Chapter 143: A Bird As A Troublemaker?

POV Cornelius

We arrived in the capital in late summer. Unlike the forest where we had spent the last few weeks, it was much warmer here. But that meant we still had a few months to go before the academy started again. By now, we were all 17 years old and old enough to be accepted into the special classes at the academy. Over the past few years, we had acquired a general education about the world and thus everything we needed as a foundation. The special classes took place at the academy, but in reality, they were more like learning under our own teachers in smaller groups or even individually. Our training took place separately, which made Eli unhappy. Her mood had noticeably deteriorated, but we couldn't take that into consideration. We had to become stronger, and to do that, we had to go into dungeons. We could still reach the Lightning Dungeon in time so that we wouldn't be stuck in the north during winter. Winter in the northern mountains was much harsher than here in Lightburgh. We wanted to visit the two dungeons in the south next year, and the two dungeons we had already visited had become boring.

In the capital, we prepared for the journey, or rather, we had people for this work. Accomplish this, we gathered the recruits who wanted to accompany us again. This time there were only 12, but we plan to send more recruits two weeks after departure. Since they would be traveling by horse without much luggage, they should be able to catch up with us in Mineton. Five days later, we set off with our entourage. This time, we were also accompanied by some members of the church and the military, who wanted to gain experience in the dungeon as well. Including servants, there were 15 additional people in total.

It took us just under three weeks to reach our first destination. The journey there was uneventful, except that the climate changed noticeably. The first two weeks were mild, but after that it got cooler. We were still in a hilly area, but the terrain was slowly rising. In the distance, we could see a large mountain range, its highest peaks shrouded in clouds. The lightning dungeon was located in one of the valleys of this mountain range.

In Mineton, we stayed at the best inn in the small town, which unfortunately was only one of two. Therefore, the quality was quite modest. In addition, our group was so large that not all of us could stay at the inn. Therefore, the soldiers stayed outside. We took all the available rooms and also took possession of the kitchen. The cook and the servants who accompanied us took care of our physical well-being. That was better than leaving it to the country bumpkins here.

Next, we went in search of information. We had already been informed by the church, but it was always better to obtain the latest information on site. We learned that there were several small mountain villages in the surrounding area where mining was carried out. In Mineton, there were many smelters and forges to process the ore. The ore was mostly iron and coal, but also copper and, rarely, silver. There was no gold here.

The path to the dungeon led through one of these mountain villages and took about five days. While we were replenishing our supplies, the other recruits who had followed us joined us. This brought our total to 18 recruits, which we divided into three groups. This kept us within the limit of six, which allowed us to get the most out of the boss fights.

Two days later, we continued our journey. The ascent into the mountains proved more difficult than expected. After only four hours, the path became noticeably steeper, so we had to dismount from our horses. From then on, we led them by the reins. The carts slowed us down even more. We also spotted large birds circling in the sky in the distance. They were the first large wild animals we had ever seen in the empire outside of dungeons. We saw numerous other animals on the slopes of the surrounding mountains. In addition to goats, we also saw individual big cats and smaller animals, perhaps rodents or foxes.

That evening, we spent the night outdoors. I divided the groups of recruits and soldiers into guard duty, as I had heard beforehand that aggressive animals were becoming more common. We had already seen them that day, so it couldn't be ruled out that they might attack. I took the opportunity to test a different tactic with the recruits. I appointed three leaders and let them decide for themselves when to admit new members to their respective groups, as long as everyone was chosen. When they choose, they should decide among themselves.

During the night, we heard the occasional howl of wolves in the distance, but otherwise it remained quiet. That's why we were able to set off unharmed the next day. From then on, we came across isolated valleys, which we crossed. They often contained forests where we could hunt. We found water in streams that flowed down from the mountains. There were even a few small lakes here. At the end of the day, we rested in one of these valleys. We posted guards again.

In the middle of the night, we heard a loud cry that woke us from our sleep. I grabbed my sword and ran out of my tent. The camp was in an uproar. I stopped a soldier.

“What's going on here? Report!” <Cornelius>

“One of the servants was attacked while she was sleeping. She has a large bloody wound, but she's still alive.” <Soldier>

“Who are the attackers?” <Cornelius>

“We don't know. No one saw them.” <Soldiers>

"Take us to the injured woman immediately. Ansgar, Javier, look around. Eli, follow me." <Cornelius>

Together with Eleonore, I followed the soldier to the servants' tents. How could attackers get so deep into the camp? And why was a servant attacked of all people? Then we arrived at the injured woman. Eli immediately took care of her. I was amazed at how much blood the woman had lost.

"Corni, I've never seen anything like this before. The woman is missing a large piece of her upper arm muscle. It's as if someone ripped it out." <Eleonore>

“What are you saying? How can that be?” <Cornelius>

“I don't know. I can heal her, but she'll have to rest afterwards.” <Eleonore>

“Please do that.” <Cornelius>

I didn't fully understand the situation. But I knew we had to reinforce the guards. Nothing else happened that night, but we could hardly get any rest. Everyone was accordingly tired the next morning. If nothing else happened, we would arrive in the mountain village around noon tomorrow. That's why we had to spend another night outside. Fortunately, nothing happened during the day, so we set up camp in the forest again in the evening. Only this time at the edge, so we could keep a better eye on our surroundings. The guards were doubled.

But we were woken up again that night. There was another attack, even though we had reinforced the guards. And, surprisingly, the same servant was attacked again and another piece of muscle flesh was missing from her body. But this time there was an eyewitness.

“I made an observation. I saw a bird flying away.” <Soldiers>

“A bird?” <Cornelius>

“Yes. The bird had a wingspan of almost 2 meters. I saw it take off from the maid. It looked like it had something in its beak.” <Soldier>

“Then it has the best hiding places in the nearby forest. Spread the word to watch out for bird attacks.” <Cornelius>

“Yes, sir.” <Soldier>

We had to be even more careful, but at least now we knew what to look out for. We should try to find out more in the nearby village. But what kind of bird was it? I had never heard of a bird that attacked you in your sleep at night and tore a piece of flesh from your living body. Terrifying.