Chapter 108: The commander

The transparent dagger flew straight towards Ethan.

Ethan didn’t move. But Just before the dagger could reach him, the shadow beneath his feet began to move. Dozens of Shadow Wraiths came out of it and rushed towards the dagger.

They immediately attacked it with their Spectral Claws.

More Shadow Wraiths appeared, joining the others. Soon, there were hundreds of them attacking the same dagger.

The dagger shook under their attacks. It tried to move forward, but the Shadow Wraiths kept striking it until cracks began to appear on its surface.

A moment later, it broke apart and disappeared.

Garrick stared at the empty space in front of Ethan. Surprised that his attack easily destroyed.

Then around a hundred Storm Archers appeared, and they immediately raised their bows towards Garrick. Lightning gathered around their arrows as they activated Lock On.

All the arrows were aimed directly at Garrick’s head.

His expression changed when he saw them.

He could tell that the arrows were locked onto him. If they were released, he would have to face all of them at once.

"What are you doing?!"

Kael quickly moved forward.

"Uncle Garrick, stop! We’re on the same team! We’re all here for the same assignment, so why are you attacking him?"

Garrick didn’t answer him.

He raised a hand to his forehead. His face had become pale, and he could feel the backlash from his failed skill.

Using that attack already placed a heavy burden on his spirit. Now that it had been destroyed before reaching its target, the backlash was even worse.

He lowered his hand and looked at Ethan angrily.

"That bastard stole the Thornheart Flower from us! He also took the variant essence I wanted! Do you know how much trouble he caused me in that secret realm?"

"Uncle Garrick, that happened in the secret realm! You can’t just attack another student because of that!"

"He even nearly got me killed!"

"And that gives you the right to kill him?"

Garrick opened his mouth to reply, but another voice interrupted him.

"Enough!"

Everyone turned towards Doran.

The goblin Grandmaster was no longer looking at them calmly. He was clearly unhappy with what had just happened.

"Do you people know where you are? This is my workshop! Fighting is prohibited here!"

He looked directly at Garrick.

"Especially you! You’ve been here several times. Don’t tell me you’ve already forgotten the rules!"

Garrick’s expression stiffened.

Of course, he knew the rules. He had visited Doran’s workshop many times and knew that fighting inside was strictly forbidden.

He had simply become so angry after seeing Ethan that he had forgotten everything else.

Doran looked at him for a moment before continuing.

"If you have a problem with someone, take it somewhere else. Don’t bring your personal problems into my workshop and disturb everyone!"

Garrick clenched his teeth but didn’t argue.

Meanwhile, the others had also reacted to the sudden attack.

Gareth had already moved forward, with one hand resting on his weapon. Adrian had turned his covered eyes towards Garrick, while Lydia looked at Ethan with a worried expression.

Victor and Bran had also stood up. They weren’t particularly concerned about Ethan, but the sudden appearance of hundreds of summons had caught their attention.

"What’s going on?" Gareth asked.

Kael didn’t answer immediately. He was still looking at Garrick, clearly unhappy with what his uncle had done.

Ethan, however, remained calm.

The Storm Archers were still aiming at Garrick, while the Shadow Wraiths stood between them.

Ethan looked at Garrick.

"You attacked me without even asking what happened back then. Did you really think I would just stand here and let you do that?"

Garrick’s face darkened.

He wanted to say something, but with Doran standing nearby and a hundred arrows aimed at his head, he could only swallow his anger.

Ethan then looked at the Storm Archers.

"Stand down."

The Storm Archers lowered their bows, but they didn’t disappear immediately.

The Shadow Wraiths also stayed where they were for a little longer before returning to Ethan’s shadow.

After the situation had calmed down, Ethan recalled the remaining Shadow Wraiths and Storm Archers.

Doran was still displeased, but he didn’t say anything else. He simply told them to leave if they had finished what they came for.

Kael then led the others out of the workshop.

Once they were outside, he explained what had happened between Ethan and Garrick in the Verdant Secret Realm. He briefly mentioned the Thornheart Flower, the variant essence, and how things had gone wrong during their time there.

Garrick listened without interrupting.

When Kael finished, Garrick understood why Ethan had come to Ironhaven with the academy students. However, that didn’t mean he had suddenly forgiven him.

He still looked at Ethan with an unpleasant expression.

"Whatever. We have more important things to deal with right now."

Garrick turned towards the others.

"Since you’ve just arrived, you probably don’t know what’s been happening around Ironhaven."

He paused for a moment before continuing.

"The beastfolk have launched two major attacks in the surrounding areas already. Their attacks haven’t reached the city itself, but they’ve caused quite a bit of trouble in the surrounding areas. Some of the mines and ore mountains have even fallen into their hands."

The students exchanged glances.

Ironhaven was famous for its blacksmithing industry, so the mines around the city were very important. Losing control of some of them would naturally affect the supply of materials.

"Have the city guards been unable to deal with them?" Gareth asked.

"It’s not that simple," Garrick replied. "The beastfolk aren’t just attacking randomly. They have someone leading them, an Alpha. Their attacks have become more organized because of that."

He shook his head.

"They’re troublesome. Even when we manage to push them back, they don’t stay away for long. They keep finding ways to cause trouble around the mines and nearby settlements."

Garrick then mentioned that Kael’s father had already given instructions for the Silvercrest Guild’s branch in Ironhaven to assist with the situation. That was also why Garrick had been staying here instead of returning to the guild’s main headquarters.

"Even Grandmaster Doran was attacked before he arrived," he added. "Fortunately, he managed to deal with them, but it delayed his journey."

Ethan listened quietly.

So the situation was already worse than he had expected. The beastfolk weren’t dominating the entire region, but their repeated attacks were putting pressure on the local forces.

After Garrick finished explaining, Ethan spoke.

"Alright. Since we’re here for the assignment, we should meet the person in charge and hand over our documents. Can you take us there?"

Garrick looked at him with a displeased expression.

He had only just finished explaining the situation, yet Ethan was already giving him orders.

Before he could complain, Kael spoke.

"Uncle Garrick, just take us there. Ethan is the captain of this team, so he’ll be handling the assignment."

Garrick glanced at Kael before looking back at Ethan.

He clearly wasn’t happy about it, but he didn’t argue any further.

"Fine. Follow me."

Garrick turned around and led the group away from the workshop.

They followed him through the streets until they arrived at the military headquarters. After showing the soldiers at the entrance his guild badge, Garrick led everyone inside.

He spoke briefly with one of the soldiers before asking about the commander. After learning that he was in his office, they followed the soldier upstairs.

A few moments later, they entered the commander’s office.

A middle-aged man was sitting behind his desk. He wore a set of heavy armour that Ethan could tell was Fifth Order equipment. Even without checking his status, he could tell that the man was a Fifth Order professional.

"Commander, the people from the academy have arrived," the soldier reported.

The man raised his head.

"Finally."

He looked at Garrick with an unhappy expression.

"You’re more than a day late. What happened?"

Garrick briefly explained what had happened at Westwatch Station and how the inspection had delayed their journey.

The commander listened before giving a small nod.

"So that’s what happened."

He then looked at the students standing behind Garrick.

"Which one of you is the captain?"

Ethan stepped forward.

"That’s me. My name is Ethan."

The commander looked at Ethan, then glanced at the others. As a Fifth Order professional, he could easily tell their levels.

"Level 21?"

He repeated the number with a frown. His expression didn’t improve as he checked the others.

"Is this really the team the academy sent to assist us?"

The commander shook his head.

"I see. The academy is probably using this situation as an opportunity to train its students."

He looked at Ethan again.

"Don’t misunderstand me. I have nothing against the academy, but this isn’t a training ground. The beastfolk have already taken control of several mines and ore mountains. We’ve been dealing with their attacks for some time now."

He paused before continuing.

"Sending students with such low levels here will only give my soldiers more people to worry about. If something happens to you, we’ll have to spend time protecting you instead of dealing with the actual threat."

Kael frowned slightly, but Ethan remained calm.

"We understand the situation, Commander. We’re here to assist, not to cause more problems."

The commander looked at him for a moment.

"Good. At least you understand that much."

He then picked up a document from his desk.

"Since you’re already here, I’ll explain what has been happening and what we need from your team."

He opened the document and pointed at several locations marked on it.

"These are the areas where the beastfolk have been spotted recently. Most of their activities are concentrated around the mines and nearby ore mountains. We’ve managed to drive them away from some locations, but they keep returning."

He pointed at another location.

"The situation became more troublesome after an Alpha appeared among them. Their movements have become more organized since then, and they’ve been causing us quite a bit of trouble."

Ethan looked at the map as the commander continued explaining the situation.

After finishing, the commander looked at him again.

"Your team will be assigned to one of our patrol units. You’ll follow their instructions and assist them where necessary. Don’t act on your own or interfere with their operations."

His expression became serious.

"I don’t want to hear that any of you went off on your own and caused trouble. Is that understood?"