The 11 individuals who had jumped off the Skyship together with General Balfour were all Spirit Initiates; but naturally, the Sunchaser was capable of carrying more than just 12 people.
For short trips, less than 24 hours one-way, 50 people could comfortably travel aboard the Sunchaser.
The half-day flight from Misty City to Redwood Town certainly fit within the category of a 'short' trip, so even transporting 60 or 70 people would have been possible. However, after loading the Sunchaser with extra supplies, arms, armaments, and equipment, the total compliment of the Skyship on this emergency deployment was 40.
Other than the General herself and 12 Spirit Initiates, one of whom had remained aboard the Skyship to command and secure it while the others dropped into Redwood Town, the rest of the crew were all Sea Establishment Realm Practitioners.
1 Complete High-Rank Adept, 12 Spirit Initiates, and 27 Sea Establishment Practitioners was an elite force that was rarely witnessed outside military bases during peace time in the Rockwell Kingdom.
It could be seen from this alone just how much importance Celestina placed on this mission, having brought along a huge number of elites from her family's private guard, all of whom were also high-ranking officers in the Raging River Legion.
Of course, with so many townsfolk and villagers taking refuge at the Town Lord's Manor, there was no open space large enough for the Sunchaser to land; so instead, it descended to just above the Manor's rooftops before 25 of the Sea Establishment Practitioners disembarked either by jumping off or repelling down on ropes, carrying most of the supplies they had brought with them.
The 3 remaining crewmembers then flew the Skyship off to the east where there were open fields big enough to land.
Of the Sea Establishment Practitioners, two were Grade 0 Spirit Doctors. Although they couldn't be considered true Spirit Professionals and were instead akin to apprentices, their skills were top notch amongst people in the Four Mortal Realms.
As such, these two immediately got to work treating the injured while the 23 others moved out to help the Spirit Initiates secure the town.
None of the townsfolk or staff of the Town Lord's Manor made any objections to these people taking over and assuming absolute command of the situation, immediately complying with any requests or instructions they were given.
Fortunately, these soldiers had all been trained by General Balfour and had adopted her mentality when it came to service to the Rockwell Kingdom, so while they weren't exactly warm and friendly to the locals, they were also not overbearing or arrogant, instead displaying a stoic professionalism as they went about their tasks.
As one would expect, it didn't take long for these masters to clear out the town of stray beasts and then move to secure the various barricades. Their task was made all the easier by Celestina having fully unleashed her aura when she shot her arrow from the Sunchaser's deck.
Although it was for less than a second, this flare of pressure had caused almost all the beasts to scatter and flee.
This was actually not an ideal outcome for the General. Celestina would have preferred not scaring away all these Wild Beasts and instead having her subordinates eliminate them here and now. This would prevent these beasts from causing trouble elsewhere, but in that situation, she had little choice.
Taking down the Vile Coyote with certainty from so far away had required Celestina's to use her full strength, which made it impossible to conceal her existence.
When one of the Spirit Initiates reached Sasha's position and instantly took down the Second Order Wild Beast she had been struggling against, the latter was understandably shocked, especially upon seeing a familiar red flame sigil emblazoned on the man's armour.
Although Sasha didn't recognize this middle-aged man, it was impossible for her to not recognize her own family's crest, so she immediately bowed politely, "Many thanks for your timely assistance, Senior. I am Sasha Balfour, Lady of Redwood Town and wife of Baron Charles Newton. May I ask if you have come alone, or are there other members of the Balfour Family Guard with you?"
While Sasha had naturally noticed the odd behaviour of the beasts since a few minutes ago, she had been so focused on fighting that she had completely missed the fact that the Sunchaser had appeared above Redwood Town.
Raising his brow slightly, the middle-aged Spirit Initiate took a closer look at Sasha. Given her flaming red hair and the similarities between her countenance and that of the General he served, he found no reason to doubt her identity.
Nodding politely to a member of the noble house he served, the man replied succinctly, "Greetings, Young Lady Sasha, I am Commander Oliver Hughes of the Raging River Legion. I have arrived together with several of my comrades-in-arms under the direct command of General Balfour."
At the mention of 'General Balfour', Sasha was flabbergasted as she realized that her grandmother had personally come. Although she had very little contact with the latter, Sasha was well aware of the Matriarch's strength and status.
It wasn't an exaggeration to say that the number of people in the Rockwell Kingdom who wielded power and influence on par with Marquess Celestina Balfour could be counted on a single hand.
If her grandmother was here, it meant that Redwood Town was safe.
Or at least, if a threat arrived that even Celestina Balfour couldn't handle, then there was no hope of survival from the start.
After breathing a sigh of relief, Sasha took a moment to compose herself before bowing deeply, "As the Lady of Redwood Town, I offer my sincerest gratitude to Commander Hughes and your comrades for promptly coming to our aid."
Having said so, Sasha straightened her back and continued, "I would like to meet with grand… with General Balfour as soon as possible. Where might I find her?"
"General Balfour should still be at the Town Lord's Manor, being briefed on the situation and tending to a wounded chi…" Here, Oliver Hughes suddenly paused, seemingly thinking of something as he glanced at woman in front of him.
Quickly putting together the scene of a similar looking little girl who had just lost most of her right arm, the man couldn't help frowning slightly before sighing.
Realizing the tragedy that had just happened, Oliver solemnly said, "Young Lady Sasha, you should return to the Town Lord's Manor as soon as possible to see your daughter."
"My daughter?" Sasha was confused about why this man was suddenly bringing up her child, but seeing the gave look on Oliver's face, a terrifying thought crossed her mind and she lost all composure as she reached out, grabbed hold of him, and shouted, "What happened to Eris?! IS SHE ALRIGHT!?"
Understanding that Sasha would find out what happened the moment she got back to the Manor anyways, Oliver didn't bother trying to hide anything, "Your daughter is alive, but she fought a Low-Rank Second Order Beast to save some young children and lost her dominant arm in the battle."
Sasha didn't even bother to finish listening to Oliver's explanation before she ran off as fast as she could, her exhaustion completely disappearing as fear and panic injected her with a startling burst of energy.
…..
Meanwhile, at the barricade on the main western road into town, while one Spirit Initiate was swiftly taking down the Stonehead Python together with Farah, another was delivering a similar story to Charles.
As expected, the Baron had a similar reaction to his wife and ran off with all his might.
Sasha was slightly closer to the Town Lord's Manor, but Charles was slightly faster, so the pair arrived at nearly the same time, not slowing down in the slightest as they raced through the crowded yard and stormed into the temporary infirmary, looking around frantically for their daughter.
Upon seeing Eris lying on a makeshift cot, unconscious, with a thick set of bandages wrapped around what was left of her right arm, Sasha and Charles barely contained their urge to scream out as they raced over to her side.
Kneeling down beside their daughter, the two parents both frantically yet hesitantly began checking her over, anxious to confirm Eris' condition while also terrified of making it worse.
Both Charles and Sasha couldn't stop tears from streaming down their faces as they held their little girl, doing their best to choke back their sobs as a chaotic mix of emotions threatened to overcome them.
First and foremost, they were grateful that Eris was still alive, as seeing from the injury she had suffered, it was quite obvious her life had been at grave risk. They were also deeply saddened and aggrieved that their daughter had essentially been crippled.
The loss of one's arm, especially their dominant arm, was a serious disability that would severely limit one's future whether it was in regards to cultivation or even just living a normal life.
What's more, Sasha and Charles knew that their daughter deeply loved swordsmanship, and had even dreamed of one day becoming a true swordswoman; loosing her right forearm would almost certainly make that dream an impossible one.
Just thinking of the despair and disappointment Eris would feel when she woke up and found that all her hopes and plans for the future had been wiped away, Sasha and Charles felt incredible pain in their hearts.