The next morning, they made a quick tour of the area, following Hawk’s directions to the monsters that had just appeared. Fortunately, the fights were easy, as their healer was mostly distracted, listening to the radio report the helicopters headed out to relieve the mission teams that had been called in to support the army.
It sounded like the influx of monsters had faded all over the region, and they would be able to keep things under control without too much trouble.
There had been some casualties among the Elites who were pulled out from their day jobs, and Command was planning to have all the departing Elites gather at the base camps for a funeral photo shoot, though Doug made it no secret that most of those bodies would not be in any shape for viewing, even if they were returned to camp.
Karl had seen a few of these on the television in the past. They were heralded as heroes, but it was never any of the famous Elites, it was always someone like a young government pencil pusher who had valiantly run into combat when monsters threatened and then tragically lost his life.
Of course, that was likely to be less than half the story, and he might not have been running into combat willingly, but it was good enough to settle the people and remind them that the Elites were doing valuable things to keep them safe.
[Mackenzie group, your helicopter is incoming. Please mark your position for the transfer of duties.] The pilot instructed precisely at noon.
[We will mark the location with a blue smoke spell. We have information for the incoming team during the handover, expect a three to five-minute delay.] Bob replied.
Doug set the smoke spell near the edge of a clearing next to the fort, and the crew transfer came in for a smooth landing.
“Elites, good to see you all safe and sound, despite having a student with you. You said you have information, what did we need to know?” The Captain of the incoming military team asked as he disembarked.
“First, in that tree is a fort made of Bloodbath Spider Silk. It is safe, and made by our team. You are welcome to use it as your ongoing base of operations. The whole area is secure, and monsters have been avoiding the perimeter thanks to the scent of the beasts on our team.
That will change when the scent trail fades after a few days, so be prepared.
Also, we have been burying the monster corpses with any damaged magical items they were wearing. If we couldn’t use or salvage it, it got buried. So, if your team has a member who can sense magic, you will get plenty of false positives that are buried underneath you, hidden by plant growth.” Doug explained.
“Anything powerful?” One of the soldiers asked.
“There are a few Commander Rank Ogres and a mid-Commander Rank Giant with damaged magical armour that were buried. So, it won’t just be weak signals.” The cleric explained.
The team leader whistled in appreciation. “You really lived up to expectations, didn’t you? They asked us to verify your claims, but if you buried most of the bodies instead of burning them, it should be easy enough.”
Rae giggled in Karl’s mind. She had taken a lot of them for her own personal use.
“Karl, our Beast Master, has claimed some of them as pet food as well.” Doug added.
Karl checked on everyone, to make sure they were safely in their spaces and not tempted to wander around, and Bob led them onto the helicopter as the scout for the military team confirmed that the fort was safe.
There were ten of them, not five, which would make it a bit cramped, but there was enough room for them to lay out their bedrolls, and that would be good enough. Nobody actually liked sleeping on the ground, and the spider web was a soft net, as good as a mattress.
The cargo master closed up the door once he was sure they were all in with their gear, and they took off toward the base camp for the area.
“You all look a lot more rested than the other teams we’ve been bringing in. I take it you’re all veteran mercenaries?” The helicopter’s cargo master asked.
Bob shook his head. “I’m the only one who is full-time. Doug is a Green Dragon Cleric with other duties, and the two mages work in digital security.”
The man nodded, then looked at Karl, whose name was left out.
“Oh, I don’t have a proper job yet, I’m still in the Academy.” He explained.
The soldier did a double take, then shook his head.
“You all have the look of veteran adventurers, I never would have guessed that you had a student and two volunteers with you. But that makes it even more impressive. The big boss has asked to meet with you all when you get back, probably something to do with publicity for the mission, or checking your rewards before you head home.” The soldier replied.
Doug chuckled. “I’m betting on them wanting to check our gear before we go back. With that many Commander Rank kills confirmed, they will want to make sure that we’re not planning to sell contraband to the masses.”
“Do you have any contraband?” The Soldier asked with a sly wink.
Doug made a show of reaching into his pocket, and pulled out what looked like a cigarette, but definitely wasn’t according to Karl’s sensitive nose.
“I am a Green Dragon Priest. I AM contraband. That one is on the church, consider it a sanctioned sedative.” Doug replied.
Karl blinked slowly. Of all the things that he had considered about the possibilities of having a nature cleric around, including food for Thor, medicines and the healing potential, he had somehow never once considered the fact that most illicit drugs were herbal in nature as well.
The drug Doug provided wasn’t technically illegal in the Golden Dragon Nation, just frowned upon by employers because it killed productivity. But still, it seemed to Karl that he had a lot to learn about interacting with others and smoothing over social interactions.
If he had thought about keeping a pocked full of little bribes and gifts for the transport crews and others that they interacted with, he could rapidly build a reputation as a good guy who was easy to work with.
And everyone knew that a good reputation would get you far in life.
The transport helicopter landed at the edge of camp and Karl’s group quickly disembarked after the crew handed the staff of the base a sheet of paper confirming their identities and status.
“Welcome back, Elites. Please follow me.” A stiff – backed young female staff member announced before leading them through the winding walkways of the camp toward the actual town that sat at the centre.
“The boss will speak to you momentarily, he’s just finishing a meeting with some government brass.” She explained, with a gesture to a row of chairs.
Karl took his pack off and took a seat, placing the large bag in front of him, the same as everyone else waiting in the hallway had done.
The distinctive metallic clank of coins sounded as he placed the bag on the floor, despite his best attempts to wrap them and keep them silent. The others briefly looked up, but that sound was nothing new to them. They all had some loot, and some also had chain mail armour, which made the same sound when dropped.
Seconds later, Colonel Valerie walked out of the office with a terrifying expression on her face that faded to the neutral gaze that Karl knew was her version of a smile when she saw him.
“Colonel, it is good to see you again. The mission went far better than expected, and I will have a full report ready for you at the Academy.” Karl informed her with a smile.
“Understood, I will have your monitoring team collect it, as I will be occupied here for some time.” She replied.
The Elites in the hall stared as she walked away. Some in awe that such a highly ranked minister was here in a remote base camp, and others in appreciation of the way that her hips swayed as she walked.
