With a single whistle, the Captain had his unit focused and ready to move.
Karl wasn’t a premiere expert on the strength of other Elites, but if he had to guess, the only one close to Hawk would be the Captain, and the rest were all at the Awakened level. So, his team would be the heavy hitters for the squad while they were out on patrol, while they took care of the large numbers, like the Goblin Tribe that his last group had used Golems to eliminate.
Karl fell in at the front of the convoy, and the Captain gave him a curious look.
“I’m the front-line warrior, so I’m with you. Once we’re away from the camp, I will send my Dragon Hawk out to scout, and it helps if I’m next to you to relay any findings he makes. From up there, he can see an entire patrol zone clearly and relay the best route to clear it.” Karl explained.
“So, you’re both a scout and a melee warrior?” The Captain asked. “Not exactly a melee warrior, but I have a Lightning Barrier for defence, so I’m better suited to the front line than our other warrior, who has guard.” Karl explained.
The Captain nodded. “Your Hawk shouldn’t find too much. The scouting reports for the area say that there aren’t any threats above the low Ascended Rank, with a low overall density. That’s why they only sent one stronger team to the area this time. If we actually need the strength of a Commander Rank mage, something has gone horribly wrong.”
That was a giant red flag if Karl had ever seen one, and he gave the beasts an advance warning that they were likely to see real combat sooner than expected.
As they walked, Karl let Hawk out, which caught the attention of the soldiers, who were quickly reminded that he was a friendly unit by the rest of Karl’s team. Their skittishness was making Karl nervous about sending out the others, especially Rae, who wasn’t as friendly looking as Thor.
“Have they been briefed on the beasts that I have with me? Because Rae is a bloodbath spider, and I really don’t want her getting injured by friendly fire.” Karl asked the Captain quietly.
The Captain nodded. “I have, but I can’t guarantee how well they listened. It will be best if you bring Rae out before the fight starts, so they can get used to the spider before things get hectic.”
[Hawk, how’s it looking up there?] Karl asked.
[One more kilometre, then you can choose a Hobgoblin patrol, or some Ogres.] Hawk replied.
“We’ve got a patrol of hobgoblins and a few Ogres a kilometre ahead. I think it’s best if I get Rae ready now, so they’re used to seeing her.” Karl replied to the Captain’s comment.
The Captain raised his voice. “Team, listen up. Elite Karl will be calling out his Bloodbath Spider. It is a valuable asset on our side. Treat it as one of your team members.”
Karl called her out on the far side of himself, so he was between her and the team, and Rae hissed as a half dozen of the soldiers turned weapons on her. Fortunately, nobody attacked, because an Awakened Rank soldier with no magical barriers on them would not take a hit from Rae and survive.
They calmed down after a few seconds and a stern look from the Captain, who had just finished warning them not to do anything dumb.
“Alright, Rae will be travelling with us, possibly in the trees away from the group, but nearby. She will join the fight when we come across our first group of enemies.” Karl informed them.
Rae stayed in sight, just in case they forgot what she looked like, and Karl decided to add Thor to the mix.
“The Lightning Cerro is our additional tank. If you don’t want to be charged by Ogres, make friends with Thor.” Karl informed the group as he summoned the scaled beast.
That one didn’t alarm them as much, and somehow Thor’s expressionless face still managed to look happy to see them.
Thor’s presence helped set the team at ease, and when Karl saw Hawk circling ahead of them, the soldiers were ready for a battle.
“Captain, the Hobgoblins are through those trees. The Ogres aren’t far beyond that.” Karl relayed from Hawk’s information.
[Tell them that the Ogres are Ascended Rank.] Hawk reminded him.
“Ascended rank Ogres. Four of them in total.” Karl amended.
That was a tough fight for the military unit on their own, but shouldn’t be a challenge for Karl and his team.
The Captain nodded. “You five split off and take care of the Ogres.”
Then he called back to the team. “We will deal with the Hobgoblins. Ramirez and Jones to the front, bring your shields. The Mercenary Elites will be splitting off to deal with Ascended Rank Ogres.”
His voice was hushed, but it carried well through the unit, and the others split off quickly to join Karl, following Hawk’s directions around the Hobgoblins to get to their fight.
“Our first fight as a team, are you mentally ready?” Alice whispered as the Ogres came in sight.
They were looking around, trying to find the sound of the footsteps, as they had heard Thor coming, but he had stopped out of sight, and the Ogres hadn’t properly located him yet.
“I’m ready. It will be a big change standing up at the front with Thor, but we’ve got this. Trust in the Lightning barriers, and we will be fine.” Karl agreed.
Of course, Alice cast a barrier over them as well, but her specialty was wind magic, so it wasn’t quite up to the standard that Donni’s had been, despite the barrier mage having just made it to Commander Rank.
The barrier was still enough to give Thor all the confidence he needed, and the Cerro waited eagerly for Karl to start the charge into combat.
With a nod to his partner, Karl silently raced through the trees while Thor crashed through the bushes the last dozen metres to the Ogres, distracting them while Karl sliced the throat of the closest Ogre with [Shred] before it could respond.
Its hand went to its throat to block the bleeding while it healed, leaving it only one hand to fight, but there were three other Ogres, and only two fighters in the front. Thor had practice with this, and easily rounded up two of them, holding them in place while the mages attacked and Rita moved to the side to attack.
Alice summoned a Golem to help Karl at the front, making it three on four with one already wounded, and Karl dodged an incoming strike, then moved to prevent the Ogres from getting past him to the mage and clerics.
A flood of warm magic surged through Karl’s body as Tessa cast a buff on him, and his steps became smoother, both faster and less encumbered by the gear he was carrying. He was about to go for the knees of the wounded Golem when the strangest sight met Karl’s eyes. Two odd-looking spiders charged the field, looking like tree golems, but shaped like Rae. The spider in question was right behind them, and all three piled on the wounded Ogre, tearing it apart as it screamed in terror.
[When did you learn that?] Karl asked.
[It’s pretty awesome, right? I figured it out when the Alice Mage summoned hers. The other Golem mage casts it all funny.]
The spider golems might not have all of Rae’s skills, but what they lacked in power, they made up for in pure enthusiasm.
Even when the Ogre crushed two legs off one of them, it didn’t slow down, and Lotus had the lost limbs repaired before the Golem could even find the time to care that it was damaged. That left Thor and Karl with one Ogre each, and Alice’s Golem with another. Being Commander Rank, her golem was much stronger than its opponent, but the Ogre seemed more concerned with keeping the trio of spiders away from its back, and it was taking constant hits as it moved.
The extra speed let Karl meet every attack of the Ogre with a skill of his own, matching attack speed instead of brute strength. Rend was enough to stop the majority of attacks, or deflect them wide enough that they weren’t a threat, and Karl was getting the hang of fighting in close quarters.
When the Ogre’s club was deflected over his head, Karl went for the stomach, cutting the Ogre open with [Rend], and then blocked the next strike with his blade.
Surprisingly, with the effects of the Bestial Strength Gauntlets and the Ring of Giant Strength, he didn’t feel like he was at a disadvantage in the physical confrontation, and the Ogre wasn’t going to last long with the rate that it was bleeding out.
The first one wounded was the first to fall, followed closely by the one that Alice had focused with her golem, and then Karl’s, which was outmanoeuvred and outmatched by the cleric enhanced Beast Master.