Part Sixty-Nine

The rest of the Archmage’s explanation was rather simple. Due to the large number of groups, and the small time frame we had for the operation, he wouldn’t be able to teleport us all. To compensate, an NPC mage would be sent with each group to provide support. It was this fact that provided the tipping point to convince all of the mercenaries.

The mages would have the details of the assignments, so we were to report to them once we’d assembled a group. As for the groups themselves, it was up to each captain to recruit four companions. And surprise, surprise, none of us were chosen as captains. I knew I wouldn’t get picked, not with all the crazy stuff I’d done here, but it stunk that Alicia and Cameron weren’t picked. Though with close to two hundred mercenaries, the odds hadn’t been in our favor.

“So, what do we do? We could try to all join the same group, but I doubt that that’ll work.”

“Yeah, the odds of all of us being able to join the same group aren’t good. Most of the captains are part of the larger groups, so they’ll recruit those they already know. Any vacancies will be limited to one or two slots.”

“I do think Alicia should stay with one of us though. She can’t talk right now, so you’d have a hard time working with new people, right?”

*It’s definitely a concern, but I can take care of myself you know. I’m not a helpless damsel.*

“Never said you were. If you want to play it like that, then so be it. We should hurry, or we’ll get stuck in bad groups though. There’s definitely a few people I’d like to avoid working with.”

Nearly everyone had waited for a few minutes to talk strategy, but now they were all looking for a slot on a group, preferably with someone they knew. Just from the quick glance I got, it looked like Braddock, Sampson, Jansen, and Brad all had been elected as captains. And five others from Braddock’s group had also been elected, meaning most of them were already accounted for.

As for me, we’ll let’s face it. I wasn’t the most sociable person here, or even in the top one hundred. I’d just end up waiting until either someone approached me, or all of the slots were filled in but one. I know, I know, passivity here was unsightly, but me and this Dungeon were mortal foes now. No matter what I did or what group I would be in, something nuts would happen. I had the confidence to survive regardless of what happened. Even a frigging alien hadn’t been enough to kill me.

Wait, does he count as an alien? Finnél and his cronies weren’t from this world, so I guess? Or would he be the only one, since he wasn’t human? I mean, extraterrestrial life is just supposed to be something not from Earth, right? Or is it more complicated than that? Actually, by that rhetoric, wouldn’t monsters count as aliens?

“Um, excuse me? Could I ask you something?”

“Huh? Oh, uh, I guess?”

I’d been preoccupied enough with my nonsense that someone had snuck up on me. For some reason, she seemed vaguely familiar, which was odd. There wasn’t anything eye-catching enough about her for me to remember her. She wore a set of regular D-Rank armor and had a simple sword at her waist, opposite a whip, which now that I think about it, was an odd choice of weapon. Even her haircut was rather plain. Brunette hair in a simple bob cut. I didn’t know much, or anything, about women’s hairstyles, but I figured that this was at least convenient on a battlefield.

Is that why I know her? No, can’t be. So why-. Ohhh, she’s the one who had that mana shard the other day. Which means that whip might actually be something cool?

“You’re the, the Red-Helmed Slaughterer, right?”

Gah, that name! Why does it keep coming up? If I ever find the person who first coined it, I’ll punch ‘em in the face!

“As much as I’d like to deny it, they do call me that. And you are?”

“Oh! Um, I’m Serena. Serena Stevens. But, you didn’t need to know that, did you?”

Holy cow, I’ve found someone even more awkward than I am. Her shyness is making me embarrassed.

“Ehem, sooo? What do ya need?”

“Um, sorry! So, my friend Tiffany, she was selected as a captain but the two of us aren’t part of any group and we still need one more person to fill our squad out and I saw you over here by yourself and since it didn’t look like you were with anyone I thought I’d come talk to you and ask if you’d work with us but I understand if you’ve already found a squad and I’ll just leave you be so you can forget about me and my silliness!”

Her machine-gun chatter caught me so off-guard that I nearly let her walk away. That was certainly impressive in a way.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Calm down, and speak clearly. So I take it you need one more for your group?”

“Wait, really!? Yes! Yes please! I was really nervous about this, but if someone as strong as you is there, then it should be perfectly fine!”

Wow, this girl’s a bit intense. She’s even more upbeat than Kalia. I don’t think I’ll be able to deal with her for too long, but one mission should be doable.

A quick glance revealed that both Alicia and Cameron had already joined squads. Alicia had joined up with some of the women from Braddock’s group that she knew. I didn’t know if they’d had an extra slot or just made room for her, but it eased my mind to know she was with relatively trustworthy people. Cameron, on the other hand, had joined with a few other misfits, spillover from the other groups. And that helped make my mind for me.

“Yeah, I’ll join you.”

“Ehehehe! Thank you, thank you, thank you! Come on, I’ll introduce you to the others!”

Is she always this intense?

She quickly led me to a group of three standing off to the side, one of whom I was surprised to recognize. Hunk-lite huh. Dude’s definitely a misfit, so it makes sense he’d get shunted to the side. I’m honestly a little wary of him, but since he helped us kill Finnél, I’ll hold my suspicion until he does something worthy of it. He may just be a newbie who wanted to wear that gear to protect himself.

The other two were far less suspicious. First was the blonde girl I assumed to be Tiffany. Again, nothing to really right home about equipment wise. She wore the same armor set as Serena, one known as the Adventurer's Set. It was basically the all-rounder D-Rank set, one which boosted most of the core abilities evenly. It wasn’t all that bad, especially since it was tougher than the Striker’s Set.

The other one actually jumped when he saw me coming. Unlike the other two, he wore a Soldier's Set, indicating that he either wasn’t high Rank, or was just unable to get the D-Rank equipment. Which made sense since you had to brave a D-Rank Dungeon to get them.

“A-a-aren’t you the Red-Helmed Slaughterer?”

Seriously, I hate that nickname. I despise it.

“Um, Serena? I know you said you’d try to find a fifth for us, but him? I mean, no offense, but you kinda have a reputation for being, um. How do I put this delicately?”

“Reckless? Insane? Having a complete disregard for any form of common sense?”

“Uh, I was going to say bossy or violent. You have kind of barked orders at people on several occasions, or outright punched them. Though, since it looks like everyone else has already finished, I guess it doesn’t matter.”

In the time it took for us to do whatever that was, the other groups had already been finalized, leaving us as the last ones to do so. So Tiffany had no choice but to go and report, or she’d hold the whole operation up. It sure was nice to work with non-insane people for a change.

She soon returned with an NPC in tow. He politely said hello before beginning to brief us on our assignment.

“The monsters have been bringing out massive quantities of food from deep in the forest, presumably to feed their troops before the attack. Sated monsters are less likely to fight amongst themselves and not follow orders. So by sabotaging these supplies before they arrive, we can stall their efforts to attack. They’ll attack us anyway even without the food, but they’ll be more disorganized when they do so, increasing our chances.”

I guess that checks out. So long as we have even numbers and proper preparations, we’re much stronger than the monsters in the Dungeon. It’s only when they cooperate, or have a powerful or outstanding individual, that we get overwhelmed and suffer heavy casualties. That’s exactly what’s happened on each of the prior missions, so as long as we can prevent those scenarios, this coming attack should be easier to deal with.

“My job is to guide you all to where the supplies will come through so we can set up an ambush. I can also use a few Wind and Fire spells, so I can support you in battle too.”

“Hm, how many monsters are we expecting?”

“Between one and three dozen ma'am. The only issue is that they’re peculiar. The guards are Baculth, a type of Demi-Human monster that hasn’t been sighted among the Army before today.”

Oooh, New monsters? How intriguing. Also, is it just me or is she really on the ball about this? I kind of thought she’d be more nervous or flighty, but she’s actually impressed me. I don’t get the sense that she’s former military, but perhaps she worked in a high-pressure profession before World Decay.

“And how strong are they?”

“Well, I’d say their base is weaker than a Minotaur, but the issue is the superior specimens. They’re usually pretty troublesome since they can use magic.”

Well shit.

***

We were on our way to the forest soon after that, following our trusty guide who continued to brief us of the coming dangers. First, unlike most Demi-Humans, Baculth didn't use weapons, choosing to rely solely on their fists to fight. I bet that weirdo would love them.

They weren’t casters, but actually used various magics to enhance their physical attacks, with some even going so far as to wrap magic around their fists. And since they weren’t super strong like a lot of Demi-Humans, they were usually highly skilled in combat to compensate.

Our guide’s primary job was to guide us through the forest, all the while avoiding as many battles as possible. According to him, if we’d tried this just yesterday, we would’ve been attacked in seconds. Not only were the monsters distracted by their preparations, but half of the groups had been sent to kill as many monsters on the forest's edge as they could, all to make an opening for the rest.

How nice of them. They get nice simple missions, while we have to go into the forest in search of enemies we haven’t even seen before. Yay.

Several little green, ethereal lizards acted as our guides, familiars conjured by the mage to serve as scouts. These magical constructs were practically invisible if you didn’t know what to look for, and even my mana sense wasn’t picking up any traces of them. It was no wonder the NPCs always seemed to know just how to capitalize on the monsters’ weaknesses. They could literally find them with next to no risk.

And with such skilled guidance, it didn’t take us long to arrive at the ambush site. Though there wasn’t any obvious differences between here and the rest of the forest, closer inspection revealed a series of shallow ruts in the ground, as if something was dragged through here. Oh, I get it. They brought carts through here to transport their supplies.

“Hey uh, how are we doing this? I, I don’t wanna step on any toes, but the forest is kind of thin here, so there isn’t really a place to hide. Won’t they see us coming?”

It was the other guy who asked that (his name was Edwin or Edward, I didn’t pay attention when he introduced himself), but it wasn’t Tiffany who answered, but instead the NPC.

“I’ve got that covered. I have a Magic Sphere that contains a Space Magic Spell that will hide us, at least until we attack them.”

Magic Sphere

Rank: Special

Description: A magical crystal that can absorb a single spell and store it for repeated use. This one is loaded with the Space Magic Spell [Severance].

Ooo, how fancy. I’d actually like one of them so I could store Kalia’s magic within it. I get hurt way too often for my own liking. This could be the next-best-thing to having a dedicated healer.

“Okay. So, I kind of have a plan. It’s not the best one, but…”

***

“Braaaagh, braaaa.”

“Braaaaaaaaaagh.”

Oh look, sheep. So, these are Baculth. And I suppose that one’s my target.

Baculth Lightning-Fist

Rank: D

Description: A Baculth adept at both hand-to-hand combat and Lightning Magic. Considering the race's propensity to use magic to strengthen themselves instead of as a direct attack, Lightning-fists tend to use their magic to enhance their reflexes and speed, as well as cloaking their fists in electricity.

They were really sheep, bipedal sheep. Roughly humanoid in shape, and covered in wool of various shades of white, each Baculth stood at about five ten to six feet, give-or-take a few inches. Unlike Minotaurs, they were far leaner and had builds closer to a normal human’s, except that they had hunched shoulders and rather large heads. The ram horns on their heads were chipped in multiple places, indicating that they probably used them to fight.

The one I’d picked out as the leader was a bit bigger than the others, with larger, more chipped horns. Maybe they use them similar to how deer and elk do? I don’t think normal sheep do that though.

Tiffany’s plan was simple, but all the more effective for it. Hunk-lite was to open fire with his hand gun, killing as many sheep as he could. Considering the size of the gun, and that each bullet was as thick as my thumb, he could probably kill a sheep with each shot. How he managed to actually fire the thing was beyond me though. The recoil must’ve been extraordinary.

After that, the others would distract the remaining sheep, while I assassinated the leader. The five of them were hiding with the Space Magic Spell, while I was up in a tree, hidden within the foliage. As far as I could tell, [Severance] seemed to portion the space around the caster and turned it into an unattached segment. Honestly, the mage's explanation went completely over my head. All I knew was that the spell should temporarily make anyone inside the effects undetectable. And that’s all I need to know. Seriously, why was it so complicated? I didn’t ask for a technical explanation. Ah, here they come.

*Bang bang bang bang bang bang*

In an impressive display of skill, each of Hunk-lite’s shots accurately struck a sheep in the forehead or temple, killing them immediately. Since there were only fourteen Baculth, this one attack eliminated close to half of them.

“Braaaaa!?”

The remaining sheep charged at Hunk-lite, only to run into the wall of wind the mage conjured. Aside from one slightly larger specimen, the others all bounced backwards off of the wall, tripping on their own hooves. Only the Lightning-Fist stayed on its feet, making it the perfect target for [Rot]. The spell struck the back of its neck, rotting through its wool, but not affecting its body at all. And once it turned around and saw me drop out of the tree, it charged straight at me. I guess an unprotected target is more appealing than those behind the wall.

“Braaaaagh!”

The punch it threw as it approached blew past my cheek with all the force of a semi-truck. They may not have been as muscular, but they were no less dangerous than Minotaurs. That attack could’ve easily knocked me out. And worse was the fact that the Baculth didn’t overextend its arm like a Minotaur would have, depriving me of the chance to cut it off.

Both of my swords lashed out, cutting through its wool, but failing to reach the skin beneath. The thick, fluffy wool had served as the perfect natural defense.

The Lightning-Fist tried to back step away from me, but I used Beast of the Nightmare to stay in its face and continued slashing at it. Each slash shaved away more and more of its wool, until my swords finally pierced through its torso and out the back. The sheep died without ever having the chance to show off its magic.

I spotted two more sheep coming for me as the first one's corpse fell to the ground. Pulling my swords free of the cadaver, I threw the white sword at the one on the left. Since the blade was charged with mana, it pierced straight through its throat and knocked it to the ground.

“Baaaa!?”

With the last seconds of Beast of the Nightmare, I rushed forward and stabbed the black sword into the remaining sheep’s eyes. And with that, I was done here.

Well that was easy. I guess most D-Rank monsters just aren’t a challenge for me any more. So let’s see how they’re doing.

With three coming after me, and Hunk-lite dropping six of them at the start, there was one each for the others to deal with. Hunk had already put a bullet in the head of his, Tiffany and Ed-whatever had finished theirs off, and the mage's was blackened and near-death. But Serena wasn’t done.

*Wa-psh. Wa-psh. Wa-psh.*

Every stroke of the whip tore off large clumps of the sheep’s wool, and flayed its skin open. The poor thing was writhing on the ground as she continued to repeatedly whip it.

Uh, what the heck? Why doesn’t she just kill it? Wait, wait, is she shearing it!? What the hell is wrong with her?

Sure enough, she was methodically stripping all of the sheep’s wool. And the worst part was that she was humming as she did it.

“S-Serena? We’re waiting on you.”

“Huh? Oh, sorry Tiff. I just wanted its wool. It's really fluffy, so I thought it would make great stuffing for a pillow.”

Her whip tore out the sheep’s throat with a flick of her wrist. She then immediately set about gathering the wool so it wouldn’t get stained by the blood. Watching her cheerily hum while gathering wool she’d literally torn from a monster’s body was extremely chilling. All four guys present slowly backed away from the woman, as if we’d instinctively realized she was a dangerous influence.

“Huh? Is something wrong? You’re all giving me weird looks.”

Somehow, the innocent look she shot us made it even worse.