"Boss Hal, we’re close!" Rocky stated, staring into the near distance, where some of their targets should be roaming.
It seemed that the redwood forest extended far past the valley and would be the biome of the small war in the southeast.
"Shh! Would it kill you not to shout?!" reprimanded the timid squad leader, Yhohan.
"Then why are you shouting yourself, wuss?!"
Rocky was not one to be outdone in a battle of tongues.
Fortunately, Hao had already predicted that such a dumb thing would happen and had activated the sound isolation device he brought with him, deactivating it soon after the argument.
It was running on a limited mana crystal battery, after all.
"Now let’s stop fighting. Just accept that both of you are idiots and follow me. Let Boss Hal and his squad take care of a marked area as planned." mediated Hao, adjusting his combat goggles and momentarily activating the sound isolation device once more...
"You’re the idiot!! Short nerd!!" sharply retorted the two in unison.
...before deactivating it again.
Meanwhile, Hal’s eyes were closed, his vision focused on the Spirit Sparrow.
He hadn’t encountered Fell Beasts before, so he took extra caution by activating his summon’s invisibility, spending a few more mana for sustenance in exchange for safety.
A few minutes later, Hal’s brows furrowed.
There were no Fell Beasts in the marked location...
That’s what he saw and believed, until a dense shrubbery "shifted".
It changed spots, revealing its body and exposing the slightly dried up ground, devoid of mana.
He exclaimed in a low voice, prompting everyone to turn to him.
He recognized the creature from the Adept Arcanist Tome of Knowledge, as it was a treasure trove of earth-type artifact crafting materials.
Strangely, this specific hog had purple skin, black irises, and purple pupils, much like the common appearance of a Fellkin.
It was undoubtedly turned into a Fell Beast by the bastards.
Hal, meanwhile, perched the sparrow on the protruding bark of the massive redwood tree just beside the fell creature, shifting his attention to his comrades.
"Change of plans," he declared. "Everyone, stick together. I’ve spotted a Fell Beast. Let’s probe it together first. If it’s manageable by a squad, then we can proceed with the original plan."
Noticing their leader’s change in attitude, the more weak-hearted among the members began to feel nervous.
They could only force themselves to calm down and fight alongside their comrades.
Every single one of them had fought regular beasts and monsters multiple times.
However, the ominous combination of the word Fell and Beast was just too unsettling.
The Chaos Platoon advanced deeper into the forest, nonetheless, approaching the Fell Redland Bush Hog.
"Halt." Hal ordered in a whisper.
The Fell Beast was already within sight, but only Hal could see it.
"Where’s the beast, sir?" asked Rocky, puzzled as to why they stopped.
"It’s a Redland Bush Hog and it’s right in front of you."
Only then did the platoon members’ eyes widen in slight horror, noticing the dense patch of bushes just a few dozen meters in front of them.
"What’s the plan, Boss Hal?" Hao asked, adjusting his combat goggles out of habit.
"Why, kill it head-on, of course!" Hal replied with a proud smile, believing his plan was the most efficient.
Hao was momentarily dumbfounded, not expecting his captain to take the "Rocky approach."
There were twenty of them; what could a lone C-ranked beast do?
Unfortunately, the Fell Redlands Bush Hog had already sensed them and showed what it could do to all twenty of them before the platoon could even attack, launching a horrifying number of earthen quills from its back, along with a few bushes that landed right in Rocky’s face.
The dude was quite fortunate it wasn’t the quills that struck him.
A majority of the platoon members, however, weren’t so lucky...
If not for their quick reactions, some of them would have perished already.
Hao, for one, was almost struck in the forehead, had he not managed to cast the Wind Barrier spell at the last second, timing it perfectly to blow away the quills headed his way.
Hal opted for a more simple approach of blocking the earthen projectiles with a [Mana Barrier], saving Celis, who was standing right behind him, in the process.
Although some suffered minor wounds, they only pierced the skin and were far from lethal.
"Hao Squad, circle the beast and strike from behind. Rocky Squad, west. Yhohan Squad, east. Double time! Hal Squad, hold your ground. Support me. I shall take the beast head-on!" Hal ordered, leaving his squad members scrambling to get into position.
Like so, the Chaos Platoon’s first battle began.
The Fell Redland Bush Hog, however, wasn’t about to let them get into position for free.
It showed unbelievable agility and ferociously lunged at one of the members, Erikson, who was caught slightly off guard by the sudden attack.
He was aware that his defensive capabilities were not the best, so he sprinted the furthest from the Fell Beast, not expecting to still be targeted.
"Sh*t!!" cursed the young man with brown, spiky hair, conjuring a not-so-impressive Mana Barrier to defend himself.
Hal immediately realized that his subordinate was going to get mauled with such a subpar defense.
So, he unhesitatingly [Blink]ed closer to get in range and summoned a thick, [Reinforced Earthen Wall], defending Erikson just in time, right after the young man’s Mana Barrier was shattered into mana fragments.
Erikson was petrified on the spot, his blood running cold as the terrifying maws of the Fell Beast were suddenly replaced by a now-slightly-cracked wall.
The next moment, he realized who saved him, as a voice sounded just a few meters behind the wall:
"Hey, rabid fatass, eyes over here, I’m your opponent!" Hal roared.
The Fell Beast naturally heard his insults, and although it didn’t understand a single word, it still turned to face him, as he was practically offering himself up.
’That’s right... I’m the biggest threat here... you should take care of me first...’