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.

"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.

"That's not a bad idea. The tree is large enough to move and get a better line of sight, but being lower here also helps us see what is at ground level, instead of having it blocked by leaves." Bob replied.

Doug nodded in agreement. "You can see a lot more than we can, so it's better for the watches if we're low enough that everyone can see the ground. With a bit of luck, we won't have to leave here again today. We can just wait for the monsters to appear again and then go deal with them.

We will ask you to send Hawk out every few hours to make sure we're not missing anything, but the others only expect so much out of us. You can't be in combat all day every day, it wears everyone out too fast."

The mages stretched out on the webbing and smiled up at the sky.

"We've already been upgraded once on this mission. If we start making it look too easy, who knows what they will ask us to do next. I have a good feeling about this mission, I might make it to Commander Rank with just a bit more work.

There is a change in my Golems, they're stronger than they were, and more agile with the vine whips. If you could have seen how they eliminated the Goblins, I think you'd agree that they're very close to reaching the standard.

All it takes is one signature spell for proof, but the rest of my attack magic is improving as well. It's impossible to tell against such weak targets as the Goblins, but hitting the Hobgoblins, they were dying without any sort of resistance as well, and that is a sure sign that you're two ranks above them." Danni explained quietly with her eyes shut, relaxing while she could.

Karl felt Rae laugh in his mind, and saw Bob waiting for him to relay the thought out loud. They all had to think he was a bit odd, but it was somewhat like having earphones in, where only you were hearing one side of the conversation.

"Rae questions the standard of things just dying when you hit them. She seems to think it's not that impressive." Karl joked.

The mages chuckled. "Well, for Rae, it's just normal. The rest of us actually have to work to make things die. I've noticed that your attacks are well above what would be expected of an Awakened Rank warrior as well.

Is that a result of your class? Or is it just because Rend is so good against the targets we are fighting?"

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.