Three days later, in the Emerald Mountains.
Helag and his group rode along the mountain path, with a supply wagon bringing up the rear.
It had just rained in the mountains, and mist swirled among the peaks.
It was sunset, and Emil, riding at the front, was scouting for a suitable campsite.
Helag was in the middle of the group, with a map constantly updating in his vision.
Every place they passed, he had Deep Blue record. Combined with existing maps, a more complete map was taking shape.
The Pumpkin Farm was an important agricultural area in Baron Buck's territory, located on the western side of the Emerald Mountains. Baron Buck's castle was on the right side of the mountains, and they needed to cross the mountains to reach the farm.
"Let's camp in this cave tonight."
Emil found a spacious cave ahead, with animal fur and dried droppings at the entrance.
It was clearly a bear's den, but Emil and his men didn't care. If the bear came back, it would just be a source of fur.
The horses were tied in the nearby woods to graze and rest.
The wagon was parked in front of the cave, forming a simple barricade.
The group got busy, and soon a campfire was lit at the cave entrance.
Helag was in charge of unloading food from the wagon: cured meat, potatoes, tomatoes, and other vegetables.
A large pot was soon hung over the fire, and the food was tossed in.
They had been eating this way for days, a hodgepodge stew.
A rack was set up beside the fire to dry their wet clothes.
"Hey, Jimmy! Put away those damn socks! How many times have I told you, no drying socks while cooking! Do you want your meat to taste like stinky socks?" roared Hagen, a bearded guard, seeing a pair of socks on the drying rack.
"Hehe," Jimmy sheepishly removed the socks and hung them outside the cave.
Helag, seeing the stew was ready, lifted the lid.
A rich aroma filled the cave and drifted into the darkening forest.
"Dinner's ready!" Helag called, and the guards, lying or sitting around the cave, came over with their tin plates.
No one moved, waiting for Emil to eat first.
Emil forked some meat and vegetables into his plate, ladled some soup, and sat at the cave entrance, eating quietly and lost in thought.
Once Emil started eating, the rest didn't hold back, quickly emptying the pot of meat.
Helag, experienced and assisted by Deep Blue, was quick and precise in getting his share.
After dinner, there was no entertainment. The group chatted around the fire for a while before going to sleep.
They slept in half armor, with weapons and armor nearby, ready to fight at a moment's notice.
Helag was on night watch, sitting by the fire and keeping an eye on the surroundings.
With no dry wood due to the recent rain, Helag fetched some stored firewood from the wagon.
The fire had to stay lit all night to keep wild animals at bay.
As the night deepened, it started raining lightly again. Helag checked the time: 1 AM.
Based on Deep Blue's observations, this world's day was also about 24 hours.
Helag had Deep Blue calibrate the time to a 24-hour format.
A cold wind blew into the cave, making the fire crackle and flicker.
The cold wind drove away Helag's drowsiness. He stared into the dark forest, with no abnormalities on Deep Blue's mini-map.
Originally, the mini-maps range was ten meters. After Helag's physical enhancements, it now showed a hundred meters of surrounding flora and fauna.
***
Meanwhile, a group of people was stealthily approaching the cave from the distant forest.
The sound of rain masked their footsteps, and their cautious approach made them hard to detect in the dark.
As they got closer, the leader signaled, and the group split into two, flanking the cave from both sides. Three continued to approach from the front.
Helag, sitting at the cave entrance, remained vigilant, with Deep Blue's mini-map active in his vision.
"Hmm?"
He noticed a red dot on the mini-map, just left of the cave entrance, followed by eight more red dots entering the range.
Simultaneously, another group of nine approached from the right.
Helag immediately drew his longsword and whispered, "Enemy attack!"
Emil, sleeping at the back of the cave, had already awakened and donned his armor before Helag drew his sword.
The others quickly followed suit, all awake and ready.
"Two groups are approaching from the sides, and three from the front!" Helag quickly reported.
Emil didn't question how he knew. He kicked over the pot, dousing the fire with the stew.
"Everyone, follow me and break through on the right!"
Their horses were in the woods on the right. In an uncertain situation, mounting and escaping was a wise choice.
Helag and the others nodded, following Emil out of the cave.
"Damn it! Don't let Emil escape!" shouted a man with a greatsword among the three leaders.
The commotion alerted the attackers. They knew they were exposed when the fire went out.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
A volley of arrows shot towards the cave, mostly blocked by the wagon.
Emil's group also faced attacks in the woods, but no one was hit due to the darkness.
Helag noticed the attackers were hiding in the woods, avoiding direct confrontation, each carrying a bow.
"They're here! Over here!" The attackers called out Emil's position.
Helag saw on the mini-map that another group was closing in, led by three fast-moving figures.
These fast speeds indicated official knights. They had to break through quickly.
"Deep Blue, activate aim assist."
Helag hid behind a tree, avoiding arrows, and nocked an arrow, aiming at the enemies in the woods.
Others couldn't see, but he could. With Deep Blue's assistance, he could see everything clearly in the dark, including those hiding behind trees.