Evelyn winced and gritted her beak as she heard about how strong and how many foxes were currently overseeing the float stones.
'We are outnumbered and out matched.' Evelyn thought while grimacing.
And it was not just a matter of their numbers and ranks being higher, these were beasts from an organized force like the Roost.
They would not be like beasts that simply live out in the wilds like the ones Evelyn was used to dealing with.
These foxes would have magic weapons, potions, talismans, and who knows what else to increase their combat potential and survivability.
Also, their use of magic would be at a comparable level of control and sophistication.
Still, Evelyn already resolved herself to fight and could not give up on her goal that was right in front of her.
"We will need a good plan if we are to beat them then." Evelyn said as she looked at Anneli and Katrina resolutely.
With that decided they began hammering out how they would deal with the foxes and contingency plans should things go awry at any point.
"Okay, I believe that we have done all we can to prepare. Thank you both for going out of your way to help me here. I promise I will make it up to the two of you in the future." Evelyn said with genuine gratitude in her eyes.
"Hehe, it is no problem. We have to look out for each other, and this is not our first time doing something questionable for a valuable resource." Anneli said.
"Yes, well you are welcome. Just do not forget that we will need to meet up in two days to commence the operation. You will need to slip away from your squad, and you might get in trouble, but it is imperative we make our move at night so make sure to cover your tracks." Katrina said with a serious expression.
After that eh three of them went their separate ways and headed back to the respective encampments of their units.
When she arrived, she stealthy made her way back to her spot and got some belated rest.
The next day she felt completely exhausted since she slept far less than normal, but she pushed herself hard to excel since she knew she would be ditching her squad tomorrow.
"Are you okay Evelyn? You seem a bit on edge." Rehni asked while they were taking a break.
She had picked up on Evelyn unusual behavior while they were scouting the area assigned to them.
During the expedition the two of them had naturally gravitated to each other within their squad since they already had met before and were similar in personality.
"No, I am fine. Just did not sleep well." Evelyn said while stifling a yawn.
Once they had finished up their break, Evelyn's squad got back to work and began collecting data on the area they were currently in.
'Done at last.' Evelyn thought when they returned back to their base camp.
She was really starting to real tired, and when she found a good perch, she slipped away into unconsciousness within just a couple seconds.
Upon the coming of the next day the anticipation was beginning to get to Evelyn and she felt a bit jittery.
'Just got to keep it together for a couple more hours.'
Taking a few deep breaths, she calmed herself down and went about her routine to get ready before her squad set off to continue exploring.
An hour after they left, and she was only surrounded by her squamates Evelyn slowly distanced herself away from them making it seem like she was just investigating something.
Then when she was at the edge of the range of their magic connection that allowed them to communicate, she slipped out of view behind a tree and quickly activated an invisibility and scent dampening talisman.
With the setup done, she broke the connection with her squad and began rapidly flying off in the direction of the float stone deposit that was around two hundred miles from her current location.
Naturally her squad began to panic when she broke the connection, and they frantically went around to search for her. But none of them immediately found anything. It was as if Evelyn had simply vanished into thin air.
Flying through the trees Evelyn hastily made her way towards the rendezvous point that she had set up with Katrina and Anneli two days ago.
When she arrived, she found them already there as they had less distance to cover than she did.
The three of them quickly reconfirmed the plan before going their separate ways.
Evelyn made a beeline for where the float stone deposit, while taking out certain talismans and potions and using them beforehand.
She was now magically enchanted by a resistance to most common magic elements, while also having fortified and quicken her body with potions.
'My preparations are complete. Now all I need to do is enact the plan and hope it goes off without a hitch.'
Soon enough she saw where her destination was as a mountainous area appeared within her vision.
At the top of one of these mountains there were a number of large rocks that were floating above the area and had thick vines or tree roots that connected them to the surface.
Seeing it Evelyn thought it was quite surreal and one of the most fantastical sights she had witnessed since coming to this world.
But she was not here for sightseeing, and swiftly suppressed her awe and kept on going.
As she approached the area and entered the territory of the foxes it was not long before one of them appeared.
'Wow it is big.' Was Evelyn's first thought upon seeing it.
This fox was easily sixteen feet long and bit more than six feet tall.
Truly it was an immense beast in comparison to the foxes Evelyn had seen on Earth, but that also pertained to her as well.
Along with that it had a gray coat of fur that almost seemed to sparkle in the dim moonlight
Thankfully this fox did not attack her on sight and looked up curiously at the owl that had appeared in their territory.
Putting on a fake look of relief, Evelyn made sure to flash her identification cuff and began slowly descending towards the fox.
She landed on the ground a dozen feet away from it, and before she had the chance to it herself, the fox extended a magic thread towards her to speak. Obviously wanting to quickly get this over with.
"What are you doing here? This is the territory of the foxes. The area allowed to you owls is that way. Head back to where you came from." The fox said, trying to get Evelyn to leave.
"Oh, I am really sorry to invade on your territory, but I got separated from my squad when we were attacked by a group of moving plants, and do not know where I am. You are the first ally I have come across, and really it is a godsend for me. Even if I do fly back into our territory, I would still be lost. Would you happen to have a map that I could see? If I had that I would at least be able to get a general idea of where my unit's base camp is." Evelyn aside with an expression of desperation.
She was doing her best to ham up that she was in distress and asking for help. Not that she had any malicious intent.
Of course, the fox being the ever cunning being that its race is know for, was being a bit cautious, but Evelyn's act worked on it pretty well.
If she had been a higher-ranking beast, maybe it would have been a bit more cautious. But Evelyn was currently only a peak fiend beast, while it was at the high tier of the awakened rank. Nearly and entire realm above her.
From the logic of this world, it should be impossible for Evelyn to be any sort of threat.
That was just the fundamental difference between the ranks.
"Sure kid, I can get you a map. I do not have one on me, but my leader does. Just wait a moment while I call her over." The gray furred fox said with a smile.
The foxes had a lot of allies, and while they were cautious and cunning by nature when they did not feel any threat, they were actually quite helpful.
Unfortunately, this fox's willingness to help and fairly friendly demeanor made what Evelyn about to do that much harder.
What she was doing was definitely considered wrong, as she was going to be killing her ally for their resources.
Nevertheless, she was already prepared for this. Even if these foxes were saints, it did not matter. She had a goal and would stop at nothing to accomplish it.
Eventually another four foxes appeared as their entire group came out to see the little peak fiend beast ranked owl that had gotten lost.
Seeing all of them before her, Evelyn gulped as she could instantly feel the power behind them.
'Their leader is especially strong. And this was not part of the plan.' Evelyn thought seeing them all appear.
Never did she think that all of them would come out.
She had been expecting the most likely scenario was that the two weakest members would be dispatched to speak with her, or at best the leader and one other.
Still, they had contingencies for this unlikely scenario, and Evelyn was determined to keep going along with their plan.
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