Chapter 12: Preparing for Battle to Come
As the morning sun peered over the horizon the group began to awaken, each feeling anxious as they knew what was to come. Max was felt as if his stomach was bubbling and churning as he looked at his hands, biting his tongue as he tried to think of every possible solution for this fight. Of course, Max could devastate the camp with magic and decimate it with every ounce of magic he had but the shockwave could cause problems for them, none of the Ambush Drakes would survive and his deal with Menna would be null and void which wasn't an option.
His fingers ran over the rings as he tried to think of any possible solution that would reduce their casualties and the harm that might be brought upon them as his hands curled into fists and he bit the inside of his lower lip. He didn't have a lot of time to think as he cracked his knuckles and placed a hand on the ground, letting mana flow through the planet as he searched for metal. Once he found a suitable metal he brought it up, a good chunk of iron as well as a small amount of oil and some naturally occurring coal. This was going to have to be a quick piece and he didn't have all day to complete it.
Once again he used some geomancy, making the earth around them form a suitable but small blast furnace. He gulped as his eyes narrowed and work began, magic accelerating the smithing and blast furnace as he forced the heat within the furnace to ignite into a blaze contained by the furnace. First, the iron, moving it above the furnace and dropping it in, the heat engulfing the metal and melting it as Max waited, counting in his head and using mana to keep track of the metal's progress. Jesse was in awe as he watched, observing the boy's work, like nothing he had seen before.
Sure Jesse had seen a blast furnace as well as steel being made but for a boy so young, not even reaching half his actual life was bewildering to him, mana seeming to buzz about the boy as if a field all its own, in the mitts of everything and taking charge in situations that seemed like nothing before. Max sighed as he began to shape the coal, rearranging the composition of it as he bites his tongue, hoping that adding this would make appropriate high carbon steel as he tossed in the ball of carbon and waited.
The son was well over the horizon as Max pulled the steel from within its confines, using magic to begin to fold, twist and tamper the steel. He began to separate the molten metal as he formed what he needed into a spearhead, making the come for a length of wood to be fastened onto it whilst making two pins to assure that the shaft of the spear would break well before the metal as he made it a bit bigger than typical. The widest part of the spear was two and a half inches and the length of it alone was four inches. He put purpose into the blade, assuring that it would pierce and slash as needed within the hands of his friend Jesse. With what was left he could make a chest plate for the Gnome, his thoughts dwelling on protection as he bit his tongue and watched the steel take shape into a simple breastplate that would protect vitals.
Jesse watched the molten metal and gulped, expecting it to burn and sear his flesh but instead in molten form took on the shape of a simple breastplate that didn't seem to restrict movement and seems solid enough to take blows from the green menace they were going to be against. Jesse stayed still and calm as the metal cooled. The steel held a blackish purple, just as the head of the spear did as Max released the magic and huffed, only going through two hundred of his human and six hundred of his elven pool.
Max looked over his handy work as he took the remaining metal and made a bundle of needles, smirking as he then sighed, pulling a hunting knife from his side and went to find a suitable piece of wood that would work for the spear shaft. There were few trees out on the meadow, some randomly sprouting as he walked through the grass and looked for a suitable branch. Finally, he spotted a tree, about half a mile from camp he made his way to the singular tree.
Max had noticed a lack of Menna, curious where the beast had gotten to as he remembered the the notification from system that was substituting for Tamir. Assassin Drake, an evolution of the typical ambush drake and Menna was the first and only known one as he sighed, seeing he was a quarter of a mile into his small trek as he thought he heard the grass rustling, almost flinching as he watched the grass seemingly part for an unknown force as he heard a snarl, a heavyweight on his chest and not a moment to even react. Before even a step could be taken he was pinned suddenly, grunting as the unseen force pinned him to the ground, the hot smelly breath of something hitting his face as suddenly light seemed to bend and Menna, a good foot longer as well as taller was on him with a toothy grin.
"Well hello little mage, seems that I caught you off guard no? I could make a nice little snack out of you, the horse, and that gnome~. Maybe I can handle those goblins all on my lonesome without your help?"
Max's hand searched for a pebble or something to use to disorient the drake as he gulped, feeling the beast's hot breath against his face. His eyes closed as he cursed his kind-hearted nature once again, this being the last time it seems. That was until he felt the weight move off him and a tongue drag across his face as the rancid breath engulfed his face. This caused him to gag, the Menna's breath was abysmal and the stench hard to bear.
"But that would be no way to treat a member of the pack, much less the pack leader. Hold your head high mage, I wouldn't kill the one that blessed me with this power. I may have left my pack once and abandoned them due to the lack of my strength but I will save them, but that being said. If we make it out of this alive I have a question to ask of you. For now, I will be the hunter of these scum, as well as act as a conduit of your word"
{{Request for a psionic link pending. Creature 'Menna' wishes to link you within its race skill, 'One with the Pack' [Y/N]}}
Max looked at this curiously as he accepted and his head seemed to ache but things seemed different. In his head, there were almost chat rooms like in his old life, a collective consciousness that when linked with Menna he could access. He smirked as he watched Menna sink back into the grass and disappear. Max's heart raced like never before as his jaw clenched and he retrieved a well enough branch.
Before the sun had reached midway into the sky everything was as ready as it could be and the group was as ready as they could be to take on these beasts. The three, plus Midnight rode off towards the camp with caution, letting Menna lead the way as Jesse apprehensively rode on the beast's back. By no means was this going to be easy as the meadows seemed to continue on infinitely, the eyes of Max scour the landscape as he looks about for anything that would be useful to them but not once could he seem to find any advantages to this meadow other than the ability to see clear across it.
They seemed to ride for a few hours as the sun began to hit their backs, evening coming for them as Max gulped, reins in hand as he caught a glimpse of the camp. The structuring was crude, the walls had sharpened logs facing out to ward off taking out the walls or climbing them, a series of cobbled-together towers on stilts had goblins stationed with bows. They were what he could assume was the watchdogs to make note of any oncoming threats but the camp wasn't even a mile across but seemed to house more than enough goblins and other creatures that in the coming days they would become a problem.
Max hissed a bit through a clenched jaw, problem after problem seeming to arise as he watched the passing camp. The group had stayed out of the range of the watchers as they set up a makeshift camp, the group quiet as they ate rations and pondered an attack plan as they used 'One with the Pack' to communicate to keep silent. As night fell Max could feel his heart racing as anxiety rushed through him, nerves becoming brittle and ready to shatter at a moment's notice as he feared what casualties could come.
Night engulfed the meadow, darkness only staved off by the flickering lights of the fires of the enemy camp. Now was the time to strike as the group gathered themselves up and prepared for battle as Max flipped the cowl of his beloved cloak up and his eyes narrowed. Jesse readied his spear, loosening the drawstrings on a small pour the was filled with smooth stone as he placed one in his sling. Menna was always ready for the hunt as he gave a menacing toothy grin to the group as Max, with white knuckles placed a magical rune on each of them to invoke protection before whispering something to his mare as a sheen washed over her and he gave her rear a light slap as she whinnied, taking off into the camp.
So it begins, a night to remember. The first true fight of Max's new life and a struggle he would not soon forget
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Quintyn_Poe
Quintyn_Poe Sorry for the long wait! I have been busy with life but am happy to say I'm back for this thrilling battle, thank you all so much and please leave a comment! I'm thrilled so many share so much love for this story as I!
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone