837 Deployment

Aside from weapons, Hera also got some new armor. Although calling it armor was a bit of a stretch. She got padded leather pants, custom made to fit her tail, and also give a bit of cover to that area. There was also a small bag that she could carry around her waist and the base of her tail. Her chest piece was an armless top that wrapped around her body in a tight fit, with the cloth going all the way to her neck on both sides. This meant that she had no cleavage to show, and the sides connected high enough that she didn't have to worry about her breasts poking out while moving. After her shoulder, there was a thicker piece of fabric, going all the way around the entire opening. If she was in a cold place, she could trigger a skill in the top that would turn that into actual sleeves, or in this summer version. The entire thing was a dull green with some details in yellow, giving a very forest noble feel. Lastly, was her new pair of running shoes, custom made to fit her clawed feet. But more importantly, it had a skill that allowed her to hover above the ground when it was active. She could finally use the Dorohla Style properly and now, with a tail, she should be able to move around with more ease.

Roan was the person who suggested that she use something like this. Not this type of clothing, but to change from a heavier armor. A large number of Beastmen also gave up heavy clothes for lighter armor. The reason was simple, since they already had defensive skills, like [Thick Hide] or [Loose Skin] putting on armor, caused that skill to be mostly ignored. Getting a self regenerating shirt was cheaper, and more importantly, since it was also made out of animal products, it could have skills that amplified their natural defenses. In Hera's case, the shirt and pants would make the defensive capabilities of her [Ophidianite Scales] 3 times stronger. Meaning that her scales would already reduce any damage she took by 45%. Adding that to Lurize's [Exoarmor] skill increased Hera's defenses by another 20% or so.

The Empress didn't make this decision on a whim. She was able to test it out and confirm that, as Roan said, her natural defense with these clothes was on par, if not better than what it would be with proper armor. And, by actually using her scales as a defensive tool, she could allow the skill to grow and maybe finally reach maturity, as mentioned in the description.

A day after getting their new gear, the Harmony Guardians were called to Ka'mal's office before Vulcan's scheduled therapy session. Apparently, there was something going on and the intelligence agency needed their help. They were already on the elevator, heading to their meeting while the Empress talked with the two court members that were out. The first was Twiggy. Since it was just an accessory, no one would bat an eye. And the second was Pyro, the one weapon that she didn't buy. Instead, it was something Vulcan made during his free time. With Ember's help, he crafted a tail blade. An attachment to Hera's tail that had a twin spiral of orange blades covering 20 centimeters of her tail with two larger ones blades at the tip forming two prongs. The inspiration came from some drawings of dragons, and it fit quite well. Especially with the details to match Hera's scales. It almost looked as if part of her body was becoming more Draconic. His name was Pyro, and he truly embraced the idea of being a dragon tail. The fact that its element was actually Dragon Fire didn't help with his illusions of grandeur.

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Pyro - Tail Spike - Dragon Fire

Empress Attributes: 852

Agility X 20.5, Strength X 17, Intelligence X 13,

Endurance X 8, Luck X 3, Charisma X 3

Active Skills:

Inferno Burst

Unleash a torrent of dragon fire from the tail spike, engulfing enemies in a searing blaze. Deals damage based on 30% of your intelligence attribute, while also applying a burning effect that deals additional damage over time.

Cooldown: 4 minutes

Mana cost: 4 million mana

Serpentine Strike

Coil the tail spike around the target, piercing through their defenses with serrated blades. Ignores 50% of the target's defense and inflicts bleeding damage based on 20% of your total agility attribute.

Cooldown: 3 minutes

Passive Skills:

Draconic Fury

Each successful attack with the Draconic Tail Spike fuels its flames, increasing its damage output by 5% for 10 seconds. Stacks up to 10 times.

Dragon's Resilience

Grants resistance to fire-based attacks and effects, reducing incoming fire damage by 20%. Additionally, the Draconic Tail Spike is immune to being extinguished by water or other means.

Seal of the Infernal Warm

Upon reaching maximum stacks of Draconic Fury, unleash the fury of the infernal wyrm. The Draconic Tail Spike transforms into a blazing serpent, increasing its size and power for 20 seconds. While in this state, the damage dealt is increased by 50%, and the tail spike has a chance to engulf enemies in dragon fire, causing additional damage over time. 

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'Can you please behave? I'm trying to be still here,' Hera huffed.

'But I also wish to see what is around us. How can you deprive me of such wonders?' Pyro gasped.

'Dude, it's an elevator,' Twiggy's voice was already annoyed.

'And we are not alone. It's the second time you almost hit someone in the team just to get a 'better look.' The idea was for me to get used to a tail spike so you can do your thing in the future, not for you to actively fight me for control of my own tail!' Hera huffed.

'But… Sorry.. Can I at least be pointed up? I don't want to be staring at the ceiling, or be dragged across the floor,' Pyro asked.

'I'll do that for a while. And when I get tired, I'll dismiss you. Deal?'

'Can't I stay?' if Pyro had eyes, he would be doing his best puppy eyes now.

'Not in here. We are in the middle of spies. Even having you out now might be seen as hostile. The only reason I'm getting some leeway is because they know this body is still kind of new to me,' Hera replied and turned to Skyler, "I'm sorry again. I scolded Pyro for the second time. If he almost hits someone again, I'll send him away."

"It's fine. It didn't hit me. And I get it, you need to practice," Skyler waved the Empress off, but the elf had already shifted positions to stay away from the rogue tail.

The elevator doors opened, and the group walked to an office nearby. Ka'mal was already there, sitting beside Vathrik. Seeing that, Hera stopped in her tracks.

"Ok. This is not good."

"You are not entirely wrong, but it shouldn't be as bad as you are expecting," Vathrik said with a smile, "Please, have a seat."

The group took their places around the table before the Ka'mal started speaking, "Two days ago, a shipment of various supplies to the front line left their origin. Unfortunately, the team that was protecting that shipment had an issue midway through their journey. Three of their members were attacked by powerful named monsters and got injured. They were still able to reach the next city over, but now we don't have anyone to escort the supplies.'

"Oh? And you need us to do it?" Vash asked.

"Exactly. If you go through Underground Babel, you should arrive in the city the caravan is currently staying at by the end of the day," Ka'mal explained.

"The team escorting them was around level 36. Because the monsters are not an issue. However, since those supplies were going to the front, we had another team of level 60s that was supposed to meet them closer to the destination to provide extra support. Just in case the humans tried something. The room that is the destination, and the one before, are both active war zones. Even if the conflict is far away from the doorway, there is always the chance of being attacked by the humans. However, since there was a delay, the high level team no longer can provide support. This is why we want to send you, who are now also considered a high level team, to take over," Vathrik added with a somber tone.

"That means we will potentially fight humans?" Neria frowned.

"Yes. Unfortunately, that is the case. Any other team we try to send will either be low level, which increases the danger of an ambush, or be too far away. And the supplies we are sending are crucial. We are talking rations, potions, and mana crystals," Ka'mal added.

"What about the team that was already working on it. Only some of their members were hurt, correct. Will the others be providing support?" Roan asked.

"That can be arranged. But don't expect them to do much. They lost their fighter, their controller, and their hunter. They still have a mage, a healer and a crafter," Vathrik explained.

"That works for us, we barely have a back line," Flint nodded, getting glares from Neria, Skyler and Vash, "What? We have Hera. That's already 8 people, plus me and Roan that makes 10. 10 people on the front line with 3 in the back. And I'm not even counting Daskka and the floating weapons."

Skyler opened her mouth but gave up, "Fine. You are not wrong. But we can handle ourselves."

"I'm not saying you can't! But if we I have to pick between more back line or more front line, I know what I'm getting," Flint huffed.

"So, can I take it you accept this mission?" Vathrik asked.

The Harmony Guardians looked at each other and nodded.

"Thank you. You are making my life a bit easier here. And helping our soldiers. By the way, Hera. Dr. Willowsong is aware of this mission. He also mentioned that for the past week and a half, there was no progress with Vulcan. Correct?" Vathrik turned to the Empress.

Hera nodded, "Yeah. We got some information, some of the plants and a couple of landmarks of where the strength Spirits live. But we hit a wall. Any time we push beyond what we already know, the influence get's too strong. Dr. Willowsong says that we found the main source of Vulcan's trauma, that's why we can't progress."

"That is not a problem. We could narrow it down to a couple hundred places. It sounds like a lot, but it's much better than scouring the millions of rooms we know about. Also, last week that number was in the thousands. We should be close to finding their home," Vathrik smiled.

"Thank you. Vulcan will be happy to hear it. And when you decide to take that place, please let me know. I would like to help, if possible," Hera added.

"Some places are above your level, but if its in an area that you won't be in danger just by existing, I'll let you know," Vathrik turned to Ka'mal, "Do you mind if I leave the details to you? I have another meeting soon."

Ka'mal rolled his eyes, "Oh sure. You're the boss. Doing paperwork is beneath you."

Vathrik chuckled and gave Ka'mal a pat on the back as he left, "I'm glad you know how things work."

Ka'mal waited for his boss to leave the room before he let out a loud groan, "This really sucks. I hate the paperwork," he turned back to the Harmony Guardians, "Ok. You have two hours before the Underground Babel is open. Then, another 3 hours inside to reach the right doorway. You will be going down a few dozen floors, but you shouldn't have any problems getting there in time. After that, you will pass by a room called 'Calypso Beach,' leave the doorway, turn east and head straight until you see a large statue of a lion. There is a path on the left that will take you to the Kalandria Empire. In that last room, you will find the caravan. They are in a city close by called Zinctorum. You can check in with the Alliance Center there to see where they actually are. Any questions?"

As he explained, he sent a file to their tablet with all the details and a map for the journey to Zinctorum. He also had the names of the rooms the caravan was going to pass through, the levels of each area, and how likely they were to be ambushed by humans at each stage of the journey. The actual route of the caravan was not shared, since the more people knew about it, the more likely it was to leak.

"When we reach the front lines. Do you think we will be close to an actual battle?" Roan asked. Neria also listened to the answer intently.

"I have no idea. You can say that there is a battle going on in the front lines at any given point, but that doesn't mean that every single room is fighting all the time. Both sides need breaks. Hell, some of the rooms only see actual combat once every few weeks. I really hope you don't. Delivering supplies during a battle is less than ideal. But I can't say anything about the odds," Ka'mal sighed.

"How about our supplies? Can you spare anything for us?" Skyler asked.

"Sure, what do you need? I hope it's not gear since we already helped you get a new set of items at cost."

"Whatever you can spare. Potions, consumables, things to ward off monsters or deployable barriers. A flare could help if we are in a bad place," the elf continued.

"Of course. I'll put the requisition of supplies for you. But potions are going to be tricky. If you want special effects, like turning invisible for a few minutes, changing you hair color and things like that, it's easy. Buffs and heals will be more complicated. All the good potions are being sent to the front lines. We do have some more basic ones, but anything Neria does will work better than what we have," Ka'mal explained.

"Another question. Why the high level team is not going to help us in the front line room?" Roan asked.

"That team is going to be on a different operation. They would be there to help while they waited for the rest of the relevant personnel to arrive. Thar operation is more urgent than the delivery of supplies."

"Are we the only option for this, then? I'm trying to ask if things are that bad," Roan pressed.

"Oh. No, don't worry. You are not. You are the easiest solution, not gonna lie. But, if you say you don't want to be a part of it, that's fine. We will have to shuffle things around and have a different team helping. Maybe delay the supplies another day. We said that this is a critical delivery, but it's not an emergency one. If it gets delayed for a few more days it won't affect the troops that much," Ka'mal looked up from his computer, "Can I confirm the mission is yours? Last chance to say no."

The Harmony Guardians looked at each other, but they knew this was part of the job, and the least they could do after being able to level up so quickly.

"Go ahead. We got this," Skyler said with a smile.