General Liam waved his hand, stopping Zero from saying anything further. "What you are doing is more of a blessing to my soldiers. I don't want any more needless deaths that would jeopardize them, so getting to our objective as quickly and safely as possible is what I always hoped for, even though that isn't the case most of the time. Still, even if we have some edge that would benefit us, it means much more than you think. A dragon's blessing is one of them."
Zero couldn't refute what General Liam had said. He could only nod his head and let General Liam continue to think up whatever fantastical thing he had thought of him.
"You should go get some rest." General Liam saluted Zero. "We'll talk more when you have fully rested. We'll stay camping for another day to take care of the wounded. You should continue to eat your meals. I'll see you later, Zero." He turned away, leaving Zero behind so he could finish his meal.
Zero claws shifted upwards onto the white bone of the Boar's ribcage; he watched as General Liam left.
"So, what do you think of him?"
"What do you mean?" He turned towards her, not understanding why she would suddenly ask that question.
"Isn't he interesting? Usually, Generals don't listen to commoners like me, but he still did." Agnis chuckled.
"I believe it's because you're my companion; that's why he listened."
Agnis shook her head. "General Liam was born a commoner, so he knows how to deal with lower-class people and especially listens to what they have to say. The way he even talks about
his soldiers not getting injured as a priority makes him a great general."
"Just taking care of your people doesn't mean he is a great general, you know."
"I know." Agnis placed her hand on her back. "He also was quick on his feet and knew what to do. But, I believe he has more up his sleeve."
"We'll see." Zero devoured the Boar's meat to the bone, leaving nothing behind. He finally felt full after eating the whole meat. With a loud burp, he pushed himself up and returned to the tent they had set up.
Agnis scaled his side and sat on his back, enjoying the cool breeze. "Hey, Zero."
"Yea?"
"This might sound strange, but I think your wings have grown a bit more."
"It did?" Zero's brightened at the thought his wings were growing quicker than expected.
"Yea, it's now twice its normal size. I bet it's all going into your wings at the rate you're eating."
"That could be a possibility."
"I think so."
"Well, we'll see."
"Yes, we will," Agnis replied as she stroked his wing with a giggle. Zero shuddered at the tingling feeling and sighed. Eventually, they made it back towards the tent, and Zero curled around the tent, letting Agnis jump off. He felt bloated and happy that his stomach was full; he closed his eyes and let sleep overtake him.
#####
The army continued to move towards the south, and the endless plains outstretched before them, overtaking twenty-seven miles without many problems. Many monsters ran away when they smelled or saw the large army that descended upon them. When they saw and felt Zero's presence, they scattered in fear, for they knew that a powerful enemy was in the midst of the army.
There were also a few high-level monsters that did sniff out Zero's presence, but they didn't challenge Zero for the territory. Instead, they watched with weariness, for they thought the army was part of Zero's pack and knew that if they attacked, they would be overrun. Not a single one picked a fight that meant their death. Every creature had an intuitive instinct that would tell them when to pick a fight and when their death was near hand if they made a foolish move. This was when the monsters on the plain knew the dangers around Zero's group.
Also, most of General Liam's army was all high level, passing level 380. They were a lot stronger than Zero and the players, making the fight a lot easier for them to comb through the field without much trouble. Even fighting against the Boar Mammoth was relatively easy, especially if they only lost about six hundred soldiers.
While Zero took the brunt of the attack, the army took care of the small fries quickly and efficiently, helping to lessen the damage to the army.
Crossing the thirty miles plains took over one and a half days; when they reached the edge of the borders of Zero's new territory, his pace slowed. He could still see the endless plains before him. The sharp scent of his territory had started to thin out, and instead, a spicy, sharp scent slapped him in the face.
His nose wrinkled, and he warily scanned his surroundings, not liking the smell ahead. The smell was three times worse than the Boar Mammoth's smell. What attacked his nose reminded him of a bit of sewage mixed in with some strange plant smell that he couldn't recognize.
"Agnis, we're finally crossing out of my territory."
"So soon? I thought it would be another couple of hours." Agnis replied while she was lying on his back.
The one thing that Zero wished he could do was laze around like Agnis, but he couldn't shift into his human form to even ride a horse. So instead, he became a horse to Agnis, making him feel a bit peeved and jealous.
"Yes, are you going to tell General Liam?"
"I'm on it." Agnis got up, slid down his back, and went into a full sprint.
The army went for a couple more minutes until they halted, making people wonder why they had stopped. Then, soldiers started to split ways, and General Liam walked over on his horse.
"Zero!"
Zero lowered his head so he could hear him better. "General Liam, you're here quite fast."
"We need you to take the front." He asked. "Do you mind taking the lead for a while?"
"I don't mind." Zero started to walk; people moved out of the way to let him through.
"I'm sorry for putting you through a large burden," General Liam replied. He gripped the reins harder than usual, then looked up towards Zero. "I will make sure to back you up all the way."
"Thank you, General Liam. I will be fine. Please, stay behind me, for we don't know what kind of monsters will be popping out."
"Don't worry about me." Then, with a deep chuckle, General Liam smiled. "Even though I am a bit old, I for sure can keep up the fight."
Zero picked up his pace; Agnis followed, running up to his side, and climbed on. This time, she stood on his shoulder to better understand what was in front of them. Again, he felt uncomfortable leaving his territory, as if he shouldn't be there. His body tensed, and his teeth bared; he glared out into the distance waiting for any possible attack.
"Are you okay?" Agnis asked worriedly; they made it toward the front of the moving army.
"Be on guard; we just entered into someone's territory."
Agnis nodded her head. They continued forward more carefully than before. Zero watched for any unsuspecting attacks, strange movements, noise, and even smell. The further they walked, the stronger the smell.
Zero knew that whatever was up ahead knew that he was here, invading their territory.
"Are you ready?" He asked.
"Whenever you are." Agnis patted her hand against his neck.
Then, with a deep inhale of breath, he drugged his claws into the ground, stood up straighter, and even curled a bit of his tail. A loud, challenging roar escaped his throat as it shook the ground.
"You think whoever heard that?"
"Oh, they heard it alright."
You have issued a territory battle.
A high, piercing sound erupted outwards from far off in the distance.
Territory battle has been accepted.