As they stood in the snow near the foothills of the mountains, Karl checked his body for obvious changes, and immediately noticed the differences. His power had made a notable jump, likely when Hawk advanced, at least twenty percent from where he was before, and the feeling of his power was slightly different, the same way that Hawk and Rae had changed when they advanced.
“How can you tell that without a test?” Rose asked skeptically. She still viewed Karl with a level of distrust, but it didn’t seem personal. She treated all men the same way, just not as obviously as with Karl.
“He feels like a Commander Rank beast. If I wasn’t familiar with him, I would think that one of the local monsters had just advanced.” Prince Corbin explained.
That was what one of the nearby Elite groups had thought as well, and they came running into the area, searching for the beast that had just advanced, hoping to catch it while it was still vulnerable during the aftermath, the way that Rae had been when she shed her chitin.
“Where did you all come from? We were informed that everyone else had evacuated from the mountains. We’re just here to prevent the spread of the anomaly monsters.” The team leader, a Commander Rank warrior, asked.
Karl’s group was larger than usual, nine people, and the Spellblade outfits suggested that it was two groups mashed together for safety. To the patrol, that meant their information that the region was clear of Elites was incorrect, and they needed some answers.
“We were on a mission in the mountains. Dispatch code 025678.” Prince Corbin replied.
The team leader punched the code into his phone, sending a text message to someone, and promptly got a message back.
“I see the issue. You’ve been gone ten days, and were presumed lost when the monsters surged. It’s good to have you back, Prince Corbin.” The Commander replied.
“Not it.” Karl shouted as the man finished speaking.
“Not what?” He asked confused.
“I’m not taking the blame or doing the paperwork for this one. It’s someone else’s turn.” Karl laughed.
There were definitely going to be questions about what they were doing for ten days, though it only felt like two in the minds of the group.
“I will call for an extraction team. Where will you all be returning to?” The Commander asked.
“My team will be going to the Golden Divine Academy, and I believe the others will be going to the Capital.” Alice announced.
That would be a change. Karl hadn’t been back to his room in ages, and he could use a nice long rest.
They simply waited as the extraction helicopter came to pick them up. Karl knew there would be all sorts of questions when they got back to the Academy. Like how he made it to Commander, how Dana made Ascended so fast, where all this new gear came from, and what they were going to do with him now.
That reminded Karl of the warning that Prince Corbin had given him. Once he was back, he would have to learn to stand up for himself. Even if he was still a student, he was also a Commander Rank Elite, and theoretically on the same social standing as the Professors of the Academy, or even Alice.
He might not have the usual record and accolades to go with it, but he did hold the Rank.
Their ride was one lone helicopter, a smaller one and not one of the larger cargo helicopters that would transport fifty Elites at a time to multiple locations.
Everyone piled in, and the copilot made a motion for them to buckle up. The large sliding doors on the sides were open, so they could attack out of the vehicle if there were flying threats, or ranged attacks, but the pilot was keeping fairly close to the treetops.
That wasn’t normal, from what Karl knew. It was safer to be way up in the sky, where attacks from the ground couldn’t get to you, and this only made sense if you were hiding from a threat in the air.
They were unable to hear anything being said over the noise, but the helicopter was headed straight for the Academy, if his sense of direction was correct.
Karl was in the middle seat at the back, so he chose to meditate while they flew, establishing the power level of his newest space, and getting to know Remi.
[So, you’re a Shaman. What sort of skills can you use?] Karl asked the tiny Spirit Snake.
Her rich blue scales faded to pale gold along her belly, with black swirling patterns on her back, making her look a bit like a python, though the pattern of the black markings wasn’t right for a python and the blue of her scales was more like a gemstone than the camouflage of a common snake monster.
“I know Minor Water Control, and Chain Lightning, and Blizzard, and healing splash. It’s not a big healing spell like the clerics use, but it closes cuts well.” She announced proudly.
Hawk was glaring at her from the moment that she said Blizzard, but he wasn’t trying to break into her space, and he wasn’t hurling mental insults at her. At least, not anymore.
Remi was still hiding under the plants in her space, in case he came for her, but Thor had been sneaking her chunks of meat, and Karl had just realized that he had stolen a corpse from Hawk’s space to get it from, as his didn’t have any.
Remi made sure to dip them all in the water and wrap them in leaves from one of the tall grasses before eating them, like she was making sushi rolls out of meat bits that she chopped with her spear.
It was adorable, and it didn’t interfere with her mental communication.
Thor gave her more plants, to see what she liked, and the Naga got very excited, before folding one of them into a simple leafy crown that she tied with vines. Rae donated some bones to the cause, and the little shaman added them to her crown, then made a necklace of them.
Even Hawk, though he pretended that he absolutely hated her, donated a few small but shiny stones to her outfit.
[I will get you a proper hat later so that you don’t destroy your leaf crown.] Karl informed her.
The supply room at the school would have something for her that was rank appropriate and would hold up to combat damage.
[Thor will give me a Lightning Barrier and that will protect it for a while. There are lots of the big leaves. They’re growing here.] Remi dismissed the concern for her decoration, which would likely fall off her head the moment she came out into the open anyhow.
She didn’t actually care about the coverage, it was the decoration she was after. She was a Spirit Snake Shaman, not a common monster. She needed pretty things, so everyone knew she was impressive.
Once she had filled herself with the meat rolls, Remi promptly passed out on a rock with a large leaf bent over herself, so she couldn’t be seen from above.
[You scared her.] Thor chastised Hawk.
[She was supposed to be food, not friend.] Hawk retorted.
[But she’s a friend now.] Rae countered, ganging up on Hawk, who was still upset about the incident.
[Fine, fine. I will be nice. At least she’s only part water magic. She’s got lightning as well, and lightning is warm.] Hawk reluctantly agreed.
Karl meditated the next four hours away, waiting for them to reach their destination as everyone rested. The amount of power flowing both into him and into his spaces was twice what it had been a few days ago, when he last had time to properly meditate.
The feedback from the two Commander Rank beasts had proven to be a real boon to his development.
The energy level in both Thor and Remi’s spaces was growing at a noticeable rate, as was the newborn Snake. She had been absolutely tiny when she hatched, and the influx of food and energy had grown her by about a third, to the point that she would actually fill Karl’s palm now.
She was still no thicker around than his pinkie, except at the base of her head, where the hood flared out like a cobra or a Naga.
When she was asleep, the hood of scales around her head was gone, tucked flat instead of spread to make her look larger. Or perhaps it was more than a threat display and worked like ears for a Naga? Karl didn’t know much about their biology.
Hopefully, Sergeant Rita would be here already, he couldn’t wait to tell her about all the things he had seen. But any side quests would have to wait because there was a large group of government vehicles sitting next to the helipad on the Academy grounds as they approached.
Karl hadn’t really had to deal with them before, other than Colonel Valerie and her people from the Bureau, who wouldn’t need to assemble a group to greet their team, unless there was some formality to welcoming Prince Corbin and the Spellblades.
