Chapter 44: 43. Taus!

Jake's eyes opened as he returned from the Library and the boy was greeted by an empty, black maw. The tunnel. It was quiet and his alert spells remained intact. Untouched and undisturbed. He triggered his Sensory magic and activated his Night Vision, the spells together peeling back the dark veil of the tunnel. The mana crystals illuminated much of the dark, but he wanted to see further out. The Maedra hadn't returned. The tunnel was clear.

"Awake are we?" Off to Jake's right, someone called out to him. Jake looked to find Captain Lin leaning against the stone wall, his arms crossed.

"I was meditating," Jake said. The boy wiggled his arms and slowly rose to his feet. Sitting still for so long in the cold had made him stiff. He used fire magic to warm his bones and brought his muscles back to life.

"Mediating when you should be on guard? Interesting choice," the Oryx huffed. The man's eye stared down at Jake and the ever-present smile wavered slightly.

"I set up a network of alert spells. We were safe," Jake shrugged off the words of concern and adjusted his clothes. "Can I help you with something, Captain?" Jake asked. The boy didn't know how long the Captain had been waiting but there must have been a reason for it.

"Color me curious but I'm interested in your magic. It's unheard-of for mages to be as powerful as you are. I understand that you are a Surface Walker but even in my experience, mages from the Surface aren't much more powerful than our own." Captain Lin's stare hardened. The man seemed on edge. He didn't look ready to fight but his tone told Jake that there was something else. A lack of trust, maybe. Or more likely it was just concern for his men. Jake's ability was unnatural so his fear was fair. However, the boy had got them this far. If Jake wanted to turn on them, he would have done so long ago.

"Is there a problem with my magic, Captain?" The Scouts found Jake's magic to be useful but it was the Warriors who had more wariness to it. The Warrior teams were the ones who showed the lack of trust, with good reason of course. They were used to being the battle hogs and the Scout Mages tended to need a lot of help. For Jake to be so efficient must have been quite a shock.

"I am worried that it will fail," he said. "You are strong, smart, and you have handled the Beasts well up until now. Your actions are commendable and I have a feeling we will be able to push even further than this once the others return. But, what happens when your magic dries up? Out here, the Beasts are the kings of the tunnel. We can only do so much. So far, you have pulled much of the weight." The Captain pushed off the wall and planted a hand firmly on Jake's shoulder, giving it a soft squeeze.

"I worry that should you falter, we will lose more than just a few."

The Captain locked eyes with Jake for a long few seconds. Jake clenched his teeth, furled his fists, and felt his stomach twist. When he looked away, Jake looked over towards the other Warriors. Most of them were sleeping, chatting, eating, and one was writing in a small notebook. They were at ease here. They were safe, protected, and relaxed. Jake's advance had made them comfortable. They were relying on him now and had already come up with the expectation that if something were to happen, he would deal with it. Complacent.

"I understand, Captain, but you can trust me. I'll handle the beasts and if something goes wrong, I'll be able to provide support as well." Jake tried to reassure the man, but the Captain's expression remained unchanged.

"I hope so, boy. I really do hope so." The Captain patted Jake's shoulder once before he turned towards the camp. "I will send a sentry to replace you. It's time for you to rest." The Captain called out as he left. Jake nodded and stared at the Captain's back, and towards the other warriors.

Jake let out a faint sigh as his shoulders drooped, the burden of expectation tugging on his neck. He wondered just how long it would take for those around him to trust his ability. What else could he do to change the surrounding stigma? What else was required of him to earn their favor? He could kill the Beasts. He could provide safety and security. He could spot the Beasts before they could see him. He could help with the camp, help with being a sentry. He had held off the Maedra at the tail end of the failed operation almost single-handedly. What more would it take for them to be confident in him?

Or was it not him but magic that they could not trust? Was Magic truly such a feeble thing to these people? Fien's magic certainly wasn't anything to speak of, but she was effective in her role. She could cast a dozen or so spells to aid her front line. A sufficient quantity in the scheme of things. The tunnels were not the best places for magic in the first place, but he was trying his best. What more could he give? Jake grit his teeth and looked down at the ground, his eyes aimlessly searching the rock for his answer.

What would it take for people to start seeing Jake as someone capable of his position? The Warriors were relaxing because of him, they were reveling in the security he brought them, so why was Captain Lin uneasy? Why was the Captain doubting him when Jake thus far had been flawless in his role?

"I'm here to replace you, Scout," one of the Warriors strode up to Jake and the boy closed his eyes.

Scout, he'd said. Not mage. Not buddy, pal, friend, ally. Scout. Jake was their weak, small little scout. He was their nose to find the Maedra. Maybe that was why the Captain still looked down at him.

"Yep," Jake sighed and traded places with the Warrior. The boy hung his head as he returned to the camp. The Warrior watched him pass but said nothing. Even when Jake made it back to the others, none of them said anything to him. The boy's solemn expression kept them at bay as he took a seat away from them all. He created his own fire pit and then made himself comfortable against the rock. He let out a tired huff and closed his eyes.

He would sleep it off rather than stress over it further. If they didn't trust him or believe in his ability, then so what? They would have to if they wanted to continue down the tunnel. Regardless of how the Captain felt or how the other warriors looked at him, Jake would fulfill his role as Mage and Scout. He would find the Maedra and kill them. Every single one. By the time this mission was over, Jake would leave no doubt of what he was capable of, and he would use the opportunity to force the others to acknowledge him. Or, at the very least, to not look down at him so bitterly.

Jake considered whether to return to the Library. He wanted to continue training, but it was wearing on him. The constant transition from the Ravine to the Library was making it hard to define where the line of 'sleep' was. Up until now, returning to the Library instead of sleeping was normal. While there were no adverse effects he could tell so far, he wondered if it was going to hurt him in the long run. Add on the current state of the mission being in an awkward spot and Jake found himself fearful of burning out.

They were safe but once the large force arrived, Jake would need to perform at a high level once more. He wanted to make sure he was ready for that, so he decided to sleep normally. He calmed his mana flow and relaxed his breathing. He removed his backpack to use as a pillow and then curled up beneath his cloak. The comfort of the fire rune, the pack, and the cloak helped the tension ease. Before he knew it, the boy's mind drifted off, and he fell to sleep.

---

 

The rest was long and undisturbed, and Jake didn't have any weird dreams to ruin it. He was only awoken by the faint vibrations of the floor and the distant sound of heavy footsteps approaching the camp. The warriors had largely remained immobile, quiet, and still. They only moved to rotate through sleep cycles. Jake alone had been let be. When he stirred, Jake's eyes parted a bit, and he grumbled as he spotted a large group of people walking up to meet Captain Lin, Tux, and Ryn. Warriors, Workers, and even a group of Scouts were all mixed together within the mass of new faces. Leaders of each group stepped forward and a small conference began.

Jake didn't bother to rush the wake-up process and yawned. He grumbled and curled back up beneath his cloak. If they needed him, they would come to get him. Just as he got comfortable again, that unfortunate thought came true. Jake was just on the edge of falling back to sleep when footsteps approached the camp.

"Alright, men! On your feet!" Captain Lin's cheerful voice boomed through the air. A collective set of grumbles and groans answered as the men fought against the chains of lethargy. Jake, too, let out a rumble of his own and cracked his eyes open in annoyance. He had been sleeping so nicely and he was warm. He didn't wanna go...

"Dammit," he muttered. He let out a huff and sat up, pushing the cloak off himself to expose his body to the chill of the tunnel. It struck his skin and the boy immediately shivered. Jake rolled over to his knees and snatched up his backpack. He slung it over his shoulders and then draped his cloak around his neck. He attached the roped clasps, tied them tight, and then fiddled with the cloth so it flowed comfortably over his shoulders. Then, he snuffed out the fire rune.

Jake looked around to regain his awareness of the area and was surprised to see the other men were practically ready to go. The majority of them had just been sleeping, so it was astonishing to see them already geared up. Beyond them, a few individuals were working to establish a way station within the tunnel. Workers were cutting into the wall with their pickaxes, while warriors and scouts set up a checkpoint within the area. A collector stone was placed into the ceiling and two others were installed in the vicinity. Two workers even carried collector stones towards the less secure side, passing by the sentry with their stones as they worked to dig them into the ceiling alongside the luminous crystals already set.

"Ready to go?" Tux called out to Jake, snapping the boy from his daze. Jake looked up at the warrior, staring at the large brown-colored eye. "What?"

"Nothing. I'm ready," Jake checked the dagger on his hip and then tapped at his mana flow to verify that he wasn't lying. Tux nodded and then turned to the others.

"Hurry up!" Tux barked. The warriors grumbled collectively again as they hurried to clean up the area. The fire runes were scuffed out. Weapons checked, shields readied, and armor checks completed up and down the line. Supplies were gathered into designated packs and redistributed to even out the weight of their remaining reserves. Food stock was replenished by those who had come from the rear and a few warriors that suffered from traveling injuries during the walk were replaced by fresh bodies. Two healers were also assigned to the warrior teams, as well as two runners. In total, four more bodies for Jake to worry about. However, the Healers were welcome faces.

"Good to go," Ryn said as he stepped away from the group.

"Great. Captain, we'll be going ahead." Tux bowed to Captain Lin, whose smile broadened to show his teeth.

"Be careful! We'll be behind you shortly once we finish here," the Captain said. He followed his words up with a haughty laugh, and he pounded his fist against his chest. "Do us proud, boys!"

"Roger!" The men stiffened their backs and belted out a thunderous response. Then, Tux turned to Jake.

"On you, Scout," the warrior said. All eyes settled on the boy, who huffed and took his place at the front. He had been permitted to lead on, and so he did without hesitation. He strode out of the safety net of the camp and out towards where his alert sigils were placed. As he passed them, he dispersed the mana within them. The sigils broke apart, fizzling out as the runes within them lost their strength.

As he cleared the alert net, Jake triggered his sensory magic and night vision again, illuminating the tunnel once more. The fog of his rest faded and his focus sharpened. The boy steadied his breathing, cleared his thoughts, and focused on his task. Locate the Maedra. Up until now, the Maedra were appearing at almost regular intervals, as if the hordes weren't able to settle too close to one another. Or, the pockets of loose mana were naturally spread out through the tunnel. But, it seemed too perfect for such a reason.

The Maedra were able to grow and survive because of the dense mana in the air. They absorbed it like food and thrived off it. They ate nothing else except for each other when the available mana ran scarce. Thus, Jake figured only so many could be birthed in one place at any given time. If true, that would work in their favor. If the Maedra's growth was limited by the available mana in the air, then as long as the pockets of mana remained small, the number of Maedra would be low as a result.

"Isn't that like... a natural limitation...?" Jake mumbled. He squinted a little as he walked, his eyes tracing the walls for a moment to check for any irregularities.

The Maedra lived beneath the surface. From what he had been told, they couldn't survive above ground. They functioned and were born by feeding on the unfiltered mana within the Ravine and in caves. How they lived off it and processed the mana likely had to do with the crystals within their bodies. Jake couldn't detect mana sources within them, even the Maudragas lacked such a thing. However, it seemed odd that the Maedra wasn't a more omnipresent creature within the tunnels. They couldn't just pop up out of nowhere. Why was that? The was mana drifting in the air even now. Jake could feel it around him, he could draw on it, and he could pull it into his body to be utilized for casting.

So why couldn't a Maedra appear beside him? Was a certain density threshold required to be met before the Maedra could be born? Or was it because Jake was here, and the Maedra couldn't be birthed in proximity to other creatures? That would explain why they didn't appear in the village, but the amount of mana floating around the village was rather high. The collection of mana crystals, living beings, and the river of Vein Essence cutting through the village fed a plentiful amount of the mana into the air. All of it was unfiltered and raw. Yet no Maedra appeared there. Collector crystals had been placed around the village for safety reasons, but there were none on the outskirts or within the village itself. Where Jake built his small house, the space was a prime location for the Maedra to emerge.

There was a detail here that was missing. A piece of the puzzle that wasn't placed. Something was off about the Ravine and the Maedra.

Jake's nose picked up a strong whiff of rot and the boy refocused on his task. He knelt down quickly and extended the range of his Sensory magic. Almost three hundred meters ahead of him, the next horde of Maedra lingered in the dark. The boy let out a long exhale and then drew in a mixture of oxygen and mana. Things were going to get busy again, so he saved his new potential problem for later. The boy summoned forth several Stone Breakers with his left hand and generated a fire sigil with his right. It was time to test his Sigil Magic.

The boy surged forward, closing the distance with light steps as he readied the sigil. His practice in the Library made it easy to call forth his mana. The lines formed rapidly and Jake set the runes in place. He fired off his Stone Breakers first, shattering the large clusters of flesh. Those that were scattered, isolated, or injured from his initial burst were quickly assaulted by a barrage of fire balls. They were cone-shaped, spinning rapidly, and carried explosive runes blazing within their cores.

The Stone Breakers shattered rock, cracked the walls, and shook the floor. Following their barrage, the Fire Bombs erupted within the space with loud blasts of heat and bright flashes of light. The Maedra screeched as their flesh melted and cooked from the heat. Black smoke filled the tunnel, blinding them and sending the survivors into a frenzy. However, they were quickly obliterated by the second wave of Stone Breakers. The stench of decomposing bodies was replaced by the smell of smoldering meat and cries of agony from the few Maedra that had mouths. Jake silenced those cries with Rock magic, piercing their weakened bodies with sharpened stone jutting upwards from the floor. Crippled, emaciated, and broken, the Maedra horde was wiped out in another show of force.

This time, the sound of the explosions had carried down the tunnel and a second horde was alerted to the noise. On the far side of the cluster, Jake's magic picked up an encroaching pair of Maedra. They rushed forward, curious about the noise. When they were close enough and spotted the attack, they howled for their friends. Those howls were not met with silence. Jake fired off two Stone Breakers- one for each of the beasts. Their bodies were turned into scattered piles of mush, their meat splattering the walls with red as their crystals disintegrated.

The two spells that had cut through them whistled into the distance, crashing into the line of Maedra answering the call to arms. Jake took a knee at the edge of the scalded ground he had just conquered and leveled the fire sigil in front of him. He channeled mana into its runes and dozens of blue-colored Fire Cones launched out of its opposing side. They cracked through the air of the tunnel and impacted the distant floor, their numbers filling the air with debris, dust, and flame. The Maedra in the front were pierced by the spiraling cones and their insides were blasted apart by the secondary runes within the fiery shapes. Not a single Maedra emerged from the smoke, but they certainly did try. Mindless and relentless, fueled by their natural urge to devour, they sprinted headlong into the slaughter.

The Warriors at Jake's back jogged slowly up to the edge of the initial kill zone, their eyes taking in the grotesque scene. A few stared only at Jake, watching the spectacle of his casting as his magic fired off into the cloud of smoke in the distance. They were speechless as their meager Scout made easy work of a foe they always seemed to struggle with. However, Jake had earned this victory. He had earned this power. The countless hours spent within the Library's walls. The nights he toiled away, cultivating his mana and struggling to push his level of magic forward. He did it all for moments like this. For moments where he could turn the Maedra into nothing but debris scattered on the stone walls.

The last Maedra was pierced in the chest and then pummeled by four more Fire Cones as its body was knocked off balance. Their explosions were staggered as each Cone impacted at a different moment in time. The effect was the complete removal of the Maedra from the Overworld. Its body vanished within the resulting concert of booms. Its crystal turned to dust.

Jake cut off his mana flow to the sigil and conjured up two Stone Breakers as he eyed the tunnel. He waited for the smoke to clear, for the mana to settle, and for the Maedra corpses to melt away to nothing before he finally relaxed. Only then did he turn to acknowledge the two squads of warriors staring at his back.

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"The area's clear. Should we push on, or wait?" Jake asked.

There was no immediate response. Tux and Ryn stared at him blankly, their eyes blinking a few times before they looked at each other. Ryn's lips pulled into a firm line and Tux let out a sigh.

"Runner! Go notify Captain Lin. We'll leave a small group here. The rest of us will move forward. We can't keep stopping every time we come across the Beasts. We'll go another kilometer and then stop. I think that will be enough progress for one day." Tux declared. The Warriors all nodded, some with more relieved expressions than others. One of the runners huffed and took off running, sprinting back for the support group.

"Oir, Pulp, Lau, and Zix. You four hang out here with a healer. If the Beasts appear for some reason, box formation and retreat to Captain Lin. Understood?" Tux gave out his orders and the chosen warriors acknowledged. They split off and one of the Healers stepped away with them, after a few complaints to his partner.

"The rest of us will push ahead. Kir, you're with me at the front. You'll keep pace count. Jake, push ahead but every two hundred steps I want you to check back. I'll light a flare at the final distance. You'll act as a sentry on the far side until we can make camp and Captain Lin catches up. Good to go?"

"Understood," Jake answered.

"Roger, Sergeant," Kir answered. The Warrior retrieved a small rope from a pouch on his hip and adjusted the beads on it. He tied it off to his chest plate and then gave Tux a thumbs up. Tux nodded.

"Good. Let's go." Tux looked at Jake and waited for the boy to head off.

Jake led out per the usual and the slightly smaller team carried on. Those left behind sat down in the dark. One of the warriors took out a small mana torch, illuminating their position and the space around them as they made themselves as comfortable as they could. Jake felt a little bad for them. They were now essentially isolated with no help. They had no runner, no scout, and no security. However, Jake had utilized much of the mana in the air with his spells. The likelihood of Maedra appearing nearby was slim to none. Still, the lack of information on the exact way the Maedra were born made it hard to truly determine if they were safe.

He could only hope for the best.

As he carried on, Jake noticed a subtle change in the air. The scent and the taste of the air both shifted. Normally, the tunnel had a very odd taste to its air. It was stale, dry, and it was a bit dusty. If Maedra were near or had passed by recently, he could almost taste their fermentation. The natural taste was flatter, bland. The scent was more floral now and there was a watery flavor to it. Jake couldn't hear a flowing river or drips of water, but he certainly could taste it. There was even a slight breeze as if there was an opening nearby. Was he close to the surface? No, that was impossible. There had been no significant change in the incline of the floor and every time they had gone up, they had inevitably dropped back down further along.

The answer came after another hundred steps. Jake had performed his usual check-in and then continued after not seeing the flare. Just then, his Sensory magic spread out and his night vision shimmered. Something was glowing in the distance. A light source of some kind struck his eyes. The boy paused and knelt, halting the advance of the warriors at his back. He slowly moved forward to investigate the change and dumped more mana into his Sensory spell. As he advanced, he toned down his night vision to not blind himself.

There was a cavern ahead. A massive open space and something was glowing inside. There was also a change in the density of the mana, which put him on edge. Yet there was no sign of the Maedra. Though it wasn't crisp like clean air, he didn't smell the typical rot. Jake pushed up until he was only a few meters away from the entrance of the cavern. He cut off his night vision and even without it, he could see inside of the area clearly. The crystals were embedded in the walls, the ceiling, and even the floor. Using his Sensory magic he could see that they were solid chunks of mana. Likely condensed and crystallized after thousands of years.

Jake searched for the Maedra, for any sign of life, but there was no trace of the beasts. He remembered the ambush they had placed before and used Rock magic to test the ground around the outcroppings. However, there was no sign of life within the rock. The boy took in a slow breath and eased up to the entrance. He peeked into the space, and his eyes were greeted by one of the most beautiful sights he had ever seen.

The cavern was a massive, linear space, with two levels. The low level he was on and another upper level off to the right. Massive chunks of bluish-green crystals jutted from the rock faces, their crystal structures glowing and illuminating the area. Small particles shimmered as natural mana filled the air. In the distant center of the ceiling, one massive crystal jutted out and pointed towards the floor. In terms of size, it was nearly as big as Chul's abdomen. A massive, sparkling rock of life.

The liquid taste on his tongue came from a large flow of water at the far side of the room. However, the water didn't flow through the cavern. It emerged from a hole in the wall and then dropped into a massive crack in the floor. Said crack stretched from one side of the cavern to the other, separating Jake's portion of the cavern from the other with the upper level. He could jump the distance with a running start but there wasn't much to land on. Much of the ground had collapsed or fallen away over the years.

Jake dared to test the safety of the cavern and stepped into it. He readied his magic, conjuring up his fire sigil and several Stone Breakers, and then spread his Sensory magic in a bubble around himself. He kept his head on a swivel, spinning himself slowly as he checked every corner and every wall. Every crevice. His eyes glazed over the cavern in search of a threat. He walked ever so carefully to the center of the room and then over to the edge of the fissure in the floor. When he peered into it, he couldn't see the bottom. The water flowed downward and disappeared into the black.

The boy dared to toss a ball of light down into it, but even that was swallowed up by the maw. It was as though he was looking into a smaller Ravine. The idea made him uneasy. He moved away from the edge and made his way over to the far side of the cavern to the other entrance. He checked it for Maedra, stretched his Sensory magic down it, and sniffed at the air for any signs of the creatures. He found nothing.

The cavern was empty.

The boy canceled out his spells and returned to the side he had entered from. Then, he cast a small ball of light, signaling the Warriors. They spotted it and advanced, striding quickly but quietly to catch up. Jake waited for them, his eyes staring up towards the massive crystal. It was astonishing. Even in such a dreary place, nature found a way to let its beauty shine. Literally.

"What hap--Whoa..." Tux muttered as he entered the cavern. His eye widened, his neck craning upward as he spotted the massive crystal. The others were just as amazed. They spilled into the room, hungry to take in the view. Jake smirked a bit at the sight but his mind remained focused on the mission.

"We'll stop here. This will make a good place for a camp, right?"

"Camp? We could make an outpost here," Tux laughed and waved for the runner. "Hurry back to Captain Lin! We've made an amazing discovery! Have them quickly secure the tunnel and send for additional forces."

"Roger!" The runner turned and burned, his slender legs carrying him quickly down the tunnel and into the dark.

"What a find this is," Ryn mumbled as he approached the wall. His hand brushed over the crystal peeking out from the rock. It shimmered in response to his touch. "I've never seen anything like this."

"Neither have I. This is amazing," Tux said. "But we still have work to do. Men, set up camp quickly. We'll hold here until the others catch up."

"I'll secure the other tunnel for now. No need to keep it open, yea?" Jake said as he walked over to the far entrance. He placed his hands on the floor and then sealed it. The stone walls shifted as Jake closed them together like a massive set of jaws. He smoothed the rock and then reinforced it to ensure the Maedra wouldn't be able to break through it easily. Then, he placed an Alert sigil just beneath the top layer of stone on the other side. If anything approached, he would know.

"Good thinking. We'll still keep a sentry near it just in case. I'll set up a sleep schedule and we'll rotate through resting. Everyone settle in." Tux maintained order to keep the warriors from wandering and began to delegate tasks. They would have plenty of time to rest once the work was done.

Jake quickly established several fire pits and a washing station near the water. He also set up a sleeping area, smoothing and softening the rocks into a more clay-like material to make the floor more comfortable to rest on. The Warriors pulled out several mats from their packs to add to the cushion but there weren't enough to go around. Only six in total but it was fine. Most of the warriors wouldn't need them. They used their gear and packs as cushions. Jake did the same. He didn't like the idea of being more comfortable than the men he was working with. The healer on the other hand practically stole a mat and glared at anyone who tried to get close to it. Selfish brat.

With the far entrance sealed and no sign of the Maedra, Tux gave permission to cook actual food. The Warriors cheered at the chance and quickly pulled out meat and vegetables. One even pulled out a large jug that contained the base of a soup broth. They had all the tools, all the cutlery, and all the pans to make a massive meat stew. Three Warriors worked together to get the meal going while the others took their gear and set it aside. Weapon and armor maintenance was started quickly and the warriors cycled through cleaning their bodies. Two sentries were posted at the sealed entrance and were quickly relieved by the first two who finished bathing.

The meal was finished after almost an hour of careful preparation, cooking, seasoning, and serving, but no one ate. The portions were set out for each individual by the three who had cooked the soup, and then they delivered the bowls to each of the men. Jake waited as well, curious as to why the Warriors had held their tongues. He knew they were hungry, as he was starving. The only one to ignore it was the Healer, who chowed down immediately when he was given his bowl.

One of the cooks plucked two bowls and headed for the sentries. He passed them their portions as well as their utensils. Then, all eyes were on Tux and Ryn, who were sitting beside each other at the edge of the area. The cook returned to the group and was given his portion.

Now, everyone had their food.

"Dig in, boys." Tux finally called. The warriors all raised their bowls. "TAUS!" They exclaimed in unison before finally beginning their meal. Jake raised his bowl with them but was surprised by the little chant. He blinked, then looked at the warrior next to him.

"What was that?" He asked. The large man chuckled at him and nudged the boy with his elbow.

"A toast to our War God. It is to give thanks for the meal," the warrior explained. Another slurped at his bowl and let out a hum to get Jake's attention.

"Do the Scouts not have such a thing?" The other warrior asked.

"We don't," Jake sighed.

"A shame but expected! Very few Scouts do anything other than sniff and scamper in the dark," the warrior to Jake's left spat out, triggering a flurry of laughs and chuckles from the others.

"You are the first I have ever met that has battled the Beasts and won! You are more of a Warrior than many of our kin," another Warrior touted, his voice turning into a laugh before he stuffed his mouth with food.

"I agree. That magic of yours is something else. Never seen anything like it," another said aloud.

"It's almost boring! I'm practically itching to fight!"
"Ah shut up, you. You're the first to complain, so I don't want to hear it."
"What?! I don't complain that much!"

"Quiet down," Tux finally spoke up and the men hushed their voices. He set down his bowl and placed his hands on his knees. "We are lucky today that Jake is the scout but do not let that make you forget how dangerous the Beasts are. Jake is not the norm. We are blessed with his power today, but tomorrow will not be so easy. Keep that in mind."

"Always the mood killer, Sarge."
"Great, now I'm reminded of tomorrow."
"Can't we just be permanently assigned to him?"
"See? Complaining!"
"That's not a complaint!"

"Tux is right. Today is a fluke, if anything," Ryn spoke up after swallowing a mouthful of his soup. He stabbed his spork into a chunk of meat and held it out in the air in front of him. "Today was an easy day, be thankful. But be more thankful that we didn't lose any brothers today. Yes?"

The air grew a bit heavy after his words. A few heads tilted down, and even Jake felt his hands grip his bowl a bit tighter.

"To the fallen." Ryn raised his bowl. Everyone followed, except the healer who was already finished and preparing to sleep.

"To the fallen."

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