Octavius looked over his temporary team as they prepared. He’d seen what they could do over the previous few hours of training. While he wasn’t sure what to expect of them in actual combat, Robert’s word, along with his knowledge of their abilities, was almost enough for him to trust them in live combat. Still, as soon as they were ready to go, they would set off. If they encountered one of the beasts that constantly attacked the Sanctuary, he’d have his team join the battle to test their mettle.

They hardly seemed to be part of the same group as they sat around the fire. The marines had an appearance closest to his own, with their woodland variant MARPAT camouflage being not far in appearance from Octavius’s own worn OCP pattern fatigues. Beyond that, however, the brown and black of Octavius’s leather armor was entirely unique within the group. The others all wore an eclectic mix of dark-colored furs and black clothes from Earth, with almost nothing identical from one person to the next.

The two marines were illuminated by the orange glow of the dying fire as they studied every inch of their rifles for the slightest defect. Caster appeared to be meditating with his legs crossed, breathing in and out slowly. Octavius turned to face Bill, who was running the steel blade of a hatchet over the wet surface of a sharpening stone.

The group all double-checked everything they could possibly need. Straps were tightened and pouches of potions were secured to belts. Octavius knelt as he scooped up a handful of pitch-black ash. He rubbed the fine carbon onto the silver metal of his spear. As he applied handful after handful of ash, the metallic luster of the spear dulled and eventually nearly disappeared.

Octavius stood, and the others stood with him as if following an unspoken order. They all held determined expressions on their faces. It was abundantly clear that there were many ways their attack could go wrong, perhaps the least of which being that the thralls weren’t even there. If the thralls were actually in much larger numbers than the nine they expected, things could get messy.

Even though the thrall mages were relatively weak in combat, they were still mostly above level 20. With their invisibility added on top of that, they could walk straight into an ambush if the thralls expected them. Octavius knew that nine on nine, they could crush the thrall mages in a fair fight, but this wouldn’t be a fair fight.

They’d discussed earlier in the day and agreed that if there were nine thralls that used the outpost, it was incredibly unlikely that all nine would be there. But if there were forty thralls, assuming that only half of them were at the outpost, it would be a difficult fight.

Octavius knew that he’d been given all of the powerful fighters that the Sanctuary could spare, but he wished that his team was large enough to significantly outnumber the thralls. Still, the fact that the gunners he got were some of the few with actual rifles, along with the training and ammunition to use them, would likely help a lot.

He guessed that the strength of the exoskeletons of the thralls scaled up with either constitution or vitality. Despite not knowing which, he did know that the exoskeletons of the rogues he’d fought were much stronger than those of the mages. It made sense to him if the mages were entirely min-maxed towards staying invisible as long as possible.

If that were true, the bullets fired from the rifles might even have a chance of piercing the exoskeletons of the mages. In the case that some of the thralls present weren’t mages, Octavius and the other melee fighters would deal with them.

The nine of them stood in silence, only illuminated by the dim embers that the fire had been reduced to. Octavius nodded, “Ok, let’s go.”

They set off towards the southeastern section of the border. They planned to take advantage of the relative lack of beasts for their river crossing. The now-familiar sounds of fighting and the brass alarms going off in the distance accompanied the group as they edged along the boundary towards where they would exit the Sanctuary.

When they moved far enough south that the sounds of the flowing river could be heard, they cut to the east. Nodding to the group of guards as they passed, they disappeared into the gloom of the trees. The group did their best to follow through with what Octavius and Bill had taught them about moving quietly. Even so, the occasional rustle of leaves gave away their position.

They walked in a line as they cut further east. Bill led the group forward to the point they chose to cross the river. The two marines were a few feet to either side of the column, sweeping their rifles back and forth as they advanced in a crouch.

After five minutes, the group had yet to encounter a beast. Bill stopped, his raised hand visible to the group in the moonlight. The group halted as Bill gestured to his right and set off in that direction, the group following as well.

It was only another seven minutes until they reached the bank of the river. They all knew that the danger of the mission would truly begin as soon as they started to cross the flowing water. To the east of the Sanctuary, there weren’t many beasts. The zone of reduced risk stretched to the east and north slightly, but not to the south. They could only hope that they wouldn’t encounter a powerful beast across the river.

Octavius was the first to enter the river. He slid down the dirt of the steep incline until his boots splashed quietly into the cool water. Standing, he scanned the opposing bank and set off. The river was far from deep, only reaching to thigh height, but Octavius took care to place his feet on only stable surfaces. He also took care to keep his spear above the water as he moved. It wouldn’t do for its gleaming surface to be revealed by the flowing water.

By the time he’d made it halfway across the river, he’d heard the quiet splashing that signified three more of his teammates entering the water. His steps were slow and steady as he moved carefully. He tested a foothold with some of his weight, only for the rock to tilt dangerously. Removing his boot, he placed it slightly to the side of the rock and continued.

The opposing bank of the stream had a much more gradual incline than the side they entered on. Octavius exited the water and stood facing the trees. He kept his spear at the ready. It was his job to keep any beasts from attacking his teammates as they exited the water. His eyes vigilantly scanned the shadowed trees but found nothing.

The sound of wildly splashing drew his attention to the river, but it was distant enough that he’d have to trust his team to resolve whatever their issue was. The leaves blew gently in the wind as the splashing stopped, and the first other member of his team exited the water.

Jean came up to stand beside him, assuming a slightly different defensive stance than his own. Neither of the two spoke until the next person exited the water. Octavius remained facing the trees as Jean turned to see if the next man, Raj, needed help. Apparently, he didn’t, because she turned to face forward again, her eyes scanning the treeline, not unlike Octavius’s own. Raj joined them, standing to the left of Octavius so that they formed a triangle.

The next person to exit the water was Leo, followed by Caster. Caster was panting slightly as he stepped onto the riverbank and Octavius glanced back at him. The tall, young man was soaking wet from his chest to his feet. Octavius arched an eyebrow but was sure that the mage couldn’t see it. I guess I know what the splashing sound was, he thought to himself.

After the final few members of their group finished crossing the river, Bill took the lead once more. They moved slower now, trying to avoid attracting any beasts. Bill led them through the trees until the terrain became unfamiliar to Octavius, and then further.

None of them spoke as they crossed mile after mile. Eventually, the ground began to slope upward and eventually led them to the crest of a hill. Once they reached the top, Bill motioned for them to stop once more. He gestured to Octavius to approach. Once they stood side by side, Bill whispered quietly into his ear.

“It’s over there somewhere,” he said, pointing at a massive oak in the distance. Octavius nodded; there were three large oaks in his line of sight, all relatively close together. Each one managed to reach the incredible height of the surrounding ash trees. What made the trees stand out was their width. Each one was at least as far across as they were tall. From the forest floor, the oaks wouldn’t stand out unless one got a look at their trunks. However, from the crest of the hill, the difference between the oaks and ash trees was clear.

Two of the oaks were around the same size, maybe three hundred feet from one edge of their crown to the other. The third oak, however, dwarfed them. It was hard to judge exact sizes with the low light and distance between them, but Octavius guessed it was approaching four hundred feet across.

Octavius nodded at Bill in affirmation; he agreed. Bill’s white teeth flashed in the moonlight and he started moving down the hill. Octavius and the rest of the team quickly followed. They switchbacked down the steep hill until the ground leveled once more.

The hike towards the trees took another half an hour at their slow pace, but they eventually came to the largest of the massive oaks. Under the canopy of the oak, along with the trees that grew beneath it, the moonlight barely reached the ground. They came to a stop when the trunk came into view.

It was massive, at least two dozen feet in diameter. Its shape was irregular, with roots branching off of the ancient trunk ten feet before it even reached the ground. Octavius turned, nodded to the group, and put his hand in his pocket. The illusion ring slipped onto his finger, and he let mana flow to it.

After he vanished, he crept towards the trunk of the oak. The rest of his party knew the plan. If he were to not return within five minutes, they’d all approach the trunk together.

Octavius was tempted to use the high powered flashlight on his belt to see through the gloom but knew that it would have to be a last resort. Giving up the element of surprise would be foolish.

Octavius moved in a low crouch as he began to circle the tree. He peered into the recesses formed by the roots as they burrowed into the soil. As he walked around the circumference of the tree for the first time, he could not help but marvel at the magnificence of the ancient tree.

He made careful note of each place he deemed a secret entrance to be possible. When he finished his first revolution of the trunk, he’d go around again. On the second time, he’d go from root to root, checking each location he had previously identified.

His first circle around the tree was nearly complete when something caught his eye. There was a dim pale glow in one of the deepest recesses where a root met the trunk. The light had the same intensity and color as the moonlight all around him, except there shouldn't be any moonlight reaching such a shadowed alcove.

His steps were careful and slow as he approached the source of the glow. Crouching, he ran his hands along the ground until they reached an area with an unnatural amount of give. Gently, he swept the leaves and detritus away from the ground, revealing a pit. It was only a little less than three feet across.

As he swept more and more leaves away, the light became brighter until it was easily distinguishable from the moon’s gentle glow. Leaving a thin covering of leaves over the pit, he stood again. He had found their base; all that was left was to wipe them out.

A good deal of relief flooded him as he quickly moved towards his team. It was definitely good news that the thrall hadn’t been lying about the location of its base. Now, he hoped that it also hadn’t been lying about their numbers.

He slipped the illusion ring from his finger to avoid startling his team and stepped around a corner. His smile immediately let them know that he was successful in finding the secret entrance.

Following him, they moved quickly towards the tree’s trunk. The marines took up positions in the back, facing away from the tree, while Octavius crouched at the hidden entrance once more. He reached into the hole and pulled away branches and leaves until the hole was a foot in depth. At the bottom of the hole was a massive horizontal piece of wood.

The root ran across the entire width of the hold, and light shown from cracks in it that formed a circle. Octavius didn’t know how, but the thrall had apparently carved a trap door into the roots of the tree itself.

He ran his hand along the rough bark of the root until he found a ridge. Gripping it, he pulled upward. The trapdoor came free of the root like the lid of a pumpkin, and light streamed from the exposed tunnel.

Octavius blinked rapidly to clear the spots in his eyes and peered into the root. The hole continued for eight feet into the root. There were ridges leading up to the trapdoor, similar to a ladder, and Octavius swung down into the hole.

His feet barely made a sound when they impacted the smooth wood of the floor. He immediately stepped forward to clear room for his companions as he inspected the tunnel.

It was four feet across and seven tall. A bit short for a human ceiling, but not for the smaller thralls. The walls of the tunnel were the inside of the root itself, and Octavius wondered how they created such an outpost. It was as if they had made the inside of the root hollow. The only way Octavius could think of for them to do that was magic, much like the light which came from gently glowing orbs that hung close to the ceiling every dozen feet.

Octavius held his spear out in front of him as he moved down the gentle downward slope of the hallway. Behind him, the members of his team entered the tunnel one by one. When Octavius heard the eighth pair of feet hit the wooden floor, he sped up his advance.

The hallway bent gently to the right as the team quietly moved down it. After a hundred feet, the hallway opened up. Octavius held up a hand for the group to stop and crept forward. Peering into the massive cavern of wood, he saw four thralls sitting in a circle. They had their large eyes closed, and their four finger hands clasped in their laps.

Octavius crept back to the group; he had a decision to make. There’s a solid chance that the rifles could kill these four before they can react, but it would alert any other thralls in the outpost, he thought to himself, but in these tunnels, any sounds of combat would alert them.

He pointed at Leo and Marcus and nodded towards the unnatural wooden cavern. They moved slowly past the other party members until they caught sight of the thralls. Leveling their rifles, they looked towards Octavius, who quickly turned to the side of the party and mimed covering their ears. After everyone was prepared for the deafening sound, he nodded at the marines.

Even through his hands, the dozen cracks of the rifle fire made his ears ring. The firing stopped, then a half dozen more shots rang out in rapid succession.

Your party has slain Ilizk - Thrall (F) (Lvl 21) and you have gained 0 EXP (1/2)(21)(2)(1)(1.25)(100)(0.00)

Your party has slain Lomak - Thrall (F) (Lvl 22) and you have gained 0 EXP (1/2)(22)(2)(1)(1.25)(100)(0.00)

Your party has slain Girok - Thrall (F) (Lvl 20) and you have gained 0 EXP (1/2)(20)(2)(1)(1.25)(100)(0.00)

Your party has slain Drwak - Thrall (F) (Lvl 20) and you have gained 0 EXP (1/2)(20)(2)(1)(1.25)(100)(0.00)

Ignoring the pain in his ears, he scooped up his spear and charged into the cavern as soon as the gunshots went quiet. The four thralls were lying on the ground. They hadn’t even had time to react before the hail of bullets reached them.

Good, it seems as if rifle bullets do kill them. At least it does while they’re unprepared, he nodded in satisfaction.

He scanned the massive cavern. It stretched a half dozen yards across and was circular in shape. Various pieces of strange wood furniture seemed to be grown from the ground throughout the room. What his eyes locked onto first, however, were two tunnels that led off from the room.

“Come on! We need to hit them while they are confused and disoriented,” he said as loud as he dared, “Caster, Leo, Finn, and Toby, you’re with me. Marcus, lead the rest down the right tunnel. Use your flashlights and stay vigilant!”

He turned and rushed down the left-most tunnel, his four teammates not far behind. The tunnel curved more and more to the left as he sprinted down it. After another hundred feet, it opened up into another cavern. Only, this one seemed to still be under construction.

The room was about the same size across as the first but bare and empty. The dome-shaped chamber ended abruptly where it met a wall of wood that had yet to be removed. In the middle of the room stood the first thrall Octavius had seen that wore clothes that could be considered fancy, a pure grey robe of unknown material.

Droki - Thrall (F) (Lvl 25) (Wood Shaper)

Well, I guess that explains how the outpost was made, he thought to himself as he sprinted at it.

The thrall stretched out both hands, and two tendrils of wood sprouted from the ground. Octavius immediately diverted his course, weaving through them as they tried to grab him. He focused on moving carefully as he spun to one side, dodging one of the tendrils, only to be forced to duck by the other one.

The sound of gunfire rang out as Leo’s rifle barked to life. The staccato cracks were deafening as sparks pinged off the thrall’s exoskeleton. Octavius could see craters and dents forming in the thrall’s hardened skin as it stood perfectly still. The line of sparks traced up its body to its face, apparently going for the eyes.

The thrall closed its eyes as three bullets smacked against the thrall’s pronounced forehead, then the gunfire was replaced with a deafening silence. While the thrall was distracted, Octavius slid past one of the wooden tendrils and sprinted towards it.

He was distracted by a sickening series of cracks, followed by an agonized scream. His eyes found the health of his party members at the edge of his vision, and he saw that Leo had almost instantly dropped to two-thirds health.

His jaw clenched as he closed within five feet of the thrall. Its wide, black eyes glared at him in a mixture of shock and rage as he thrust his spear at it. A wall of wood rose from the ground to block his spear thrust, and Octavius activated Instant Thrust.

A piece of Octavius’s hair was blown into his eyes as a burst of wind rushed past his face. The wind impacted the thin wooden barrier and snapped it in half, leaving Octavius’s spear to continue on. His spear locked on to what Octavius knew was the thrall’s greatest weakness, their eyes. A loud scraping sound rang out for an instant as his spear skated along the thrall’s cheek before it slipped into the thrall’s right eye.

Your party has slain Droki Thrall (F) (Lvl 25) and you have gained 3891 EXP (1/2)(25)(3)(1)(1.25)(100)(0.83)

A heavy weight settled onto his spear as the thrall collapsed. Finn and Toby reached him a second later and skidded to a stop. Octavius spun to find Caster already feeding Leo a health potion.

Running over, he called out to them, “What happened?”

Caster looked up as he pulled Leo upright, audible cracking sounds ringing out from the man’s clearly broken leg over the sound of his grinding jaw. “Leo tried to charge the thing, but it made a pothole in the wood. He shattered his shin on the edge of it,” the mage explained.

Octavius opened his mouth to respond but was interrupted by a message.

Your party has slain Jikze - Thrall (F) (Lvl 21) and you have gained 0 EXP (1/2)(21)(2)(1)(1.25)(100)(0.00)

By the time he’d finished reading the message, the only evidence of Leo’s injury was the blood that ran down his leg from where his bone pierced the skin.

“Ok, if you’re good, we need to go see if the others need help,” he said. Leo nodded shakily, and the group hurried back down the hallway. When they entered the first cavern, they met the rest of the team waiting for them. Before he could speak, Marcus started talking.

“You guys ok?” he asked, eyes locking onto the blood on Leo’s leg.

“We’re fine now,” Octavius explained before gesturing at the dead thralls, “Settle down to wait. If we found six of them here, I’d bet there are three more that use the outpost.”

Bill nodded, “Yeah, I don’t see a reason the one you caught would give you a larger a number if it was lying. If it was, it’d say there were more than nine.”

Caster spoke up next, “Now that we’ve seen them and know what they are, won’t the compulsion you told us about affect us?”

“Yes, but with the dead thralls over there, it shouldn’t get many opportunities to,” Octavius affirmed before sweeping his arm at the short wooden seats, “Take a seat; we need to wait for the rest of the thralls to arrive.”