation, and she didn't have one with
8:47:44the spellblades.
8:47:46Carl nodded to the elder. They do train
8:47:49the girls just as well as the boys, and
8:47:51they're well suited to the techniques. I
8:47:54duled one of their acolytes and she was
8:47:56much more impressive than most of the
8:47:58awakened elites that I have seen. The
8:48:00combination of blade and movement
8:48:02techniques along with mage spells was
8:48:04incredibly impressive.
8:48:06That calmed some of Tori's fears. And
8:48:09how are the spell blades regarded? She
8:48:12asked. We're less present here than we
8:48:15are in many of the magical nations, but
8:48:17officially we are treated the same as
8:48:19elites of the same rank. In the magical
8:48:22nations, the spellblade clans have a
8:48:24status equivalent to elite soldiers of
8:48:26their armies, and the elders are granted
8:48:28respect everywhere they go, unless it's
8:48:30the territory of a rival clan. Elder
8:48:33Khalil chuckled. The politics of the
8:48:36clans in other nations were much more
8:48:38complex, as everyone fought for
8:48:40influence among the many factions of
8:48:42magic users. But in the Golden Dragon
8:48:45Nation and the other non-magical human
8:48:47nations, the respect for their powers
8:48:49was less conditional and more linked to
8:48:51their rank. But that was a lot to
8:48:54explain to someone that he was trying to
8:48:56recruit for his clan. It wasn't often
8:48:58that they not only got the chance to
8:49:00take in someone with proven potential,
8:49:02but someone who already knew the basics
8:49:04of magic. The first few years were
8:49:07normally spent building the base of
8:49:08their magical knowledge, as without the
8:49:10divine injection, they were starting
8:49:12from zero without a cheat code, and it
8:49:14all came down to the accumulation of
8:49:16knowledge and hard work. Tori knew a
8:49:19little about the spellblade clans, but
8:49:21only as hearsay, and hadn't met any that
8:49:23were from the Golden Dragon Nation
8:49:25before. The elder did seem like a decent
8:49:28guy, though, and everyone in the room
8:49:30seemed to have a positive opinion of his
8:49:32group. What would I have to do to join
8:49:35your clan? Tori asked. We have two
8:49:39requirements.
8:49:40An oath of loyalty that you will not
8:49:42betray the secrets of the clan or its
8:49:44members. And secondly, you must give up
8:49:47your past. All our acolytes take on new
8:49:50names when they join the clan so that
8:49:52they can't be as easily tracked by those
8:49:54who might hold a grudge against their
8:49:55lineage.
8:49:57Now, I doubt that your parents have
8:49:58enemies that would challenge a
8:50:00Spellblade clan, but the rule is the
8:50:02same for mages who join from other
8:50:04nations as well," he explained, then
8:50:07straightened his long white beard with
8:50:08one hand, making him look ancient and
8:50:11wise in a stereotypical mage way. Tori
8:50:14hesitated for a few more seconds, then
8:50:17extended her hand. "I agree to your
8:50:19proposal, freewagn.com."
8:50:22The elder bowed politely to her as he
8:50:24shook her hand.
8:50:26Wonderful. I will escort you back to the
8:50:28sect complex.
8:50:30Don't forget that your name will be
8:50:32changing when you arrive. So those
8:50:34friends that you have here won't be able
8:50:35to easily look for you. We won't deny
8:50:38them if they arrive looking for you. But
8:50:40if anyone asks about your old name, we
8:50:42will deny knowing your old identity, he
8:50:45reminded her. Carl gave the now young
8:50:47mage a hug. Don't worry. If you need us,
8:50:51we're easier to find than you are. in a
8:50:54pinch. Just ask Prince Corbin to send me
8:50:56a message. We've worked together in the
8:50:59past, and he is a good man. Elder Khalil
8:51:02nodded. He actually requested for
8:51:05Commander Carl and his group to come
8:51:06fight on our battle lines during the
8:51:08war. I do wonder what you did to Rosalyn
8:51:11that made her hate you so much. She
8:51:14hates men in general, but Carl in a very
8:51:16personal and particular way. Dana and
8:51:19Lotus both laughed and gestured for Carl
8:51:22to explain.
8:51:23When we first met, she challenged me to
8:51:25a duel to prove that spellb blades were
8:51:27the superior training method. Now, I was
8:51:31ascended to her awakened, and it didn't
8:51:33end well for her. She didn't take the
8:51:35loss well. She was still quite
8:51:38professional while we were in danger,
8:51:40but I suspect that we're not going to be
8:51:42lifelong best friends," Carl explained.
8:51:46Lotus nodded. That sort of public
8:51:49humiliation won't be quickly forgotten.
8:51:51Her team was there to fight a monster
8:51:53above their rank as a training exercise,
8:51:56and Carl is definitely a monster and
8:51:58above her rank. Prince Corbin had to
8:52:01intervene to save her at the end. Carl
8:52:04gave Lotus his best innocent look.
8:52:06Monster? I am a sweet and gentle young
8:52:10man. No, that's me. Thor interjected.
8:52:15Carl couldn't even argue with that
8:52:16comeback. The elder nodded, and Tori
8:52:20gave a tearful bow to the others before
8:52:22turning to follow him. Long, tearful
8:52:24goodbyes would only make this harder
8:52:26than it had to be, and everyone was
8:52:28already waving farewell to her. I can't
8:52:31believe she was so cute as a kid. Those
8:52:34ringlets.
8:52:36Bob chuckled once the elder and Tori
8:52:38were well away from the room. Right.
8:52:41She's going to be a heartbreaker once
8:52:43she gets to the Spellblade Clan. But
8:52:46worse, she's like 6 years older than she
8:52:48looks. She will be ready to stab someone
8:52:51within a week for treating her like a
8:52:53child. Carl laughed. Bob smirked. That's
8:52:58kind of the point, isn't it? I mean,
8:53:01she's there to learn to blend blades and
8:53:03magic. She knows some magic, so making
8:53:06her better with a sword is their
8:53:08definition of success. How is your head?
8:53:12Dana asked as Carl settled into a chair
8:53:14along the wall.
8:53:16Much better. I've had the refreshing
8:53:18lightning barrier up all night and it's
8:53:20helping, but they said when I got here
8:53:22that the healing spell should have it
8:53:24sorted in a day or two. I doubt that
8:53:27they're going to release us that quickly
8:53:28and my arm is still a bit numb. My
8:53:31fingers are working as instructed now,
8:53:34which is a good start, but it will need
8:53:35a few more days to be back up to fully
8:53:37functional. How about you? You were
8:53:41pretty shaken when we arrived.
8:53:43Carl asked. Dana gave him a thin smile
8:53:47that made it plain that she was planning
8:53:48to lie to him. I'm all right. Actually,
8:53:52seeing Tori helped. At least I know that
8:53:55she's alive and well. She replied,
8:53:59"Freeweeknavvel.com."
8:54:02That second part sounded like the truth,
8:54:04but Carl didn't know what had happened
8:54:05in that wagon during the fight other
8:54:07than that it had ended badly. The first
8:54:10part was clearly a lie, and even the
8:54:12clerics that didn't know her could tell,
8:54:14judging by the sympathetic looks they
8:54:16were giving her. "Well, we're all here
8:54:18for the same reason. Have you considered
8:54:21herbal remedies?" One of the nature
8:54:24priestesses suggested,"
8:54:26Doug laughed. "I know that everyone
8:54:29thinks we're just getting high, and
8:54:30they're not really wrong, but we're not
8:54:33just getting high. It's a spell to bring
8:54:36the mind back in balance with nature."
8:54:38But do you know what would help even
8:54:40more? If we could all just nap against a
8:54:43lightning sero. Yes. Finally,
8:54:48when everyone woke up from their nap,
8:54:50they found that they had three more
8:54:51visitors to their group. Jill was
8:54:54sitting and waiting for Dana to wake up
8:54:56while Colonel Valerie was entering with
8:54:58a dark-haired young woman whose light
8:54:59chocolate skin was completely covered in
8:55:01tattoos visible through the lace sleeves
8:55:04of her floorlength black dress and all
8:55:06along her chest and neck.
8:55:08Good morning, Sleepy. I brought you your
8:55:11new adviser. I think that you two might
8:55:14already be acquainted in a way. You took
8:55:17over her old room after she graduated.
8:55:20Meet Morgana, the witch doctor, the
8:55:22newest member of the Bureau of Elite
8:55:24Development.
8:55:26Valerie greeted Carl in her business
8:55:28tone. It's honestly a pleasure to meet
8:55:31you. While I haven't been home to take
8:55:33proper care of the balcony, it has got
8:55:35to be the best room in the entire
8:55:37academy. Carl greeted her. Carl was
8:55:41going to give her a handshake, but when
8:55:43Remy came out on his shoulder to check
8:55:44out this odd woman, she pulled him into
8:55:46a hug, which put her face centimeters
8:55:49away from the snake. "She's beautiful.
8:55:52What is your name, lovely?" Morgana
8:55:55asked. "She's Remy, a shaman class Naga
8:55:59spirit snake." Carl explained.
8:56:03A shaman, you know which doctors are a
8:56:06type of shaman as well. Morgana replied.
8:56:10Freewe novel.com.
8:56:13I thought that you were a witch. The
8:56:15others said that it was a goth witch in
8:56:17the room before me. Morgana laughed.
8:56:21That's because they're idiots. I'm a
8:56:23highly fashionable witch doctor, not a
8:56:25witch and a doctor. She gave a little
8:56:28twirl, showing off the lace back of her
8:56:30dress, which exposed even more tattoos,
8:56:33and then summoned a small cloth doll,
8:56:35which she gave to Remy. The snake coiled
8:56:38around it and hissed happily as she
8:56:40examined her new toy. Don't worry, it's
8:56:43not bonded to anyone. It won't cause any
8:56:46damage if she plays with it. Morgana
8:56:49assured them. Carl gave her a slight
8:56:52bow, then addressed the colonel, who was
8:56:54waiting patiently for them to finish.
8:56:57Are you certain that there will actually
8:56:58be time for lessons? From what I hear,
8:57:01they want us back on the lines again
8:57:03soon? He asked. Valerie nodded. There
8:57:08will be plenty of time. After the scare
8:57:11that you gave high command, who didn't
8:57:13realize that your group had been tasked
8:57:14to take out the royal rank target alone,
8:57:17they're not going to let you go scouting
8:57:18alone again. The group that you found
8:57:21was not sent to hunt the royal rank
8:57:23giant, at least not officially. They
8:57:26were supposed to be scouting the region
8:57:27for a buildup of giants because the cold
8:57:29was preventing us from high altitude
8:57:31flights over the frost giant nation.
8:57:34Losing them while you were tasked to the
8:57:36region hit the command group hard. So,
8:57:39you're going to have to suffer in a
8:57:40mainline camp with us and the seniors
8:57:42from the academy. It won't be attached
8:57:45to the army as you have been. Instead,
8:57:47it will be treated more as an academy
8:57:48mission with teachers present plus
8:57:51bureau agents. Of course, the nature
8:57:55priests all made sympathetic gestures
8:57:57toward them, and the colonel glared at
8:57:58them. Freewnavvel.com.
8:58:02You know, you could join them if you
8:58:04wanted. She informed them in a snarky
8:58:07tone. We're happy working here in the
8:58:09hospital, but I suppose that moving to a
8:58:12triage camp might be more in tune with
8:58:14nature. We will discuss it and see if
8:58:17there are enough others available to
8:58:19balance out our movement. One of the
8:58:22nature priests replied, "From what Carl
8:58:25had learned last night, they specialized
8:58:27in treating elemental damage and mental
8:58:29health. With so many young elites facing
8:58:32mortality for the first time, the
8:58:34hospital wasn't going to send away half
8:58:36their mental health staff." Carl nodded
8:58:39toward the door. "I take it that you
8:58:41talked to the staff before you got here.
8:58:44I get the feeling that we're not going
8:58:45to be leaving anywhere in a hurry, so I
8:58:48wasn't expecting to see you so soon.
8:58:50That is true. They're not planning to
8:58:53let you out of here without at least a
8:58:55few more counseling sessions. I offered
8:58:58to take over for them, but apparently
8:59:00they doubt my credentials as a trauma
8:59:01counselor. Colonel Valerie complained.
8:59:05Most of the doctors who had been
8:59:07assigned to them were twice her age, and
8:59:09Carl wasn't certain that she had
8:59:10actually taken any higher education
8:59:12classes at all, so they might have a
8:59:14point. Remy crawled down Carl's arm to
8:59:17go sit on Morgana, who was making
8:59:19soothing gestures and holding out bits
8:59:21of food for her. "Didn't anyone tell you
8:59:24it's not safe to take food from
8:59:26strangers?"
8:59:27Rey asked. "But they just said her name
8:59:30is Morgana, and she's the new adviser,"
8:59:33Remy countered, staring at the large bug
8:59:36in the witch doctor's hand. "And how
8:59:39long ago was that? You have to know them
8:59:41for long enough to trust them before
8:59:43they're not strangers anymore. Rey
8:59:46warned her. Remy considered it for a few
8:59:49seconds while Morgana gave her a curious
8:59:51look. The snake definitely wanted the
8:59:54food, but she wasn't taking it. The
8:59:57others are telling her not to take food
8:59:59from strangers.
9:00:01Remy is still very young and doesn't
9:00:03know all the practical advice. She did
9:00:06manage to make some lovely totems
9:00:08though, Carl explained.
9:00:11Morgana put the food away and stroked
9:00:13Remy's head. That's fine. We will get to
9:00:16know each other better, and then you can
9:00:18try the snacks. Lotus smiled at the
9:00:21witch doctor. Nature lovers are taking
9:00:24over. First, we get two nature clerics
9:00:27and a Sarah knight. Now, we've got a
9:00:29snake charmer. Morgana got excited about
9:00:32the comment. The Sero has a knight. Does
9:00:36Carl ride him into battle? It sounded
9:00:39like he preferred to fight on foot or
9:00:40from a distance. The war priestess,
9:00:44actually, she rides the Sero into
9:00:46combat, so they can spread their buffs
9:00:48along the front lines. She's pretty good
9:00:51with a spear and a shield, but with
9:00:53Thor's barrier, they're quite durable,
9:00:56Lotus explained.
9:00:58A red dragon priestess riding a
9:01:00lightning sparrow into combat. Now, that
9:01:03is not what I had expected, Morgana
9:01:06replied, becoming even more curious.
9:01:09Riding monsters is fun. Sometimes Rey
9:01:13will let me or Dana ride her into
9:01:14combat, but more like an accessory,
9:01:17depending on if she wants to equip more
9:01:18damage or healing, Lotus added. The
9:01:22clerics all laughed at the thought of
9:01:24equipping a priestess, but Carl thought
9:01:26she might be right. Ry liked them best
9:01:29because they were smallest and easiest
9:01:31to carry, and she traded between them
9:01:33depending on her need. She liked
9:01:35sleeping next to Dana better, but
9:01:37playing in the woods with Lotus. Mostly,
9:01:40she didn't play favorites as much as
9:01:42Thor did with Tessa going into combat,
9:01:44but in Tessa's case, she was the only
9:01:46one suitable for the role. Colonel
9:01:49Valerie waited while they got
9:01:50sidetracked before giving them the
9:01:52update that she had come to deliver.
9:01:54Carl and Dana will be taking classes
9:01:56with their tutors beginning this
9:01:58afternoon after your session with the
9:02:00doctors. They're still concerned about
9:02:02Carl's head and arm in particular.
9:02:05Then after a week, they will reassess
9:02:07the situation and determine how much
9:02:09longer you need to rest for. The colonel
9:02:12informed the room. Lotus cheered. Oh,
9:02:16that works out wonderfully.
9:02:19If we get Ry to set up hammocks for us
9:02:21here, we can all hang out in the lounge
9:02:23during our off time and unwind. Ry makes
9:02:26hammocks. One of the clerics asked. They
9:02:30had folding CS in the breakroom for when
9:02:32they were too busy to go home after
9:02:34their shift, but Spider's silk hammock
9:02:36sounded pretty good. Rey happily came
9:02:39out and Morgana did a double take when
9:02:41she saw how big the bloodbath spider
9:02:43was. You know, when they said spider, I
9:02:47was thinking wolf spider or a tarantula.
9:02:50It appears that I have vastly
9:02:52underestimated what the word spider can
9:02:54mean. She mumbled. Insects, spiders, and
9:02:58snakes were involved in many of her
9:03:00spells, though not like Carl's. The
9:03:03witch doctors often used them to deliver
9:03:05curses and poisons, so the summon
9:03:07creature was nothing special, but the
9:03:09magic on it was deadly. Ry used the
9:03:12corner of the room to make racks of six
9:03:14hammocks with a climbing rope attached
9:03:15to the walls and then made a large
9:03:17webbing net along the ceiling that you
9:03:19could climb out of the top bunks and
9:03:21play in. The nature priests always
9:03:23appreciated a good spot to relax, and
9:03:26being at ceiling height meant that
9:03:27anyone wanting to bother them would have
9:03:29to come up to them or risk being
9:03:30ignored. Plus, it was a stretchy web, so
9:03:34it was soft and more comfortable than
9:03:35the floor. Hawk flew up into a larger
9:03:38hole in the net and took a perch to
9:03:40watch the people just seconds before
9:03:42Carl heard cursing in the hallway. This
9:03:45is a staff break room, not an animal
9:03:47sanctuary.
9:03:49Where did you even find them? Is that a
9:03:52blood bath spider? Damn it. I am filing
9:03:55a complaint with the deacon. Someone was
9:03:58shouting while the nature clerics
9:04:00laughed. I guess I should bring everyone
9:04:02back inside in a few minutes. Carl
9:04:05chuckled. The doctors showed up a few
9:04:08minutes later to get everyone for their
9:04:10morning treatments, which were mostly
9:04:12psychological, but Doug needed to have
9:04:14the internal wounds under his ribs
9:04:15checked to ensure they had healed
9:04:17properly, and Carl needed to have his
9:04:19arm checked as well. The concussion
9:04:21treatment mostly fell under
9:04:23psychological evaluations, other than
9:04:25the first scans by the clerics to ensure
9:04:27that the healing spells hadn't left any
9:04:29lingering pressure or pulled blood
9:04:31inside his brain that might cause a
9:04:33stroke.
9:04:34Well, it looks like the physical damage
9:04:36to your head has healed well, but after
9:04:38healing magic is used, the areas can be
9:04:40tender and sensitive for a while. The
9:04:43rest of your body looks like it is doing
9:04:45well, though I see that you had some
9:04:47recently broken ribs that were also set
9:04:49with magic, so you should avoid taking
9:04:51any more hits to the area for the next
9:04:53month just in case. The doctor began
9:04:56after the scan. Freewevel.com.
9:05:00Carl chuckled and the doctor shrugged.
9:05:03Whether anyone actually follows our
9:05:05recommendations or not is an entirely
9:05:07separate matter from the fact that we
9:05:08give them. Logically, they are healed
9:05:11and they should be as strong as ever,
9:05:13but the nerves in the area remain
9:05:15sensitive as they remember the damage.
9:05:18So, we recommend not to take more
9:05:20injuries in the near future as it can
9:05:22lead to phantom pains and other
9:05:24psychosmatic effects which are nearly
9:05:26impossible to cure. Carl nodded.
9:05:30That makes a lot of sense. The whole
9:05:32body can be trained. So if your body
9:05:35remembers constantly being in pain, then
9:05:37it will be trained to respond with pain.
9:05:40Exactly. But you elites all abuse your
9:05:42bodies constantly. When you get to my
9:05:45age, all those old injuries add up and
9:05:47you end up slow and nearly crippled
9:05:49without doing anything at all. That's
9:05:52why the hospitals still encouraged the
9:05:53elites to take care of their bodies.
9:05:56I know that none of you are old yet, and
9:05:58with the advanced healing abilities and
9:06:00superhuman bodies, you might never be as
9:06:03old and slow as a cleric like me, but
9:06:05you will still feel it in time. The
9:06:08doctor warned him. Don't worry,
9:06:10document. I am listening. It might not
9:06:14be possible to avoid all injuries, but
9:06:17you already know that here at the
9:06:18Veterans Hospital. I will do my best to
9:06:21avoid allowing the injuries to stack up
9:06:23both on me and my beasts.
9:06:26I wouldn't want to hinder their growth
9:06:27with battle damage. The doctor nodded,
9:06:30more concerned about Carl than about his
9:06:32pets. But if that was what it took to
9:06:35get the elite to take the medical advice
9:06:37seriously, then that was what he would
9:06:39go with. Too many of them didn't take
9:06:41their lives seriously enough in his
9:06:43opinion. Of course, that had always been
9:06:46a problem with soldiers, according to a
9:06:48doctor. All right, we finished with the
9:06:51concussion and the rest of the body.
9:06:53Let's see that arm.
9:06:55he announced.
9:06:57Carl took his arm out of the sling,
9:06:59showing off the smoothly stitched seam
9:07:01where they hadn't taken Lotus Hi out
9:07:03yet. She hadn't sutured him like a
9:07:06doctor. She had sewn him back together
9:07:08like she was fixing a blanket with
9:07:10crossed running stitches. The doctor
9:07:12smiled and shook his head. It was very
9:07:15neatly done, and he had no doubt that
9:07:17whoever had done this was a very skilled
9:07:19crafter. But if it got snagged on
9:07:21something, it wouldn't just tug one
9:07:23stitch free. It was all connected.
9:07:26First, I will remove the stitches and
9:07:28then cast another healing spell to
9:07:30ensure that the last of the damage is
9:07:32repaired. Then we will have to scan the
9:07:35bone. For elites who have undergone
9:07:37treatments with various magical
9:07:39remedies, their bones can be quite
9:07:41different from a standard human
9:07:42physiology. So, I need to do an intense
9:07:44scan to see what I'm working with and
9:07:46how well it has healed. he explained.
9:07:50Oh, I can do the stitches if you'd like.
9:07:53Carl offered. You can do them? The
9:07:57doctor asked. Carl activated flaming
9:08:00body on his arm and burnt the stitches
9:08:03away instead of coating them. Then used
9:08:06refreshing lightning to push the inner
9:08:08parts out for the flames to burn them
9:08:09away. When he was done, there wasn't a
9:08:12mark on his arm. There wasn't any hair
9:08:15either, but that was just a minor
9:08:17miscalculation on what the flames would
9:08:19burn. Well, that is unexpected.
9:08:23Do you have some sort of healing ability
9:08:24as well? I don't see any scabbing or
9:08:27scars left from the repair, and the fact
9:08:29that it healed without scarring is
9:08:31incredible, the doctor asked. I have a
9:08:35regeneration effect on the barrier that
9:08:37I use, but it has taken a lot of healing
9:08:39along the way. One of my beasts has a
9:08:42minor healing spell. Healing splash.
9:08:45It's not up to the standards of a
9:08:47healing cleric, but it's good for
9:08:49closing small wounds. Carl explained.
9:08:53The doctor smiled. That spell is often
9:08:56underestimated.
9:08:58It's a healing liquid, and it will
9:09:00continue to work for a few seconds after
9:09:02contact if it isn't washed away. It's
9:09:04primarily used through in four or
9:09:06multiple needle injections to heal
9:09:08damaged veins.
9:09:10Carl had never considered that. Healing
9:09:13the inside of a person wasn't easy with
9:09:15most magic, as he had learned. But if
9:09:18you could just fill them with a healing
9:09:20liquid, it would do the job much more
9:09:22effectively.
9:09:24Introducing it into the blood would let
9:09:25the body circulate it everywhere,
9:09:27healing whatever it touched. Of course,
9:09:30Remy wasn't a doctor, and neither of
9:09:32them knew how to set up and for or even
9:09:35find a vein with a needle. But that
9:09:37wasn't the point. The point was that
9:09:40they had a skill that would make it
9:09:41possible for the real healers to do
9:09:43better work. Remy considered the
9:09:45implications for a moment. Emergency
9:09:48response, snake. I even come with
9:09:51built-in needles. Carl burst into
9:09:54laughter and the doctor gave him a look
9:09:56that said he was going to send him for
9:09:57another psychological evaluation.
9:10:00Sorry. Remy, the spirit snake shaman
9:10:04that has the healing splash ability,
9:10:06pointed out that she comes with built-in
9:10:07needles if the spell is supposed to be
9:10:09directly injected. Carl tried to
9:10:12explain. The doctor's face went blank
9:10:15for a second, and then he also began to
9:10:17laugh. The thought of a snake biting you
9:10:20to inject a healing spell is just so
9:10:22ridiculous that I can't help but laugh.
9:10:24But it would actually be incredibly
9:10:26effective if they could avoid poisoning
9:10:28you. Their fangs are made for the
9:10:30precise and rapid injection of liquid
9:10:32into muscle tissue. The doctor
9:10:35stammered. Then he paused.
9:10:38So, you have multiple voices in your
9:10:40head all the time. Carl made a
9:10:43non-committal gesture. There are four
9:10:45beasts linked to me, but they're not
9:10:47always sharing everything. It's more
9:10:50like when they want to talk, I hear it,
9:10:52and vice versa. The doctor made a note
9:10:55of the description before continuing.
9:10:58That has to be distracting in combat.
9:11:01How do you deal with that? Carl shook
9:11:03his head. Like anyone else, when there's
9:11:06actual fighting going on, there is no
9:11:08time for talking. They comment with
9:11:11vital information, kill celebrations,
9:11:14and confirmations that they heard
9:11:15directions.
9:11:17But none of them is really a chatterbox.
9:11:20If they could talk to more people, I
9:11:22suspect that Thor, the lightning ser
9:11:24might be. He loves people, especially
9:11:28people who will rub his head. Thor was
9:11:31nodding enthusiastically in his space.
9:11:34If he could talk to more people, that
9:11:36would be outstanding.
9:11:38He had a whole lifetime of things to
9:11:40tell them that Carl already knew. The
9:11:43doctor cast a spell over Carl's arm and
9:11:45then focused on his magic for a few
9:11:47minutes as he examined the formerly
9:11:49wounded limb. I think that it's good to
9:11:51go. The healing spells bonded the bone
9:11:54properly and I don't see any unhealed
9:11:56secondary fractures or floating bone
9:11:58fragments.
9:12:00Those often don't heal properly. From
9:12:03today, you should be able to remove the
9:12:05sling and begin to use the arm again.
9:12:07Just take it easy. As we talked about,
9:12:10all the nerves will either be somewhat
9:12:12numb or oversensitive.
9:12:14It will just take a few days for them to
9:12:16adjust again. Now, we can start the grip
9:12:19tests to make sure that everything
9:12:21really is functioning properly.
9:12:23Those tests of manual dexterity, grip
9:12:26strength, and fine motor skills took
9:12:28them right until lunch when Morgana came
9:12:30to come get Carl so they could get to
9:12:32know each other before the afternoon
9:12:33classes. He had basically skipped the
9:12:36entirety of his academy education, and
9:12:38Colonel Valerie had tasked her to get
9:12:40him up to speed on all the things he
9:12:42would need to know as a commander.
9:12:44Morgana sat Carl down at an empty table
9:12:46in the hospital cafeteria, and took out
9:12:49her notebook, which he couldn't help but
9:12:51notice was just as covered in drawings
9:12:52as her body. "All right, we will start
9:12:55with the basics. your future goals,
9:12:58growth path, anything that might not
9:13:00have been passed on to me by the colonel
9:13:01or by Lieutenant Rita. She began, "It's
9:13:05still odd to hear Lieutenant in front of
9:13:07her name. She was always Sergeant Rita,
9:13:10and she was promoted after we were
9:13:12separated, but I think most of it should
9:13:15be in the notes. But I would like to add
9:13:17that I got this shiny sword that steals
9:13:19life essence from things I kill, and
9:13:21that seems to have a rather noticeable
9:13:23effect on the beast's growth rate. Once
9:13:26I got it, they started growing to full
9:13:28adulthood in a rather remarkably short
9:13:30time period.
9:13:32The only exception is Remy, who is still
9:13:34in her early growth phase, when the
9:13:36others would have been fully grown by
9:13:38now. Morgana nodded. That's just because
9:13:42she's a spirit snake. They normally take
9:13:45decades to be fully grown, not just a
9:13:47few years like the spider or so. So,
9:13:50it's nothing to worry about if Remy's
9:13:52journey to adulthood is slower than the
9:13:54others. She also has an evolution ahead
9:13:57of her, but from what I can tell, she is
9:13:59developing in the giant spirit snake
9:14:01direction, most likely in the storm
9:14:04snake pattern. Storm snake, Carl asked.
9:14:09It's a name that the researchers have
9:14:11given to spirit snakes whose abilities
9:14:13favor weather manipulation,
9:14:15blizzard, lightning, and so on. Then
9:14:19there are the blood snakes who favor
9:14:21blood magic or the giant spirit pythons,
9:14:23but she's clearly not one of them as she
9:14:26has venomous fangs. Morgana elaborated.
9:14:30That makes sense. I thought you were
9:14:33saying that there were even more
9:14:34evolutionary options available to her
9:14:36than I had realized. There is a chance
9:14:39she will grow into an actual Naga
9:14:40shaman, but somehow that seems unlikely.
9:14:44When she was just born, she used her
9:14:46water manipulation to form arms, but I
9:14:48haven't seen her do it since. Oh, what
9:14:52caused her to do that? Morgana asked. A
9:14:56celebratory gesture, marking the fact
9:14:58that she had safely and successfully
9:15:00made it into the world. Carl elaborated
9:15:03while the witch doctor nodded in
9:15:04understanding.
9:15:06Naga aren't as bad as the Lameia, who
9:15:08tend to kill their clutch mates, but
9:15:10they don't tend to have any sympathy for
9:15:12them if resources are limited. But we
9:15:15can get to Remy's development later.
9:15:17What were your plans for after
9:15:19graduation?
9:15:20What sort of career would you like to
9:15:22get into? The school is a bit lost as to
9:15:25what sort of path you should be on. They
9:15:28first thought that you should be trained
9:15:29to join the ranks of politicians and
9:15:31bureaucrats, but you have developed a
9:15:33habit of telling those sorts of people
9:15:35off at every chance you get. So, I
9:15:37believe you might be unsuited to the
9:15:38task. Did you want to take up some sort
9:15:41of trade? Perhaps become a business
9:15:43mogul. What is the dream future for
9:15:46Carl? They're determined to set a career
9:15:49path for me, are they? Carl side. It's
9:15:53essential to your training. You didn't
9:15:56think that you could skim through four
9:15:57years at the academy without taking a
9:15:59single actual class, did you? The first
9:16:02year is more focused on your skills to
9:16:04determine potential without the extra
9:16:06education getting in the way. But we
9:16:08can't neglect your future." Carl
9:16:10chuckled at her earnest determination to
9:16:12be a good teacher. But he really had no
9:16:14ambitions involving business or politics
9:16:17at all. If it was left up to him, he
9:16:20would work just enough for a luxury life
9:16:21and spend the rest of his time focusing
9:16:23on the growth of his partners. Maybe
9:16:26being a librarian or teacher would suit
9:16:28him. He had an ability for making skill
9:16:31books, so it would benefit him to know
9:16:33as many skills as he could. That also
9:16:36sounded like it would give him plenty of
9:16:37opportunities to be in the wilderness
9:16:39looking for new skills. Carl gestured
9:16:42toward the book in her hands and smiled.
9:16:45Actually, I have a talent for learning
9:16:47and teaching skills. Perhaps I could do
9:16:50a job along those lines. Searching for
9:16:53new skills and turning them into skill
9:16:55books to be distributed by the blue
9:16:57dragon clerics after they've been
9:16:58duplicated.
9:17:00You want to be a treasure hunter or
9:17:02perhaps a teacher. That's a bit of a
9:17:04dichotomy, but I can see that the focus
9:17:06is more skills for your team. Do you get
9:17:09access to all those skills directly? She
9:17:12asked. Carl shook his head. I get access
9:17:17to racial skills of the beasts, but not
9:17:19their entire repertoire.
9:17:21For example, I have the effect of the
9:17:23offensive adaptation skill active on me,
9:17:26but I can't create golems on my own.
9:17:29Frognov.com
9:17:32I have studied it enough times that I
9:17:33might be able to make the golem book
9:17:35with Ray's help, but I still can't cast
9:17:37it. I suspect that I wouldn't be able to
9:17:40use the book I created either.
9:17:41freewebnvel.com.
9:17:44What an interesting skill. Can it just
9:17:46be any skill that your beasts know? She
9:17:49replied.
9:17:51Carl shook his head. No, I have to have
9:17:54a pretty solid understanding of how and
9:17:56why it works before I can create the
9:17:58book, even with their help. If it's a
9:18:01new skill, there is no chance. But spear
9:18:05is a pretty simple one and similar in
9:18:07function to rend and it creates a solid
9:18:10object like the bow that I use. I know
9:18:13how both those things work and with
9:18:15Ray's help I managed to make the book
9:18:17for both of the nature priests. Morgana
9:18:20smiled. You know how to use chain
9:18:23lightning, correct? What do you think
9:18:26that the chance is that you could make
9:18:27that into a book that lightning magic
9:18:29users could use? Lightning bolt is a
9:18:32common book, but chain lightning is not.
9:18:36The odds are that I wouldn't be able to
9:18:37use it as that isn't my specialty as a
9:18:40witch doctor. I'm a hex type, not an
9:18:42elemental shaman. But if we could give
9:18:45the book to the cathedral library, they
9:18:47would give you a nice little commission
9:18:48off each copy sold the same as they do
9:18:51for the refreshing lightning barrier,
9:18:53but hopefully with a wider target
9:18:55audience. Do flaming body too. more fire
9:18:59magic users to offset the evil ice
9:19:02giants. Hawk insisted.
9:19:05I think that it should be possible and I
9:19:07would like to do one other book as well.
9:19:09The more skills that are available to
9:19:11future elites, the better. Carl agreed.
9:19:15Morgana gave him an odd look. When you
9:19:18say it like that without any greed in
9:19:20your tone, it just sounds strange. Carl
9:19:24laughed. Hulk wants me to teach everyone
9:19:27flaming body as a form of vengeance
9:19:30against the frost giants and cold in
9:19:32general. I strongly suspect that he
9:19:35learned the skill entirely despite the
9:19:36water element. Is that how it works?
9:19:40Morgana asked, taking notes. Probably
9:19:44not, but nobody ever told Hawk that. And
9:19:46even if it shouldn't be possible, it
9:19:48didn't seem to stop him. He gained a
9:19:51number of fire skills from resources
9:19:52that we used for growth. But he has
9:19:54evolved those skills and perfected the
9:19:56usage of them on his own. For example,
9:19:59the flaming attacks I use and the
9:20:02fireballs that he throws aren't actually
9:20:04a separate skill. That's just flaming
9:20:07body formed in different ways. Even the
9:20:10cigarette lighter for Doug is the same
9:20:12skill, Carl explained.
9:20:15You know, if someone taught that skill
9:20:17to the nature priests, they would be
9:20:19unstoppable. A true menace to society.
9:20:22Hiding their lighters is the only way to
9:20:24get some of them to work. The witch
9:20:27doctor laughed, and Carl noticed that
9:20:29the whites of her eyes went completely
9:20:31black when she was amused. It was kind
9:20:33of freaky, and he wondered if it
9:20:35happened for all emotions or if it was
9:20:37different.
9:20:39Well, if you want to learn and teach
9:20:40more skills and you have a skill that
9:20:42makes inscription training unnecessary,
9:20:45then I think that we can work out a path
9:20:46for you. I am thinking that it will be
9:20:49cgraphy and history with an emphasis on
9:20:51ancient architecture so that you know
9:20:53the signs that there might be an
9:20:55undisturbed ruin nearby and what era it
9:20:57might be from. Then it would just be a
9:21:00few extra courses in public speaking for
9:21:02when you need to introduce a new find to
9:21:04the world. Some things that you find
9:21:06when you're searching for the rare and
9:21:08exotic won't be what you might have
9:21:09expected, but they can make big news.
9:21:12And that means being on television, but
9:21:14unable to throw Thor at them to distract
9:21:16the reporters.
9:21:18So, she had seen his first time being
9:21:20part of a news broadcast.
9:21:22Carl was quite proud of that performance
9:21:24for a first attempt at doing a public
9:21:26interview.
9:21:28After lunch, Morgana led them to an
9:21:30empty room, which might have been a
9:21:32consultation room, as there was nothing
9:21:34more than a simple desk in it with two
9:21:35chairs and a side table with a pot of
9:21:37coffee and cups. I don't have all the
9:21:40books that we're going to need for the
9:21:41lessons, but I do have an aptitude test
9:21:44for you, both to judge where you are in
9:21:46your education and to see if your head
9:21:48injury is causing any lingering effects
9:21:50when you need to focus.
9:21:52I know that they will try to steal you
9:21:53back to the battle lines with the other
9:21:55advanced students even sooner than they
9:21:57said. So, we should get the basics laid
9:21:59out now. Morgana explained.
9:22:02Carl nodded. Before we start, who did
9:22:06all that ink for you? Some of those
9:22:08tattoos are incredibly intricate?
9:22:11Morgana chuckled. I did them all, but
9:22:14they're actually all spells. As a witch
9:22:17doctor, one of my abilities is a
9:22:19blessing or a curse on a target to
9:22:21enhance their abilities.
9:22:23So, the few who have the class all chose
9:22:25to cover themselves in the spells to
9:22:27mimic the abilities of the other classes
9:22:29with enhanced mental powers and physical
9:22:31skills. Carl smiled and thought about
9:22:34the last of the rank two attack skills
9:22:36that he hadn't learned. Brutality
9:22:39increased the strength and size of the
9:22:41target by 10% per rank. If he had been
9:22:44thinking ahead, he could have used that
9:22:46during the last battle to help even the
9:22:48size difference between him and the
9:22:49frost giants, as well as reducing the
9:22:52strength advantage of the royal ranked
9:22:53giant. Morgana wrapped her knuckles on
9:22:56the desk. You look lost in thought. Care
9:23:00to elaborate?
9:23:02Carl shrugged. Just thinking of what I
9:23:05could have done differently in that last
9:23:06fight. There are a few class abilities
9:23:09that I could have taken advantage of and
9:23:11the fight might have ended differently.
9:23:13Morgana shook her head. Don't second
9:23:16guessess yourself. That only leads to
9:23:19doubt and hesitation.
9:23:21Neither of those things will help you
9:23:22survive. So, just put them out of your
9:23:24mind. Now, here is the aptitude test.
9:23:29Much like your graduation test from
9:23:31middle school before the injections, but
9:23:33more difficult. You have all afternoon
9:23:36to finish it if you need, but it usually
9:23:38only takes an hour or two. Carl opened
9:23:41the booklet and picked up the pencil,
9:23:43then smiled as he realized that it was a
9:23:45multiplechoice test. Multiplechoice was
9:23:48easy. But after the first page of
9:23:51general knowledge, that all changed. It
9:23:54became long answers, more in-depth
9:23:56questions about things he had learned at
9:23:57the academy, things he had no clue
9:23:59about, and complex math questions whose
9:24:01answers he could only guess at. The only
9:24:04sections of the test that he was certain
9:24:06that he had done all right on were the
9:24:08botany and monster related questions.
9:24:11The math was a lost cause. While he
9:24:13might have done all right on the magical
9:24:14theory, though he suspected that section
9:24:16had no real right or wrong answers as
9:24:19long as you actually knew how to use
9:24:21magic.
9:24:22Freewevel.com
9:24:25Every class did things a little
9:24:26differently, so their understanding of
9:24:28magic wasn't the same, and they would
9:24:30describe the answers very differently.
9:24:32Even the beasts had conflicting answers
9:24:34about how and why some things worked.
9:24:37For example, Thor said that you knew the
9:24:39circle of protection was working because
9:24:41it felt right on the scales. How did you
9:24:44relate that to anyone else? It wasn't
9:24:47the sort of thing that you could explain
9:24:48in words, but Thor's impression told
9:24:50Carl just what it should feel like on
9:24:52the scales if Carl had scales.
9:24:55All right, I think that is all the
9:24:57questions. I can see now that there are
9:25:00plenty of things in life that I don't
9:25:01know the answer to, like the volume of a
9:25:04cylinder, but there should be at least a
9:25:07few of them where I did all right. Carl
9:25:09informed Morgana, who was reading the
9:25:11notes of his training as he worked on
9:25:13the test. She flipped through the test
9:25:16and got to a question in the math
9:25:18section where she looked startled. "How
9:25:20did you get the answer to this?" she
9:25:23asked, turning the book back to him.
9:25:26Oh, that's a force and velocity thing.
9:25:29One ton is about what a juvenile
9:25:31lightning Sarah weighs. And if he hits a
9:25:33wall with his brute strength at a 40 km
9:25:35an hour run, he will exert about that
9:25:37much force. Thor loves smashing things.
9:25:42Poles, barriers, walls, they're all fun.
9:25:47So, I have seen it in action enough
9:25:49times to know the answer. I didn't use
9:25:52some fancy calculation, but I'm pretty
9:25:54certain that's right.
9:25:56Carl explained.
9:25:58It is. All of the ones on applied force
9:26:01are close to the proper answer, which
9:26:03was shocking given how badly you did on
9:26:05the rest of the math questions. Morgana
9:26:08replied, "Well, at least she didn't try
9:26:11to sugarcoat it." Then she went through
9:26:14the rest of the booklet, only smiling
9:26:15when they got to the botney section,
9:26:17where Carl knew all the plants in
9:26:19question and the monster biology
9:26:21section, where Carl knew the vital
9:26:23points and the likely skills of the
9:26:24common species referenced. It had all
9:26:27been uncommon threats in the Golden
9:26:29Dragon Nation. So, it wasn't hard for
9:26:31him to recall the early lessons that
9:26:33Sergeant Rita had gone through with him
9:26:34when they thought that common rank
9:26:36monsters were going to be the target of
9:26:37his missions for the first year.
9:26:40All right, I understand where you are at
9:26:42now. They went over the survival
9:26:44portions of the training first and left
9:26:46the others until you had settled into
9:26:48your class, which they obviously never
9:26:50got to as you left the academy to play
9:26:52in the woods. That doesn't change much
9:26:55except the starting point for your next
9:26:56bit of training. And I will have the
9:26:58books here by tomorrow so we can get to
9:27:00it. Honestly, it's going to be a fairly
9:27:03simple and enjoyable course load. The
9:27:06first thing you will need to learn for
9:27:07geography is the basics of all the
9:27:09different environments.
9:27:11How to traverse them safely, the
9:27:13creatures you are likely to find, what
9:27:15plants are edible and which are poison,
9:27:18how to hide your scent, and how to blend
9:27:20into your surroundings.
9:27:22She paused at that point, noticing that
9:27:25Carl had been partially distracted by
9:27:26the team's running commentary.
9:27:29I need a real-time translator for you. I
9:27:32get the feeling that I'm missing out on
9:27:34twothirds of the conversation and I'm
9:27:36the one speaking. She commented in a dry
9:27:39tone. Sorry, they're all giving me hints
9:27:43on the areas that they know best. The
9:27:46plains, the forests, the swamps, the
9:27:48sky. Ry is a bloodbath spider, so she
9:27:52has a natural ability to blend into her
9:27:54surroundings. And she doesn't really
9:27:56understand why it won't transfer to me
9:27:57when it did transfer to her golems. Thor
9:28:01thinks that blending in is overrated and
9:28:03we just need a stronger pack. Hulk is
9:28:06laughing at their inability to fly away
9:28:08from danger. Carl narrated.
9:28:11So, you're saying that you should be
9:28:13good at the wilderness survival portion
9:28:14of the training. That's a real time
9:28:17saver. I thought that we would have to
9:28:20call in a nature priest to help. She
9:28:22sighed. We can still do that. I have one
9:28:26in the group. Well, two of them if high
9:28:28priest Doug and his team will be staying
9:28:30with us. But Colonel Valerie said that
9:28:33the next mission would be with the
9:28:34academy students, so possibly not. Carl
9:28:38suggested.
9:28:40Morgana shrugged.
9:28:42Well, I am also a commander, so probably
9:28:44not. The war isn't going well for us,
9:28:47even with the elites on our side.
9:28:50Every line is spread thin, but your time
9:28:52in the frost giant nation gave them hope
9:28:54that the new generation of students
9:28:56might have either some sort of power
9:28:57advantage as the world dragons favor
9:28:59returns to the people or new ideas that
9:29:01would overturn the prevailing logic of
9:29:03battlefield engagements.
9:29:05The sort of logic that doesn't bother to
9:29:07count the number of giants before
9:29:09sending teams deep into enemy territory
9:29:11to engage them. Yeah, I can think of a
9:29:14couple of ideas that would overturn that
9:29:16line of thinking. Carl agreed with anger
9:29:19slowly taking over his voice and
9:29:21expression without him noticing.
9:29:24Is this an ingrained issue with
9:29:25authority or a new thing? Morgana asked
9:29:28cautiously, concerned that Carl's anger
9:29:31might be the start of a bestial rage.
9:29:33It's not really an issue with authority.
9:29:36I mean, Overlord Drake and every one of
9:29:39the princes that I've met so far have
9:29:41all been solid and intelligent leaders.
9:29:44Some of the others, not so much. I've
9:29:47always had issues with stupid people and
9:29:49the give head to get ahead crowd. Carl
9:29:52replied with a shrug. Morgana choked on
9:29:56her coffee. The what now? Oh, sorry. I
9:30:01guess that bit of slang isn't universal.
9:30:04It means the ones who suck up to the
9:30:06leadership to get better positions,
9:30:08raises, and perks.
9:30:10The sort of pencil pushers who always
9:30:12know better than you, even if they've
9:30:13never done your job, and are happy to go
9:30:15whine to their superiors if they don't
9:30:17think that they're getting the respect
9:30:18they demand," Carl explained. Morgana
9:30:22smiled as she tapped a rhythm on the
9:30:24table and thought about what she had
9:30:26read in his file. "I get it now. That's
9:30:29why you get along with the church so
9:30:31well. They actually do the things that
9:30:34they ask others to do.
9:30:36For example, if they want monsters
9:30:38cleared, they send a cleric with the
9:30:40group who knows what they're doing.
9:30:42There's a front layer of competence
9:30:44which the politicians and most of the
9:30:46luxury elites lack. She guessed. Carl
9:30:50nodded and his posture began to relax.
9:30:53I mean, every elite who got the
9:30:55injection has the blessing of the world
9:30:57dragon, right? Shouldn't that be used
9:31:00for something more important than
9:31:01forensic accounting in a government
9:31:03office? freewe novel.com.
9:31:06Morgana laughed as the anger faded from
9:31:08Carl and the sense of danger vanished as
9:31:10if it had never been there. I get your
9:31:12point. I am also not an office person. I
9:31:17prefer to be left alone with my potions.
9:31:20I used to sit in a gazebo for days at a
9:31:22time working on them. Alchemy is my
9:31:25trade skill, you see. It goes well with
9:31:28my class skills and fills in the gaps in
9:31:30the abilities that I have. I think that
9:31:33learning to explore might fill your need
9:31:35to be away from bureaucracy, but I'm not
9:31:37certain that it will fill the gaps in
9:31:39the abilities that you have. Of course,
9:31:42you are one of the most versatile elites
9:31:43that I have ever met, so I am not
9:31:45certain where the blind spots in your
9:31:47abilities are yet. But when we find
9:31:49them, we can consider adding a trade
9:31:52skill to your courses." Carl smiled at
9:31:55the beautiful teacher. You make it sound
9:31:57like they're really planning to keep me
9:31:59in the academy for all four years. I am
9:32:02already a commander and by this time
9:32:04next year I will be at the bottleneck
9:32:06and looking for a way into the royal
9:32:08rank or possibly past that bottleneck
9:32:10already. By the time that I graduate,
9:32:13where will we be? The estimates I have
9:32:16heard are 2 years as a royal. So with a
9:32:18bit of effort, I should be pushing for
9:32:19monarch rank as I start senior year. And
9:32:22then what? At that point, I might as
9:32:25well be here in the university because
9:32:26there won't be much for me to learn
9:32:28other than some new combat skills at the
9:32:30academy.
9:32:31The academy not really a place of higher
9:32:33education, more of a survival training
9:32:35camp for those with magical powers. I
9:32:38don't need that much survival training.
9:32:40And the ultimate goal here is to have
9:32:42fun while I push my beasts to the peak
9:32:44of overlord rank where nothing is a real
9:32:46threat anymore. Where I can make the
9:32:49rules simply because I'm the one with
9:32:51the power. Morgana looked shocked for a
9:32:54moment. A survival training camp. I
9:32:58suppose that would be how you see it as
9:32:59you never followed a life plan or career
9:33:01path at the academy. But there is much
9:33:04more to it than just building power,
9:33:07networking, building connections, a
9:33:09reliable social circle that can help you
9:33:11through the rest of your life. That's
9:33:14what the academy is good for. Carl
9:33:17considered that for a few minutes as he
9:33:18thought about all the people that he had
9:33:20met since he left the academy and
9:33:22started hunting outside. I think that is
9:33:24more true for those who are still
9:33:26awakened and ascended. When you're a
9:33:29commander, the others treat you more as
9:33:31an oddity or a teacher. We're not really
9:33:33one of them anymore, no matter how much
9:33:35we want to be. You graduated right
9:33:38before I started, right? So, less than
9:33:42half a year ago. When did you make
9:33:44commander? Carl asked. The week of the
9:33:48graduation ceremony.
9:33:50Morgana replied.
9:33:52Carl sighed as he gestured in her
9:33:54direction. "And now here you are as a
9:33:57teacher assigned by the Bureau of Elite
9:33:59Development, no longer a student of the
9:34:02academy. You're not on their level
9:34:04anymore. I made commander before the end
9:34:07of the first term of the first year. Out
9:34:10here, I'm leading elite teams into
9:34:12combat, standing on par with the combat
9:34:14power of generals and regimental
9:34:16commanders twice my age, sent as the
9:34:18rescue force when awakened and ascended
9:34:20teams can't deal with the threats that
9:34:21they have found. I remember that
9:34:24Sergeant Rita said there are about six
9:34:26commanders per year in the graduating
9:34:27class out of hundreds of elites. It's
9:34:30like I've skipped the entire progression
9:34:32part of the academyy's team building
9:34:34exercise and I don't really have a place
9:34:36there anymore.
9:34:38No matter how nice the balcony that you
9:34:39left for me is. Morgana smiled softly as
9:34:43Carl explained his point of view. You
9:34:46know, I wonder if this is also related
9:34:48to your class. Beasts grow up fast,
9:34:51ready to take their place in the world.
9:34:54Normally, freshman students keep that
9:34:56cute and naive nature for most of the
9:34:58first year. Then they start to form
9:35:00clicks and factions during the second
9:35:02year. You went from that cute, naive kid
9:35:05during the first weeks to the jaded
9:35:06child soldier much too fast, and you've
9:35:09already formed your clique. Or should I
9:35:11call it a pack?" Thor nodded
9:35:14enthusiastically in Carl's mind. Their
9:35:17herd was a good one. Carl chuckled. Thor
9:35:21prefers herd. A lightning ser operates
9:35:24as part of the herd. From behind Carl,
9:35:27Doug's amused voice interrupted their
9:35:29talk. Carl hadn't heard him open the
9:35:32door, so the nature priest was being
9:35:34extra sneaky today. Not all hope is
9:35:37lost. There is still some of that
9:35:39hopeless new student left. You should
9:35:42see him with Dana. It's adorable.
9:35:45They're clearly crushing on each other,
9:35:46but too shy to say it outright. The
9:35:49nature priest joked. Morgana smiled as
9:35:53Carl blushed before turning to face the
9:35:55intruder. "Brother Doug, have you
9:35:57finished your meetings for the day?" he
9:36:00asked. Doug shrugged.
9:36:03Skittles was mad at me for sherking on
9:36:05my paperwork.
9:36:07He says you have to balance work with
9:36:09fun, so I spent the day catching up on
9:36:11reports. But I came to see if you two
9:36:14were coming to dinner. It's about that
9:36:16time already. Morgana checked her watch
9:36:19and frowned. It's not dinner for like 2
9:36:22hours yet. Doug shrugged. Overlord Drake
9:36:26and Prince Axel wanted to have dinner
9:36:28now, so I've been sent to fetch everyone
9:36:30before they have to go. I think that
9:36:33they have enough information now to give
9:36:34a proper update to whoever they're
9:36:36reporting to. I know you and Jill are
9:36:39reporting back to the colonel, so
9:36:41someone else wanted them to stay and
9:36:42keep an eye on us until everything was
9:36:44decided. The high priest had a point.
9:36:48The bureau already had their agent
9:36:50standing right beside the students they
9:36:51were most worried about and Oilia likely
9:36:54had a niece with her or someone else
9:36:55from the bureau since she was with
9:36:57Carl's team and they were all away from
9:36:59the academy and showing promise.
9:37:02Sure enough, when they followed Doug to
9:37:04the cafeteria, Oilia had Dave, Jill's
9:37:07partner at the bureau sitting next to
9:37:09her working on a lesson plan while Dana
9:37:11and Jill were engrossed in a
9:37:13conversation about something magical
9:37:15theory. Drake and Axel were sitting at
9:37:18opposite ends of the long table. So,
9:37:20everyone was spread between them, while
9:37:21a number of doctors came in and out,
9:37:23adding reports to the files that the
9:37:25pair had assembled. It couldn't all be
9:37:28for Carl's group. There were only nine
9:37:30of them here, but at least 40 folders
9:37:33between the two elites, and the doctors
9:37:35were bringing more of them every minute.
9:37:37That meant it had to be a general update
9:37:39on the state of the patients who were
9:37:41likely to be able to return to combat in
9:37:43the near future. That notion seemed to
9:37:45be supported by the cautiously
9:37:47optimistic look that many of the doctors
9:37:49had as they turned in the files. If they
9:37:52were bringing reports of those who would
9:37:53be confined to the hospital for the
9:37:55foreseeable future, they wouldn't look
9:37:57as optimistic.
9:37:58Once the report stopped coming in, the
9:38:01staff brought over food for everyone at
9:38:03the table, an oddity at the cafeteria,
9:38:05where you usually ordered from the
9:38:06counter, and waited for it. But this was
9:38:09an impromptu meeting with the prince and
9:38:11the overlord, whose gear had already
9:38:13been brought in and was sitting by the
9:38:15door. Overlord Drake's deep voice
9:38:18carried through the room with ease. As
9:38:20you've guessed, we have been called back
9:38:22to the line, but we have the official
9:38:25reports for your groups. Lao Tai, Harry
9:38:28Kim, and Bob McKenzie.
9:38:31Your wounds are considered healed, and
9:38:33you are officially fit for duty. High
9:38:36Priest Doug McKenzie, you will be
9:38:38reviewed in two more days. She's not
9:38:40here, but Ascended Tori has been
9:38:42officially assigned to the Spellblade
9:38:44Clan for training as it has been
9:38:46determined that she is now a naturally
9:38:48awakened mage. Sisters Lotus and Tessa,
9:38:51you are both cleared and fit for duty.
9:38:54Ascended elite Silia and Dana, you are
9:38:57both on medical hold for the next two
9:38:58weeks, barring a change in
9:39:00circumstances.
9:39:02Commander Carl, your healing will be
9:39:04reviewed at the end of the week. Carl
9:39:07looked at Oilia and wondered if her
9:39:09quiet acceptance of everything and
9:39:10generally mild nature when she wasn't in
9:39:12were bear form was hiding more issues
9:39:14than she was willing to speak about in
9:39:16public. With Dana, it was much easier
9:39:19for Carl to tell that she needed more
9:39:21time. She had been right next to Tori in
9:39:24the wagon, and she had taken it hard.
9:39:26Drake cleared his throat and continued.
9:39:29For the others gathered here, I have
9:39:31some news as well. There are assignments
9:39:34for 15 of you to the frost giant border
9:39:37as a recuperative period after your
9:39:38injuries as the fighting there has
9:39:40decreased to a minimum. There are many
9:39:43others in our pile of reports who are
9:39:45cleared to return to duties but who are
9:39:47not being requested to go to battle at
9:39:49this time. Military personnel who are
9:39:51cleared for duty will be contacted by
9:39:53your commanding officers and cleared
9:39:55civilian personnel without a combat
9:39:57assignment will have transport arranged
9:39:59for them. There are enough names here
9:40:01that I will post them on the wall.
9:40:04Long-term patients, those who have been
9:40:06here more than a month are with Prince
9:40:08Axel and those who have been here under
9:40:10a month are with me. If your name is on
9:40:13the list, you are cleared for discharge
9:40:15from the hospital. If it is not, your
9:40:18doctors will advise you as to when you
9:40:20might be. The two elites put the list on
9:40:23the table next to them, and the doctors
9:40:24put copies up on the poster board by the
9:40:27door. That caused a slow exodus of
9:40:30bodies from the room, as the patients
9:40:31who had gathered to hear the news began
9:40:33to get excited to see the official
9:40:35determination.
9:40:36The doctors had told most of them
9:40:38whether they could leave or not, but the
9:40:40doctors didn't know who would be going
9:40:41where. Once the room was mostly cleared,
9:40:45Prince Axel looked around at the group
9:40:46with a tired expression before giving
9:40:48them the final announcement of the
9:40:50night. As much as I fought against it,
9:40:52as I don't support student soldiers, the
9:40:55entire awakened and ascended population
9:40:57of the academy is being sent to the
9:40:58border in the next 2 weeks. Once you are
9:41:01cleared, you will not be going back to
9:41:03your dorms, but to the border near the
9:41:05Hill Giant offensive. Commander Doug
9:41:08McKenzie and his group have been
9:41:10assigned to the capital for security
9:41:12along with his two sisters. While you
9:41:14are cleared for combat, the bureau wants
9:41:17you to have some downtime between
9:41:18battles, so you will spend a minimum of
9:41:201 month here in the capital. High priest
9:41:23Doug, that will unfortunately include
9:41:25you as well. apparently calling the head
9:41:28of psychiatric medicine skittles to his
9:41:30face earned you some time doing public
9:41:32relations work for the church. Axel
9:41:35informed them his stern expression
9:41:37turning to a smirk at the end. Doug just
9:41:40shrugged as he ate his dinner. He is and
9:41:43will always be Skittles.
9:41:46I regret nothing. Prince Axel just shook
9:41:49his head at the nature priest. There was
9:41:52no reasoning with the man, it seemed.
9:41:55freewnavvel.com
9:41:57Overlord Drake stood from his chair. Now
9:42:01I wish you all the best of luck and we
9:42:03will see you at the next inspection of
9:42:05the lines. World dragon willing. The two
9:42:08ranking elites left the room and Carl's
9:42:10group fell silent for a bit before Tessa
9:42:12finished her juice inside.
9:42:15Well, I guess we will meet again soon if
9:42:17half of us are being discharged.
9:42:19Do any of the doctors know if we're just
9:42:21waiting at the cathedral? One of the
9:42:24doctors nodded. Yes, you've both been
9:42:28assigned to wait at the Capitol
9:42:29Cathedral until your team is cleared to
9:42:31leave. Official orders from the
9:42:33Archbishop himself have your entire team
9:42:36together for one year. It would take a
9:42:38lot to get him to change his mind on the
9:42:40matter, and it's doubtful that it will
9:42:42even cross his mind again." Tessa
9:42:44nodded. Well, we do have a contract that
9:42:47we won't leave anyone behind and that we
9:42:50will do one task that pleases the red
9:42:51dragon goddess every 3 months. Think
9:42:54we're actually way ahead of the curve on
9:42:56that one, but I suspect that the extras
9:42:58don't factor into the time frame when
9:43:00she expects her next tribute. You have 3
9:43:03months between missions for the war
9:43:05dragon. How long has it been since the
9:43:08last time her influence was obvious? The
9:43:11doctor asked, not wanting to risk an
9:43:13issue by keeping the team in the
9:43:14hospital.
9:43:16the battle that led us here. So, under a
9:43:19week and the one before that was only 3
9:43:21days or so prior, so we're good even if
9:43:24one doesn't count. Tessa explained, "You
9:43:28have been busy." Though, with your group
9:43:30composition, it's a bit concerning that
9:43:32you would agree to a contract like that.
9:43:35The doctor frowned. Actually, our group
9:43:38is really well suited to it once you add
9:43:41the monsters and golems. That makes all
9:43:44the difference. It's a lot like having
9:43:46three extra commanders with us, all with
9:43:49different skill sets. But I think that
9:43:51the war dragon is particularly pleased
9:43:53by the fact that we are actually willing
9:43:55to go out and fight and don't just do
9:43:57the minimum. I might have tested short
9:44:00of the commander rank exam requirements,
9:44:02but not by much. By the time that we get
9:44:05back from the hill giant border, I might
9:44:07be the youngest high priestess of the
9:44:09red dragon. Tessa replied. The doctor
9:44:13looked shocked. High priestesses of the
9:44:16war dragon only usually came in two
9:44:18varieties.
9:44:20Disfigured and angry battle nuns in
9:44:22their early middle years and matronly
9:44:24swords who looked after orphans for a
9:44:25living. Becoming a high priestess so
9:44:28young, at least for the dragon god of
9:44:30war, was unthinkable in the minds of
9:44:32many.
9:44:34So once we clear you, there is a good
9:44:36chance that you're going to throw
9:44:37yourselves back into battle and
9:44:39challenge the hill giants to please the
9:44:41red dragon. The doctor asked. That was
9:44:46clearly a trick question and designed to
9:44:48be used against the other members when
9:44:50they were doing their evaluations the
9:44:51next day. But the doctor had no shame
9:44:54about his actions and wasn't trying to
9:44:56hide it. I wouldn't call it throwing
9:44:59ourselves in combat. Thor likes to smash
9:45:02things and Rey is likely running short
9:45:04on blood by now. So, we will take a
9:45:06cautious outing to find some monsters to
9:45:08refill our supplies.
9:45:10Then, whatever happens happens.
9:45:13Maybe we will find another village full
9:45:15of refugee children. That pleased the
9:45:18red dragon a lot. Tessa replied. The
9:45:22doctor nodded, having heard the story
9:45:24already. All right, I won't cry too
9:45:27deeply.
9:45:28I know battle is an essential part of
9:45:30most elites
9:45:32lives. He reluctantly agreed. The last
9:45:36of the assembled doctors slowly
9:45:38dispersed, and then Carl's team retired
9:45:40back to their respective rooms for the
9:45:42evening, prepared for at least another
9:45:44week of monotonous tests and afternoons
9:45:46filled with lessons and chores. The
9:45:49chores part was especially fearsome to
9:45:51Lotus, who had been enjoying the
9:45:52wilderness far too much, even if it was
9:45:55cold. Now that she was back in the city
9:45:58and headed for the cathedral, she would
9:46:00be expected to join the chore rotation
9:46:02during her stay there. That meant long
9:46:04hours and honest work, two things that
9:46:07no nature priestess willingly
9:46:08volunteered for. Carl sat in the next
9:46:11day's decompression session, a mental
9:46:14health counseling session that was
9:46:15mandatory for all patients here, and
9:46:17stared at the new doctor who had been
9:46:19assigned to him. She just wasn't getting
9:46:22it, and he wasn't certain how to explain
9:46:24the situation anymore.
9:46:26So, you're saying that a young child
9:46:28such as yourself isn't bothered by the
9:46:29death and gore, but you don't feel that
9:46:31is a problem? The old woman asked. Carl
9:46:36considered that for a moment, trying to
9:46:37find a new way to explain the issue
9:46:40before he gave into the urge to just
9:46:41stand up and just walk out on her. If
9:46:44there is a rabid animal or wild monster
9:46:46loose in your neighborhood, what do you
9:46:48do? He asked, "Call animal control, of
9:46:52course." she replied. "And what do they
9:46:56do?" "Trap and relocate it, I assume."
9:47:00She shrugged. Carl rubbed his temples.
9:47:05This woman had never actually worked
9:47:06with anyone who had been in combat
9:47:08before, and it was exceedingly obvious.
9:47:11She had to be one of the academics from
9:47:13the university. He shook his head. "You
9:47:17can't just relocate a dangerous creature
9:47:19and make it someone else's problem."
9:47:22They put them down.
9:47:24That's what we do. We put down dangerous
9:47:27creatures who are threat to the people.
9:47:29It's not personal. It just needs to be
9:47:31done. But if they were people in your
9:47:34mind, how would you handle it? Carl saw
9:47:37where she was leading with this. Now, I
9:47:40would say that is a law enforcement
9:47:41issue. If they were humans, each and
9:47:44every one of them would be a serial
9:47:46killer and mass murderer. Many of them
9:47:49would be cannibals as they prefer human
9:47:51flesh.
9:47:52I don't think that many people would
9:47:54object if they were put down, even if we
9:47:56did it live on television. The woman
9:47:59huffed in annoyance and walked out of
9:48:00the room. Victory.
9:48:03Skittles, the aging nature priest
9:48:06doctor, came in to replace her with a
9:48:08big smile on his face. What did you say
9:48:10to make the substitute counselor cry? He
9:48:14asked. I told her that the human
9:48:16equivalent of monsters are serial
9:48:18killers and mass murderers. that nobody
9:48:20would complain about being executed live
9:48:22on television.
9:48:24Skittles or Dr. Xander as he should
9:48:26properly be called burst into laughter.
9:48:30The university sent over a bunch of
9:48:31academics to prove that our way isn't
9:48:33effective enough. They think that their
9:48:37treatment methods will create more
9:48:39healthy and balanced elites or get
9:48:41someone stabbed for asking the same
9:48:43stupid questions over and over. Carl
9:48:46pointed out, "We monitor our patients
9:48:49for weapons." Dr. Xander replied
9:48:52stiffly. Carl took out his maul and
9:48:55passed it to the nature priest who
9:48:57nearly dropped it on his foot. Goddess,
9:49:00that thing is heavy. Is that what you
9:49:03use to fight frost giants? He asked,
9:49:07"No, I usually use a two-handed sword,
9:49:09but that mall packs a beating with it
9:49:11when it comes into play. But my point is
9:49:14that most of the patients are armed,
9:49:16even when it doesn't look like it. The
9:49:18doctor chuckled. Point taken. But I
9:49:22suspect the actual weapons aren't the
9:49:24largest issue if your personal problem
9:49:26is the annoying academics.
9:49:28Those who are unstable are sedated to
9:49:30prevent them using magic. But we already
9:49:33know that doesn't work on you. And if
9:49:34you set a monster on them, they wouldn't
9:49:36last long. The academics aren't clerics.
9:49:40They're just teachers. They don't have
9:49:42any magic or superhuman abilities. So,
9:49:45they don't really understand what it's
9:49:46like. They're terrified of the threats
9:49:49to humanity, and many have the attitude
9:49:51that the ones who protect them are some
9:49:53sort of servants tasked to clean up
9:49:54problems. Carl nodded. Like that one.
9:49:59Maybe we should terrify them a little,
9:50:01make them leave. Carl saw why Doug
9:50:05called him Skittles when the man
9:50:07smirked. His eyes flashed with multiple
9:50:09colors of light.
9:50:11It might be some sort of skill or
9:50:12ability, but the glow did rather look
9:50:16like Skittles in his eyes. What were you
9:50:18thinking just now? Dr. Xander asked. I
9:50:23could use a bit of exercise.
9:50:25Perhaps we could arrange space to do
9:50:27some sparring out reevil.com
9:50:30in the yard or if there is a suitable
9:50:33gymnasium here. Carl suggested,
9:50:37I will arrange it. There have been all
9:50:39sorts of complaints this morning and I
9:50:41have been concerned that some of the
9:50:43elites might just do a selfch checkout
9:50:44against doctors
9:50:46advice.
9:50:48Let me know when you've got somewhere
9:50:49for us to exercise and I think that we
9:50:51can arrange something that will take the
9:50:53naive one's attitude down a notch. Carl
9:50:56agreed. Dr. Xander nodded and left the
9:50:59room and Carl made sure he had shorts
9:51:01and a tank top under his hassuk. He
9:51:04tended to forget, but if he was going to
9:51:06be sparring, he should have the lower
9:51:08layer on. He was just getting
9:51:11comfortable in the chair when Dr. Xander
9:51:13came back under a minute later with a
9:51:15big smile. All right, it's arranged.
9:51:19Even the white robes are on board with
9:51:21this. Just don't do anything that might
9:51:24cause more patients.
9:51:26Carl chuckled. You don't have a
9:51:28cardiology department, do you? because I
9:51:31can't guarantee that some of them won't
9:51:34need it when they see what being an
9:51:36elite actually means. Nope, that's next
9:51:39door and not our problem. We're not an
9:51:42emergency care center. Carl followed him
9:51:45out into the courtyard where someone had
9:51:47created a huge amount of sand for a 20 m
9:51:49round combat circle, the sort of
9:51:51training pit that soldiers had been
9:51:53using for close combat training since
9:51:54before recorded history. All right, Dr.
9:51:58Xander has asked that we all attend this
9:52:00seminar, both for the elites to blow off
9:52:02some steam and to show the new hires a
9:52:04little of what it means to be an elite
9:52:06in combat. Commander Carl has graciously
9:52:09volunteered to help with the
9:52:10demonstration. So, who would like to go
9:52:12first? The patients looked a bit
9:52:14confused, but Oilia hopped up. Do we get
9:52:18to spar with Carl, or is he going to
9:52:22cheat? Carl laughed and had Ry call out
9:52:25a spider golem with the ends of its legs
9:52:27blunted. There were a number of screams
9:52:30from the new doctors and Oilia laughed.
9:52:33I see how it is. All right, who has the
9:52:36training weapons? Carl shrugged. I don't
9:52:40think that you need them. Rey won't take
9:52:43it personally because there is no chance
9:52:46they're going to be able to kill my
9:52:47golem. The two squared off against each
9:52:50other across the circle as the civilian
9:52:52doctors watched in horror. Then Oilia
9:52:55activated her armor and twin flaming
9:52:57axes before transforming into werebear
9:52:59form and launching herself at the spider
9:53:01golem. The two exchanged dozens of
9:53:03strikes in the first two seconds with
9:53:05the golem parrying bear's berserker rage
9:53:08infused attacks while she looked for an
9:53:10opening. Carl watched the doctors for a
9:53:13while and even some of the clerics
9:53:14looked shocked at the brutality of the
9:53:16fight. Then it slowly turned to
9:53:19amusement as the golem knocked Oilia
9:53:21over and used its blunted legs to tickle
9:53:23her belly while pretending to land.
9:53:26Strikes. Only when she roared at the
9:53:28golem in a fully anim animalistic rage
9:53:30did Ry finally relent and have the
9:53:32spider golem retreat. That's one for the
9:53:35golem. I think almost everyone gets the
9:53:38point. Who wants to spar next? I know I
9:53:44could use the exercise.
9:53:46My muscles are getting sore from lack of
9:53:48use, Carl offered. A man with a fresh
9:53:52scar across his face and down his bare
9:53:54chest raised his hand. Commander on
9:53:57commander unarmed spar, the monk
9:54:00suggested.
9:54:01That sounds good. We've got plenty of
9:54:04healers to deal with bruising or we can
9:54:06do it with a barrier up so we're not
9:54:09actually harmed. Carl offered. Then we
9:54:13would need to use skills and that might
9:54:15lead to accidents.
9:54:17Bare hands versus training weapons is
9:54:20fine. Carl had Ray dismissed the golem
9:54:24as he stepped into the ring. The
9:54:26hospital Hassuk would be fine for
9:54:29fighting. It was easy to move in. The
9:54:32two stretched a little and then moved
9:54:34into a light sparring session, testing
9:54:36each other's skills. Carl didn't have
9:54:40his rings on, and this was the first
9:54:42time in a long time he had to test
9:54:44himself against another elite in actual
9:54:46physical combat, but once they started
9:54:48moving, he realized that his natural
9:54:51state was neither slower nor weaker than
9:54:53the monk. I thought you were a ranger
9:54:55type. The monk questioned as they
9:54:58circled. Beast tamer is an odd type. Our
9:55:02growth direction depends on our beasts.
9:55:05If we were using melee skills, I would
9:55:07get my ass kicked in seconds. But as for
9:55:10the basic body, I'm getting closer to
9:55:12that of a commander rank beast. Carl
9:55:14explained as he tried and failed to grab
9:55:16the shirtless monk. He realized why they
9:55:20fought shirtless when his hass was
9:55:21grabbed and he was flipped to the
9:55:23ground, only narrowly avoiding being
9:55:25pinned. The laundry room was going to
9:55:28hate them for this event. Once the monk
9:55:31began to sweat and look a bit winded,
9:55:33Carl backed off and smiled at him. The
9:55:36monk nodded. "That was good exercise. I
9:55:39needed that." After 2 months here, the
9:55:42new limbs are still a bit sluggish. They
9:55:45left the ring and more groups moved in.
9:55:47Awakened elites who went four teams to
9:55:50the ring as they weren't moving nearly
9:55:52as far as the commanders had. The new
9:55:54doctors all seemed to be in shock even
9:55:57now that the fights were on a closer to
9:55:59human scale. They had been so
9:56:01overwhelmed by what they had seen at the
9:56:03start, which they could see was a game
9:56:05between friends with no harm done
9:56:07despite the brutality of the event that
9:56:09they still hadn't managed to get
9:56:11themselves under control. One of the
9:56:13younger doctors was sitting with her
9:56:15head against her knees, working to
9:56:17control her breathing. She didn't look
9:56:19all right, so Carl went over to check on
9:56:21her, snagging a couple of bottles of
9:56:23water off the table by the ring on his
9:56:25way. Here, sip slowly. It helps. Carl
9:56:30informed her as he sat down in the grass
9:56:32beside the young doctor. She numbly
9:56:35sipped the water as she stared at the
9:56:37elite sparring. "Do you know why I
9:56:39became a psychologist?
9:56:41An awakened ranked giant wolf spider
9:56:43took residence in my hometown while I
9:56:45was in the city at school.
9:56:47It killed half the population, and the
9:56:49ones the army recovered from the cocoons
9:56:51were never the same, she whispered.
9:56:55"Sorry, I didn't mean it as a personal
9:56:57thing to anyone. The spider golems are
9:57:00just renewable, so I could show everyone
9:57:02an actual fight without injury," Carl
9:57:05replied. She nodded slowly, her heart
9:57:08still pounding so hard that Carl could
9:57:11hear it. "I know that it was just so,
9:57:15so." Carl patted her back. I know, and
9:57:19so does everyone else here. Every elite
9:57:22in this hospital has seen that level of
9:57:24battle and much worse. Most of us have
9:57:27been sent on those rescue missions to
9:57:29invaded villages. But look how much fun
9:57:32everyone is having now. That was the
9:57:35goal of coming here, right? To get
9:57:38everyone's mind back into a good place.
9:57:40The doctor smiled at Carl as she got to
9:57:43her feet. That's right. Thank you for
9:57:46reminding me, but I should give you some
9:57:49advice as well. If you're going to spar
9:57:52in a hass, put pants on first. Carl
9:57:55laughed. I am wearing shorts underneath.
9:57:59I've been yelled at for that before, so
9:58:01I changed before we came out. A few of
9:58:04the other doctors laughed, especially
9:58:06the nature priests. As the doctors from
9:58:09the university began to see the
9:58:11camaraderie between the elites, they
9:58:13began to relax and look at them
9:58:15differently, not as a problem to be
9:58:18solved, but as people who shared
9:58:19something that the rest of the world
9:58:21couldn't really understand.
9:58:23And so the morning meetings were changed
9:58:25to morning outdoor activities, at least
9:58:27on the days with good weather.
9:58:30Wheelchair basketball, sparring, any
9:58:32sort of game the elites came up with was
9:58:34incorporated into their recovery
9:58:36regimen. Many of the doctors had pushed
9:58:38for this from the start of the elite
9:58:40program, but it was considered
9:58:41unconventional or too risky for the
9:58:44wounded, even when they were confined to
9:58:46a basketball court where they could
9:58:47easily be kept within the range of an
9:58:49area healing spell for treatment while
9:58:51they exercised.
9:58:53So that was how Carl's next week went
9:58:55with exercise in the morning to bring
9:58:56his arm back up to his standards and
9:58:58lessons with Morgana all afternoon to
9:59:00catch up on the schooling that he should
9:59:02have been taking during the first and
9:59:04second year before he was sent out into
9:59:06the world. Carl didn't even know that
9:59:08some of those historical eras had
9:59:10happened, much less that they had their
9:59:12own architectural style that was likely
9:59:14to contain magical relics. It was enough
9:59:17new information that even Thor's
9:59:18prodigious memory was struggling to
9:59:21remember it all. The only easy part was
9:59:24the public speaking lessons, as Carl
9:59:26wasn't bad at that to begin with. The
9:59:29challenge was learning how to turn
9:59:30everything into polite double speak so
9:59:32that you could convey your message
9:59:34without antagonizing anyone, even in a
9:59:36hostile crowd. But all fun things must
9:59:39end, and at the end of a week, it was
9:59:41time for the review of the party members
9:59:43progress.
9:59:45He had been healing well, but it was
9:59:47still unlikely that he would be
9:59:48discharged early. Oilia might be as she
9:59:52was doing much better now that she got
9:59:54to spend her mornings in were bear form
9:59:56wrestling and sparring. It was Dana that
9:59:59Carl was concerned about. She had gotten
10:00:02quiet since the battle and had lost a
10:00:04lot of the bubbly personality that used
10:00:05to come out at every chance. Perhaps
10:00:08that was just part of the experience,
10:00:10but it still seemed like she could use a
10:00:12bit more time with the priests. Or
10:00:15perhaps that was the problem and she
10:00:17just needed to get back to normaly with
10:00:18the other students. On the final day of
10:00:21the week, instead of the morning games,
10:00:23Carl was called to a meeting room where
10:00:25five doctors in five different cleric
10:00:27robes sat as a panel behind a desk.
10:00:30Commander Carl, initial prognosis, nerve
10:00:33damage to the left arm, and a severe
10:00:35concussion. We are pleased to inform you
10:00:38that your time with us is now ended. You
10:00:41are cleared to return to duty at any
10:00:43time.
10:00:44The academy should be contacting you
10:00:46later today to let you know of their
10:00:47deployment plans.
10:00:49Carl smiled.
10:00:51That is excellent news. Have you met
10:00:54with the rest of my team yet? The
10:00:56doctors shook their heads. No, you are
10:00:59the first review of the morning. There
10:01:03are a number of other patients between
10:01:05you and them, but you should have
10:01:06answers before you go anywhere. That
10:01:09seemed to signal the end of the meeting.
10:01:11and Carl stepped out into the hall where
10:01:13his three roommates were waiting along
10:01:15the wall for his results. I'm good to
10:01:18go. It's been a pleasure, gentlemen.
10:01:21Carl informed them with a smile. Where
10:01:24are they sending you? Back to the frost
10:01:27giant border to freeze again. Carl shook
10:01:30his head. No, once my team is ready, we
10:01:34will be off to the hill giant border
10:01:35with the students from the academy. I
10:01:38haven't graduated yet after all.
10:01:41The trio laughed. We heard a curious
10:01:44rumor about you. Is it true that you're
10:01:47still in the first year? Carl chuckled.
10:01:50Yeah. Halfway through my first year at
10:01:53the academy. I know it doesn't really
10:01:56look like it anymore with the
10:01:57advancements and their physical
10:01:59improvements, but I was in the last
10:02:00batch of serum injections.
10:02:03[ __ ] We should try getting on the good
10:02:05side of some monsters.
10:02:07Maybe that's the secret. The blonde man
10:02:10joked. Ask the nature priests about that
10:02:13one first. They have many stories about
10:02:16the appeals and hazards of trying to
10:02:18cuddle the danger fluff behind them. Dr.
10:02:21Xander laughed. You're a bad influence
10:02:24on the entire green dragon priesthood.
10:02:26You know that. Do you know how many of
10:02:29them have tried to make new friends in
10:02:31the last week and nearly ended up in the
10:02:32emergency room? I claim no
10:02:35responsibility for that. They were like
10:02:38that before I arrived. That is true, I
10:02:41suppose. But speaking of which, we will
10:02:44be moving you over to the cathedral
10:02:46tonight to wait on the rest of your team
10:02:48unless they're all released and ready to
10:02:50go today. I believe some of them were
10:02:52suggested to stay another week. Carl
10:02:55nodded. Yeah, I believe that the two
10:02:58priestesses are already there waiting
10:03:00for us. I'm sure that after a week in
10:03:03the capital cathedral, they're ready for
10:03:05some less exciting days.
10:03:07The doctor laughed at the thought that
10:03:08being with a military unit at the border
10:03:10was either less exciting or more
10:03:12enjoyable than the cathedral. But Carl
10:03:14knew that they would be stuck with all
10:03:16the paperwork that he had been dodging
10:03:17for the last month. Compared to that,
10:03:20sitting with a thousand students in a
10:03:22camp at the border sounded much better.
10:03:24The two priestesses weren't students, so
10:03:27they wouldn't be asked to take lessons
10:03:28while they were there. And they were
10:03:30part of Carl's team by contract, so they
10:03:32wouldn't be reassigned to some menial
10:03:34duty as they had to stay near the action
10:03:36to please the red dragon. Plus, Lotus
10:03:39had to be going crazy without any
10:03:41animals around other than the cats of
10:03:43the cathedral.

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This page contains the full transcript of 10 HOUR | The First Legendary Beast Master Part 4 | Audiobook (Sleep/Study/Gym) by 10HourNovels, generated from the public captions YouTube serves with the video. The transcript has 106,869 words across 15,541 segments, with the original timestamps preserved so you can click any line to jump to that moment in the embedded player.

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