Marcella eyed our approach skeptically. Her eyes especially frosty towards Tammy, seeing my hand on her waist and the familiarity with which she allowed me to touch her. 

"Who is this woman, Keaton?"

The knights looking on with amusement, enjoying the spectacle they thought was about to unfold. 

"Ah, Marcella. I have someone I'd like for you to meet." Pushing Tammy forward. 

"Marcella, this is Tammy. She's the clerk from the adventurer guild."

She kept staring at me, crossing her arms around her abundant breasts unhappily. The red streaks in her hair accentuating how upset she looked. If looks could kill...

"And from now on she's my concubine. *cough* I hope you two can get along together." I said somewhat awkwardly, not sure how I should approach the subject. I knew Marcella wasn't going to like it, but what could I do? I wanted to be with Tammy, so obviously Marcella needed to meet her.

"...Anyways. Are we all ready?" I asked Marcella, trying to change the subject. 

"We were ready before you left *hmph* " she turned, walking off steamedly. 

The guards, realizing that she was leaving, began to march as well. Following her lead. 

I could only sigh, and bring Tammy and Belle along. 

Our procession must have looked unusually intimidating to the gate guards such a large force going outside the wall. Seeing me, the 'space-mage' and the mage-daughter of the duke, accompanied by so many soldiers, they must have thought we were out to subjugate some fearsome beast. Little did they know we were just out for a picnic. 

Even if Tammy and Belle were within the center of the formation, along with Marcella and I. It wasn't as if they couldn't be targeted by stray stones, or the like. Handing out some very lightweight armor pieces I had picked up beforehand, helping them equip each. Making sure they were both well protected. 

Having such a big force out was certainly a different experience. Most of the muck rats left us entirely alone, and we were able to get quite far into the grasslands without any engagements. Only when we started coming across the bigger colonies did they have the guts to face our large group. The rats charging stupidly to their doom. 

Coming to the obvious conclusion of such a battle, I began my task of storing the bodies. 

"You're not putting those in the same place as the food, are you?" Marcella chimed in from behind me, laughing shrilly to herself as she kidded me. Incredibly pleased with herself about her own joke. She had asked earlier this morning about what it was like to use space magic, and I could only let her know about the 'rooms' and how I had to visualize the items within. Obviously I had no idea whether real space magic was like this or not, but I could only go off my own experiences. 

Before long I came upon a muckrat that was still breathing, sputtering blood from an arrow in its neck. A young soldier with a bow walked up, offering to dispatch it for me... but seeing the arrow I had something of an idea. 

"I'd like to do it myself. Can you lend me your bow?" I asked of him. Seeing the confusion in his face. 

"Yes, sir. Of course." He complied, handing me his weapon and quiver before saluting. He was very polite. Much more polite than one of the knights would have been. Knights were after all, nobility of a kind. Even if they were the lowest rung and nothing compared to the status of mages, they still had the stubborn pride that nobility brought. 

I stood a few feet away from the muck rat, 'aiming' the bow at it while it heaved its chest sluggishly. Fear reflecting in its eyes. No matter how inexperienced I was with a bow, I wouldn't miss from this distance. Letting the arrow go with a twang, piercing it through. 

I handed back the bow to the young soldier and thanked him. The few other soldiers and knights watching the ordeal with confusion, not understanding the meaning behind what I had just done as I took out my hand-mirror and confirmed the new addition. 

[Archer lvl 1]

[Aim lvl 1]

Grinning as I put my mirror away. The good amount of the guards staring at me, only looking away after I'd caught them. It's not as if I was unaware of just how strange this looked, admiring myself every time I killed an enemy. It was embarrassing to me too, but what could I do about it? I couldn't see or change my status without the mirror. 

Finishing up storing the bodies before we moved on, the number of muckrats starting to drop again now that we were getting nearer to the treeline. The massive trees from deeper in the forest looming the distance as we waded through the chest high grass.

A low booming sound, the bellowing voice of a massive animal sounded out in the distance, while our guard escort seemed to react instantly. 

"Aurochs!"  I heard the soldiers around me shouting, while they closed ranks around us, protecting us with their bodies.

The knights clamored to the front, shield and spears in hand. 

I could see horns popping over the tallgrass from a distance, the beating of hooves racing towards us and the grass being cut down in their path.

"Looks like it's my turn!" Marcella spoke up behind me, walking excitedly towards the front of the line. A purple aura starting to glow around her, small transparent orbs of mana dribbling out from her hand. The orbs growing redder over time as they floated further away from our line, towards the encroaching beasts.

The herd stampeded towards us, closer, and closer, until they ran right past the orbs. 

**Crack**

It sounded like thunder. A huge booming sound and blinding light filled my senses... and then it was gone. 

The grass in front of us entirely flattened and smoldering, chunks of cow meat just now falling to the ground with a sickening plop. 

A few of the surviving Aurochs, lying stunned or attempting to limp away injuredly, which caused the soldiers to go wild from the scene. 

"Fire magic." I said outloud, surely just as stunned as the Aurochs were at this display. How absolutely powerful it was.