As night came forward, Dousan called everyone over. "You all know your positions and roles for this expedition. I sadly do not know how long we will be out here, but it will be as long as we need to get it done. The general plan is to flood the ravine and send electrical charges throughout it, allowing them to drown or scorched to death. If there is any escape, that's what the front-line fighters are for."
Dousan finished saluting, hand high in the air. Everyone else returned it, Dousan shouting, "Let's go!"
Everyone headed towards the ravine, Norbert with the scouts at the back, not wanting to get in anyone's way. All raptors in the area had been taken care of beforehand, not wanting to have any of the spells triggered before they were ready
Norbert saw the light flash up ahead of him, the sounds of rushing water filling the area below. Unable to hear the reptiles screams or cries for the first few minutes. The only sound is electricity discharge, creating bright flashes in the half-light.
The group split in two, one going up the ravine and the other going down, Norbert being instructed that after the first day would be running around everywhere, going back and forth between the two groups. "Here, take this" Martitia said
Norbert looked at the metal circular device in hand, a circular pane of glass on the top, with a single needle pointing and freely able to spin around underneath the glass. On the side, Norbert felt mechanical buttons needing to be pressed in, holding it up with its leather cord, he held it between the two of them, letting it spin around as he stared at Martitia with a question in his eyes.
"That's for navigation; the first button is set to the group going up, the second for the group going down and the third is calibrated for the village." Martitia provided.
Norbert clicked each button, seeing the needle on the face spin around, once to each group and the third pointing behind him. Looking at a magical compass in hand, Norbert turned it around, wondering if anything was on the back. Only seeing the cold steel it was made of, no engravings that he would need to care for, Norbert flipped it around, looking at the front again.
"Thanks; I guess I'll be seeing you around then", Norbert provided.
"That you will," Martitia said as she branched off and headed down the river.
Norbert nodded and followed Dousan, with the other half of the scouts walking up, the flood coming over and washing it down. Norbert looked down at the ravine, seeing the water slowly flowing out, realising they would fill it with water, hoping they had enough magic for the task.
For the first day, Norbert stayed with Dousan, slowly walking forward near the back; the group split up, one on each side of the ravine, the scouts having branched off and out ahead, confirming it was the same as ever.
The group only stopped for several hours during the day to sleep, moving away from the ravine when the raptors were the most active, the water dissipating around them, to start it back up again at night.
***
Norbert just flicked his coin in the air, taking an idle stroll with the group. Dousan came up to Norbert, catching the coin in hand Norbert slipped it back into his pouch. Dousan presented a list for Norbert; looking down, he only recognised some items, mostly food, and others he didn't recognise. Realising he was looking at a shopping list, Norbert just nodded.
"Go to the other group first before heading to the village", Dousan added.
Norbert waved, starting to walk off through the crowd; turning back, he shouted, "What about coin!"
Dousan shouted back, "The traveller will have the required coin, don't pay any of it yourself. See what you can get in the village and if not then go to the traveller. Find the villager Robert; he will show you what you need."
Norbert waved in agreement, giving the salute with his back to Dousan as he escaped the crowd, now only seeing the open area. Stopping, Norbert breathed in; taking out his compass, Norbert confirmed the direction, the ravine meandering slightly but primarily straight.
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Placing the compass into his backpack wrapped, not needing to hold it in his hand, Norbert took off, the mid-day sun on him. Next to the ravine, Norbert ran, seeing the water slowly subside with his running. As he continued to run, Norbert continued to see a lack of bodies in the ravine, believing that they must have been moved by the water and hoping nothing had come to pick them clean already.
As Norbert ran throughout the day and night, seeing more and more raptors now appear, thankful that they had just moved, but realising he would be smelling this all the time when he was running and not looking forward to it.
Sometimes at night, Norbert found the other group, themselves keeping the slow pace of the others. Finding Martitia, he was given another list; Norbert compared the two and saw that they were mostly the same.
Nodding in confirmation, Norbert took out the compass, clicked the third button and watched as the needle spun around, pointing towards the plains. Waving Martitia off again, wanting to get out as soon as possible, Norbert ran again.
Under cover of darkness, Norbert was not disturbed at all, happy that, for now, they had all been cleared out of any undesirables. As the sun rose and Norbert checked the compass, making sure he didn't divert in his travels, changing his course slightly, Norbert continued running, feeling the wind pass through his hair.
With the sun setting, Norbert found the village. He started walking around, going to the first person he met. Norbert asked, "Do you know where Robert is?"
The boy looked up at Norbert, nodding, saying, "Down the main street and over that way" He pointed, Norbert just nodding and heading in the general direction.
Needing to be asked several times, Norbert finally found the mysterious Robert. Standing before him was the man Norbert saved, sitting on a veranda outside a different house and street than where Norbert initially found the man.
"I'm guessing your Robert?" Norbert asked.
The man looked up upon seeing Norbert and smiled a wide grin. "That I am, and thanks for coming here."
Norbert just nodded. "It's what we do."
Robert just nodded. "Yeah, I remember my time in the Frontier. I didn't get to run around like you. Just back in the big city moving things around. Guess I was lucky, somewhat," He said, waving his hand before himself, dismissing the thought he continued. "But enough of that; heard you have some items you want to pick up?"
Norbert nodding reached into his bag and pulled out the two sheets of paper. Robert nods at the list. "Have everything you need already; thought you would need it, so it's all packed up and shrunk down; just need to split it off."
Norbert nodded as Robert took the two lists and went into the house. The wooden door opened, and Norbert could see rows upon rows of shelves with items on them. As the door closed with a thud, Norbert looked around, waiting for Robert to return.
After several minutes, Robert returned, holding two sacks in him. Tied around each were the respective notes. Norbert thanked Robert before placing both sacks into his backpack, able to fit but now nearly bursting. Shrugging it onto his shoulders, Norbert waved and headed off again, taking out his compass; having it at the top, Norbert clicked the second button pointing away. Norbert ran towards Martitia and her group.
***
Back at Dousan’s group, a couple of days later, Norbert gave the sack to him. Hearing thanks for the work, Norbert rested with the group during the day, having been running for the past several days, not trusting the bats not to come and swoop him down at night.
Finally rested again, Norbert stayed with Dousan for the next day; as the sun set, he received his list, Norbert noting it was longer this time than before. Knowing that it would take him longer each time he went out now to return, seeing a trend of needing more and more, Norbert headed out once more at night.
After weeks of running around, Norbert was at Martitia’s group again, everyone smiling around them. Norbert asked what they were all happy about. Dobert said, "Cause that's the last of them, see for yourself" he brought Norbert over to the ravine, or what was the ravine?
This far down, Norbert noticed that it was extremely shallow, more an undulation between two hills than the steep drop of the ravine or the long distance of the canyon behind him. Looking forward, Norbert smiled, only seeing the empty hills, no more the raptors grouping up, just several of them over the hills. As Norbert looked, he realised the grass plains slowly turned to green rolling hills, wondering how far he travelled in all of this time.
Happy Norbert took the list he once more was given, heading back to the village to collect what was needed. Throughout the week, Robert could not supply most things, needing to go to the traveller to supply items. During these trips, Norbert spotted Obsius flying around the place.
The two of them conversed about their time, both knowing that the bird wouldn't be able to keep up with Norbert as he needed to travel from place to place, and neither worried as he would need to return to the village eventually.
As Norbert rested in the once destroyed house, now the ceiling no longer having its hole, Norbert looked around the village. The destruction he had once seen around with his first time was now all but forgotten, everything having been repaired now, and Norbert could see the village in its full glory.