"Good job, Stolas. It seems that your weapon of choice is a bow. How proficient are you with the weapon?" Hespar asked. He had taken notice of Stolas's weapon right before they left the camp. But the chances to ask about it didn't turn up until now.
Of course, he had his reason for asking such a question.
Hespar noticed that the bow and the quiver come in a fitting set. There are also some hints of wear and tear on both pieces, meaning it was used frequently. This made him curious about how Good Stolas was with the bow.
"I'm much better with a bow if I need to compare it with swordplay. As long the situation allows, I am capable of 9 out of 10 hits on moving targets." Stolas answered without putting on air around him.
This kind of amicable answer made Hespar's day because it means a lot to a new squad leader like him.
Meanwhile, Brent, Foster, Quinn, and Ashen are regular sword users like many others. Unlike Hespar, who had enough prestige to be bestowed with an officer-grade weapon, the four only had a mass-production sword.
Still, the wear and tear on their weapon hinted at how frequently it was used. It would be impossible for their sword to have so many markings if these guys were lazy and problematic individuals.
Also, to Hespar's surprise, there's a hint of Aura manifesting around Brent. However, it was much weaker than Victor and Lucas. This indicates that Brent's talents are slightly better than the other four.
"Do all of you have experience in handling a Mountain Lizard?" Hespar asked.
He had his reason for asking, especially when the party had an archer amongst them. To a team with all swordsmen, they required no tactics to operate and help one another, but things were different when they had an archer in their ranks.
Having an archer means the team's damage output would be more significant but in the expenses of their distance from one another. Without someone protecting the archer when he's shooting, he would quickly become a liability instead.
Furthermore, as the only Aura User in this party, Hespar's responsibility is more than just becoming a good leader. He has to be responsible for the group's overall safety and gains and handling everyone's opinions and decisions.
To make it simpler to understand, being a leader wasn't just about making choices and ordering people at your whim.
"This will be my first time fighting one." Ashen quickly admitted that it was his first time. But he was not alone. Hespar put up his hand too and shared that this was his first.
"In that case, let's have Brent, Ashen, and I as the vanguard. Foster and Quinn will be the backup around Stolas. Our priority will be hunting for the Mountain Lizards and also covering Stolas while he delivers the killing blow."
"Do I make myself clear?" Hespar asked. Everyone at the party quickly nodded in response.
"Good. I'm sure each of us had a whistle in hand. If it's an emergency, blow the whistle continuously and return to this spot. If this position was compromised, disperse and retreat towards the camp's direction. Are we clear?" Hespar asked again.
"Yes, Sir!" their response made Hespar's heart feel calmer. He would feel a headache if any of them decided to make a fuss at this time. Luckily, everyone here is quite mature and experienced.
"That should be all. Let's make our move. It should be easy for us to handle the three Mountain Lizards before they managed to get extra help over." Hespar said. In addition to his words, Hespar put his fist out to see how they would react.
There's still a hint of rigidness amongst them. Still, six fists soon bumped with one another before Hespar left, with Brent and Ashen following closely. On the further back, Stolas was ready with an arrow nocked on the bowstring.
As this was just the start of their party's cooperation, Hespar chose to not activate his Aura until it was necessary. He wanted to use this opportunity to build a mutual understanding between them.
Furthermore, this is also a good chance for him to see how efficient he and their cooperation would be without the Mortal's Authority.
"Brent. Ashen. You two will be handling the Mountain Lizard on our left. Leave the one in the middle to me." Hespar pointed his finger towards the reptile sungrazing peacefully on the grass.
He didn't forget to make a hand signal to Stolas to inform him of his target. Of course, deep inside him, Hespar was hoping that Stolas would understand his sign's meaning.
"Now!" trying to muffle his voice from being too loud, Hespar gave his order. The trio instantly moves forward, with Brent and Ashen attacking the Mountain Lizard immediately. They were moving quite swiftly towards the reptile, but its responsiveness was as fast as theirs.
Two swords fiercely came at the Mountain Lizard, but only one landed. Ashen's attack struck where the neck of the reptile was, leaving it with a bleeding wound. As for Brent, his attack was parried by the Mountain Lizard's tail when it jumped to one side.
Brent might have some field experience against the reptile. Still, it wasn't enough to give him an absolute advantage over it.
Meanwhile, Hespar had an easier opponent. Just seconds before he arrived at his target, the arrow from Stolas fiercely struck one of the Mountain Lizards right on its head, killing it right away. The death of the other reptile made Hespar's target lose its concentration and allowed Hespar to deliver a substantial wound.
Using both hands to control the course of his blade, Hespar planted his sword nicely between the Mountain Lizard's front and back legs. This created an open wound large enough for the guts to spill out.
**Shua!!!**
The injury caused the Mountain Lizard to jump around, howling in pain. Blood was splattered everywhere like a fish that got out of the water. And after a minute of countless struggles, the Mountain Lizard finally succumbed to its wound.
**Shua!**
But before Hespar could lend a hand to Brent and Ashen, a gust of wind came from a rock nearby. There happened to be a fourth Mountain Lizard hiding nearby. It successfully seized a chance to attack Hespar by surprise.
**WHOOSH!**
Luckily, another arrow came just inches from Hespar's head and struck the Mountain Lizard's claws before the attack hit him.
Hespar quickly responded to the arrival of the fourth opponent. But he did not forget to make a thumbs-up sign as a hint of gratitude to Stolas.
Another arrow quickly went to Brent and Ashen's target. But it wasn't as effective as the two previous arrows. The projectile simply bounced off upon contact, and all it could do was create some deterrence and opportunity for the two.
Meanwhile, Hespar had no choice but to activate the Mortal's Authority at its minimal capacity. The instant clear sight allowed him to see through everything, including the faint indication of what the fourth Mountain Lizard was trying to do next.
As the monster jumped and tried to deliver a bite at him, Hespar brilliantly positioned himself by moving just half a step further. The horse-stepping stance immediately granted him a sturdier posture to hold the sword better as it cuts through the Mountain Lizard's abdomen.
Blood was splattered once more. Some even followed the course of the blade as it drips on the ground. Meanwhile, the Mountain Lizard banged into a tree nearby, weakened and about to die.
"I got this!" Quinn's voice quickly comes from behind the tree as he stabs his blade through the dying Mountain Lizard. It might be an underhanded tactic but still contributes, nevertheless.
The fourth arrow soon followed as it pinned Brent and Ashen's target on the ground. Then, Brent's attack quickly followed and chopped the Moutain Lizard's head off.
"Huh... Huh..." the duo breathed heavily as the fight sapped some strength away. They already knew what they signed up for but had no idea it would be this challenging to even defeat one.
"Are you two alright?" Hespar asked while he continued to study their surroundings. After making sure there were no other Mountain Lizards nearby, he signaled Stolas and the others to make their way over.
"Great job, everyone." Hespar knew that he shouldn't be stingy with the word of praise at this moment. After all, nobody will have a complaint from listening to words of praise.
"Let us quickly set the blood aside and process the corpses. It won't be long until the next few Mountain Lizards get attracted by the smell and come here to take a look." Hespar said and pulled a short knife out from his back.
Everyone else followed suit after hearing what Hespar said.
In less than ten minutes, they slaughter the four Mountain Lizard corpses and process them into parts. The blood they collected was filled inside a leather-made water bottle. At the same time, the guts were put together in another waterproof sack.
For now, there's no point for them to separate the leather from the flesh, as it would inconvenience them further down the road.
As the group was about to finish with the prep work, Stolas suddenly blew the whistle hard. The noise from clothing and leaves coming in contact with one another quickly followed.
"Goblins!" was the first word coming from Stolas when he came out from the shrubs. From the look of it, at least ten to fifteen goblins are coming at them.
"Get ready to fight!" Hespar said.