Advance Scouts

The four grants have been busy setting up all afternoon. Terrick was using his Fire blast to upend the ground while Ellie is diverting river water into them. It created a much harder terrain for the beasts to maneuver in. Bryce focused on creating traps by cutting logs for swinging log traps, dead falls, and pits. Althea used Earth dig to create deep holes and Earth wall that would force the stampede to funnel into the gorge. Once they were finished, they rested in an outcropping of trees opposite the gorge. From here, they can see the beasts as they come. They can also trigger traps and take out scouts while being hidden and safe.

Because of the severity of the situation, Althea told her friends about her crystal before Tasha left for Kauven. The party agreed that it would be useful in battle and also promised to keep her secret. For now, the four of them have done as much as they could and waited for the advance scouts to appear. If luck was on their side, the stampede wouldn't arrive until tomorrow. But they could also be here in an hour or so, if they were marching fast enough.

They took this opportunity to read up on some of the crystal's new features that was made available to them since reaching C rank. The inventory can now be organized into subsections. There is now a designated armory section of the inventory making it easier to do a quick assessment of available weapons. The messaging system has now been activated. It allows you to call and message people on your friend's list. There is also a specific party line, where you can keep an open channel with your party members. Unfortunately, the Forlorn Forest is dense with all sorts of spiritual and mystical energies, which affect modern technology including communication and location functions. Some of these types of energies remain mysterious even today. The leveling up system has also become more nuanced. From C rank to B rank, one needs a total of 20 level ups. Each level up will give intermittent stat growth. The crystal's world encyclopedia has also been activated allowing the new C ranks access to information when focusing on certain objects or people. The map functions have also been activated. Friends can even locate each other as long as the person shares their location with you. Again, energy dense areas can render this function unusable.

The last function of the crystal that activated is the most useful one right now. Part of the EXP and mana that the crystal collects is actually used to sustain and power the armor an adventurer is wearing. This means that one's armor and weapons evolve with EXP and levels up with the adventurer. The four go through the various options of styles and functionalities that are available to them and pick out their preferences. There are also non-combat options like pajamas, casual wear, formal wear, and beach wear to name a few. These options will also grow as they level up. Their new C rank armor can resist a lot more damage than their former light armor forms. The evolution of the armor takes into consideration the kind of element and the fighting style you use. They are also lightweight, self-healing, and, most importantly, self-cleaning. Unless the armor is damaged to the point of non-repair, weapons and armors do not require replacement or fixing. One's own mana fixes and evolves them, ensuring complete compatibility.

It was almost third sun (3 o'clock) when they heard howling from the distance. They quietly nod to each other and take their stance quietly. Within a couple of minutes, they see a group of 20 or so kobolds. This is the strongest opponents they have come across yet. Bryce triggers one of the log traps which kills the two straggling at the back. The kobolds start snarling and sniffing around.

"This is bad. They can find us with their keen sense of smell." Terrick whispers. Ellie puts her pointer finger over her lips and points at her ears, reminding him that they also have a keen sense of hearing. Althea casts Light chain, which now has 6 chains. 2 kobolds are bloody and 4 die immediately. Bryce Dark flickers above the beasts and uses Dark surge electrocuting 5 of them. Four kobolds run towards the hiding spot but Ellie casts Water ball on their heads and they drown while violently thrashing about. Terrick runs to the remaining kobolds while casting Fire explosion. Althea recasts Light chain and kills the 2 near dead kobolds. Everyone receives a level up notification. Terrick puts his fists up in the air and shouts in exhilaration and glory.

"Yes! We did…it!" Blood spatters out of his mouth as he wobbles feebly. A red dot in his chest grows exponentially where an arrow head can be seen poking out of the center.

He falls to the ground.