by Seth Ring
“The slow effect and the endurance regen debuff stack, so if it is not removed, the person who gets hit with it will be frozen after the forty five seconds are up. This makes it great for engaging with multiple targets, though I cannot maintain it on more than two people at a time. Still, if used on rotation, it adds to my stun-lock combo. Plus, if I can get it off on two targets at the same time, it will help out with my [Raging Blizzard] spell’s targeting.”
“That sounds pretty intense.” Thorn sat next to Mina, enjoying the rising sun as they waited for the players distributing the diluted sap from the World Tree to return.
“Yeah, making spells from scratch like this is a really time consuming process, but being in tune with the element that you are using is really helpful. As an Ice Witch, I get a huge boost in proficiency when casting ice spells, and since they are just about all I use, I’ve been advancing pretty fast.”
“When do you think you’ll be done?”
“Not totally sure. Could be in the next fight, or the following one, or the one after that. I just need to get used to these new spells.”
“Well,” Thorn grinned and scratched the back of his head, “if you ever want to practice, feel free to call me.”
“Hah, as if. You’re pretty much immune to curses so it would not be helpful at all. If Velin was still here I probably would have advanced already.” Mina stopped and covered her mouth quickly when she saw Thorn’s face fall. “Sorry. Sorry, I didn’t mean to bring that up.”
“Oh, don’t worry about it.” Thorn waved his hand, adjusting his face into a halfhearted smile that somehow only made Mina feel even worse. “No reason to be sad. I’m sure she is doing something important.”
“You haven’t heard anything yet?”
“No.” Thorn’s frown quickly returned. “How about you?”
“Nope. We both transitioned to deep dive, and when I checked in Fantasia her indicator was perfectly fine. She is probably just in a place where she can’t respond to messages.”
“That’s true.” The idea that it was the game that was hindering Velin from communicating with her team made Thorn feel much better.
“I mean, it happened to you, so it could, in theory, happen to her.”
“Yeah, that is probably what it is.”
Mina was not sure whether Thorn was saying it for her sake or his own, but either way, she was happy to be able to distract him. Every time Velin had come up in the past few weeks Thorn’s attitude had fallen quickly. As much as he tried to hide it, it was abundantly obvious that Thorn really missed the Elven War Priestess.
“So, what is she doing anyway?” Thorn asked casually as he looked toward the thick mist that surrounded the abandoned Temple of the Moon.
“She…” Catching herself, Mina’s mouth snapped shut. “Sorry I’m...”
“Yeah, yeah, sworn to secrecy. I know,” Thorn said with an exaggerated sigh.
“Earl Greymane, the first tests have been completed properly. If we can get more of this sap we should be able to enter the fog.” A player from the Iron Wolves jogged up and reported to Thorn.
“Great, how many players can one vial cover?”
“If we dilute it into one hundred parts, we can cover one hundred people for an hour.”
“Hmm, with ten thousand players, we’ll need one hundred vials of the sap, maybe minus some for the players who have yet to respawn.” Doing some quick math, Thorn thought for a moment and then nodded. “I was hoping to save more of this, but let’s say the boss fight takes four hours, start to finish. That is four hundred vials. At six hours it’ll be six hundred with some left in reserve. Better safe than sorry, right? Here you go. Please see that everyone gets six vials of the diluted sap.”
With a wave, Thorn took six hundred of the vials of sap from the World Tree that he had collected. Only a few vials remained in his inventory, but Thorn was not overly worried about it. Even though the concentrated sap was miraculous and unbelievably precious, he had never been overly attached to resources. If using the sap enabled them to clear a threat in the valley it was worth whatever cost Thorn had to pay.
“Thank you, sir.” Bowing excitedly, the player who had reported took the vials and ran back to where a few of Nova Luna’s alchemists were diluting the sap and splitting it up.
The Iron Wolves were all professional players and took the game and their roles in the Greymane army very seriously. Within twenty-five minutes everyone had their six vials and had finished their final gear check. Seeing the gazes directed at them, Mina stood up and patted Thorn on the knee.
“Time to go, boss.”
Rising to his feet, Thorn stretched his arms and rolled his shoulders, preparing himself for the upcoming attack. Putting his large rock away, he took a few steps forward and opened up the Iron Wolf command channel after sliding on his helmet.
“Hello.” Thorn’s voice echoed in the player’s ears, bringing instant silence to the army. “Over the last few days we have been hard at work cleansing the corruption that has infested our valley. Many of our brave brothers and sisters have fallen to the enemy, victims of this corruption that seeks to sweep us away. It has proven itself dangerous, but we have proven ourselves even more dangerous.
“Though we stand before the biggest challenge yet, I am sure in the knowledge of our success. We have proven ourselves to be fierce wolves, an indomitable army. As we fight this last battle, know that this does not mark the end of our mission, but simply the very first step in our ascent to glory. We are the Iron Wolves, and we will write our names across Angoril, forging a legacy of blood and iron that will never be forgotten.”
Pausing for a moment, Thorn could feel the swelling energy from the players. Just as it was about to burst, he gave Commander Hasta a small signal. Stepping forward, the Commander stepped forward and thrust his spear up into the air, his voice ringing clearly in the channel.
“Iron Wolves!”
“KILL!”
The thunderous roar rose from the players, setting the mist in front of them swirling as the air itself shook. As one, all ten of the battalions sprang forward, rushing toward the walls of the abandoned temple. The tanks charged in front, a wide variety of armor in every color of the rainbow glistened in the early morning light. Behind them, also arrayed in a huge variety of different styles of armor, came the DPS and support players, readying their attack spells or precasting their buffs.
Huge dark forms sprinted among them as the Children of the Moon joined the attacking army in full force. Easily keeping pace with the Iron Wolf soldiers, the Children of the Moon kept their senses sharp, on the lookout for ambushes. A particularly large wolf stopped next to where Thorn stood watching the army stream forward.
“I’m glad you chose the correct side,” Maugrim said, flashing a wicked set of teeth at Thorn who just chuckled.
“It was inevitable.” Thorn’s teeth were hidden by his helmet, but Maugrim could sense that Thorn had returned a grin. “There is only room for one ruler in this valley. Remember that.”
Without waiting for a response, Thorn hoisted his tetsubo and charged after the Iron Wolf players, Akira bounding alongside him.
“Hah, welp,” Maugrim muttered, only to feel an ice cold gaze settle on him.
“You know, a wolf your size, would probably make a rug big enough for the Wolf Lord’s Throne,” Mina said, her eyes fixed on Maugrim as her ice orbs spun around her head. “Remember, even if the big guy isn’t around, there are plenty of us who are.”
Stunned, Maugrim watched as the tiny Ice Witch vanished, appearing above Thorn’s shoulder. A small foot touched down lightly on the Titan’s armor as Mina launched herself forward, a path of ice appearing under her feet.
“Ahaha, mother was right about these travelers!” A sense of excitement filled the giant wolf as his competitive spirit rose.
Throwing back his head, Maugrim let out a deep howl that was picked up by the rest of the Children of the Moon. The sound echoed around the Iron Wolf players
who suddenly found themselves moving even faster than normal. Seeing the change, a smile spread on Thorn’s face and he joined the howl, activating his own [Pack Travel].
As the army plunged into the red fog, the players could feel that the thin layer of protection offered by the diluted sap of the World Tree covered them, keeping the mist at bay. Emboldened by the discovery, the players all sped up, rushing toward the abandoned temple as fast as they could.
*ding*
Soon the walls of the ruined temple came into view, and as the players watched, they saw cultists begin to boil out of the ruins. A sea of red started to form around the temple, giving the impression that the cultists were endless. Thorn’s eyes flickered as he scanned the enemy, searching for a weakness.
Despite how thickly packed the red-robed cultists were, Thorn soon saw a spot that was not as tightly packed. The cultists in that area were spread out a little more, creating the illusion that they were just as thickly packed there as everywhere else, but Thorn’s sharp vision was not fooled. Just as he was about to point it out, a message arrived from Commander Hasta.
“My lord, there is a weak spot in the cultists formation to the right. If you lead the charge there we should be able to break open the formation without much trouble.”
“Got it.”
Adjusting his path slightly, Thorn led his team toward the point that Hasta had pointed out.
“Do be careful because the enemy probably is using that as a trap. Though it is true that it is the weakest spot in the enemy lines, they have positioned a number of elite units right behind that spot. Their goal is to blunt our charge by taking apart the point of the spear.”
“Wait, it’s a trap?” Despite his confusion, Thorn did not slow in the slightest.
“That is highly likely. But the most efficient way to crush a trap is to blow it up from the inside. Rather than struggle against the walls and engage in a meat grinder, we are better off splitting the enemy and crushing one flank at a time. The enemy is expecting a succulent bite of steak. I’m betting that you and your squad are going to be a bone too hard for them to chew.”
“Haha, got it. Well, just sit back and watch!” Closing his messaging window, Thorn called to Heidi and SoulSeeker who ran alongside him. “Are you ready? Let’s do this!”
Activating [Shadow Dash] Thorn’s body turned hazy as he darted forward, slipping through the first few lines of red-robed cultists. Now that he was closer, he could see a few of the hulking Bloodkin hiding in the ranks of the cultists. Marveling at how Hasta had been able to spot them from so far away, Thorn gave his teammates a heads up and then exploded into action.
[Shadow Dash] was canceled, and as the shadows cleared Thorn’s tetsubo cleared a swath through his enemies. Not bothering to finish off the cultists that he batted aside, Thorn instead struck again with a reverse sweep. The thick metal mace hammered into the side of a cultist, nearly ripping the poor Wolfkin in half. Instead, the force of the attack smashed all of the cultist’s ribs and snapped his spine before sending him flying into his companions like a bowling ball.
Thorn could feel two burning forces at his back and knew that Heidi and SoulSeeker had caught up. Without waiting, he took a big step forward, his tetsubo slashing out at the Wolfkin cultist’s head height like a scythe harvesting wheat. The cultists who had the presence of mind to duck found themselves facing a storm of razor sharp ice spikes and the sharp blades of a white-armored figure who appeared next to them long enough to cut their throats before fading into the air.
“Man, Julia wasn’t kidding, was she?” said Commander Hasta to himself as he watched in awe as Thorn ripped through the ranks of the red-robed cultists. Still, it would not do to be completely outdone by the boss, so, shaking his head, the commander gripped his spear and launched himself forward into the fight.
Chapter Twenty
The sea of red that surrounded Thorn at the beginning of the fight had begun to give way under the Titan squad’s relentless attacks. Together they drove into the cultist’s lines, carving a path for the players behind them. Once again Thorn was reminded how different fighting in a mass battle was from one on one combat. The pace was frantic as the action swirled around him, another new enemy charging toward him as soon as he cleared one from his path.
Every step forward was a lesson in balance. Though he could rush forward, that would simply separate him from the other players, leaving his back open in the thick melee. Instead, he had to keep pushing forward, but always in concert with those who protected his sides. To his left, Heidi carefully blocked the incoming attacks, skillfully deflecting the attacking enemies into the blades and spells of the players behind her. On Thorn’s right, SoulSeeker took a more aggressive approach, his big blade cutting down any enemy foolish enough to linger.
“Thorn, watch out for the Bloodkin.” Mina had fallen into the formation behind Thorn, her spinning ice orbs sending out a near constant stream of [Ice Spikes].
“Yup, I see them.” Thorn’s eyes flickered under his helmet as he picked out the three nearest Bloodkin. “Akira, get ready.”
[I’m ready, master!]
“Good. Heidi, SoulSeeker, get ready to close the gap. Alabaster, your team gets the one on the right. Akira, you’re taking the one on the left. Remember to call for help if you need it.”
[Against these degenerates?] Akira’s voice carried a deep scorn that Thorn had never heard before. [Please.]
“Go!”
With a roar, Thorn sprinted forward, smashing through the red-robed cultists and arriving in front of the shocked Bloodkin in the middle. Lifting his tetsubo over his head, Thorn brought it down with blistering speed on the Bloodkin’s head. Thorn’s abrupt advance and attack had startled the Bloodkin warrior so badly that it took a moment for him to react. The hulking monster tried to jump to the side as he brought his arms up to block, but Thorn had not held back at all and the metal spikes of the tetsubo cut through the monster’s arms, crushing its head without resistance.
A quick glance over his shoulder showed that Heidi and SoulSeeker had tightened up the formation, even as they continued to push forward. On his right, Alabaster, EphemeralWhisper, and another two rogues were doing their best to cut their target to pieces. With four assassins targeting the Bloodkin, Thorn was confident that he did not need to help them so he turned to check up on Akira as he waited for the rest of the squad to catch up.
As soon as Thorn had shouted, Akira had darted out of the player’s formation. With each step her body grew larger, forcing the Wolfkin cultists to the side until she was simply trampling over them. A few of the more enterprising cultists managed to attack her as she ran by, but her red fur was almost as hard as armor in her battle form and she simply ignored the attacks. With a thought, her three tails burst into flame, leaving burning trails in her wake.
The sight of the fire streaming from her tail seemed to have a cowing effect on the red-robed cultists and they scrambled back, trying to get out of her way. Even the Bloodkin warrior quailed as she got close, starting to retreat. Before the monster could take even one step, Akira had arrived. A fierce light burned in her eyes as she brought up a claw and slashed, cutting a huge gash in the Bloodkin’s side. The attack caused her to spin around, her three tails slamming into the unfortunate monster, crushing him into the ground and lighting his body on fire.
Without bothering to see if he was dead, Akira used the impact of her tails to launch herself in the air. As her head swung around her eyes locked onto another Bloodkin hiding further back in the crowd, closer to the ruined temple. A twist of her tails allowed her to adjust the trajectory of her upper body, and with an earth shaking boom she landed among the cultists, crushing half a dozen under her big body.
About to call her back, Thorn saw a blur and suddenly Akira had crossed a large distance and was holding the Bloodkin Warrior she had spotted. As she smashed the monster into the ground repeatedly, Thorn swallowed his words. It was obvious that there was little in this crowd of en
emies that could even hope to harm her, so he simply let her run wild.
[Good job, Akira. Keep hunting the Bloodkin.]
[See, I told you they were not worth worrying about.]
Rejoining the squad, Thorn revised his plan and leveled his tetsubo at the wall of the ruined temple.
“New plan, folks. We are going hard. Alabaster, take down Bloodkin when you see them. We’re busting through. Iron Wolves!”
“KILL!”
Surging forward, the players stopped holding back and began to rampage through the cultists’ lines with renewed fervor. Sensing that their trap was about to fail, the remaining Bloodkin abandoned all pretense of hiding and tried to rush forward to blunt the Titan Squad’s charge. Unfortunately for them, as soon as they started to move they revealed themselves to Akira and Alabaster’s assassin squad who began to cut them down. Hit from the flanks, only a scant few Bloodkin warriors made it to the player’s lines, only to be met with Thorn’s whirling tetsubo or a tank’s shield.
With the Bloodkin taken out of the picture, the remaining cultists were quickly cleaned up and the Titan Squad broke through the cultists’ lines and made it to the walls of the ruined temple. Behind them, the other players of the Iron Wolf army widened the channel that had been cut in the cultist’s lines, splitting them into two parts, one to the east and the other to the west. Hasta seized the opportunity as soon as he got Thorn’s message and had the bulk of the players attack the western half of the cultist’s army.
“Iron Wolves!”
“KILL!”
Every time the chant rang out the players attacked faster and harder, using every skill at their disposal to cut down their enemies. The cultists held for only a brief moment before crumbling as they were overwhelmed on three sides.
“Battalions six, seven, eight, nine, and ten, begin the calculated retreat.” Hasta’s voice rang clearly in the ears of the battalion commanders.