Chapter 123: Wins and Losses, Part Five

With the plan mostly fleshed out, Silvy now took the students with her to show them what scouting was like. It was something that Cara herself admitted they'd mostly glossed over at the Academy, as they wanted the students to be able to win fights before getting to any of the peculiarities such as this.

Because Cara made it clear they hadn't been spoken to too much about this, Silvy decided to give them a run-down on what they'd be doing right now.

"So, what we're going to be doing isn't just about the fortress, but also about the area," she began to say, with that same bubbly voice she'd had since the group had met her, and at this point, Eve wondered if she was just the type who was literally always energetic.

Then again, after being Sara's roommate for almost two months now, most people seemed energetic compared to that woman.

"See," Silvy continued, "let's say, something goes wrong and you need to make a break for it. Haul ass and run away, right? The obvious question is, where would you go?" She halted, turning toward the group as she neared the top of a nearby hill. "And that isn't the only thing you need to worry about. There's also the question of what monsters might get in the way during that escape, or how far civilization is, or if there's even anything to eat nearby so you can make camp once you get away. Now, in terms of the fortress," she said, pointing ahead at it, "you'll want to make note of where there are openings that you could exit through. The overall point is that, if you end up in a bad situation, you want to have at least a little bit of guidance in the back of your mind. Figuring all of these elements out is the essence of good scouting!"

[I would just fly away,] Eve thought, before then countering, [wait, what if they have archers? I'd just get shot down. Hm... What options would I have?] She wondered for a moment before Silvy continued.

"So, let's see what we've got,"  Silvy said, sitting down on the grass and pulling her knees up to her chest. "Now, admittedly, I'm cheating here a little because I already did this before I even met up with everyone else, but I still want to go through this with you all. Hm... You, can you come over here for a moment?"

The person she called out to was none other than Rin. Eve smiled a little, seeing her friend get called up to interact with this adventurer. The woman awkwardly made her way there and then Silvy gestured for her to sit down. The other students all got a little closer, while Cara just watched the area from the side, with her arms crossed.

"What was your name again?" Silvy asked.

"Rin," the adventurer replied with that silky smooth voice of hers, though there was also a hint of nervousness in there.

"Ah, Rin. Okay, Rin, see the fortress up ahead?" She asked, and the rookie nodded. "I want you to tell me, from here, how many escape routes you think there are for someone stuck inside its walls. Or, for someone like, let's say, an adventurer, who went in to go rescue some folks but realized they were in way over their heads."

"Uhm, hold on..." Rin said, narrowing her eyes at the fortress. Even though the question had been posed to her, all of the students gave it a shot.

[... I think four,] Eve came to her own conclusion. She arrived at this number after seeing the gates at the front of the fortress, the river where she'd heard the adventurers say they'd be entering from, a broken-down wall to the right side, and of course, the air.

The air, for her, was its own escape route, as long as there weren't too many skilled archers amongst the kobolds.

"So, Rin," Silvy smiled a little, "how many do you see?"

"Uh, well," Rin scratched her head, "I think two."

As she heard that, Eve tilted her head before she realized why Rin said that.

[Oh, she missed the broken wall,] Eve guessed.

Silvy made a weird "eck" noise.

"Wrong!" Silvy said. "How about all of you," she turned toward the group, "how many do you see?"

"Are there three?" Dylan asked politely, with a smile, and Silvy shook her head.

"Eck, wrong!' She called out. "Anyone else?"

For a moment, Eve was beginning to wonder if Silvy meant the air as well, as a fourth option, but she couldn't be. So, there had to be something that Eve hadn't caught yet. So, she scanned the area, and scanned it, and scanned it, but she couldn't find anything.

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Eventually, Carla was the one who spoke up. She was standing by John, with a bit of a smirk.

"Oooh," the woman said, "I get it. There's four."

"Correct!" Silvy said. "Now, care to list them off?"

"Sure," Carla shrugged. "So, there are the gates, the broken wall, the same river you're going to go in from, and..." She held back a chuckle, "There are those windows up at the top," she pointed at a spot high up, where Eve was sure if a person jumped down, who didn't have wings like she did, they probably wouldn't live to talk about it.

"Exactly," Silvy nodded.

"Wait, what?" Seth asked, annoyed. "That's suicide."

"Maybe," Silvy acknowledged. "But, if things go south, and that's your only option, trust me, you'll want to take the chance. Most people who become captives to these things end up wishing they were dead anyway."

As she said that, a slightly sadder look came over her.

"I've heard stories. I'm sure you'll hear some too," she said, standing up. "If I had to choose between captivity with any monster or that fall, I'd take my chances with the wind."

---

{Rin}

Their talk had been slightly grim, but it let Rin understand just how much was being risked on these missions.

Mainly because, indeed, she had heard stories. Even long before she became an adventurer, when she was still working at the Silver Rose, she'd heard about travelers who had gone missing, were recovered weeks later, and were never the same person.

Of course, when she was teleported, she caught a brief glimpse of what a few simple kobolds could do to some unfortunate civilians. She knew quite well that these things weren't to be taken lightly.

Silvy then went over the nearby area. There were, apparently, some deer that could be hunted to the north, and freshwater ponds to the east. The nearest bit of civilization was actually Libera, to the south. And, in terms of monsters surrounding the fortress, there were yarikos northeast and chargers to the north.

As the night came, and the adventurers made their final preparations, and a couple of them went out hunting for dinner, before they'd attack at midnight, Rin figured that if she was gonna show Xhez this place, it was now or never.

She tried to find the right opportunity and, when everyone's backs were turned, she took Xhez's bag and walked away from the group.

In the distance, the kobolds at the fortress had lit some torches and, honestly, the place looked beautiful from above, regardless of the lowly beasts inhabiting it.

"... Someday," Rin muttered, as she stood a long walk away from everyone, "it's going to be me that's attacking a place like that. Holy..." She trailed off, shaking her head.

For now, though, she couldn't worry about that. Instead, she looked around, made sure no one was there, and then placed Xhez's bag on the ground.

"Hey, Xhez," she tapped its side, waking the sprite up.

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