I started to suspect something was wrong almost as soon as the old Decurion sent the entire squad to gather experience. This was against all rules of military art and, by the way, the regulations too. Guarding two people alone was not only unrecommended but in most cases, forbidden. But despite everything, we began to move further and further away from the main group of soldiers. It was so natural that Tatalem So didn't seem to notice anything; not a single flicker of suspicion crossed his face.
There was no mana left in the source at all; I had to use my last ace in the hole, a fireball, on a very timely order, I must say. But in the end, there was absolutely nothing to defend myself with, let alone kill, or at least just postpone the inevitable, from this combat arachnid. I didn't even want to think about crossing blades. Everyone had seen his fight against the Nurgles, and they probably only managed to take him down with some incredible luck earned by their righteous behavior in their past lives. And when we finally disappeared from the sight of all the warriors in our squad, I couldn't take it anymore.
"Decurion, forgive me," I exclaimed, my voice strained.
Tatalem So was just beginning to realize the full depth of the abyss we had fallen into, and the massive cleaver was already pressed against my chest. I can't even imagine how he found out about our plans with Tatalem So, but it looked like we were going to be killed right here and now. And most likely in the most brutal way. He had nothing to lose. He wasn't afraid of anything. According to Lurion Zhurek, he had at most a couple of years to live, and he knew it perfectly well. He would kill us with pleasure, tearing us into small, bloody pieces without a moment's hesitation.
"Decurion, forgive me," I cried, falling to my knees. "It was all Tatalem So; he's the one who suggested we buy a poison that only works on arachnids. I tried to talk him out of it."
At that moment, Tatalem So seemed to understand that his life was now hanging by a thread.
"What are you talking about?" the young goblin shrieked. "You came up with all of this; you bought the poison."
Suddenly, the old Decurion burst into a nasty, frightening, chittering laugh. He literally couldn't stop. And with every breath I took, my heart grew colder and shrank tighter. Finally, I began to realize what a mistake I had made. Old Irchin had completely lost his mind. And this arrogant snot and I were making plans to punish him, figuring out how to kill him in a more agonizing way. What did any of that matter to him if there was no sanity left in him? He fought on pure instinct, on muscle memory ingrained in his blood over decades of service. The Decurion was already dead. And I decided to kill a dead man. Yes, such stupidity truly deserved the punishment of death.
I don't know what Tatalem So was thinking as he fell to his knees as soon as that sepulchral laughter began. But I didn't even hope for mercy. What could I offer him for my life when he needed nothing? And then Tatalem So surprised me. While I, in my fear and despair, had lost all hope and was completely lost in my thoughts, he noticed the laughing Decurion begin to raise his cleaver to strike. And the young mage, shedding tears and snot, began to beg for his life.
"Decurion," he tried to say his last words in a stammering voice. "I'll pay for my mistake; I have 100 SP in my bank account. I'll transfer it all to you when we get back to the city. Just spare me, please, I beg you. Just spare me…" Tatalem So kept repeating, smearing snot on the grass.
And the cleaver, as if time had slowed down tenfold, began to turn unhurriedly toward me. Dark drops of blood dripped from the blade, as if counting the last moments of my life. Old Irchin was no longer laughing. He stared at me intently. Despite the complete darkness, the Decurion's helmet visor was raised, and I could clearly see the indifferent, scarred, and freshly blood-stained face of Irchin. I couldn't believe my luck. Choking on air, afraid of not getting the saving words out in time, I forced them out with great difficulty.
"Decurion, forgive me. I'll pay. I'll give you everything I have, just save my life. I have 200 SP; I'll give it all to you. Just spare me, please, I beg you," I stammered and continued, seeing the cleaver stop above my head. And tears of fear involuntarily rolled down my face.
I had never experienced such horror in this life. The huge cleaver froze right in front of me. At that moment, Irchin's eyes seemed to be filled with both hatred and disgust for the insignificant rats beneath his feet. And just when I had completely lost hope, the night's silence was literally torn apart by his hiss.
"I can accept such a wergild for your lives."
After that, he made an imperceptible movement, put the cleaver back on his card, and began to move up the hill. And I, not believing what was happening, continued to kneel, looking at his receding silhouette, his words still ringing in my ears. And only when we heard a loud shout did Tatalem So and I manage to get back on our feet.
"Moresh, organize a guard for the mages," the Decurion roared.
Chapter 18.1
Haste Is Not Always a Solution
Leading the mages aside, I wanted to convince them to return to the Zarem's Claw fortress right away. Only the mages and I had the sector map. Trying to catch up with the Lurion was extremely dangerous. But it was also impossible to violate the direct order for reconnaissance. So the idea came to me to sound out the mood of my wizards; if they agreed, there would be no way for anyone to find out about our small deviation. But I couldn't have imagined such an unexpected turn of events. And the whole situation, in general, made me terribly amused.
These failures would definitely never be saboteurs. They hadn't even been asked yet, and they were already betraying and throwing mud at each other for all they were worth. In their petty revenge against me, they didn't even notice that they had been written off as irrecoverable losses, despite their belonging to noble families, along with a rather malicious but, of course, a completely ordinary old Decurion.
This minor episode didn't bother me at all. People had been trying to kill me for the last 30 years of my military service. The opposing side changes, but their goals always remain the same. The issue of Takul's betrayal was significantly more urgent. His actions couldn't be explained by simple goblin cowardice. He deliberately led a pack of Nurgles to us and didn't even slow down as he ran past our positions. There was no talk of any orders from his side. They ran away so fast.
Of course, my word against his wouldn't be worth anything at the Miliurion's headquarters. But here, far from the fortress's desk-rats, Takul should understand that such actions would definitely provoke an equivalent response from me. But, most likely, he didn't even assume that my squad and I could survive. I'm afraid that the one who came up with this whole plan to bribe Lurion Takul has outplayed themselves.
No one could have expected that the Nurgles would multiply to such an extent. They would indeed soon start to venture out into busy villages and small towns. So, most likely, the senior officer will die in these woods without our help. But given the brainlessness of my two mages, we'll still have to make it to square 47E. To the very foothills. To where Nurgles love to settle in caves, organizing their lairs.
I didn't rush to catch up with our brothers in arms at night. After walking across the hill a couple more times in search of SP, I decided that I wouldn't be able to collect any more. In the end, I had accumulated (173/220) SP. That's not bad at all, and it might be possible to improve another skill tomorrow. Right now, there was a chance to raise the level of only one of my F-ranked skills, but I really didn't have the strength to do so.
We set up camp again. The warriors dragged the corpses away from the tents. And that was pretty much the end of the arrangements. While I was sleeping and recovering my strength until dawn, my soldiers took turns cutting mana crystals and arrows out of hundreds of corpses. And it seemed that no one but me would get a good rest tonight. But I think it's even good that my squad will be physically exhausted; in that case, fewer stupid thoughts will swarm in their heads.
The morning greeted us with the rain I had grown to love so much. But it was falling weakly, without any enthusiasm, just a light drizzle. After breakfast, we broke camp and followed Takul's tracks. Fortunately, such a crowd left an easily readable trail behind them. My soldiers, with tense faces, peered into the nearby masses of trees. The morale, after the incredible victory, was still high. The fact that they managed to survive yesterday instilled hope in their hearts to return home. But the cowardly goblin nature still made itself known; you only had to look at their frightened faces. Only the gloomy appearance of the mages, in contrast to the regular soldiers, was even more depressed. They walked separately and didn't talk to each other, as they had done the whole way until now. But I think it's not surprising that they suddenly had a misunderstanding between themselves.
We had been moving for four hours without stopping, and only now did we find traces of Takul's platoon stopping. Remnants of a campfire, flattened grass from sleeping bags and bodies lying directly on the wet ground. Most likely, they had only stopped for a couple of hours and then continued to move away from us at a high pace. The tracks began to head northeast, but I needed to move strictly north. But now, finding out the fate of my battle comrades was my top priority. I really wanted to drive an arrow into the back of that cunning creature's head. This murder's purpose was not only to satisfy my bloodlust, as it might seem at first, but also to inform the customer that even a prepared platoon couldn't handle the difficult task.
We followed the trail of Takul's platoon until sunset. And we never found any traces of a battle. We also didn't come across large packs of creatures. Of course, silhouettes occasionally flashed in the depths of the forest, but I didn't see dangerous numbers even with my new vision. In complete darkness, we walked for another two hours. And with that, I decided to stop for the day. I should get a good night's sleep and regain my strength. My appetite had started to appear, and even small snacks on the go didn't help to completely subdue it. And I also wanted to take off the exosuit and improve a couple more skills.
But before that, I took a handful of mana crystals harvested from the Nurgles yesterday. I decided to continue experimenting with the number of stones to activate the techno-magical armor. No one kept a special count of the crystals due to their low cost. And somehow, all the mana crystals disappeared from my Thal's Weightless Quiver. It turns out that the astral entity absorbs them, and when they run out, I get hungry. An unpleasant trend is emerging. A dependence on the supply of resources could be very inconvenient.
Placing 20 very small crystals, maybe for 15 units of mana, into the Thal's Weightless Quiver, I decided to see how long they would last. I put the same amount into the exosuit's receiver. It freed my body, as usual. The receiver was empty, and there were no changes. It's like I'm throwing resources into the maw of the abyss. But since it doesn't cost me anything personally right now, I can experiment.
Taking off the armor, I examined my body. Warped chitin plates with many cracks and holes. Sanies was dripping from some of them. An unpleasant sight. Regeneration would, of course, cope with these injuries, but I think I need to take off the exosuit as rarely as possible. And now I need to improve my arachnid skills.
[Notice] Do you want to improve the Venomous Stinger (4/5) skill (80 SP)?
Yes/No
Rank increased. Skill power increased, stinger durability, as well as strike speed, flight speed, and the number of needles increased.
[Notice] Your F-rank Venomous Stinger skill has been raised to E-rank Venomous Needle.
Choose a development path:
1. Poison strength increases.
2. Needle flight speed increases.
3. The number of needles increases from 6 to 9, and the needle recovery speed increases and depends on the body's attributes and regeneration level.
4. Needle durability increases.
(93/220)
So, the number of needles has already been increased to 6 units. And here the question arises: what should I improve? I think it's dangerous to increase the poison's strength because next time, in the regeneration skill, I will definitely choose the option related to life expectancy again. It's probably not relevant to improve durability, as I think the needles will also become harder along with the strengthening of my bones. An increase in quantity is, of course, good, but won't my right arm become too large? It will be quite difficult to explain such changes. And high speed implies an increase in the projectile's penetrating ability. Remembering the battle with the giant, it turned out that the needles couldn't penetrate his thick hide. I'll choose option 2.
I probably haven't made such a mistake in a long time. Being sure that only the amount of ammunition could affect the size of my arm, I completely forgot that the firing speed directly depended on the strength of the muscles that sent the needle in flight.
The chitin cracked on my right forearm. Everything inside felt noticeably hot. The muscles began to swell, threatening to pop out of the hide altogether. I didn't pay any attention to the pain at all. I was so angry with myself. After all, I had to think not only about combat effectiveness but also, to a greater extent, about secrecy.
The metamorphoses lasted about five minutes, and to my great relief, towards the very end, the muscles shrank a little in volume and no longer protruded so much from the cracks in the chitin plates. But even so, the right forearm was twice as large as the left. Of course, it won't be as noticeable under the exosuit, but the eye of an experienced hobgoblin won't miss it.
At first, I was a little enraged by my shortsightedness, but I was still able to pull myself together, perfectly understanding that there was no turning back, and I decided to just continue improving my skills. At first, I wanted to improve Chitinous Hide. But I think that decision was based on a simple unwillingness to experience unbearable pain. Since right now, I have enough external protection, given the exosuit. And it would be more reasonable to increase the durability of my bones.
[Notice] Do you want to improve the Strong Bones (3/5) skill (60 SP)?
Yes/No
Rank increased. Skill strength slightly improved.
Choose a development path:
1. Slightly increases the flexibility of the skeletal bones.
2. Significantly increases the durability of the skeletal bones.
3. Slightly increases the volume of the skeletal bones.
4. Decreases the volume of the skeletal bones, but increases the number of bones.
(33/220)
There's not much to think about here. Holding my breath, I choose the second option. Not being dressed in armor, I was twisted and bent at seemingly impossible angles. My bones audibly crunched, and the wooden hilt of the dagger had long since crumbled in my mouth, and I was grinding my teeth on the metal. Besides the lack of nausea, the pain was even more impressive than the last time, but at least I didn't lose consciousness once. Or maybe it all seemed that way to me. However, the destroyed wooden hilt of the dagger said otherwise.
After those unforgettable minutes, I wanted to fall onto my sleeping bag and not get up. But I still had a little experience left, and it should be spent. I definitely wasn't going to turn anything in to the accumulator in the next few days. At least not to Takul.
[Notice] Do you want to improve the Shield Mastery (1/5) skill (20 SP)?
Yes/No
(13/220)
For twenty minutes, I repeated the movements, absorbing the knowledge and muscle memory. The small area of the tent somewhat restricted my movements, but this did not reduce the amount of information I received. In addition, I was able to do it absolutely silently, without attracting the attention of my warriors outside. Of course, over decades, my combat experience was in some ways even comparable to the knowledge I received, and this was disappointing. But on the other hand, it became crystal clear that at the third level of this skill, the knowledge gained would be comparable to three decades of combat practice. That already commanded respect.
When I was done, I ate with pleasure and decided to treat myself to a few sips of wine. Sometimes it was necessary; two sips of the tart drink calmed my bubbling heart. And I didn't need any more than that. And it was unacceptable to allow anyone, or even myself, to lose focus due to alcohol on a military campaign.
Donning the armor, I put 30 small mana crystals into the chamber. The exosuit took the shape of my body, driving the needles into the chitin. But nothing changed compared to the last time. Not a single indicator blinked. And yet, the armor had absorbed no less than 500 units of mana. This is a huge amount.
Disappointed by such a failure, I thought, how am I supposed to know what amount should launch the protocols of this armor? Or maybe I'm just misleading myself and having unrealistic hopes. Perhaps it is so damaged that no amount of mana will help it anymore. Although that's doubtful. After all, the armor still reacts and adjusts to the wearer's body. So, some mana-powered mechanisms are still functioning in it.
I didn't manage to get a good night's sleep. A couple of times, the guards raised the alarm. Small packs of Nurgles, about 50 strong, got quite close to us. But each time, seeing the Light Orb rising and arrows flying at them, they immediately retreated into the cover of the forest. In the morning, we even found a few corpses of those who were unlucky enough to catch a stray arrow. The rain continued to intensify, but the tracks of the large group of goblins we were pursuing were still easily distinguishable. And after midday, I was rewarded.
A whole clearing was left after the battle between Takul's platoon and a pack of Nurgles. A dozen or so cold goblin bodies and no fewer than a hundred corpses of creatures, in varying degrees of integrity. Someone had used a skill that not only tore the forest monsters apart but also uprooted several dozen trees. Apparently, the goblins of the squad also died because of it. Judging by the location of the bodies, they were simply thrown out from under the protective barrier.
After quickly searching the bodies, we didn't find anything valuable. This means that after the battle, they found time to loot the bodies of their own comrades. And this means that they are not in a hurry, and we can definitely catch up with them.
An hour later, we found another battle site. It was even more fierce. Although we didn't find any goblin corpses, there were no fewer than a couple of hundred Nurgle bodies. And most importantly, the mana crystals were cut out of all of them. This means they are moving calmly and don't feel any danger. Checking the map, I realized that Takul had started to move north in a small arc. And the rest of the route ran almost entirely through a dense forest. Although a safer road to our designated reconnaissance sector could have been laid out to the west.
It was already starting to get dark, and we still couldn't catch up with the Lurion. My warriors began to get very tired from the strenuous pace and stumbled more and more often. And by the end of the day, they were just falling to their feet. There were dissatisfied whispers and grumbling. But it was no longer possible to stop the pursuit. The tracks were fresh, and we were at most a couple of hours behind. I was tempted to try and catch up to them alone. But leaving my squad without a commander in a dense forest was too dangerous. And a sense of anxiety began to appear, still on the very edge of perception. But this was definitely a bad sign.
After resting for half an hour and eating, I raised my squad. We moved with lit torches. This didn't increase the visibility for my soldiers, but there was no longer a danger of breaking a leg on a root. The recruits quietly complained about being tired to each other. But they were still smart enough not to make noise in the night forest. Although I think it didn't matter anymore. The light of the torches attracted all possible creatures of this forest to us. With my vision, everything was as visible as in daylight. Maybe even the figures glowed more clearly against the cold night air. But the creatures were not in a hurry to attack; they just watched us with their predatory interest.
We had to walk until midnight before I saw the campfires around Takul's camp. And in all likelihood, his scouts could also notice our approach.
"Everyone stop," I hissed quietly. "Turn around."
Returning a little along the path, we went down into a ravine I had noticed. Here we could defend ourselves much more effectively than among the dense trees. At least there was open space 50 paces ahead, and our backs were covered.
The goblins were happy to fall even into the sea's abyss, just to not have to walk any further. They quickly lit a fire that could no longer be seen from afar. After eating, most of them began to snore loudly. Even the mages fell asleep, not trying to get involved in the distribution of duties. Leaving that up to Moresh. Which I had never noticed them doing before. And I sat there and couldn't come to a clear decision. And it seemed, what was there to think about? Sneak up and shoot the guards with poisonous needles, and then deal with the rest. Poison the mages and the Lurion too. And spare no one, taking the experience from them.
But an unpleasant feeling of anxiety began to intensify with these thoughts. And I trusted it very much. After all, something was clearly wrong with everything that was happening. We were deep behind enemy lines, and after that attack, the Nurgles seemed to have forgotten about us. And the absence of their leaders made me very tense. It just couldn't be. These creatures were half-sentient; they were more like animals. And in the previous battle, they fought to the last, even though they were by nature more cowardly than goblins. And so, struggling with my doubts, I sneaked up to Takul's camp several times. But I never had the resolve to attack. When I aimed my right hand at a guard with the intention of shooting a needle, my heart began to literally ache with anxiety.
I managed to get a few hours of sleep in snatches. At dawn, we were back on the platoon's trail. What a disappointment for my soldiers when it turned out that yesterday we had only been a couple of versts away from being able to combine our forces. From the mood of my fighters, I understood that although they were disappointed by the Lurion's action, they still considered him their combat commander. The moral principles of the young goblins turned out to be very flexible. But the more experienced Moresh only winced at these words and was not in a hurry to express his opinion. But there was absolutely nothing to be surprised about here. Subordination to a superior in rank was a fundamental principle in any army. And any disobedience was equated with desertion. And that, more often than not, led to a death sentence.
I deliberately tried not to move too fast, limping especially badly today. I had no desire to run into Takul. In that case, I would have to be under his command again. And I absolutely did not want to do that. This strange chase continued until midday, and the young recruit Elos was the first one to lose his patience.
"Why are we dragging our feet?" he said bitterly. "Send a couple of scouts ahead to tell the Lurion that we're close, and they'll meet us right away."
Turning around and looking at this upstart, I hissed.
"Moresh."
The experienced warrior, just from my tone, understood what the commander wanted from him. Moresh took a step towards Elos and, without holding back, punched him in the face. His nose crunched audibly. Blood flew everywhere, a thick stream covering the chest plate of his cheap armor. Elos flew back and fell onto his back, already unconscious. Moresh sharply lifted him and added a blow to his ribs.
I motioned for two others to take the troublemaker by the arms and drag him. We continued moving in complete silence. Even the spiteful Chikir kept a satisfied grin off his face. Everyone was on edge and remembered where we were. And that no Lurion would help us if a pack of Nurgles attacked us, as he had already proven. Fortunately, we didn't have to follow the goblins who were left of Takul's once-large squad for long.
Already in the twilight, panic cries and hysterical orders became clearly audible. And judging by everything, we were no more than a thousand paces away, and maybe even less. These sounds once again returned the usual expression to my goblins' faces, namely fear. We sped up, because in order to make the most effective decision, I needed to understand the combat situation that Takul's fighters were in right now.
I was about twenty paces ahead of my squad, and so I was the first to see the slaughter that was happening right now. My right arm, bent at the elbow with a clenched fist, was pointed at the sky, and my warriors instantly stopped. There were about 150 paces between me and Takul. The thick tree trunks made visibility very difficult. And what I could see was enough to instill fear even in my old heart.
Hundreds of Nurgles, a dozen leaders, and what was worst, some quite large ones were flashing among them. The place was not suitable for a fight; there were no open spaces. Takul was also pinned down right among the trees. They had clearly missed the start of the attack. Of course, the barriers were up, and the Lurion himself would surely be able to surprise the creatures. But I think their fate was already sealed.
Thinking through my next steps, I caught myself thinking that I felt sorry for the skill cards that I could have gotten from the goblins' bodies if I had killed them yesterday. I shook my head, chasing away the inappropriate thoughts. There was no point in running. Such a large, organized pack simply wouldn't let anyone out of their forest. But trying to finish off the winner of this fight was a very promising solution. Especially considering that it was already dark, and visibility had worsened for everyone except me. The Nurgles, of course, also saw perfectly in the dark, but their vision had its limits. I could clearly see the direction from which the forest creatures attacked Takul's squad.
Ordering them to maintain maximum silence, I led my squad in an arc, getting behind the Nurgle leaders. Well, I hoped that I had calculated everything correctly and that we wouldn't end up right in their ranks.