I had quickly gone over what abilities people have, and found one other person who was in the area for training and potential hunting. Naturally, they had also actively sought info online.

The plan is simple: Warn everyone. Those who can escape will do so. The Old Sawmill is a safe zone, and we will defend it to the best of our abilities. Non-combatants will hide inside, and it will be the gathering point for those warned.

The other Hunter, Eivind, has responsibility for commanding in that area and making sure those who want to fight are able to do so, if only with a stick. We have people start gathering anything that can be used as weapons.

So now I’m flying around in mist form. First stop is the nearest bathing spot. When someone tells me to stop speaking nonsense I wave one of the bug’s legs in his face. “Would you bet your life that the person who can turn into mist is pranking you?”

Soon after, I fly along the water, warning everyone I see. Most people heed my warning quickly, but my own movement is painfully slow, even when several times faster than if I went by foot, which I still have to do to regain mana every now and then.

It is good the hive is quite deep in the forest; it is far enough away from the water edge and road that it’s still safe unless you walk into the forest, off the road and tracks.

Once I’ve passed the hive I tell people to grab sticks and be alert, and to move toward a specific popular bathing spot far away from the hive, and with strength in numbers they should at least hold out.

Soon I turn around and go back down the road. I only meet one group before again passing the hive. I ask the cyclists to be very alert, and that turning around might be wise, pointing them to the same location I told the others to go.

It’s after that I meet problems. One of the groups that started to evacuate was intercepted by a bug. The wolves fought it off, but it might bring more. I order the wolves to ‘kill any bugs near the road’ and to ‘defend the café’

The wolves are ill suited to fighting the tough bugs, being ambush attackers rather than heavy-hitters. They are also inferior in numbers. Luckily most bugs seem to stay in their hive.

I escort the little group, hunting any nearby bugs. Soon the group grows in size as others join in; the group now has grown to a dozen or so, and now has an escort of a few wolves.

I leave them behind and rush to the cafè. When I get there, most people are hiding or have left, but the police special troop has arrived.

‘Wolves: Keep the bugs at bay with illusions. Make them fight each other!’

I look over the defenders. Average people with sticks are not very threatening, but some are holding farming implements. Eivind is holding an axe and with his motorcycling gear he only lacks a helmet to get that modern viking look. Also, he found a garbage lid for shield.

The police on the other hand are quite menacing in their black combat gear. The rifles also help, since those are rarely ever seen here in scandinavia. I’m no expert, but I think those are automatic…

I hope it’s enough. I keep my thoughts to myself and shout over the nervous voices. “SILENCE!” I give the crowd a moment, and they comply. “The bugs will be here very soon, and there is a group of people coming down the road, they will be here after the bugs!”

I fill people in with what little Eivind couldn’t tell them, then start flying back to the group I was escorting. As I leave, the first insect become visible as it exits the treeline. It shrugs of a few bullets before falling, only to be replaced with another. And then yet more, as my sight is blocked by trees.

I’m getting tired, mentally and physically, when I finally see the the group escorted by the wolves. I have been jogging the last five minutes, which with this gear should make me more tired than I am. It seems my increased stats are doing something, then.

They have seen me too, and pick up the pace. Between the group and me, however, is trouble.

I slam the pickaxe’ pointy end into an incoming bug. That’s for hurting my pack! I take my left hand off the handle, making sure not to drop the wand, and {Mana Spike} the next bug twice before it falls.

I keep firing {Mana Spike}s, and continue moving once I get the pickaxe free. I turn to a bug fighting illusory enemies and hit it from the side with the chisel of my trusty bug-miner, tearing off a leg.

I barely notice I gain the [Mining] skill and quickly swap it over the [Dismantling] skill, which I won’t get to use while fighting for my and other's’ lives.

The bug turns to the non-illusory threat, and when it swipes at me I barely block with the pickaxe, stumbling backwards. Damn that thing is strong!

I fire another {Mana Spike} at its center of mass while I regain my posture. The hit penetrates the bug’s side, and it screeches in pain. I’ve regained my balance, and the screeching stops when a quickly imbued pick tears through its head.

Now that’s a critical hit. I free my pick and in a brief moment of respite look around the area, which has turned into a battlefield.

The frightened group is using herd tactics, protecting the weaker kids by surrounding them and beating the shit outta any bug that draws near. They are not without injuries, however.

On the other hand, the wolves look quite ragged, their previously pristine white coats spattered with purple and red.

They work wonderfully together, but with no good way to hurt the bugs through their armor, they have to resort to trying to rip off legs, which requires all three of them to attack the same target.

The remaining bugs, five of them, have various degrees of damage, from seemingly unhurt to having lost multiple legs. Despite their losses, they have surrounded the group.

Reinforcements are here though, and with a guttural yell I draw their attention towards me. Someone uses that chance to knock the legs out under one bug. Of course, people take that as a chance to hit it with all they got.

I send a couple {Mana Spike}s at one of the closer bugs, then meet it’s attempted hug (of death) with my pick. The momentum of the bug makes me take a step back and lose hold of the pickaxe, something another bug takes as an invitation to leap at me.

I send another spike at it, but the attack is poorly aimed and doesn’t even slow it down. I twist my arm and catch it’s bite with my forearm. It’s a bad angle for the mandibles, but it still draws blood through my hoodie and [Body Enhancement], causing me to drop my wand.

Disarmed, but not harmless, I start charging mana into my free hand, which shortly after hits the top of the bug with an open palm strike. The bug collapses, but tears at my arm even in death.

Now that there’s only two bugs we have the clear numerical superiority, and they are quickly beaten to death while restrained by the wolves.

I quickly look around, but find no more enemies, so I remove my backpack and bring out the First Aid Kit Mk.2. A couple minutes later the worse wounds(including my forearm) are disinfected and bandaged, and we’re moving towards the café.

The sound of gunshots can be heard occasionally. When I think about it, I realize the guns will be less useful as soon as the bugs get close, and that they need to be careful of friendly fire. The armor might also deflect poor hits.

Throughout the battle several abilities grew rapidly, and and in addition to [Mining], now level (4, Adequate), I learned [Taunt] and [Magic Pugilism]. At some point before that I learned [Leadership].

Meta-Ability Learned: [Leadership] The skill to lead others is a useful one. With the [System], even more so.

Enables the user to form and lead groups and factions, and gives them boons depending on the leader’s [Leadership] skill.

Meta-abilities seem to be always active, but also not provide stat bonuses.

As for groups, they are basically the same as in games, a form of [Companionship]. Like my [Beast Companionship] with Tåke, it enables group members to sense each other’s general status and location. As for communication, you need a very skilled leader or other abilities.

We reach the café after encountering a few single enemies. It is immediately obvious that they had a fierce battle: Some places there are stacks of enemies, and both the police and meatshields/brave civilians look (rightly) like they’ve been on a battlefield.

The entire area is well defended now, both the regular police and ambulances have arrived. The medical crew is treating people, and I see one ambulance leaving, lights on.

I check the ability swap cooldown, and since it seems fine I swap [Force Magic] for [Healing Touch]. I’m healing myself as we are greeted by medical crew. I tell them to check the others first, while I work my (literal) magic.

Rather exhausted, I slump down on a bench. A few wolves immediately take my side, or lap in the case of Tåke. “You too had it harsh, huh.” I mumble as I pet her, healing each of us, in different ways.

When one of the medical crew comes over to check me, I wave my mostly healed arm in the air. “Magic is great, huh.”

When they see how effective it is, it seems like I’ll end up switching between healing people and meditating to regain my mana. However, one of the EMTs ask me to teach them, so I show how using a mana stone.

Soon it is found out that everyone with at least level (2, novice) in [Mana Manipulation] can learn the skill this way, and for the effort I gain another meta-ability: [Teaching]

With others able to use [Healing Touch], I gather the bug corpses in a pile. As soon as I can, I switch [Healing Touch] for [Dismantling].

And like that, the bugs become loot.