Chapter 363: Signs of Trouble
Alexis double tapped a few suspect bodies and moved through the fight to collect the Monster Cores and any loot from the fallen tribe warriors, while Ella cleaned the map, looking for clues.
"I don’t recognize the cartography style, I don’t think that it’s a professional, and there is no maker’s mark on the map.
There are some symbols on it, though. They were brought from the west, and travelled down the river.
I think that it’s safe to say that they were assembled as part of the monster force, but I can’t find any sign of when the mages were planning to come back for them." Ella explained.
"Are there any marks that aren’t their camp?" Alexis asked.
"No, it’s pretty bare bones. I think that it was only supposed to give them enough guidance to make it to this spot."
The Hunter came down to inspect the area, and Colonel Wilkes handed him a bag full of monster cores.
"Your share." He informed the silent man, who smiled eagerly.
This was why he had volunteered to come. Not only would the trip increase security for the area, but going with a bunch of Royal Guards, they would kill a lot of monsters, and he could either use or sell these cores.
He lived a simple life, so even a few of them would support him for the year. But improving his spell gem levels a little would help in his daily life.
However, if they happened to find another group of monsters, or even two of them, he might end up with so many of them that he wouldn’t have to worry about how to distribute the wealth.
He would have enough for both.
A little saved in case he had rough years in the future, and then a few levels into the [Sharpshooter] trade skill core that he had managed to obtain. That would improve his aim with all sorts of ranged weapons, even without using any extra spells.
While the rest of the team checked their gear, in case they had taken damage that they hadn’t noticed, the Hunter began to scout the area.
And what he found was not good.
[We’ve got recent activity on the animal trails. It looks like Ogres and Hobgoblins, bare feet around sixty centimetres for the larger ones.] He hurried to explain when he returned.
Alexis smiled at the Royal Guard. "You hear that, gentlemen? We’ve got more activity in the area. Let’s keep moving, it all needs to be cleared out before we have monsters in the village."
This time they were much more careful about their approach, as the tracks they had found were of multiple species, which meant that there could be someone leading them, or it could be multiple groups that both passed by here recently.
Fighting one might attract the other, which was nearly as dangerous as having a mage in the group.
The Royal Guards had been trained to deal with mages, and they were Paladins themselves, with some defensive magic on top of the basic [Area Barrier] that every magic using soldier would learn.
One of the Axbridge Royal Guards took point, and the rest of the group fell in around the Hunter, placing him securely in the middle of their formation.
[Highness, might I ask why I am in the middle of the formation?] He signed.
"Bait.
You see, the Ogres and any mages they have will assume that our leader will be protected by the formation. Which will be the position that you and your hunting rifle will take.
We will protect you during a fight, don’t worry about that. But it helps reduce the chances that anyone will notice my armour among the other officers here." Alexis whispered back.
He understood the concept of bait. He really did. But normally, it was for before you found the enemy, not after.
Plus, you didn’t usually use your own team members as bait.
Still, he had to admit that the man who had taken point was an excellent tracker, and the signals that he was sending back to the unit were quite comprehensive.
They continued for nearly two hours before they found a group of monsters stopped ahead, hiding in the trees and watching a clearing.
[Scouting the clearing. Stay.] The point man gestured.
He seemed to vanish between the trees for a few minutes as everyone waited, afraid to breathe too heavily and give themselves away.
The scout reappeared as suddenly as he had vanished, with no sign of his movement, despite being in full plate armour.
[Injured refugee family. They’re using them as bait along an old road. Camped near a burned out farm house.] He explained.
Everyone waited for Alexis to make a decision.
[How large is the clearing?]
[Forest ends here.]
So, it was most likely only the one group of monsters waiting to ambush anyone who came to rescue the travellers.
[Take them from this side, but be ready for others to come out of hiding when we do.]
The team spread out through the woods so they could attack from three sides of the monster pack and move to surround them if they went for the humans who were stopped along the road.
Alexis crept forward, her eyes on the back of a Hobgoblin that was facing away from her.
A rifle wasn’t practical in the woods, so she raised her shield and drew her pistol.
The combination felt ridiculous, but she could holster the gun and draw her sword in under a second, while it took longer to get a shield properly braced.
Pistol shots rang out in the woods, and Alexis took down her first target with a clean shot to the back of the head. Then another, and a third, while the Hobgoblins struggled to understand where the attacks were coming from.
Then, a whistle from the trees caught her attention, and Alexis turned to the refugee camp.
Only, they weren’t refugees. Not all of them.
Two men were standing up, and a glowing ritual spell circle was glowing at their feet.
They hadn’t attacked yet, so Alexis hesitated, not wanting to kill magic users who might be planning to move to town.
Then, the spell completed, and a portal opened, revealing an entire field full of Hobgoblins and their Goblin minions.