The Hunt Begins
In the early morning, the scouts confirmed the nest truly belonged to the Phoenix. After the night hunt, it was now peacefully sleeping inside, giving them the best opportunity to strike.
The group of warriors started preparing all the necessary equipment immediately.
Space pouches were emptied, and out came bits and pieces of metal and wood that were then quickly assembled into a powerful ballista.
The weapon was then mounted on the biggest Earth Dragon and tested a few times to confirm it was all working properly.
The guys prepared various potions among other things and shared them among themselves according to previously agreed upon roles.
Gustav conjured a thick metal net from somewhere and loaded it into the specially made ballista. The thing quickly started gathering frost on the surface, making Gerald like an eyebrow in surprise.
"It's enchanted with Eternal Frost," Dug explained after noticing his reaction. "It's the only way to make sure it doesn't melt under the heat."
"Makes sense," was Gerald's reply. Although they couldn't be sure the Phoenix could melt through steel, it was better to be on the safe side.
After confirming it all worked as it should, the enchanted net was stored in one of the Space Pouches as to now waste Mana. There was unfortunately no other way to stop the enchantment from working constantly.
Sometime later, after everything was prepared and ready, and the plan was rehearsed a few times, the group sprang into action.
At first, just a few people went towards the nest to scout it out, to confirm everything was still as it was, with the rest following some distance away in complete silence. It was their best chance if they wanted to succeed on the first try, otherwise, they would have to chase after the Phoenix through the desert.
The scouting party slowly advanced forward on foot as the big lizards were too loud for such a stealthy mission.
Minutes later, when they noticed the nest in the distance, they took out a much bigger metal net, this one not enchanted, and carefully carried it forward.
They all drank appropriate potions as they noticed a glow coming from the rocky circle, and got some Health Potions at the ready just in case.
The skin of warriors soon started producing a layer of mucus, giving the men decent protection from heat and flames. They had to drink a lot of water to sustain it though.
Closer and closer they came, already feeling the heat of the fire the Phoenix produced. The hearts of the vanguard beat hard in anticipation. They only had one chance! One mistake and it could all go to shit. They couldn't afford to make mistakes!
Giving a silent hand signal, Dug gestured for the group to stop. He nervously swallowed as his men silently carried the heavy metal net to the front. Just a few more steps... Just a few more seconds...
The suspense was killing him!
Just as the vanguard came to the rocky nest, the creature inside started moving around. In a panic, they hurled the net over the top and quickly hammered the solid metal anchors into the cracks in the bedrock.
Two or three strikes were all it took to push the custom-made spring arrowheads into the rock and stay there.
It only took a few seconds, and yet to the men there, it felt like an eternity. They would be drenched in sweat due to the heat and stress if they weren't already covered with fire-resistant mucus.
As soon as the job was done, one of them blew a whistle, and at that moment, the rest of the gang charged forth on Earth Dragons, weapons at the ready.
Skreee!
An angry cry came from the nest as the beast felt the net getting tangled in its feathers. It tried to tear it apart, but the more it moved, the more tangled it became.
Infuriated, it started crashing around while spewing flames in every direction. Powerful talon strikes were accompanied by the scorching heat of the inferno as the Phoenix cracked the stones and tore pieces of its prison apart.
The steel was already super hot, glowing yellow, and a few pieces already melted or were torn apart under the power of the giant bird.
30 seconds. Not even 30 seconds went by, and already the expensive metal net was completely falling apart. Luckily Dug and the gang have already come close enough.
Gustav was currently on top of his mount, holding the ballista steady, with the Frost Net already loaded and ready-
"Get ready!" Dug shouted, standing on top of his lizard, preparing some kind of magic. "We have this one chance!"
"I know!" Gustav shouted back and took aim. They were just a few meters away, and the wood that was a part of the ballista already started smoldering from the heat.
"It's now or never! Do it!"
Tang!
The weapon was fired, and the net flew straight and true. But despite doing everything perfectly, due to the sporadic movements of the bird, it only caught one wing.
Still, that was good enough. The sharp hooks on the net quickly sunk deep beneath the skin and got stuck, fixing the right wing to the chest of the Phoenix.
Now it couldn't fly away anymore! That was a massive success! Now they just had to carefully tire out the bird and victory would be theirs.
Gerald honestly felt somewhat useless. He couldn't use magic externally and he also didn't want to get his clothes burned, so he stayed far away and just watched. They were doing just fine without him.
Granted, it didn't look like it yet, but they were slowly winning, it was just a matter of time. A war of attrition, as some would say.
Too bad this perfect plan was suddenly rudely interrupted, and by the most unlikely situation nonetheless.
"Argh!"
A warrior riding next to Gerald suddenly collapsed from the saddle and fell to the ground. A fresh arrow was sticking out of his back shoulder.
Gerald quickly jerked his head around, just in time to see a projectile flying straight at his face! He lifted his hand on instinct, making the arrow harmlessly bounce off his reinforced skin.
An instant later, another arrow came flying, but this time he caught it mid-flight and crushed it between his fingers.
"Alright! Who the fuck is the dumbass that-!"
His shout was cut short as another arrow smashed into his face.