Arriving back at base, the people near the entrance noticed Mark as he approached. Shocked expressions mixed with disgust appeared everywhere as they watched the long, bloody trail form under the large body of the dog.
Ruby came over soon after, the smell of iron she was growing all too familiar with permeated the air, as Mark dropped the corpse in front of her.
"Hey Ruby, we need to get these people situated fast. I need some people with combat experience to come with me immediately. We can deal with the dog after I get back." Before she could even speak, Mark gave a few orders, seemingly not willing to take any other answer besides okay.
"...Alright." Ruby nodded to Mark, turning around and pointing her large, hairy finger out. "You. Go get the combat teams that are still here ready to head out ASAP." Ruby ordered one of the logistics team members, who quickly scurried off.
"Old man, find a good spot for the injured. I'll be heading out to get what we need to heal them. I don't know if we can repair bones, but I have personal experience with flesh wounds." Mark looked over to a couple of people who were barely holding it together, their arms broken and bent at awkward angles. One man even had his chest slightly caved in, struggling to breathe.
"Carry the wounded inside, I'll show you where to leave them. Mark you need to hurry with whatever you are planning that man could have a pierced lung." Ruby frowned as she directed the newcomers.
"As long as the others get here fast we should be okay... Oh yeah, we'll need some long rags to use as bindings." Mark asked one of the other logistics members nearby, as Ruby had already walked off.
"Got it boss." The lady saluted jokingly, trying to ease the tension a bit. She ran off after a light chuckle.
"Mark, can't we leave that body a bit more outside the base... it stinks, and I feel nauseous just smelling it." A male elf pleaded, his face almost green at this point.
Noticing this, Mark realized that many of the people here were feeling the same thing and he quickly understood that he was the odd one out.
'I guess that's the reaction of people who aren't used to seeing dead bodies. I'm sure the trauma from the past couple days hasn't helped much in that regard.' Mark quickly collected the tail, dragging the beast outside the base, leaving it around the corner out of sight.
When he returned, the combat teams were ready, as well as the cloth. Mark, seeing this, told the others to follow him as he headed out.
"What are we doing?" One of the combat team captains asked Mark, a confused look on his face.
"We're going to capture a few monsters alive, damaging them as little as possible. I hope you guys spent today's time wisely and strengthened yourselves." Mark smiled kindly, but all the combat team could see was a demon.
They looked absolutely horrified as they stared at that calm and collected face. They knew Mark was adapting to this new world extremely fast, especially for a kid, but seeing him talk about capturing enemies they struggled to kill without injuring them, caused a wisp of fear to be borne in them.
"...I mean... we did go to the dungeon and reach stage two, but what you're asking us... is a bit much, no?" A sheepish human woman asked, clutching her spear tightly.
"You guys are seriously telling me you can't capture some stage one monsters? We have a man's life on the line, as well as several other injured people. So what if you get a few scratches while catching them?!" Mark angrily barked, looking back at the group with slanting eyes.
The group looked shocked for a moment before looking down in slight shame. Mark turned around and continued walking as he looked for a suitable territory to raid.
"Don't be too harsh on them Mark. Not everyone had an upbringing like yours. Most people would be afraid to get into a fight, much less receive injuries." Clye tried to explain for them.
Mark listened to her and calmed down quite a bit. She was right after all, not everyone had a military father raise them. Especially not in the way his did.
Soon, Mark and the others found a group of creatures that looked relatively weak in a nearby shop. There were around twenty of them, just enough for their needs.
They were small creatures, probably reaching knee-height at most. They had purple wings gracefully flapping on their backs as they danced around each other in the air.
{Inspect}
{Creature: Pixie
Core Density: Hollow
Mana Circuit: Beginner (Stage 1)
Info: Creatures from the fae family. They are known tricksters.}
Mark relayed the information to the others, especially the part about them being tricksters. They looked at them in confusion, wondering how they would trick them.
Many of the once anxious faces eased considerably as well. They all looked prepared to take these creatures down.
"That's the look I wanted to see. Now let's talk about the battle plan." Mark smiled, the group now giving their undivided attention.
...
Sometime later, the group had spread out and surrounded the shop. There was no room for escape as they closed the encirclement.
The pixies, having noticed the group's approach, began laughing as the flew out and began scattering some kind of dust into the air.
"Don't breath it in!" Mark shouted, staying high alert.
One unlucky person didn't react in time and his eyes immediately clouded over. He began wandering around aimlessly as the pixies chuckled at the show.
The others wiped the cold sweat from their foreheads, thanking Mark's quick response in their hearts.
The group now on a time limit, holding their breaths, dove at the pixies.
The pixies, not expecting to be grabbed at, failed to respond in time and more than half of them were captured.
"Cover the captured in cloth!" Mark ordered, covering his face with his shirt as he spoke.
The other pixies became scared, seeing their friends captured. They began attempting to escape, but their flight speed was too slow, and the people here were able to jump quite high.
Most of the remaining pixies were soon captured and bound. The few that escaped, Mark had no worry of. They didn't seem to have to much offensive power, nor were they very fast or smart.
"Alright grab the one that inhaled that dust and let's return." Mark said, walking into the shop really fast to make sure there wasn't a dungeon.
Seeing it was all clear, Mark and the others quickly returned to the base with the fae. The people waiting for them waved at their return, before looking at the cloth sacks in confusion. They were squirming around constantly.
Ruby walked up with a confused expression as well, staring at Mark as he approached her.
"This is your solution? Little monsters?" Ruby asked, doubting Mark seriously.
"Did you forget about Jor?" Mark asked, an offended look on his face as Jor angrily rubbed its legs together.
"Oh, yeah!" Ruby facepalmed, remembering Mark's explanation of the little spider's talent.
"Well, let's go. The man with his chest caved in is looking worse by the minute." Ruby ushered everyone to where the injured were laying.
When they arrived the man seemed to be one foot in the grave, gasping desperately for air. Mark hurriedly gave the orders for everyone.
"You guys bind the pixies up so they can't fly or spread dust. Jor, start making webs to connect every pixie to the injured. Make the main line thick and durable so it can be reused." Mark watched anxiously, hoping they had made it in time.