Morgana: Everybody Loves Large Chests (Vol.4)

by Iliev, Neven

  She was nevertheless unquestionably a resident of the Beyond—an ivory succubus that bore the name Purupururin. Her subspecies was unique in its aptitude for holy magic, and almost all of them were Priests of the God of Dice Rolls. How devout these ladies actually were varied from one to the next, but they were all capable of weaving healing and defensive Spells with ease. These succubi also possessed a special racial Skill called Demonic Invigoration, which allowed their healing Spells to restore a small amount of MP in addition to their regular effects. The ability also ‘invigorated’ a very specific part of the male anatomy, but that was hardly what Jules was after when he contracted Purupururin.

  As for the reason why a Ranger, a Warrior, and a Warlock were out here in the wilderness, it was sadly not the set up for a bad joke. The war between the Lodrak Empire and the Ishigar Republic was about to go into full swing, and Keira, Lola, and Jules were one of many recon teams dispatched to scout enemy positions, numbers, and the lay of the land. One could argue that a Ranger would cover more ground by themselves, but that was only the case if the region wasn’t teeming with monsters.

  “Enemy contact, standby.”

  Lola motioned the other two to stop when she heard Keira’s voice drift gently into her ear via Whisper Wind. The elf couldn’t respond since it was a one-way communication channel, but it was a lot better than not having it.

  “I see a group of five gnolls, one-hundred-and-thirty meters ahead. They haven’t spotted me.”

  That was why traversing this region alone was a bad idea. Gnolls were humanoid monsters with predominantly canine features, giving them the appearance of bipedal hyenas. Although not particularly strong on their own, they were intelligent enough to wield weapons, wear armor, and understand pack tactics. They were also known for building crude villages and even showed a vested interest in agriculture and animal husbandry, putting them a step above other tribal monsters like goblins and kobolds. Overall, gnolls were relatively docile as far as monsters went. They seemed content to eke out a primitive existence without actively assaulting enlightened settlements, but would show no mercy to any invaders within their territory.

  Which, incidentally, was precisely what Keira’s group was technically doing.

  “We should be able to take them easy, move up to my position,” the Ranger reported.

  “Keira found some more gnolls,” Lola informed Jules. “Says they’re easy pickings, so we’re going to move on them.”

  “She says that about everything,” the Warlock grumbled.

  “She hasn’t been wrong so far.”

  “No, I guess not.”

  A Ranger’s primary duties outside of combat situations involved navigating the wilderness and accurately assessing potential threats. It allowed groups of adventurers to pick their fights, which could lead to disaster if the scout wasn’t up to snuff. Jules had to admit, that cat-eared rookie was pretty damn good at her job. That wasn’t to say he didn’t have reservations, though.

  “I just get the feeling she’s getting overconfident,” he added. “Those gnolls would rip her to shreds if they caught her scent.”

  The ivory succubus behind him gave off a snort at the thought of a few bipedal puppies being able to defeat that.

  “… Something you wanna say, Purupururin?” Jules asked.

  “Yeah. You guys are fucking idiots.”

  “Charming as usual, aren’t you?”

  Of course, even if she was aware of Boxxy’s secret, she wouldn’t dare reveal it for three very good reasons. First of all, it would ruin the fun. Second of all, the Progenitor she worshipped would probably have her sorry ass on a platter, if she dared to do that. Steven despised spoilers worst of all, and none of his ‘children’ wanted to risk earning his wrath or disappointment by spilling the beans. Last, but certainly not least, that shapeshifter was her ticket to freedom. She hoped to work out some deal with ‘Keira’ to make Jules disappear and allow his familiar to run free, but Purupururin hadn’t had the chance to even speak with it yet.

  “Right, go back to keeping your face-hole shut and stay quiet.”

  Unfortunately for her, said master knew how to handle a succubus. Jules kept a near-permanent gag order on her ever since they were contracted years ago. Language was one of a succubus’s main weapons, after all, and the scenario she planned to enact was just the type of thing her master wanted to avoid.

  The trio climbed up the hillside, following Keira’s footsteps until they met up with their scout. The catgirl pointed in the distance, indicating a group of shadows moving between the trees. Lola nodded knowingly and unsheathed the longsword from her hip while readjusting her left hand’s grip on her kite shield. She took point as the group crept closer. Once they were about fifty meters from the gnolls, she looked over her shoulder to confirm the others were ready, then nodded at Keira. The beastkin nocked an arrow on her iron-reinforced hunting bow and took aim. She picked out the juiciest-looking target and let loose while activating a Martial Art with a murmur.

  “Power Shot.”

  The arrow left a trail of red light as it flew forward. It nailed the tallest gnoll right between the eyes, nearly taking its head clean off. The other four canine creatures turned towards the source of the attack and let out growls and howls as they ran for cover. Even if it had strong penetrative force, the trajectory of a Power Shot was far too easy to track, so that was likely going to be the only clean shot the Ranger would get.

  Lola sprang forward from the undergrowth she was hiding in and dashed to intercept the rest of the gnolls. By the time she caught up to them, Keira had nailed another while Jules’ Shadowbolt and Ebonfire finished off a third. The female elf slammed into the fourth gnoll with her shield, knocking it on its back. She pinned the monster to the ground with her foot and repeatedly stabbed downwards with her sword until it stopped moving. The Warrior then sprinted after the last one, which attempted to flee through the foliage on all fours. She caught up to it in a display of exceptional athleticism and finished it off before it could get help, though it still put up a fight.

  Overall, it had taken barely thirty seconds to wipe out the gnoll hunting party. An easy win, just as Keira said. Would’ve been a flawless victory if Lola hadn’t taken a few hits. The gnoll she knocked over managed to club her in the abdomen before she could finish it off, and the one she chased after had bitten her a few times. The Warrior’s armor absorbed most of the punishment, but she was still left with a bruise and some minor scratches. Jules had Purupururin immediately treat those. Gnolls were known to carry diseases both magical and mundane, some of which could easily overcome a Warrior’s hardy constitution.

  The group rebuilt their earlier formation and kept climbing the hill. They ran into a smaller group of gnolls that were also easily dispatched before they reached the top, at which point all of them could clearly see their objective.

  A large force of Imperial soldiers had made camp along the road in the distance, over a kilometer away from their current position. The smoke trails rising from the sea of white tents signified some of them were already up and about, likely preparing breakfast. A large number of griffin-adorned blue flags and banners were strung up, signifying the force’s allegiance. Although they were not on Republic territory yet, they were within a half-day’s march of the border.

  Lola, Keira and Jules shared a few meaningful glances. The Ranger reached into her backpack. She pulled out a crystal cube that was about eight centimeters on each side, as well as an Artificer-made spyglass. She tapped three times on the Comm-crystal and whispered the password into it.

  “Folly. Ulgred. Berry. Ankrow. Rillis. Gorgon. Geomer.”

  The cube sprang to life and projected the blue-colored transparent image of a male elf with short hair, a military uniform, and a stern expression.

  “This is Keira Morgana, recon team Three-One,” she reported.

  “This is Forward Command, reading you loud and clear, Three-One,” came the business-like response from the other en
d. “What’s your situation?”

  “We reached our destination and have eyes on the enemy force.”

  “Can you verify their numbers?”

  The catgirl laid down on the ground, set the cube down next to her and looked over the large camp with her spyglass. She took an approximation of the number of tents, and took into account the average number of soldiers that would fit in a single one before she gave her estimate.

  “Seems to be two regiments’ worth, at least four thousand people, maybe five.”

  The officer stoically noted down the information, but Jules and Lola’s expressions sunk when they heard that. This was twice the number of soldiers they were told to expect during their initial briefing.

  “Understood, Three-One. Can you make out any heraldries?”

  Each noble house of the Empire had a small armed force, which they were expected to train and maintain. While the Emperor’s generals had ultimate authority, each house was directly responsible for its own soldiers. As such, they made a point of displaying their respective colors alongside the Empire’s flag whenever possible.

  “Yes, sir, two of them,” Keira reported. “One’s a set of three white horses on a green background, seems these make up a quarter of the enemy force. The rest are under a black banner with a pair of golden crossed swords.”

  “Affirmative. Do you see anything special regarding their composition or equipment?”

  “Just that they have a lot of horses. Maybe a thousand, can’t get an accurate count. Big ones, too, and they’re all under the first banner I mentioned. Seems to be a cavalry detachment. There’s also a griffin flying towards the south, probably just took off.”

  “Do you see any siege equipment?”

  “Not that I can tell. There’s a bunch of supply carts strewn around the place, though.”

  “How can she tell so much from such a distance?” Jules whispered to Lola while Keira kept going on with her report.

  “Because that’s her job, Jules,” she whispered back.

  “Well, yeah, but it’s so dark I can barely even make out the tents. I know her kind are supposed to have sharper eyes than us elves, but this seems a bit much.”

  Admittedly, Rangers had access to a Skill called Eagle Eye that helped them peer over long distances, but this girl’s Level wasn’t high enough to have access to it.

  “Must be that spyglass thing,” Lola pointed out. “She said she had the muffin lady make it especially for these recon missions.”

  “Muffin lady?” the Warlock raised an eyebrow.

  “Yeah, the Rustblood Juggernaut. You know, that mithril golem that’s been working non-stop back at base?”

  “Wait, she’s real? I thought she was just a rumor. I mean, why would a golem help a bunch of elves? And she can make things?”

  “Look, it’s a long story. All you need to know is there’s a gnomish mind under all that metal, and that she’s Keira’s friend. She’s a member of the Consortium too, so she got drafted like the rest of us.”

  “Hmm, well, if the guys in charge think she’s trustworthy, I guess I got no right to complain.”

  That said, Jules would probably sing a different tune if he had actually seen Fizzy fight in the arena.

  “Acknowledged, Three-One. That’ll be enough for now.”

  Meanwhile, the group’s scout finished relaying what information she could through the Comm-crystal.

  “Your orders,” the officer continued, “are to monitor the situation and send word the instant they start marching. You are then to continue to track and report on their progress. This is your main objective.”

  “What about enemy contact, sir?”

  “To be avoided at all costs. If discovered, you are to immediately retreat and fall back to base. The last thing we need is for you to be captured and interrogated by the enemy. Understood?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Very good. Forward Command out.”

  The image of the elven officer disappeared, and Keira swiftly put away the cube and the spyglass. The team then made a basic camp while they waited for the enemy to start moving. They ate their field rations cold since building a campfire was out of the question. They also had to stay on alert the entire time, as it was unclear whether enemy scouts would show up. Realistically speaking, that was more a matter of ‘when’ rather than ‘if.’ That thought seemed to disturb Jules quite a bit. The Warlock alternated his gaze between the serious-faced Lola and the strangely smiling Keira for almost half an hour before he decided to speak his mind.

  “Have you two… killed before? People, I mean.”

  All of them had fought plenty of monsters, but taking the life of an enlightened person was a different matter entirely.

  “We have, yeah,” Lola admitted. “Our teachers had us fight brigands and bandits. You know, to prepare us for the war.”

  “Ah, I see… I’ve never actually hurt another person though.”

  “Well, you better not hesitate,” the Warrior cautioned. “It could cost us all our lives if you choke when the time comes.”

  “I know, I just- I’m not sure if I’ll forgive myself if I have to murder someone. I can’t justify that with war as an excuse, not to myself.”

  Oh my fucking god! Purupururin yelled internally. You’re a fucking Warlock, damn it! A wielder of ruinous powers that could melt a man’s face clean off! Start acting like it, already! Seriously, how are you this spineless?! Is it because you’re a virgin? I bet it’s because you’re a virgin, you pathetic loser!

  Needless to say, the succubus absolutely despised her master’s noble spirit, and those types of vitriolic comments were why she had lost her speaking rights.

  “Just think of them as bugs,” Keira chimed in.

  “Bugs?” Jules asked, confused.

  “Yeah. They’re nothing but a bunch of big, four-legged cockroaches that should be crushed on sight, lest they eat all your food and lay eggs everywhere.”

  “Heh.”

  Lara gave a short, dry laugh. That description was too fitting of the Imperial army’s reputation.

  “…”

  Jules, on the other hand, was speechless. Hearing a sweet-looking child say such things with a calm voice was more than a little jarring, but this was the reality of their situation. The Warlock was one of the few elves that was truly hesitant to fight this war. Even if he knew the reasons and circumstances, none of those would ease his guilt if he had to attack and kill another person. That was why he signed up for recon duty. Scouting teams typically saw little-to-no combat. Still, he wasn’t green enough to think that surviving this conflict without shedding blood was possible.

  The five-thousand strong force Keira and her group were monitoring started moving an hour after sunrise, and recon team Three-One sprang into action. They kept several kilometers ahead of the enemy, keeping Forward Command updated on the enemy’s position as per their orders. The upper brass used that information to assess just how bad they’d lose. According to the intel they had managed to gather, the Imperial army had fielded an estimated one-hundred-twenty-thousand troops for this invasion. In terms of fighting strength, the average Imperial foot soldier was estimated to be around Level 35. More veteran troops went above Level 50, while the elites were Level 80 at the least. The Empire’s numbers also included about twenty or so powerhouses that had reached Level 100 of their main Job and achieved a Rank Up. Unofficially referred to as Rankers and VIPs, these individuals had to be treated with utmost care and attention

  The Republic, on the other hand, had barely ninety-thousand men and women, about half of whom consisted of conscripted adventurers. These people had a respectable advantage in terms of gear and Levels when compared to Imperial grunts, but they were not professional soldiers. Warfare demanded an entirely different set of training, equipment and experience than adventuring. As such, the Empire had the definite advantage when it came to both the quantity and quality of soldiers within their ranks. Not only that, but they had seasoned comma
nders that had already participated in military campaigns against the Sovereign States Alliance—an amalgamation of city states that lay far to the southeast, on the literal other side of the continent.

  However, that experience only applied to open warfare. Republic High Command wanted to avoid large-scale conflicts, and planned on using hit-and-run tactics to disrupt and slow down the Empire’s invasion. The elven homeland was lush with young and old forests that slowed down invaders and served as ambush spots, a sort of natural fortification. The Imperial army would have to either avoid these regions entirely or suffer heavy losses trying to cross them. Either way, the Republic’s goal of stalling the enemy would be fulfilled. They would buy time until the harsh winter set in and halted the Empire’s advance until spring. The elves lacked an answer as to what they would do once spring came and the snow and ice melted, but they would cross that bridge when they got to it.

  As for the Lodrak Empire, their goal was to occupy as much territory as possible before the snowfall set in. They would use the following months to fortify their position, such that it would be nigh-impossible for the weaker Republic to retake those lands once hostilities resumed. And hostilities would, in all likelihood, resume. Morale among the Imperial troops was high, as many of them looked to get payback for the Calamity of Monotal. Not only that, but they had also been led to believe the elves could repeat that devastating attack in the future if they weren’t stopped.

  Boxxy, much like every other Republic soldier, was aware of their motivations, which it found to be rather strange considering their religion. Humans, for the most part, worshipped Teresa, and while not quite at the level of a theocracy, her Church of the Hammer still had a lot of political influence within the Empire. Thanks to a certain loudmouthed God of Probability, Teresa already knew the truth behind the Monotal incident. It was entirely within her power to put a stop to this war, and yet she didn’t.