After enough convincing and discussion with the medical staff, they agreed to volunteer four people from the medical bay, including Tomas, who forced himself so he could quickly get up to his foot, the doctors agreed since Tomas' torso injury was mostly resolved thanks to healing spell and quick removal of fragments from his chest. Bell also believed that Tomas' military training would prove to be valuable.
"Ready to serve, sir!" Tomas saluted, followed by two other men and two women.
[Summoned Personnel Menu] [EP: 224,350]
[Specialized Personnel Sub-Menu]
Standard Equipment: H&K 416, MG4, SR-25, Interceptor + Level IV Plates, PASGT, Basic Comms
New Personnel Cost: 6,000 EP / 4,000 EP Equipment Only + 4,800 Training Cost
Training Add-on: ◄5 Level Upgrade► [Tier-3 Special Forces]
[Summon ◄7► Soldiers + Train 5 Soldiers] [119,600 EP]
Just right when Bell clicked the button, a shroud of lights surrounded the four people, and before they managed to say a thing, they immediately disappeared into thin air, replaced with another shroud of lights and six soldiers then appeared in the middle, making Bell wondered where the others six gone to, and that included Tomas himself.
"Sir, where's our squad commander?" One of the summoned personnel asked.
"He'll be here shortly," Bell said.
[Training is Complete in 48:00:00]
"Correction, report to Sergeant Moore for further briefing," Bell commanded.
"Yes, sir."
Then, the sergeant just walked in as if nothing just happened and they had known each other for a very long time, which was oddly convenient. He briefed Moore before coming here to see the newly assembled group, but the number of people in this group seemed to be underwhelming.
Sergeant Moore stood before the newly assembled squad, his voice steady as he began the briefing. "Listen up! Each of you has been selected for a unique task to hunt monsters in the whole perimeter. This will be not an easy task, so don't get sloppy, and most importantly, don't get killed!"
One of the soldiers, a sharpshooter, chimed in, "Sir, what's our first target?"
Moore pointed to a spot on the map. "Your task is to clear out a suspected lich nest in this forest, this map will be given to your temporary squad leader. We move out in six minutes, so, I suggest you arm yourself in the armory first, gather grenades, explosives, anything."
The squad leaned in, studying the map. "Is this the Frostwood taiga, sir? It's said to be crawling with skeletons, husks, and worst of all, wraiths,"a young scout remarked.
"Which is why we go in prepared. Stealth and precision are key. We strike hard and fast, then exfiltrate before they know what hit them," Moore explained, his gaze sweeping across the focused faces of his team. "Expect heavy resistance, pack up a lot of ammo and explosives, I suggest you also bring armor-piercing ammo to help against those liches."
An experienced tracker in the group nodded, "Traps and environmental awareness will give us the upper hand."
Moore concluded, "Correct. Keep your comms open, and watch each other's backs. Dismissed!"
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
The team then headed towards the armory, grabbing anything they might need alongside two members of the team who went straight to the mess hall to grab the necessary MREs for the long-range mission. As the team finished their preparations in the armory, they equipped themselves with practicality and efficiency, understanding the challenging mission ahead. They loaded up on grenades, explosives, and specialized ammunition, focusing on the necessity of the task rather than the danger.
Leaving the armory, they grouped together, ready to head towards the deeper part of the Frostwood taiga. The atmosphere was focused and determined; they were a unit bound by a common goal. They walked straight to the deeper part of the jungle without any fear in their eyes.
"That's one thing done for," Bell commented as the group left for the jungle.
"You'll receive the report at the end of the day, sir," Moore said.
"I hope those people would be worth it," Bell said.
"They'll be sir, Air Assault leads the way," Moore said.
"We need to find the chancellor," Bell added.
"And where she could be, sir?"
"That's the problem, I don't know."
"ISRs might be able to help, sir," Moore added.
"I hope so, Moore, without the chancellor, our economies won't be in good hands," Bell nodded.
"Aren't you good enough, sir?"
"Not quite, who keeps the war coffers filled and money rolling in was the chancellor. I'm just a good figurehead alongside with a good statesman," Bell added.
"Well said, sir."
"Thanks."
"Speaking of which, sir, can you buy us a helicopter?"
"A heli— what?"
"A helicopter, a flying machine similar to that of a dragon, but way easier to maintain and handle, and less likely to enrage when not given any food," Harris added.
"How much is it?" Bell asked.
"Just check it, search for both MH-60 Blackhawk and UH-1 Uriquois."
[Items & Logistics Department Interface] [Search:______ ] [Open Sell Menu] [EP: 104,750]
• [MH-60L Blackhawk] [3,500,000 EP]
• [UH-1 Iroquois] [1,000,000 EP]
"Way too expensive, sorry," Bell said.
"That's ok, sir, I thought you'd say so."
Bell's eyes lingered on the departing group, their silhouettes gradually merging with the dense foliage of the Frostwood taiga. Turning back to Moore, he mused, "We need to bolster our resources. If we're to sustain operations and find the chancellor, we can't rely solely on what we have."
Moore nodded in agreement. "We'll start scouting for additional resource points. We might find something valuable in the uncharted areas."
Bell returned to the command tent, determined to map out their next steps. Moore, meanwhile, began organizing extended reconnaissance missions, aware that their survival hinged on adapting and exploring beyond their known boundaries of this forest alone. There was still much to be done, from recon to finding more survivors.
He then sat down on a chair on the command table, alongside Lukas who was seeing the maps with keen eyes, for some reason, but Bell had an idea about what he was looking at, the point of interest, which they didn't spend any time to even investigate in the first place.
"Why the point is so interesting?" Bell asked Lukas out of curiosity.
"Because it is? It seems to irradiate aether energy all over the place, I'm not sure why."
"DID ANYONE SAY ENERGY?" Suddenly, a white-haired demon showed up in the command tent, a wrench was in her hand alongside with a large grin on her face, it was none other than Amelia.
"Holy crap, you scared me," Lukas said.
"Did you say magical energy, if so, then let's get there, shall we?" Amelia asked.
"On one condition, bring Harris, we don't even know what that thing is capable of, his magical warfare knowledge will come out as useful, and your engineering skill might allow us to provide a way to recreate whatever was given out by that object of interest."
"Any picture, Lukas?" Amelia asked.
"Here you go," Lukas gave his rectangular device to Amelia.
Bell never saw a rectangular device giving off an image like that, but it was crystal clear as if the picture was taken with his own eyes. The object of interest was a circular crystal object surrounded by an altar, with the altar itself seemingly made from the same crystal-like material. The altar was a circle colored blue and white, it was beautiful.
The crystals also behaved oddly, emitting a soft hum and glowing with an ethereal light. The array was not man-made but appears to have been naturally formed, or perhaps created by an ancient, advanced civilization with knowledge of both magic and technology.
"That looks like an altar to me, what do you think, Bell? After all, you're natives."
"Must be a temple of some sort, but to be frank, I'm not entirely sure. All the time, our civilization has faced oddities, and oftentimes, we feel no better than monkeys," Bell sighed, not understanding what the altar did, with the exception that it must be transmitting some sort of energy to its surroundings. If that was an energy source, it was good, but Bell doubted it. The round formation on the altar gave an otherwordly surge as if the place was a portal to someplace.
Only one way to find out, and that was to visit the place.