The morning came and went with many of the Encampment buildings now being occupied by their new clanmates. Tiria was in her usual form of coordinating and planning things out. They'd only talked a little bit last night, but she did indeed have plans for their future needs. Gi would just leave her to it.

Samba, Kumo, Poe, and the Twins gathered around him as he placed a paw on the Encampment crystal.

Residence Menu:

No Body or Soul Orbs.

Use Heart Orb to empower a Squad?

Establish Squads?

"Heart Orb..." Gi muttered. He'd forgotten that they'd gotten one of those during the attack on the Iron Ferrets and then again when he'd completed a hidden quest during his ascension to the Individual Stage. Not wanting to mess anything up, he first ensured that his Squad included Samba, Kumo, and the twins then he went back and selected the Empower option.

Current Designation: Gi's Squad

Race: Gang Otter

Role: Infantry

Mob: N/A

Current Squad Traits: None

Current Leader Traits: None

Current Leadership Skill: Basic

Choose a Squad Trait:

(Traits available based on Leadership skill, Squad's achievements, and resources of the clan.)

Underwater Fighters

Ranged Specialists

Skirmish Specialists

Desert Fighters

Stealth Specialists

Mobility

Gi quickly polled the system and read through each of them. The "Fighters" ones seemed to make them immune to any environmental effects from the terrain. Specialists seemed to give a simple 10% increase to some attribute or skill - not one of the main characteristics. Mobility was the odd one out and increased their mobility by one tier.

His first thought was to pick Ranged Specialist as that increased accuracy at longer ranges which was one of his weaknesses. However, this wasn't a personal trait. This was a Squad trait. The question he needed to ask himself was "what did he want his Squad to do?". In fact, he should probably take an even higher perspective.

What roles did he want all of his Squads to have?

"What's taking so long?" Kumo asked, her arms crossed. "If we don't leave soon, we won't have as much time before daylight. Mesano monologued forever on the dangers of Myshk at night."

"I'm choosing a trait for our Squad. We don't have time to leave Myshk before the Assembly so we'll be fighting at night anyways."

Samba chuckled. "She's just impatient, Boss. Take your time."

Kumo glared at him, but Gi had returned to the screen. Ultimately, he wanted his squad to be the Elite of the Elite. Gi wanted to be wherever the fighting was thickest or tackling any special missions on his own. Looking back at his team, he had a skirmisher, a guardian, and another ranged specialist. With his fighting style, Gi could be a skirmisher or ranged specialist.

With his mixed squad, he narrowed it down to two - Mobility or Skirmisher Specialist. With the former, he could get into and out of places much quicker which would serve him well to surprise an opponent or help another Squad. With the latter, he increased evasion for his team. The less damage they took, the longer they could fight.

Thankfully, he could take both and he was now one Heart Orb away from completing one of the tasks for this Stage. Skirmish Specialist in particular would help the most. His current team didn't have a healer after all. The less damage they took, the better.

"Wax and Wane," Gi said, and the two perked up. "I want you to save a skill slot for Doyle's Bubble Cure and learn it from him when we return."

"As you wish...."

"...Progenitor."

With his selection made, the four of them and Poe made their way out. Thankfully, [Archbishop] had retained the passive of [Boss] and allowed Poe to be with him without taking up a slot. His flying friend would be very useful in Myshk, but he had to make sure he kept him safe this time.

Their group quickly made it out of the lake and to the river that abutted it. With Igna at their back, their entire vision was taken up by the jungle of Myshk. Trees towered almost as tall as Igna itself and giant plumes of moss ran all the way up to the sky-ocean. The sky-ocean still trembled above them, but Poe had learned it was just a sign that the monsoon season was starting soon.

Since they'd be returning before the Assembly, it shouldn't matter for this trip.

There was no bridge that crossed the wide river that separated Igna from Myshk, but they were Gang Otters. A river would never stop them. They dove expertly into the water each of them now sporting the Unique Constitution that allowed them to breathe underwater. Each of them popped up on the other side and they all followed Gi into the forest.

The sounds in the forest were subdued, but it wasn't quiet. The muffled cries of birds and rustling of branches showed that the forest itself was alive. Unlike Igna, the Myshkin jungle had true animals that lived in it. Though, anything larger than a fist would have been unlikely to survive against the horde of monsters that made this jungle their home.

The trees were massive, and with the surrounding brush and minuscule amount of light that filtered in through the moss that lay across the sky-ocean, visibility was almost zero. Somewhere in here was the city-state of Myshk. They needed to avoid that at all costs while still slaying as many creatures as they could.

Gi looked back to Kumo and whispered. "Ten thousand monsters in Myshk territory or serving the Captain's army for two years, right?"

"That's what he said."

Gi nodded and rubbed at the brand on his chest thoughtfully. "Well, let's get to killing."

Without a word from him, Kumo rushed forward into the brush, using her [Skulk] and [Perception] skills to scout ahead. Samba stepped in front of Gi, hefting his two handed mace. Poe landed on his shoulder and they followed along.

The further they moved into the jungle, the more oppressive the environment became. The noises and lacking light didn't change, but it felt like something was pressing into him. As the group trudged through the brush unable to keep as quietly as Gi would like, he focused on that feeling of pressure.

What caused it?

It took almost an hour before he realized that he was feeling the pressure on his Domain. Even when he didn't have his summons out, it still existed, spreading out into the environment.

It's aspected wild Aether, Gi realized. He didn't know how that might impact his skills. Water and Light was the only interaction that he knew.

That wasn't the only thing his Domain did. It also expanded that sense of danger from his Soul. His sense was still weak, but it was enough.

Their group passed through a section of jungle that looked just like every other part. Giant trees, dirt, moss, and brush. One of the brush wasn't like the others though. It gave him just the barest hint of danger.

[Divine Bolt] burst from his palm and tore into the "brush" beside him. A scream sounded in his mind and sticky saplike blood pooled out onto the ground beneath.

Leaf Elemental defeated!

1 Soul Orbs received. Current Soul Orbs: 2

The brush of the jungle churned with that dying scream of the leaf Elemental and Gi's eyes told him that they'd missed a lot of enemies.

"Incoming!" Gi yelled out, no longer concerned with stealth. Samba posted up in front of Gi and the twins trying hard to place himself between them and the horde of leaf Elemental about to descend on them.

Despite the Leaf Elementals not being a horde type creature, it reminded him of the Child Stage being chased and surrounded by the Eldritch ghasts. He wasn't alarmed though. These were not ghasts and he was not a child.

With a thought, [Archbishop] activated and six all white otters appeared in their midst. Two wielded maces from his [Expanded Pocket] while the others dropped into his fighting stance.

A mass of Leaf Elementals burst from the trees and the first one took a two handed mace from Samba, instantly getting knocked back into those behind. Calmly, Gi, his summons, and the twins let loose into the swarm. Even those with maces helped with the opening volley.

Thirty two bolts of light pierced through their enemies. The power of their attacks were so beyond that of the jobbie Leaf Elementals that they had no hope. Light pinned them to the trees or to each other, killing them outright and arresting their group's attempted assault.

There were many more Elementals though.

"Kill them all," Gi commanded and his summons and his other Elites charged. Kumo appeared from out of the brush where she'd been scouting ahead and her dual rocks had been replaced with maces. The extra reach made her twice as deadly. She danced through the flank of their enemies, each swing of her maces crushing the wiry body of a leaf Elemental.

Samba reached the front line before Gi's summons having used [Charge] to close the gap. Samba towered over the tiny jobbies despite being of the same stage himself and his two handed mace crashed down like a meteor obliterating two Leaf Elementals instantly.

Wax and Wane had hung back, continuing to send bursts of [Divine Bolt] into the flank that Kumo wasn't fighting on. They had actually separated and the light of their attacks had dimmed substantially, but they were both casting [Divine Bolt] instead of using their twinned shot. That barrage of light kept the Leaf Elementals in the path as Gi arrived on the battlefield.

His summons broke upon their enemies like a wave. Explosive light burst Leaf Elementals apart before they even had a chance to scream. His two summons wielding maces formed a wedge with Samba forcing their way through the thick of their enemies.

Gi used his upgraded [Celerity] to teleport into the back of the mob of Leaf Elementals. These seemed completely oblivious to the slaughter happening only feet away from them, but Gi brought it to them. He dissolved his four weaponless summons and reformed then instantly around him.

Five simultaneous blasts of [Divine Bolt] broke up the horde and gave Gi enough room to work. He adopted his stance and shot forward to kick one of the Leaf Elementals with his oversized foot. With his strength, it sent the monster sailing into its fellows.

A ping of danger from his Soul let him roll forward just as two Elementals attacked towards his back, lashing out with their branches. When one of these monsters hunted him when he first arrived to Igna, they'd been far too quick for him. Now, it was child's play to stay ahead of them.

Gi became a ghost in their midst. He'd dart in strike with his palm, blast three more with [Divine Bolt], and then retreat back to his cleared area. His summons who were now more durable and even closer to his own abilities mirrored his tactic.

Samba and his two mace otters broke through and fell into the scattered remains of their backline. At that point, the Elementals scattered. These weren't monsters imbued with the Heart of the First One. They wouldn't fight to the last.

They didn't get that choice however.

"Kumo, hunt them down. Poe," Gi looked up to see his favorite dragonfly floating above them. "Pin them down with your web for Kumo."

While the two of them cleaned up, Gi checked the Squad for any wounds, but there was nothing severe. Samba had a scratch on his arm, but it was literally a scratch. They were practically unharmed against... how many was it? Gi checked the Soul Orbs on his status.

Current Soul Orbs: 213

"Wow, there were over two hundred of them...," Gi said, causing Samba to tilt his head.

"Really? I only swung my hammer a dozen or so times. These monsters have zero presence."

This was what it meant to be a Classer. Gi thought back to the battle between Igna and Myshk. The Classers then had kept back, letting the jobbies fight for the first round. Even now, it seemed an odd choice. As a fresh Classer who was nowhere close to the level cap for even a jobbie, Gi could have easily obliterated a small area of weak monsters. So why the structure? It didn't seem monster-like at all.

"Samba," Gi said, his mind turning another direction. "What's your current amount of Soul Orbs?"

"Two sixteen. Wait. Two seventeen."

Gi glanced back at his own status and it had gone up as well from Kumo and Poe hunting down the remnants. However, it always seemed to be just one Soul Orb above what Samba had which was all he'd had prior to the Dungeon. The twins confirmed their numbers matched.

After a minute, Kumo and Poe returned and Gi addressed the group. "It seems like we share Soul Orbs across the Squad. We might reach our goal much sooner than the three days slotted."

Kumo crossed her arms. "So just a thousand Soul Orbs and I become a Classer? Seems too easy."

Samba snorted derisively. "Only you'd think killing a thousand beings is easy."

Kumo performed a strange gesture where she flicked her paw underneath her chin in Samba's direction. It wasn't a gesture that Gi was familiar with, but he took it as "fuck you." He was more interested in the fact that they'd had time in the Child Stage to develop that gesture.

What was going on with time? One of the adventurers had changed drastically since his first Dungeon run as well. Always more questions.