Chapter 174: Strategic Slacking
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Chapter 174 Strategic Slacking
The mages let the barrier down so that the magic wouldn't attract any more monsters, and Bob signalled for the group to get moving. He was leading them back toward the fort they had built the previous night, even though they hadn't finished the full sweep of the area yet.
They had probably killed everything in the area, but Hawk would double-check while they walked back, after he had rested enough and nothing was looking for him.
As with the other zone, their assigned area was not large, and the threat level would vary, so it was best to get your rest when you could.
"We will return to the fort for lunch, and let Hawk scout while we rest. Then he can return to his hiding spot to rest so we don't end up causing the monsters to stampede again. It feels like we cleared this area fairly well, but you can never be too certain, and the monsters are always moving." Bob explained as he got the group moving.
Hawk happily made another round around the area, being sure to keep well away from the home of the Warbear, in case it tracked him back and decided to knock the tree down to get to him while he was sleeping.
Karl sensed the bird's thoughts and shook his head in dismay. If the Warbear could so easily take out everything that was thrown at it, then it meant that the matriarch of the clan was probably a Commander Rank beast, much tougher than the Hill Giant they had fought thanks to its nearly impenetrable hide.
That was not something that you were supposed to upset. At least not if you didn't have the brute strength to convince it to back down.
The fort was empty when they returned, and everyone settled in to rest weary muscles on the soft silk netting.
Hawk returned only a few minutes later with confirmation that there was nothing worth mentioning in their zone, so they were safe to relax for an hour or two.
The smell of cooking wouldn't draw anything in from this distance, so they didn't have to eat more of the ration packs. n0ve(l)bi(n.)co/m
"Should we set up another spot up at the top of the tree so that we can see more of what is going on around us? Even having Hawk in a nest at the top of the tree will give us much more visibility when something comes near us." Karl suggested.
Karl shrugged. "It's a bit of both. Rend is good against fleshy targets. But I also get a boost to my effectiveness from Rae. Then there is Shred, which is an absolutely brutal attack to begin with. It uses a lot of energy, but near the peak of Awakened Rank, Shred will deal more damage than the peak Ascended Rank Slash ability.
Rend is already an improvement as an ability, but Shred is superior to Rend at the same power output. Then when Rae's ability optimizes it..."
He let the sentence trail off, and the others nodded in understanding.
"Then we get what we have here, with a group of fighters that outperform their ranking." Bob finished.
Doug finished making lunch, and they waited for another hour before sending Hawk out again. There was still nothing to report, so he settled back into his space to recover energy more quickly, and Karl kept watch in his place.
That pattern repeated all afternoon. Hawk went for a flight every two hours, found that there was nothing worth getting out of bed to hunt, then cleared a few Goblins and other minor nuisances and went back to his nest.
It was the sort of day that every mission team wanted to have. A good fight in the morning with no injuries, then a warm shady spot to rest for the remainder of the day.
But ten kilometres away, it was a very different story. Not every team that had been transferred could live up to the expectations of the deployment team, and many of them were being pushed back toward the nearest town as they retreated from the influx of Hill Giants and Ogres.
The radio had been at a whisper all day, and they had heard the movements, but no distress calls, and certainly no emergencies close enough that they would be able to respond to them.
The teams immediately around their own were all in good shape today, and while they were all exhausted from the battles, they were holding steady.
As night settled over the forest, they began their usual rotation, with Rae out to help the others keep watch, and Hawk sleeping in his space until the last watch, when the sky would be light enough that his vision was no longer limited.
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Chapter 174 Strategic Slacking
The mages let the barrier down so that the magic wouldn't attract any more monsters, and Bob signalled for the group to get moving. He was leading them back toward the fort they had built the previous night, even though they hadn't finished the full sweep of the area yet.
They had probably killed everything in the area, but Hawk would double-check while they walked back, after he had rested enough and nothing was looking for him.
As with the other zone, their assigned area was not large, and the threat level would vary, so it was best to get your rest when you could.
"We will return to the fort for lunch, and let Hawk scout while we rest. Then he can return to his hiding spot to rest so we don't end up causing the monsters to stampede again. It feels like we cleared this area fairly well, but you can never be too certain, and the monsters are always moving." Bob explained as he got the group moving.
Hawk happily made another round around the area, being sure to keep well away from the home of the Warbear, in case it tracked him back and decided to knock the tree down to get to him while he was sleeping.
Karl sensed the bird's thoughts and shook his head in dismay. If the Warbear could so easily take out everything that was thrown at it, then it meant that the matriarch of the clan was probably a Commander Rank beast, much tougher than the Hill Giant they had fought thanks to its nearly impenetrable hide.
That was not something that you were supposed to upset. At least not if you didn't have the brute strength to convince it to back down.
The fort was empty when they returned, and everyone settled in to rest weary muscles on the soft silk netting.
Hawk returned only a few minutes later with confirmation that there was nothing worth mentioning in their zone, so they were safe to relax for an hour or two.
The smell of cooking wouldn't draw anything in from this distance, so they didn't have to eat more of the ration packs. n0ve(l)bi(n.)co/m
"Should we set up another spot up at the top of the tree so that we can see more of what is going on around us? Even having Hawk in a nest at the top of the tree will give us much more visibility when something comes near us." Karl suggested.
Karl shrugged. "It's a bit of both. Rend is good against fleshy targets. But I also get a boost to my effectiveness from Rae. Then there is Shred, which is an absolutely brutal attack to begin with. It uses a lot of energy, but near the peak of Awakened Rank, Shred will deal more damage than the peak Ascended Rank Slash ability.
Rend is already an improvement as an ability, but Shred is superior to Rend at the same power output. Then when Rae's ability optimizes it..."
He let the sentence trail off, and the others nodded in understanding.
"Then we get what we have here, with a group of fighters that outperform their ranking." Bob finished.
Doug finished making lunch, and they waited for another hour before sending Hawk out again. There was still nothing to report, so he settled back into his space to recover energy more quickly, and Karl kept watch in his place.
That pattern repeated all afternoon. Hawk went for a flight every two hours, found that there was nothing worth getting out of bed to hunt, then cleared a few Goblins and other minor nuisances and went back to his nest.
It was the sort of day that every mission team wanted to have. A good fight in the morning with no injuries, then a warm shady spot to rest for the remainder of the day.
But ten kilometres away, it was a very different story. Not every team that had been transferred could live up to the expectations of the deployment team, and many of them were being pushed back toward the nearest town as they retreated from the influx of Hill Giants and Ogres.
The radio had been at a whisper all day, and they had heard the movements, but no distress calls, and certainly no emergencies close enough that they would be able to respond to them.
The teams immediately around their own were all in good shape today, and while they were all exhausted from the battles, they were holding steady.
As night settled over the forest, they began their usual rotation, with Rae out to help the others keep watch, and Hawk sleeping in his space until the last watch, when the sky would be light enough that his vision was no longer limited.
Chapter 174 Strategic Slacking The mages let the barrier down so that the magic wouldn't attract any more monsters, and Bob signalled for the group to get moving. He was leading them back toward the fort they had built the previous night, even though they hadn't finished the full sweep of the area yet. They had probably killed everything in the area, but Hawk would double-check while they walked back, after he had rested enough and nothing was looking for him. As with the other zone, their assigned area was not large, and the threat level would vary, so it was best to get your rest when you could. "We will return to the fort for lunch, and let Hawk scout while we rest. Then he can return to his hiding spot to rest so we don't end up causing the monsters to stampede again. It feels like we cleared this area fairly well, but you can never be too certain, and the monsters are always moving." Bob explained as he got the group moving. Hawk happily made another round around the area, being sure to keep well away from the home of the Warbear, in case it tracked him back and decided to knock the tree down to get to him while he was sleeping. Karl sensed the bird's thoughts and shook his head in dismay. If the Warbear could so easily take out everything that was thrown at it, then it meant that the matriarch of the clan was probably a Commander Rank beast, much tougher than the Hill Giant they had fought thanks to its nearly impenetrable hide. That was not something that you were supposed to upset. At least not if you didn't have the brute strength to convince it to back down. The fort was empty when they returned, and everyone settled in to rest weary muscles on the soft silk netting. Hawk returned only a few minutes later with confirmation that there was nothing worth mentioning in their zone, so they were safe to relax for an hour or two. The smell of cooking wouldn't draw anything in from this distance, so they didn't have to eat more of the ration packs. n0velbin.co/m"Should we set up another spot up at the top of the tree so that we can see more of what is going on around us? Even having Hawk in a nest at the top of the tree will give us much more visibility when something comes near us." Karl suggested. Karl shrugged. "It's a bit of both. Rend is good against fleshy targets. But I also get a boost to my effectiveness from Rae. Then there is Shred, which is an absolutely brutal attack to begin with. It uses a lot of energy, but near the peak of Awakened Rank, Shred will deal more damage than the peak Ascended Rank Slash ability. Rend is already an improvement as an ability, but Shred is superior to Rend at the same power output. Then when Rae's ability optimizes it..." He let the sentence trail off, and the others nodded in understanding. "Then we get what we have here, with a group of fighters that outperform their ranking." Bob finished. Doug finished making lunch, and they waited for another hour before sending Hawk out again. There was still nothing to report, so he settled back into his space to recover energy more quickly, and Karl kept watch in his place. That pattern repeated all afternoon. Hawk went for a flight every two hours, found that there was nothing worth getting out of bed to hunt, then cleared a few Goblins and other minor nuisances and went back to his nest. It was the sort of day that every mission team wanted to have. A good fight in the morning with no injuries, then a warm shady spot to rest for the remainder of the day. But ten kilometres away, it was a very different story. Not every team that had been transferred could live up to the expectations of the deployment team, and many of them were being pushed back toward the nearest town as they retreated from the influx of Hill Giants and Ogres. The radio had been at a whisper all day, and they had heard the movements, but no distress calls, and certainly no emergencies close enough that they would be able to respond to them. The teams immediately around their own were all in good shape today, and while they were all exhausted from the battles, they were holding steady. As night settled over the forest, they began their usual rotation, with Rae out to help the others keep watch, and Hawk sleeping in his space until the last watch, when the sky would be light enough that his vision was no longer limited.
