Science and Magic

The group slammed each other with their concerns before Max silenceed them. "I said it's minimal not nonexistent. I have a plan and the results depend on you all. Fox, Nakamura, and Kalani I need you to take care of the surrounding scouts. Kahawai, I need you to wait up there with something big. Alexander and Kai will

be with me. Follow the plan and we may survive."

Alexander respected Max, but could tell he was even more serious than usall. He didn't insult anyone after six breaths and that was a first for him. The problem was serious enough that he was completely focused.

"Scout elimination team, you have six on your right in ten meters, and five more after that in thirty meters to the south of your position. After that, circle around for the others. Kahawai, hold for activation."

While Max was focused on overseeing the others, Alexander worked on his task. Max gave them one task, supply mana to his device. It was a sphere like machine with lights and two orbs that siphoned the mana they poured. Mechanical clanks and whizzing, coming from inside the sphere made Alexander and Kai nervous with their hands so close to it.

The mana drifted out of Alexander fluidly through his palms with no problems. The steady meditation with The elder of the Akamai, Kelani, he had a good understanding of mana in his body. It allowed him time to consider all that had happened to him and the subtle changes in his body. The breeze on his skin, and the entity within him. He was sure that it was something other than himself, now that it was on standby and didn't actively contribute to his body, he felt it, warming and changing itself actively.

'What are you? He asked himself, receiving a warm and understanding nudge on his mind. He didn't flinch or retreat, but nudge back. He had gone through so much over the past month with it. It had helped him gain so much more, he suspected with its help he could gain even more.

Kai on the other hand was gifted in magic from birth and was relied on in the group as a Tower, a powerful offensive Hunter, using mostly magic to deal massive sustained damage behind the Warden. Transferring mana should have been easy for him. His breathing was rough, hands clammy from sweat, he leaned heavily on his right, signs Alexander couldn't guess why he exhibited.

His thoughts trailed to Kai, focusing on him like he did when the voice talked to him, searching for the cause of Kai's distress. Alexanders eyes filled with mana, diverting it from the siphoning. Nanites poured there, analyzing every fiber of his being.

"Stop, an injury like that could kill you in minutes if you continue straining yourself. How long have you been injured that severely?"

Kai spat into the tree line with disgust. "How dare you presume to know anything about me. An F rank like you should shut their mouths about things that don't concern them. It's a scratch and my body will heal on its own, focused on what concerns you and fill this damned thing."

'You ignorant... No that's not how to deal with these types of people. He presumes that I don't know he's dying, so play that against him.' He thought, taking a moment to compose himself. "Listen Kai, you know what happens when a Tower can't perform, right? Watch yourself, or you'll be the one left behind, losing to an F rank. Here, you don't have to take it, but atleast I tried."

A vial of red liquid was placed between the two as Alexander closed his eyes and concentrated on his part of the plan. 'I have no qualms letting an immature bigot die, unless it puts my life in danger. If he dies, now, we could be at a huge disadvantage when the boss comes out. Just drink the low grade potion, fool.'

Soon, Kai's haggard breathing had lessened to an extent that the device proceeded at a greater pace. The device filled up in minutes and was ready to be activated to Alexanders joy.

Kai avoided Alexanders smirk, tossing the glass and making him have to catch it clumsily. "A jerk and a litter bug, all in one loser; perfect." He murmured as they joined Max. Max seemd relived while also concerned. Alexander knew from experience that it was directed towards his device and not them.

"You didn't have any trouble? Of course not, I made you, my beautiful darling. Oh, you two are still here. The Scout team is finishing with the clean up, and should be done soon. We're moving out now to get close enough for the plan. I'll need you at your best Kai."

Kai, twitched slightly to his side at the potion working the wounds poison from his body, sending tentacles of electricity through his right side.

"Yeah, I got it."

Alexander didn't agree and decided to step in if it got too messy. He didn't agree to keep Kai's wounding a secret, and he wouldn't if he could and only if the secret didn't cause him any hassle. He had his own problems to solve and didn't want more if he could help it.

The trek through the forest was slow as they avoided traveling Goblins, the thick woods didn't help either. Branches held them up as they didn't want to cut through them and alert the enemy. Soon they got close enough to the goblin camp that avoidance was impossible, there Alexander realized what the voice in his head had been doing for him this entire time.

After taking down a his third pair of goblins, Alexanders hand shook as the monsters blood dripped from his sword. He had done this before, but with the voice comforting and convincing him he needed to do it, but now taking a life had affected him.

'I need to keep going. It's just a monster, it would have done the same to me. Breathe.' He composed himself using water magic to clean himself up, and darkness to dissolve the evidence from passing Goblins.

They carried on that way, much like the Scout team, making their way till they arrived within the vacinity of the large wooden gates that protected the camp. The forest ended a few meters from the camps gate but the coming of night aided them in there mission.

Clang! Thump! Clang!

Weapons clanged inside the goblin camp, a display of power from a larger goblin the size of a young man, but towered over the others. It trained or fought with similar goblins that ressembled it, much like its kin or so on. The battle was fierce and distracted many of the creatures allowing Alexander and and Kai to sneak in unnoticed with Max's device with clear orders.

"Get as close to the center of the camp and press the two buttons on the side. You'll have five minutes to set the device and make it out alive. The machine knows the radius from the sensors I placed on the walls, so I repeat, you will need to make it past the gate before it activates," He whispered loudly before they left to sneak in. He was adamant about the time limit, which made Alexander nervous lookin at Kai's pale face.

"The ruckus had attracted many of the Goblins to the left side of the camp, allowing them to go mainly unnoticed. Those that did see them where quickly silenceed by Kai, using earth magic to trip them, finishing them off with his blade. With each spell, his color paled further.

"Where almost there, the middle of the camp is just a few houses down here, according to Braniac. Let take is cautiously and make as little noise as possible," he said as his heart raced from the stress. They had slowed significantly as Kai needed more time to recover. This began to upset Alxeander as it took two people to carry the device and Alexander could see the middle of the camp.

"Are you ready? I'll deal with any new goblins that catch us. Just catch your breath and let's go. The noise seems like it's dying down."

"No! Huff. I'll take..care of it. I'm the Tower, d*** it." He struggled. Standing shakily on his feet.

With probing from Alexander they finaly shuffled towards the center, a large pot, with high beams stood in the middle of a large circle of dead things. The corpses where of various sizes and creatures, rats, boars, deers, and other Goblins. They placed the device under some bodies, pressing the two buttons as Max instructed.

The machine beeped loudly, activating and begun to spin and toss the corpses off. It's gyro like spining twirled and displayed a timer for them.

Ok, lets go! We have to get out now," Alexander began to run back the way they came, stopping only when he didn't hear Kai's footsteps. "What are you doing? We need to escape." Kai had collapsed on his knees, wheezing and un responsive. Kai was suffering from intense mana exhaustion, something that could not be healed with potions.

Alexander made a split decision to grab the idiot, his dark hair falling over his forhead, which felt hot to the touch with fever. Alexander tossed him over his shoulders, the near similar body type taking on the new weight braced and wobbled slightly as he marched on.

The trip was gruesome, the clash of the Goblins had ended and an explosion blasted off at the grouping. A sight of fire and smoke, wafted on his right as he put one leg after another, his legs buring as he passed shack after shack finaly getting a few meters away from the gate.

Ehhh ehh!

A goblin near the size of Alexander stopped him from going forward, standing between him, a minute of final time and his freedom. He knew exactly how much time he had left, as he counted every second and set his government device to beep every minute. Three beeps had gone off, and one more till he only had seconds left.

Beep!