Karl led the group up the ladder and into the large tree fort that Rae had created for them, complete with a nest for Hawk that he was filling with leaves and small branches for comfort.
There seemed to be a number of magical resources in that pile, Karl could sense the energy coming from the pile, but he didn't recognize any of the plants, so Hawk's comfort was worth more than an unknown leaf.
Not every magical resource had a known usage. Some were just plants that held a bit of mana in them, and were either a bit more durable than usual, or longer lived.
It had only taken a few minutes to make the web fort, which was smooth on the inside, but open like any other net, while there was a sticky and much more tightly woven layer underneath. That would keep the pests out, but it would also let the breeze in.
That might be undesirable from a temperature standpoint, but for the sense of smell, it was vital.
The awning overhead was proper silk cloth, keeping the rain off, and the sides were loosely woven, but Karl didn't see any issues with the design, other than the lack of a solid surface to cook on.
They should be able to come up with something, though., Even if it was just a split log to set the cooking stove on.
The mages were panting and cursing by the time that they made it up the ladder, and Rae was doing her best not to laugh at their lack of physical fitness. The rest of the group had superhuman strength and endurance, but they had to climb all the way up with normal human strength.
The group had come up one at a time, concerned about the strength of Rae's ladder, but her web was made to contain monsters of her level. If an Ascended monster could tear the web simply by hanging on it, the Bloodbath Spider would starve.
"This is nice. I mean, really nice. When we go out with larger military groups, it's common for them to have a large canvas tent, designed to hold the whole team, and it takes up a whole backpack. This reminds me of that, but it's so well blended to the surroundings." Bob congratulated Rae on her handiwork.
She had put great effort into making the canopy blend in with the tree, and she had even pulled small branches and leaves into the weave so that they would shield the fort from outside detection until it was too late for the victims to avoid being captured.
They would smell and hear the people in the tree, and get lured in, but they would never expect the whole area to be surrounded in spider web.
Doug settled in with his back against the tree, and cast a spell that made a branch grow out past him, and then flatten into what looked like a cutting board.
"The advantages of having a nature priest with you. I'm very good at plant growth magic. Now, I will get started on dinner, and you all can lay out your sleeping bags. We will work out the watch schedule after we eat." The cleric explained quietly.
Every communication out here was done in a hushed tone, so you didn't alert your target to your presence, and for these experienced adventurers, it had nearly become second nature.
Karl laid out his bag next to Hawk's nest and watched the others finish setting up for the evening on the soft, springy net.
"If you don't mind my asking, what do you all do when you haven't been called to a monster control battle?" He asked the group.
Doug chuckled and gestured to his simple green cleric robes. "I think you can guess what I do for a living. But I am also on the environmental protection agency's emergency response team, so they call me when there is a toxic spill or other environmental disaster to help with cleanup. Most of the time, I teach students at the Seminary Academy, or tour the parishes, to make sure that the church crops are doing well."
Bob just shrugged. "This is what I do for a living. I am out here full-time, working on commission from the government."
One of the twins gestured between the two of them. "We work for a security company in the capital. I'm actually highly skilled with security cameras and all sorts of alarm systems, so we only use our magic one week a month when we come to join Bob in the woods.
It's a bit like a camping trip, a family tradition, but with dangerous monsters."
"That's quite the family resume. I still haven't even started to think about what I'm going to do after graduation. It's nice out here, and having grown up in the mines, I have a particular fondness for anywhere that is not a narrow underground tunnel. But other than that, I have no idea." Karl replied.
Bob laughed. "I doubt you have to worry about it. I checked your deployment orders before I got on the plane, and you've been sent here by the Bureau of Elite Development. They never latch on to anyone that they don't have a plan for.
If my guess is right, they think that you will keep progressing, and then end up in one of those fancy government jobs as grand high muckety muck."
That made Doug laugh so hard he almost dropped the potatoes he was cutting.
"Well, that's one way to phrase it. The Bureau tends to focus on people who will become either powerful or famous in the future. You don't look like the sort that wants to be on television, so I think they will likely push for you to take on a job like Bob's or to go into the Defence Department.
If you make it past Commander and into the Royal and Monarch Ranks, it is almost guaranteed to be government. But any further than that and things get murky. They don't have so many Overlords that they can just afford to have them wandering around doing what they please. That much power is what they call a strategic asset. The sort of person that can be used as a threat to make the aggressive beast clans and other nations back down."
"Aggressive beast clans?" Karl asked.
Doug shrugged. "You know, like the Drakes, the Phoenix Clans, the Wild Dragons and the Gryphon Nests. The sort of beasts that have human or higher intelligence, and very little patience for stupidity."
Hawk squawked with laughter at that. It was a wonderful description of the most powerful of magical beasts.
Bob smiled at his brother as he added his opinion. "It's not like they're at war with us, but every time someone does something that irritates them, we need to convince them not to go on a rampage to prevent it from happening again. Especially the drakes. They're incredibly irritable, and then there are the Drake Riders, who are a bunch of nut bars on a good day."
Karl chuckled. "So I've heard. Well, at least here we get to just look over our zone and find the prey, we don't need to worry about all those little details. All of my beasts are right on the borderline between Awakened and Ascended, so with a bit more effort and a little push, we might manage to advance and get recognized as Ascended during the next round of exams."
One of the mages sighed. "Lucky bugger. I didn't pass the Ascended exam until my last year at the Academy, in the final semester, no less. You can't be that old yet."
Karl shook his head. "No, I'm still in my first year."