Chapter 171: Abiding Strife (1/2)
Mike walked in the dormitory with a sigh. It had already been a long night, and his had barely even started.
Anna, as per usual, was sitting in a lounge chair in the foyer, staring airily off into the distance. At his arrival, she gave him a slow, steady nod before resuming her activity, whatever that might be.
[If her eyes were closed, I could swear she was passed out. Then again, she always seems to be awake, regardless of the time. Maybe she sleeps with her eyes open?]
The rest of his group was in their section of the building. They had apparently spent most of the day in the training yard, honing their skills in preparation for what was to come.
Lily on the other hand, had holed herself up in her room, working on some project that had most of the serving staff worried about another relocation once she burned the place down.
Brenden and the others were gathered in the study/men's bedroom and were currently in the middle of discussing combat strategies. Although this mostly involved Brenden shooting down Sera's outlandish ideas while Tal watched, occasionally chiming in with the assistance of a small chalkboard she had scrounged up somewhere.
”And then Tal uses Air Magic to throw you in to the middle of the stunned enemy formation and you go to work. I call it the Descent of Furry Death.” Sera was explaining with enthusiasm.
”That's racist, and no.” Was Brenden's stony faced reply.
”Oh come on! It would be the perfect way to deal with massed infantry.”
The beastman held up a hand, cutting her short. ”First, I'd probably be skewered by some well-placed spears even before landing. Second, I think you severely overestimate my ability to deal with hundreds of veteran soldiers.”
Sera waved off his complaints dismissively. ”I've seen you practice. I'm sure you'd be fine.”
Tal held up her chalkboard, which read. ”There are a lot of strong people in the world. We all need to be careful.”
Mike took a seat at the main desk, while conjuring a clay cup full of chilled water with a combination of Air, Earth, and Water Magic. He settled in to listen in on the debate, and took a drink, almost immediately regretting it. The water was essentially 100% pure, and therefore had no taste. With the Minor Creation perk of his Earth Magic, he thought he might be able to make a few simple minerals to enhance the flavor, but after considering it for a few moments, he wondered how far he could go.
He was in the middle of trying to remember the chemical formula for glucose when a question was directed at him.
”I'm sorry, what?” He asked, momentarily distracted.
Sera sighed, ”I said that if we needed someone to spearhead an attack on a massed formation, someone like Brenden would be perfect. In his wolf form, he's strong and fast enough to even fight you on relatively even terms. I'm sure the Tennundians don't have anyone that could compare. Don't you think?”
Mike remembered his 'spar' under the Wyrport Adventurer's Guild. It felt like ancient history, but had taken place only a few weeks ago. He compared his memories of the beastman then with what he'd seen recently. While Brenden certainly was a potent combatant in his own right, he'd struggle in a fight against a truly strong enemy. Mike doubted he could hold his own against someone like one of the Eternal Blades, let alone a Tier 4 powerhouse like Brutus.
Suddenly the idea of his friends taking part in the coming fight didn't quite sit well with him. He knew that they were mostly following along with his decisions, and would probably have no motivation to protect this country without his direct involvement. If one of them was seriously injured or killed just because he wanted to play soldier…..
”The world is a vast place filled with people who are capable of all sorts of things. Since I've come to the capital, I've already come across warriors capable of surpassing me in several areas, despite my many inherent advantages. Gambling Brenden's life on the assumption that the enemy has no one of a similar caliber seems like a foolhardy notion to me.” Mike replied quietly.
Silence descended on the room, as each of them digested his words. He saw Sera look ashamed, an thought he caught flash of irritation in Brenden's features. The sudden tension gnawed on him, so he sighed and spoke once more. ”I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be harsh, but you need to understand. This is war, it will be dangerous for everyone. People will die. I just don't want that to happen to any of you.”
Looking down at her hands, Sera apologized. ”I get it. I wasn't taking it seriously. I'm sorry, everyone.”
The group lapsed into silence once more.
[Great, now I feel like a mood killer.]
Knowing he needed something to change the subject, Mike concentrated on the cup of water in his hand. Deciding that he might as well be a little reckless, he came up with an impromptu chant to help him in his experiment. ”Memories abound in the swirling depths of thine energizing brew. Bring forth the effervescent elixir to slake my undying thirst. [Create Cola]”
There was a brief flash of light as excess mana was burned off during the creation process, but the contents of the cup took on a dark brown color. With a feeling of triumph, Mike noticed the bubbles forming along the rim. He excitedly took a drink, savoring the intense sweetness he had tasted since his reincarnation. It wasn't quite the same, but he enjoyed it nonetheless.
”Ahhhh. That hit the spot.” He sighed, quickly noticing the interest his actions had inspired.
”What you got there?” Sera asked with a suspicious squint. ”Something good?”
”An old favorite of mine. I was able to recreate it with magic. Want to try some?” He asked while repeating the process for each of them.
The group looked at suspiciously at the dark brown, bubbly fluid. ”This looks a bit odd. What kind of magic to you use to make it?” Brenden asked.
”Technically, it's an application of Mud Magic with a bit of Air thrown in.” Chuckling at their souring faces, he continued. ”Try it. I promise it tastes nothing like mud.”