They came up out of the cut in the rocks, far away from the whirlwind that was dying down, their old position now a divot in the ground as rocks fell all around.
“Bombs are in position and the carriers are coming home,” Lucinda said.
The mana barrier was up, but mana barriers, while they stopped spells and fast-moving attacks, they didn’t stop living creatures.
“We’ll need a minute to get to our next position,” Erik said.
***
Storbon checked his grenade launcher, looking at the camp.
Lucinda confirmed that there are no prisoners in the camp so we can go call out.
“Alright, shall we kick this off?” He asked over the comms channel.
“Ready here,” Lucinda said.
“Ready,” Erik said.
Storbon looked at Yuli and Tian Cui, both of them had a six-shot grenade launcher in their hands.
“Alright, blow the charges on my mark. Three two, one, Mark!”
Explosions shook the camp and the ground as the bombs that had been planted at the base of the camp’s walls went up, the wall disappeared in a wave of shrapnel, killing and wounding the orcs that had been standing on or near the wall. Storbon stepped out of his cover, aiming his grenade launcher, looking through the sight window, his launcher nearly pointed straight up.
He pulled the trigger, moving slightly to cover a larger area, firing as fast as he could before chucking the grenade launcher into his storage ring and pulling out his panther mount.
“Hopefully we don’t hit the ceiling,” Yuli said, the last to get on her mount as their panthers raced away from the camp explosions falling on and inside the camp.
“Watch out!” Tian Cui said through the broken camp a crack appeared on the ground, spewing lava as it raced through the ground to where Rugrat and Lucinda’s position had been, Whirlwinds appeared outside the came and rushed towards the other positions as well.
“Yuli use a spell scroll, if the shamans are casting, they’re not putting up a barrier!”
Yuli pulled out a spell scroll as Storbon pulled out his grenade launcher,dropping out the old shells and putting new ones in.
Tian Cui followed what he was doing, they looked at one another and peeled away from Yuli.
Their panthers took them away from one another as they aimed and fired at the camp again.
“We’ve got orcs coming out of the camp, it looks like they’re not playing around anymore!” Erik said. “Yao Meng and I will cover the opening in the camp walls.”
Orcs started to move out of the walls around the camp, there were around twenty or so Orcs left now, Each of them were covered in a glow and their eyes were red in madness.
“They’re buffed!” Rugrat reported.
The second wave of grenades landed, striking the camp, most of them missing anything but serving to distract the shamans.
Yuli’s spell scroll activated. It spread out creating multiple formations in the sky, the wind was churned up as the spell formation dragged in the surrounding mana.
The cracking ground exploded in lava at Rugrat and Lucinda’s old position, sending a plume of molten lava up that covered an area of twenty meters.
Whirlwinds that had cut through several of their old firing positions were canceled as the shamans rallied together casting a mana barrier up over the camp. The orcs had given in to their bloodlust and rage charged out of the camp.
Erik’s and Yao Meng’s rifles fired, their rounds striking the Orc’s bodies, their buffs enhancing their armor, their strength, and their reactions, allowing them to actually dodge some of the incoming attacks.
Yuli’s spell scroll activated a pillar of golden cleansing light struck down, hammering the mana barrier that was quickly thrown up below, the impact of the attack shook the sky throwing a wall of wind out the picked up rocks and dust that washed over a one hundred meter area around the camp.
The pillar of light kept descending, the head Shaman turned back and supported the other shamans under the onslaught.
“Storbon pull your team back, make a second line!” Erik yelled.
He and Yao Meng were firing on full automatic now but the berserk Orcs were able to take three or four hits before their buffs wore off.
Storbon turned back and raced to catch up to Yuli, his panther weaving from side to side as the Orcs grabbed rocks and hurled them.
He saw Tian Cui also racing back.
A roar shook the ground as George took to the skies. Rugrat fired his rifle from atop George as mana condensed around George into blue balls of flame that shot out at the charging orcs.
Gilly let out her high-pitched clicking call as the ground around the Orcs rose up, turning into spikes., A few speared themselves on the wall the others using their superhuman strength dodged the attack or jumped over it, to be caught in George’s blue flames or shot by Rugrat.
The spell scroll finished and there was a roar from the camp. Storbon looked back to see the shamans charging out of the camp, they were riding the bloodthirsty hog mounts that had been pulling the carriages of people.
They cast down spells on the orcs, a green light appeared around them, healing their wounds, bringing those that were on the brink back.
“We’ll pull back to the choke point position,” Storbon yelled, if they were caught out in the open, they would die. “Tian Cui mount your heavy repeater!”
He pulled out his repeater and secured it onto his panther’s armor as he saw Yuli come to a stop, holding her position as she waved her staff, sending out lightning and throwing up the ground in the orc’s face to slow them.
Tian Cui and Storbon raced down the divot in the ground she was in and turned their mounts to face the enemy, their mounts below the ground but their repeaters above it.
“Covering, get your asses moving Erik!” Storbon yelled as they started firing their repeaters at the Orcs.
Erik and Yao Meng jumped up on their mounts and raced backward, off to the right flank of Storbon.
Rugrat and George dropped from above, Rugrat fired his grenade launcher at the shamans while George breathed fire on the charging orcs, slowing them down as they banked away, avoiding the shamans’ attacks.
Storbon’s team laid down suppressing fire into the orcs, the shamans had met up with them now and were healing them from the latest attacks.
“Luc?” Storbon asked.
“I’m halfway back to the choke point!” Lucinda yelled.
Rounds and explosions hit the orcs, killing one and wounding another that was quickly restored.
“Covering!” Erik barked.
Storbon and his team turned and they ran, zig-zagging across the ground, the orcs were still coming and with their shamans they were getting closer.
Rugrat circled around the rear of the group, shooting at the shamans, chains appeared around them, binding them and biting into their flesh as he dove, getting away from them again but slowing the orcs’ advance.
Storbon passed Erik’s and Yao Meng’s position, tossing away his empty repeater magazine and securing a new one.
His panther turned, facing him toward the enemy again.
He pulled the trigger but the repeater failed to fire as Yuli and Tian Cui were up and shooting.
“Covering!” They both yelled.
“Moving!” Erik and Yao Meng yelled, the two of them charging back on their mounts.
Cursing in panic, Storbon’s hands followed his training, clearing the repeater, reloading it and firing.
“I’m at the choke point, putting down the traps and explosives. When coming in, Erik your team will go right, Storbon go left. Got it?” Rugrat said.
“My team right, Storbon left. Got it.”
“Erik’s team right, my team left,” Storbon repeated, burning it into his mind.
“Covering!” Erik’s, Gilly’s and Yao Meng’s attacks hit the orcs, aiming at the shamans who were using them as shields, causing them to slow down.
Storbon’s team started running
as a whirlwind hit their position. It struck Tian Cui and her mount, sending them flying. They were cut up badly and slammed into a rock outcropping.
“Move it, I have her!” Storbon yelled, his mount rushed towards them as he pulled out his beast storage device, Tian Cui and her mount disappeared into it as Rugrat fired into the Orcs. Chains appeared around the shamans, stopping them from moving he flew over, dropping grenades down, killing three of the shamans and wounding another. The Head Shaman let out a yell and sent a blast of lightning after Rugrat and George. They were too close to dodge properly, George turned into the hit so Rugrat wouldn’t take it.
It was reduced in strength by Rugrat’s domain but it threw them back.
George dropped towards the ground bonelessly. Rugrat used gliding steps, he grabbed George who was shrinking continuing on his way down to the ground.
Storbon didn’t have time to worry about George, or even Tian Cui as he got to the next position. Yuli threw out a formation plate, her panther standing on it as it channeled power into her, amplifying her spells.
“Covering!” Lightning shot out of her hand, striking an orc and arcing between them, they yelled out in pain as it got past some of their buffs, killing one and stunning four others.
“Moving!” Erik and Yao Meng yelled.
Storbon pulled Tian Cui out of the storage device and onto the ground. He pulled off her medical kit on her side. Grabbing a needle he jabbed it into her neck and pushed the plunger. The healing and stamina potion was injected right into her internal carotid, pumping through her body.
Her complexion looked better.
“Rugrat, status?” Erik asked over the comms.
“I’m heading to the choke point now,” Rugrat said.
Storbon put her back into the storage device and fired his repeater.
Blades of air cut at the orcs, the force causing the ground underneath the orcs to crack as the blows forced them to stall their forward charge and were thrown back.
“Covering, one more bound to the choke point! Lucinda!” Erik yelled.
“We’re set up as good as we can get!”
“Moving!” Storbon and Yuli yelled as they turned and ran.
The Orcs were still coming, their twenty melee fighters down to ten, while they still had the head shaman and two other regular shamans supporting and laying buffs on their fighters.
Now that there were fewer Orcs, the shamans could increase the strength of buffs laid on them instead of spreading it out so much.
Storbon and Yuli got into their fall back position. They were positioned on either side of a pass that ran through the rock.
Erik and Yao Meng raced back, moving behind them and down through the pass.
“We’re through pull back,” Erik ordered a few moments later.
Yuli tossed trap formations on the ground and against the wall, using a spell to hide them.
She charged down the pass, Storbon following after her.
The pass went for some time before opening up.
Gilly and Erik were to the right, Yao Meng was climbing up the rock face beside them to a position in the rocks.
Rugrat and Lucinda were already hidden in the sheer walls of the opening.
Storbon and Yuli dismounted and put their mounts away, climbing up the cliff face to the left of the opening.
Storbon pulled out his rifle and aimed at the pass. It looked like a Y with the pass the bottom line. Erik and Yao Meng were on the right side with Storbon and Yuli on the left. Rugrat and Lucinda were somewhere in between the opening at the top of the Y and angled up gently.
The trap formations went off, Storbon could hear them.
“Trap formations are active, explosive charges are ready,” Lucinda said.
The orcs weren’t quiet as they ran through the pass that had been carved into the ground.
“Steady,” Rugrat said. “Fire on my order.”
The noise increased as Storbon was focused on the entrance to the pass, it was his entire world.
***
Erik looked at the opening in the pass, Gilly had used an earth spell to make a trench for them to hide in. He had his rifle in his hands, waiting for the enemy.
Suddenly an Orc let out a yell, running out of the pass. It made it twenty meters out of the pass as the rest of the group ran after it.
“Fire!” Rugrat fired on his selected target as trap formations went off, restrictive formations cut off the Orcs’ advance, attacks cut at their bodies, rounds slammed into their armor and skin, draining away their buffs, the shamans at the rear were casting healing spells.
Erik felt his head hurt as he altered his Hallowed Ground spell, the new spell landed on the orcs. A black spell formation appeared underneath them, a yellow haze appeared around it, attacking the orcs, and draining their health.
He focused on the head shaman who was self buffing himself.
“Fire in the hole!” Everyone ducked as the explosives in the pass and around the Orcs went off.
Orcs were tossed around like sticks, the shamans were killed, crushed by the rock of the pass as the shaman was thrown to the side, bloodied.
There were three orcs still standing.
The Head Shaman let out an enraged roar as chains wrapped around himBlades appeared around the creature, tearing into it as it could no longer talk. More chains wrapped around it, burning its skin, poison invading its body.
The Head Shaman’s eyes were starting to become dull, the chains lit up and then exploded, the shaman dropped to the ground,dead.
The other orcs that had survived were cut down.
Suddenly it was silent as they looked at the pile of orcs caught in the choke point.
“Everyone okay?” Erik yelled.
They called back to him all of them letting him know that they were still alive and that they had come out of it relatively unharmed.
“Alright, let’s move back to rally point Echo, we’ll check the wounded there. Rugrat, how is George looking?”
“He’s in bad shape but alive,” Rugrat’s voice had none of the light joking that one might find on a normal day. He was switched on, pissed and hungry for revenge.
“Alright, let’s move, it’s a few minute ride.
They all got mounted up, Rugrat jumped on the back of one of Lucinda’s beasts and they ran toward the fallback point.
It was between a ring of boulders.
“Yao Meng, get up and keep an eye out. Lucinda have your beasts watching,” Storbon said as they got into the opening. Erik jumped off of Gilly and pulled out a cot, indicating to it.
Storbon pulled out Tian Cui, she was in pain but her eyes were open.
Erik used his domain and simple organic scan, seeing all of her injuries in just a moment.
“Get some stamina into her: lots of cuts, nasty hit to the head, nothing serious, dose with healing concoction when she’s ready.” Erik said.
He turned to the other side, Rugrat had pulled out George he’d injected him with a mixed potion that had more stamina recovery than healing abilities.
Erik saw where the lightning had hit. There was a point of impact and then a ripple, like tree roots that ran through George’s chest.
Erik set to work, focusing on George. He had heavy internal damage, his heart was struggling and not pumping correctly, he had deep cuts that were partially cauterized.
Rugrat tore himself away, finding it hard to look at his mount who had put himself in harm's way in such condition.
He pulled out his rifle.
“I’ll help keep watch with Yao Meng,” Rugrat said.
Storbon nodded, Rugrat needed to be away from George, being there wouldn’t help him. Keeping him distracted and focused on something else would make it better for them all.
Rugrat climbed up onto the rocks while Erik worked on George and checked on Tian Cui periodically. He didn’t need to leave George, just extending his domain.
It took several minutes for him to heal the life-threatening damage to George
.
“Tian Cui took a nasty hit to the head but she will be fine in a few minutes. George took a nasty hit, he’ll need time to recuperate but he’s good for now,” Erik said on the comms channel, “Storbon, Rugrat on me.”
==========
Unhallowed Ground
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Expert
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Someone that steps into the area of effect will have their very life force sucked from their body. Wounds and hidden traumas will be negatively affected.
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Cast: 500 Mana 200 Mana/minute – 20m radius
1500 Mana 500 Mana/minute – 40m radius
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For teaching yourself an Expert ranked spell, you gain: 5,000,000 EXP
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45,948,136/56,900,000 EXP till you reach Level 58 Insert experience gain and level increases +2,879,012
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********
Rugrat got back down from his perch and Storbon walked over from the others that were checking their gear, cleaning their weapons and getting some food into them.
Erik clasped hands with Rugrat pulling one another in for a quick embrace.
“Thank you brother,” Rugrat said.
“Anyday brother,” Erik said and turned to face Storbon.
Rugrat moved to George and scratched his mount’s head.
“So, what’s the plan?” Erik asked Storbon.
“We head back to Kuldir, rest up and come out again later,” Storbon said.
Erik pulled out a field chair, Storbon did the same, and Rugrat came over to join them.
“If we do that, then other orcs could come out of the caves, reinforce the camp, take it over and it’ll be even harder to take it than it was now,” Erik said.
“We have wounded, we shouldn’t push ahead, already we’ve come damn close to having more injured, if you two were to get hurt,” Storbon trailed off.
“We get it, we’re city lords, dungeon masters and whatever, that doesn’t matter. We trained you, we trained the damn military. First and foremost we’re soldiers and soldiers take the enemy’s position and push forward. Hiding back in the town, that’s no way to grow,” Rugrat said, some fire in his voice.
Sixth Realm Page 33