Chương 27: Chapter 26 - Cleaning Up the Trash

Astra turned towards the cook with a smile as they reached the front of the line." My thanks for your fine fare as always Corporal Cooper, I already ate so just one for me and three for my friend here." Eli's stomach left out a low rumble at the heavenly smell rising from the cook station, causing Astra and Cooper to laugh at Eli's chagrin. Astra smirked, " Maybe make that four for Mr Mercer."

Corporal Cooper was a tall man with broad shoulders, maybe an inch taller than Eli's 6' 2" frame, with short sandy blonde hair, warm brown eyes, and a sunny disposition to match the smile on his face." Coming right up my Lady, my work may not be fit for the Duke's table, but I'll do my best."" Nonsense, your ranger wraps are delightful! In addition, if Father knew how well you knew your way around a travel kitchen he would poach you for his personal expeditionary unit in a heartbeat!

Captain Lowell would have my head for that." Astra leaned towards Eli and spoke in a stage whisper." Honestly my Father's taste in trail food is absolute shit, and he would live off nothing but ale and roasted potatoes while on campaign if mother let him, but they don't need to know that." She tossed Eli a wink as Cooper rolled his eyes and got to work with a smile.

Ranger wraps were apparently a kind of odd burrito-like affair consisting of a dough mixed with savory red berries cooked on a flat cook top over the fire to a thickness somewhere between a tortilla and a flatbread in thickness, topped with chopped salted pork, some foraged greens, and finished with a fragrant spicy sauce.

The end result was rolled tight so it could be eaten one handed for Astra, but a little looser for Eli as he was handed a plate with utensils before heading off to find an open patch of grass to dig in. The groan that Eli let out at the first bite was borderline sexual, before he inhaled the rest of a wrap in the blink of an eye, as Astra snickered out a laugh around her own meal. As Eli dropped to the ground Astra gave him a knowing wink." I told you they were to die for!

I have a few things to take care of, but please take your time and enjoy! I'll stop by again before we venture forth." With a final bright smile, marred only slightly by her stuffed mouth and a little sauce on her cheek, Astra gave Eli a little wave and sauntered off in the direction of the soldiers working on the pyre. She was not kidding, the food was amazing. I know I haven't had salt in almost a week, but even if I did I'm pretty sure this would still be fantastic.

Eli sat back on the soft grass, watching Astra make her rounds as he worked on taming the wild beast inhabiting his stomach. The portions were generous, but even with the magic infusing this strange world, Eli knew he had to have burned through thousands of calories yesterday, and would likely grab another serving for the road. If you had asked him yesterday who was leading the expedition, he would have told you it was Mira, but as he finished his meal he was no longer quite so sure.

Astra certainly had a way with people, treating everyone as if they were old friends, arriving to solve issues right as they appeared, and leaving everyone with a smile and just a little more pep in their step. Stories back home are always full of arrogant and out of touch nobility, but if they are anything like her it's a giant load of bull. Granted I wouldn't really have a way to know, would I?

Elias didn't have decades of experience in leadership, but he had some experience leading men in battle, and he can tell a natural when he saw one. He was already impressed after seeing her lethality in battle last night, but seeing her in action today really drove that impression home. I can see it I guess, while a life of privilege would lead some to be spoiled, in the right hands with the right drive it could really help talent shine." Ah, I see she's already won over another one."

Eli turned to find Mira standing at his side, arms crossed, also watching Astra with a stoic expression. And Astra says I need a bell. Eli looked up at her with a confused expression. Mira glanced down at him, before turning back to her watch." My Lady has a tendency to gather admirers like flies to a dung heap, she tends to have a way with men of a given age." Eli snorted and rolled his eyes before turning back forward." I would say she seems to have a way with people in general, honestly.

But you could say I'm a fan." Eli could see the small smile on Mira's face from the corner of his eye." Aye, she most certainly does."

The silence stretched as Eli took a moment to enjoy the sun on his face and the wind in his hair, smiling as another cool breeze smelling faintly of cherry blossoms swirled past" She told me some of your deeds in passing, and while I will not have a complete accounting of yesterday's events until she has the chance to give me a full report en route to our former camp, it seems we owe you no small debt, and most certainly our gratitude." Eli looked back up at Mira for a moment before turning back towards the camp."

I don't think so, but you're certainly entitled to your own opinion." Eli shrugged, " Your people needed help, help that I was capable of giving, so I did." Mira's smile grew as she replied softly, " I can see why she likes you." Both of them turned back to watch the soldiers complete the final preparations to break camp in companionable silence for a while. Mira turned and gave him a considering gaze."

My Lady and I will most likely be busy on the march back and will be ill disposed to provide companionship, but I would like to make a suggestion to help you pass the time, if you are willing?" Eli arched a brow, " Sure, I'm game." Mira spun towards Eli looking down at him with a smile." I noticed that you have a vision skill? Perhaps something with an active mana use component related to an ocular ability to draw the eye closer to distant objects?"

Eli nodded warily, " Yeah something like that, it's called [Eagle's Eye]." Mira smiled, " Excellent! I am familiar with it, do me a favor and rest on top of one of the battlewagons on the next leg of our journey. As your mana pool allows, I want you to flex your skill, and try to expand it to include three effects."" First, extend the effect to its maximum distance and focus on detecting fine details.

Once you can discern the veins on the underside of a leaf at maximum distance you can consider this step complete."" Second, I would like you to try and halt the dilation before reaching maximum distance, it will take some effort but with the right application of intent you should find success. When you can shift the focus between a 25% range, a 50% range, and a 100% range you can consider this step complete." The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings."

Finally third, once you have completed the first two steps I would like you to focus on expanding the area of effect at a closer range. The exercise of focusing on details should assist with this when you can observe your normal field of vision at 25% range, work on both 50%, and 100%."" When you can observe all three you can consider this exercise complete. I expect a report on your progress, what obstacles you encountered, and how you surmounted them on arrival at the river camp."

Eli gave Mira a bewildered, "Ok?" as she turned about face and stalked off into the camp. Eli stood to return his plate and utensils to Cooper as he packed up the pieces of the field kitchen. Cooper chuckled as he saw Eli's expression and the retreating form of Mira in the distance." Had a little taste of the Frostwarden did ya? No worries she's like that with everyone, did she give you an unexpected project?" Eli chuckled, " I guess she did, my compliments to the chef by the way, those wraps were divine."

Cooper beamed, "My pleasure! The Lady can be a little much at times, but I work hard to keep everyone fighting fit. Besides," He reached into a pocket and pulled out two more wraps bound in a waxy paper passing them to Eli with a wink, " after watching the first four disappear like they were tossed into the abyss, I figured you would be back for more." He leaned forward waving Eli over, " If I was you I would mind whatever advice Lady Blackhall gave you.

Word around the garrison has it that she is a sorceress of unparalleled power and knowledge, the kind to put the events of yesterday to shame. Supposedly tutelage from her is worth a king's ransom, and one of the perks of this command if you stay on her good side." Elias arched his brow before sketching a sloppy salute with his wraps and extending the other hand, " Elias Mercer, Eli to my friends."

Cooper clasped his forearm returning the gesture with a grin, " Corporal Matthias Cooper Squad Leader of Squad 6, 1st patrol, Cobalt Company. Coop to my friends." Eli smirked, " Well Coop, if the rest of your cooking is anything like these bad boys, you can definitely count me among them." Cooper waved him off with a booming laugh, " Be gone with ye, you're almost as bad as the lady."

Eli wandered off back towards the wagons just in time to catch Astra heading his way with his spear and dagger belt slung over one shoulder and a pair of boots slung over the other." Making friends I see? Here I figured you would be missing these. The rest of your gear is still being tended to, and I should have it back to you by the time we reach the river camp. Feeling better?"

Eli dropped onto the battlewagon's steps to drag on the socks and boots she brought him tucking his tusk daggers into the boot tops, and a little touched that she remembered to grab them, before belting the daggers around his waist." Definitely, the meal was excellent, and your people have been very welcoming so far. Honestly though? I feel much better with a spear back in my hands."

Astra nodded sagely, dropping to sit next to him, " I can understand, I feel a little exposed with my sword, but without my armor to weigh me down it's difficult to fight at full speed. One of my shortcomings I am working on." Watching the camp finish its work she spoke to him in a low voice." It's still a little tough. I know Mira is here, and I know I'm safe under her care, but sometimes when I close my eyes I can still see that bastard's face."

She closed her eyes and shuddered slightly before opening them again." I see his dagger headed for my gut with my hands pinned and nothing I can do." Eli bumped her shoulder with his, " Hey, you made it through, he's dead and you are not, that's all that matters." Astra took a deep breath and exhaled slowly before nodding along." Aye, I try to keep that in mind, but it's not easy." Eli gave a sigh of his own, " I know it's not."" My people have a name for it, what you're experiencing.

They call it Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, your body knows you almost died, so it's forcing you to relive it over and over, to force you to come up with a plan so you don't die if it happens again."" It's no failure of your own, just your own mind trying to subconsciously save itself, and your brain just doesn't know any better, it's instinctual." Eli waited as Astra processed his words." A strange concept, and you think it's the same effect even in this realm?" Eli shrugged, " Who knows?

I would bet that it is, and you know what would help?" Astra looked at Eli over her shoulder, " Killing that asshole again?" Eli smiled, " Yeah if you could. Seriously though, if you come up with a plan it should help. I may not be as tough as Mira, but I know a little about ground fighting, why don't we spar some time and I'll show you a couple moves that will help if you get pinned again." Astra smiled before standing up." I would like that.

I need to take some counsel with Mira on the next venture, but I'll see you at the river camp, will you be all right by yourself?" Eli waved her off, " Sure don't worry about me, take care of your people." Astra headed off towards a detail of soldiers waiting by the prepared pyre. Eli glanced around, seeing that the camp had been wiped clean, leaving on a wide meadow of trampled grass and soft earth behind.

A group of soldiers helped the refugees load into each war wagon before taking their own positions in the convoy. After watching for their movements for a while Eli deduced the patrol was composed of 5 squads of 4 for a total of 20 men and women outside of Mira and Astra, although he surmised it had been 6 before the ambush, both due to the title Cooper gave and the fallen left behind.

One squad formed ahead of the convoy and another behind, the next two squads each mounted a battlewagon with two members on the drivers bench up front, and the other taking positions on top of the wagon. The final squad took up guard positions around Astra and Mira as they approached the pyre, although it's not like Mira needs it. Elias watched curiously as Astra approached the pyre closer than the rest, gesturing towards the pile debris and dead men with an open palm.

Eli's brows shot practically to his hair line as an enormous sheet of liquid flame shot from Astra's palm, dousing the pyre in a wide flattened cone easily 30 feet wide by 8 tall. The gout of flame stopped as the pyre roared aflame in liquid yellows and reds, but Astra was not finished as gestured with both hands now, hunching shoulders with the exertion as a wave of invisible energy left her body washing into the pyre.

Eli had never seen magic as anything other than a faint glow since coming to this world, but as he could almost feel the wave of invisible energy leave her body in a torrent, he knew he was seeing a fountain of mana for the first time as it rippled and twisted the air between her palms and the pyre. On a hunch Eli activated [Eagle's Eye] zooming in on the twisting air examining the minor mirage in action, straining the skill to see if he could detect anything.

Being able to see mana currents would be immensely useful in battle, and Eli wanted to see if he could find anything. No matter how much Eli searched and strained he didn't find anything useful in the twisting air, but as Eli watched Astra stoked the pyre to greater heights with a series of whirling motions.

As the heat increased and the flames shifted from soft red and yellows, giving way to a bright white, before condensing down with a snarling roar into a deep cobalt blue, Eli could detect the faintest traces of something deep within the flame following Astra's command.

Whether it was a stream of faint red particles or a trickling stream of red lightning Eli was not completely sure and, before he could make parse the image, [Eagle's Eye] forcefully deactivated as Eli's mana pool bottomed out, leaving behind a piercing headache. Eli winced his eyes watering as he shook off the pain, and as his normal vision returned, he watched the pyre quickly consume the remains.

Astra was panting with sweat beading down her brow and she watched in satisfaction, while Eli thought he caught a slight smirk on Mira's face as she caught Eli wincing out of the corner of her eye. Astra turned to beam a smug smile in his direction while gesturing excitedly at the flames, and Eli smiled in return before miming a round of applause. Mira smiled speaking quietly with Astra before patting her shoulder and gesturing toward the convoy.

Eli tossed her a wave and a fist pump before turning to climb to the top of the carriage behind him, and once he reached the top found that the roof was actually recessed leaving a small parapet for cover around the edges of the roof. The armor plating covering the hard wood that made the majority of the wagon's frame flowed up to the edge of the parapet allowing anyone perched up top to duck below and find cover from attackers below.

As Eli walked towards the front he finally caught sight of the creatures that pulled the massive vehicles, and while he didn't have any expectations, he was certainly not expecting massive lizards with stubby tails. Eli gaped at the creatures, the musculature and bone structure wasn't quite the same, but he couldn't help but see a massive komodo dragon the size of a draft horse when he looked at the beast. Eli shook it off with a snort, whatever at this point it's barely a 5.

0 on my weird-shit-o-meter, it's a little goofy looking but I'm definitely getting myself a battle lizard first chance I get. He looked back at the remains of the pyre as the blue flames flickered low feasting on the charcoal that was all that remained of bandit camp. The giant lizard mounts are pretty metal but the ladyknight that makes flames that can melt steel with her hands definitely takes first prize.

Eli was pleasantly surprised to find a familiar face as he plopped down to take a seat on the front edge of the wagon, cradling his spear in his lap. Cooper looked up just as Eli turned back from the pyre and gave Eli a smirk." The Lady really is something else isn't she?" Eli chuckled back, " You know what Coop? She really is."