Chapter 5: The Expedition and the Ambush

Liya Wispwood, the master, and Mica Mistwood, her apprentice, led an expedition to slay a slime monster that was scouted somewhere between the Crafter Outpost and the Beast Mana Dense Zone, also known as the Beast Glades. Beyond the borders of these areas lay many nations—some friendly, some not. These nations exert their influence beyond their borders, but the hostile land mostly remains untouched by human settlement. Only a few select, well-entrenched military and guild outposts exist to ensure no rogue monster hordes wreak havoc amongst the populace. Helvetia enforced a similar defensive strategy for its borders.

However, Helvetia is located more in the middle of the dense mana zone, also called the Beast Glades. This country can only effectively apply this policy for three months every year. During this period, monster activity shrinks drastically in Major parts of the zone, making it relatively easy for people to move in and out. Helvetia is particularly interested in this time of the year as it becomes easier and cheaper to conduct trade. The people in Helvetia celebrated a festival during this time of the year called the Arcana Trade Festival, attracting many tourists from neighbouring lands.

The nations at their respective borders maintain well-connected logistics throughout the year. Given Helvetia's location, they could not do so. They have to stockpile goods and supplies for the rest of the year as monster activities pick up, making it dangerous for anyone to traverse deep into the Glades. Yet, adventurers do thin the numbers of monsters from time to time in the nearby regions of their respective nations' borders, supporting a fledgling economy. During other times of the year, trade is conducted by airships. Helvetia owned one of the largest dual-purpose airship fleets in the region. This Fleet Functioned as their air force during military expeditions.

Liya Wispwood was at the scene searching for a giant slime monster, as she had received a report from her scouts. Although a giant slime monster wouldn't be of any immediate danger—at least not a Small slime—if left unchecked, it could grow by absorbing ambient mana. In this case, a creature of its size would become a problem because many weak monsters crave mana when there is little to go around and hunt for such creatures to fulfil their needs. Most creatures in the Glades don't need mana for nourishment; they only need to amass more power, allowing them to climb the food chain and keep threats away. This means that if the slime isn't taken care of quickly, it may cause trouble for merchants soon traversing this path to reach Helvetia.

Liya spoke to her apprentice, Mica Mistwood, who stood beside her. The student eagerly took a mental note of the details spoken by her master. The two stood on a small elevated terrain that gave them a clear view of the surroundings and the camp filled with well-trained magic knights.

"Master, why do we need so many men for such a small task? Wouldn't your strength suffice in this case?" Mica Mistwood asked.

Liya replied, "Perhaps, young one. But we need these men to slay any monsters that may try to access the slime's mana core. Also, a Major chunk of them would stay behind, well-entrenched, for three months, guarding the route. We must be quick; the Arcana Trade Festival will soon begin."

As the master and student were having a deep conversation, a soldier hurriedly approached Liya, saying, "Commander Liya, we have managed to locate the slime monster. However, it seems a horde of goblins has managed to find it before us, and they are currently launching an assault on the slime as we speak."

Liya listened to the man's words and issued marching orders to all the men in the camp in a commanding tone. The soldiers, busy setting up camp and doing other tasks, immediately left their posts, following the commander's orders. They began to march in an orderly manner, the strength of the contingent being about 500 well-trained armed magic knights.

Meanwhile, Lieutenant Clarissa was heading towards the base camp to save Arc from deteriorating health. Along with her were Lyra, Kieran, Elara, Thomas Graydor, Ashley Strider, Sherry Greenwood, and Luto Arden—Lizzi Arden, a brave bunch hustling on horseback. Lieutenant Clarissa carried Arc on her back, completely limp, while the others surrounded her in a diamond formation. Where Scout-Elara was in the Vanguard, she used her mana-sensing spell to scout the terrain ahead for any treacherous monsters. Behind her was the lieutenant with Arc on her back, flanked by Thomas Graydor and Ashley Strider, vigilant on each side. The Arden twins, Lyra and Kieran, healers and support mages, stayed behind the lieutenant, always ready to offer support and distance healing spells to anyone in need. The Arden twins, Luto and Lizzi, protected the rear, the most vulnerable spot in the formation.

The group never dismounted their horses as they marched along the dirt path. Monsters were encountered but quickly dealt with, not needing to stop their progress. Their movement was swift. However, Scout Elara noticed a decline in monster frequency around them as they moved in haste. This observation bothered her, but she did not raise any concern, thinking it was barely worth noticing at that moment—little did she know it would be a grave mistake later.

Ashley steered closely towards Clarissa, asking about Arc's condition and how he used magic even though everyone working for the Crafters knew well that the boy could not muster any spell.

"I don't understand it either," Clarissa replied, avoiding small talk. "I've known Arc for a long time, even though I don't have the complete picture. Captain Strossburg looked quite panicked when he saw him. His reaction was completely different from the previous fights."

Clarissa's thoughts were cut short when the scout issued a signal to the group, indicating they were being followed and encircled. Clarissa took charge, asking the scout to find a way out of the encirclement. The scout led them into a trap—a deadly one. The group's speedy march was suddenly halted when a barrage of fire spells rained down on them from nowhere. The horses were startled, and everyone fell off their horses to the ground. The scared horses ran away, abandoning the group. The lieutenant landed hard, losing her grip on Arc, who tumbled on the soil like a limp ragdoll.

"Arc!" Clarissa shouted, rushing to check if he was well.

The mystery attackers, who had encircled them, emerged from the shadows of the thick forest, revealing themselves to be goblins. Judging by their numbers, the goblins could easily outnumber them three to one.

"We're at a loss," Clarissa surmised, noting the strength of the goblins.

The goblins looked strong, and even Clarissa surmised she could only take a few head-on and barely survive. The group had only Seven combatants, barring Arc, who was unconscious, and the other two, who were best suited for support roles.

"Form up! Protect the healers and support mages!" Clarissa commanded.

Meanwhile, somewhere in the forest, the contingent of five hundred magic knights under Commander Liya was closing in on the slime monster's location. As they advanced, Liya issued orders to her men to charge. The soldiers began to cut down the goblins caught off guard by the sudden assault. About a thousand strong, the goblin horde was cut down like ribbons. The task seemed easy because the goblins were caught off guard, and the soldiers were well-trained & well Equipped seasoned fighters, unlike the fresh recruits who fought at the outpost with Strossburg. Casualties were kept to a minimum, and the battle seemed to be approaching a conclusion even before it began. But suddenly, the tides turned as the slime monster appeared on the battlefield.

The gigantic monster smashed right through the centre of the army formation, splitting it into two fragments and forcing the contingent into disarray. Goblins and soldiers alike faced the creature's wrath. Commander Liya issued orders to fall back and regroup while cutting down all stray goblins in her path. She briskly dodged the slime monster's acid attacks, her movements swift and precise.

"Feisty one, aren't you?" Liya remarked.

Seeing an opportunity to test her apprentice's training, Liya asked Mica Mistwood to kill the creature in one single shot to restore the shrinking morale of her men and test her student's progress.

Mica Mistwood acknowledged the order and began preparing to unleash her full power. Specializing in wind magic, As she unsheathed her Blade, She focused all her concentration on her magic wand, aiming at the slime's body. She began channelling mana from her core, invoking the magic system she meticulously built during her training. Speaking incantations, she transferred the spell into the wand, charging it with mana.

The Incantation gave form to a giant torrent of wind in front of her wand. As the spell was completed, the raging wind torrent cut through anything in its path, slicing straight through the slime. The creature's shell was blown apart, leaving only a glowing Big mana crystal on the battlefield.

"Well done, Mica!" Liya praised.

However, unnoticed by them, one of the goblins reached the crystal and began absorbing its mana, transforming into a hobgoblin. The creature dropped the crystal as he could not draw more mana and charged at the unsuspecting master and student. In a furious rage to avenge his fallen clan members, the hobgoblin aimed a fist at Liya. The gust of wind from the impact blew Mica back. But Liya unflinchingly parried the attack with the hilt of her blade effortlessly and turned the creature into dust with a wind spell using her wand in her right hand. The spell was a perfect sphere that covered the beast, created out of wind torrenting from inside and leaving behind nothing but red vapour. After seeing the result, the student mumbled to herself that she had a great way to go before she could reach her master's level of proficiency.

Back at Clarissa's location, the healer kept the group barely alive. The support mage boosted Clarissa, who held the fort as long as she could. The goblins closed in, and a fierce battle ensued.

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