Sullivan, Savol, and the rest of the player-officers were leading the army with Ragnar effortlessly jogging after them. They all turned on their mounts to face us as we approached.
“Nice of you to drop by, Chief.” Malkyr smiled at me good-naturedly.
“Ain’t it just like the chief to take a nap while the grunts are marching for war,” Ragnar said next to him.
“Any trouble in my absence?” I asked.
Sullivan shook his head. “Not really. We got into a few skirmishes with bouldite patrols. But we dispatched them with little difficulty. Less than a hundred accumulated casualties on our part so far, and the army’s average level has risen to 30.”
“Why would they be attacking with only small patrols?” I asked, puzzled.
The strategist shook his head. “I think they’re testing our defenses, looking for vulnerabilities. They always seem to head straight for our strongest fighters, the Ogre Mages.”
“Should we be worried?”
To my surprise, the player smiled at me. “No. As soon as one group hit us, Savol led the riders to flank them. They were dispatched before they could inflict any real damage. An Ogre Mage can take quite a beating, even from a bouldite. Without their own mages’ support, they’re not a threat in such small numbers.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” I said. “Are we still on schedule to reach the cave area?”
Hoshisu appeared next to me. “We are. I just got back from a scouting pass. A few more patrols are lurking ahead, but nothing big enough to slow us down. Unless they commit to another large-scale attack, we’ll reach the cave in four days.”
“Any word from the other scouts?” I asked.
Savol shook his head. “They not back yet.”
“Let me know when they return.”
“Savol will do this, Chief.”
“So?” Sullivan asked as he moved his bonetis to trot next to mine. “What about that new surprise you promised us? Is it ready?”
“It is.”
“Well, let it out, kid,” Kyth said. “I’m not getting any younger here.”
“I was looking for a way to make the outposts stronger,” I began.
“Won’t work,” Fox grunted. “They’re too feeble to stand against the bouldites waiting for us at the end.”
“I agree,” I said. “That’s why I asked our researchers to come up with something more substantial. That’s why they needed that book Kaedric sent you after, Fox. It was the last piece they needed to put everything together. We can now build a battle fortress. A huge, fortified construction that can house the entire army, has outer and inner battlements, and enough mounted war machines to give even the bouldites a hard time.”
Malkyr let out a soft whistle. “Those things must be expensive to build.”
“You got that right. Constructing it will tap out the clan’s stock of resources we’ve been stockpiling for over a year.”
“Then it just might be what we need to win this thing,” Sullivan said. “I’ve been wracking my brain on how best to use the little red button you gave me. Large-scale battles like the one we’re looking at take time to develop; the first ranks steadily wear each other down before the entire bulk of the army is engaged. No matter how I change things around, ten minutes are simply not enough, especially if the foblins are involved.”
“And with the new fortress?” I asked.
“A day before the battle, we’ll build a permanent altar with a portal so we can bring in all the building material. Then we’ll go in, preferably to high, defensible ground, and rush the building.”
I considered his words. “The bouldites will surround us, which will give our defenses a good opportunity to thin their numbers, but half of our forces will be wasted inside the walls.”
Sullivan smiled at me. “That’s why we’ll play the Battle of Woodhaven’s tactic on them.”
“What’s tha’?” Ragnar asked.
I smiled broadly at Sullivan, understanding his intention. “Oh, I like that.”
“What tha hell is the Woodhaven’s tactic?” Ragnar demanded.
“Don’t you know? You were there,” Malkyr said.
“Yeah, too deep in greenies’ blood ta’ take a good look ‘round.”
“Too bad, that was a pretty awesome maneuver.”
“Someone betta’ answer me before I go homicidal on your ass,” the drone growled.
“Wouldn’t that be a shame?” I chuckled and urged my bonetis to trot ahead a little faster.
***
The night’s march had gone by uneventfully. Yulli and Ashlazaria returned from their scouting missions and reported that they encountered two more deserted villages along our path, but saw no major forces standing in our way.
“It’s weird, Chief,” Yulli said after conveying her report. “They know we’re coming. You’d think they’d lay an ambush for us.”
I shook my head. “I guess they know it won’t do them any good. In their best-case scenario, they chase us away, and we simply regroup and come back. But they still stand to lose another chunk of their defense force, strengthening our own soldiers in the process. They’d want the battle to happen where they could bring everything they have against us, but they can’t abandon the cave they’re guarding, which means that will be the place they’ll meet us in full force.”
“You’d make for a half-decent strategist,” Sullivan said. “If not for your tendencies to go ballistic and throw yourself into overwhelming opposition.”
“I’ve got you here, so I can go ballistic if I want to,” I shot back at him with a grin.
We rode on until morning and made camp, surrounded by the dry and barren area around us.
As soon as night fell the next day, we continued our march forward.
The three experienced scouts slipped ahead before the army, their new mission to spy on the main force waiting for us at our destination.
The next day passed as uneventfully as the last. We arrived at a stoney plateau and camped in for the day. We were now only several hours’ march from our destination.
The builders erected a basic altar and I enchanted it to open a portal to the clan. Soon, workers and soldiers were bringing in huge amounts of building materials. Nine newly summoned goblin workers also came through and were led to be briefed of their purpose. After that, we settled down to rest for the day.
The attack came at high noon.
***
The army’s daytime guards sounded the alarm as soon as they spotted the enemy. Thanks to our experience, we knew to keep a vigil watch on the sky.
The attack was swift and brutal. Nearly 200 sandhawks swooped down at us, coming with the sun at their backs to hide their approach. There were too many of them to hide, though, so when they attacked, we were ready.
Thousands of arrows, dozens of giant quarrels, bursts of flames, and drilling arrows greeted the descending birds of prey.
Despite the burning sunlight that debilitated our soldiers, their recently acquired levels and hard training shone through. Half of the giant birds dropped under the barrage, their wings too perforated to keep them airborne. They plunged into the army like giant feathery comets, the sheer impact enough to kill dozens of soldiers, but our battle-hardened warriors weren’t thrown off.
Ogres leaped on the giant birds’ backs, forcing them to the ground with sheer weight. Skirmishers and bonetis riders hacked them down while the tanks formed rings of steel around them, preventing them from lashing out, and kobolds swarmed over every exposed part, sinking in their daggers.
The scouts and other long-ranged units continued shooting at the flying creatures, bringing more of them down by the dozen.
It didn’t all go smoothly, of course. At level 120, the giant sandhawks were tough opponents. They snapped and fought back, their beaks shearing through enchanted metal, their wings raising magical air torrents that flattened whole groups. But in the end, they didn’t stand a chance.
I summoned a pillar of darkness to hold
me up, hurling fistfuls of drilling arrows at any sandhawk within range, helping bring down the flapping monsters as quickly as I could and even gathering a few hundred FP for my trouble along the way.
Five minutes after it started, the battle was over. The army camp was torn and bloody, full of injured and exhausted soldiers who blinked painfully against the bright sun.
“General, report!”
Savol was quick to respond. “We lost 500 soldiers, Chief.”
“That’s not too bad a price for taking down 200 of their air support,” I said. “I don’t get it. What was the whole point of this attack? They must have known they couldn’t win – that we’ll simply resurrect our dead, and it won’t set us back by more than 200,000 EP at the maximum.”
“I know what they were after,” Sullivan said darkly. “You want the good news or the bad?”
I sighed. “Bad.”
“They went after our Ogre Mages,” he said. “I guess the patrols we encountered earlier were probing attacks on how to get at them best. We lost over half of our force of 153. And since they were all level 30 bosses, they will take more than a day to respawn.”
“Not soon enough to join the final battle, damn.” I shook my head. The Ogre Mages were important to the army’s vanguard, their ability to cast Mana Shield allowing them to hold the front ranks against enemies above their weight rank. I could’ve used energy to shorten their boss respawn duration, but it was prohibitively more expensive than simply resurrecting normal troops of similar levels. At this stage of the campaign, I couldn’t afford the expense.
Sullivan nodded. “I estimate it was a delaying tactic. They were probably aiming for us to hold off our attack to recuperate our losses, allowing them more time to bring reinforcements. That was smart of them. If we wait, we’ll worsen our chances. If we go ahead now, we’ll have to do it without the bulk of our stronger vanguard.”
Not like that was an option with the deadline hanging over my head. “What’s the good news?”
“The army’s average level just reached 32.”
“Alright, have the soldiers resurrect back in Goblin’s Gorge and bring them over via the portal. I want us back to full strength. When night falls, we march on.”
***
The three scouts returned a short while after the battle was won, and I was roused from my sleep to join the other officers in the command tent to hear their report.
“What the hell happened here?” Hoshisu asked. “I had to jump over a sandhawk’s carcass to get into the tent.”
“The enemy tried to slow us down,” I said. “What did you find?”
Hoshisu sighed. “It looks like the Outriders called back all the tribes in the area to join their main force.”
“They should have several thousand troops remaining after we destroyed the 3,000 they sent after us. How much do they have now?”
“Close to 8,000.”
“Shadow-shit!!” I fumed. That was nearly double the size of my army.
“Yulli, Ash, can you confirm?” Sullivan asked, more composed than me.
Yulli nodded. “My estimation is the same, Grand Strategist. I also spotted several sandhawks, so we should expect more aerial opposition.”
“I caught a glimpse of their king,” Ashlazaria said
All eyes turned to her at the proclamation.
“What can you tell us about him?” Sullivan asked intently.
“He’s much bigger than the others, twice as large,” the scout boss answered. “And even wider than that. He’s dual-wielding a couple of flails. Level 220.” Her eyes met mine. “Tier 5.”
“That is a formidable adversary,” Nero said casually.
“Don’t go challenging him, kid,” Kyth cautioned. “You had a hard enough time beating one of his mages.”
“The king was also surrounded by at least a dozen mages,” Ashlazaria added. “I believe they will each lead a division of their forces.”
“So we’re facing at least a dozen divisions of around 500 organized warriors,” Sullivan mused.
Ragnar let out a throaty noise. “Sounds like fun.”
The rest of the player-officers exchanged concerned looks.
I shook my head. “It doesn’t change the plan. We knew it was going to be an uphill battle.”
“More like an up-mountain battle,” Kyth said.
“It doesn’t matter,” I said. “We just need to thin their numbers enough so we can punch through toward the cave and concentrate our attacks on the Outriders long enough for Lirian and me to slip in.”
Nero nodded. “We will all give our lives to accomplish the mission. As many times as necessary.”
“If it’s all the same to you, dragon boy,” Misa said lightly, “I’m all for giving our enemies’ lives for the success of our mission.”
Ragnar chuckled. “I’ll drink to tha’.”
“Go get some rest while you still can,” I said. “It’s going to be a long day tomorrow.”
***
The sun was setting.
The army stood at full force, every single soldier armed to the teeth and loaded to capacity, carrying building materials.
This was it.
We were just a couple of hours’ march from the entrenched enemies waiting for us. We were outnumbered and outleveled, but we were ready.
I stood in front of the army, using the same trick as before to form a sort of raised podium of solidified darkness under me. That method drained my mana at an alarming rate, but I had plenty of time to regenerate it before the battle.
“GreenPiece soldiers,” I began, my voice carrying over the mass of silent warriors, all watching me, their chief, expectantly. “The time has come!”
I passed my gaze over the throng. Thousands of monsters looked up at me. Many of them had started out as mere level 4 soldiers and were now in their 30th or higher. I felt pride swell in my chest.
“This is the moment we have struggled for, died for. Together we built a mighty kingdom, took down our enemies, and now we are legion!
“The greatest battle our clan has ever fought is waiting just ahead of us. You know the enemy; they are many and they are strong, but we – we are the GreenPiece Clan!” I finished with a roar.
The army roared back, mirroring my cry.
“We do not fear stronger foes! We do not avoid our enemies, we meet them – head-on! We fight and we do not stop! Even if we must break our bones against their armor, we do not relent! We rise from blood and death to throw ourselves back into the battle. And we triumph! To the GreenPiece Clan! To victory!”
“To the GreenPiece Clan!” The army’s roar was deafening; even the players were shouting, waving their weapons in the air.
Army buff gained: Motivated
For delivering a truly inspirational speech, your soldiers’ morale has risen and their mentality fortified.
Effect: +3% damage, +10% mental resistance
Duration: 1 battle
The extra damage was useful, but the mental boost was the real prize – considering the bouldite lieutenant’s debilitating attacks.
I jumped on my bonetis and pointed my staff forward. “To battle!”
***
The barren plateau gave way to rocky hills. We marched between them, the soldiers surging behind me like a tidal wave of hungry wolves. We were approaching from a different angle than my scouting party had come from all those days ago, but even so, the terrain was starting to look familiar again. The hills opened up to surround level ground, forming a caldera. I was back at the place I’d dreamt about so many times all those months ago. The cave loomed a kilometer ahead of us at the side of the tallest hills. Even from this distance, I could still make out the luminous figures guarding it. I knew the hills around us would come alive with bouldites as soon as we marched in, cutting off both our escape route and way
forward. It didn’t matter. This was it, the final battle. We were finally here.
“There’s no high ground for us to occupy, but controlling the center would be almost as good,” Sullivan said. “Constructor crews, split off. Zuban, you’re with us.”
Wolrig and the nine newly summoned constructors broke away from the main force and spread off to the sides, each one accompanied by a small retinue of mounted soldiers.
“You’re ready to do your part?” Sullivan asked me.
“Yes,” I said, patting a satchel on my side that was filled with void crystals. “Got plenty of juice to keep me going.”
“Then it’s time.”
We continued advancing, passing between the hills and entering the bowl-shaped kill zone.
Several leather-clad scouts we’d sent out earlier came toward the general, speaking rapidly, pointing behind them.
I didn’t need to hear their report. An incoming message from Hoshisu popped open; ‘They’re coming.’
Savol’s eyes met mine.
I nodded and he returned the gesture.
Then we turned away and looked at the hills in the distance.
The hills around us came alive as thousands of bouldites appeared over the tops, spilling down the slopes, covering them with masses of thick-skinned bodies.
The last battle was finally here. And we were surrounded.
“Forward!” Sullivan bellowed, breaking my reverie.
With a savage roar, over 5,000 allied monsters charged on, entering the center of the kill zone while the bouldites swarmed down the hills toward us. We reached the center at the same time the enemy reached ground level, and their first ranks charged toward us, rapidly closing the few hundred meters distance.
“Soldiers, unload!” Sullivan shouted.
As if summoned by magic, giant piles of building materials appeared on the ground as the soldiers dropped their heavy loads.
“Zuban, now!” Sullivan ordered.
A hologram of a giant construct appeared around us, enveloping the entire army. Thick walls with high battlements were visible for barely a second before my chief constructor executed the second phase of the plan, expending 200,000 of my clan’s energy reserves to rush the construction.
Life Reset: Salvation (Life Reset - Neo Book 6) Page 45