The heavy footsteps of the armored knights were contrary to common sense light. This meant they were quick and agile and very well capable of dodging everything that was thrown at them. At least, that was the impression that they had formed for themselves.
"Woah!" One of the knights was barely able to step aside after the grass they dared to set foot on became ablaze. They weren't the only ones that found themselves stepping or rolling aside.
At this point, the mist that Kiano had released was beginning to dissipate and he was able to see the traps being triggered one after the other. The forest towards which they planned on retreating safely to was actually chock-full of hidden arrays. That was unreasonable!
Kiano couldn't allow them to continue going about their running in such a manner or a quarter of them could die! For a group of now about 90 individuals a quarter was a large sum. Kiano might not be the commander, but he did learn many things from him. One great example from a previous expedition came to mind.
Before he could shout out his suggestion with a booming voice Dakgu was already thrusting his dagger towards his open body. Unfortunately for Dakgu however, Kiano was much more prepared this time.
The thrusts skidded after Kiano turned his shoulder towards Dakgu. The young orc was naturally caught off guard, but Kiano was not done yet.
<"Urgh!"> Dakgu was shouldered onto the wet grass leaving him open to attacks. Still, Kiano did not take this chance. He in fact turned to run. He turned to catch up to the others if one was to be exact.
"You f*ckers are in a forest! Use the damn trees!" Kiano shouted as he bolted forth. As for what did he mean exactly… It took a second for some to understand immediately but the more agile ones were able to figure something.
The trees in the forest were tall and sturdy trees. They seemed giant in comparison to them and didn't have any branches low enough to be immediately used. Things were however different if they climbed up.
Since the trees were tall and sturdy they would be safe up in its canopy. The branches would not break off just because they stood on them and jumped from one to the other.
"Mage friend, let's go" The mages who were not great physical activities either used their magic or the help of their fellow knights. Most did not use a knight but those that had found themselves straggling.
It was already a feat for a person to climb the robust trunks on their own, what if they had to carry another?
Yet, seeing the sight Kiano was more than satisfied. The first thing he did once he entered the forest was jump onto the nearest tree and take to the skies. At the same time, a dagger coated by electricity flew past him. It was a narrow miss.
The first thing Dakgu did after regaining clarity from the shoulder hit was to chase. In his mind, he could probably pose some problems to the human as they tried to make a break for it but… The trees!?!?
This was beyond simple agility! It was wits! Perhaps it was because orcs were inherently heavier than humans or because they hadn't seen much of the world, but all the orcs watching this were dumbfounded. Not once had the option crossed their minds.
In contrast, Balin was an expert on plants. It probably came to him as a logical solution to whatever problem it was they were having. Kiano and the others were probably just as stunned when they first heard the strategy. This meant that it likely left a deep impression on them.
That was also why it didn't take more than a few seconds for most to understand. If by chance someone had not been present to witness that strategy, then it didn't matter anyway. They were seeing the others climb trees, so why wouldn't they imitate them?
Kiano and his group started to become nothing but vanishing shadows on the horizon. At some point, one could only see the soft ruffle and falling of leaves from the canopy.
Just like that, Sharog's vast preparations had gone to waste.
"They are really gone…" Dakgu muttered as he started to walk back towards the settlement. He was a bit despondent but the smell of the battlefield soon brought him back to his senses.
There were holes everywhere and if there weren't holes then there were scorch marks, wetland, hills of rubble, dead bodies, there were other things that Dakgu couldn't be bothered to spot.
His gaze became firm and his steps grew heavy. Nevertheless, he took his time walking back. He needed to digest his gains. His decision to switch to daggers had been a wise one as he had learned a lot from this exchange.
The only thing he was hoping for now, was for Ed's safe return. He was bound to learn much more then.
***
"Huff, Huff, is it finally safe?" Someone asked a person in armor sitting right opposite of them.
"It should be…" They hadn't run a short distance. All that they had to do now was to reunite with the rest. That included their squad members and then their company members. The fleeing had been ordered as such.
"Kiano and Tarin had it in them after all huh-" The person that asked said before pausing. They heard another person.
"Hey! You guys are safe, I…" It was a squad member who started to explain themselves. Slowly, more and more people did the same and were coming together. This happened until the members ballooned up to about 87 people.
"The quick headcount was too quick…" Someone complained, the pain in their heart hidden by their mask of annoyance. If only so many had not perished…
"Ahem" The three squad leader that remained ignore the comments and started to get right into the main topic.
"We will be setting up two bases on this floor" The simple voice of Stuart, a magician, said to all the present. Almost immediately, the knights were beset by varying emotions.
"Two bases!?!" Some were in disbelief by the decision while others were simply surprised by the fact that the squad leaders believed they could make two bases. Balin was the one providing both food and shelter after all.
Apart from the initial exclamations of surprise, the members started to murmur amongst each other in the quiet atmosphere. This displeased someone greatly.
"Ey! What are you all doing!?" Tarin strode forward and shouted. This was a rare sight since mages were scholarly and elegant or were at least perceived as such by the masses.
"We failed big time and you are all slacking off murmuring about something stupid!?!" Tarin could not fathom how chill one had to be to consider such trivialities. A quick glare from Stuart helped Tarin shut up, however.
"Think a little for once in all yer lives" He only dared to add some final words before leaving them in the hands of Stuart.
But what did Tarin want them to think about? Even though Tarin had already been forced to back down many were indeed made to think. This meant the effect of his short outrage made everyone into thinkers if only for a moment.
With some thinking, it was obvious that there was something wrong with their return party. Their mission which had been to clear the dungeon was a fail. Their side mission of obtaining the material for the bone forge potion was also a fail.
That meant that they had nothing to show to the regent prince. Which speaking of… his father was in the dungeon with them. They had also failed to secure the man however and his status was unknown for the moment.
That meant they failed 3 missions, though one had been forced on them, it was still a horrible track record. That was without counting the loss of half of their company and important figures within it.
So what could they do now if not try to recoup those losses? If they came back empty-handed on top of these failures they'd be a laughingstock. It'd be a miracle if their company and all its members were not disbanded or demoted to pave way for newbies.
Rather than be used to pave the way for newbies they were better off paving the way for the newbies to tackle the hell as well. Not only that, but this opened up a permanent avenue for revenge.
Most of the people lost in this expedition were like family. That was how Balin had taught them after all. This method was proven ineffective but alas, what could they do? Balin was a parental figure to them.
Stuart didn't speak up right away seeing that the knights were connecting the strings. He only spoke up after a short minute.
"Kiano will be heading with a select few of you to report to the royal family. The rest of us will lay down the foundation of two bases." Building a base inside a dungeon was not a simple matter. It involved more than just constructing defensive structures. It was also a matter of guaranteeing a rest spot for adventurers with food and drink.
This meant either trading with the towns outside the dungeon or growing them inside. More often than not, the former was chosen. Some dungeons were not suitable for growing plants or making any type of food period.
That was also part of the reason why Kiano had to take some select few with him. These select few would have to make some trade deals happen outside as well as maybe even find the best route to the next floor and keep it clear of monsters.
"Sigh… I was hoping we could get out of here" Tarin mumbled to Kiano. The latter only flashed him a wry smile from within his helmet, talking to the royal family was not easy business either.
"The estimated time for Kiano's return is less than a week. If we don't receive reinforcements… our efforts were wasted, be ready to lose your jobs. If we do receive reinforcements… Pray that they won't suffer the same fate" Stuart said in closing before turning to look up at the canopy.
It blocked the sun's rays but not enough time had passed for night to come.
"For now, let's go to our first base location" The scouts had mapped out a good amount of area.. They had plentiful choices.
