Four days later, Pax had come to grips with how boring some parts of war were. Sure, sneaking through the Wilds and staying ready to encounter beasts or empire troops at any moment had been very stressful at first. Especially when they got within striking distance of Brightgate and had to avoid the increased number of travelers in the area.
But he could only maintain the peak of his worry for so long before even that became routine. When they first left the hidden rebel base, he’d focused a lot of his mental effort on working the kinks out of his routine to monitor their squad’s immediate surroundings for dangers.
Now that he’d jumped up two mage levels, he had access to a lot more mana than usual and could maintain his skills and spells for longer while also pushing them further out.
It was quite a complex balance to alternate triggering his Map with pulses of Extrasensory Sphere to both of their limits while balancing his outgoing mana with his recovery rate. When he added a touch of Haste so his mind could process it all without completely overwhelming his mental capacity . . . well, it took a lot of patience and practice to get it just right.
Thankfully, Langley and Bryn had adapted their new formation combining their two crews and put him in the center so he could focus on finetuning his detection routine. Eris and Talpa were the backup scouts to catch anything he missed, watching from above and below for hidden or incoming dangers.
The challenge was enough to keep him busy the first day, but he quickly figured out a balanced routine by the second. And that was when boredom settled in. Lots of nothing for hours on end, interrupted with brief adrenaline-charged moments when he detected something.
Usually, it was a slumbering nest of beasts that was easily avoided. Those caused Pax an entirely different problem. He was dying to try out the new abilities Horde’s Will had given him. He couldn’t wait to see if he could control wild beasts and what he could make them do.
But Langley had convinced him that their upcoming opponents would be people instead of beasts. They couldn’t spare the time or mana for any significant experimentation.
It made Pax wish he’d evolved the skill earlier during their stay at the hidden base, where he had plenty of access to wild beasts every night. Regrets didn’t help him much now.
So, he forced himself to be patient, knowing the beasts weren’t going anywhere. If the rebellion won their coming confrontation, his skill would become even more important. The wells were still out there, generating increasing hordes of beasts that needed to be stopped.
Even though he hadn’t delved into the new abilities offered by Horde’s Will, all his work with Havoc as well as coordinating efforts with Talpa and Whisk while they traveled had earned him a handful of new points in the skill.
Maybe once the rebels tasked with aiding the Quarrybrook people finished and joined the rest of them to take Brightgate, he’d find a break to test out what exactly the new skill could do. Imagining himself controlling some of the nightly hordes attacking Brightgate made a feral grin spread across his face.
He reminded himself he couldn’t do everything and had to be satisfied with the improvements he’d made on his ability to monitor their nearby surroundings and prevent hidden empire fighters from ambushing.
All the work had gained him a decent amount of progress.
***
Skill Boost: +28 to Riding Level 1 (Common) - 43/100
Skill Boost: +11 to Ascendant Mana Integration Level 4 (Legendary-evolved) - 34/400
Skill Boost: +21 to Elemental Mediation Level 3 (Common) - 218/300
Skill Boost: +11 to Horde’s Will Level 5 (Common) - 46/500
Spell Boost: +27 to Haste Level 3 (Common) - 76/300
Skill Boost: +14 to Light Healing Others Level 2 (Rare-evolved) - 201/200
Congratulations! Light Healing Others is now Level 3
You’ve earned 4 Leveling Points and 0 Evolution Points
Mage Leveling Points: 29/125
Class Evolution Points Unused: 34
Spell Boost: +33 to Extrasensory Sphere Level 2 (Legendary-evolved) - 224/200
Congratulations! Extrasensory Sphere is now Level 3
You’ve earned 4 Leveling Points and 0 Evolution Points
Mage Leveling Points: 33/125
Class Evolution Points Unused: 34
Spell Boost: +19 to Overcharge Level 1 (Rare) - 111/100
Congratulations! Overcharge is now Level 2
You’ve earned 1 Leveling Points and 1 Evolution Points
Mage Leveling Points: 34/125
Class Evolution Points Unused: 35
Congratulations! You have increased Strength from 13 to 14
Congratulations! You have increased Agility from 15 to 16
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Congratulations! You have increased Endurance from 15 to 16
***
He grinned wider when he saw that his latest use of his Healing skill on his brother’s crew had bumped it to the next level, too. His life over the last year might have been insanely dangerous and eventful, but he couldn’t argue with the results it brought. The saying they’d quoted him when he first arrived at the academy was truer than he’d realized. Danger definitely accelerated growth.
And he knew they could stumble into more danger without warning. Along with every rebel squad that hadn’t been sent to help Quarrybrook, they were searching out and ambushing any new troops and supplies before they could make it inside the safety of the city. It shouldn’t be long before they’d softened Brightgate. A starving population would be a lot easier to turn. Then they could easily infiltrate the city and topple it from the inside.
The first thing Pax and Langley’s crews had discovered was how busy the area around Brightgate was. The challenge was finding targets they could take without them summoning help from nearby troops or caravans.
As the rebels had more success, word spread and they were seeing more caravans full of panicked civilians who could pay for passage somewhere else. The rebel leadership had instructed them to let them go once they discovered a caravan of mostly civilians. It turned the fleeing people into emissaries to spread the word about how much better the rebels were than the imperials.
Still, Pax had been surprised by how many braved the dangers of the Wilds. He guessed the immediate danger of war trumped the age-old danger of the beasts. Not to mention that near the city, there’d been enough traffic to clear out a lot of the nests, leaving a reduced number of beasts in the area, especially during daylight hours.
At least they hadn’t run into many large groups of fighters, which reinforced how many the empire must have deployed to crush Quarrybrook. Pax sent a silent plea to Vitur to watch over the crews with Titus, Tomis and Team Tribal. Hopefully, they’d take care of the evacuees quickly, find his mother and return to join the main fight with the rest of the rebellion.
The increased civilian traffic meant they spent most of their time on high alert, just in case they encountered a group of empire troops carrying supplies or reinforcing the city. The occasional glimpses of Brightgate showed a city with a scant force manning the walls and radiating an aura of unease.
A sudden grouping of yellow dots lit up on Pax’s Map, clustered in a tight formation up ahead, just beyond the ridge to the east. He stiffened, immediately reaching back to pet Talpa, who was lounging on his nest-shaped saddle attached to Havoc’s rump. We’ve got movement up ahead. Can you dive underground and see what you can find out?
Talpa stretched and nodded, his eyes sharp despite his recent rest. Without a word, he slipped off Havoc and into the ground, disappearing into the earth as he tunneled toward the new arrivals.
Langley’s head snapped around, eyes on the ground where Talpa had disappeared. “What is it?”
“Yellow dots,” Pax said quietly. “Up ahead and to the right, just on the other side of that ridge. Looks like a caravan. Well, the dots are spread out enough to suggest wagons with guards rather than a troop formation. Could still be troops acting as escorts, though.”
Langley’s hand went up in a signal to halt, and everyone slowed their mounts immediately to a halt, suddenly focused. “Everyone, hold here. Rin, have Eris monitor our back trail. I want no surprises. Bryn and Tasar, you’re with Pax. Find out what we’re dealing with and don’t get close enough for any of them to sense you, understand?”
They all nodded, while Rin’s eyes went out of focus as she sent instructions to Eris.
Pax quickly dismounted, but was still slower than Bryn and Tasar, who quickly formed up in front of him with both of the stonepaws just to either side of him. He paused for a moment, realizing how much of their tactics lately involved keeping Pax protected. He suppressed a sigh. At least no one was stopping him from doing the scouting job his skills and spells were best suited for.
As they crouched low, weaving their way through the dense foliage, Pax heard the quiet orders Langley gave to his two scouts.
“Follow them. Range to either side and watch for ambushes. Don’t let anything happen to the boy.”
He didn’t bother objecting, knowing it was a prudent plan. It didn’t take long before he reached the ridge with his two friends. Without needing to discuss it, they dropped to the ground and crawled up to the edge, disturbing as little of the vegetation and ground as possible.
The faint rattle of wagon wheels and the occasional murmur of voices drifted up from the valley as they crested the ridge with just the tops of their heads and eyes. Pax pulsed his Extrasensory Sphere, but silently groaned when its range fell short of the slow-moving caravan below.
That meant he couldn’t get any idea of what or who was inside the tightly buttoned up wagons. He didn’t see any way to get closer without descending the steep escarpment where the targets would either see him or hear him when he knocked enough debris free to clatter down the steep embankment.
Bryn shifted closer to the edge, her sharp gaze locked on the scene below. Three wagons, maybe six guards per side, plus four drivers. And that’s not counting how many are inside. Formation’s too professional for a merchant caravan. Those are trained soldiers.
Empire colors. Tasar pointed out the glint of blue and gold highlighting the armor below.
Pax’s mouth tightened. Can’t tell what they’re hauling from here since my Sphere won’t reach. But whatever or whoever it is, they’re important enough to warrant a strong escort.
Bryn scowled, clearly running through possibilities. Could be standard supplies like food, potions, weapons, even crafting tools to reinforce Brightgate’s defenses. But I don’t like how many guards they have. Even with surprise on our side, it isn’t a guaranteed win for us.
Pax nodded slowly. Agreed. If we hit them outright, we’ll need to be fast and catch them by surprise. Those guards will raise an alarm if they have time, and I guarantee any other troops in the area will come running.
Pax quickly checked in with Talpa. He was their only other chance to discover what the wagons carried.
The middle wagon is much heavier than the others. Very still and quiet, so not people inside like the others. That one gives me a bad feeling. So much magic that I can feel it drifting down into the earth beneath.
A sudden sense of foreboding swelled inside Pax at Talpa’s findings, but he pulsed a quick thank you sensation toward his friend for his help. Come on back, buddy. We’re going to figure this out together, and you need to stay safe.
Talpa didn’t bother answering and just sent a pulse of agreement.
Anything? Bryn asked when Pax looked over at the two of them with a worried gaze.
Their expressions turned grim as he relayed Talpa’s information to them.
Better have Rin let Langley know, Bryn sent. I don’t think we can let that middle wagon through, not if the cargo is as dangerous as it seems.
Rin responded immediately to his briefing. That doesn’t sound like standard supply stuff. Enchanted weapons, maybe? Or something worse?
A sudden thought occurred to Pax. What about all the specialized weapons the capital used against the loxotine? Remember the enchanted ballista bolts? Or those explosive devices we sent up inside the monster at the end? A sudden image of the empire using those devices used against rebel forces made his stomach twist with worry.
Rin was completely silent for a long moment before she responded. I’ll let Langley know your suspicions.
Pax exchanged worried looks with Bryn and Tasar before they turned back to watch the caravan plod by beneath them. As they passed, the fighters escorting the caravan remained sharp and vigilant with none of the tiredness usually seen at the end of a long trek across the Wilds.
Rin’s reply finally came back, her voice steady. Langley says to move ahead of the caravan and find a good ambushing spot. He’ll bring the rest of us around to help set the trap. Keep a low profile until we catch up to you. Surprise is the only way we’re going to pull this off.
Pax exchanged a nod with Bryn and Tasar before they backed away from the ridge and, together with their companions, hurried to loop around and find a good ambush spot ahead of the slow-moving caravan.
Pax’s mind raced as he replayed what they’d seen, along with Talpa’s description. They’d already intercepted plenty of supplies to weaken Brightgate, but this felt more important than simple supplies. Something that could disturb Talpa’s senses had to contain powerful magic. And something like that in the empire’s hands could turn the tide against the rebellion.
They had to destroy it. Or . . . a fierce grin spread across his face. What if they could capture it and use it against Brightgate?
