Glory to the Brave (Ascend Online Book 4)
Page 80
Letting out a brief sigh at the possibilities of how that was going to go over, I shook my head for the second time in what felt like as many minutes and once again forced myself to think about something else. This time, however, I at least had the sense to focus on something that I knew would hold my attention for longer than a handful of minutes, calling up both my class challenge and my potential advanced classes to scan over once again. Reading as best I could while I continued to run, I took a few minutes to scan over the three paths that my class challenge offered, figuring that they were the best place to start as I tried to figure out exactly what was available to me. Once I felt I had a good understanding of them, I tried to pair them with each of the advanced classes, trying to get a sense of every possible combination—and hopefully which one of those combinations I found to be the most appealing, seeing as my choice would then dictate my future character development going forward.
So no pressure at all then, I thought as started at the top of the list, pairing the Path of Magic and its trait with the battle mage class. Clearly the strongest and most obvious choice, it was one that would turn me into a magical powerhouse, capable of wreaking an incredible amount of destruction on anything I chose. It was a choice that I had to admit wasn’t unappealing, especially when I paired it with the mobility I already had. I could easily see myself running and blink stepping into a group of enemies, dropping what spells I could and then blinking out. Granted the mana costs of the spell were fairly high, even before they were intensified through the trait, but I felt that they could possibly be managed through the use of my mana draining ability, assuming I didn’t spend more mana that I could afford. Or if I didn’t want to go with that path, I could substitute it with the Path of Balance instead of the two others, but given the available spells that were listed, I didn’t know exactly what it would change going forward from there.
Beyond that particular combination, the simplicity of the kensai class was one that I found particularly appealing as well, especially if I paired it with either the Path of Magic or Skill. I’d be able to enhance myself physically with the imbuements that the class offered while still maintaining everything I had up until this point with my current spellsword abilities. It wasn’t as flashy as either of the two other options, but perhaps it didn’t need to be. I’d be able to both deal and absorb a fair amount of damage outright, without being so reliant on offensive spellcasting for combat, thereby conserving my mana. That is, if I even had to. Given that I’d be in melee almost constantly, it was almost a guarantee that I’d be able to drain enough mana to keep myself topped up.
Then lastly, I had the spellstriker class, which, from what I could tell by its middle of the road approach, was essentially the continuation of the spellsword class that I already had, but with a focus on elemental strikes and inflicting status conditions on my enemies. As I looked at it, I realized that the class’s design was essentially an evolution around the strategy that I’d come up with by using Shocking Touch as a damage-dealing spell through my sword. A strategy that I’d used in practically every single fight since I’d gotten the spell. Granted, it wasn’t exactly an earth-shattering tactic all things considered and one that I saw a good portion of the other spellswords around Aldford also using. In either case, with the way that the class was designed, the Path of Balance seemed to be the best fit for it, the synergy between the Arcane Touch trait and the strikes the class relied on only boosting its damage potential and efficiency. Furthermore, as I read the trait itself, I was fairly sure that the benefits that it offered would also extend towards my mana draining ability. Not only would it enhance its effects, but it would also free me from the need to have an æthertouched weapon to drain mana whenever I struck something, granting me more flexibility for the future.
But speaking of flexibility, the class doesn’t look to offer much in terms of utility, at least not right now, I thought as I scanned over the spellstriker class and then the others, seeing that only the kensai class offered something other than direct damage-dealing abilities initially. I was sure that would likely change as time went on and I managed to get a few more levels into whatever class I chose, but it didn’t make my decision any easier for the time being. I guess it’s something that I’m going to have to sit and think about for a while when I get the chance, and maybe compare notes with Janus or one of the other spellswords when they hit level twenty-nine. There’s also no telling either what exactly it’ll take to qualify for one of these paths. What exactly is a challenge enemy anyway? Something higher leveled than me? Or do I need to try and solo a boss creature of some sort?
Properly distracted now from my earlier spiraling thoughts, the remainder of the hour-long journey towards Valor’s Point quickly passed as I continued to think over my impending class choices. It wasn’t until we were almost there that I was pulled out of my mental theorycrafting by the sound of several people either gasping or cursing, causing my eyes to dart back upwards and focus on the distant hill ahead.
Or rather, what was currently standing on top of said hill.
“Damn, Sierra was right,” Constantine said in between breaths as we all began to slow from our jog before eventually coming to a stop. “That thing is huge. Just look at it.”
“Oh, believe me, I am,” I replied as I stared towards the distant siegebreaker, the creature’s colossal size readily apparent the instant I spotted it on the hilltop. Matching the scout’s description from what was starting to feel like ages ago, I could make out its vaguely reptilian shape from our vantage point, along with the gleam of the dark-colored metal that armored its flanks. Unfortunately, any detail beyond that was blurred due to the distance that separated us from the monster—something that I was thankful for. Especially once I finally managed to pull my focus away from the creature and scan over the orc horde that sprawled out in front of it.
Maybe the orcs don’t really want to talk about anything at all, I thought, feeling my heart flutter as I took in the scene, my eye jumping between the dozen or so banners arrayed at the base of the hill and the orcs beneath them. Judging by the separation I saw between each of them, I figured that each banner represented its own tribe, one of them, in particular, appearing so massive that I guessed it had several hundred, if not as many as a thousand, orcs to their name. Maybe they just wanted to call us close enough so that we could see the horde firsthand in hopes of it shaking us.
Feeling like they may have succeeded in that goal, regardless if it had been their intent, I did my best to steady my nerves, exhaling a calming breath. It’d had been one thing to catch sight of the horde back at Khudazal, hidden from sight within the relative safety of the trees, and another to now be standing directly before it with their eyes all focused on us.
“There’s the group with the flag over there,” Freya said from my other side, recovering the fastest of us all from seeing the horde, her hand coming up to point at something much closer to us. “Looks like they’re at least appearing to play things straight.”
“Looks like,” I replied in what I hoped was an even tone as I shifted to follow the woman’s hand away from the distant horde, quickly spotting the white flag flapping in the breeze. Having been placed a good distance away from Valor’s Point, the chosen ground was about as neutral as a place could be in the area, far enough so we wouldn’t feel directly threatened by the orcs. But not so far away that we would forget they were there either.
“I’m counting four of them by the flag, and only one of them an orc,” Constantine said as we continued to take in the scene, the rogue turning to look towards Huxley who had run in pace with us. “Is this the same group you saw when they first came out?”
“It was,” the scout confirmed without a second’s hesitation, his head indicating westward. “And the others nearby haven’t moved at all since I left them. If anything strange happened, they’d be on their way to either deal with it or let us know if they couldn’t.”
“Another sign that they’re playing i
t straight,” Constantine stated. “And if they have four waiting for us, that likely means that they’re expecting four to meet them.”
“If they’re following the normal rules, then I’d agree,” I replied as squinted towards the flag and saw that it was being held by two of the distant non-orclike figures, likely slaves by my guess. Standing on either side of them were the other two figures, one definitely an orc as Constantine had mentioned, its broad stature unmistakable even from this distance. The final figure, however, was decidedly not, its decidedly slimmer shape signaling that it was either another slave or possibly one of the Dread Crew. “I don’t suppose anyone sees any warning signs that I might be missing?”
“I wish I could say yes, but I honestly have nothing,” Freya said, the others around us chiming in with similar sentiments. “Unless they’re hiding spirits nearby?”
“None anywhere that I can see,” Halcyon replied, the mage waving an ætherscope in his hand as he spoke. “They’re not the easiest to spot, but I can’t see any in range close to us. And the main horde is just too far away to see whatever they might have there.”
“By design, I’m sure,” I said, taking that opportunity to gauge the distance between our two forces once again and seeing that it was also out of my comparatively enhanced ætherscope detection range as well. I doubted that I would be able to get a reading on the horde itself even if I advanced as far as the meeting point they’d chosen. “In any case, if no one has anything concerns to bring up, then we might as well get buffs refreshed on everyone and see what all of this is about.”
Moving to organize ourselves, we let the orcs continue to wait as we regrouped from our travels and recast our various spells to ensure that they wouldn’t run out at an inopportune time should something happen during our meeting. As we waited for that to finish, we also made sure to send a few runners to the others trailing us to fill them in on our plans and to also lay a few contingencies, should we end up needing them. Only once that was all done did Freya, Constantine, Amaranth, and I step out from our collective group and begin our trek towards the orcs’ offered flag, jogging partway of the distance, lest it takes us ages to walk to it. Making good time to cross the bulk of the intervening distance, we maintained our pace until a loud horn rang through the air, courtesy of the single orc standing amid those waiting at the flag.
“A signal maybe to call the boss?” Constantine suggested as we all slowed down to walk at the blaring note, instantly worried about what the signal might have meant. “Probably didn’t want to stand in the sun all day long.”
“Maybe,” Freya agreed as we continued to walk towards the waiting group, our eyes darting between them and the distant horde, which is what allowed us to spot the riders the instant that they appeared. “Oh, look there! Two mounted people just broke free of that lead tribe over there.”
“That was quick,” I mused as I stared at the oncoming riders as they rapidly approached. “Looks like they’re really eager to chat.”
“Sure seems like it,” Freya agreed, the four of us steadily continuing our journey towards the flag, the yards separating us from it slowly shrinking away with every step.
As it did, we were eventually able to better make out those waiting beneath it, my earlier suspicions of the flag being held by a pair of slaves proving to be true, the two figures resolving themselves into that of a collared arakissi and gronn. But as the pair came into view, so did the last member of the quartet who stood opposite the lone orc, the identity of the figure becoming readily apparent to each of us.
“Look at that. Unless I’m mistaken, that’s Hido,” Constantine said as we closed, the distant figure that was the elf swaying slightly from side to side as he shifted his weight between each leg, allowing the other a momentary break. “I wonder what he did to get stuck waiting out here for us.”
“Knowing Carver, probably not much,” Freya replied, her voice softening as she continued to speak. “But in either case, take a look at him. Is it just me, or does he look a little more beaten down than usual?”
“I was going to say the same thing,” I said, having noticed something off with his demeanor the moment I recognized him, something more than what standing idle in the sun all afternoon could possibly cause. “Maybe he’s starting to realize what sort of company he’s been keeping.”
“Maybe,” Freya said, the woman sounding like she wanted to say something else. But before she could, the lone orc barked out loudly, cutting off whatever train of thought she might have had.
“Close enough!” he shouted in a commanding voice, prompting us to come to a stop little more than thirty feet away from the group. “Wait there for the master and do nothing else! He comes now.”
“Oh, he seems friendly, doesn’t he?” Constantine muttered as the distant orc fell silent, his glaring expression fixated on each of us.
“Seeing as he’s not trying to immediately kill us, he’s probably the friendliest orc we’ve met so far,” I mused as I shifted my attention from the orc and onto Hido, seeing that our earlier assessment of the elf had, if anything, been too kind now that we were closer and could see him more clearly. Looking ragged and drawn out to what had to be near the point of breaking, the man looked like a former shell of what I recalled when we’d last met, the dark rings under his eyes and drooping posture visible from even this far away. Feeling completely taken aback by his appearance, I found myself at a loss for words of what to either think or say in reaction, at least until Amaranth’s voice filtered through my mind.
I replied back to the cat, noticing that Hido hadn’t even bothered to acknowledge us, his eyes fixated firmly on the dirt ahead of him with a completely blank expression written across his face. It was enough to make me wonder if the man had chosen to log off instead of spending his afternoon waiting here as he slowly cooked in the sun, though if that was the case, it didn’t explain why his body still appeared so anxious.
I replied as I glanced over towards the riders which had made excellent time in making their way to us—so much so that they had already dismounted from their horses and were striding towards us. Walking to the side and behind the lead figure, I easily spotted Carver by both the crimson spirit wolf beside him and by his trademark antlered helm, having found a new one to wear after missing it during the last battle we’d fought. Beyond that single new addition, however, the rest of the man’s appearance was largely as what I remembered from our last encounter, save for a hint of the same exhaustion I saw on Hido.
But that brief glance to scan over my rival was all the time I was able to offer before my gaze was pulled away, the sheer presence of the other orc beside him practically grabbing and dragging my eyes towards him. Dressed in a suit of heavy, night-black armor with a series of thick spikes set on each pauldron, the heavily muscled orc towered high over the adventurer following him, who since his mysterious change was far from small himself. Scanning over him carefully as he strode towards us with powerful steps, I searched the orc for any sign of a weapon that he might be carrying but was a little surprised to find nothing. There was no sword or axe hanging at his hip, no haft of a spear protruding from over his shoulder, nor anything else that I could see that even vaguely resembled a weapon. Unsure of what to make of that discovery, I shifted to look up towards the orc’s pale grey face, which was completely uncovered by any armor, a
nd I found myself staring into a pair of yellow eyes. Marred with a ring of black corruption around them, the orc’s piercing gaze immediately unsettled me as it shifted to meet mine, forcing me to clench my teeth as I stared back, lest I accidentally tremble.
It was then, a half dozen seconds or so after I met the orc’s eyes, that the identifying tag finally flashed in my vision, confirming my thoughts as to its identity.
[Zhul the Shadoweater] – Faction Leader – Level 30
Arriving at the flag at the same moment that the tag appeared, Zhul only had to give the other nameless orc a single look before it turned to back away towards where they had left their mounts, the slaves following suit, taking the flag with them. It was only Hido that remained of the original four, the elf’s head turning to acknowledge both Carver and Zhul as they stepped beyond him. Coming to a stop just past him, the pair glared at us wordlessly, not even bothering to hide the anger and contempt written across their faces. Lasting for several seconds, the two continued to stare at us until just before the silence turned awkward, Zhul’s deep and grating voice broke it as he called out to us.
“In the name of Krol, Speaker of Riius and First of the Unshackled Horde, I have called you here to demand your surrender.”
And just like that, this meeting is off to a great start, I thought as the orc warlord spoke, taking special notice of his choice of words—particularly the name he’d used to describe the horde. Is that what they’re calling themselves now? And what exactly are they unshackled from, I wonder?
“Well, that’s one way to kick things off,” I mused loudly in response to the orc’s opening demand as I considered how best to even begin to reply to his demand, my attention sliding off him and towards the two adventurers by his side. “How about we back up a step before we get into the demands? Hi, Carver. Hi, Hido. Terrible to see you both on this fine day. I’m guessing this big meaty gothlike orc beside you both is Zhul, isn’t he?”