The disciples ran with all their might until eventually they reached a long raging river. The river seems to be the border that separated the miasma ridden region and the regular eastern forest, a forest that the disciples could easily traverse in.
Jumping from rock to rock, the wet stones could cause any of them to slip and fall. They used the last of their remaining aura to strengthen their legs, muscling their way across the rough terrain. The boys continued their trek until eventually they reached the other side.
The drakes stopped chasing them from the moment they set foot on the river, but their focus was unwavering simply set on surviving for the day. Exhausted and finally in a safer region than the day before, the disciples could finally rest knowing that they were on the edge of the miasma. They could now head back to civilization.
In the two weeks that followed, the disciples traversed the jungle with little to no fear. The raptors and the occasional large predator would come their way but with skills equivalent to that of veteran soldiers, simple animals were no match for them. They eventually reached a road, which they then used to reach a town on the eastern region.
The town of Belugrass, a farming town with the main resource of wheat.
Souls: 247 -> 265
---
The disciples each had their own agendas upon reaching the town.
Garnesh, Tarik and the one-eyed disciple needed to head back to Teblez, taking over from what the instructors left behind. Due to the messenger birds that Hektor sent out, Garnesh was informed of the arrival of the last survivors of the initial defense. A few dozen disciples along with Instructor Samont were in the dojo, inviting the disciples to return when they can. Instructor Samont was a powerful man from what Hektor could remember, a great leader that can likely rebuild the Blue Tiger's Dojo.
Paul decided that he needed to head further east, informing the others that he will be visiting his friends from the eastern isles before going back. He wanted the much needed peace and quiet after their month long journey together.
Hektor informed the group of his plan, Eliza gave him a bit too much information on what happened to Lina. His plan is to visit the Lumont family territory, to at least get a conversation out of Lina. Deciding that should she want to escape, he will be there to help provide this route for her.
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Garnesh and Tarik appear to have taken an escort mission back to the City of Teblez, while Paul headed off alone into the east. The boys bid farewell to each other after just one day of staying in the new town.
Alone in an inn for the first time in a long time, Hektor opened up his status screen once more eager to test out his presets.
Name: Hektor
Title(s): Young Soldier
Mana: 1,500/1,500
Aura: 7,105/7,300
Personal Skill: [Manifest Minion]
Skill(s): Markluzian Spear Art, Fists of the Tiger, Blue Sky Spear Art, Mana Barrier, Mana Bolt
Souls: 265
He clicked on his skill and three options from the low class minion list were staring at him.
[Corvidae Cost: 500 Mana, 5 Souls]
The birds that have been serving him well, useful in a lot of situations but they were never the soldiers that he actually needed. He knew that investing souls into them would be a great idea but he held that thought for now.
[Miniature Flame Sprite Cost: 1,000 Mana, 5 Souls]
The sprites that he once thought were useless, who upon a bit of investment turned into a fruitful endeavour. He has since thought of doing the same experiment once more to gain another sprite that can help him in combat. The Flame sprite has been a handy minion, capable of setting fire to his opponents without the need to expend mana or even learn the spell himself.
"A second one seems like a good investment, it will leave me with a total of 215 more souls if I do so." He thought out loud, he then let the flame sprite that he currently had perch onto his hand. "Would you like a friend?"
[Bulky Imp- Cost: 1,000 Mana, 5 Souls]
And finally the third one that he has been itching to summon since the moment he got it. Imps without the ability to shoot out fire, but they more than make up for it with a resistance to it and their inhuman durability. They would make the perfect foot soldier but traveling with demons still didn't sit right with him. A misunderstanding regarding being a demon summoner or being mistaken as some sort of cultist would mark him as a target for subjugation.
"I'll test this out tomorrow when I head out, for now a second flame sprite is calling my name."
Souls: 265 -> 215
As much as he wanted to avoid mana exhaustion, summoning 10 in one day even with the meditation was still a daunting task. He felt nauseous and light-headed after the ordeal. With most of his savings left behind in the frontlines, he only had enough budget to stay at the inn for the next two nights.
"Work, huh?" He asked himself. "It's been a while since I worked as a mercenary, this should be interesting."
He decided to round down the souls to 200 and summoned 3 birds that evening, bringing his total bird count back to the 30s. He liked giving them to friends, keeping in contact without the need to be within close proximity of one another.
Souls: 215 -> 200