“Thanks, Lyrian, we’ll appreciate any help you can spare,” the dwarf replied. “I know you all have your hands full fighting and keeping the town safe.”
“No worries, Dunedin, we’ll make it work,” I said confidently, my mind shifting out of the early morning calm that I had enjoyed with Amaranth and preparing itself for the day to come.
It was time to go back to war.
Chapter 5
The Plains
“Everyone from here reported a quiet night, Lyr,” Sierra said as she joined Freya and I standing just outside the encampment that we’d built on the edge of the plains. “No news from Cassius and the others overnight though.”
“Really? Nothing at all?” Freya asked, her voice sounding surprised. “Not even from any of the respawns overnight?”
“That’s just it,” Sierra replied with a shake of her head. “There apparently weren’t any respawns overnight.”
“Huh,” Freya grunted thoughtfully. “Must have really been a quiet night if that’s the case. I don’t think we’ve had a zero-death night since this whole shitshow began.”
“We knew that taking prisoners yesterday would strike a chord,” I reminded the pair, taking my eyes off the plains and twisting around to look towards them. “I guess we can get an impression of which way the Crew jumped after they realized what happened.”
“Way the hell back,” Freya said with a grin.
“Seems like,” I agreed, matching Freya’s smile before shifting my eyes onto Sierra. “Besides, if there was a problem overnight, Cassius would have just dropped a message in the group chat we set up offline. There was nothing there this morning when I checked.”
“That’s true,” Sierra admitted, her gaze wandering towards the plains behind me. “Maybe that means we’ll be lucky enough for a quiet day too.”
“Here’s to hoping,” I replied, sensing the undertones of exhaustion that filled Sierra’s last words despite our early night yesterday.
We just need to make it to Wednesday and then we can have a full day to recharge, rather than just an evening, I thought, wistfully looking forward to our first rest day since the war began. As efficient as the game was in managing our mental state, it did little to soothe all the fatigue caused by the near constant combat and stress over the last the few weeks. That was something only real rest could cure.
“In any case, the day awaits,” I said, my eyes briefly glancing over the encampment, which we had named Valor’s Point and was our first major line of defense against any attempt by the Dread Crew to push us out of the plains.
Set on top of a high hill that overlooked the plains ahead, the base had been built on a strategic chokepoint that connected the plains along with that of the immediate Aldford area. Anyone looking to make the trek from one location to the other essentially had to pass through the spot or be forced to detour down into Crater Lake and take a much longer and rougher path through its forest. As such, it was the perfect spot for us to fortify to ensure that if a catastrophe on the plains occurred and our entire line of battle was wiped out, the Dread Crew wouldn’t simply be able to sprint towards Aldford.
So that was exactly what we did, choosing to base our defense on the ancient model of a hillfort, and shaping the land itself to our advantage.
Consisting of three rows of deeply dug trenches filled with tribuli and other surprises, anyone looking to assault Valor’s Point would be first forced to cross the wide no-man’s land before it, while enduring a near-constant barrage of ranged magic and projectiles. Then, should the attackers somehow manage to survive that approach, they would find themselves in an uphill battle against several lines of dug-in defenders waiting for them. From there, the attackers would have to push their way upwards along the artificially shaped hill while the defenders retreated backward to specially prepared positions, stretching them out even farther as they fought for every inch.
While not completely perfect, it was the best line of the defense that we could manage given both our material and manpower constraints, while also providing us with a base of operations closer to the front line. In fact, if our luck held for three more days, we were hoping to secure the place as a bind point directly on the front lines, the game rules requiring a place to be secured against monsters for seven days before the option became available.
“That it does,” Freya agreed, both her and Sierra following my gaze as we looked over the base for a few seconds before turning away to the raid, which had been waiting patiently for us to return. “Let’s see if we can’t get buffs sorted out quickly today for a change.”
“Ugh, I almost forgot about that,” Sierra grumbled in a frustrated tone. “Let’s just cap it at ten minutes. If they can’t get sorted by then, they’re out of luck.”
“Whatever you think works best,” I replied, letting out a low chuckle. No matter how much time passed or how much games evolved there were few gaming axioms that ever changed, slow raid buffing being chief amongst them. “Feel free to light a fire under the slow movers however you like.”
“Oh, I will,” Sierra promised as the three of us rejoined the raid, both her and Freya calling for everyone’s attention as they launched into the task of getting everyone organized and ready to move. Fortunately for us, however, it seemed that all the adventurers within the raid today were especially motivated, and everyone launched into action without delay. As a result, it was just a few minutes later that I was skimming over the rapid array of notifications that appeared in my vision as a group of spellcasters passed by me.
Theia casts [Inner Fire] on you!
You gain +50 hit points, +30 to armor, and +2 to Health Regeneration for the next 3 hours!
Alistair casts [Blessing of Courage] on you!
You gain +5 to Strength, Agility, and Constitution for the next 3 hours!
Hadrian casts [Spirit of the Wild] on you!
Your maximum movement speed is increased by 20% and Stamina exhaustion from running is reduced by 35% for the next 3 hours!
“I know I say this every day,” Constantine said as the trio of spellcasters continued to the next group of adventurers, “but damn if Spirit of the Wild isn’t the best thing ever? I never realize how much I miss this buff until I have it again.”
“Don’t we all?” I asked, sharing the rogue’s sentiment completely as I turned back towards the raid. The desperately needed travel spell had become an instant hit as soon as the first druids and shamans had learned it at level twenty, and it was now easily the most sought-after buff in Aldford. Its key benefit was allowing whoever was enhanced by the spell to reach higher speeds while running and also aiding them in keeping up that pace over a long period of time. “How is everyone looking so far this morning?”
“Pretty good,” Constantine answered without missing a beat. “Morale seems great so far, and everyone is doubly excited we don’t have to worry about it raining on us today.”
“Small blessing for sure,” I said, glancing briefly towards the morning sky, which was still somewhat overcast but showed signs of clearing into a cloudless day by the time the sun fully rose. “Chances are we have a long way to go today, and the less mud that there is trudge through, the better.”
“Amen there, man,” Constantine replied just as Sierra, Freya, and Amaranth arrived, the pair having picked up my familiar during their circuit of the raid.
“Looks like we’re good to go, Lyr,” Sierra said glancing down at Amaranth as he fell in beside me, rubbing his head on my leg by way of greeting. “Everyone’s buffed and eager to get moving.”
“Great!” I exclaimed happily. “Want to do the honors of kicking things off?”
“Always,” she replied, reaching up to grab a wooden whistle that was hanging from a cord around her neck and using it to sound three sharp notes.
Then just like that, we were off.
Breaking into a steady jog, the entire raid began to move, rapidly achieving a speed that would have made any infantry commander back in reality gree
n with envy. Aided by both Spirit of the Wild and the movement bonus from my leadership skill, we were able to maintain that pace for hours, the plains blurring past us as we ran. Had we been able to afford mounts for everyone, our pace would have only been increased further.
One day, I thought wistfully as I ran, my eyes roaming ahead as we moved across the countryside. Lush and mostly untouched, I took the opportunity to bask in the verdant grassland around us, the war and fighting not yet having stretched this far to damage the landscape like it had deeper into the plains. However, with the demanding pace that we’d set, it didn’t take long for us to outrun the greenery and begin to see the signs of damage that our brief war had wrought, the grasses eventually fading away into damp ash and dirt.
“Whoa, there sure is a lot of them today,” Constantine called out from beside me two hours later as both his voice and a sharp whistle cut through the air, bringing me out of the floating runner’s high that had taken over my mind.
“Hm?” I grunted back, my brain taking a few extra seconds to reengage and for me to realize that we’d already arrived at the site of yesterday’s battle, the first rest stop on our journey to catch up with Cassius. Slowing my pace as we gradually came to a stop, I heard several voices behind me sound out in relief, grateful for the break.
It was only then that I finally caught onto what Constantine had said.
“Oh,” I breathed, taking in a deep breath to soothe my lungs as I laid eyes on yesterday’s battlefield a short distance ahead of us, seeing a sea of crows scattered throughout the blood-soaked grounds.
“‘Oh’ is right,” Sierra said from my right, oblivious to Amaranth’s words as we all took in the field of crows. “This has to be the most we’ve seen yet.”
“I guess it makes sense when you consider yesterday,” I replied. “That was easily the biggest battle we’ve fought so far when it comes to the body count.”
“Hrm,” Sierra agreed with a grunt, unable to completely hide her unease at all of the birds.
Over the last week, the crows had become a familiar presence on the plains, appearing like clockwork every morning, marking the spots where groups of adventurers had died the day before. Their numbers always seeming to vary depending on the size of the previous day’s body count, ranging from a handful for the smaller battles we’d fought, to two or three dozen for the larger and bloodier ones.
At least, until today.
Now, there were at least a hundred of the corvids marking the battlefield, so far not having shown any reaction to our arrival, continuing to peck at the ground while hopping from place to place.
“I wonder if Ignis made it through the night,” I said, breaking the momentary silence that had fallen, remembering that we’d left the man to the elements the previous night. “Anyone up for a walk around?”
“Pass,” Sierra said, shaking her head at my question. “Those crows creep me out enough as it is. I’m staying right here.”
“Me too,” Freya added. “We need to get another round of buffs organized before we go, else we’ll be stopping again in an hour.”
“That’s probably a good idea,” I agreed before glancing towards Constantine, raising a single eyebrow in question.
“Me? Miss a chance to see Ignis suffering?” the rogue asked as my gaze landed on him. “Let’s go pay our respects if he’s still there.”
Giving the women a wave as we departed, Constantine, Amaranth, and I stepped away from the raid and headed deeper into the battlefield, scanning for the spot where we’d left the traitorous adventurer. All of the other bodies that we’d left the night before had long since dissipated, the only thing remaining from yesterday’s battle being the broken fragments of weapons and armor that had refused to vanish with their owners.
“See him, Lyr?” Constantine asked me as we walked through the torn-up landscape a short while later, the crows making indignant cawing noises as they hopped away from our path, giving us, or more likely, Amaranth, a wide berth.
“Not yet,” I replied, slowly turning my head as I scanned the area, finding only the crows staring back at me warily. “Starting to think that something got him.”
“What a shame,” Constantine grunted in response, his tone indicating the exact opposite. “Not that I really figured he had a chance out here.”
“Me either,” I replied while looking out over the field of crows once more for any sign of the traitorous adventurer or anything else of interest but finding nothing to catch my eye. “Might as well keep pressing on then. I’m curious to see just where exactly Cassius and the others have managed to end up.”
Returning to the raid, the three of us rebuffed ourselves and helped organize the guild to move again, resuming our journey across the plains in short order, the ash-covered landscape blurring past us once more.
Damn, how far did Cassius and the others manage to push? I wondered for what had to be the hundredth time nearly three hours later as we continued to jog across the empty plains, not having seen any sign of either the Dread Crew or our nighttime scouts. I figured we would have seen at least a handful of returning scouts by now. They have to be dead on their feet with exhaustion if they’re out this late.
Having given in to my curiosity, or perhaps more aptly named paranoia, after our second rest break, I had ordered the raid to slow down as we moved while also spreading out into a wider skirmishing formation. It allowed us to keep a better eye on our surroundings as we moved, as well as react faster in case we spotted anything of interest. But yet, despite all of that, we simply continued to make steady progress, eventually passing through the rough battlefield that marked the area where the majority of our fighting had taken place over the last week.
Two shrill whistles interrupted my thoughts, the sound coming from directly ahead of me.
“That’s from Myr and the others,” I said to my familiar with sudden excitement, bringing a hand up to shield my eyes from the sun’s glare as I peered into the distance. In addition to spreading the raid out as we ran, I’d also sent several groups of our own scouts out ahead of us and to the flanks, just to make sure we didn’t accidentally run into something hostile lying in wait.
A situation which I immediately knew wasn’t the case at the moment, the two short whistles signaling that the group had found something friendly. Had it been a single note, it’d have meant that they’d run into something hostile and were likely under attack. Seconds later, I heard a series of other whistles break out throughout the raid as Sierra and the others signaled it to a stop, no doubt as eager as I was to hear what news the scouts had for us.
Keeping our pace, Amaranth and I, on the other hand, didn’t bother to slow down with the rest of the raid, choosing to close the distance between us and the group ahead, trusting that the others would catch up when they could. Moving with purpose, it didn’t take me long to spot several moving silhouettes in the distance, the leading pair of which I identified as Myr and Cadmus, with the trailing figures being none other than Kilgore and a quartet of Hallowguarde scouts.
“Look who we finally found,” Cadmus announced by way of greeting as Amaranth and I slowed to a stop in front of the group.
“More like found us,” Myr grumbled as she glanced rather pointedly towards the new arrivals. “And almost feathered us full of new holes in the process.”
“We were�
�startled,” a tired-looking Kilgore said by way of explanation. “It’s been a rather strange night all around on our end of things. We’re all a little high strung.”
“Seems like there’s a lot of that going around today,” I said dryly, my eyes scanning over all of the scouts and noticing that they were all covered in dirt, dust, and oddly enough, soot. “Where are the others? Are they following behind you?”
“No,” Kilgore replied with a shake of his head, pausing for a few seconds as Freya, Constantine, and Sierra finally joined us. “They stayed behind. Cassius sent me and the others back to find you and fill you in.”
“Stayed behind?” Constantine asked warily. “Stayed behind where? You guys have been up all night.”
“Shadow’s Fall,” Kilgore answered in a low voice as he looked at us with a blank expression. “It seems that after our day yesterday, the Dread Crew decided to abandon it completely.”
The man paused for a second, allowing us a chance to process what he had said before continuing, his face falling as he spoke.
“And burned the place to the ground behind them.”
Chapter 6
“I think it’s probably best if you started from the beginning so everyone can hear it this time,” I said as we rejoined the raid, still feeling a little stunned by what I’d just heard despite having had a few minutes to process it.
“That’s probably a good idea,” Constantine agreed as the other core members of Virtus fanned out around us, curious expressions written across each of their faces.
“Start what from the beginning?” Drace asked in an uncertain tone. “Did…something happen last night to Cassius?”
“No, not to Cassius,” Kilgore replied shaking his head. “But rather, to Shadow’s Fall.”
“Shadow’s Fall?” Sierra queried. “You guys made it that far last night?”
“We did,” the tired elf affirmed, taking a deep breath as he prepared to retell his story once more. “Though that in itself is a bit of a tale to tell because at first, our night started without any problems. We left Aldford last night on time and moved quickly until we reached the plains here and checked in with Valor’s Point. Then, after a brief stay to regroup, we set out, making a wide line eastward along the forest’s ridge before angling back towards the sentry camps we planned to hit.”
Glory to the Brave (Ascend Online Book 4) Page 7