CHAPTER 2729: 2729. GUARDS TOGETHER

"Keep in line, your formations cannot fall apart in the wilderness." Su shouted out and saw those faltering begin to return to perfect positions. While many did not choose to follow the double shield style that she had developed, these elite guards she was training had all chosen at least one shield form to wield with a weapon.

There were those who had a morning star with their shield to deal brutal damage, others that had a short sword for the precision, and multiple had a single bladed ax for the practicality. Their choices had been valuable to them and would change the way that they adapted to Su’s training and usage of shields in a more attack oriented format.

So far, Su heard that Walker and Midnight had left ahead of them making her feel like she would fall behind. This was a great chance to train these younger guards in to the best shape they could be in. They were blank slates. Perfect for taking on new muscle memories for their battle styles. Perfect for learning how to adapt to the changing circumstances of the world. Perfect for being molded in to elite guard captains who could protect far off ruin explorations and their homes.

So far a few had changed to and awakened classes that Su hadn’t heard of. One was a village guardian, making it appear that the elite guard would easily be able to guard an entire village alone without any issues. For starting villages, that sounded like it would be an ideal guard to have until they were properly developed.

There was another who managed to claim a class called the dragon flame defender. At first they had been just a demi-human with the smallest of lizard traits, nothing that stood out. However, they gained quests to consume certain herbs, fight dragonkin, and then train with Su causing a change to their physique. Scales grew and the signs of them awakening aspects of a lost bloodline proved that they had some relationship with fire dragons in their past family lineage. Therefore, this class had been an amazing surprise to gain more strength in the future.

Since she had been there to witness some of the events that led to all of the elite guards she was training or chosen to train gaining better classes and abilities, she had decided that they would have to eclipse the strength of the previous group she trained who now led their very own squads. Su wanted to see each and every single one of them take the chance to rise higher and be able to stand on their own. To be able to protect every single person that their hearts wished to protect without worry.

The drive she had was infecting the elite guards. When Su trained, they saw the higher standard that she held herself to. They saw how she always kept herself strict to be able to maintain what she believed. Most of all, they saw how she would put aside her own rest to volunteer at the cathedral to assist in healing and making sure the elderly were safe. All things that inspired the average person but sparked flames of determination within the guards who she had hand picked to become the next group of elites beyond the average.

A few had already asked permission to fight in the upcoming battles in front of the demi-human king. They wished to show the entirety of Genesis that they were strong and had learned well. Besides this, those who had come from the demi-human kingdom knew that this was their opportunity to show that moving to Genesis was more than worth it. That they did not abandon the ways of their people, they just found the best place for them to uphold their way of life.

While they had traveled in formation, Su had managed to pass a logging camp mentioning how Walker and Midnight had assisted in eradicating some invasive plants. It made Su understand that the two ahead of them were not just playing around while they traveled and that they would be working hard by the time they got there.

However, right this second, the formation halted and Si noticed that the larger pale furred figure ahead of them was blocking the trail they intended to take. There was also a few of the green leaf deer dead on the ground, a hunted prey in an inconvenient place. Right in front of the group without an easy way to skirt around it.

Not that going around mattered. The monster had already looked up and focused on them. And it was not happen that its meal was being interrupted.

"What monster is that? I know you all studied the location notes I gave you access to about this areas and the documented predators." Su saw this as a chance. While the monster studied them and began to decide it would fight them, Su tested the elites who were still in defensive formation as she had taught them to fall in to the second a threat appeared.

"White back bear."

It was a monster known for its brutality and high hunger. It would hunt for a full day if not multiple days in a row constantly defeating and eating as much as it could. After it had its fill and its rage calmed down, it would then find a muddy hole to slumber in. The reason it was called white back was due to the fact that it grew in its sleep, as such, the fur of its back was often exposed to the sun causing it to be bleached white over time.

This monster was nothing to laugh at for a traveler. It was brutal and would chase after anything even larger monsters than itself so that it could consume as much as possible. It didn’t have the intelligence to run away when faced with an opponent that could defeat it. Hence why Su took the lead and acted as the first line of defense in their formation. "This enemy will not run, your job is to surround it, set your defenses, and keep it confused. We will attack when it loses focus on one of us. If you find yourself about to be struck, hold steady and make sure it can not break you."

Her orders drew the attention of the white back bear and it began to charge toward them. She knew it had been eating the deer but that didn’t matter. It saw prey and foolishly thought that Su would be a good meal. However, if it was smart enough, it would have run for its life.

The moment that it was about to lunge in to the twin shields, Su angled them up so that the pointed engs faced the bear. Its attack became one that caused itself pain since Su was more than strong enough to lift it without its claws striking her whatsoever.

The deep cuts caused it to howl in pain before growling and drooling in rage. The elite guards followed their orders surrounding it. Once Su released her defensive attack, everyone began using their skills to gain its attention. Having control skills that forced less intelligent monsters to look at them was a basic skill for anyone with a shield. Here though, it grew confusion and created attack opportunities.

The cuts and the blunt attacks were perfect. They wore away the larger enemy that they faced. It was not instant and spoke to the weakness of these elite guards by comparison to veteran guards. Yet, it also proved that together they could stand tall and avoid injuries. Every single attempted swipe was met with one or two shields protecting them from harm. Every single turn to attack someone was a strike in the back or toward the joints which further weakened the bear.

In a matter of five minutes an opponent that would easily have killed half of them without guidance had been taken down with barely a scratch and scrape amongst the elite guards. "How many of you believed we would leave that fight unscathed? How many of you knew the characteristics of these monsters? You will all be leaders in the future. You should be able to stand alone and ensure those around you survive. Learn as much as you can about where you are and what you might face. You may have that information in your life later."

"Now, we will carry this prey back to meet Walker, Midnight, and the researchers. Once there we will go over the best ways for us to help them. Is that understood?" The shout was met with agreement from every elite guard in training. Su didn’t say it out loud, but she was glad to see them all work together. They knew what it was to work with a team, but now she would be guiding them to develop their strength and make wise decisions as leaders themselves. They just needed the time and opportunities to get there.

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