Chapter 327: Wondering
Sylas jogged through the forest with his team behind him, his thoughts known only to him. From time to time, they would come across beasts that would block them, and Sylas would stand by and simply observe their combat.
The hobgoblin village was over 50 kilometers away, so he wouldn't be able to take advantage of the +20% boost of his Baron Title. As such, he would need to rely on these guys. Understanding their strengths and weaknesses would only help him.
His squad had two archers, three shieldmen, and the remaining five were made up of a combination of swordsmen and spearmen. All in all, the balance wasn't bad, but it was lacking any sort of logistics. There was no one with the capability of healing, providing area control support, nor were there any scouts.
They all had the most standard Classes, and though they were of Common Grade and technically a step above Sylas' own, he had a hard time feeling that way when they all used the same three lackluster skills.
Those skills were [Infantry Charge], [Infantry Reinforce], and [Infantry Sharpen]. The only real difference between them was how they made use of them.
For example, the spearmen used [Infantry Charge] to attack, the shieldmen used it to shield bash, and the archers mostly used it to dodge at crucial moments.
Still, there was some good. They worked together well and even though Sylas wasn't commanding them, they had a tacit understanding already ingrained into their bones. It was clear that they had been working together for a long while now.
'How would I command them?' Sylas thought to himself.
He had more split minds now, but if he focused on commanding, his efficiency would drop. Plus, even if he did, it wasn't like they had his brain. He would need to call out every command, which would slow things down considerably and might actually hinder how they fought instead.
By the time he had watched them fight a half dozen battles, Sylas had come to a decision.
'Avoiding verbal commands is probably for the best. I'll use them as tools and support them as though they were treasures. I'll act in the background to aid them rather than telling them exactly what to do.'
From the seventh battle on, Sylas began to take action. This wasn't because he was needed, but more so to get them used to him covering for them. If they were in the middle of a battle and got support when it was unexpected, it could be just as bad as if he didn't support them at all, potentially even worse.
As expected, they were taken off guard at first, but they slowly adjusted to it while also beginning to feel hints of reverence as well.
They had never seen a master of telekinesis, and Sylas felt even more effective than their archers. His own physical power was shocking enough, but to think he would be able to range support himself at the same time.
That alone was enough to make them respect Sylas more, but when he began using his Madness to attack the minds of the beasts they faced off against, that respect turned to near
reverence.
By the time they approached their destination, Sylas had already gained his first 8/10 Favorability rating.
-
"Where are they?" Licirius stood in the middle of the forest with a frown on his face.
He had left soon after Sylas and the others, and was obviously prepared to intercept them. A genius like Sylas would likely have a scouting method of some sort, so he had taken a roundabout method to get here so he wouldn't be detected ahead of time, then he went ahead and laid out several traps.
Since he was moving alone, the odds that he would be able to get here first was also very high. It was impossible that they would be able to get out ahead of him even if he took the long way.
Even if Sylas had the speed, his squadron certainly wouldn't.
So... where were they?
...
At that moment, Sylas and his team were crouched at the edge of a clearing. Up ahead, there was a troop of horses, but none of them were simple by any means.
They had muscles popping out of their coats and their hooves and tails were covered in a cyclone of blue wind that sometimes looked like flickering flames.
[Blue Cyclone Horse (F+) (Mount)]
[Level: 12]
[Attribute: Wind]
[+50% Speed and Dexterity]
[Limit: 308 Speed and Dexterity]
This location was a spawn point for Mounts. Unlike creature Dens, Mounts had to be captured or hatched. Well, Sylas wasn't sure if this was always the case, but at least in this one, it was. This point had spawned a few dozen Blue Cyclone Horses, and if they wanted to capture them, they would need to subdue them without killing them.
Normally, Sylas' Profession should have been perfect for this. After all, he was a Beast Tamer. It was just unfortunate that his Profession had now been 100% tailored to the Serpentes. He didn't have any skills that could be used on other creatures...
At least not on the surface.
Telling his team to stay in place, Sylas suddenly shot out like a rocket. He was so fast that the horses didn't notice him until he was already within ten meters of his target.
Before they could react, he summoned his Totem and used <Stunning Spike>.
The horse was taken aback and froze in place. By the time it awoke, Sylas was already on its back. But it couldn't even buck before <Astral Bind> was cast and the full brunt of Sylas' Madness descended upon it.
The Blue Cyclone Horse fell to its knees, shivering on the ground. Saliva foamed at its mouth and its tongue hung out limply. All this time, it couldn't even begin to move beneath the effects of Madness and <Astral Bind>.
In a single swift instance, Sylas had subdued the leader of this band of horses, and the others didn't know what to do as they too shook in fear.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Sylas signaled the others and began to bind this new
mount.
Looking up to the skies, a hidden light flickered in Sylas' eyes.
'They should be wondering where I am right about now... but who said I could only go to the location of missions I accept?'