Raid (1)

"Valrock City... some tough bastards over there, and I appreciate them coming over to help us, but damn..."

Alessia muttered quietly beside me, the gold haired Dogkin rubbing her jaw as she observed the soldiers standing opposite us, their darker metal and subdued brown surcoats making it easier to identify them, while the rough, grizzled features almost felt like another part of their uniform.

Strapping on the wooden sword that I had gotten from the Jolly Smith before we came here, I made sure that my falchion was secured as well just beneath it, while the counterweight of the heavy bladed dagger on my other hip kept the weight evenly distributed, though I did need to figure out what to do about this to alleviate the discomfort...

Or get stronger, so that this weight doesn't affect me that much anymore; that was the preferable outcome, even with all of my stats getting raised another point over these last few days, my physical training and practicing with magic paying off.

"Well, at least they're some loyal and devoted fighters. We'll need all the help we can get with this raid. And besides... have you SEEN that gal over there~? Whew~! I usually swing for men, but damn I'd let her use me like a rag~!"

Paci appeared beside us, her whispers almost as loud as her normal voice as she grinned, the red head making eyes at the armored and stoic Talonmaster of the Valrock forces, who ignored the Dogkin.

"Yes, we do need the aid. Especially since the Young Master wants to head deeper into the forest this year, to see if we can eradicate some of the sources of the monsters. Tricky, and dangerous, but the payoffs... And Paci, you wouldn't last a night with Hildrai, since I couldn't even last a night with her..."

"Oh~? Got a story to share, Talonmaster~? Hear that Kira?"

Paci grinned as she looked between Alessia and I, only to roll her eyes when I asked "Am I supposed to be jealous? Alessia and I are close, not lovers."

The gold Dogkin snorted as she nodded, our talks over the last few days about what we were making it clear to both of us that we really were just... horny, needy, and having some fun, which was a relief for us both to hear, funnily enough.

"Anyways, we have three of our five squads here, and two of the squads from Valrock; additionally, we have the Young Master, his four guards, Arch Mage Egyo, and we also have Kira. Should be enough..."

Alessia let out a sigh as she looked around at the assembled troops, the thirty soldiers from Qingrad and twenty from Valrock waiting for Young Master Qin to come and address us before we set out into the forest of Yngrave.

Meanwhile, the four personal guards of the Qin Family stood at the front, their unique armor and personalized weaponry matching their personalities perfectly; there was the serious Bearkin woman wielding a giant hammer, a bright and cheerful Lizardkin man with a spear, a professional, older man with a sword and shield, and an arrogant, cocky black haired woman who looked somewhat like Young Master Qin with a giant Nagamaki, a katana that was equal parts blade and hilt.

Standing beside them was an middle aged man with a tome chained to his belt and a giant staff that doubled as a focus and a weapon resting against his shoulder, his muscular frame making it easy to mistake him for a warrior instead of a mage.

All in all, the people gathered there were incredibly powerful and talented, while the five Talonmasters were just a step below them, meaning we had eleven 'elites' here; the four guards, the mage, the five Talonmasters, and of course, Young Master Qin himself.

Then there were fifty one of us normal troops, which varied in terms of strength and talent, but at the end of the day... fifty one blades are strong enough to take on most monsters within a certain range of levels, and if Yngrave remained within the level cap of 75, this should be a tough, challenging, yet entirely possible raid we were about to head out on.

"What was the raid like last year?"

Paci grimaced slightly, while Alessia sighed as she answered "It was grueling. Days on end deep inside the forest fighting monsters one after another, all while we were hoping to make it another day... so actually rather fun, just intense. Paci hated it since she got sick and almost lost an arm."

"Hey! I got mana deprivation poisoning, stabbed by a venomous monster, and an Ogre used a giant, sharpened rock to try and saw me in two! Of course I despise doing these raids! Damnit..."

Alessia nodded, a small smile on her face as she added "So long as you don't get too heavily injured, its a very useful training area, and the payout... well, if I really wanted to, I could take leave from being a soldier after this raid and live well for a few years~! Still, do be careful here, and make sure to report any and all cuts or scrapes. Infections are more dangerous here than the monsters are most of the time, and taking on too much damage tends to cost you dearly. Former Talonmaster - the one I replaced - was a stubborn guy who refused to tell us that he had a cut on his side, and it got infected and caused his lungs to fail. Died in his sleep and got me a promotion... So don't be stubborn."

"Alright... that's a very mixed signal there, isn't it? Fun but deadly..."

Chuckling, both of the Dogkin looked my way and nodded again, with Paci saying "Most of us who volunteer for these raids tend to find living on the edge fun. Makes us feel alive."

"And we're all itching to kill some Goblins and the rest of their ilk. Most here have personal vendettas against those bastards... things they might have done to friends or family, scores that we still wanna settle..."

I took a deep breath as I looked around, before focusing on Young Master Qin as he stepped forwards to address us, the man wearing some airy, enchanted cloth that doubled as armor, further displaying his status as a Noble.