I will be upgrading Patrons starting sometime in March/April, when I'm done upgrading Arcane Exfil benefits.

Read up to 4 chapters ahead! (Eventually +10)

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/drdoritosmdDiscord: https://discord.gg/VbDwbHj6T

-- --

Today was the day they'd officially hit Tier 7. The thought kept bouncing around Henry's head as they sat in the Guild Hall's waiting area, surrounded by a small crowd of adventurers checking quest boards and filing paperwork. Amazing how something as momentous as qualifying for Campaigns could feel so... bureaucratic.

At least the winter decorations livened the place a bit. Same adventurous architecture, but now floral garlands wrapped the pillars and red orbs cast a warm glow that almost made him forget the chill outside.

"Alpha Team!" Mira's voice cut through Henry's musing. "The Guildmaster's ready to see ye!"

They followed her up to Taldren's office, with the only noticeable difference being the fact that his desk now held four items: their new Tier 7 Guild IDs, the Party Amendment form for Sera, a wooden box with some silver decorative trim, and a receipt listing their rewards.

Taldren stood and dismissed Mira as they entered. "Alpha Team. You have shown yourselves capable, and it is only fitting that your rank now reflects such merit. Step forward, that the formalities may be concluded."

Henry nodded, stepping toward his desk. Tier 7 was just another cert in the end, even if it came with magic and monsters instead of badges and patches. But this one mattered more than most. Without it, they couldn't touch the Ovinne Mountains, couldn't get near that Gatebuilder site, couldn't do their actual job.

"The Ovinne Mountain Campaign has already claimed three parties this season," Taldren said as he handed out their new IDs. "Few who ascend those cursed heights are prepared for the bitter cold that seizes flesh and will alike. Your particular talents, however unconventional, yet speak of a great level of professionalism. They inspire a measure of confidence that you'll fare better than the rest. That said, mark me well: the Dragon is but one hazard of many in those cursed peaks."

Three parties lost to the cold? Their envirosuits could handle anything short of the South Pole. Between those and proper Arctic warfare training, the environment itself wasn't going to be what got them.

He'd spent enough time in the mountains to know cold was just the first domino. Avalanches turning a route into a deathtrap. Falling off a cliff because he couldn't see shit under white-out conditions. Storms trapping groups in the open. Running out of food and water. And that was before adding monsters to the equation.

He glanced at Sera. Her ears had perked up at Taldren's tone, and she probably knew these mountains better than any of them. Hell, she'd grown up dealing with Sonaran winters, and she'd already aced the cold weather training at Armstrong. Didn't stop him from worrying though.

Taldren handed them the receipt. On top of whatever was in this box, they'd also been credited with an additional 260,000 lumens, bringing their Guild account from 140,000 to 400,000. He then opened it. "The Guild has yet to set its books to rights on your contribution during the stampede, and so your due remains unready. Any Guild branch may furnish you with the latest account, should you care to inquire. For the present, take these rewards from your advancement quest – rather meager in comparison, but they shall nevertheless serve you well enough on the road."

Inside were three sealed envelopes – vouchers for reaching Tier 7 – and something that caught Henry's eye: a crystalline orb small enough to be attached to an adventurer's gauntlet, courtesy of the Sanctum Arcanum. Not an infinity stone, according to the attached note. Apparently, it was some magic suppression device. Could come in handy against both ghosts and those Nobian mages they kept running into.

He handed the orb off to Dr. Anderson and inspected the envelopes. One voucher was for a Holding Cart from any Guild-affiliated establishment, one for supplies, and the last for enchantment work at a master blacksmith's forge.

The Holding Cart voucher was a bit redundant, considering they already had one. But who would say no to an upgrade? A second cart was like having an extra apartment's worth of space. With all their cold weather gear, ammunition, spare parts, and extra supplies, they'd probably use a good chunk of the first cart, if not all of it if they included whatever the supply voucher came with.

The extra space from the second cart, though? Perfect for the refugee situation Dwyer had briefed them on. They could pack in enough medical supplies, blankets, and aid materials to make a real difference beyond delaying disaster for another few days. Being days away from Armstrong's support meant they had to bring everything they might need, but at least with a Cart, they wouldn't have to pick and choose.

At least they wouldn't have to go far to get it set up. Both Red Sail Trading Company and Starfall Enterprises were right here in Eldralore, and either one could handle a Guild voucher. Could probably have it ready before they headed north.

The real prize came with the supply voucher. Tier 7 quality materials and supplies from any Guild merchant, enough to outfit a serious Campaign party. The kind of stock that usually stayed behind locked doors unless one had the lumens and reputation to match.

Most of it wouldn't be much use to them directly – enchanted armor when they couldn't use physical enhancement, magical weapons that couldn't match their firearms, elaborate ritual components they'd never use. But there were some gems in there. Advanced healing potions, the kind that usually ran 25,000 lumens each. A full set of anti-venom for everything from basilisk to wyvern. Premium-grade reagents and purified mana crystals for Sera's spellcasting.

And the research teams back at base would have a field day with some of the rarer materials. Dr. Lamarr had been sending out teams to collect samples of higher-grade magical components since Bravo Team was first established a couple months back. Between Red Sail and Starfall, they could get everything they actually needed while stockpiling some research materials without burning through their lumen reserves.

The enchantment voucher was a different story. Henry held it in his hand, reading the fine print. From what he understood, getting work done by a master enchanter usually cost serious lumens, and that was just for basic effects. This voucher was good for pretty much anything they could afford the materials for.

Too bad they couldn't use it. Their gear was all Earth-manufactured – built for reliability, precision, standardization. Great qualities, but they meant nothing when it came to magical modification. No mana conductivity, no enchantment channels, none of the specialized materials or crafting methods needed to hold magical effects. Everything from their weapons to their armor was technically 'dead' to magic.

Sera was already starting to give him the puppy eyes. Well, at least one of them could get some use out of it.

"And now," Taldren said, picking up the Party Amendment form, "to the matter of formally welcoming Lady Seraphine ad Sindis to Alpha Team." He passed the form to Sera first. "You need only sign here to become a full member, with all rights and obligations such a position demands."

Sera took the form, glanced it over, and signed. Simple as that; just making official what they already knew was working. She passed it to Henry.

Five more signatures later and it was done. Taldren made a quick note in the Guild registry before storing the form in a folder. "And thus the formalities are concluded. But before you depart..."

He handed them a folder marked with the Guild's stamp. "We've reports of lures being used around Krevath – attraction magic, baiting stations – deliberate actions with no small degree of malice. As a Guildmaster, I am bound to withhold speculation absent firm evidence. Yet, there is nary a doubt as to who stands to gain from such villainy. They are wont to seize upon moments of strife, profiting from disorder and bending it to their advantage. I am loath to speak without restraint, but let us speak plain – it bears their mark true. It is the Nobians."

"The Nobians." Of course. "Any established intent?" Henry asked.

"Not as yet," Taldren sighed. "Their interest in this Campaign is plain enough, though to what end, we have yet to discern." He then nodded to the folder. "Among the documents is a map marked with the locations of known lures. May fortune be with you."

After reviewing the intelligence and relaying it back to base, Henry led his team outside. He was more than glad to let Sinclair and Dwyer take a crack at the information; for now, they had other things to do.

Shopping went faster than expected. They used the Holding Cart voucher at Red Sail, since they were already familiar with their products, but they used the supply voucher at Starfall to take advantage of their larger variety. Then they visited Spellbound to pick up reagents for Sera – just a small cut of 20,000 lumens. Whatever wasn't immediately useful would keep Dr. Lamarr's research team busy for a while.

The burger joint between Red Sail and Spellbound was packed with locals, but being Tier 7 Adventurers had its perks. They got a corner table almost immediately, watching steam rise from thick cav patties topped with cav cheese. The meat was gamier than beef, closer to venison, but the kitchen had nailed the seasoning. They even had a few bottles of ketchup, picked up from Armstrong's trading posts. Sera damn near inhaled hers, declaring it better than the 'acceptable imitation' served at Armstrong. Ryan just grinned and ordered another round for the table.

Back at Armstrong Base by mid-afternoon, Henry headed straight for Dr. Lamarr's lab to drop off the extra materials, then to the quartermaster's office with Sera. The last of their requisitioned supplies had arrived while they were at the Guild, stacked neatly on pallets inside the new warehouse. A month's worth of cold weather gear, ammo, field equipment – everything they'd need for an extended deployment into the Ovinne Mountains.

Of course, finding the Chief Warrant Officer was its own special challenge.

"Meeting," the supply specialist said before Henry could even ask. "Or gym. Or trying to find his golf balls in the snow. Could be anything, really. Want me to try his radio?"

Henry sighed. "Yeah, might as well."

The clerk just started to reach for his radio when Chief Cole appeared from around the corner, holding a tablet. Perfect timing. Sometimes Henry wondered if the Chief just waited nearby until someone asked about him.

"Captain, Lady Sera," Cole nodded to them.

"Just got promoted," Henry grinned, flashing his new Guild ID. "Picked up a second Holding Cart too. Thought we could use it for Krevath."

"About time." Cole scrolled through his tablet. "Got your requisition list right here. But with another cart..." He looked up. "How much extra space we talkin'?"

"Six MTVRs worth, give or take. Could fit whatever else you need in there; water, tents, enough MREs to feed them for weeks." Henry shook his head. "Crazy, right?"

"Yeah, no kiddin'." Cole stared at him for a long moment. "Six MTVRs though? Damn. In the size of a – how big are these things anyway?"

"About the size of a small U-Haul."

"You're shittin' me." Cole looked between Henry and the tablet like one of them had to be lying. "Well, damn. We're due for ours next month. Been pushin' the paperwork since November. Even recommended they be used to ferry supplies Earthside. That way we ain't got big-ass convoys coming in and out of the middle of the desert."

He turned to look at the warehouse behind them, already doing the math in his head. "Ordered ten of those. Probably shoulda gotten more. Hell, might be worth settin' up our own manufacturing if we could figure out how they work." He shook his head. "Anyway. Daniels!"

The specialist looked up from his terminal. "Sir?"

"All the stuff we loaded in the MTVR a few days ago – medical supplies, blankets, food. I want six times that amount. Or rather... Scale everything for 1500 refugees. Any space left over, use it for extra food and water."

The specialist nodded and went straight to work.

Cole turned back to them "Right. So, everything's staged over here." He brought them over to the pallets. "Cold weather gear's all set – Level 1 through 7. Plus winterization kits, chains, Arctic-grade antifreeze, engine block heaters, fuel. Spare parts focused on cold-sensitive components." He scrolled through his tablet. "Basic load plus extra batteries, medical supplies... standard deployment package. Huh. You sure you don't want the extra food?"

"What, the MREs? Over fresh local food?" Henry shook his head. "Wait, you remembered the stoves and shit, right?"

"Ah, yeah. Coulda guessed what those were for." Cole moved to the next section of pallets, which looked like an outdoorsman's dream warehouse. "Got you those camp stoves, proper cooking equipment. Coffee makers, mini fridges, coolers, and damn near every spice and condiment Daniels could find at the nearest Costco."

He reached into a crate and showed a bunch of drinks, from soda to Arizona Green Tea to something a bit more special. It was a stack of alcohol – Coors, Woodford Reserve, and even a few bottles of wine. "Don't tell the General," Cole smirked.

Henry caught Sera eyeing the drinks with way too much interest. Most of the stuff inside, especially the alcohol, was probably still alien to her. "Appreciate it, man."

Cole moved to the next set of pallets with a nod. "Combat load's all set too. Shit ton of C4, thermite... Enough to blow up an army of Tier 9s. Any specific plans, or just the usual 'better to have it and not need it'?"

Henry grinned. Adventurers might love their epic battles and heroic last stands, but he'd take a tactical solution over a dramatic one any day. Nothing wrong with cheesing the boss fight if it meant keeping his people alive. "Let's just say if we run into a sleeping dragon, it'll get a rude awakening."

"Fair enough," Cole chuckled.

Another set of boxes caught Henry's eye. "So, that's the Deagle ammo?"

"Yeah, wasn't easy to come by either. Had to pull a favor from Lewis. He's a collector; managed to get 'bout forty mags worth through him. Now I owe him a uh... recommendation for Golf Team." Cole handed the box to Sera, who stuffed the ammo into her Holding Bag with a grin plastered on her face.

"Anyway, I've got the heavier stuff here," he gestured to some larger cases. "Three Javelins, 30 rounds total. Two Gustafs with a variety of ammo – standard HEAT, thermobaric, and whatnot. Extra belts for the 50 and the 240. And some more Switchblades and TOW missiles for your MRAPs, which we've actually replaced as well."

"Some of the upgrades were a pain in the ass, though. We've kept the TOW and Switchblade 600 launcher on one, and added a Hellfire-capable Mission Equipment Package on the other. Makes it less mobile, but hell, I'd say tackling Tier 9s should be a good tradeoff."

"And... that about covers it," Cole said, checking his tablet one last time. "I'll get Leary and Muñez to help you load everything into the carts. You headin' out tomorrow?"

"Day after," Henry replied. "General's giving us the day tomorrow, in case we've got any last minute errands to Eldralore."

Cole nodded. "Alright, then. Good luck up there. Try not to freeze your asses off."