[Deus Terra] Chapter 44: Strategy meeting and information gathering. (Patreon)

The group sits around a table with their captain at the head. They need to figure out in which manner they’ll try to accomplish the objective of their mission.

“We’re all here, so let’s begin,” Sir Erik says. “We’ll be here for a month, so we need to use our time wisely. Suggestions on this?”

“Should we familiarize ourselves with the forest first?” Sir Luis asks. “We’ve been here a few times, but we’ve never gone deep into the woods.”

“I believe that’s prudent,” Lianne says. “If we explore the forest as a group and start recognizing its landmarks, we’ll then be able to split up to search for the monsters while still checking on the other groups.”

“Any chance of a map of the area?” Sir Edward asks. “The locals must have one, right?”

“I wouldn’t count on it,” Lady Mary-Beth shrugs. “It’s possible, but usually locals just know their area by heart and don’t make maps. Right Arthur?”

“Y-Yeah,” he nods, a little taken aback by suddenly being addressed. “That’s how it usually goes.”

“We can at least ask them for advice,” Lady Eliza says. “I know the great majority of medicinal herbs sold around the country come from the Noble Woods. People must be going in there.”

“Which means they may have also seen something already,” Sir Erik nods.

“Then we can gather information from the people first to have an idea of what we’re dealing with,” Sir Luis says. “Then we can explore the area ourselves.”

“But for how long should we explore in that manner?” Lianne asks. “Would a couple of days be enough?”

“I’d say a week at least,” Lady Eliza says. “It’ll be safer and will still leave us with enough time.”

“With luck we’ll find what we’re looking for quickly,” Lady Mary-Beth giggles.

Arthur listens to his teammates bounce ideas off each other, like they’ve done it hundreds of times. He has his own question, but it’s difficult to find the right moment to ask. He hesitantly raises his hand, calling attention to himself.

“Oh, sorry,” Sir Erik says, “we kind of left you out. You have a suggestion?”

“Two questions, actually. First, after we explore the woods, how will we split up? And second, how do we plan to capture the monster alive?”

Sir Erik nods in approval to his questions. “For groups, we’ll need Eliza and Mary in different teams. They’re our lifeline. They can heal injuries and even poisons.”

“Whichever team has the captain should have less people,” Sir Luis adds. “The captain, Lady Eliza and Edward could be one team, while Lady Mary-Beth, Lianne, Arthur and I can be another.”

Lianne grimaces. “Are you sure? You’d be under a lot more pressure, Lieutenant.”

“What do you mean?” he asks with a reassuring and confident smile. “Your covering fire is impeccable and Arthur has great close combat skills. I’m sure we’ll be able to work well together.”

“Hey! And what about me?” Lady Mary-Beth pouts.

“Like the captain said, you’ll be our lifeline. We’ll make sure to protect you no matter what.”

“Sure, sure. Leave me out of the action like always,” she puffs her cheeks. “But what about the second question? How are we going to capture it alive?”

Sir Erik nods in acknowledgement. “When we find the specified monster, only engage to keep it busy and immediately call for backup. I can restrain it safely. Remember, we’re expecting a monster stronger than usual. Do not let your guards down. Rely on your experience and your instincts. If the monster’s too strong for you, disengage and escape. Confirming its presence is progress in itself. Understood?”

His eyes, normally so calm and easygoing, stare firmly into his teammates. This isn’t a suggestion. It’s an order. They are not to engage an opponent stronger than them.

“Yes, sir,” they answer.

“Good,” Sir Erik nods. “Now, for something related. Arthur,” he turns to the young new trainee. “Tell us about what you learned in Clock Tower. We should also tell you about our elemental affinities and our skills.”

Arthur starts recounting to the group how he met Ms. Carmen and she taught him the basics of magic and elemental affinities. Of course, he omits the fact she did so half-naked. He tells them how, though she confirmed his status as a demigod of an unknown deity and that and he understands things better now, he learned nothing he can put to practical use in the field for this mission.

In return, the other members explain their elemental affinities and how they use them in combat. Learning about Lady Mary-Beth’s, Lady Eliza’s and Sir Erik’s powers is arguably the most interesting.

________________________________________________________________

Arthur walks out of the inn. The small opened area in front of him only has a well, and beyond it more houses and farmland. The village is particularly small. There can’t be more than thirty houses, and the first thought that assaults him is: how does a settlement this small survive next to the monster nest that’s said to be the Noble Woods? There are guards, yes, and by their outfits Arthur can tell they belong to the regular army. But it doesn’t seem like enough.

This is one of the things he’d like to find out, so he waits outside the inn for a moment for his partner to come out. He’s about to let out a sigh to relieve his nerves, but she comes out before he can. Yes, Captain Erik assigned him and Lianne to go out to look for information together. He wasn’t subtle, either.

“You two have been acting all awkward since day one. Go fix that. You’re in charge of information gathering. Now go, and when you come back I want you to be best friends.”

That’s what he said with an annoyed frown.

His eyes meet Lianne’s. They both stare at each other, Arthur opening his mouth to say something several times and regretting it before rethinking his words, ultimately not saying anything. Lianne purses her lips before she clears her throat with a cough, her fist in front of her mouth.

“The captain gave us a mission,” she says, “so let’s get to it.”

She starts walking in the direction of the crops, not waiting for Arthur to answer. He follows her with a resigned smile, walking just a couple of steps behind her.

“Where do you think we should start?” he asks.

“The gates,” she answers quickly, her steps taking her in that direction.

The palisade protecting the settlement only has two gates, located at opposite ends of one another. Arthur and Lianne approach the northeastern gate, the one leading to the woods. Lianne greets the guards stationed at the two towers, which much like the general architecture of the town, are made of logs. Four particularly thick ones serve as the towers’ support.

One of the two guards descends from his position using the ladder. He greets the knight and the trainee with professional politeness.

“We’ve been told to assist you as much as we can, so long as we don’t have to leave the village,” the man says. “What can I help you with?”

“We need some general information,” Lianne says. “First, I’d like to know how often do monster attack the palisade?”

‘Oh. She’s asking the question I wanted to ask.’

“Very rarely,” the guard says with a proud smile. “Do you know why?”

“No, but I’d like to.”

“It’s all thanks to an alchemist from Clock Tower and one of our residents here,” the man explains. “Follow me.”

He leads them outside the gate and to the foot of the stake-wall.

“Look at the ground here,” he points to it.

“…What about it?” Lianne asks.

“How long has it been since you dug the hole?” Arthur asks.

The guard shoots Arthur a small smile of camaraderie. The ground beneath and around the wall is softer than beyond it. The grass already started growing again, but the signs are still clear that the dirt was removed and then put back again.

“Six weeks. We’ll need to dig it again next week.”

“Why do you have to dig a hole?” Lianne asks. “Is it for a trap against the monsters?”

“Not a trap, but yeah, it’s our answer to the monsters.” The guard nods. “One of the alchemists of Clock Tower came here about ten years ago to study the plants in the woods. He found one which, with the proper method, can be turned into a kind of compost that lets out a smell that scares monsters.”

“Oh?” both Arthur and Lianne exclaim in interest. They give each other a quizzical look for a moment before they return to the guard.

“How effective is it?” Lianne asks.

“Very,” the guard nods with confidence. “Monsters only ever get close when the compost starts losing its effect and we can’t change it in time.”

“Why not use this in every city, then?” Lianne asks again, but this time is mostly to herself as she stares down at the soft soil.

“Let me guess,” Arthur sighs. “The plant needed is rare and deep in the woods?”

“Y-Yeah…” the man grimaces. “I’m ashamed to say it, but the town usually has to hire strong mercenaries to go get it. Us lowly guards would get killed in there.”

“I see,” Lianne nods. “Does the alchemist from Clock Tower keep making the compost for you? I assume it takes magical expertise.”

“You assume right, lady knight,” the man nods again. “But no, the alchemist hasn’t returned here. We have our own alchemist in town who takes care of that for us.”

“Could we meet them?”

“He keeps to himself, but he’s an alright guy. He loves talking about his job, so he’ll answer any questions.”

“Thank you. I have more questions, if you don’t mind.”

Lianne asks the guard if they’ve seen any kind of abnormal monsters around. Anything matching the descriptions of what they’re looking for. At the guard’s negative response, she asks what they can expect going into the woods.

“Look for any landmark you can rely on or you’ll surely get lost,” the guard explains. “The forest is thick, but there are a few paths.” He looks back to the palisade. “This wall and many of the houses were made by cutting the trees in there to make paths that made it easier to collect herbs. If you keep to those, you should be alright.”

The guard also gives them a general idea of what kind of monsters they could find. Wolves seem to be the most common, but apparently even goblins have somehow snuck in and made nests inside the caves. Bird and bear type monsters are particularly dangerous, he says.

“Oh, and I almost forgot. There’s a clearing in the middle of the woods where a huge tree is. I’ve never been there myself, but I hear from mercenaries that, if you’re there, you shouldn’t kill anything. No matter if it’s a monster or a normal animal.”

“Uh? Why’s that?” Arthur asks.

“They say it’s neutral ground or something. Not even monsters fight each other there, I hear. It’s also where the herb we need to make the compost grows.”

“We’ll keep that in mind. Thank you for the warning,” Lianne says.

They continue their investigation throughout the morning and until an hour past noon. They speak to the locals, who tell them how the plans found in the woods are the village’s biggest source of income. They also speak to the alchemist, though Lianne keeps their visit brief because, like the guard said, the young man couldn’t stop talking about his job. Arthur would’ve liked to ask more about potion-making, but he can do that another time.

In all that time, they get a good idea of the situation. The village is calm and nobody has seen anything out of the ordinary.

“This means that, if we hope to find anything…” Lianne starts.

“…We’ll need to go deeper into the woods, right?” Arthur finishes.

His teammate nods. “Let’s report back to the captain.”