Infiltration, Begin

Roughly an hour later, Xander and Aubrey prepared to set out.

Xander observed the latter and nodded. She had changed out of her school uniform and now wore a set of fitting leather pants and a linen shirt, both of which were then covered in a layer of special leather armor that didn’t inhibit her movements or speed at all.

Her hair was tied into a ponytail, and on her waist sat her dagger while her bow hung around her shoulder. Lastly, her glasses had been swapped out for a pair of durable goggles.

Bow, she seemed like a valiant adventurer rather than a bookworm.

"You ready?" Xander asked as he sheathed his sword.

"Yup. We can leave at any time." Aubrey nodded.

"Great." Xander then turned to Curtis and Falael who were watching the. The former looking worried while the later seemed reluctantly concerned.

"Be safe you guys." Curtis said first, and Falael just grunted in agreement.

"Well, best case scenario is that I’m completely wrong and the ants aren’t nearly as bad as what I’m imagining. If that’s the case, the danger will be minimal. Worst case..." He grimaced a little. "It’s worse than I imagined and we tuck tail and run. Thankfully, Mary is here," He gestured to the bird on his shoulder. "So we’ll be alright either way."

Curtis seemed to relax a little, then Falael spoke.

"Well, no point is saying anything else. Just remember. Go there, get the info you want, and get out. Don’t get sidetracked. And if things prove too dangerous, leave. I wanna believe in your maid but you can never be too certain." Hearing this, Xander and Aubrey nodded in complete seriousness, taking their words to heart.

"Well, then. We’ll be off. Mia, please keep this place safe in case of anything." Xander glanced at the girl who was dozing in the corner.

"Okay..." She mumbled, which was good enough for him.

"Then... We’ll be off." Xander glanced at Mary, and her eyes glowed briefly before a silent gust of wind engulfed the four of them, and they were gone, leaving Curtis, Falael, and Mia in the tent.

"Tch, what a mess. When we get back to Avoma, I’m going straight to upper management to file a complaint." Falael mumbled and stalked back to their room.

Curtis stared after them and scratched his head, some words at the tip of his tongue, but he held them back at the last moment.

It’s then he suddenly noticed Mia staring at him. Not a passing glance, but awake, staring right at him. Her undivided attention made his shiver.

"Uh... Hi?" He gulped, but Mia didn’t respond. Just kept her gaze on him for a few more seconds, then turned away.

Thoroughly disconcerted, Curtis quickly retreated to his room.

***

’This is kinda cool.’ Aubrey’s eyes glittered as she stared down at the ground beneath them, and Xander hummed in agreement.

As soon as they found a corner of the base, Mary quietly assumed her true form, which was a large, elegant green eagle with a wingspan of 5 meters. Her back more than large enough for Xander and Aubrey to climb unto.

Despite her large size, she took off without a sound, and visible only to them, a sphere of green wind surrounded the group, ensuring that they were completely invisible to any onlookers.

’Still, was bringing Keir a good idea?’ Aubrey glanced at Xander’s shoulder where the baby dragon stood proudly, wings raised like he was about to take flight, but a stern look from Xander ensures he stayed put.

He sighed.

’Honestly? I don’t think so, but the truth is that I can’t really force him to do what he doesn’t want to do. So I can only relent... Also, I’m sort of hoping it will be beneficial to his growth. There isn’t exactly a manual for these things.’ Aubrey frowned slightly at that.

’I see your point, but still...’ At that moment, Mary calmly chimed in.

’Milord’s decision is the correct one despite outwardly seeming questionable. Dragons are wilful creatures, so inhibiting them in any way, shape, or form, against their will won’t only make them dissatisfied, but also affect their growth. They develop both with time and through certain trials. I do not know the details of the latter, but Keir will know instinctively. It’s better to let him do what he wants.’ Hearing the Elemental Spirit give her verdict, Aubrey wisely ended her questioning.

And so, a few minutes of silent flying later, the group soon saw their destination.

’Damn, that’s large.’ Xander’s eyes widened. The map had shown it clearly, but it was still surprising to see in person.

Before them, a vast mountain range that stretched on as far as the eyes could see sat like a natural barrier against the world. The tallest peak he could see was at least a few hundred meters tall, and it was already quite impressive.

However, he and Aubrey quickly noticed an issue.

’... There’s no vegetation.’ Xander noted.

’More than that, look,’ Aubrey’s eyes narrowed. ’They are covered in holes.’ Indeed. Upon close inspection, the face of the mountain range was littered with holes, and from their vantage point, it looked a bit weird. At the very least, someone with trypophobia would probably throw a fit.

’There is the outpost.’ Aubrey then pointed to a small camp that sat next to a wooden wall a couple hundred feet away from the closest hole, and along the wall were several wooden towers that had lights in them, signifying those on watch.

Xander couldn’t help but imagine what would happen if his guess was correct, and one day, the ants just decided to swarm out. The image of the outpost getting overrun in seconds forced its way into his mind against his will, and he grimaced.

’I’ll start descending now.’ Mary said as she began her descent, unseen by those below.

’Is there a specific hole we should be entering?’ Aubrey asked, but Xander shook his head.

’Any should be fine. Pretty sure most would be connected.’ As he said that, Mary’s finally hovered a few meters above a hole a bit closer to the base of the mountain range before landing. Xander and Aubrey quickly got off. And Mary assumed her humanoid form.

’Okay.’ Xander drew his sword, while Aubrey held her bow. They all shared nods, then they entered.

The air was immediately damp, with the distinct smell of something not quite rotten, but certainly alive. Their steps made no sound thanks to Mary, but the two humans still found themselves tensing and listening for the slightest sound. The tunnel was also quite large. Enough for Mary, who was the tallest of them, to stand at her full height with no problem, and it was wide enough for all three of them to walk side-by-side comfortably.

’Do you sense anything?’ Xander asked.

’Roughly 30 meters ahead. There’s a crossroads. I’m seeing about 6 shapes.’ Aubrey replied, and Xander nodded.

As for the reason Mary didn’t simply tear through everything and let Aubrey do her job. Well, Xander simply asked her to provide stealth or protection in case something went wrong. In some ways, he still saw this as training for both of them.

Quietly, the group went down the tunnel, and eventually, Xander saw them.

At the end of the tunnel was a crossroads, and there, 6 cow-sized ants were digging into the tunnel wall at a concerning pace.

While it was dark, Xander’s augmented physique allowed him to see well enough, and he couldn’t help but shudder a little.

The ants looked... wrong. The still clearly had the shape of ants. 6 legs, three body sections, and a dark shell. However, he immediately saw the wrongness of their appearances.

Their shells were an unnatural purple, and their heads had too many eyes. Antennae contained strange glowing veins that crackled with sinister energy, and their mandibles were jagged and terrifying sharp. Lastly, strange protrusions covered their bodies with no apparent pattern, making them look grotesque and unnatural.

’So these are demonic beasts that have been tainted by a Hell Gate.’ Xander frowned and glanced at Aubrey. The girl no doubt saw more than he did, so he was a bit worried whether she’d get overwhelmed. However, his worries were soon eased.

Her brows were knit, but rather than fear, she seemed to be intently observing her targets, just like her role naturally implied.

’She’s grown.’ Xander smiled inwardly.

’... From what I can tell initially, the biggest issues are their shells and mandibles, but the weight of the former seems to slow them down significantly, so they won’t be very fast. I don’t like those Antennae, though. Something tells me they don’t work in the usual way.’ She explained her preliminary findings, and Xander nodded.

’Alright. We’ll deal with them quickly.’ He told her, and she nodded, silently drawing her bow.

’Mary.’ Xander ordered simply, and the quiet maid simply snapped her fingers.

A soft breeze blew through the tunnel, and the ants which had been busy with their digging suddenly froze, their Antennae twitching like they had noticed something wrong.

Before they could react, though, a figure flashed through the darkness, and the hind legs of three ants were suddenly sliced through cleanly, making them lose their balance and fall.

The remaining three were instantly alarmed, mandibles clicking. But that’s when an arrow of pure manner soared through their air and struck one in one of its eyes.

Normally, with how their skulls were shaped, the arrow would have gone in before being stopped by a piece of the skull. However, the arrow had managed to find the perfect opening that allowed it to go straight through and into the brain.

The last two unharmed ants began to charge forward, but one stumbled and fell, its head rolling off. Which is when the last one noticed that its companions had been killed off already, putrid purple blood staining the ground.

Xander was about to finish it off when, to his shock and slight horror, Keir moved.

The baby dragon hopped off his shoulder with far more speed than he had shown prior, and Xander was about to call out when his pupils constricted. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

The moment Keir touched the ground, his small body seemed to meld into the shadows.

An instant later, he appeared beneath the remaining ant and opened his small maw, unleashing a torrent of black flames that engulfed the ant.

Xander and Aubrey watched in shock and fascination as the ant writhed. But oddly enough, even though it seemed to be in pain, it didn’t look to be burning. Heck, Xander couldn’t feel any heat from where he stood. And yet, as he stared at those flames, he had a very, very bad feeling regarding them. His instincts telling him that getting touched was a terrible idea.

Soon, though, the ant fell the the ground, utterly devoid of life, and Keir happily hopped on the corpse.

’What... Just happened?’ Aubrey came up beside him and asked, watching as the dragon burrowed into the ant’s eye and into its brain.

’... Not a clue.’ Soon after, he emerged, carrying in his mouth a small black and purple crystal.