American Isekai - Chapter 156 (Patreon)

Our mission, in short, was a search and destroy operation. 

We were tasked with finding and eradicating an advancing Scourge troop numbering no more than 200. Because this troop was located around a forward base called Treehouse, we would be receiving help from the platoon stationed there. 

The difficult part about this whole operation wasn’t even the battle though. It was the fact that this forward base was over a day’s drive away. We’d also be heading out with a full convoy’s worth of supplies for the base, so our secondary objective was simply getting there safely with all the supply trucks on one piece. 

We would actually be joined by a few Snow Doves, and Authority 10 and Authority 9, to be precise. They’d be escorts on this mission and would help out with the battle, making sure no high level Scourge beasts strolled in and wiped us out. There would also be some normal troops to help fill out numbers to handle the trucks and whatever other logistics that needed to be taken care of on the trip. 

It was a full deployment. After our briefing was over, I stepped aside to speak with Polly. 

There was a gap between the Stronghold and the Treehouse where there would be no communications. Even between the two bases, there was only a single line facilitated by a Node that could send long range pulses to deliver messages. So basically, once past a certain threshold, we’d be on our own. 

Since my Aerial had its own Node, we’d be able to maintain local communications if necessary. But I wouldn’t be able to talk with Polly. Hopefully we wouldn’t need her though. She was primarily there just in case we needed backup in the field. But if there was something even our Authority 10 couldn’t handle, then having a line to her would be good for nothing more than letting her know we were dead. 

So I didn’t worry too much. We had some heavy hitters on our side, which was all I could ever ask for. Still, I had some responsibilities as the Liaison that I would need to carry out, such as filling out reports while I was out there. I left the briefing room with small stack of papers to that end.

After all that, I went and got ready to deploy. I acquired some camping gear and packed another set of clothes for the road. I also packed some extra blankets for more camping comfort, as well as other miscellaneous supplies for a multi-day trip. 

As for transportation, I decided I would be a passenger princess for this mission. Fuck if I was driving a bike all the way out there. I’d rather sit down and study. 

Before long, the convoy was ready to leave. It was about an hour after sunrise that the gates flew open. 

I boarded a Steed with Squad 2, put there by Pollux. Apparently Amary was on Squad 3, and she was bummed when she found out we wouldn’t be riding together. I was not. 

Instead, I got to meet some new people. After crawling into the Steed and taking my place on one of the chairs bolted to the wall of the huge cargo hold, the now company-sized convoy rolled to the gates. 

“You’re clear to deploy, Commander.”

“Roger. Let’s roll, Pathfinders.”

With his word, all the vehicles charged through the gates. I took a look at my map after we diverted off the normal trail. 

Hare’s Pass was north of the Stronghold. The forward base was eastward. So we turned off the northern trail and changed our heading. 

The path was winding, seldom tread, and not very smooth. Thankfully these Steeds seemed to have half decent shocks. It wasn’t unbearably bumpy. 

I took my free time to not study, but do some much needed projection into my 5th dimension. 

I had found a few notable weapons not long after unlocking my 5th star. The M1 Garand, the StG 44, and the Browning A5. They were fantastic weapons, but they were also surface level. There was surely much more to find within the 5th dimension, and finding better summons would serve to increase my lethality until I could directly increase my power with my advancement formation. 

The poison gas, flamethrower, and satchel charges were examples of these increasingly lethal weapons. And I definitely hadn’t searched the entire dimension. I knew there was more, and I was eager to find out what was in store for me. 

And luckily there wasn’t anything to distract me. The day passed and we made great progress toward the base, yet still had to stop around midnight to camp out. 

Unfortunately, I only got 4 hours of sleep since we spent a grand total of 6 hours camped out. Most of the other soldiers were well rested when we woke at sunrise. I, on the other hand, felt like killing myself. 

I continued to miserably half-sleep on the Steed as we drove the rest of the way to the Treehouse. When I woke back up around noon, we were only a few hours out. 

I yawned before looking around at the rest of Squad 2. 

There were 10 people in Squad 2 aside from myself. 6 were warlocks and 4 were knights. Anulle, a warlock I had met before, was one of them. 

I had talked to them a bit, not much since I was busy scouring my 5th star. Two of them went off into other vehicles in search of their boyfriend or girlfriend too. Plus, of the 8 that remained, one was the driver, while 6 of the other 7 were couples. 

There seemed to be a lot of relationships in this platoon, and the Commander didn’t separate them. It made me melancholic. 

I wanted my girlfriend so bad!

After groaning inwardly, I sighed and climbed up into one of the Steed’s turrets. Then, I looked off into the distance. 

There was a ring of huge trees within what looked like a small valley, each tree looking to be at least 300 meters tall with thick bases. And within that ring of trees was the base.

No wonder it was called the Treehouse. The place was still miles away, but we were approaching. When I concentrated, I could see a bit of activity on the walls of the base, which filled in the gaps between the trees. There seemed to be tunnels through the trunks as well. 

Natural fortifications, and from my guesses, magical in some way. I could certainly feel a distinct Aura from it all, one that towered with the trees and radiated from their very leaves. 

The guards on the walls spotted us on approach, and before long we were rolling through one pair of trees, between which was an open gate, growth around its hinges. 

I took in a deep, crisp breath of fresh air. I could almost taste the earthly Aura. 

“Disembark and start unloading supplies! The sooner we get everything into storage, the sooner we get to relax!”

Pollux gave out orders while walking over alongside the Authority 9 and 10. 

“John! Get over here!”

“Sir!”

I heard my name and ran, tailing the three people silently. 

We headed toward the headquarters, meeting the overseer of this forward base, an Authority 10. 

“Miron! Glad you could make it.”

“It was either come here or sit on my ass all day. I decided not to be lazy.”

The two Authority 10s greeted each other. Ours was named Miron, apparently. 

“How are you, Alois?”

“Can’t complain. Remind me to get you some syrup while you’re here. It gets better every week, especially when the Marshals aren’t hogging it all.”

“Will do. I still can’t believe you managed to snag this position.”

“Right? The only thing that would make it better is if I actually made some extra coin off of this shit.”

The two friends started walking into the headquarters, shattering along the way. Pollux and IO silently followed behind, eventually finding our way into a large meeting room with some intelligence agents sitting around and working. 

At the front was a huge map detailing the surrounding arrea. I stared at it and memorized it while the two behemoths sat down. 

I only glanced at them once before refraining from looking over at them again. Although I’ve had my fair share of encounters with people much stronger than them, Authority 10s sat in a weird spot with me. 

They were incredibly powerful from my perspective, which was obvious. But many weren’t capable of controlling their Aura all that well. Those above them were precisely stronger because they had better Auras, usually. They could at least control it, reign it in. Even Carrion could do that. 

These two guys weren’t very good at that, or didn’t give a damn, which was probably why they were still Authority 10. And I was acutely sensitive to it, so being around them was a little… unsettling. It was like being stranded in the middle of the ocean with sharks around you. Sure, they might not even have you in their mind. But that didn’t make their presence any less disturbing to be around. 

Thankfully, by pulling in my own Aura and strictly limiting it to my own body, although I became blind to their Auras and everything else around me, I also didn’t feel the raging power. It would also render them blind to mine, unless they forcefully probed. 

After the two sat down, they started talking business. 

“So? What’s the deal? Heard you’re having troubles.”

“Mm. A fairly large Scourge troop is moving in the vicinity. Their threat to us isn’t as annoying as their threat to the surrounding environment. We don’t want them killing off all the Bluesaps and Elaion Flowers, which seems to be one of their goals. They want to drive us out indirectly, and they haven’t been easy to retaliate against. So I called you guys over to help us mount a strike against them.”

“Why not the Snow Doves?”

“Because we’ll need them later. This isn’t a half-assed operation. This is just the vanguard. If we take them out quickly, we can hamper them more easily later on. Up until now we’ve just been feeling each other out, engaging in a little bit of foreplay. Now that you’re here though, I intend to fuck their asses raw and send them packing, make them hesitate before coming back for another round later.”

“You’ve always had such a way with words.”

Miron chuckled and looked over at the map. On it were some red markers indicating where attacks have been carried out. 

“When should we go?”

“Tonight is what I was planning on. They’ll be vulnerable and most of the Royals will be in one place. Soften them up with your magic, charge in, deliver that ass fuckin, and be home in time for breakfast.”

“Hm, it sounds like a thorough plan. Maybe we should let the nerds figure out the details though.”

“Fine by me.”

“Then while they do that, show me that syrup.”

“Hehe, right this way.”

Alois grinned and walked away with Miron. Pollux and I, along with our Authority 9, were left in the room. 

Then, a summoner walked over. Surprisingly, He was a Brigadier General, a Dragon with a single pair of wings sported on his shoulder. 

The Authority 9 seemed to have no intention of talking, to Pollux stepped up, shaking the man’s hand. 

“Commander Pollux.”

“Brigadier General Hristo. Just call me Brigg. Hristo. A pleasure.”

The two shook hands before Brigg. Hristo turned to me, intent on getting my name. I saluted. 

“Officer Cooper, sir.”

“Cooper here is our Pathfinders’ Communications Liaison. Recently arrived from Academy.”

Pollux pat my shoulder, Hristo nodding before turning. 

“Very well. Now, if you’ll come over here, I’ll attempt to translate our Brigadier’s words from before.”

Hristo waved us over to the map. Seems like they already had something of a plan. Thank God. 

In short, it was just like Alois said, just in a less crude fashion. We were to mount a night offensive, attack the Scourge encampment while they were at their most vulnerable. This encampment wasn’t in the same place every night though, so we needed to find them first. This was actually the most dangerous part. 

Hristo wanted to send a small squad out to recon the area they believed the camp would be in. Once found, that squad would need to remain there and keep watch, feeding information on numbers and combatant details back to the rest of the strike force. 

Once the time was right, the offensive would kick off. It was simple surprise attack tactics from then on, with the star of that show being Miron, our Authority 10, a fire warlock. 

There were some other details as well. Apparently the Scourge was utilizing some odd fleshy organism that was capable of poisoning the surrounding environment, not only killing all normal flora and fauna, but transforming it into some kind of disgusting wasteland of melted biomass. 

They wanted to destroy these organisms, formally called Pustule Vaporators, or Pustules for short. That would take some detatchments to handle and eradicate after the camp had been destroyed. 

The only thing I worried about though was the recon, because that’s exactly where I wanted to be. 

“I have a few men on our side that can handle infiltration, but it would be good if we can have someone good at collecting information, whether from up close or afar. Unfortunately, those I can put forth would be… mediocre at best.”

“Hm.”

After hearing that, Pollux was silent in thought. That’s when I raised my hand. 

“Sir, if I may.”

“Yes?”

“I’d like to volunteer for the recon position.”

“...”
Both of them were silent, Hristo looking at me before turning to Pollux for his opinion. 

After Pollux stared for a little while, he nodded. 

“Very well. Brigg., Cooper here has exceptional eyesight, as well as an Aerial that can relay communications from a great distance, much more than standard devices. It’s true that he would be fitting for the job.”

“...I don’t know if exceptional eyesight will do much. Our knights have good eyes as well, and his weakness as a summoner is a liability in that kind of position.”

“Actually… how do I put this…”

Pollux scratched his head before glancing at me. I raised my hand again. 

“If I may explain.”

“Go ahead.”

Hristo responded, prompting me to point at the map. My finger landed on one of the turns ont he road that led to the base, one a few miles away and where I had initially popped my head out of the Steed to gaze at the base. 

“Sir, while driving to the base around this part of the road, I was able to look at the base from the roof of the Steed and see the faces of the men who walked along the walls between the trees.”

“...Their faces?”

“Yes sir. My eyes are very good. I can count leaves from a few miles away, and see precise details from even farther. So I may not be able to tell you the color of someone’s eyes from 5 miles away, but I could probably tell you if they’re smiling.”

“...You have a Crown, Cooper?”

“I have really good eyes, sir.”

I said that and stepped back, Hristo looking into my golden eyes for a second before nodding. 

“Very well. That kind of vision would mean we can gather intelligence from a much greater distance, keeping you all safer. For this recon though, you’ll need to be able to tell me the color of their eyes. I’ll want the smallest details from the accesories those Royals wear on their clothes to the color of the claws of the beasts within the camp. How close can you get and still collect that information?”

“...Depending on the terrain and light conditions-”

“A valley at midnight.”

“...1000 meters.”

“Then we’ll start at 1500 before moving in as necessary. I want you approaching from this direction. It’ll start you out at the best vantage points and allow you to acquire the camp’s location before moving in. As for your team…”

Hristo went quiet for a second.

“I’ll gather them later. The recon team will have their briefing at 2100 hours before moving out no later than 2200 hours. Since that’s taken care of, we can move on to other details.”

“Mm. John, go get some food and rest. You’ll have a long night ahead of you.”

“Yes sir.”

I saluted before heading out of the room, leaving the headquarters. 

The recon team was in the most dangerous position. Now that I was on it though, it very quickly became the safest. So long as my team didn’t get me killed, of course. 

I smiled. These were the kinds of opportunities I wanted to take. I had no issues putting myself out there. Honestly though, I was surprised Pollux so easily accepted. Seems he had a change in attitude about me, perhaps due to my performance, or something else. 

Either way, I got the good position. Being the Liaison had its perks. 

……

…

“Key Master!”

Plex strode into the Black Spider Hotel, a wide grin plastered across his face. 

The Key Master, contrary to his almost permanent smile characteristic of the front desk clerk, faced Plex with an unamused visage. Never a frown to be found on his face, but there were certainly no beaming teeth filled with joy. 

“Plex. To what do I owe your impolitic presence?”

“Yes, it’s always impolitic when it’s me. But my apprentice steps foot in here and you have the grandest time chatting with him.”

“That apprentice is personable, something he certainly didn’t pick up from his self-proclaimed master.”

“I happen to have many friends.”

“Generously outnumbered by your enemies.”

“I hardly see how that matters. Now speaking of, how is my apprentice doing? Last I saw him he was being carried out of the Magisterium by his girlfriend. I hope he hasn't been eaten by the Scourge yet.”

“...”

The Key Master raised a brow at him, making Plex click his tongue. 

He threw a gold bullion, the Key Master catching it with a smile. 

“How cheap. Always ransoming my curiosity.”

“One of my favorite pastimes. John is fine, currently stationed at Stronghold Charlie. How he will fit in remains to be seen, but based on his past history, he’ll do just fine.”

“Good! I trained him well.”

“You didn’t train him at all. He’s hardly your apprentice.”

“Hey now, I don’t know why you’re stepping all over my toes. You’re the one who threw him at me.”

“Indeed, one of my few misjudgements.”

The Key Master sighed, Plex leaning against the front table as some guests walked in. 

After waiting and letting them pass by, he grinned and glanced back. 

“What a great loss. I know you’re hurting, but hey, that’s no reason to get mad at me.”

“I hardly care about who he’s under. What matters is where he’s gone. My placing him under your purview was a great waste. He would have thrived elsewhere.”

“What, like at the Church? I think the markets shaped him nicely. We both know you don’t want another Paladin, nor could you get one. Those old bastards are still too scared after the last battle. They have yet to manage another Authority 9 summoner! Quite laughable, really.”

“There are places other than the Church, and away from Noble eyes, where he would have grown just fine. I admit, the danger has pushed him farther and faster than I could have imagined. And that girl serves as good motivation, hopefully with the potential to be a worthwhile ally…”

The Key Master’s visage sharpened, before his whole body momentarily flickered pitch black. 

Plex rolled his eyes as the Key Master returned to normal, a smile blooming on his face. 

“But the whole endeavor could have been optimized. It all happened so suddenly. There wasn’t much time to plan.”

“And yet everything that’s happened feels… almost divine. You just don’t like it because you’re a perfectionist.”

“No, I just don’t roll dice like you do. And I don’t like it when you play around with Versals. There are extremely few and you almost killed one multiple times.”

“But he lived.”

“...”

The Key Master didn’t bother responding, making Plex snicker. 

Then, Plex waved. 

“Alright, thank you for the update. I'll stop bothering you at work.”

“I wish you would. You’re too suspicious, and I don’t like being seen with you.”

“Bold of you to assume anyone can see me.”

“I can.”

“Your fault for being so powerful.”

Plex chuckled before vanishing into the air. The Key Master muttered one last thing. 

“Keep watching Apocryon.”