The Old Logging Outpost was more bustling than Villanelle had imagined.
On the leaning low wall and the towering watchtowers stood six or seven scattered militiamen. Some were looking down, sharpening their spears and swords, while others stared unblinkingly into the distance at the pitch-black ancient forest.
The squad leader, Hanke, opened the gate to welcome them in. He wore a crude set of leather armor, a sword hanging at his waist, and his face carried a look of relief.
“It’s been half a month, and finally, reinforcements have arrived! Did Captain Breck send you?”
“Yes,” Patton got straight to the point. “We are adventurers hired by the White Water Town Chamber of Commerce. Please brief us on the situation here.”
“No problem.”
Hanke took a deep breath and began by explaining the characteristics of the insect swarm.
“We call these bugs ‘Crystal Shell Bugs.’ Their shells are like they’re covered in crystal, incredibly hard. Our ordinary weapons can barely scratch that crystal shell… Fortunately, their joints and the gaps between their plates are weak points, and they’re afraid of fire.
From a distance, they can spit a highly corrosive acid. Several of our brothers were hit by that… You can’t let your guard down in close combat either; their mouths can bite through bone.”
Villanelle quickly noted these characteristics.
‘Tricky, but not impossible to handle.’
“Oh, right, some of those bugs can also burrow underground for ambushes, though not very deep. If you’re observant, they’re not hard to spot,” Hanke added finally.
“My goodness!” Finn exclaimed dramatically. “If they’re so troublesome, how have you managed to hold this place?”
“Because we have no other choice.” Hanke’s rough, dark face suddenly took on a resolute expression. “This is our home. No matter what, we will drive those disgusting bugs out, every last one of them.”
“Wow, truly touching,” Finn said insincerely, rubbing the corner of his eye.
Patton ignored him and nodded. “Thank you for the information. We will fulfill our duties. Could you show us around the outpost?”
“We are so grateful. Follow me.”
The outpost wasn’t large. A circle of low walls made of bundled logs, several watchtowers, and a few trenches formed the outer defenses.
Further inside was a row of reinforced old lumberjack cabins. Their windows were blocked, doors thickened, and simple barricades were set up around the roofs, serving as temporary mini-fortresses.
At the center of the stronghold was a warehouse originally used for storing logs, now converted into a supply depot. Rations, arrows, and broken weapons were all piled up here.
Finally, he introduced the traps and early warning measures. Hanke climbed onto the low wall and pointed to the open ground outside.
“The traps are mainly concentrated within fifty paces of the wall. There aren’t many; their main purpose is early warning and slowing them down… A few earthenware jars are buried beneath the wall. If you press your ear against them, you can tell the direction of any burrowing bugs.”
“What if the bugs just bypass us here?” Villanelle asked.
Hanke shook his head with a bitter smile. “Then that’s not our problem anymore. We’d have to leave it to the brothers behind us to handle.”
After touring the stronghold’s defenses, it was already noon.
The Sixth Squad and the outpost militiamen quickly ate some dry rations to fill their stomachs, then began conserving their energy, preparing for the possible insect swarm attack at dusk.
Patton and Hanke discussed coordination details in low voices. After checking her bow and arrows, Laira climbed the eastern watchtower to take over sentry duty.
Finn wandered around the low wall, occasionally squatting down to touch the ground, seemingly pondering something.
Villanelle leaned against the wall of a shed where sunlight reached, resting with her eyes closed, but her nerves remained taut. Ignis was still in the backpack, carefully sensing the aura coming from the Silent Ancient Forest.
That oppressive smell in the air lingered around her nose, refusing to dissipate.
Time passed bit by bit in the calm. The sun sank in the west, and the forest’s shadow stretched out, like some ill-intentioned beast slowly crawling toward the low wall.
Suddenly, Laira’s calm warning drifted down from the top of the watchtower.
“Attention, movement on the western side!”
“Everyone to your positions!” Hanke commanded decisively. “Mister Patton, and our brothers from White Water Town, follow me to the wall!”
Patton grabbed his giant shield stuck in the ground, turning to shout, “Villa, over here by the wall! Finn, watch those jars!”
Villanelle grabbed her Magic Staff and quickly followed Patton, positioning herself slightly behind and to his side. Her heartbeat uncontrollably quickened.
The vision of a fourth-tier spellcaster allowed Villanelle to see the shrubs at the distant forest edge shaking violently, as if something was eagerly trying to burst out.
She stared intently at that cluster of shrubs.
Soon, the first Crystal Shell Bug pushed aside the obstructing plants and emerged from the forest. Its dark blue carapace was mottled and dirty, lacking any sense of crystal clarity or purity.
Behind it came the second, the third, the fourth… in quick succession.
Over a dozen Crystal Shell Bugs of similar forms swarmed out, shrieking. Their compound eyes were crimson, their mouthparts dripping with thick saliva as they scurried rapidly across the white snowy ground straight toward the outpost.
Judging the distance to be about right, Hanke drew his sword and slashed it through the air. “Loose arrows!”
Laira and the militia crossbowmen fired the first volley. However, the scattered arrows either missed or bounced off the backs of the Crystal Shell Bugs.
A flicker of surprise crossed Laira’s face.
Villanelle also tried raising her staff, quickly condensing a series of three Bursting Fireballs above her head, then swung it toward the rapidly approaching bugs.
The three fireballs slammed down.
Immediately, three intertwined spheres of golden and red light rose from the distant ground. Scorching elemental energy scattered in all directions, followed by a tremendous roar.
When the smoke cleared, several charred insect corpses lay sprawled on the ground where the fireballs had landed, their eight legs curled, emitting faint black smoke.
But a few survivors, not seriously injured, sped up again, charging forward almost fearlessly, skimming the ground.
One bug at the forefront stepped into thin air, instantly tumbling into a trap pit, but moments later, it stubbornly crawled back out.
Patton gave an approving nod.
‘Having a mage along sure makes things easier.’
On the watchtower, Laira drew her longbow once more.
Strands of green mana threads flowed from her fingers holding the bowstring, rapidly coiling around the arrow nocked on the bow. The air around her stirred…
Then, the bowstring was released. The arrow, wrapped in green energy, shot out like a streak, kicking up a powerful gust of wind.
The Crystal Shell Bug that had just crawled out of the pit had no time to react. Its back carapace was mercilessly pierced through, pinning it into the snowy ground like a skewer. It struggled for a few seconds before falling still.
Then more arrows arrived in an instant. The remaining bugs were nailed into the ground one after another. It seemed Laira had found her rhythm.
A small crisis was temporarily quelled. Under the combined assault from Villanelle and Laira, this batch of Crystal Shell Bugs didn’t even get a chance to approach the low wall.
“Don’t let your guard down. Use this time to quickly check your equipment,” Hanke ordered the militiamen beside him. Then he turned and gave Villanelle a grateful smile.