The next morning, Ben stopped outside the fairy encampment where the warriors prepared themselves for battle.

  After speaking with the elder the day before, they were instructed to return the next day just after the first light. Their supplies were still where they had left them, and they created a small fire to keep them warm while they took turns keeping watch.

  The fairy commander approached them before speaking with Ben. “I hope you all are well rested. We have a tough day ahead.”

  Ben nodded. “As much as we can be. Oh, I know very well what the day will be like.”

  The commander looked around as if he thought Ben was talking rubbish. “I didn’t know your archer friend could see so far in the distance with his eyes.”

  “When I took my watch last night, I used the time to meditate and sense the energy in the valley. The residual energy allowed me to map the area and even what kinds of creatures roam within its boundaries.” Ben described.

  “I’m surprised you humans have been able to get this far when it comes to truly understanding magic like my people do. I’m curious to know what creatures you think are out there?” The commander asked.

  “More infected wolves, bears, and smaller animals are beyond this area. Then, as you get further into the valley, infected fairies roam. Then, even further towards the end, where the hills and cliffs converge in a pincer, a powerful sporemancer is putting everything in this to shame.” Ben explained.

  The fairy commander nodded, “It’s interesting you can do that. I remember rumors from long ago when we were at war with the humans when one of their mages could do such things. He was almost always with another of their knights, one who destroyed an entire company of fairy knights by himself.” Turning to Jerry, he added, “I believe that one used to be with them, too, during the last two decades of that war.”

  “Ah, I think I know of whom you speak of.” Ben scratched his head. “Since we’re fighting together, it would be good to discuss tactics. In our experience, we’ve found fire to be the most effective countermeasure against them.” Ben paused before stroking his chin. “That, and he ran them over with my van. It’s a shame I couldn't bring that with me here.”

  “Fire works well, but we can’t produce it in large enough amounts with the available resources. Fairies have always found it hard to work with fire magic; thus, we don't know how to create fire arrows like the ones your friend is carrying. Our purple ones use the principle of brute force and cost almost ten times the toll to produce. With our magic being ineffective against the enemy, that is the method we have been left with.”

  “That explains why it took you so long to charge that attack when you defeated the sporemancer and fought alongside Le’Vieux.” Ben turned to Jerry before asking, “I don't suppose you have a spare fire arrow that I can give these lot so they can learn how to produce more?”

  Jerry scrunched his forehead before shaking his head. “What? Are you being serious?”

  “Well, do you know how to make more of them?” Ben asked.

  “No, I don’t. But that doesn’t explain why you want to give one away. This last batch is all I have left, and it needs to last me.” Jerry replied, still frowning.

  “If they figure out how to make more, it’s worth it. You’ll have an endless supply of them.” Ben explained.

  Jerry shrugged. “Alright, I see what you’re trying to do here. But I’ll only part with this if they’ll give me a cheap price when I want to buy them. O,r at the very least, they will enchant my arrows for me when I need a refill.”

  Ben turned back to the fairy commander. “If we give you one of those fire-enchanted arrows. Can your mages and artisans recreate them? He’ll only give you one if you agree to trade them with him once you learn how to make them.”

  The fairy commander took a moment to consider. “I don't see why not. Our mages and artisans are skilled in recreating enchantments using magic from other cultures. You may tell your friend that I agree to his terms and will personally uphold this bargain no matter the political situation between our people.”

  Ben relayed the information to Jerry, who was still reluctant to agree. Alfred had butted in to reassure him that it would be alright before the enchanted arrow was handed over to the commander.

  The arrow was given to another warrior, who buzzed his wings before hopping over the palisades.

  Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

  “We will wait for him to return, and then we will begin the hunt. With these lands familiar to my people, I ask that you and your companions follow my lead," the commander said. When the warrior hopped back, he motioned with his hand before they started marching into the valley.

  Ben dodged a wolf as it sprang towards him. Before it landed on the ground, Ben had already charged his hammer and swung it sideways. The blow landed on the creature’s head, bursting it like a watermelon. He was certain the neck leech must have turned to mush, too.

  After killing a few more wolves, that was the last of them. However, the danger still presented itself as bears, first pummeled with arrows from Jerry and the other fairies, causing them to slow down. Alfred hopped between them and unleashed a multitude of slashes across their bodies.

  Ben followed up by crushing their skulls as they writhed in pain on the ground, being sure to squish any leeches that had managed to escape their hosts. The fairy warriors were engaged with the last of the bears and made quick work of their targets.

  When the last bear dropped, a notification filled Ben’s vision.

  [+275 XP]

  The fairy commander raised his hand and called everyone to gather around. “We will rest here, so prepare yourselves for a difficult battle. Our infected people are next. They will behave in different ways than you are used to and have use of magical abilities and flight.” He turned to the humans. “I will fight alongside you three to defeat the ones on the ground.”

  Jerry understood the assignment and pulled his quiver off. He removed two bunches of arrows, normal and enchanted, from his inventory. He filled his quiver with half each before tending to his bow and double-checking the string.

  Alfred dispelled his magical arm, which seemed to put a massive strain on his magic pool. He dropped to the ground and crossed his legs before falling deep into concentration and starting the regeneration process.

  Ben followed suit, and when his entire body buzzed with magic, he hopped back up when it was time to move.

  Ben charged his body with defensive mana.

  Jerry and the fairy archers shot at half a dozen flying enemies with normal arrows that did nothing except bounce away. Jerry switched to the fire arrows and carefully aimed them, causing two enemies to explode into fireballs before their charred bits rained down upon the ground.

  At the same time, the fairies switched to purple arrows, which overloaded the enemies with chaotic magic, bulging their bodies and causing them to blister. It took seconds for their limbs to burst out with energy that sparkled in different colors like fireworks.

  The fairy commander called for a ceasefire as the two surviving flyers got too close to being shot with the enchanted arrows. He turned to the warriors and motioned them to engage before their wings buzzed like bumble bees before a melee dogfight ensued.

  After receiving confirmation, Ben charged out of the treeline with Alfred and the fairy commander beside him. He noticed Jerry had somehow managed to run around the treeline, coming out in a perfect flanking position.

  Two of the six enemies exploded before the group arrived. The fairy commander took flight and used his twin daggers to crash into two of them, pushing them off. He then continued to launch a flurry of attacks so fast that the commander almost vanished from everyone's sight.

  Ben found it genius that Alfred had managed to change the magic properties in his sword so that it could radiate orange fire magic like Jerry’s arrows. Luckily, Ben was tuned enough to sense what changes had taken place and quickly managed to replicate the process with his hammer in a shoddy way.

  The hammer began to burn hotter than a blacksmith's forge as sparks blew away from its surface. Ben wasn’t sure how long his weapon would be able to stay that way before giving way to the heat and charging at the enemy running towards him.

  The enemy suddenly slashed its sword at Ben, who had to use the top of his hammer to block the blow. A powerful shockwave of fire shot out, causing Ben to remove one hand from his weapon and cover his face to avoid the flames seeping through his leather helmet. He was dragged a few feet through the muddy grass, almost tripping backward.

  Ben shifted his mana around to his back and used it to propel himself forward, using the excess momentum to move into a swing. His hammer landed on the enemy's sword, causing it to shatter before crashing into the chest area.

  Another blast of fire set the infected fairy alight as if it was drenched in gasoline. The heat slapped Ben’s face like a train made from the fires of hell, causing him to move back to the point where he nearly ended up in the tree line.

  Things would have been alright if the fairy hadn’t started sprinting towards him, arms wide open, like an Olympic athlete running on rocket fuel.

  Luckily, the allied fairies in the sky had finished off their opponents and staked them in the ground with large magical spikes. They had shot up into the sky before nosediving with their weapons on either side and swiped the remaining enemies across their legs.

  The commander motioned to the treeline. “Get back!” He then pointed at Jerry and motioned for him to shoot the enemies still alive. Within moments, all the enemies were defeated.

  [+200 XP]

  That was when Ben felt a powerful presence at the valley's far end. With every step it neared, Ben trembled where he stood, and he felt reverberations of dread in every living thing around him. Even the magic within him started fluctuating, and it became unstable. When he first noticed the energy while meditating, the miles of distance between them must have dampened it, causing a severe underestimation of its true power.

  The fairy commander shot up into the sky and peered towards the source of the disturbance. He put his hand just above the eye slits in its armor before exhaling an audible groan. He jumped back down and motioned for everyone to gather before talking, “I’m afraid the one approaching has evolved beyond a sporemancer to something that could defeat all of us.” Taking in a huff of frustration, he turned to one of his warriors, “Fly back to the camp and inform them about the danger. For those of you that wish to leave, now is the time. We have caught its attention, and it won't stop at nothing to destroy everything here.”