The First Legendary Beast Master novel Chapter 204

Chapter 204 Rae and Lotus

The team leader wiped sleep from his eyes as he tried to get his armour straightened when Alice started yelling. This group was a mess, and they were very nearly literally a mess, if Alice and the others hadn't shown up to block the Ogres.

But there were more Ogres coming now that the first group was down, drawn by the sound of combat, and the smell of blood.

The rest of the unit was almost on site already, and the appearance of another military unit had this camp shaping up much more quickly than one irate Commander Rank Elite. Everyone had heard the new orders over the last day, even Karl's group, though they had kept the radios turned low so the news of other troop movements and combat orders didn't distract them.

Everyone who had left the base since yesterday had a Church Guard with them, so this team had been in the field for at least two days, which was unusual, as the camp was much more comfortable, and the patrol zone was limited.

The Captain leading this patrol actually looked relieved when he saw that the officer for the incoming group was a Lieutenant who was under censure, with the red stripes, but after a few seconds, he realized just who that Lieutenant was, and all the casual demeanour that he had been trying to put on vanished.

"Lieutenant, thank you for the timely interception of the Ogre threat. My men owe your team a debt." He began.

"You can save it. My team is still finishing the second group of Ogres that yours didn't see coming this morning. I'm not going to yell at you, but I will warn you that there is a Church Guard either waiting for you to return to camp, or already on his way out to meet you.

It would be wise to have all your protocols in order before they arrive because the High Priest is an old school battle priest, and his team doesn't believe in coddling Elites." The Lieutenant replied.

"Surely, they won't usurp leadership from the military officers?" The Captain asked, looking to Alice for confirmation, as she was the strongest one present.

Alice shook her head. "They already have. The Church has been asked by the Judge Advocate General's office to get this zone back in top form, and the High Priest they chose intends to do exactly that."

The Captain looked devastated at the news. Under the old system, before the Elites, soldiers were honoured as potential Martyrs because the life expectancy was terrible, and over half wouldn't make it back from a five-year term of service. But now, Elites like him had gotten comfortable doing the bare minimum and reaping glory and promotions along the way.

Karl finished the second group of Ogres, and Tessa pulled a glowing magical gem out from under one of the bodies.

"I found something interesting. Give me a moment to translate, it's in that Ogre or Orc gobbledygook nonsense." She explained.

Karl hadn't even realized there was something written on the crystal in her hand, but when she cast a light spell through it, the gem created a set of red letters against the green of Thor's scales, and the cleric slowly began to decipher the writing.

"It is a gem of wisdom. It helps mages refresh their mana more quickly, but it's worthless to the Ogres. They must have kept it because it's shiny." Tessa explained.

That actually made sense for the Ogres, but the gem should be good for clerics as well.