The Sixth Lesson Of Utmost Practicality (3)

The group rode quickly, but not at full speed, opting to instead travel slightly faster than a normal horse trot but not at full speed. This process was made possibly by Adara, who was able to make use of a small amount of her magic to increase the horses speed with a single rejuvenation spell on each of their horses. Quickly they sped along, covering far more distance than they would ordinarily be able to without tiring the horses out with a gallop. Although this put a certain level of strain on the riders, all of them were well trained and even used to such conditions…with the exception of Cyrus of course. He was struggling along, but as he understood the urgency of the situation he let loose no complaints.

In the distance, they spotted another group of riders heading towards them at full speed. Each wearing windbreaking clothing, made of hard leather with a soft inside, and green capes to signify their identity; Cyrus and co. happened upon what was most likely the missing Imperial Scouts. The scouts adjusted their course to avoid a collision with the on comers and slowed down next to them.

"We are the Imperial Scouts assigned to this area, there is a minor stampede forming in the back which is out of our ability to squash." The scout then let his riding goggles fall down to his neck, a handy tool that allowed them perfect vision at the insane speeds at which they rode at times strapped to the head in a comfortable yet sturdy strap, having noticed the markings on Gabriel. "Honoris, would you be willing to assist us? It is fine if you have other things to do, but I suggest not going beyond this way until we requisition assistance from the nearby town." Said the scout in a somewhat rough manner when compared to the awe and reverence the members of the army showed.

"Me and my companions set out with the intentions of clearing the road ahead, with your assistance if possible. We already borrowed a unit of experienced Miles from the town you mentioned. We also have three of my battle brothers, a B ranked Venator, and a Master Mage of the Vita domain. I believe with our forces combined we are more than enough to quash a minor stampede."

The scout looked at each of the members of the group in front of him, taking careful note of the insignias they displayed as well as their approximate strength. His eyes stopped on Cyrus for a moment, raising a questioning eyebrow with a look that could be easily read as 'What's with the kid?'

"What's with the kid?" Asked the scout.

"We were originally transporting him for the Arcane Examinations, he was raised in the wastelands so I imagine he will be no liability." Replied Gabriel, quashing any future problems from the get go.

The scout visibly shuddered when he heard that Cyrus grew up in the wasteland, looking at him with a tinge of respect and pity.

"All right then, me and my men will be placed under your command for the cleansing. As for the enemies we will be fighting…"

The scout explained the specifics of what they expected to fight, which was one of the more common but also more annoying types of Brutum, monstrous muted foes from Devil's Spores. The beasts in question were a muted form of the animal known as deer. Originally, they were a grazing animal that feasted entirely on plant life that lived in varying levels of herds. Unluckily for them, however, was the fact that they managed to become infected and began wildly mutating as they greedily consumed the nature around them. This particular mutation appeared to come from the death of a bear fully consumed by the spores, which granted the deer explosive growth and a sleek fur coat which provided some light protection.

At first the scouts thought it was but a small mutated herd not even mutated enough to be given a new designation. Thus the scouts began to slowly whittle down their numbers by circling the fringes of the herd, easily reaping their lives. Unfortunately for them, they were only half right in their deductions as the herd was not as small as it initially appeared. From the distance a large number of mutated deer had begun to rush towards the scouts in the middle of their slaughter, thus making the herd thrice the initial estimation. These deer in particular were also covered in blood, most likely having just returned from slaughtering some unfortunate souls. Surprised as the scouts were, their training allowed them to easily react to and retreat from the disadvantageous situation. Alas the deer were deer after all, and easily kept pace with the scouts forcing them to continuously battle whilst on the run. After some time, even they were met with various injuries from the numerous fights they had been in.

"Which is why they will most likely be right beh-" said the scout as Adara finished healing the scouts, restoring them to full vigor.

"FORM UP!" Gabriel yelled, inwardly a little angry that the gruff scout did not start with that piece of information.

Immediately his men tightened up their formation, with the renewed scouts joining integrating themselves flawlessly.

"We will circle them once, me and my brothers will take out high priority targets from afar" said Gabriel as he revealed the pack of javelins stored on his mount.

"Adara, distribute ammunition to the scouts as they will join in on this as well. Aim for the males of the pack, they are the ones who are the most threat to us. With their numbers dwindled we will easily be able to ride through the rest. After we expend our ammunition we will slowly circle and kill them one by one until our enemy has fallen!"

With Gabriel's commands given and Adara having finished distributing supplies, Gabriel ended with one final word before giving the order to set off

"Cyrus, today is your sixth lesson. Behold our battle, behold the true might of the Empire… ADVANCE!"

With that, the riders broke into a gallop towards the incoming enemy that was now starting to come into view.