Chương 24: Departure

Ray found it harder to breathe in the outside air while waiting for the convoy to finish preparations. He had only been out of the GLMB a few times since coming here, so he had forgotten how humid it could get during the late summer months. Frangle and Jerome were currently going over their supplies with the Soldier meant to lead the escort. The Soldier was in the 3rd Phase of Stage 3 and was only meant to prevent the convoy from total destruction, charged with protecting the lives of the mundane people involved.

This provided a much-needed safety net but would do little to save the Recruits when it came time to fight. Phora and Kiara were currently with Nia and Selene of the Iron Five. The girls had decided to all meet up together and ensure they would all be prepared for a week away from base. Adrian was currently with Ray, as both Lucian and Kellan managed the supplies for their own team.

"This is the real deal, huh?" Adrian asked himself more than Ray. Ray simply nodded. He felt the weight of the situation too.

"I plan on making sure my team performs perfectly," Adrian continued.

"I assume you intend to do the same. A lot of people are involved in this, close to thirty. That's a lot of pressure if I'm being honest." Ray turned and looked at the brown-haired Captain, their glowing green eyes meeting.

"I feel the same," Ray said. He looked at the ground and clenched his fist before continuing.

"We worked so hard to get synergy as a team. I only hope it's enough." The pair shared a moment of silence before separating and heading to help their respective teams. - It took another half hour before the convoy was ready. Ray stood beside the first armored transport while the escort leader climbed onto its side.

"Recruits!" he shouted. Both teams gathered. The Soldier waited until everyone was looking at him before pointing toward the six vehicles lined up behind him.

"Three armored transports will remain in the center. The two supply carriers will follow behind them, with the medical carrier at the rear." He pointed toward the road leading away from the base.

"Iron Five will take the front for the first two hours. Recruit 001's team will cover the rear. After that, you rotate." Ray glanced toward Adrian. The other Captain nodded once.

"Stay within fifty meters of the convoy unless ordered otherwise," the Soldier continued.

"If Beasts approach, intercept them before they reach the vehicles. If they retreat, you do not pursue. The people driving these vehicles are mundane. Most of them will die from a single attack by anything you're expected to fight. My job is to keep the convoy from being destroyed. Your job is to make sure I never have to do mine. Take your positions." The Iron Five moved immediately. Adrian stepped ahead of the lead transport. Kellan moved to the front left while Lucian took the right.

Nia and Selene fell several meters behind them, keeping enough distance to react without leaving the front exposed. No one asked where they were supposed to go. No one corrected anyone else. They simply moved. Ray watched for a second before turning toward his own team.

"Alright. Jerome, left side. Phora, right. Frangle, stay behind the medical carrier. Kiara, stay near the center so you can reach everyone if something happens." Jerome started walking. Phora did the same. Both went left. They stopped.

"I thought I was left," Jerome said.

"You were," Ray replied. Phora frowned.

"You said my name after his while pointing left." Ray looked at his hand as Phora took up the right side. He hadn't even realized he'd pointed. Frangle was still standing beside Ray.

"Directly behind it?" he asked.

"Yeah," Ray said.

"How far?" Ray looked toward the medical carrier.

"Ten meters."

"Wouldn't five be better if something comes out of the trees?" Frangle asked. Kiara turned toward him.

"If you stay that close, I won't have a clear line to put a ward behind the vehicle." Frangle looked at Ray. Ray paused.

"Fifteen meters, then." Jerome laughed from the left side.

"We're doing great."

"Shut up," Phora called from the other side. Ray rubbed his forehead.

"Frangle, ten to fifteen meters back and offset to the left. Kiara, stay between him and the carrier. If we get attacked from behind, Frangle intercepts first and Kiara supports."

"What about me?" Jerome asked.

"You stay on the left," Ray said.

"I know that. I mean if something attacks from behind." Ray gave him a confused look before speaking.

"Then turn around." Jerome stared at him for a moment.

"That makes sense." Ray resisted the urge to sigh. They had practiced formations. It had always seemed simple inside the training rooms. Out here, there were actual vehicles, actual civilians, and a road wide enough that everyone had to spread farther apart than usual. Every instruction suddenly seemed to create another question. He looked toward the front of the convoy. The Iron Five were already waiting. Adrian stood with his shield strapped to his back, staring down the road.

Kellan had his axe resting against one shoulder. Lucian was nearly hidden beside the lead transport. Nia and Selene spoke quietly behind them. Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. They looked comfortable. Ray's team looked like they were still deciding where to stand. He clenched his jaw. Ray moved behind the medical carrier and took a position between Kiara and Frangle. The escort leader walked along the convoy one final time.

He checked the restraints on the supply carriers, spoke with each driver, and stopped beside the medical vehicle. His eyes moved over Ray's team. Then toward the Iron Five.

"Any problems?" he asked.

"No," Ray said. The Soldier stared at him for another second.

"Good." He continued toward the front. Ray let out a slow breath. The difference hadn't been massive. His team had found their places. No one had done anything wrong. Still, the Iron Five needed less than ten seconds. Ray's team had needed nearly two minutes and multiple corrections. A deep horn echoed across the staging area. The enormous outer gates began to open. Conversation stopped. Ray turned toward them. Beyond the walls was a long road disappearing between two stretches of forest. No training room.

No instructors. No reset if something went wrong. The first armored transport started forward. Then the second. One by one, the rest followed. - The following 2 days mostly consisted of walking and sweating. The heat was the hardest enemy they had faced, and they were nearly a third of the way to the Verdin Outpost. The group had a harder time with rationing the supplies they brought than anything else. At the beginning of the 3rd day, something finally happened.

The Iron Five were positioned at the front, and a small pack of Early Stage 1 Beasts came crashing through the treeline. This put them approximately 80 meters from the convoy, and they were quickly approaching. Adrian called out an order, and the team took their positions. 80 meters. 70. 60. As soon as the first Beast reached the 50-meter mark, a gale of wind lifted it off the ground, and Lucian sent a shuriken made of Dark Mana barreling into its midsection.

The shuriken left a bloody purple mark on the Beast, and when the Beast hit the ground, it writhed in pain as Lucian's poison took hold. The remaining Beasts continued forward. Adrian planted himself in the center of the road. Kellan stood several meters behind him with his axe raised. Nia and Selene spread out on either side while Lucian disappeared toward the edge of the treeline. The Beasts reached Adrian first. Two charged him at the same time. His shield slammed forward.

The first Beast was stopped completely while the second was knocked sideways. Kellan was already moving. His axe crashed into the exposed neck of the Beast Adrian had stopped. Blood sprayed across the road. Before the body even hit the ground, Adrian had turned his shield toward another. Nia attacked from the left. Selene moved from the right. Neither interfered with the other. Every time a Beast shifted its attention, someone was already waiting in the direction it turned.

Lucian appeared behind one and buried another Dark Mana shuriken into its back before disappearing again.

'They barely need to talk,' Ray thought as he watched from afar. His eyes moved between them. Adrian was technically giving orders, but most of them were short. A direction. A warning. Sometimes nothing at all. Kellan seemed to know exactly when Adrian would create an opening. Nia and Selene moved without cutting each other off. Lucian never seemed to be where the Beasts expected him. The fight lasted less than a minute. The last Beast tried to retreat into the forest. Adrian didn't pursue it. Lucian didn't either.

A blade of Mana struck its hind leg before it reached the trees, and Kellan finished it when it fell. Silence returned to the road. Nine Beasts lay dead. The Iron Five barely looked tired. Ray looked toward his own team. Jerome had stopped smiling. Frangle was staring at the bodies. Phora had her arms crossed. Kiara simply watched as Adrian's team returned to their positions.

'That's what we're supposed to look like,' he thought. The scene stayed with Ray for the rest of the morning. - Their positions switched twice before anything else happened. By then, the convoy had passed the halfway point. Ray's team was stationed at the front when another group of Beasts appeared. Eight this time. They came from both sides of the road.

"Positions!" Ray called. He moved forward. Jerome immediately took the left. Phora went right. Frangle stayed closer to the center while Kiara remained behind them. Better. At least at first. Jerome launched an arc of Fire Mana from his blade toward the closest Beast. It dodged. He followed it. Too far.

"Jerome!" Ray yelled. Ray activated Bolt. Golden lightning exploded from his legs. He crossed the distance before a second Beast could reach Jerome and drove his fist into its chest. Boom! The Beast flew backward. Ray turned. Phora was fighting two at once. Frangle saw her but hesitated. Ray didn't have time to ask why.

"Help Phora!" he ordered. Wind gathered around Frangle. He attacked. One of the Beasts stumbled sideways, giving Phora enough room to deal with the other. Another Beast slipped between them. Straight toward the convoy. Kiara raised both hands. A glowing ward appeared. The Beast crashed into it. Bang! Ray activated Mana Circuit. Lightning rushed through his Mana Ways. He pulled the Mana away from his legs and sent it toward his right arm. Bolt formed almost instantly.

He sent a bolt of lightning at the Beast attacking the ward. It collapsed. A roar came from his left. Jerome had killed the Beast he chased, but another was already behind him. Ray pushed off the ground. Golden lightning detonated. He slammed into the Beast before its claws could reach Jerome. The collision sent both of them rolling across the dirt. Ray recovered first. Bolt gathered around his fist. He brought it down. Boom! The Beast stopped moving.

'Again!' Ray thought.

'We almost failed again!' He looked back toward the others. Frangle and Phora had finished one together. Kiara was helping keep another away from the vehicles. Jerome was running back toward the group. Three remained. Ray didn't give them time to separate again. Earth Mana surged through him. A wall erupted from the road, cutting one Beast away from the others.

"Jerome!" he called. Fire exploded across the isolated Beast.

"Frangle, right!" Wind struck the second. Phora followed. Ray went for the last one himself. Lightning gathered around his body. The Beast lunged. Ray moved first. His fist hit its jaw. Bolt detonated. Boom! The Beast collapsed beside him. For several seconds, nobody moved. Then Ray looked around. Eight dead Beasts. No injuries. No damage to the convoy. They had won. But it didn't feel anything like watching the Iron Five. Ray's breathing was heavier than it should have been.

Jerome stood several meters away, staring at one of the Beasts near his feet. Frangle kept glancing between Phora and the road. Phora wiped blood from her weapon without saying anything. Kiara lowered her hands slowly. Ray looked back toward the convoy. The Iron Five were watching from the rear. Adrian gave him a small nod. Ray returned it. His team had killed every Beast. That was what mattered. At least, that was what he told himself. The convoy started moving again.

Ray's team returned to their positions without being told. This time, no one joked. No one complained about the heat. And no one looked particularly happy that they had won.