Chapter 177: It’s These Guys?

Mariah and Sam bolted around camp. They first gathered their squad mates and directed them to wake up the remaining sleepers.

Then, they did their final rounds around the camp and personally checked the canteen, workshops, and even the half destroyed laboratory. Once they were finished, they marched towards the canteen again and began clearing out the large space.

The constructionists removed the chairs and tables, returning them into the stone from whence they came. After that, they constructed a second wall within the canteen, mirroring the first, hugging it closely and further reinforcing the building's durability.

At last, they built a small roundabout at the sole entrance into the canteen. Mariah decided on this and she argued that the entrance shouldn't be a straight shot in; if the monster appeared at the entrance and was able to see the inside of the building it could then use that momentary information to formulate a strategy.

Mariah implemented the roundabout for this very reason; so that the monster was unable to collect any useful information prior to fully entering the canteen in which case the information would be obsolete.

With everyone gathered together and the preliminary defenses established, Mariah and Sam recruited their second in command and returned outside. When they arrived, Spright, Willow, Blood, and Roy were already present.

"Sir!" The group of four saluted immediately.

"Relax —" Emile dismissed, "In times of war status is merely an obstacle to victory, as of this moment please speak to myself and the others freely."

"I personally wouldn't mind it if you kept the honorifics," Blood commented, "but do you, do you."

"Is it like a tick? Are you just unable to control yourself?" Emile asked.

"Boys —" Willow interrupted.

"Yes — yes, you're right. Sorry," Emile cleared his throat, "Is everybody in the canteen?"

"Yes, sir!" Mariah and Sam replied in unison.

"How's Lyle's condition?" Emile followed up.

"We kept two tables in the canteen for Lyle and one other injured soldier. They both seem to be recovering fine and should be back to normal in a few days," Mariah responded.

"Good. Although King Alexander should be arriving tomorrow, we don't know if it'll be in the morning or later in the day. We should be prepared to hold out for longer if needed —"

"I agree," Willow added, "but it seems like this creature is primarily active at night. In all likelihood, if we make it through the night we should be alright."

"That's only if the day remains calm, we still don't know what prompted the small invasion yesterday. We should proceed with the assumption that the miasma is now filled with dangerous beasts," Emile reasoned.

"We need a scout —" Blood interrupted, "there's no reason for us to sit in this box and blindly wait to be attacked. Someone should enter the miasma…"

"And it's not going to be me," Blood quickly added.

"What a team player," Willow scoffed.

"I was unconscious for a month!" Blood snapped.

"I know, I even got to stab you. That's why I was hoping you'd go back…."

Mariah and Sam exchanged glances, each word out of their acting commander's mouth's sent a little ting down their spins.

'Are these really our nation's leaders?' They couldn't help but think.

While Willow and Blood were arguing, Emile started to exist within his own world. Blood's statement was correct, they did need someone to scout their perimeter, specifically within the miasma since that's where their opponents most likely lie.

The issue at hand, however, is that Blood can't be the one to freely enter the miasma. It also can't be Willow because she's the camp's strongest defender, sending her away is akin to inviting the assassin over for a feast.

But Emile also can't be the one to go. Not only does he need to be present to welcome King Alexander, but as acting Commander of the camp it's his responsibility to defend the camp's inhabitants.

If he were to leave, even to scout, he would be criticized for abandoning his responsibilities on the front line. This all begs the question, who is going to scout the miasma?

It can't be Roy, for one thing Roy isn't a combat oriented soldier, of course he's the perfect scout, but if he's caught out of position he's instantly dead. In addition, Roy's infrared vision is the perfect ability to watch over the camp directly in order to prevent the mysterious assassin from attacking freely.

So what is he supposed to do? Who is he supposed to order into the miasma? All of the expedition's soldiers are too low rank to survive the miasma for long durations, and that's not even taking into consideration their combat capabilities against the assassin.

"I've decided —" Emile said bluntly, interrupting Willow and Blood, "Roy and I will sit atop the wall itself, that way Roy can peer in and out of the miasma while still maintaining watch over the camp. Willow, your job is to protect the canteen and any who dwell within it. Blood will be the communication between the wall and the canteen, he will be constantly moving between the two while keeping an eye out for anything suspicious."

"What about us?" Sam asked.

"You four have a bit of a special mission —" Emile paused and tipped his chin up, his eyes now focused on the distance, looking up at the peak of the Hollow Mountains,

"you four are going to retreat up the Hollow Mountains to intercept King Alexander and the reinforcements. Since he's left Fallen Sky, we can't communicate with him as the Head of Council most likely remained in the city. I need you to inform him of the mysterious assassin and our current predicament. We don't want him blindly teleporting into an active battlefield."

"Yes, sir!"

'At least Spright isn't as crazy as his cohort' the two girls lamented.

"Alright, what are you all standing around for?" Emile asked, "Let's get moving!"

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