The surrounding teams were essentially hunting blind, as they had no reliable way to find the monsters within their zones, and they wouldn’t trust Hawk directly, but Bob had the answer for that.
He relayed the scouted directions that Hawk had given them in relation to the other groups, and they adjusted their search patterns to find the monsters that had eluded them.
None of the zones had nearly as many monsters as yesterday, and with Hawk scouting, they could keep a constant eye on their zone for the moment when the spawn appeared.
Doug smiled as Bob relayed another set of directions, moving a team just a little to the left to let them stumble upon a hidden enclave of Lizardmen. The beasts were just as shocked as the humans, as they had thought that their hiding spot was imperceptible.
Perhaps from ground level it was, but it was easily spotted from the sky.
Hawk was loving his new role. He got to send people to go fight with whatever he wanted them to, and then watch the outcome while he looked for more targets for him. It felt like he had become a King. The Royal Hawk, deciding the fate of the soldiers on the ground.
But maybe that meant he was a General. Could he apply for Commander Rank because he was a good Commander? It certainly sounded logical to him.
Karl just did his best to keep the bird on task, and not let him forget to keep scanning their own zone along with the occupied surrounding areas.
There was one side of their own zone that had no guards right now, but it also had very few monsters. If there wasn’t anyone going to that location, then Bob fully intended to have his group cover it tomorrow, but for now, it was an insignificant threat.
The zone was on the far side of them from the nearest populated areas, so if they were going to threaten the towns, they would have to pass by the area that the group was protecting. But the few monsters there weren’t showing any signs of motion, they were just settling in to live daily lives, hunt for food and build camps.
Then, just after lunch, the sound of helicopters returned. Three of the large transports were incoming toward their position, flying slowly over the forest, as if scouting the area for threats.
[Team Mackenzie, this is extraction four, come in. Please report your position.] The radio requested.
That made no sense at all, and Karl quickly called Hawk and Rae back to their spaces before the incoming helicopters could mistake them for threats.
[This is Bob Mackenzie, we are at 18.3002° N, 64.8252° W. Currently engaged in ranged scouting from an elevated position.] Bob replied.
[Prepare for extraction. We are relocating you to a priority zone.] The pilot replied.
[Understood. There is a suitable clearing next to the largest Ironwood tree in the area. We will meet you there.]
Bob looked at the group and shrugged. “Yesterday, this was the priority area. They know how heavy the attack was and that we almost lost a team, but today they’re relocating us. I don’t know what’s going on, but I get the feeling that it’s time to pay back a bit of our debts.”
Karl frowned. “Pay back our debts?”
Doug smiled at him. “Inside joke. The politicians and billionaires all act like we owe them for funding the Academy, so every time they send us on a mission to nowhere, we refer to it as repaying our debts.”
The twin mages nodded. “Non-optional missions, they’re officially called. Most Elites get sent on one every two or three years. This will be our fourth, but we’ve just got that sort of luck.”
“Aren’t we already on an emergency call out?” Karl asked, trying to make sense of this dispatching system.
“We are, and it makes no sense that we’re being moved. That’s not standard procedure, so either we were specifically requested, or something so extreme happened that this location no longer counts as an emergency.
It could be that today’s spawn appeared in a different location, possibly closer to a town, or that the danger level of certain areas is much higher than yesterday, and they need more hands.
They should tell us when we’re on the chopper, but they won’t say it over the radio, in case they panic the other teams, or leak information to foreign spies.” Doug explained as he packed up his kit to head down the ladder.
In seconds, they were ready and headed down the ladder, just as the helicopter came into sight. It was nearly impossible to miss their location, in the tallest tree for half a kilometre, next to a clearing, and the pilot brought it down for a smooth landing with the rear cargo door already open.
If they had needed a sign that this was a rush operation, that was it, and the moment they were all on the ramp, it began to close, and the pilot brought them back up into the sky.
It was a good thing that the beasts could all return to Karl’s space from a distance, as trying to round them up would have taken more time than this pilot was willing to wait, but the pilot wasn’t the real concern here.
The Overlord Ranked General standing in front of them was.
“Welcome aboard, Elites. I am certain that you have questions that can wait until after I have finished briefing you.” He began.
“We have reviewed your combat logs, and have determined that your group was misclassified. Our records show that despite still having a member at the official Awakened Rank, and no Commander Rank leader, your group has displayed combat prowess that is in line with a combined low Commander Rank scenario.
Such a threat has evolved in the region, and you are being tasked to take it over, with other teams being sent to fill your zone, as well as the empty zones near you.
Here is what we know so far.
We have confirmation of the priority target Ettin Mage, but it is not at the Ascended Rank as first believed, it is a Commander Rank monster.
The regular military units have been positioned to contain it, which has left holes in the defence, which still contain a number of Commander Rank threats, including Ogres and Hill Giants.
Your team has both a Beast Master and a Golem Mage, who our data suggests should be capable of handling Ascended Rank threats unaided. So, with that in mind, we upgraded your team’s status.
Is any of this unclear?”
Karl shook his head in dismay, while the others answered verbally.
“No, General.”
“Excellent. You will be under the leadership of the Bureau of Public Safety once you reach your target, we are only the transport and bearers of good news today. Now, expect heavy combat from the moment that you arrive, the spawn today was heavier than usual, and the teams were already relocated.” The General announced.
The whole thing sounded like a bad joke to Karl, but there was still a chance that this could work out for them. High-grade food was vital to the rapid growth of the beasts, and Commander Rank meat wasn’t easy to get. A few giants and ogres would keep Rae and Hawk stocked for months, and they would just need to find something suitable for Thor.
If everything went as anticipated, Karl believed that they could make it fully into the Ascended Rank before the mission was over, and then he would be considered on par with the rest of the team, not a charity case or a burden the next time that there was a mission.
As they approached the area, Karl realized that the General hadn’t been joking about being under heavy attack from the moment that they landed. His sharp eyes could see that there was a group of Giants tracking the helicopter, running through the woods after them as the pilot announced thirty seconds to the landing zone.
“We’ve got Giants incoming from the south. Bob, do you want Thor with you?” Karl asked as the door began to open.
“Do it. Don’t send Hawk outside until the Helicopter leaves, though. Let the monsters chase just one flying target.” The warrior agreed, determination flashing in his grey eyes.
The General looked shocked when Karl called Thor out onto the platform beside their lead warrior, and even more shocked when Rae came out to stand beside him at the back of the column.
“GO GO GO!” Bob announced, jumping from the helicopter five metres from the ground.
