Infinite Paths: The Raging Phoenix-Chapter 1133: Unease

Since the previous mission had been quite difficult because of the enemy that showed up, Esmeralda, Regis, and Sealyn decided to send the best warriors; even those who weren't that skilled at using the suits were sent as well.

Although the numbers weren't that high for their standards, they still decided to split the group in three. To make the coordination easier, they created the human group, the sea folk group, and the demi-human group. They would respond to their leaders accordingly. They would stay behind, but they would talk with each other and decide the best course of action.

The crew initiated the deceleration process as the vessel approached the mysterious planet shrouded in a perpetual sandstorm. Slowing down the speed of the vessel allowed for a more controlled approach and increased maneuverability once they entered the planet's vicinity.

To gain a better understanding of the planet's surface and surroundings, the decision was made to orbit around it. This move provided the expedition with a clear and panoramic view, enabling them to assess potential landing sites, identify any anomalies, and observe the harsh weather conditions they were about to face.

Sakaki explained that the dust clouds on Earth lasted for decades. With this in mind, the crew understood the urgency of the situation and couldn't afford to wait for the weather conditions to improve.

"The job of our group is to look for the centipede, kill it, or capture it," Esmeralda declared. "The other groups will search for resources and look for survivors. With that in mind, they still can be Targeted, so you will have to head toward them and take their place as well. Only call for support if it is absolutely necessary… Roan will be the leader of the mission this time."

Some people in the group looked surprised when they heard that, but Rain and Roan weren't. Esmeralda talked about that on the previous day and about what she had in mind.

Lately, Rain had been too pragmatic with his choices, and some people might not feel confident following his lead; with that in mind, he was supposed to focus on doing whatever he wanted while leaving his father to call the shots. Rain was more than fine with that. One less thing to worry about… since most of his friends and family were in that group, he had to focus on watching their backs.

Esmeralda wanted to capitalize on Rain's overprotective side…

"All of you are highly skilled using the suits, but don't get carried away," Esmeralda said. "Focus on returning alive and making sure that the others will come back in one piece as well. There is always the next time, as long as you stay alive. Besides, the suits that you are wearing are expensive and time consuming to produce, if you all die, we can't force you to pay back for the damages."

It was weird to see Esmeralda joking in a moment like that, but she learned a few things about preparation before important missions. Getting endlessly nervous wouldn't help anyone, after all. With that in mind, she decided to help everyone relax with those words.

"Visibility will be extremely limited, and while we can use wind magic to improve vision, we don't want to leave too many traces of mana," Branden said. "That being said, using mana could attract the creature, and knowing that the other groups won't be bothered can help us a lot, so the decision will be yours on the field."

Everyone nodded. The sea folk will look for resources since their fighting ability will be limited in such weather conditions. The demi-humans would be fine, but they would deal with the inhabitants of that planet. Thanks to Isa's lineage, she could communicate to some extent with pretty much all living beings that had some level of Sapientia.

Before long, the time had come… and the groups reunited and began to move using Rain and Isa's domains. A lot of people watched them until they crossed the border of the domain of the vessel, and then they disappeared in the vacuum of space.

"You should have brought Elisabetha with us," Sakaki said.

"Someone needs to watch Iori," Rain said. "Besides, she will take some of my power in exchange for giving me some of the dragon slayer path. With everyone here, we should be able to handle even the first dragons."

"I sure hope so…" Sakaki said.

Surprisingly, Sakaki exhibited an unusual sense of uncertainty regarding the upcoming mission. Despite Rain lending the relics to some of the members of the team – Terra receiving the gloves, Liss being entrusted with the dark scepter, and Roan wielding the Hammer.

To ensure the effectiveness of the relics in the challenging conditions of the sandstorm planet, the team took advantage of the final week to practice and familiarize themselves with the unique capabilities each relic offered. Rain's decision to allocate these powerful artifacts to key individuals reflected his strategic approach to maximizing the team's potential.

Despite the practiced preparation and the possession of these potent relics, Sakaki's uncertainty remained quite clear, creating an air of suspense and weirdness in the air.

Around half of the members of the group didn't have any experience leaving the vessel since they left Earth, so they sure looked nervous as they crossed the emptiness of space. It was an experience like no other, even those who had some were still a bit nervous… even though in case of failure, the suits would protect them.

"Hmm, I don't think that they are here…" Sakaki said. "From this distance, I should have been able to feel any of their presence."

"It will take a while to find them… not like I had forgotten that we had to find them," Rain thought. "Putting that aside, maybe you are wrong. If a relic is there, they would have been moved to this place thousands of years ago, and their traces would have disappeared over the years."

"Maybe…" Sakaki said.