The three remaining members of Class VII watched as their blonde friend rode out of the encampment and out of sight towards the hilly north. Alisa had decided to spend the night visiting her grandfather, but promised to return as early as possible the next morning. None of them really had a problem with that as they wouldn't be doing anything that evening regardless.
Not that Gaius had actually told them what they would be doing yet.
Instead the two found themselves swarmed by a pair of very enthusiastic young girls.
"Are you Big Bro's classmates!?"
"Wow! You're so beautiful!"
"And you're pretty cool looking too!"
Fie couldn't help but fume silently. How come Laura was beautiful while she was simply 'pretty cool'? Sure the blue-haired girl was really tall and strong and bouncy, but she had her own charms too! How come she ended up stuck in a class where every other girl was the textbook definition of the male fantasy?!
Absentmindedly she touched her hair which now reached down to her shoulders. At least that was growing quick enough. If only the rest of her could keep up...
One day they'd all see just how attractive she could be!
"Lily, Sheeda, why don't you go see if Mom needs any help with dinner?" The three watched as the two children scurried off, "That was odd. I could've sworn I felt an ill-wind just now. Is everything all right?"
The spearman seemed genuinely confused, but Fie noticed that Laura was gazing at her with a look that could only be described as a cross between concerned and smug. She wasn't sure how much the older girl was able to read her mind, but it seemed the Arseid had some idea what was going through her head. Not wanting to give the other girl any ammunition the lithe jaeger gave a shrug, "Dunno. Maybe a monster got a little close or something?"
"Hmm..." Gaius didn't seem convinced, but fortunately for him he was smart enough to drop the topic, "I guess it's about time I explained why I asked you two to come here, isn't it?"
Finally! Had he gone any longer in explaining things her curiosity might have compelled her towards violence, "Sure. Sounds good to me." She answered as nonchalantly as possible.
Their friend led the two bracers into one of the largest tents in the settlement, which he told them belonged to the village Elder. Inside was an old man she suspected was said elder, but it was the other occupant of the room that caught her eye. The two things that stood out most to Fie were the fact the man looked to be an older version of Gaius, and that despite his peaceful posture was clearly a warrior of some skill, perhaps even as powerful as Xeno or Leo.
Those two clues were all she needed to know that this was Gaius' dad, a guy who helped to bail the other members of Class VII out of a couple jams while they were up here.
"First of all," Lacan Worzel continued after introductions had been made, "allow me to express my gratitude to the two of you for coming to our assistance so quickly. It's truly remarkable how reliable and compassionate the friends my son made are. Do pass on my gratitude to Alisa as well."
Fie couldn't help but glance off to the side nervously – she still wasn't good at dealing with praise from strangers, "Eh. Just doing our jobs."
"Of course. Of course." It seemed Gaius' father noticed her discomfort as he gave an easy laugh, "Even though Nord has no guild for obvious reasons, bracers are always welcome here. Truth be told I wanted to be a bracer when I was younger."
"Really, father?" Gaius asked skeptically, "How come I've never heard of this before?"
"What child doesn't have the urge to go out and see the world at some point or other? Unlike you, however, I lacked the courage to commit to such a course of action."
Her Nord classmate's perplexed look lasted until the Elder cleared his throat, "I assume the two of you are aware of the tensions between Erebonia and Calvard?"
Of course they were. Beyond the obvious part of them living in Erebonia, there was also the fact that Calvard getting uppity was cause for the Imperial Government to call Rean to bail them out. And Fie knew that even that deterrent wouldn't last forever.
She had a feeling that there was going to be a war at some point, and that wasn't even considering the situation in North Ambria.
"Has there been any fighting in Nord?" A concerned Laura asked.
Lacan shook his head, "Not as of yet, but Calvard has recently started building up their forces in the region. It may or may not be related to the reason we've asked you to come."
"Two weeks ago I felt something ill in the highlands." Gaius continued, "A few days later we noticed the local monster populace has been acting scared. Last week after some of our livestock were attacked we discovered what seems to be the source of the trouble – a large infestation of spider monsters have been sighted in the area during the night."
"Spider monsters..." Fie thought about it for a moment, "Isn't that like what you and the rest of Group A fought?"
Gaius nodded, "Indeed. We haven't seen anything quite like the one Gideon summoned, but I'm pretty sure these are the same species as the little ones that assisted it. We've tried tracking them back to their lair, but they're completely nocturnal and it's hard to follow their tracks in the rocky north. My one attempt at pursuing them during the night went... poorly. It was only thanks to my panicked horse that I was able to escape a large horde unscathed."
Both girls grimaced. Sure the spider monsters they've fought in the past weren't all that dangerous, but that was during the day with plenty of light. A massive group of them skittering around and attacking from all sides in the middle of the night?
Yeah, that wasn't a comforting thought at all.
"Wait." Laura called out in concern, "Are Alisa and Gwyn in any danger?"
"We don't believe so." The elder answered, "Gwyn told me that he heard a pack of them near his home two nights ago, but they shouldn't be able to breach his cabin. And now he knows of the threat so we can be sure he'll be taking precautions after dark until the situation is resolved."
That checked out with what Fie knew about monsters. Unless they were provoked they weren't keen on forcing their way into homes, "Any idea where they're coming from?"
"Our initial assumption was the Ancient Quarry up north, as dark places like that tend to be where they congregate." Lacan replied, "But although there were clearly more of them active I didn't see any sign that that was where the current horde originated from."
"What about the Imperial Army?" Laura asked.
"There have been sightings at the watchtower, but nothing has been seen at Zender Gate."
Which made it all the more likely the spiders were originating from the north. Fie was sorely regretting her decision to not pay much attention during geography class as her attempts at drawing a map of the highlands in her head were meeting with mixed success. She was at least somewhat confident that their destination was closer to the Calvard border.
"Okay, I think we have an idea of what's going on. We'll start our investigation in the morning." A glance towards Laura confirmed the other girl was onboard with her statement, "Need us to keep watch tonight?"
"That won't be necessary." The settlement's elder denied, much to her relief, "Lacan and our other warriors have taken up the duty of watching over the settlement and the animals until the situation is resolved. Please, take the time to enjoy our hospitality and be rest well for your mission."
The two proceeded to do just that. Dinner with the Worzel's was a nice affair, even if the two girls were bombarded with questions from Gaius' little sisters. He also had a brother, but they didn't get to see him as he was on watch alongside some of the other warriors. After a simple but filling meal the two were shuttled off to a yurt prepared especially for them during their stay.
The severity of the problem made itself known to them the next morning as they learned a pack of the monsters had been driven away from the settlement during the middle of the night, thankfully with no casualties to the Nord. Still, even if the monster incursions weren't all that dangerous the exhausted faces and minor injuries she observed on the faces of those around her told a tale.
These people were under siege in their own homes.
On a happier note the morning also brought with it the safe return of Alisa and her grandfather, with the latter arriving in a truck filled with stuff. Unsurprisingly the girl had already been filled in on the situation thanks to him. Thus the four students of Class VII were able to get straight to business after a quick and somber breakfast.
"Has anyone come up with a plan?" Alisa asked as the four former and current students stood apart from the rest of the settlement.
Seeing that no one was talking Fie uncharacteristically decided to take initiative, "No plans, but I have a few ideas if you want to hear me out? Presumably these monsters are coming from the northern mountains, and presumably there's something going on up there that has them agitated. Unless we're ready to fight hundreds or maybe thousands of them until they're all gone I think our best bet is to stop the infestation at the source."
"I agree that sounds like the best course of action, but how do you propose we find out where they're coming from?"
Laura's question caused Fie to cluck her tongue. That was the crux of the problem, wasn't it? The spiders held a massive advantage at night, were gone during the day, and if the Nord trackers couldn't find their tracks then she sure wasn't.
"Actually, I think I have an idea that might help." Three pairs of eyes turned towards Alisa, "Do you think we'd be able to follow them if we had a way of exploring at night without being attacked?"
Gaius pondered the question briefly, "I don't imagine it'd be too much trouble. What do you have in mind?"
"One second." They watched as the blonde archer scurried back to the encampment before grabbing something from the bed of Gwyn's truck. Once she trotted back she held the item out for their appraisal, "Ta-da!"
"...Is that an orbal lamp?"
"It is! Grandfather's been hard at work on these ever since he learned of the problem. They're just like the lights that keep our roads safe, except smaller and more portable. He made them to deter monsters from the settlement, but we should be able to spare a few for us to take."
Fie considered the idea. While lights weren't a foolproof deterrent they were usually good enough at keeping monsters away, especially if they were haphazardly running amok. Tracking them visually might be difficult if they were constantly scurrying away from the light, but at the very least she was confident in her hearing, "I think it could work."
"So we'll take a few of those lamps, head towards the general area where they are originating from, wait until dark, and follow the monsters back to their lair where we'll hopefully be able to put a stop to what's happening?" Laura summed up for the group.
Gaius nodded in approval, "It's a good plan. The only flaw I see is that I don't think it'd be a good idea to bring any horses along. Even with their training I doubt they'd be able to remain calm like that."
"I'll ask Grandfather if we can borrow his truck." Luckily Alisa had an immediate answer to Gaius' concerns.
With everything sorted out the group of four returned to the settlement before sharing their idea with Lacan, Gwyn, and the elder. With approval from the three leaders and permission to borrow the needed tools they got to work unloading the rest of the truck's supplies before putting everything they'd need back on it. Given they had all day before their mission was to begin the Class VII members were free to take their time doing whatever they wanted until it was go time. Since their mission involved them pulling an all-nighter Fie elected to use the free time the best way she knew how.
By taking a nap.
It was the middle of the afternoon when they finally made their exit from the settlement. Alisa naturally took the wheel, with Laura riding shotgun. That just left Fie and Gaius riding in the back alongside their lamps and other supplies.
"I didn't expect riding on a truck would be so bumpy." The Nord muttered as the truck hit another rocky patch as it began its ascent into the highlands, "Are all wheeled vehicles like this?"
"Nope. Just this stupid truck." Fie complained as she held on for dear life. Technically Rean's bike was like this too, but the bike itself was going airborne and not just the passengers. That was fun!
This was just torture.
"Sorry!" Alisa shouted from her seat either having heard them or simply borne witness to their plight, "I can't really rely on the paths my grandfather made since we're not going to his cabin! Just... try and hang on, alright!?"
"Easy for you to say..." Fie grumbled helplessly. "So where are we headed anyways? As far as she was aware the others had decided on their destination while she had been sleeping.
"There's a land bridge near the top of the highlands. That place should give us a good vantage point while also being secure enough just in case."
She nodded, "That makes sense, hopefully we won't-" Fie trailed off as she got a good look at what lay ahead of them, "...Woah."
The lithe girl ignored Gaius' laugh as she gazed upon the statue that dominated the region ahead of them, "I heard about it from the others, but still. It's just like the one on Bryonia..."
"So I've heard. While the Nord people perhaps haven't recorded history as much as those in other countries I can safely say it predates Nord history. Makes you wonder how two nearly identical statues could end up in two very different places without anyone knowing the reason, doesn't it?"
She could only nod. What a mystery indeed.
It didn't take long to notice just how amiss things were on this side of Nord. While monsters were just as plentiful as they had been on the southern side, these ones were giving the truck a wide berth. It didn't take a genius to realize they were just as scared about the whole situation as the humans that shared the region with them.
The distant cawing of a bird caused Fie to perk up, "Oh, yeah. Where's Zeo anyways? Kinda feels like he'd be really handy right about now."
The Nord gave a helpless shrug, "Your guess is as good as mine. Zeo loves to take long flights and be gone for weeks at a time, but I'm positive he's noticed things amiss down here. Perhaps he thinks it isn't a big concern, but I suspect he already knows the cause behind all this. If the situation was caused by humans then he probably thinks it's up to humans to resolve it."
The silver-hair girl couldn't help but sweatdrop at that probably accurate assumption. What a stubborn old bird.
As bumpy of a ride as it was there was no denying that Alisa was doing a good job at navigating the hilly terrain without damaging the truck. As they continued up the rocky slope past the massive statue Gaius took the time to serve as an impromptu tour guide to Fie by pointing out the paths that would have led them to Gwyn's cabin on Lake Lacrima and the Ancient Quarry where Group A first encountered the ILF.
"So how has Thors been?" The curious Nord asked, "Is Linde handling the Art Club alright?"
"Oho!" Fie leaned in with interest, "Awfully curious about Linde, aren't you? Is there something I should know?"
"Of course not." Gaius answered a little too quickly, "But she is a good friend and the only member of the club I left behind. Why wouldn't I be a little curious."
The gardener hummed thoughtfully. She'd accept that answer... for now, "She's been good. I see her a lot since she usually shows up at the garden to make sure Vivi is staying out of trouble." Although that usually ended with Vivi getting her twin into trouble instead of Linde getting her out, "She'll be happy when I tell her we met you, 'cause she's asked about you a few times too."
"She has?!" The normally placid spearman had a rather hopeful look on his face, something which caused the girl to laugh. Oh yes. There was definitely something there. Realizing his mistake the Nord quickly backtracked, "Er... What I meant to say was-"
"My lips are sealed." She teased, causing him to color slightly. Still, as fun as teasing was she still wanted to help her friend out, "Want me to pass along a message for her?"
He considered the offer before shaking his head, "That won't be necessary. I think anything I have to say to her or our other friends should be done in person. Perhaps I'll see if I can't find the time to pay Erebonia a visit once things calm down a little."
"Sounds good to me."
By this point the terrain had leveled out a bit and Fie had a feeling they were nearing their destination. That feeling proved to be true as soon as Gaius pointed out the massive land bridge that she'd heard about. From stories told the other side was where Rean and the others had first rescued Alisa and Millium when they arrived at Nord, and just beyond that was where one of the Spirit Shrines had been.
As soon as the truck came to a stop near the edge of the cliff she hopped out and surveyed the area. With a mountain on one side and a chasm taking two other sides the threat of any attack was greatly diminished. And even should the lanterns prove ineffective and they found themselves being swarmed by their targets they could simply flee across the bridge. It was a pretty good spot to camp out.
Curiously Fie walked to the edge of the cliff and looked down. She could see the Imperial Watchtower in the distance, and beyond that lay the Republic of Calvard's main base in the area, with rows of airships aligned in neat rows. As for the height of the drop itself...
Yep. Not even she could make that landing. Although perhaps if she were to use her grappling hook in the middle of her descent she could always-
"Just stop whatever you're thinking. Nothing good can come of it."
She gave Laura her best stink-eye, "Why are you always so boring?"
"It's because I know you too well, I think. Someone needs to keep you in check."
"Don't see what the problem is." Fie glanced up at the slowly descending sun in the sky and made a quick calculation, "We still have about two hours before it gets dark. Might as well have a little fun."
"Your definition of a little fun is vastly different from everyone else, I'm afraid. Why don't you spend your time doing something a little more productive, like helping to unload everything with the others?"
The silver-haired girl glanced towards the truck where Gaius was already hard at work unpacking everything while Alisa worked to make sure their lamps were all functioning, "...I'll go scout the area."
The suggestion must've met with Laura's approval because the other girl said nothing as she walked off. Truth be told scouting wasn't all that important given how familiar Gaius and Alisa were with the geography, but going for a walk beat standing around pointlessly. Plus even if she wasn't a jaeger anymore those instincts that served her so well during those years wouldn't be happy if she didn't at least perform a cursory patrol of the area.
She didn't end up walking all that far as they had arrived via one of the only two paths away from their temporary campsite and the other was simply a massive land bridge that went on too far for her to want to explore fully. Given the former was where the spiders would likely be coming from she did take a page from Xeno's book and placed a few hastily improvised trap utilizing her stockpile flash grenades. If nothing else that'd give them a heads-up when the monsters grew close.
With her brief little distraction done and the sun finally beginning to dip beyond the horizon the former jaeger returned to camp. Given the way the others were lounging about she had been right in her assumption there had been little actual work to be done. Instead they settled down, ate some food that they had packed away, and prepared a fire to keep their little campsite lit up while preserving the lanterns for later on.
Nervous anticipation gave way to boredom as the first couple hours of the night passed by silently, but none of them allowed themselves to relax. Instead the group continued to nervously glance towards the darkness silently while waiting for any sign of their prey.
If Fie had to hazard a guess it was shortly after midnight when they first began to hear the skittering sounds most associated with large spider monsters. At first it was from a great distance, only audible because the local wildlife had long since gone silent, but as time passed it grew, both in volume and intensity.
It was a good thing all of them were adept at fighting random creepy monsters because even as veterans it was a very unsettling wait for Fie and the others as they were forced to listen to enemies they couldn't see closing in on them.
Their light seemed to do its job, as even though the sound grew louder and louder never once did the group spy anything that matched their target. Still, it was obvious that they weren't far away and Class VII prepared to move out as soon as a spider got close enough to be identified-
There was a flash of light followed by a loud noise.
Fie let out a dark chuckle, which only grew in intensity as she felt the gaze of her teammates upon her, "Just a little something extra I left behind. Our target should be just down the path."
With her leading the way the group of four abandoned their camp and retraced her earlier steps. Even with just the light from their orbal lamps she was able to recognize the path well enough to find the traps she had left behind. And sure enough as soon as they arrived they bore witness to a trio of the spiders they had been waiting for, dazed and confused after having suffered the effects from her grenade.
The monsters reared back as they were bathed in unnatural light, but in their dazed state were unable to fully retreat back into the darkness. Other spiders could be heard not far away – presumably other members of this group that had evaded the worst of her surprise attack and were waiting to see what was about to happen.
Killing the monsters would've been easy as was, but that wasn't their objective at all, so Class VII retreated just far enough away so their light wouldn't spook the spiders away while still being close enough for them to remain partly visible in the darkness. Eventually the victims of her trap recovered enough to began moving in the opposite direction, although they noticed one of them was moving a little awkwardly thanks to a myriad of burns on its lower body – presumably the one that had triggered her trap. Now they simply needed to keep eyes on them until they finally decided to return back where they came.
What ensued was a silent four hour chase between the humans and spiders. As much as Fie loathed this kind of late night operation her Zephyr training served her well here. Gaius too seemed relatively unaffected by their sub-optimal conditions as he carried on with grim determination. Alisa and Laura didn't seem to fare as well, but both girls carried on gamely and without complaint.
The monsters definitely knew they were being followed as it was impossible to not notice the bright light trailing behind them, and more than once tried to put on a burst of speed or climb through a difficult area in an attempt to shake them. Occasionally she feared they might lose their pursuit, but the name Sylphid wasn't for sure. Being quick and stealthy was her specialty, after all.
Although Fie had a feeling she'd be getting an earful from Laura after all this thanks to her bright idea of ditching the group and sprinting off alone into the darkness one instant when their prey nearly slipped away, leaving the others to follow her light from a great distance.
The frenzied spiders didn't seem to have any specific destination in mind, instead opting to let their instincts dictate their movements. One moment they were moving forward in a singular destination, and the next they were veering off after hearing the pained cry of some local monster that had hurt itself and was unable to get away.
...Watching a group of spiders swarm over some helpless animal was the kind of nasty memory that'd stick with them for quite some time, but the four friends gamely watched on as the horrific feast took place.
Things changed as the first hints of crimson light stained the horizon. The monsters must've understood that dawn was fast approaching as the mob turned and began to move as if possessing one mind. With the horizon providing them directions it was clear they were heading towards the northeast.
In fact at first Fie thought they were headed back towards where they had setup camp, but that proved to be incorrect as they soon found themselves descending down a treacherously steep hill. Despite her own agility even she had difficulty making the climb down safely, which meant the others struggled even more. After a long and slow struggle the group of four made it to the bottom of the highlands – Had there been more light she was pretty certain they'd be able to see the land bridge dozens of arge over their heads.
The slow trek naturally meant they had lost sight of the eight-legged monsters, but that wasn't a big deal as they were on the right path and more and more spider groups were passing by as they ignored the humans and the accursed light they wielded in favor of returning to the dark safety of their place of origin.
"I think I know where we're heading." Gaius' words were the first ones spoken since they began their mission, which naturally drew all focus to him, "Although I've never been there, father has warned me about the mountains past the Ancient Quarry near the Calvardian border. He said they were inhospitable for human settlement. I doubt any large groups have been up here in a decade."
"That would explain the infestation." Laura mused, "Fie and I have seen firsthand just how dangerous places that hadn't been explored since the war were. I can only imagine what an area that hasn't been purged in over a decade would be like..."
Alisa hummed thoughtfully, "But that still doesn't explain why they're so active now, does it?"
"Nope. Which is why we're headed right into the middle of it." Fie groused, "Kinda feeling like we should be getting paid extra for this."
The Nord let out a laugh at her joke, "I'll see what I can do."
By the time they reached the foreboding looking mountains that divided Nord and Remiferia dawn had finally arrived. The final leg of their journey proved the easiest as the last few of the nocturnal monsters were all but ignoring them in their frantic flight back home. Thus it was a trivial affair for the four humans to tag along as the spiders led them right back to their lair.
Unsurprisingly, said lair ended up being a cave bored into the side of a mountain. Inside they could see dozens of the dangerous monsters milling about, guarding the entrance to their lair.
"So what do we do now? Alisa asked, "Should we fight our way in?"
Given the doubtful tone of her voice it was obvious the archer wasn't a fan of that plan, but Laura refuted her regardless, "I don't believe that is a good idea. Who knows how many more of them are waiting inside? Hundreds, at least."
"Thousands, probably." Fie corrected needlessly.
Maybe even way more if the unexplored cavern was as big as she thought it might be. Fie had a feeling there was an entire army amassed in those depths. She considered herself a pretty fearless person, but there was basically zero chance she was stepping foot inside there and even less a chance she would let her friends go.
"Perhaps we should look around the area?" Gaius suggested, "We only need to find whatever has them all riled up, yes?"
"Works for me, but I don't think they're gonna sit back and let us do our work." Alisa pointed out. And that was true. As much as nocturnal monsters hated the sun they often hated trespassers to their lair even more. They'd almost certainly brave the light in order to drive Class VII off.
Fie stared at the cave entrance. It wasn't all that big and the rocks above it looked rather loose, "I think I have enough plastic explosives to seal it, but it's gonna take some time..."
"Then I suggest we give her that time." Laura accentuated her words by drawing her sword, "Even if there are other exits around sealing this one should give us enough time to explore the area."
Both the archer and spearman silently expressed their approval of the plan by drawing their own weapons. The silver-haired girl grimaced slightly – her plan wasn't a bad one, per se, but it meant she'd be the one setting explosives while the others kept her safe. Not a role the veteran warrior enjoyed playing.
And yet it was one she accepted reluctantly, hanging back long enough for her friends to approach the cave. Ass expected the spiders protectiveness of their home overpowered their hatred of the sun and so they began to stream out to engage Class VII. Only once the battle had begun did Fie stealthily approach the rock wall a fair distance away from the opening before beginning her ascent.
Luckily it seemed the distraction her friends had created worked, as not once during her climb was she attacked. A good thing, as despite how nimble she was she didn't much like her chances in a battle like this against enemies that could scale walls with ease. As she reached a point above the cave entrance she chanced a look below her and almost felt sorry for the monsters – what few enemies managed to slip through the twin whirlwinds of destruction from Laura and Gaius were effortlessly picked apart thanks to arrows or arts from Alisa.
Knowing she had time to work with Fie surveyed her spot for the most promising looking boulders to target with her charges. She was pretty sure the monsters were capable of digging themselves free so she wanted to make sure the passage was blocked thoroughly enough to buy them plenty of time. Each rock she found was tagged with an explosive, until eventually she was completely out and content with her work.
Drawing her gunswords she jumped straight down into the melee beneath her, landing atop a spider that earned a bullet to the brain for its trouble. Quickly she leapt off the corpse and cut through a few more enemies before arriving at where Laura and Gaius were still making their stand, "Charges are all set! Let's get the hell outta here!"
Wordlessly her friends complied, and with Alisa switching to her more powerful arts to provide wide-area suppression they were all able to extricate themselves away both from the fight and the cave entrance itself. Once they were far enough away Fie pulled out her detonator and sent the signal her explosive charges were all waiting for.
Had she more charges on hand the result would've been an awesome explosion of rock and debris, but instead they were forced to bear witness to a few rather lame looking bursts of kinetic energy followed by a slow and ponderous descent of the boulders she had targeted. Still, even if the spectacle wasn't all that fun to look at the results proved about as effective as she could've hoped with enough rock falling down to almost completely bury the cave exit, with many a monster crushed beneath the weight.
It took another minute for the four fighters to clean up the remaining enemies, but it was a rather mundane fight all things considered. With the last of the threats vanquished they gazed at the wall she had just created, "Do you think it'll hold?" Alisa asked dubiously.
"It seems unlikely. Look!" Gaius pointed out, "You can already see a few of them working to get over the barrier."
Sure enough spider legs could be seen probing around the few uncovered spots as they sought to expand the opening, and Fie was sure there were others on the inside hard at work to dig through the rubble, "It'll hold long enough for us to check out the area...I think."
"R-Regardless," Haha. That her own lack of confidence was enough to unsettle Laura and her other friends was kinda funny despite the circumstance, "We should press on. How should we investigate?"
"Perhaps we should climb? At the very least we should have a better vantage." Gaius suggested.
It was as good a plan as any and so Class VII began to explore the side of the mountain for a path up that wasn't as steep as the section she had used to get above the cave previously. Luck was on their side as after only a few minutes they came across a section of the rock that was gentle enough for them to climb with only the smallest of difficulty.
To make things better it pointed them away from the horde of frenzied monsters they had left behind.
But best of all? As soon as they reached the midway point of their climb the answers they were seeking were laid bare for all to see in the form of several blast craters and scorch marks on the mountain, "Hey Alisa, is this...?"
The Reinford heiress moved in for a closer look, "It is, I'm certain of it. These markings are consistent with the bombs dropped by most military-grade airships. I don't think Reinford makes any bombs of this size, which means..."
"Calvardian, I would assume." Laura continued for their friend, "So the Republic has been bombing this mountain?"
"Combat drills would be my guess." Alisa surmised, "A section of land with no human settlements would make for an ideal training grounds. They probably used these mountains to add a more realistic feel to the practice."
"The tremors caused by exploding bombs will be felt by the sensitive monsters living beneath our feet, rousing them into a frenzy and out of their nest..." Gaius finished grimly.
None of them saw the need to discuss the fact that Calvard seemed to be intensifying their combat drills. One only needed to ready a newspaper to understand the reason for that decision.
But that just left them with one pressing question, "So what do we do now?" Finding out the cause wasn't enough. They needed to stop it. But it wasn't like they could just ask Calvard to stop-
"Perhaps if we explain the situation to the Calvardian commander they might cease their exercises?"
Fie glared daggers at Laura. Was she really so naive as to think that-
"It's our best bet, I think." Gaius too!? The Nord must've noticed her disbelief as he elaborated further, "The Bracer Guild is still recognized outside of Erebonia, yes? I'm sure they'd listen to the two of you."
"B-But..."
"Probably not the best idea for a Reinford to travel to a Calvardian base." Yes! Thank you, Alisa! "...So I'll head back and get Grandfather's truck. We can meet up after." Dammit!
Gaius turned to the blonde, "I'll accompany you. Nord can be a dangerous place for a lone person on foot."
The silver-haired girl watched silently as stupid Laura cheerily waved their friends off, leaving the two girls by their lonesome. After a long night she wanted nothing more than to curl up in a bed somewhere and sleep the day away, but instead she was being forced to trudge across the highlands before playing the role of diplomat!?
This was the worst!
"So shall we head over?"
"...I hate you so much." The vitriol Fie added to her words proved ineffective as Laura simply laughed at her before beginning to walk off towards the base, prompting her to grudgingly follow.
Three hours later and the two of them were just beginning their trek back when Laura's ARCUS rang. Both girls were confused, but that didn't stop the Arseid from positioning her orbment for Fie to hear before answering the call, "Hello?"
"Phew! I wasn't sure the signal would make it to you girls." Came the weak but unmistakable voice of Alisa from the other end, "Were you able to meet with the Calvardians?"
"Somehow, yeah." Fie answered succinctly. Unsurprisingly the Calvardian sentries had been extremely suspicious of the two of them when they randomly showed up at their base. Fie especially wasn't fond of having a bunch of guns pointed at her. The wary soldiers relaxed slightly upon hearing they were bracers, but the fact they were Erebonian bracers ensured they were under scrutiny the entire time.
Things changed for the better when they told the guards the reason for their visit. The spider infestation had become a major problem for the Republican forces, with a few of their soldiers having been badly injured during the first unexpected attack. That they claimed to have the solution to that problem was enough for them to earn themselves an armed escort straight to the commander of the base.
"It took some time," Laura continued, "but the Major General in charge of the base was surprisingly receptive to our request after we explained everything. He agreed to suspend all training missions until they had thoroughly investigated our claims and even offered to send dedicated demolitions teams to seal up any other cave entrances they might find in the area."
Playing diplomat to a bunch of military bigwigs sucked. But they were finally done. Now they just needed to wait for Alisa to arrive with the truck and it was smooth sailing for the rest of their trip-
"Great! Glad one of us had some good news to share."
Fie glanced at Laura. Laura glanced at Fie. Their thoughts were running in parallel, "...What happened?"
"We might've miscalculated when we left Grandfather's truck like we did."
Oh no.
"For some reason a Hippogriff decided to attack it."
No! No! No! No!
"It's not totaled, but it's going to take Grandfather a lot of work before it can be run again."
Don't say it! Just don't say it!
"Gaius and I are going to walk back to the settlement. We could get horses if you need it, but I think it'll be faster if you walk back yourselves."
Noooooooooo!
That settled it. The next time Gaius, Rean, or anyone else tried to praise the Nord Highlands Fie would tell them to shut up. Because this place was miserable and she hated it!